by Devney Perry
He sat motionless and unspeaking, his expression passive. The tension was so thick, his soundless rage so consuming, my own guilt so heavy, that I struggled to breathe.
One hour bled into two. Five to six.
As we drove out of Idaho and into Oregon, I spent the passing miles attempting not to cry. I’d bitten the inside of my cheeks so hard I’d drawn blood.
The farmland around us was a brilliant kelly green. Fences broke up fields. Snowcapped peaks rose tall above the sweeping valleys in the distance. It was a beautiful day outside, bright and clear. But the storm brewing inside the car was as black as midnight.
Hour after hour, regret ate a hole through me like acid through an apple. I wanted to apologize, to make this right, but Cash was too furious to listen. And I was too afraid that if I opened my mouth, too much truth would escape.
Maybe he suspected I had feelings for him, but I’d spent many, many years with my secrets guarded. I wouldn’t confess my feelings now.
We had to stop. I had to get out of this car.
A sign along the road marked eight miles to the next town. The gas pump, restaurant and hotel icons indicated it offered services and lodging. We’d made considerable progress today and Heron Beach was only hours away. We’d be there before nightfall if I kept driving.
But I was so weary, so desperate to stop, that I pulled off the highway at the first hotel.
“You don’t want to keep going?” Cash asked as I parked.
“Not tonight.” My voice was hoarse as I tried to speak past the choking lump in my throat. “I’d rather get there fresh tomorrow to find Aria. Is that okay?”
“It’s your trip.” He opened his door and stepped out, going to the trunk.
I sucked in a deep breath. Fifteen minutes. I only had to make it fifteen minutes, then I’d be in my room and I could cry alone.
After popping the trunk, I collected my things from the car and climbed out, locking the doors as Cash carried my suitcase in one hand, his duffel in the other, into the lobby.
“Good evening,” the clerk greeted, a young man wearing a tweed vest and white shirt. “Checking in?”
“We don’t have a reservation,” I said. “Do you have a vacancy?”
“Sure.” He clicked on his computer. “I’ve got a standard king room on the second floor.”
“Two rooms,” Cash corrected, digging out his wallet to slap a credit card on the counter.
I shifted for my purse to fetch my own.
The clerk’s gaze volleyed between the two of us. He was probably wondering if we’d just gotten into a lover’s spat.
Nope. Definitely not lovers.
He finished checking us in and with room keys in hand, Cash and I walked to the elevator bank.
I reached for the button, he did too, and our fingers jabbed the up arrow at the same time. It was nothing more than a simple brush of the fingers, something we’d done a hundred times—going for the remote, flipping on a light, reaching for a set of keys—but Cash jerked away from me like I was leprous. Was my touch really that revolting?
The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth again as I bit at my cheek once more. But I would not cry, not over Cash. As much as I wanted to blame him for this, it was my fault. I’d gone too far in the car. And if I was honest with myself, none of this would have happened had I not gone too far with my heart.
We stepped into the elevator, taking opposite ends of the car. Two floors felt like eleven and the doors were slow to open.
Cash bolted through them the moment they were wide enough to accommodate his broad shoulders. He took the lead down the hallway, bags in hand, while I followed behind, eyes aimed at the maroon and gold paisley carpet.
He set my caramel leather suitcase beside my room and without a word disappeared to his own.
Tears flooded my eyes, blurring my vision as I slid my key card into the slot. The stupid light blinked red. I did it again. Red again. “Come on,” I whispered.
Finally, on the third try, when the first tear escaped, the green light blinked and I shoved my way inside. The moment the door closed behind me, I dropped my suitcase to the floor and my face into my hands. My teeth clamped together, keeping the sobs inside, but the tears were harder to control.
Why were we fighting? We never fought. Why couldn’t he have let me go on this trip alone?
I would have come home and everything would have been fine. I would have broached the topic of moving out after I actually had a place to go. Because now, we’d go home and walk around each other on eggshells while I packed to leave.
Sucking in a breath, I stood straight and closed my eyes. This was only a hiccup. Today was rough. Tomorrow would be better. I sniffled and darted into the bathroom to blow my nose and dry my eyes. Then I met my gaze in the mirror.
“You’re a mess.” I laughed at my reflection. My hair was in a bun because I hadn’t washed it this morning. My nose was puffy and my eyes were red. Tomorrow I’d take a little extra care.
I walked out of the bathroom, planning on calling home to check in. I’d waste a couple of hours, give Cash some space to cool down, then I’d go to his room and invite him for dinner, where I’d apologize and beg for his forgiveness.
He was still my friend.
I was rifling through my purse when a knock came at the door. I froze, not sure I wanted to answer it. There was no doubt it was Cash, but if he saw me, he’d know I’d been crying.
He knocked again. He’d keep knocking, and there was no use delaying my apology.
I crossed the room, double checked the peephole, then opened the door. “I’m sor—”
Before I could finish, he took a long step into the room. His hands came to my face, his palms cupping my cheeks.
And then Cash, my best friend, kissed me.
Chapter Seven
Cash
Why wasn’t this awkward?
It should have been. Kissing Kat should have killed any delusions that there was chemistry between us. This kiss was a test. I’d marched over here from my room to prove that there was no spark. What better way to shove Kat firmly into the friend zone than to kiss her and cringe?
Except there was no cringe. There were no alarm bells that this was wrong. And there was definitely no desire to stop.
Kat’s pink lips were soft and supple. Her face was the perfect shape for my hands, and when I licked the seam of her lips, she gasped and let me sweep my tongue inside.
Goddamn, she tasted good, like sweet peaches and mint.
I shuffled us backward into the room and the door slammed closed behind me, but I didn’t care about anything except this kiss.
Katherine’s hands slid up my chest as she rose on her toes, lifting to meet me. Why wasn’t she slapping me away? Why did her tongue dart out to tangle with mine?
Who fucking cares?
I was kissing a gorgeous, incredible woman and—holy hell—it was hot. I angled my head, dropping my hands from her face to wrap my arms around her body, and I hauled her to my chest, lifting her off the floor.
Her toes dangled above the carpet and one of her flip-flops slid free with a thud. Kat’s arms were trapped between us but she wiggled them free to loop around my neck.
So there was something here. I wasn’t the only one who’d felt it. The way she kissed me back, melting into my arms, there was no denying she wanted me too.
This trip. This fucking trip.
It was going to ruin us.
As I plundered her mouth, I couldn’t find the will to care.
My tongue explored every corner of her mouth, tasting and sucking, until I was dizzy. The bed beckoned, drawing me closer, and without thinking twice, I laid Kat down, giving her my weight.
Her legs parted and even though she was small, I fit there. Above her. Around her. I molded my body to hers as she gave me everything she had.
How had I not noticed her before this trip? My skin tingled and electricity shot through my veins, all from her touch. How had I missed
this?
Maybe I hadn’t. Maybe I’d turned a blind eye to the charge between us because this was Katherine. My Kat. We weren’t supposed to be kissing.
That rational thought flittered out of my mind as I sank deeper into her embrace. Never in my life had a kiss been this intense or consuming. The spark wasn’t just a flicker, it was a wildfire that might destroy us both, leaving nothing but ash and destruction in its wake.
Still, I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from her delicious mouth. For every second I kissed her, the heat intensified until I was panting and desperate to feel her skin, sweaty and sticky, against my own.
Finally, when I was seconds away from tearing at her top, I tore my lips away and propped up on my arms.
Fuck, but she was beautiful. Katherine’s lips were red and swollen. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes hooded.
Beneath my jeans, my erection strained painfully against the zipper. One more kiss like that and I’d make good use of this hotel room.
“Tell me to stop,” I whispered. Because I couldn’t do it on my own. “Tell me to go.”
She shook her head. “Don’t go.”
Fuck. Me.
“Kat, I . . .”
What? I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to say, I just knew there had to be talking.
Her hand came to my cheek, her fingertips brushing through my beard. She arched her hips, pressing her core into my hard cock, and moaned. If she liked the beard, I was never shaving again.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
Her eyes locked with mine and those sky-blue orbs stole my breath. “No. Are you?”
“Yes.”
Yes, I was sure. Maybe tomorrow common sense and history would muddy the waters, but right here in this moment, I was sure that I’d never wanted another woman the way I wanted Kat.
She blinked and her hand fell away from my face.
“I’ll go. Tell me to go,” I repeated. If she wasn’t sure about this, if her brain was working better than mine, I’d leave this room instantly.
Kat answered by pushing up on an elbow, closing the space between us and smashing her lips to mine.
I circled her in my arms and didn’t think twice. My tongue dueled with hers and I sent a relieved groan down her throat. The one that followed was sheer lust.
She clawed at me as I clung to her. Her hands roamed the plane of my chest as I let mine knead the slight curves of her hips.
When I moved, she moved, the two of us so in sync it was like we’d been dancing around one another for years, off beat, and finally, the rhythm was coming together. Like when a rider and a horse finally found their stride.
It was fucking perfection.
“Cash.” Katherine broke away from my lips to push up, forcing me to my side.
Oh, fuck. Please don’t tell me to go. I would. I’d never disrespect a woman’s wishes, especially Kat’s, but it would be torture to return to my own room. “What?”
“Off.” Her fingers grappled with the buttons on my shirt as she did her best to strip it from my shoulders.
I sat up and her hands fell away as I worked the shirt free, wanting to rip it to shreds but I didn’t have a lot of spares. I yanked it from my arms and tossed it aside, reaching behind my neck to whip the undershirt away.
Katherine watched as I came down on top of her once more. Her fingertips dug into my skin, dipping and tracing between the lines of my abs. The ferocity of her touch sent a rush of heat to my throbbing cock, and I closed my eyes, praying for the shreds of my self-control to hold together.
No matter what, I’d make this good for her. I wasn’t the kind of man who chased around. I dated women and even then, I rarely jumped immediately into bed. For Kat, I’d pull out all the stops because she deserved my very best.
One knee at a time, I eased my way down the bed and away from her hungry fingers. My hand dove beneath the hem of her shirt, revealing her smooth, silky skin. I dropped my mouth to her body, letting my lips skim down the centerline of her stomach until I hit the waistband of her jeans.
I tugged the button open and slid down the zipper as my feet found their way to the floor. Her jeans stripped easily from her legs and I tossed them aside, swallowing hard at the sight of her black lace panties.
Kat’s toned legs were sexy as hell. How had I not noticed them before? I skimmed my fingers up her ankles, past the underside of her knees, until I had the sides of her panties in my fists. Then I dragged them off her skin, one agonizing inch at a time.
My heart beat too hard in my chest and the tightness in my ribs was painful. My cock wept, she was so stunning.
Her gaze was waiting when I forced my eyes away from her slick and bare center. Her lower lip was worried between her teeth. Kat didn’t get nervous much but biting her lip was a telltale sign.
“You’re perfect. You are so fucking perfect.”
A flush crept up her cheeks and a smile stretched across her face. “Oh my God.” Kat laughed, slapping a hand over her face to shield her eyes. “Take your pants off.”
I grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
My cock sprang free as I toed off my boots and shoved my jeans and boxers down my thighs. I gripped the shaft, giving it a tug and using my thumb to spread the bead at the tip across the head.
Soon. Soon I was going to ease my cock inside Kat’s body and hear her gasp my name.
Her eyes were still covered and the blush in her cheeks was spreading. I took her unaware and wrapped my hands around her ankles, earning a squeal as I jerked her to the edge of the bed. Then I dropped to my knees. Her pussy was there, glistening pink and begging for a lick.
“Cash—”
I ran my tongue through her folds.
“Oh, Cash.” She arched off the bed, her hips tilting up for my mouth.
She tasted so fucking good. Sweet and hot and wet. My cock ached but before I sank into her body, I wanted her loose and ready.
I latched on to her clit and gave it a good suck, then slid a finger inside. “Wet for me, sweetheart?”
Kat moaned and fisted the covers at her sides. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her legs trembled as I found her sensitive spot and stroked. Over and over I sucked, adding another finger until she squirmed.
When her orgasm broke, it was mesmerizing. The flush on her chest. The way her body writhed against my touch. The part of her mouth and the sheer ecstasy on her beautiful face. Kat cried out and her body shook as I stared, hypnotized.
Finally, she collapsed on the mattress, limp, and I shoved up off my knees and wiped my lips dry.
I bent to fish my wallet from the pocket of my jeans, fumbling through it for the condom I kept in case. With it rolled over my erection, I eased onto the bed.
Her eyelids were heavy as I took her under the arms and hauled her into the pillows before settling into the cradle of her hips. Kat’s dark hair spread everywhere, the silky strands a beautiful contrast against the white cotton.
I brushed a hair from her eyes. “Good?”
“So. Good,” she panted.
I tugged at her shirt, bringing it over her head. Then I unclasped her bra and peeled it down her arms so I could get a glimpse of her naked. God, she really was perfect. I cupped her breasts in my palms. “Ready for another one?”
The corner of her mouth turned up. “Show me what you’ve got, Greer.”
Damn, I loved it when she challenged me. Kat had a feisty, teasing, competitive nature that she didn’t often show. It was a thrill to see it in bed, to see how she’d push when I pulled.
I dragged the tip of my cock through her folds, then I positioned it at her entrance and held those blue pools as I inched inside.
She gasped and looked down to where we were joined. Her eyes widened at the sight of me stretching her, filling her.
I rocked gently, careful to give her time to adjust, and when I was as deep as I could go, she moaned, taking her knees in her hands to spread them wider.
“Fuck, that
is hot.”
She hummed her agreement.
I eased out and thrust inside, earning a hitch of breath and a coy smile. My mental notebook of what it took to create Kat’s whimpers and moans was filling up fast. Maybe today was the exception, but damn it, I hoped I’d get to experiment again.
Sunlight streamed through the windows as we moved together, bringing one another higher and higher. Kat’s hands were like butterfly wings, brushing over the sensitive places on my torso and hips and shoulders and ass. They fluttered, driving me wild.
She rolled her hips with my strokes, that push and pull better than I could have imagined. Missionary with Katherine Gates was fucking erotic. She really was something special. I’d known it outside this room but add the sexy and wanton woman screwing me senseless, and she was like the rarest of diamonds, shining only for me.
The threat of reality caught the edge of my consciousness, tapping on my shoulder to remind me that this was my best friend I was fucking. Had I ruined us? Had this just destroyed the one friendship I held above all others?
I shoved those thoughts away. For today. For tomorrow. Forever. Later, I’d think about how everything between us would change.
Bending down, I sucked at the column of her throat. Her fingers threaded into the longer strands of my hair at the nape, tugging them with just enough pressure that I grinned and nipped at the underside of her jaw.
“Harder,” she moaned.
I let loose, pistoning my hips faster and faster. Slamming us together until the sound of skin slapping against skin was probably audible in the hallway. My kisses on her bare skin became frantic. I pinched one of her nipples, then enveloped the hard bud in my mouth.
Kat arched, her grip on my hair as tight as ever.
We fucked, hard and so, so good, and when her second orgasm broke, I didn’t try to hold back. Pleasure shot down my spine and I tightened, letting my release take over. Wave after wave, I groaned through every pulse of her inner walls squeezing and draining me dry, until I was wrecked.
