by Jewel, Bella
My phone bounced to life on the pillow beside me. With sleep-deprived eyes, I looked at Eden’s name flashing before me. Groaning loudly because it felt like I was using every ounce of energy I had, I swiped the screen to answer.
“I swear I’m dying.” I sighed dramatically, completely feeling sorry for myself.
“I feel like my head is going to explode off my shoulders,” she said, and moaned with exhaustion swamping her voice. “What the hell happened last night?”
“I’ll tell you what happened, you fucked me raw,” Ky said, gloating in the background.
“Eden, you little sex machine.” I laughed loudly.
“Oh my God, hang on, I’m going outside. I can’t stay in bed with Ky looking like he does. He gets this look about him after we’ve had sex all night, and I just want to destroy him.”
“Eden Rivers, I am shocked by this display of crazy sex,” I said and smiled as she giggled.
“What can I say? Ky Crawford unleashes craziness in me.”
I sat up in bed and tried to deal with the spinning in my head. My stomach growled as I placed my feet on the ground and stood on shaky legs. “I could inhale an iced coffee and bacon and eggs right now.”
“Let’s meet at the diner in an hour. I’ll call Tori to see where she is. I think she went home with Josh.” The excitement in her voice wasn’t lost on me.
Of course she did.
“See you in an hour,” I said.
After spending an exorbitant amount of time in the shower, I was now running late. I rushed around my room, desperately trying to make myself feel human again. All it took was a cute sundress, my white flip flops, and a spritz of my favorite perfume for me to feel halfway there. I locked the door behind me, and practically ran to the elevator to make it downstairs in time.
Even though I was running late, Eden and Tori were nowhere to be found. I crossed the diner that was packed to near capacity, waved to Josh’s Aunt Carole, and headed for our usual table in the back. Deciding to waste time on Facebook while I waited, I pulled my phone from my bag, and surprise slapped me in the face when I found Josh’s name splashed across the screen. But it was his words that rendered me speechless.
You owe me $20.
You have got to be kidding me. If I owed him twenty dollars that would mean he didn't . . . there was no way he didn't have sex. Josh and sex went together like chocolate and strawberries, like strippers and dollar bills—one thing always led to the other.
Me: Send me evidence right now.
Josh: Seriously?
Me: I don’t joke about $20
Josh: Fine. Picture message received.
With eager eyes, I observed the photo he sent. One of his bed, and the other of an empty trash can. Why the hell had he sent me a photo of his trash can?
Me: Trash can? I don't get it.
Josh: No condom in there Ashy.
Oh my god.
Me: You are disgusting
Josh: And horny because I didn't have sex.
I started to tap in a reply, just as I heard Eden and Tori coming. Upon lifting my gaze from the screen, I found them laughing and moving through the cafe. Eden looked surprisingly refreshed, considering she was meant to be suffering, not only an alcohol hangover, but also a sex hangover. Tori, however, was another story. She looked exhausted, like she had been up all night with little to no sleep. Josh’s message instantly hit me. Would he lie to me about something like that? I decided to continue playing this game and prod him further for information.
Me: Tori looks pretty exhausted for someone who didn't have sex.
He replied immediately.
Josh: She didn't have sex with me.
Eden and Tori slid in across from me. We ordered breakfast, and I got my much-needed iced coffee. As the caffeine hit my exhausted body, I felt myself starting to feel human again. Eden decided that she had a lot more to divulge about her night ravishing Ky, and when she was done, Tori took the cue and thought it was her turn to own up. I wasn't sure why I was so set on the fact that she had sex with Josh. It was like I had a disgusting need to prove him wrong.
“So I can talk about Josh, right? Like you two won’t be freaked out?” she asked in a tone that was brimming with eagerness to share whatever she had on him.
“Don’t hold back on my account,” I replied with a shrug of my shoulders.
“Yay. Okay, so last night we were flirting pretty wildly. I’ve never met a man who could make me wet by just speaking. He asked me if I wanted to go back to his place and, of course, I said yes.”
I started working on my eggs, shoveling them into my mouth to stop myself from asking questions. In my head, I was already spending the twenty dollars that I would be getting from Josh. Maybe I could put it toward the new lipstick I wanted.
“So we went up to his place, and holy hell he has the best fingers and mouth of any man I’ve been with. I blew him, and I know for a fact I gave him the best two orgasms of his life.”
Joshua Crawford, you lying little shit!
I smirked as I dug into my eggs, and ate every last bit on my plate. Suddenly, the idea of hurrying up and going to Josh’s apartment to claim victory became my first thought.
“How about you, Ashlyn? How are you managing with the whole no-sex thing, seeing as how your gorgeous aussie is on the other side of the world?”
I choked on the last forkful of eggs at Tori’s question. Shit. After somehow avoiding all talk of Lachlan since I returned, it would, of course, be Tori to bring him up. Eden watched me expectantly, waiting for me to answer about my supposedly wonderful boyfriend in Australia. The boyfriend who wasn’t ever really my boyfriend. What an absolute fuck up.
“I own a vibrator. It serves me well,” I said with a smile, hoping she would take my response without further questioning.
“When is he coming back to the states?” she asked, and I groaned inwardly.
“Honestly, I have no clue. I guess when his schedule permits.”
She nodded, and then fell into conversation with Eden. Thankfully, she deemed my responses adequate, and that was the last of talk of Lachlan.
“Well, babes. I need to head to the airport. It was amazing seeing you both, and I’m sure I’ll be back for another taste of Josh Crawford soon.” She shot me a wink, and I offered her a tight smile. Maybe I’d increase my bet to fifty dollars next time.
Ten minutes after Tori left, the bell over the door rang and Ky and Josh walked in. Josh smirked when our gazes collided and, with smugness, I returned it. I’d be wiping that smug look off his face in a matter of minutes.
“Ladies,” Josh said with an arrogant smile when they reached us. “Ashy, I hope you’ve got my twenty dollars.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and scoffed. He looked completely refreshed, eyes clear, stubble sitting delightfully on his jaw, and utterly satisfied. I moved across the leather seat as he sat down next to me.
“You’re getting zero dollars.”
“The bet was twenty dollars,” he exclaimed, his brow rising in question.
“I want cake. Babe, let’s go get some,” Eden announced from across the table, completely oblivious to Josh and me.
Ky and Eden left the table, and I yelped as Josh placed his arm under my leg and around my waist, twisting me in my seat until I was facing him.
“Now what’s this talk about getting zero dollars. I didn't have sex last night, so I deserve a lot more than twenty fucking dollars.”
“Sex meant all types of sex, and that includes getting a blow job and having two orgasms. It also meant not giving a girl a finger bangin’.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I heard all about last night. You’re busted,” I said with a laugh. The look on his face was priceless. It went from shock, to frustration, to amusement in the blink of an eye.
“Hang on a minute. Tori said I finger fucked her and she gave me two orgasms by blowing me?”
“Damn straight she did,” I stated matter
-of-factly, and felt myself claiming victory.
His eyes flashed with amusement before he roared with laughter. I watched in complete confusion, as his deep laugh echoed around us. I couldn't understand what was so funny; he was the one who’d just lost the bet, so why was he in hysterics? I sat, stunned by his reaction.
“Ashy,” he choked out as he got his laughter under control. “I have never blown my load in a woman’s mouth before, and I certainly didn't finger fuck her last night. She passed out on my couch ten minutes after we got to my apartment.”
“Why the hell would she lie about something like that? And really? You’ve never come in a woman’s mouth? Wow, that’s kind of special in a sick and twisted way.”
“I guarantee you, hand on heart, on everything we have shared, that I did not touch Tori last night. And she certainly didn't touch me.”
I observed him for a long while. The arrogance that followed him had fled the building, and now he was just too handsome, with his pleading, amused eyes. Damn it. I huffed loudly as I opened my purse and pulled out a twenty. I couldn’t believe I lost a bet about sex with Mr. Sex himself. “I cannot believe I lost.” I shook my head in complete disbelief as I handed him his winnings.
“How’s your memory of last night?” he asked, pulling out his wallet and putting the twenty inside.
There was only one part of the night he could be referring to, and it certainly wasn’t what we had for dinner. It was a conversation I wasn’t sure how I’d handle sober. Josh was the guy. The guy who remained in my memories no matter who I was with. He was also my friend, my first, my torment, and my secret temptation.
“Clear as day,” I replied quickly.
Ky and Eden returned to the table with her cake, and the four of us sat around shooting the wind. There was no talk of the night before, and Josh began talking with Ky about something to do with the magazine. I knew it was only a matter of time until the text message I received the night before decided reappear in my thoughts. It was the text message that had drawn unwanted attention from Eden and Josh. Lachlan’s words painted themselves behind my eyes, so I constantly revisited them.
When are you coming back to me? You won’t stay away for long.
Who did he think he was? I couldn’t understand this guy. How could someone change so drastically? I wasn’t into games, but it seemed like Lachlan was set on making me a part of whatever fucked-up mind games he wanted to play.
Josh coughed softly beside me, and hit my leg under the table. I pulled myself away from going down memory lane and offered him the briefest of smiles. It was clear he could see straight through me by the way his eyes roamed my face.
“I’m heading back to my apartment, so I’ll see you whenever you come over.” He leaned in closer, until his mouth was close to my ear. “And whatever is happening in that head of yours, we are going to talk about it.”
Without another word, he walked out of the diner and headed back to our apartment.
This afternoon I’d be moving in with Josh.
Let the games begin.
9
Josh
The sound of a key sliding into the lock pulled me away from my afternoon of watching television. After leaving the diner, I came home, cleaned my apartment, went to the gym, and was now waiting for my new roommate to arrive. Ashlyn appeared, still wearing the sexy-as-fuck sundress that she had on at the diner. Her legs looked phenomenal. The dress was sitting mid-thigh, and it swished around with every movement she made. She hesitated briefly in the door frame, her pink suitcase by her side and matching pink laptop bag over her shoulder, before stepping in.
“Hey, Ashy,” I said from the couch.
She jumped about a foot and shrieked, “God, you scared me.”
“Where’d you think I’d be? I had to welcome my new roomie.”
“Roomie sounds so official.” She laughed. After wheeling her suitcase to the wall beside the hall, she placed her laptop bag on the table, then came over and collapsed beside me on the couch. She tucked her feet under her body and turned her focus to the television.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as she settled in for an afternoon on my couch. She looked relaxed, completely carefree. I had no idea what this week would bring. All I knew was that I wanted her to have time that Lachlan didn’t encroach on, and I wanted time to make her realize that there was no way in hell she was going to London. Was it a selfish move? Of course it was. I didn’t want her to go because I didn’t want to deal with the thought of her not being here. Fuck, I’d take her to London if she really wanted to go, as long as she stayed with me.
“Was that your stomach?” She chuckled after a low grumble fled my body, not so subtly announcing that I had watched enough football and needed food. “How about I cook?”
I stood from the couch and stretched. “I can order take out.”
“Joshua, I just offered to make you a home-cooked meal. I am offended that you would rather buy dinner than let me cook,” she scoffed, and threw a cushion at me as I walked to the lamp in the corner and switched it on, since late afternoon was now turning into early evening.
“Don’t get your panties in a knot.” I laughed. “Have at my kitchen. I don’t know what food I’ve got in there though.”
Ashlyn jumped off the couch excitedly and rushed into my kitchen. Her dress moved around her thighs as she hurried, and I groaned as the briefest flash of light blue panties filled my sight. Jesus Christ, my hand was going to get a good work out this week, and those lace blue panties would be tonight’s visualization.
I leaned against the door frame and watched. Ashlyn hummed to herself as she opened the fridge and popped her hip out to the side. “You have beer, left over Chinese food, and something that kind of resembles watermelon. How do you have that kind of body when you have a fridge that looks like this?”
Everything froze as she realized what she had just said. Her cheeks flushed and, as quickly as she said it, she dismissed it. With a shake of her head, she closed the fridge and rushed back into the living room, then grabbed her bag from the table.
“I’m going to run to the store and get some things for dinner.”
“I’ll come with you.” I switched off the television and started looking for my keys.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be like thirty minutes.”
“I’ll go for a run then, but call or text me if you need anything.”
* * *
An hour later, I entered my apartment and was greeted by a cock-twitching sight. Ashlyn was lying curled up on the couch, completely out of it. My eyes trailed over her sleeping form and took in her shapely legs that were covered in black tights. Then I realized she was wearing the hoodie that I had taken off before I left the apartment for my run. My stomach clenched at the sight of her in my clothes. It was immediate arousal; an instant ache in my cock that begged for relief. As quietly as I could, I placed my keys on the coffee table and headed down the hall to grab a shower. I striped out of my sweat-drenched shirt and sweat pants, and stepped into the scolding hot shower. Fuck me. Ashlyn hadn’t even been in my apartment for three hours, and all I could focus on was the glimpse of her panties and the curve of her ass in those tights. I was going to be on the edge of orgasm all week at this rate. I rested my head against the tiles, and my hand ran over my stomach as I soaped up my body. My breathing increased. I wrapped my hand around my cock in a tight grip and began stroking feverishly. Immediately, Ashlyn flooded my thoughts, and the best night of my life thus far appeared.
“You won’t hurt me,” Ashlyn’s soft voice begged. I hovered over her, my cock screaming at me to slide into her and take everything she was willing to give me. The candles were a hit, and they were providing the perfect backdrop for the intimate act I was seconds away from performing. The look on Ashlyn’s face when the first flick of candlelight hit the room was something I wouldn’t forget for as long as I lived. “I want this, Josh.”
I wasn’t sure why I was hesitating. A hot girl—no, s
crap that—a beautiful girl was lying beneath me, naked, panting, and begging for me to take her. And I was hesitating. Her nipples were puckered, pink, and enticing. I leaned down and took one into my mouth, swirling my tongue and treating it like it was my favorite type of candy. Her moans of pleasure soothed my anxious body, and shot straight to my aching cock. My hand traveled down her body, and my fingertips dug into the flesh of her womanly hips as I went down to her pussy. I hissed against her nipple as I slid my finger through her slickness. She was so fucking wet. I couldn't deny any longer that she wanted this.
“I’m going to try my hardest not to hurt you. Tell me if I’m too rough.”
Her hands grabbed my ass and pulled me closer to her virgin pussy. I wrapped my hand around my shaft and gently eased myself in. Her moan of pleasure was all I needed as a motivator. I hit the barrier, and finally found her eyes. There was no fear, concern, or pain looking back at me. She was inviting me. She wanted me. She trusted me. With one thrust, I took her most prized possession, and at the same time, she took my heart.
One hand gripped my aching cock, while the other rested on the glass wall of the shower as memories hit me like a freight train. As the water beat down on me, my hand worked my cock in rough, forceful movements. Up and down, squeezing and releasing. Her face and body were forever etched in my mind. Ashlyn fucking Hart, the girl I had, the girl I lost, and the girl I wanted. My hand worked in rhythm with the intense beating of my heart. My broken breathing was lost in the rush of water, and my head dropped and rested against the glass next to my hand. Her face flashed before me, followed by her hips and legs, covered only by those tight-as-fuck tights, and that was all it took. The muscles in my stomach tightened and my breathing ceased to exist. My cock throbbed violently in my hand one last time, and I came with a low, deep grunt.
