by Meka James
Of its own accord, her gaze focused on his crotch. When she glanced back up, the smile on his face had gotten wider and that low burn of arousal ignited to a five-alarm fire. But she couldn’t let herself get too caught up. She and Ryan were friends with benefits—the benefits part had been added on as another status upgrade. From their conversations Jess learned he was very much a no strings attached kinda guy. Casual, easy, simply having a good time. And it was an extremely good time. But still just sex.
His hand slipped to her waist and bent to kiss her on the cheek. “Hey, Peaches.”
A sweet, yet intimate move, as if they were a real couple greeting each other after a long day. As quickly as the hopeful, but misplaced thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. She would not let herself fall into the trap of reading more into a situation than was there. Been there, done that. History would not be repeating itself.
“Hey yourself. Wanna come in? I have air so your balls won’t sweat.”
The comment was met with a low laugh before he stepped back and ran his fingers through his hair to shake out some dust. Her mind easily wandered to him shirtless, muscles rippling from the manual labor he did all day. She moved to allow him to cross the threshold and the air changed inside the minute he did. The AC did little for her rising body temperature.
“How was work?” she asked, closing the door behind him. He didn’t move, so sliding past him was required, and with the small space he’d left, her ass brushed against his crotch.
“Hot.”
“I can imagine. Summer should be the off season for construction.” She turned to face him, and found herself pinned between the glass door and her sexy beast of a neighbor. Her mouth went dry in hope she’d get a better kiss than the one on her cheek.
As if reading her mind, he placed his calloused fingers under her chin and tilted her head up and claimed her mouth. His tongue slipped inside and took control, dominating and leading them in the most magnificent way. When he abandoned her mouth and nibbled down her neck, she let out a low moan.
She ran her fingers through his hair, still slightly damp no doubt from sweat, but she didn’t care. A soft sigh escaped her lips when his large hand squeezed her breast through the thin fabric of her gray button down shirt. All rational thought abandoned her as she wrapped a leg around his dusty jean-clad one and worked her hands between their bodies, zeroing in on his zipper.
The low groan he gave encouraged her as she closed her fingers around his thickness and stroked him through his boxer briefs.
“Mmm, Peaches,” he murmured against her heated flesh. He looked down at her, those steel gray eyes reflected the same lust that burned through her. “My intention when I walked over here was to just say hi.”
A nip at his chin. “Hi,” she whispered and gave another stroke to his cock.
His earthy scent surrounded her. Like freshly turned dirt mixed with salt water. Damn, he even made being dirty into something sexy. Touching him through his briefs wasn’t enough, and thanks to the convenient design of men’s underwear, Jess easily met flesh.
Ryan flattened his palms against the glass. His head fell back and his mouth went slack. “Peaches, you keep doing that and I’m liable to mess up your pretty outfit.” The desire changed his voice, giving it a deep, gravelly tenor, which made her shiver.
Jess squeezed harder and ran her thumb across the tip. Precome coated her digit and a wanton urge to suck it clean burned through her. Her heart thudded, and heat pulsated between her legs. The idea she could put the relaxed look on that man’s face—that chiseled-body, Greek god of a man—made her want to take him to completion. Laundry be damned.
“Maybe I should take it off then.” The voice was hers, but the words shocked her. Ryan had tapped into a bolder, take-charge side of that Jess hadn’t known lurked under the surface.
His head snapped down and a sexy lopsided smirk appeared on those magical lips. “I like it on.”
He settled his hands on her hips then swiveled her to face the door. When he tugged her backwards, she was forced to brace against the cool glass and bend at the waist. The fabric of her tea-length peasant skirt glided across her skin as Ryan raised it, moving too slow for her liking.
He gave a firm squeeze to her ass and Jess pushed back into the contact. Those glorious fingers of his traveled between her legs and gave a languid stroke, teasing, yet avoiding the contact she craved most.
“What was that word you didn’t want me to use, Peaches?” The huskiness of his voice mixed with the use of that new nickname flooded her with another rush of arousal. He nipped her earlobe and drew small circles around her pulsating clit.
To swallow back a moan, Jess sank her teeth into her bottom lip. Her hips rotated with his fingers, and she pressed back keeping contact with his hard cock against her ass.
“I fucking love how wet you are.” He kept his leisurely pace and began making figure eights. “It’s almost as if you want something. Do you, Peaches? Do want something?” His warm breath caressed her cheek.
She turned her head and made contact with his lips. “Yes,” she answered before thrusting her tongue into his mouth. The kiss was hard, and frenzied, but over too soon.
He stepped away and peeled her panties down, kissing the backs of her thighs as he went. As much as she enjoyed his magical mouth, she ached for the feel of his cock, stretching and filling her to capacity. She had to stop herself from doing a fist pump when she heard the telltale sound of ripping paper.
Widening her legs and sticking her ass out more, she offered herself up, eager and ready. Her eyes focused on his place directly across the way and a brief moment of worry flickered through her. What if one of the occupants on either side of him walked out right now? They wouldn’t have a clear view, but moving a little to the left or right would change that. When his strong hands gripped her waist as he stepped behind her, those worries dissipated. To hell with it; let ’em see. All that mattered was the man behind her, and the incoming fuck.
The tip of his cock probed at her opening. She took in a breath and prepared herself. It released in a slow stream as he pushed into her body.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” he groaned.
She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. The same could be said about him. He pulled back, and then slammed forward, nearly knocking her into the glass. The hot air forced out of her from the impact fogged the window. Jess bent more and locked her arms.
Ryan wasted no time in finding his rhythm, thrusting hard at a steady pace. His thick cock massaged her slick walls, and the angle allowed deeper penetration, which hit her in the right spot. A constant barrage of strokes to the bundle of muscles she’d previously believed to be a myth had her eyes rolling back in her head and low groans rumbling in the back of her throat.
His heavy grunts timed with his movements. Her fingers curled into fists, she dropped her head back, and pushed up on her tiptoes, doing all she could to increase the contact. Short rapid breaths were all she managed.
Even confined within the bra, her breasts jiggled and she welcomed the friction against her nipples. It served to help drive her forward, moving her closer to the glory that awaited—the thrilling rush like a drop to a rollercoaster. Another hard thrust was the final strike that pushed her over the edge. Her knees buckled as the pleasure shot through her.
Ryan’s strong arm circled her waist, keeping her upright as he let loose a long grunt and stilled. His rush of warmth captured in the latex barrier. She rested her forehead against the glass, welcoming the coolness. Their bodies remained connected, to ride out the aftershocks.
With a kiss to the back of her shoulder and a final squeeze of her ass, Ryan withdrew. She stood, her flowy skirt fell into place, and she rested her back against the door for support. Her gaze followed his toned ass as he strolled off in the direction of the half-bath. Once she was sure her legs were steady, Jess walked to
the kitchen.
Butterflies attacked her stomach when he returned with his sexy, cocky, lopsided grin firmly in place. Don’t read too much into this Jess. It’s just sex.
“Water.” She held one of the bottles she’d taken from the fridge toward him.
“So, what’da ya want tonight?”
“Um...”
“For dinner.”
Her mouth formed a silent “Oh.” His request, while not totally unexpected given the last two weeks, still threw her. Each time he asked to hang out made it harder to keep the “it’s just sex” mantra in her head.
She took a breath and smiled. “Do I get to pay half this time?”
He uncapped the bottle and took a long drink. Hell, even him swallowing was fucking sexy. When he finished, he licked his lips and winked at her.
“Nope. Come over whenever you’re ready.”
On the way out, he stopped and picked up her discarded panties and shoved them in his back pocket.
Her eyes widened. “Hey...”
“You know where to find them.”
A two-fingered salute and he strolled out her door and back to his place with her panties sticking out of his pocket like a handkerchief.
Chapter Eight
Ryan
There was no hiding his pleasure when Jess tapped on his door forty-five minutes later. Dressed in her typical outfit of choice—a tank top and a pair of shorts that hugged her delightful ass—her hair once again was piled on top of her head, secured with a multicolored scarf. The look was a stark contrast to her work attire. Seeing her dressed up earlier had been a first, and something about that fact bothered him. He shook off the feeling before he could start over analyzing what, if anything, it meant.
“You brought stuff?” He indicated the six-pack and bag of chips in her hands.
She handed him the beer. “You won’t let me pay for half of dinner, so this is my contribution. Don’t need you thinking I’m some freeloader, or something.”
The hypnotic sway of her hips drew his attention as she strolled past him to set the chips down on the peninsula. A soft floral aroma followed in her wake.
“No chance of that. After you washed and put away the dishes yesterday, you moved up in the ranks on friends I want to invite over.”
A tight smile and she shifted her gaze away from him to the beers he’d sat on the counter.
She grabbed a bottle from the cardboard container. “That’s what friends do.”
Her mouth twisted and she glanced around. Ryan took the bottle from her, walked into his kitchen and retrieved the bottle opener from the drawer.
“You’ve not met the bums I normally hang with.” He gave her a smile and handed back her beer. “You like boxing?”
“Yeah. Why?”
A rush of blood converged on his cock when she took a drink. He swallowed hard as runaway thoughts took hold. Images of her plump, full lips sucking him off flipped through his head. Ryan gripped the countertop to keep from stroking himself.
“You okay?”
Down boy. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m good. Anyway, boxing. There’s a pay-per-view fight next Saturday night if you wanna come.”
What the hell? Why would I invite her to fight night? His friends could be crude, vulgar assholes and not something he needed to expose her to. More importantly, he didn’t want any of those guys trying to hit on her. His stomached clenched at the idea. He grabbed his own bottle, popped the top, and drank half of it down. The heat, it had to be the extra time in the sun today that had his thinking all messed up.
Jess sat her beer down and tilted her head. She did the twist thing with her mouth, a move he was growing to like.
“Will it be here?”
He shook his head. “Nah. At my buddy Mark’s place.”
Ryan finished off his beer and silently prayed she’d say no. The annoying—out of nowhere—little green monster in him didn’t want to share her with them yet.
With a quick shrug and a radiant smile she answered, “Sure.”
The urge to talk her out of it sat at the tip of his tongue, but he instead made a mental note to properly warn them to be on their best behavior. Another thought formed in his head. He didn’t want their first date—did he just think date?—outing, their first outing, to be in that group setting.
With his hard-on now deflated, he moved around to stand in front of her. His need to touch her at an all-time high, he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her forward. Her light pink glossy lips stood out against her smooth, brown skin. The only makeup she wore and, in his opinion, all she needed. Another refreshing change from his norm.
She placed her hands on his chest and with the sweetest smile, zeroed in on his nipples. He curved his chest back and grabbed for her wrists. Her entire body shook, overcome with giggles. Frowning down at her, he locked her arms behind her back, and brought her soft body closer to his in the process.
She did a one-shoulder shrug. “What? Not my fault your nips are ticklish.”
“No, but it is your fault if you keep messing with them. Play nice, or I won’t take you out.” The threat empty as Ryan’s new priority was to take her out and show her a good time.
It was her turn to frown. “Out? I thought we’d just order in like usual.”
Their closeness made him aware of the rise and fall of her chest. Her pebbled nipples rubbed against him. The contact, minimal, but enough to cause a new stirring in his pants. Maybe they could stay in. No, she was new to the city; he wanted to show her around. Needed to make sure she got acclimated, so he’d be associated with the new experiences. Besides, she deserved to be taken out and not have all their interactions confined to his house.
“Yeah, out. You like Thai food? There’s this great little place I know.”
With dimples on full display she answered, “Never tried it, but why not?”
Ryan refused to overanalyze the rush of excitement that came over him at showing her one of his favorite spots. Nor the judgmental kick that followed over not taking her somewhere nicer. Next time. Shit did I just think next time?
He released her arms so he could cup her face and gave her a quick kiss. “Great, let me grab my shoes and wallet and we’ll go.”
* * *
Ryan slid the key into the lock on his front door then stepped to the side to let Jess enter first. She walked toward the kitchen, clutching her take-out bag in her hands. He flipped the switch, which flooded the space with light and shut the door.
“Thanks again for dinner.” Jess bit the corner of her lip.
Her constant chatter had died off on the ride home and the weird, almost nervous feeling he recognized from their first night together had settled over her. The change confused him because they’d been having a good time. One trip to the bathroom had somehow derailed that.
He strolled over to his fridge and took out two beers. After popping the top on both, he slid one across the granite counter.
“What’s wrong, Peaches? You think I’m expecting you to put out now?” He gave her a wink before tilting the bottle to take a drink.
That full, carefree smile of hers spread across her face. She sat her food down and picked up the beer. “Nope. Since I offered, again, to pay for my own dinner, your refusal to accept does not get you laid.” With beer in hand, she headed toward his couch.
Another long drink from his bottle bought him time to study her, which mainly consisted of watching the sway of her ass as she walked.
“We could always just cuddle.” The flippant remark surprised even Ryan, and he’d spoken the words.
A combination of a choke and cough overtook her and she covered her mouth to prevent spewing liquid across his furniture. He yanked a few paper towels from the roll and jogged over to her, chuckling along the way.
“Thanks,” she muttered, wiping her hand and mouth. “Cuddling..
.first a da...” She cut herself off then quickly unfolded her legs and stood.
The nervous energy made sense as the lightbulb went off. Ryan crossed the room in three quick strides. “Date.”
Rapid shakes of her head, but she kept her gaze down, and focused on her task of washing her hands. “Just acquaintances sharing a meal.” She shut off the water, dried her hands, then reached for her bag.
Ryan grabbed the other side of it. “Friends. With some excellent benefits, if I do say so myself.” He accompanied that last part with a playful wink.
With a huff, she raised her head to look at him. “Fine, friends. And next time I pay so we’re even.” She gave a tug on the bag, but he kept his grip.
He pinned her with a hard stare. “What if I don’t want even?”
She shifted her stance, cocked out one of her hips and crossed her arms under her chest. Her breasts were pushed up from the action, which exposed more of the smooth, rounded tops. Her lips downturned and a deep V formed between her brows. “What if I do?”
Ryan fought to keep his expression neutral. His Georgia Peach was damned adorable when she was flustered bordering on annoyed.
The ding of his doorbell interrupted his reply. His brows drew together and he glanced at the clock on the microwave. Two strides to the door, and he was ready to cuss out whichever of his buddies had decided to stop by at this moment.
“Baby!” The shrillness of her voice shocked him. When she launched herself into his arms and planted a surprise kiss on him, Ryan’s ability to react momentarily abandoned him.
