The Best Man Problem

by Mariah Ankenman

  Normally, she’d be embarrassed, but she was too far gone to care. Too lost in the rapture of his worship. Much sooner than she would have guessed, she felt her body tighten again. A whimper sounded in the air, and she realized it came from her.

  “I’ve got you.”

  Lincoln’s deep voice seemed to come out of a fog of lust and need. She felt his hand join his mouth, fingers pressing into her once again at just the right moment, causing her to cry out with a release that rocked her entire being.

  “Oh my God, I don’t think anything could be better than that.”

  His lips curled in a smug smile as he crawled up her body. “Wanna bet?”

  She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Lose the pants and let’s find out.”

  He stared at her a moment, finger coming out to trace the frames of her glasses. “These are sexy as hell.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ll admit to a few teacher and secretary fantasies about them.”

  She snorted. “Such a guy.”

  “Guilty.” He pinched the frames between his thumb and pointer finger. “Do you need them, or can I take them off?”

  Since the last time they’d been together she’d been wearing her contacts and seen every glorious inch of him, she nodded. “You can take them off.”

  He removed her glasses, setting them carefully on the bedside table. She blinked, his blurry face coming into slight focus. She had really bad eyesight. Lucky for her, she didn’t need to see much for what came next.

  “The pants. Lose them.”

  He laughed. “Anything you say.”

  Ooooh, she liked the sound of that.

  Lincoln rose from the bed, shucking his pants and boxers off in one rapid move. She stared in awe as his cock bobbed up and down, finally free of the confines of the material. Reaching out, she grasped the hard, velvety appendage, stroking her hand up and down, reveling in the feel of him.

  “Careful, Lilly. Much more of that and I’ll embarrass myself.”

  “Really?” She found that lack of control hard to believe.

  His eyes stared down at her, serious and full of emotion. “I haven’t been with anyone since you. I haven’t wanted anyone else since you.”

  She paused in her stroking, swallowing past the lump of emotion in her throat. His confession caught her off guard. The raw vulnerability of what he’d just revealed humbled her, and she couldn’t lie to him. Not now. Not after that.

  “Me either.” She cleared her throat as the words stuck. “I haven’t been with anyone since you either.”

  A happy smile lit his face. He reached over to grab one of the foil packets on the bedside table. “Well then, should we—”

  “Yes!”

  She grabbed the condom packet from his hand, eager to put this back in the physical realm. He laughed as she tore open the foil, but his laughter died when she rolled the latex down his length, ending in a groan as she squeezed the base of him.

  “Lilly.”

  She reached up, grabbing his biceps and pulling him down to her. “I want you, Lincoln, now.”

  “Yes,” he growled. “Now.”

  Settling himself between her thighs, he positioned himself at her entrance and thrust. They both cried out in unison as he entered her. She clutched his back, nails digging in. She wasn’t even sorry for the marks she might be leaving, because he was sure as hell leaving marks on her heart. Only fair she should mark his body.

  “Damn, Lilly. You feel even more amazing than I remember.”

  “You, too,” she panted. “Move, Lincoln.”

  He complied with her demand, thrusting his hips in a slow, torturous rhythm.

  “Faster.” She wasn’t going to last long. Unbelievable, since she’d come to completion twice already, but with this man, all bets were off. “Harder!”

  He quickened his pace, slamming into her with a force that made her eyes cross and her body tighten. No matter what she demanded, this man followed through. He listened, he fulfilled, he astounded.

  She thrust her hands into his hair, pulling at the short strands, tugging him down so she could capture his lips with her own. The connection of their bodies on every level was too much. Before long, she found herself cresting a wave of pleasure so intense it brought tears to her eyes. She tore her mouth away from his to cry out his name as she felt her body explode with euphoria unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.

  “Lilly!”

  Her own name pierced through the fog of bliss, shouted from the lips of a man who surprised her at every turn.

  They collapsed, breaths heaving out of their chests, sweat drenching their bodies. Lincoln moved to his side, pulling her on top of him. As he slipped from her body, she felt the loss in more than one way.

  “Well,” she sucked in a deep breath, trying to lighten the heavy mood she felt welling up inside her chest. “I’d say that was a success.”

  He laughed softly. “Don’t you mean sexcess?”

  She snorted.

  Smart, sexy, kind, and funny. That tiny voice in the back of her head that had been whispering she couldn’t separate sex from her feelings had gone from a dim hum to a shrill warning bell.

  Oh crap, she was in trouble. Big time.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Once again, Lilly found herself waking from the most restful sleep she’d had since…since the last time she slept with Lincoln. The guy was like her very own homeopathic sleep aid. Hmmm, how would one market that? Take three Reid orgasms and get the most restful sleep of your life. Side effects may include a dependency on sex, fantasies about computer nerds, and catching feelings. Because as much as she’d like to deny it, she hadn’t awakened with just a sated and well-rested body. She also feared this tugging feeling in her chest was a suspicious case of the cares.

  Before they went any further, they really needed to sit down and discuss what they were doing with this whole…thing. But to do that, she would need clothes. No way could she have a rational discussion about relationships in the nude. She needed armor for something so potentially vulnerability-inducing.

  She started to rise from the bed, moving to lift Lincoln’s arm from where it lay, draped atop her, cuddling her close. Who knew the guy was a cuddler? But before she could move, he shifted.

  “Mm, morning.” His husky, sleep-roughened voice filled her ear as he tightened his arm around her, kissing her softly on the neck. “Planning on running out on me again?”

  A tiny fleck of guilt hampered her pleasant morning mood. Did he have to keep bringing up her do-and-dash moment?

  “No.” She shifted on the bed, turning over on her side to face him. “I was simply going to get up and head to the kitchen to see if there was any coffee I could make.”

  He grinned, full lips peeking out from his close-cropped dark beard, which, yes, she found insanely attractive.

  “Liar.”

  Maybe, but she wasn’t ready to admit her morning-after jitters. Not without clothes, anyway.

  “Regardless, we should be heading out soon. The cleaning company will be here at noon, and the house needs to be empty so they can do their job.”

  Lincoln yawned, arms stretching over his head as his jaw cracked. “I suppose you’re right.”

  He kissed her cheek before pushing up from the bed, naked and completely at ease with his nudity. Hey, she wasn’t complaining. Not when she got to lie there and reap the benefits. The room had chilled slightly over the long night, but Lilly suddenly felt very hot as she stared at the fine, round firmness of Lincoln’s backside. The man had an ass you could bounce a quarter off of. She remembered he said something once about being a runner. It fit with his lean physique. He wasn’t overly muscular, but his body was honed. Tight. Scrumptious.

  “Uh, Lilly?”

  At his worried tone, she reluctantly drew he
r focus off his runner buns and glanced at his face. He stood at the window, curtains slightly parted, his face swiveling from her to the view outside and back.

  “Yes?”

  He winced, sucking air in through his teeth. “I don’t think we’re getting out of here today.”

  “What? Why?”

  Grabbing the comforter from the bed, she wrapped it around her as she stood. Not because she was ashamed of her nudity, but because the room was slightly chilly. She might not be a supermodel, but she knew she looked pretty good naked. Lincoln had nothing but praise to say about her unclothed form—or any of her forms, for that matter.

  Slipping her glasses on, she headed over to his side. A gasp escaped her lips as she fingered the curtain and peeled it back. The sight that hit her was beautiful and dreadful all at the same time. “Oh no!”

  “I don’t think the cleaning company will be making it up today, either.”

  She glared at Lincoln, but the smart-ass simply smiled back. With a sigh, she glanced out the window again to see the fluffy, swirling white snowflakes fall from the sky to join the three feet of snow already on the ground. How bad had the storm gotten last night after everyone left? Must have been a doozy to leave this much fresh powder in just a few hours.

  “I hope everyone got home okay.” She turned to grab her phone from the pocket of her dress, which Lincoln had tossed on the floor at the foot of the bed last night before blowing her freaking mind. “I need to check in with Mo.”

  Her friend wasn’t the best at driving in the snow, and she’d left the latest. But Lilly’s worry wasn’t necessary. As she retrieved her cell phone, she saw she had two texts from her roommate time-stamped late last night. The first read, Just got home. The roads are getting bad. You two better stay put. She breathed out a sigh of relief knowing her friend was safe in their apartment. The second text made her laugh as she read, And you better have lots of hot, wild sex and tell me all about it when you get home!

  The first, they’d already done; the second, she would in no way do. She loved Mo, but there were some things you didn’t share, even with your closest friends.

  “Mo okay?” Lincoln asked from his spot at the window.

  She nodded. “Yup. She got home safe and sound.” Which meant everyone else most likely had, too.

  “What do we do now?”

  She stared at him, her gaze shifting to the beautiful yet inconvenient storm outside. “Well, I need to call the cleaning service and reschedule for tomorrow. And I should also call the property manager and explain the situation. Hopefully they won’t charge us for an extra day, but if they do, I’ll make sure Marie and Kenneth won’t be charged for it.”

  Her clients had already left. They couldn’t control the weather. No way would she let them be charged an additional fee. Lilly was positive the property manager wouldn’t charge them an extra day due to weather conditions. Most Colorado businesses were used to dealing with snow snafus like this.

  “Wasn’t worried for a second.” Lincoln grinned. “Besides, I’m sure you can work your superhero magic and get them to agree to an extra day rental at no charge.”

  If he kept being so wonderful, she would have no choice but to fall for him.

  Liar. Like you haven’t fallen for him already.

  She cleared her throat, shaking the thought from her head. “Let’s just take this one step at a time.”

  She lifted her phone to call the cleaners. Lincoln crossed the room, kissing her cheek and whispering a “good luck” before he made his way to the attached bathroom. He left the door open a crack, and within seconds she heard the shower turn on. Hopefully these calls went quickly, because she really wanted to join him in that shower. To conserve water. They were in the midst of a storm, after all. Had to conserve energy and so on.

  The call to the cleaning company was quick, as the staff had not left the city yet and happily agreed to come out tomorrow instead. The call to the property manager took a bit longer, as she had to contact the mayor’s office due to the storm and no one was in the office. It took a bit of searching to find the mayor’s home number, but when she did, he quickly agreed with her decision to have the house cleaned tomorrow instead of today.

  Lincoln might have something on his superhero theory, because the mayor didn’t charge her another day but thanked her for staying and keeping an eye on the place, even going so far as to offer her a discount the next time she booked an event.

  With responsibilities crossed off her mental list, she dropped the blanket and headed toward the bathroom, pausing to snag a condom from the nightstand on her way. A wall of hot steam hit her face as she pushed open the bathroom door. The space was as luxurious as the rest of the room. A double vanity sat against the back wall, and black-framed mirrors hung over a marble countertop. The toilet was off to the side in a small room with a door that closed off to the rest of the bathroom.

  “Lilly? Is that you?”

  She craned her neck, squinting through the mist as it fogged up her glasses.

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Everything work out okay?”

  She stared, trying to make out his form behind the glass of the large shower, but everything was distorted and hazy.

  “Yes, everything is set for tomorrow, and there’s no extra charge for acts of extreme weather.”

  His chuckle rose over the pounding sound of the water. “Great, then you can come in here and let me wash…your back.”

  A giddy thrill shot through her at the notion of all Lincoln could wash for her. But first, Mother Nature called.

  “Give me one second.”

  She headed into the tiny toilet room and took care of business. The condom packet still in hand, she then made her way to the large shower, leaving her glasses on the sink countertop. Slowly, she pulled open the glass door and stepped inside. Lincoln’s blurry face came into focus as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into him.

  “Hi,” he said, kissing her lips softly.

  “Hi,” she returned the greeting and the kiss.

  “Is that a condom packet in your hand or are you just happy to see me?”

  She snorted, water spraying her in the face when Lincoln tilted his head in question.

  “It’s a condom,” she confirmed. “And you have the absolute worst sex humor.”

  “I didn’t know it was a competition.” He grinned, turning them so the showerhead hit her back.

  Warm, pounding water massaged her shoulders as Lincoln’s hands caressed her lower back.

  “You know,” he said between rubs. “Shower sex isn’t as hot as the movies make it out to be.”

  “I know.” She moaned as his hands dipped lower, grasping the globes of her ass and kneading in a sensual manner. “But I figured we could give it a shot. See if we can make some Hollywood magic.”

  He chuckled, lips brushing against hers as one finger dipped in between her thighs to stroke her right where she ached for him.

  “For you, sweetheart, I’m willing to give anything a shot.”

  She tried not to read too much into that statement. This was just sex talk. They were in the throes of passion. Promises made here weren’t to be taken seriously. That’s how her mom got her heart broken so often—she believed what men said when they were naked. You could never believe what a man said when he was naked…or what a woman said when she was naked, either. The loss of clothes directly correlated to the loss of pragmatic brain cells.

  All thoughts left her mind the moment Lincoln plunged two fingers inside her. Her body tightened with need.

  “Lincoln,” she gasped, warm water from the showerhead trickling into her mouth as her head tilted up.

  “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Tell me what you want.”

  “You.” She reached out, grasping the hard length of his erection pressing against her belly and stroking
. “I want you. Inside me. Now.”

  He laughed softly. “One of us is going to have to stop playing so we can put the condom on.”

  But she didn’t want to stop playing, and she didn’t want him to stop, either. Why weren’t humans made with three arms? Just think of all the life problems that could be solved by an extra appendage.

  “Lilly,” he pressed as she quickened her strokes. “I don’t want to stop touching you.”

  Good. She didn’t want him to stop, and she also didn’t want to stop. On the other hand, she wanted more of him inside her. A, ahem, bigger part of him inside her.

  “Hold out the condom,” he demanded.

  Their occupied hands still working magic on each other, Lilly held up the foil packet. Lincoln maneuvered them again so the water hit his back, blocking the stream from their good bits. He grasped the corner of the foil and ripped, gripping the latex protection between his fingers and pulling it from the wrapper.

  That was a new one for her. She’d never shared opening a condom with a partner before. It felt intimate in a way far deeper than it should be. Not wanting to deal with that emotion right now, she dropped the wrapper and gently plucked the condom from his fingers and rolled it on his length, replacing her other hand but continuing to stroke him as she rolled the latex down his cock.

  “Now, Lilly,” he growled, grasping her thigh and pulling her leg over his hip.

  “Now,” she agreed.

  His fingers left her only to be replaced a moment later by the blunt head of his erection. She gasped as he pushed in those first few inches.

  “Fuck me!” he groaned.

  She smiled. “Happy to.”

  He grinned a moment before his mouth descended on hers. As he kissed the living daylights out of her, he backed them against the shower wall, thrusting inside her in a slow, easy rhythm. The stall was so big, the water no longer hit them, but the steam rose around them, heating the already scorching air as they moved with a single-minded focus. His tongue played with hers, tasting, worshipping, devouring her every breath. Her mind fell completely blank, the only thoughts filling it Lincoln and the way he made her feel.