Timmy was already cracking a beer open for me by the time I took a seat in the nearly empty joint.
“Thanks, man,” I said as he slid the bottle into my hand.
“Surprised to see you here this early.” He picked up a rag and started wiping down an already impeccably clean bar top.
“Quit early today.”
“That explains what you’re doing here early. Doesn’t explain why you look like shit.”
“Work’s been rough.”
“Sure. I believe that.”
“Don’t you start, too. I came here to get away from all the sage advice.”
He tossed his rag to the side. “I get it. Not here for advice. How about a drinking buddy?” He pulled out another bottle of beer, popping the top. He leaned against the bar in front of me, taking a long, drawn-out sip.
I cocked an eyebrow. “Drinking on the job now?”
“I’m making a one-time exception. Besides, shit doesn’t start gettin’ busy ‘round here for another four hours.”
We clanked the necks of our bottles and spent the next few hours talking about all kinds of random shit, as usual. When newcomers started filing in, he sighed, tossing his second empty bottle in the trash.
“Looks like it’s go time, man.”
I nodded, taking another pull of my beer. “You know, you should really get some help ‘round here.”
He scoffed, picking up a bar rag and draping it on his shoulder. “Tell you what. You don’t tell me how to run my business, and I won’t tell you what a colossal idiot you are for not making things right with the Doc.”
“And what do you know about that?”
“More than I care to. She was in here a few nights ago.”
I thought I was doing a damn fine job not showing any reaction to that news, but from the tilt of Timmy’s lips, I wasn’t.
“Don’t worry, man. I kept an eye on her. She only had a few shots and seemed more concerned about talking music and asking me questions about you than taking any interest in the guys who were trying to buy her drinks.”
I nodded my appreciation. “Thanks, man.”
“Don’t mention it.” A couple of ladies walked up to the bar, drawing his attention. “Duty calls. You good?”
“Yeah. Just get me the tab when you get a chance.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.” He walked off, not giving me the opportunity to argue. As he mixed their cocktails, I felt their eyes on me. I ignored them, standing from the stool and pulling out my wallet. I tossed a couple of twenties on the bar and took off.
* * *
“Hello,” I answered my phone as I turned left at the courthouse to head home.
“Hey…”
My foot let off the gas when I heard Devin’s timid voice through my speakers. I glanced over at my phone for confirmation it was really her. I hadn’t paid attention to who was calling when I picked up.
“I didn’t expect you to answer. I thought you might be out tonight,” she continued.
“Then why did you call?” I pulled my truck to the side of the road, my heart pounding like the pussy it was in my chest. I didn’t know how to take this unexpected call. Was she giving in? Was she good with being fuck buddies? Why was I not feeling okay with that? I should be freaking ecstatic right now.
“I don’t know...” She went quiet, and I imagined she was nibbling on those pouty lips the way she did when she was nervous.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, Doc.”
She sighed with annoyance. “I have a plumbing issue.”
“You do know my brother is the contractor, not me.”
“Yeah. It’s not that kind of plumbing issue…”
I flipped the truck around, heading back into town with a grin on my face. “I’ll be there in five.”
* * *
Devin opened the door looking worse for wear, but still beautiful as hell. I guess they hadn’t been lying about her state. I was immediately pissed at myself, knowing I had a part in it.
Without even a hello, she turned her back to me and walked away, leaving the door wide open. When I didn’t make a move, she glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”
Shit. Was this how it was gonna go down? Not that I’d ever felt the need to have drawn-out conversations with the women I slept with before, but this was a bit forward even for me. I figured we’d clear the air first, make sure we were on the same page. But she seemed set on heading straight to the bedroom and getting down to business.
15
DEVIN
Wes stood in my doorway, his brows pinching, a frown on his face. Maybe this was a bad idea. It took me hours to work up the nerve to call him. I’d pulled up his number at least ten times before I finally connected the call.
But what else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t sleep. I needed him.
“Wes?”
His eyes snapped to mine. “Yeah?”
“It’s this way.” I jabbed my thumb down the hall.
He nodded, but still didn’t move.
“You okay?” I asked.
He lowered his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yeah, it’s just—”
“If you changed your mind, it’s fine. I can call someone else.”
“It’d be that easy for you, huh?” His faced hardened with his question, his fist opening and closing.
“Well, no… Not exactly. You were kind of my last option.”
“Wow. You really know how to kill a man’s ego. I’m surprised you called me at all.”
“Well, I’m not gonna be able to sleep until it’s taken care of.” I sighed, crossing my arms, kicking out a hip. “You know what, just forget it. This was a mistake.”
“I’m not saying I won’t help you with your situation. I just… Shit, can you give me a minute?” He rubbed his hand down over his mouth as he looked at me from head to toe.
If I knew he was going to be this annoyed about it, I never would have called him. “Fine. Whatever.” I tossed my hands up, stomping down the hall.
He muttered another curse before trudging slowly behind me. I stopped at the doorway to the bathroom, keeping as much distance as I could while I looked for the little sucker. He was nowhere to be found, but I knew he was still in there. Or at least I hoped.
“What are we doing?” Wes whispered over my shoulder, sending a shudder down my back. His cologne overpowered the air around me.
I nudged him back with my elbow.
“In there.” I pointed into the bathroom.
“That’s where you want to do this?” He tipped his head to the side, rubbing at his jaw as he contemplated for a moment. He shrugged, coming to some sort of decision. “Okay, then. Lead the way.”
“Uh-uh.” I shook my head. “You’re on your own. No way in hell am I going in there with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not touching that thing.”
He puffed out his cheeks, releasing a breath, running his fingers through his hair. “You’re making it really hard for me to perform when you keep throwing those kinds of comments my way.”
“Sorry.” I shrugged. “But I’m staying right here while you take care of business in there. I’m fine watching.”
His eyes widened as they looked from me to the bathroom. “You’re full of surprises, brown eyes. I never expected this.”
I shrugged, shoving him forward into the bathroom. “Go on. I’d like to sleep at some point tonight.”
He exhaled again, walking into the bathroom, and then turned to face me. “I gotta admit this is a little unusual, even for me. Not that I don’t kind of like it, but I’m feeling a little stage fright right now. How do you want me to do this?”
“I guess we should find it first.”
He chuckled, reaching for the snap on his pants. “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Before I could register what was going on, he was unzipping his pants.
“What the hell are you doing?” I screamed.
He stopped, flinging his arms out to the side. “I don’t know! This was your fucking idea!” He stared back at me, planting his hands on his broad hips, confusion etched all over his face.
I blinked, the shock slowly fading as I stared at his disgruntled expression. “Oh— Oh my God.” My hands flew to my mouth as I tried to hold back a laugh, everything finally dawning on me. “You thought—oh my God.” I bent over in a fit of laughter.
I tried to stop. I really did. But I couldn’t. Especially when he was still standing there with his fly open, looking out of sorts.
“You’re a weird chick, Doc.” He zipped up his pants. “I’m not so sure what’s so funny right now, but I can guarantee you my dick is nothing to laugh about.”
“Wes, I’m sorry,” I tried to apologize through my laughter. “I think you got the wrong idea. I didn’t call you here to”—I waved a hand toward his crotch—“you know…” I stared at it, noticing how hard it was. And big. A flash of heat trickled south.
Wes cleared his throat and my eyes traveled upward, where a slow smile was building on his face as I did.
“Are you sure about that?”
I had no idea how he’d managed to shift the embarrassment from himself to me so quickly. “No—I mean, yes.” Tilting my head back, I blew out a breath. “I mean yes, I’m sure. No, I didn’t call you here to—can we just move on?”
“Whatever you say, Doc. Then what ‘plumbing issue’ did you have?” he asked skeptically.
“A scorpion. There was one between the tub and the toilet when I came in here earlier.”
“A scorpion?” He glanced over to where I’d claimed to have seen it. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure! And I won’t be able to sleep until I know it’s gone.”
“Well, it’s not there now.”
“It’s in here somewhere. I’ve been keeping an eye on the doorway since I ran out of it.” I took one step in to peer around him at the spot where I’d originally spotted the nasty thing.
He was right. It wasn’t there.
“Where did it go?” I huffed, putting my hands on my hips as I looked back at him.
He didn’t answer. He just stared unblinking, his face paling and his eyes slowly widening as he looked slightly over my head.
“Wes?” My voice cracked with my racing heart.
“Don’t. Move,” he slowly and sternly warned me.
I snapped my eyes closed, every muscle in me going rigid. “Wes?”
“Shhh…just hold still.”
“Tell me it’s not on me!”
“It’s not on you. It’s on the wall right above you.”
Without another thought, I screamed and sprinted out of the room and down the hall. There was no way in hell I was waiting for that thing to drop onto my head. Wes’ booming laughter roared and echoed from behind me.
He was still laughing as he walked down the hall to where I’d stopped to freak out. I squirmed and spun, rubbing my hands all over as I tried to rid my body of the imaginary creepy crawlers on it.
“Got ya.” He winked, crossing his arms.
I stopped. His words registered, and I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not funny!” I screeched.
“It was for me,” he said laughing, a wicked gleam in his green eyes.
“You’re an ass.” I shoved at his chest as he closed in on me, trapping me in a hug, the heat of his body enveloping me. His laughter vibrated through his chest and against my cheek, causing another shot of warmth to course through me. I loved being around this Wes. The light and fun one.
“Oh, come on, Doc. You kind of deserved it after letting me think you wanted me to jack off in front of you.”
My smile cracked and I chuckled against him, burying my face against his hard pecs. “I can’t believe you were actually going to do it.”
“There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you,” he confessed in a low voice.
We both stilled, our laughter silenced by his admission. It was no longer the prominent vibration I felt as I remained pressed against him. Instead, it was the frantic rhythm of his heartbeat mimicking mine.
After a few more beats of silence, I lifted my head to meet his gaze. His eyes were soft, the honesty in his words visible in them.
“I’m not like the other girls. I can’t be. I won’t be.”
“I know.”
“And I’m not her.”
My biggest fear was out of my lips and in the air, floating between us. As soon as I said it, I realized it was the only thing holding me back. I wanted him. I knew he wanted me. But I wanted him to want me for me.
“I know. She’s not who I want. There’s no one else I want. Just you.”
“And what happens when we cross this line? What do you expect at the end of this?”
He brushed a hand across my cheek, his lids heavy as he focused on my lips. “To make you forget he ever existed.”
The sound of his deep, sexy voice pulled me under, the promise of his words something I was desperate for. Without another thought my lips were on his, my hands greedily wrapping around his neck, pulling him tighter to me. The tips of his fingers dug into my waist as he pressed against me, stepping me backward and flush against the wall. He groaned against my lips. I opened them more and his tongue swooped in, caressing mine in a heated kiss.
I gasped when his hands dropped, digging into my ass, squeezing, and lifting. “Wes,” I whimpered, hiking one leg up, climbing him like a tree.
Taking my thigh in his hand, he hoisted me up until I had both legs wrapped around his waist. The hard ridge in his jeans pressed deeper into me, forcing another desperate moan to emit from deep in my throat.
He jerked back, burying his face in my neck. “Doc,” he rasped, his heavy breaths against my skin. “We should stop.”
“No,” I blurted my breathy insistence.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
“I need to hear you say it.”
“Yes. I am,” I assured him, still nodding.
He lifted his head, his eyes searching mine for what felt like forever. I’d felt the shift in his frame, saw the hesitation in his eyes as he began to doubt my words. “Fuck,” he sighed, dropping his lips back to mine with a quick kiss.
“Wes.” I cupped his face in my palms, tightening my legs at his waist, and forced him to look at me again. “Please. I want this.”
Using one arm and the wall to hold me up, he lifted his other hand, combing it through my hair. “I know, brown eyes. But not like this.”
“Yes. Just like this. It’s exactly what I need.” I pleaded with my eyes, hoping he saw the sincerity there, rather than the desperation.
I meant every word. I had no expectations of a future with him. We wanted the same thing: an incredible night that would make me forget every mistake I’d made the last four years.
His head fell, his forehead pressing to mine as I locked my hands at the back of his neck. He rolled it back and forth, fighting an internal battle as he struggled with his decision. When he pressed a sweet kiss to the top of my head, I felt the rejection.
But then he hiked me higher on his body, getting a good grip as he stepped us away from the wall. “As much as I’d like to fuck you up against this wall, I won’t. I’m gonna do at least one thing right tonight. Where’s the bed?”
I tucked my lips between my teeth, failing to contain my smile. “First door on your left.”
He kissed me again, carrying me as he walked to the bedroom. He lowered me to the bed and I released my hold on him, scooting back toward the headboard. I propped myself up on my elbows, watching as he reached a hand behind his back, tugging his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor.
I tried not to gawk at the defined ripples in his abs. He flicked the button on his jeans, unzipping them with a smirk. “You planning on just watching again?”
“Maybe.” My lips pursed with a smile as I teased him.
He dropped his pants, and my attempts not to salivate wer
e long forgotten. The man was naked. And hard. Everywhere.
The mattress dipped. He gripped my ankles with a fast tug, causing my elbows to fall and my head to plop back on the pillow. He crawled over me using a knee to spread my legs wide, his lips nearing my ear. “Maybe next time.”
My breath caught. Shivers rolled through me. I tried not to think about him wanting a next time with me. I knew it wasn’t a promise. There were levels to his seduction. His verbal teasing was the first. His hot mouth pressing kisses against my sensitive skin was the next. The rough gentleness of his hands as he stripped me naked took me higher and higher. And when his tongue licked and sucked between my legs, I was soaring toward the penthouse.
My eyes closed, rolling back in my head, my hands fisting the sheets as I felt myself free-falling and gasping his name. He planted one last kiss inside my thigh before lifting his head. My chest heaved as I sucked in as many breaths as I could, my body still soaring with the remnants of my orgasm and a new anticipation.
He pushed up, sitting back on his knees, that heart-melting grin on his face and a sexy glint in his eyes. “I could do that all day long.”
I laughed, doubting his words. He smiled wider, then reached for his jeans. Finding his wallet, he tossed them back to the floor. Still kneeling between my legs, he pulled out a condom and rolled it on within seconds. It was sexy as hell watching him and the way every one of his muscles seemed to flex and bulge as he moved.
The whole time he did, his eyes were on me, his face consumed with an emotion I didn’t expect. I told myself I was misreading it, that I was looking for more when I knew it wasn’t there. My heart and eyes were only playing tricks on me.
He gripped the backside of my knees, spreading me wider. He sent shivers through me and goosebumps across my skin as he peppered it with kisses. I lifted my hips, begging for him. He ignored my desperation and continued to tease me with his mouth and hands, sliding them up my stomach and to my breasts, giving every piece of me equal attention. Then his lips brushed mine with an unexpected tenderness.
“Last chance, Doc,” he rasped into my neck.
Taming Wes: BOOK THREE|BILLINGSLEY SERIES Page 13
