by Piper Cook
She continues rambling out a list of line items and I’m starting to regret signing the lease. The more she talks, the more she gets under my skin. The more her leg jiggles, the more I want to touch her. The more I think about her openness to casual sex, the more I want to explore her. All of her. Body to brain. Heart to soul.
“I love to cook, but we don’t have to eat together or anything. We’re roomies, not besties or lovers.” She barely takes a breath. “When you bring a girl home, I’m not cooking for her though.”
I can’t take anymore. I turn in my seat and brush against her leg again. This time I place my hand on her thigh. Her beach blue eyes widen and dilate a fraction and her lips stop moving. The only thing moving between us is her eyes on my lips, and the up and down nervous twitch of her leg. My quickening pulse doesn’t count. I don’t have any control over where it’s steering me.
“What’ll it take for you to stop talking about sex, dating, and touching each other?” I watch her bite her lower lip and a bead of sweat trickles down my back. “Because my dick and brain can’t handle just thinking about it.”
Chapter 4
Blair
“Oh.”
When I’m nervous I talk a lot and fast. And I’m definitely suffering from a rush of nervous anxiety at the moment. How could I not? I’ve got a burly, handsome as fuck man sitting inches from me, radiating heat, and answering questions with a deep, dark chocolate voice that’s melting my insides. I’ve worked myself into such a flustered mess I haven’t a clue what I’m saying.
All I know is Micah will be showering naked in the bathroom down the hall. Sleeping in the room next to me in what I’m imaging his birthday suit. Mmm...I bite my lower lip and my womanhood flutters. We’ll watch TV on the same sofa, make meals in the same kitchen, do all the things friends and lovers do, without the benefit of the latter.
My eyes flicker to his hand on my thigh and then over the bulging zipper of his crotch. I swear it lurches the second my eyes land on it. I slowly take in the taut lines of his T-shirt as it stretches across his massive, defined chest. I watch the bob of his Adam’s apple when he swallows and finally my eyes reach those kissable pouty lips of his. Waves of heat lilt off his body and he practically brands me with his hand on my thigh. I flush and swallow hard.
“Maybe if we get it out of our system it won’t be a big deal.”
I can’t believe the words that just rolled off my tongue. Not that I have the audacity to say them, because I’m horny as hell and on the driest spell of my life. What I don’t believe is that one taste of Micah will be enough. He’ll never be out of my system. He’s a very big deal.
“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” His eyes bore into me, hot and fiery, owning my very breath.
My pulse beats wildly and blood rushes through my veins in a fierce race to an imaginary finish line. There’s only one finish line that’ll do me justice right now. A climactic finish with Micah’s hands on my bare skin and his thick rod rooted deep inside me.
“Friends with benefits.” My breathing is labored and steamy hot, hanging thick in the space between us. “Nothing more.”
His hand trails the remaining length of my thigh and slips under the hem of my shirt, swiping across my bare belly. I suck in a breath and watch his lips move in slow motion.
“Nothing less,” he whispers before sliding his large hand across my tummy and taking my lips with his.
Micah
Her lips are yielding and soft like buttercups. I slip my tongue across the seam, and she darts her tongue out to taste me. I smooth my thumb over her bare tummy and skim the beaded pearl of a belly button piercing. My dick throbs and I can’t wait to explore her body in search of what else I missed in the short time she was naked and covered in bubbles.
“We should tab out,” she whispers over my lips.
I pull away from the kiss knowing if I don’t stop, we’ll cause a scene. Her eyes are more dilated than before and darker like a tumultuous sea. Her breasts heave with each inhale and exhale of breath. They stretch her shirt and show off the heavy swell of her rounded curves.
I throw a few bills on the bar. She takes my hand in hers and leads us toward the exit. Once we’re on the street I twirl her around and wrap my arms around her, crushing my lips to hers. I sip and suck, lapping up her eager kisses. Her fingers lace around my neck and I pull her tight to my chest, feeling her supple breasts as she clings to me. My heart rages, thumping against my ribcage and I gasp for breath.
“If we keep this up out here, we need to sell tickets.” She nibbles at my bottom lip, and I will myself to tear away from her.
“You’re so bossy.” I grin and struggle to keep my thirst for her in check.
“You have no idea.” She turns, glances at me over her shoulder and rolls her eyes as she sashays away. “Wait until I get you in bed.”
Damn. She’s wrapped me around her finger and is leading me to what I’m sure will be heaven or hell. And nothing can stop me from following her down the devil’s path to pleasure.
I take a few quick steps toward her, watching the swing of her hips and the curve of her luscious bottom peek out from below the shorts. I’ll have her six ways to Sunday. There’s no way once will do.
I scoop her up in my arms and throw her over my shoulder. She giggles and lets out a small shriek as I skulk the sidewalk back to our place. Ours. It’s been a long time since there was an ours in my vocabulary. I damn well better get this right or there’s no chance of there being one anytime soon. I’ll pleasure her until she’s stretched, sore and too tired to think about another man. When I brand her, she’ll be mine. I’ll move heaven and earth to make it happen.
Chapter 5
Blair
My mound presses into Micah’s thick shoulder, sending delicious ripples of tingling joy through my lady parts. Oh, my God, he’s rock hard and built to perfection. And he’s all mine for the next hour or two, three, if I’m lucky, more.
When’s the last time a man swept me off my feet and literally threw me over his shoulder to take me to bed? Uh, never. Me and my curvy self are a little much for ordinary men. But there’s nothing ordinary about Micah. He’s like a new shiny toy that breaks all the rules. No assembly required, no batteries needed, and moving parts that work. This roommate thing is going to work out just fine.
If I can keep my hands to myself after today that is.
He slides me off his shoulder and wraps my legs around his waist when we reach the front porch. He backs me into the door and fumbles for a key while he kisses me with his deliriously dangerous lips. The fire in my belly burns hot and heavy as we stumble through the door. I reach for the wall to steady us. He tosses me over the sofa armrest, and I fall back against the pillows, watching as he yanks the shirt over his chiseled chest.
“I want to see that belly button piercing.” His voice is ragged and his chest surges as he fights for breath.
His fingers fly over the button and zipper of my shorts, and he pulls them down my legs leaving a trail of slick wetness along my inner thighs. I gather the hem of my shirt and drag it over my breasts and head while he removes his pants.
His bulge is even more impressive in the open air than in the confines of his pants. I lick my lips, salivating at the chance to feel each ridge and ripple beneath my tongue and cocooned in my womanly folds. He hovers over me, pressing his large member against my upper thigh. His muscled arms encase my rib cage and his eyes glimmer with what can only be intense desire.
He dips his head to my tummy and swirls his tongue around the pearl belly ring. A twinge of intense longing whizzes straight to my center. My swollen petals quiver and my breasts ache needing his touch everywhere at once.
His rod thuds against me and I slither my hand between our bodies to hold his thickness in my palm. The thick vein running its length is fiery hot to the touch. He’s smooth and silky. I gasp as he takes a beaded nipple between his lips and tugs and sucks, savoring and loving my body.
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By the time he reaches my lips the building pressure is too great to hold back. I arch my back and press my mound into him, grinding against his cock. I open my mouth and let out a low rasping groan. A wave of pleasure feathers out across my body. My fingers and toes tingle and I writhe beneath him. He devours my moan with his mouth and brands me with an intense kiss that captures my entire body.
I shudder as the last wave of bliss rolls over me. He nudges between my slick folds and glides into my hot sheathe, filling and stretching me to the hilt, reviving the fading ember into a blazing fire. A fire that burns more intense than the last and spreads to the one place I never expected it to go.
My heart.
Micah
My heart beats wildly against Blair’s breast as I slide between her folds and glide my cock into her tight, red-hot pussy. She scalds me with her steamy heat, and I dive in as deep as she can take me. I pulse and throb inside her, daring myself to breathe, willing myself to hold onto the release that’s sure to come too soon.
I rock into her, stroking her from the inside. We move together in a feverish give and take manner than sends my brain through the roof with delirium. She’s eager and enthusiastic, clutching her legs around my thighs, pulling me closer to her core. Her fingernails claw at my back with every thrust. I’m not sure which will burst first, my pounding heart or the rock hard rod I’ve buried deep inside her. But I’ll make damn sure she gets her share of pleasure before I release mine.
Our breathing comes quicker in sharp shallow bursts. Sweat slicks between our bodies and the slapping sound of flesh against flesh echoes around us. The sex is fast, hard, and dirty and it’s eroding my ability to think clearly. This is more than hooking up or a one-time thing. I’m at her mercy.
“Oh, oh, oh. Micah.”
She moans and screams my name, and a vise cinches around my heart. Her walls tighten and release as she falls over the edge. I slam into her, giving my all to her, and she milks me until every last drop of energy I have is buried inside her.
One way or another, Blair’s going to be mine. Only mine.
Chapter 6
Blair
Micah collapses across my chest and we lie motionless, curled together in a blissed out, relaxed stupor. And just as I thought, once won’t be enough. I want to do it all over again. Not just the act of doing it. Doing it with him. I’m feeling all the feels from my tingling toes to the hairs still standing on my head.
I’ve had plenty of casual sex in the past. Good, maybe even great. But nothing that ever makes me want to snuggle and whisper sweet nothings. Nothing that leaves me wanting to hold on tighter. So why is it happening now with Micah?
Ground rules.
I skim my fingertip along the column of Micah’s spine. He stirs and begins nibbling at my neck, causing my nipples to prickle and point. He’s still semi-hard inside me and I want to squeeze my legs together and hold him there until he’s hard again. He glides his wide hand over my breast and along my curves until he’s gripping my ass.
“You’re amazing, Blair.” His growly whisper tickles at my ear and echoes throughout my bloodstream, pumping quicker until my heart nearly explodes. He presses into me and squeezes my hip and ass. “I want you again, now.”
“We agreed once.” My heart trips over my brain. There’s not enough resolve in my voice to convince myself.
“We can change the rules.” His manhood spasms and I want him. More than before.
My heart wrestles with common sense. Once more couldn’t hurt. In fact, it would be incredible. One more time, only for today, then we behave like rational adults. It’s simple really. There’s no chance I can lose myself in a day. No way I could become truly attached. I’m not cut out for relationships. This is more of a business agreement.
Right?
The dragonfly is all about change. Change doesn’t necessarily need to be life altering. Though being with Micah like this feels monumental. Like, who’s going to measure up to what he just did? Who’s going to measure up to what he’s doing to me now? Moving slowly, grinding into me, taking my breath away, laying claim to my heart.
“More,” I breathe out caught up in his caress.
“Already on it.”
“But no sleeping together.” It’s too intimate, too permanent, too attached.
He smiles against my neck, and we repeat the conversation an hour later, hours later, and into the night until sleep is a must.
Micah
Three weeks later we’re still on the cycle of just one more time that rolls into many more. I can’t get enough of Blair. Everything about her turns me on and turns me inside out. She makes me weak in the knees when we’re together and a lovesick fool when we’re apart. My entire life has been a rollercoaster ride of poor decisions, but making things right again led me to Honey Ridge. Led me to her. She’s the path I need to take. The one I want. I’ll never get her out of my system.
She’s determined that our having sex without actually sleeping together is meaningless and won’t lead to attachment or heaven forbid, a real relationship. But this doesn’t get more real for me. There’s nothing meaningless about having Blair in my arms. I’m not thinking with my dick or my brain anymore. I’m led by my heart, knowing the woman I’m not sharing a bed with will be mine sooner than later.
The only reason I’m holding back in telling her how I feel is my past. I haven’t mustered the courage to tell her about the things I’ve done or the trouble that seems to follow me wherever I go. She deserves to know the truth, and I’ll tell her when the time is right. But it’s never the right time. When we’re together we can’t keep our hands off each other long enough to have a real heart to heart. Come to think of it, it’s almost as if she’s avoiding talking about what’s going on between us. I’ve overlooked it, not wanting to talk about my demons. Maybe she has her own demons to avoid.
The only thing I’m sure of is the way I feel when we’re together. It’s like life finally dealt me a winning hand and I need to play my cards right to make Blair mine. Playing by the rules has never been an easy task for me. I’ve always lived on the fringes, taken chances, gone against the mainstream. And I’ve paid the price for that more than once. Blair makes me want to be a better man, and I’m not willing to risk letting her down.
One way or another, I’ll prove I’m worthy of her love.
Chapter 7
Blair
“You realize how bad an idea it is to sleep with your roommate?”
I don’t need a lecture from anyone today, especially from someone who’s a buzzkill in the romance department. I swear if Chloe got laid occasionally, she’d be in a better mood. It’s too bad she swore off men when she split from her Ex. I don’t know what went wrong in their relationship, but she’s been down on men for as long as I’ve known her.
“I know, I know.” I sincerely regret asking Chloe for advice. She means well, but we’re not on the same page where men, sex, and love are concerned.
I’m uneasy about the whole thing with Micah already. We agreed sex would only happen the one time to take the edge off and get it, whatever it is, out of our system. But the first time was so damn good, we agreed on as much sex as we wanted, but for that one day only.
Damn the man has stamina.
It’s been three weeks now and we’ve had sex more times than there are days. It’s always out in the open. No bedroom intimacy. No sleeping together. Just sex.
But it doesn’t feel like it’s just sex.
Things always start innocently enough. Flinging popcorn at each other while we watch a rom-com. A spontaneous pillow fight that turns into a tickle fest and then a slip of the lips and we’re kissing, then naked, fucking like rabbits. Every time it happens, I promise myself not again. But my heart tugs at my resolve and when I hear his sexy voice or smell his feral scent, I’m immediately aroused, wet, and ready for him.
“It’ll end in disaster. This kind of thing always does.”
Chloe frowns at me and lets
out a motherly sigh. Sounds more like foreshadowing to an I told you so kind of sigh, but I’m not interested in hearing anymore. I’m wrestling with my own conscience. I don’t need the weight of hers on my shoulders, too. I’ve had a lifetime of other people’s judgement already. I pick up my clippings basket and move on to trim the next row of lavender.
Why does life have to be so complicated? What’s so wrong with having mind-blowing sex with someone with the sole purpose being pleasure? Because we get caught up in a tangly ball of complicated emotions, that’s why. And I’m no exception. Micah’s taken up residency in my heart. No matter how much I fight it or try to convince myself it’s only sex, the more I know it isn’t.
I spend the rest of the afternoon mulling over the situation with Micah in equal feelings of anticipation and dread. Tonight, I’ll make sure things don’t get out of hand. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of moving forward like adults. Adulting. Isn’t that what it’s called? More like doing the right thing even though the wrong thing feels so damn right. Emotional hell. That’s what it should be called.
No matter what, I’ve got to stop this runaway train before I spin out of control and become what I’ve fought to be free of. Conventional and labeled. Proper, girl, daughter, lady, girlfriend, wife, mother.
I don’t know how I can be me when I’m so attached to Micah.
Micah
“Give me a hand with this?” My boss, Jaxton Savage, owner of Bee Sweet honey farm and Bee Sweet Meadery, pokes his head into the back room of the meadery and motions toward the alley. “I’ve got a fresh load of supplies for you.”
I’m enjoying work at the meadery, getting acquainted with Honey Ridge locals, and the steady stream of tourists. But most of all, I’m enjoying getting to know Blair. The sex is phenomenal. Not going to lie about that. The woman’s got moves that could start a forest fire. The more we’re together, the more I learn about her. She’s more than her body and sexual prowess. She’s a deep thinker with a wicked sense of humor. I only wish I could figure out what holds her back from talking about us.
