The Boy Next Door: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

by Black, Natasha L.

  His eyes stayed locked on mine for another second before he leaned forward and kissed me. The instant his mouth touched mine, sparks flew.

  The kiss was long and insistent, pressing months of being away from each other and the thousands of kisses that should have been into one passionate embrace. His tongue slipped inside, and mine met it. I leaned back on the couch, and he followed me down, hovering over me as his hand slid down my side. I wrapped my leg around him and could feel the bulge in his pants as his weight pressed down into me. The smell of his skin was intoxicating, and I buried my face in his chest, pressing my lips into him as if I could take back the days with each one.

  One hand found my jeans button and flipped it open, and his strong, sure hands clasped at the waistband. There was no hesitation and no hurry, but a controlled sense of assurance. This was what was meant to be. I lifted my backside so he could pull the pants off me, and they soon found themselves flung across the floor. The black, lacy panties I wore underneath seemed to mesmerize him, and I bit my bottom lip as I watched the obvious desire cross his face.

  Half standing, with one knee still on the couch between my legs, he unbuttoned his shirt quickly, pulling it off to reveal his chiseled muscles bungling out of his white, cotton T-shirt underneath. I sat up to stop his hands working on his belt. That was something I wanted to have the privilege of. His mouth crushed into mine for another kiss as I unbuckled his belt and grasped blindly at his zipper, pulling it down and reaching my hand inside. His warm, thick cock pressed against the fabric of his pants, and I stroked it over the boxers. Jayson let out an audible moan, and his fingers began working on the buttons of my blouse. When they were undone, he flicked the snap in the center of my bra expertly and the tension released.

  Reluctantly, I took my hand out of his pants and removed the blouse, pausing to let his eyes roam my body while I removed the bra. Tossing it to the ground, I watched as he licked his top lip at the sight of my breasts and stood fully to remove his pants. I waited in anticipation as he pulled at the waistband of his boxers, letting his cock spring out. I sat back up again, not waiting for him to sit, and clasped my hand over the base, stroking it as his hands slid down my chest to cup my breasts. His fingers played with my nipples as our mouths reached for one another again, tongues desperate for the taste of the other. A long, tense kiss was broken when he unfolded himself back up again, and I took the opportunity to run my lips across his chest. I licked the muscles on his stomach as I worked my way down, stroking him slowly as I went along, until finally I reached the base of his cock and looked up into his eyes.

  29

  Jayson

  Her large, almond-shaped eyes stared up at me as she stroked me, the head of my cock brushing against the side of her face. The intensity of the moment was building even still, and the anticipation of her warm, wet lips wrapping around my cock was almost too much to bear. A wide smile crossed her lips, and her tongue flicked out to run across the length of me, sending shudders down my spine and lighting all my senses. She continued to stroke me as her tongue made its way all around me, wetting me and making her long, confident strokes all the more intense. She placed her lips at the head and slowly took me into her, and I barely kept my knees locked as the sensation of her lips wrapped around me eclipsed all other thoughts.

  She stroked me as she took me into her mouth, and the sensation was so strong I felt like I could have come immediately if I didn’t slow down. It had been months since I had been able to pleasure her body, and I wanted the time to do so first. But she was insistent, as hungry to please me as I was to please her. Her head bobbed on me, and one hand slipped under to cradle and gently massage my balls. Then she moved her mouth down, continuing to stroke me, as she took them into her lips one by one, nearly sending me spiraling into a climax.

  I couldn’t stand there any longer. Gently pushing her back, I knelt down onto the floor and pulled her by a willing hand to join me. Our lips met again as she lay on the floor, and I positioned myself on top of her. My cock teased at her core, and I fought off the desire to plunge into her right then. Instead, I moved my kisses to her neck and down to her collarbone. I slid my tongue across her chest and made a trail down the center, then blew a stream of hot breath over the wet line, reveling in the shiver it sent up her.

  Moving farther down, I traced the areola of one breast with my tongue and then slid my tongue over it in a long, slow movement. My hand followed the motion on the other breast as I flicked the nipple with my tongue and let my other hand slide down her center. I wanted to stimulate her as much as possible, to envelop her with my touch so much that the months that we missed would disappear in a haze of pleasure. My roaming hand reached her hot, wet core, and I brought it back up to lick the pad of my thumb before bringing it down again.

  With my mouth on one nipple, one hand massaging the other breast, my free hand pulled aside her panties and the thumb pressed down into her folds, circling in slow movements and eliciting a cry of pleasure from Leah. She wiggled under my touch, but I began to press down on her pearl in the center, and her legs wrapped around me as she arched her back. Suddenly, I thrust forward and plunged into her, my thumb still circling her clit and my mouth taking her nipple in to suckle. She let out a yelp that filled me with an intense desire to feel her orgasm around me. I rocked back and thrust again, increasing the speed of my thumb and clenching her full, heaving breast in my other hand.

  I was completely immersed in her pleasure, and I filled her and titillated her as much as I could. Her hips wiggled and writhed below me, and I knew she was about to tumble into a powerful climax. Pressing down on her center, I thrust deeply into her, pushing against the back of her walls until I felt her release and her legs vibrate around me as they clenched on and off around my hips. Her voice rose to a near scream as the orgasm took control of her, and her arms wrapped around my neck.

  “Please,” she whispered in my ear, pleading with me to give her what we were both denied for so long. The mere request, the desperation and begging tone in her voice, was enough to send me into overdrive. No longer would I be holding back. I rose up, pulling her legs over so they lay together and her body was turned sideways. She still faced up toward me, and I relished in the view of her perfect breasts as they bounced while I slammed into her with a rhythmic pounding that satisfied the frustration and loneliness of the past few months. It washed away with every rock back and forth, and I let myself disappear into the cathartic release of her body accepting mine, letting me dominate her in this way before we wrapped back up together and stayed that way until life made us part.

  I clenched at her hips to pull her closer and sank as deeply in her as I could go. As I pulled back, she moved her legs and I pulled her to me, picking her up and then lying back so she straddled me. I clenched her close to me so that while she was on top, I still controlled the movements. I arched up and thrust into her from below, and the delighted cries from Leah were muffled as her lips pursed against my neck and chest. I knew my control was being lost, and soon I would have nothing left to stop me from spiraling into a climax of my own, so I tried to slow down, and Leah took the opportunity to begin her own motion on top of me.

  I lay back and watched with wonder as she placed her hands on my chest and arched up. Her breasts bounced playfully as she rode me, and her head fell back, her eyes closed as she concentrated on the feeling of her walls stretching to accommodate me in this position. She slowed the rhythm down, and soon it was measured and patient. But while it was slower, the intensity was building again. Our eyes locked on one another as she reached back with one hand to massage me while she rode. I reached up to fill my hands with her breasts and pressed them into her, kneading them. With her free hand, she took one of my fingers and placed it on her lips. As she slowly sank down onto me, she took it into her mouth, simulating the motion of her body on mine.

  Our bodies were one unit, working together to pleasure each other at the highest levels. My finger sank deep into her m
outh as she sat down fully on my throbbing cock, and I knew that I was going to come soon. She seemed to see it in my eyes, and her rhythm increased, her hips rocking and her clit brushing against my center. I took the now wet fingers and traced them down her center until they reached her core and pressed them into place. She responded by clutching my wrist, guiding my fingers to the motion she needed from me as she began to bounce on me. Within moments, her cries filled the room and she clenched, falling into another powerful orgasm. As her body regained control, she pulled at my neck and I sat up, picking her up in one motion without leaving her and placing her back on the couch.

  Our hands locked into one another, and I pulled them over her head. Her legs wrapped around me, squeezing as if she were willing me to push as deeply as I could. She bit her top lip, and our eyes met again, and I could see the desire for me to take her hard in them. She wanted me to climax as she had, and I knew I couldn’t hold on any longer as it was. I began to slam into her again, slowly at first, but when her voice yelped out in pleasure, it arose a need in me. I slid my hands to her wrists and held them down into the couch as my cock dove into her over and over, and I began to lose control. I clasped for her lips with my own, and our tongues twisted and danced with each other as her legs squeezed around my hips. I sank deeply into her and exploded, a climax more powerful than any other in my entire life completely overtaking me as I came and roared out. My voice echoed and died as my body twitched, and I filled her, emptying myself completely and collapsing into her waiting arms.

  Her breasts engulfed me as I laid my face between them and listened to her heartbeat, so rapid and intense at first, and then slowing as our bodies calmed.

  I didn’t want to let her go. I held on to Leah as tightly as I could, wanting to keep the moment going. Having her in my arms again was everything I’d been needing those past long months. Ten months was already a long time. Being away from her made it feel that much longer. Touring was absolutely grueling, and there were moments when I felt so overwhelmed and alone. Those were the moments when not having Leah there with me were the worst.

  I missed her all the time. When I was excited about a particularly good show, I wanted to share it with her. When there was the rare funny moment, I wanted her there to experience it with me. But it was the times when I was exhausted after playing show after show and barely getting any sleep, or when I was the only one who stayed in rather than going out to bars or after-hours clubs with the other band members, those were the times when I felt her absence the most. I miss having her there to listen to me, to comfort me and make me feel whole.

  I couldn’t live without her. That was more obvious than ever. Especially now that I knew living without her would be living without our daughter. That just wasn’t an option. But that left me with not knowing what to do next. I knew I couldn’t ask her to come on the road and bring along our infant child. That would be too much for both of them. All I could do right then was hold her close and hope I would figure out the right answer.

  Leah snuggled closer, her head on my chest and her arm draped over my waist.

  “What happens now?” she asked.

  I kissed her head and rested my head against it.

  “Well, the tour is almost finished, and the band will be heading back to Los Angeles. We don’t know what’s going to happen after that, but I want you to come back to LA with me,” I told her.

  “Go back with you?” she asked, sounding surprised by the suggestion.

  “Of course. We can move into a bigger place together. Be a family.”

  She sighed and snuggled closer. “Having a family isn’t exactly conducive to getting a music career off the ground,” she pointed out.

  “I know my career isn’t ideal. But I’m willing to work as hard as I have to in order to be a good partner for you and a good father to our daughter. I promise you no matter what it takes, you and Harper will always come first. Even if that means having to give up music and get a suit-and-tie-type job so it’s easier for us to be together,” I vowed.

  She shook her head and laughed. “I hope it won’t come to that.”

  “I hope it won’t either,” he agreed. “Because I’m really only good at beating on things, and ties make me feel like I’m being slowly strangled.”

  She laughed again. “What am I going to do with you?”

  I took her by her arms and adjusted her position so she was above me, looking down into my face.

  “You’re going to love me,” I told her. “Forever.”

  She smiled and kissed me.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Epilogue

  Leah - One Year Later

  “Do you think that picture makes my nose look big?” Jayson asked.

  I wished he had waited for at least a few seconds, because right at the moment he was asking, I was taking a long sip out of my glass of iced tea. It took all my control to hold back my full laugh until I swallowed so I could keep the tea in my mouth. Even though I knew he was joking, I couldn’t help but look out the window beside me at the billboard.

  It was amazing how much could change in just one year. Only a year ago I was in Dixon, still trying to get my bearings as a single mother and figure out what life ahead of me was going to look like. I thought I’d lost the love of my life forever and was going to have to sit back and watch while Jayson thrived and found a new life without ever knowing what ours could have been.

  Now I was sitting in a restaurant in Hollywood, looking out a window at a massive billboard with Jayson’s face on it. The rest of the band was on it too, but his face was front and center. And it certainly did make him look big.

  “Yes,” I told him. “It really does.”

  The billboard had just gone up two days before, and we were both getting used to it. There was something simultaneously jarring and exciting about looking up and seeing my partner twenty feet tall in the middle of a billboard. The board was to advertise the band’s new album, and it was already getting tons of press. The first album was good and brought a lot of attention, but this one was shattering that success. The band had finally broken through and was bigger than ever. Bigger than any of them had ever dared dream of being. The tour with The Monsters had been their springboard, and it had only been an upward climb since then.

  Things were happening fast. Every day it seemed they were getting more popular and the world wanted a little bit more of them. Talk shows had started calling for interviews, and every week they got more invitations to play gigs with huge exposure. They had even gotten to the point where they were having to turn down performances and could negotiate higher prices because they were in such high demand, they were getting double or even triple booked for some weekends.

  It didn’t surprise me, but it was still stunning to watch. From the very beginning, I’d believed in them. I always knew they could hit the big time, but now that it was happening, it was awe-inspiring.

  A waitress walked up to the table looking down at the pad in her hand. Without even glancing up at us, she rattled off a greeting and then the list of specials for the day. It was only after she had gotten through the entree options and was moving on to desserts that she bothered to lift her eyes. They swept over me with barely a notice, but when they hit Jayson, her gaze stopped.

  I watched her eyes widen and the color first drain from her face, the rush back into it to create a bright red glow across her cheeks. She started stuttering, babbling incoherently about who Jayson was and what he might like to eat. Finally, she stopped and took a breath.

  “Can I get a selfie with you?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  The young waitress scrambled to get her phone out as fast as she could as Jayson stood and positioned himself beside her. She leaned her head near his and smiled broadly, snapping one picture before slightly adjusting her position and snapping another. She started to turn and kiss him on the cheek, but Jayson was already very familiar with that maneuver. He deftly moved out of the way to avoid the
kiss without hurting the waitress’s feelings. She thanked him and stuffed her phone back in the pocket of her apron, scurrying away into the kitchen. Jayson laughed and shook his head.

  “She didn’t take our order,” I pointed out.

  He laughed again. “No, she didn’t.”

  It didn’t bother me. There might have been a point in my life when it would have gotten to me watching a bunch of other women flirt with the guy I was dating. But I didn’t feel that way with Jayson. I realized this type of attention and silly moments like that with the waitress were just the start of women falling all over themselves to get close to him. It didn’t intimidate me or even make me uncomfortable. In the end, they were trying to get close to my man, and we both took that distinction very seriously. I was completely confident in my relationship with him and the way he felt about me. So, instead of feeling jealous, I felt proud. My man was a rock god, not to mention sexy as hell. But he was also faithful. I trusted him fully, and that felt good.

  Beside me, Harper started fussing in her highchair. She was getting so big. It felt like just a few days ago I was cradling her in my arms as a newborn, and now she was taking shaky steps and babbling nonstop. I was sure she’d be talking way before she turned two. She was so much of a little person already, and I saw her daddy in her more and more every day. They had gotten extraordinarily close, and I loved to watch their relationship, even if it did occasionally make me feel like I was on the outside. It was definitely something I was willing to be on the outside of.

  Jayson leaned close to her and took her hands, bouncing them playfully. He started signing her the little song he had written for her when she was just a few months old, and it instantly soothed her. She cooed and giggled along with him, and I could have sworn I heard her humming along at the right tune. She was going to be a musician like him one day. Maybe not playing the drums. Hopefully not playing the drums. I didn’t think I could handle two people practicing the drums in the house at the same time. But she had music in her, and one day it would become something amazing.