"You win! No more tossing me around! This is precious cargo," I joked, waving to my body.
He scoured down my bikini and it was clear he was picturing every single dip and contour he'd just seen. I licked my lips and tried to contain the building lust. With him around it was nearly impossible.
"How do you guys feel about watching a movie? I have tons of popcorn and candy," Penn asked as I swam closer to them.
"Sounds fun. You had Liam at candy, I’m sure," I teased, eying him over my shoulder. He was still standing in the middle of the pool, where'd I'd left him, probably trying to contain his erection that I knew was hiding beneath the surface.
Hah. Looks like I won after all.
"Only if it's peanut M&M's, baby," Liam winked, with an over the top southern accent.
I shook my head and swam toward the edge of the pool. I was wrapping a towel around myself when Becca got my attention with a small wave. Her eyes were wide and she kept trying to mouth something at me.
“What?” I whispered.
She widened her eyes and mouthed it again. I think she either said “Weeds in the wok” or “We need to talk”. Knowing Becca it could have been the first phrase, but I chose to go with the latter. I nodded and then mentioned something to the guys about needing to check my phone. Becca scurried after me, her movements falling at about negative one-thousand on the secretive scale.
The second we were alone she grabbed my arm.
"I think Penn wants me to stay here tonight," she admitted with a pale face.
"So? That's good, right?"
She frowned and wrung out her hands. "I don't think I'm ready for that. I definitely want to be with him, but I need you guys as a buffer. What if we suggest something like a big sleepover? Are things with you and Liam heating up? Maybe we could all stay at Penn's house?"
Even though her idea seemed childish, it also sounded really fun. I knew Penn wouldn’t mind considering how into Becca he was. And what guy doesn’t want to build a blanket fort with two chicks? Answer: They all do. It’s probably one of the top watched porns: sex in a haphazardly constructed blanket fort. Every guy’s wet dream.
"That sounds like fun. We'll play it my ear, but I have your back. No worries."
All right, I sort of just wanted to build that fort.
Chapter Twenty
When we came back out, the guys were sitting on the lounge chairs chatting, probably about soccer. What else did two professional soccer players discuss?
Liam looked up as we were making our way over.
"Kinsley, let's go to my house and change clothes and then we can come back to watch the movie," he said, standing up and heading over.
I nodded, and when he was close enough so that I didn't have to announce it to everyone, I whispered, "Do you think I'll be staying here tonight?" I couldn't meet his eyes but my cheeks were burning.
His small smile said it all. "Of course, I won't let you drive back to LA this late, and besides, I want to sleep with you."
Sleep with me! I practically squirmed on the spot.
"I have an idea," I announced to the group, suddenly agreeing with Becca's plan. "What if we have a giant sleepover? We can go grab stuff from Liam's place and then head back over..."
Liam's smile widened and he shook his head slowly. Not as if he was saying no, but because he seemed amused. "We can do the sleepover at my house. I have a movie room with couches that are comfortable enough to sleep on."
I didn't expect him to buy the plan so easily, but I suspected he was trying to make it easy on Becca and me.
"Sounds good," Penn answered. "We'll meet you guys over there in a little bit."
Becca shot me a grateful smile and then she followed Penn up the stairs.
"C'mon, we can get to my house from the beach," Liam said, taking my hand and the cover-up so that I couldn't put it back on.
"You don't need this, we're only walking a short ways," he declared as I arched my brow.
"Mhmm, I'm sure that's the reason," I teased as his gaze drifted down my body.
"All of my fantasies did not live up to the real thing... I think I need a few more minutes before you put clothes back on," he teased confidently, making me feel even more exposed.
I laughed and shook my head. Fantasies, my ass.
"Did Becca want you to suggest the sleepover thing?" he asked gently.
I bit my lip wondering if I should throw her under the bus. Maybe he would tell Penn. "Well technically it was her idea, but I thought it would be fun. Are you upset?"
He watched me explain and then narrowed his eyes. "It's probably for the best. I want to spend time with you, but if we were alone, we’d be going straight to my bed right now."
His words coated me like honey and I tried to shake off the allure.
"Well you can take me to your bedroom," I winked, "...for a change of clothes."
He laughed and tugged my hand as we ascended the stairs to his house. It was even more beautiful up close. The design was open and inviting. Warm white hues and bright blue accents filled the living room and kitchen.
"This is where I like to spend my time when I can get away from the LA house,” he said as he tugged me past the kitchen that looked straight out of a magazine. “I was having a few things fixed so they had the water and electricity cut off for the past few weeks.”
I guess we were passing the tour all together. I was getting a glimpse of each room as he continued pulling me toward his bedroom.
"I completely agree about it feeling like a home." I smiled up at him and our eyes locked for a moment. I think he was glad I appreciated his house. But to be honest, anyone would.
When we got to his room, he pulled open his drawers and handed me a t-shirt and some boxers.
"This should work. Sorry I don't have bras lying around. Guess you’ll have to go without." He smiled as if he wasn't actually that sorry.
I glanced down at the boxers to find that they had little snowmen on them. They seemed very un-Wilder-like.
I held the waistband up between my fingers. “Stylin’ duds you have here, Mr. Wilder.”
"Hey, don't knock the boxers. They're my Christmas pair." He laughed as he pulled out a pair of boxer briefs, sleeping pants, and a shirt for himself. I thought he was going to head into the closet to change, but as soon as he had his clothes pulled out, he dropped his swim trunks right then and there and headed to the shower.
My mouth fell open at the sight of him. Every single inch of his body was toned and tan. His tattoos fell in perfect congruence with the movement of his muscles. I knew it took years to mold a body into that perfection and I appreciated every single inch of it as I watched him head to his bathroom.
"Come shower," he demanded just before his body disappeared from my sight.
I stood there motionless as I heard him turn the water on and then step inside. Shampoo bottles clanged against the glass as I tried to make a decision. Were we moving too fast? Should I wait and shower separately? Did I even need a shower? There was chlorine in my hair and the longer I let it dry, the more damage it would cause… Welp, that’s settled.
His form was partly hidden by the fogging glass, but puffs of intoxicating steam were already rising from the top. I popped open the glass and sneaked in after him without taking my bikini off. I thought I could shower just fine in my bathing suit. Liam disagreed. His eyes lit up as he took me in and then in no time at all, he'd untied my top and bottom and my bikini fell to a pile on the shower floor. Damn, those hands could really move when he had a goal in mind. He kicked my bikini aside and brought me toward him. My hands splayed out against his chest, feeling his smooth skin as he started to soap up my body.
We were naked, so blissfully naked together, that I felt giddy and turned on all at once.
He squeezed a dab of body wash onto his hands; it was his body wash and it smelled clean and manly. He was going to wash me with it and I didn’t mind one bit that I’d come out of the shower smelling just like him. I wa
nted to use that body wash from now on.
My eyes fell closed as his hands drifted over my skin. He skimmed over my shoulders, down my back and spine. It felt like he was slowly driving me insane under the pretense of cleaning me off. When his hand fell between my legs I thought I'd collapse onto the tile, but he didn't let me. One hand wrapped around my waist while his fingers brought me to another orgasm.
"You're so responsive to my touch," he said, nipping my ear as my hand found him hot and hard.
I grabbed the soap from behind him and returned the favor, but honestly it was more pleasurable for me than it was for him. Getting free access to run my hands across his skin was like getting to gorge myself on the most decadent desert. I reveled in the way he tensed when my hand drifted lower, past his waist. I gripped him tightly and stroked him up and down as his head fell back under the stream of water. I loved making this man moan. If I could only hear one thing for the rest of my life, I would choose that moan— hearing him make those low groaning sounds as pleasure overtook him. He came fast and hard, spilling out onto my hand and belly. It was a deviously sexy sight and I almost mourned the loss as the shower washed it away as quickly as it had appeared.
We both left the shower wearing sated smiles, but I still felt his eyes on me as I pulled on his shirt and boxers. We’d yet to completely have our fill of one another.
"You realize that the entire time we're watching the movie I'll be thinking about the fact that you aren't wearing panties or a bra underneath your clothes," he commented, pulling on his pants.
I winked over my shoulder, feeling bold and beautiful after his constant stream of compliments in the shower. "Technically, they're your clothes." I said, moving toward the door.
He grinned wickedly, ditched his shirt, and made to chase after me. Damn his soccer training. He was much faster than I was. I ran down his hall laughing as I dodged his hands, then I hid behind the couch, faking to dodge left and right. He called my bluff and caught me as I tried to run away.
"Mercy!" I squealed as he wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up.
He was setting me back down to my feet when Becca and Penn walked in. Becca eyed us curiously, but Penn just laughed and shook his head.
"What the hell have you two been doing while we've been changing?" Becca laughed.
I winked. "Playing chase. I'm much faster than Liam."
He wrapped his hand around my waist and squeezed. "Maybe you should train me then."
I laughed and pushed him away with my hand. "Yeah, yeah. Did you guys bring any movies?"
Penn held up three DVDs. "I brought Shawshank Redemption, 300, and Boondock Saints."
Becca and I both cracked up. "You are such a guy, Penn."
"I don't think my options are any better," Liam admitted, rubbing the back of his hair with his hand.
"C'mon Becca, let's go check out Liam's stash while the boys make the popcorn."
"Did you guys bring your own candy? Because I'm not sharing," Liam called behind us.
The second we rounded the corner toward Liam's movie room, I put my hands on Becca's shoulder and silently squealed up and down. She joined in and soon we looked like two crazy people jumping and spinning in a dark hallway.
"This is a dream, right? We're going to wake up tomorrow in the house and I'm going to be wearing my onesie," Becca whispered as we kept walking.
"No. This is definitely happening, my friend." I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt.
"Sorry we took so long changing. Penn was a little distracted. We may have rounded a few bases."
I threw her a shocked glance as we pushed through the door to the movie room. He'd pointed it out to me earlier, but of course we hadn't actually been inside. No detail was forgotten inside the room. There were giant plush recliners in the first two rows and then two rows of couches behind it. They were wide and overflowing with fluffy pillows. The screen was obscenely large and there was a fancy-looking projector mounted on the far back wall.
Beneath the projector there were shelves upon shelves of movies.
"Wait, how many bases did you guys skip?" I asked as soon as the door was closed.
Becca couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "Well, let's say he knows what I taste like."
I started cracking up. "BECCA!"
"What?! You did it to Liam... in his office no less!"
"I know, I know. I'm just... wow. Has a guy done that to you before?"
She bit her lip. "No, but now I'm wondering why the hell I waited so long."
We started cracking up again and I couldn't stop with the giddy squeals. Eventually we tried to look through Liam's movie collection, but it wasn't very successful.
"I'm not sure how long we have until they get here, but the second we get home tomorrow, I have about one million questions for you," Becca whispered. We could hear the boys laughing down the hall and it sounded like they were heading our way.
"I'll try and help, but seriously I'm not much more experienced than you are," I shrugged.
Becca nodded. "We'll break out 50 shades. It should give us some answers."
“Yeah, like how to get flogged while wearing a ball gag,” I joked.
“True. Maybe we should stick to Judy Blume’s books.”
I shoved her arm playfully just as the boys strolled in. Their arms were filled with drinks and snacks.
"Did you guys find something to watch?" Penn asked.
Becca and I glanced from each other, down to our empty hands, then back to the shelf. "Ummm..." Becca mumbled.
I reached forward and grabbed the first movie I touched: Wedding Crashers.
"Oops… haven't we all seen this one?" I asked, holding it up. Everyone nodded, but Liam grabbed it out of my hand and went to pop it into the spaceship-quality projector system.
"That's good, we'll probably end up talking through it anyway," he shrugged. He had a point. With four people that were all hyped up on sexual tension, we probably wouldn't be paying attention to the movie for very long.
All four of us could have fit comfortably on one couch, but Becca and Penn took the couch closest to the screen and Liam and I scooted onto the back one. The previews started to play as I adjusted on my seat and spread a blanket that felt like a cloud over my lap. Liam narrowed his eyes on me playfully and tugged the blanket onto him as well. It wasn't that big, probably because it was made of virgin baby sheep’s wool, so I had to scoot closer to him. Thank you, tiny blanket.
We had popcorn resting on our laps and candy spread out in front of us.
"Hey, do you guys have anything good up there?" I asked, leaning forward to see their stash. Becca tossed me back a handful of Swedish Fish and one of them hit me in the eye.
"Hey! I only caught like three of those," I complained, popping one into my mouth.
"I caught the other one," Liam proclaimed proudly. A little red fin was sticking out of his mouth and I reached over to bite it off. He nibbled on my lower lip, and for that brief second I forgot where we were. When Becca cleared her throat, I pulled back and found her leaning over the couch, holding out the bag of candy.
"Should Penn and Kinsley switch? You guys can't have sex while the movie is on," she joked. All at once Penn, Liam, and I shouted, “No!”
Becca laughed and shook her head before turning back around to cuddle next to Penn. When the movie started playing, we all made a good faith effort to actually watch it, but not even ten minutes in, Liam held out a bag of Peanut M&Ms in front of my face. I eyed him warily. Chances were if I reached for them, he'd gnaw my hand off.
"More than Peanut M&Ms," he whispered, and it took me a moment to realize what he meant. When it clicked, I bit down on my bottom lip to try and conceal the cheesy grin fighting to break free. I took the bag, leaned into the crook of his shoulder, and one at time, we ate the entire thing.
Don't judge, it was a small bag.
Sometime during the movie I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up the lights were off and I had to pee like
a racehorse. I was lying horizontally on the couch with a pillow tucked under my head that hadn't been there before. Liam was tucked behind me with his arm wrapped around my waist. I could hardly breathe, let alone move, with his grip wrapped securely around me. I gently peeled his arm off and then shuffled in the dark until I found the door.
When I came back from the bathroom, I peeked over the front couch to find Becca and Penn cuddled in the same position Liam and I had just been in, and I couldn't help but smile. I would have snapped a picture of them if I could have done it without waking everyone up and looking like an intense creeper. They looked so perfect together and Becca was sleeping with this tiny smile on her face. It was pretty hilarious, but still adorable.
I tried my best not to wake Liam when I crawled back onto the couch, but I could feel my heart racing beneath my shirt. I lifted the blanket and slid down next to him so that my face was pressed against his chest. I took a deep breath and inhaled a whiff of his deodorant and body wash, letting my eyes flutter closed.
"Where'd you go?" he whispered, wrapping his arms around me. I hadn't realized he was awake.
"Went to look at your baby pictures and tax returns."
"I thought you were ditching me."
"Not after you shared your candy with me." I smiled against his chest and he wrapped his arms around me tighter.
"I really like you... you should be my girlfriend."
My body stilled against his chest. Was he really asking me that or was he talking in his sleep? Maybe he'd never actually woken up and I was talking to his subconscious.
I played along as if he was actually asking me.
"It's late and asking me to be your girlfriend makes me feel like we're in high school."
He chuckled softly and bent to kiss the edge of my mouth. "Go steady with me. Be my date to an event I have to make an appearance at next week."
"Yes."
"Was that a 'yes' to being my girlfriend or a ‘yes’ to being my date?" he whispered.