by Karen Kelley
“I’m not taking a chance that you might get away,” he said as he went inside the house and down the hallway.
He stopped at the living room, mumbled an expletive, and continued toward the staircase. I wondered if he was going to climb all the way up while carrying me, but at the bottom of the staircase, he began to frown.
“I’m definitely going to buy new furniture,” he grumbled, going toward the front door. As we crossed the threshold, he set me on my feet. “Maybe not so much Rhett Butler,” he told me.
“And what was wrong with the house?”
“I think my brother marked all the spots.” He locked the front door.
I laughed, then clamped my lips together when he turned a frown in my direction.
When he reached to pick me up again, I moved away. I wasn’t about to have him throw his back out. “I can walk.”
He hesitated, then hurried to open the passenger door. “Hold that thought then. It will only take twenty minutes to get back to the apartment. Fifteen if there’s no traffic. Ten if I don’t get stopped by a cop.”
He jumped in on the driver’s side, fastened his seat belt, then started the pickup. He glanced my way to make sure I was settled before pulling out.
“That looks good on you,” he said.
“What?”
“Your smile. You need to do it more often.”
I might if I was around him more. As suddenly as the thought crossed my mind, another one followed, telling me none of this would last. I shouldn’t fool myself into thinking it would. Nothing in my life ever lasted.
It didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun until the very end.
Layne didn’t get stopped on the way home, which was surprising since he was going over the speed limit. It still took him fifteen minutes. I never realized how long fifteen minutes could actually seem. He kept glancing across the seat. I wondered if he was afraid I would change my mind. I should probably tell him there was no chance of that happening. I wanted him as much as he wanted me.
After he parked, we hurried to the elevator. We’d just gotten off when we were stopped.
“Hey, you two, I wondered what had happened to you today. Where’d you go?” Zoey asked.
Now was so not a good time for Zoey to stop us, but I didn’t want to be rude. “Layne took me out to Ryder’s house.”
“Did you decide to buy it or not?” Zoey asked.
“Yes, I’m going to buy the house,” Layne said. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’re kind of in a…”
“I thought I heard voices out here,” Darby said as she stepped from her apartment. “Oh good, I was hoping to run into you today, Fiera. I took a chance and bought a pair of heels, but I’m still having problems. Can you please show me what I’m doing wrong? Please, please, please?”
I looked toward Layne for help, but he only shrugged. A lot of help he was. I couldn’t very well disappoint Darby since I was the one who told her I could help. “Sure, let me have a look at them.”
“I want to come,” Zoey said as she hurried behind us.
“No laughing,” Darby warned as we went inside her apartment.
I glanced once more toward Layne before the door shut between us. If I didn’t know exactly how he was feeling, I would’ve laughed, because he looked so dejected.
For the next couple of hours, we drank wine, and I showed Darby how to walk in heels. I explained it just took practice. Even Zoey offered encouragement. Darby finally started getting the hang of it after some coaching from both of us.
I’d relaxed enough that when Zoey asked me why I’d pulled away from them, I was taken off guard.
“Something is going on,” she continued. “We’re you’re friends. We want to help.”
They sat next to me on the sofa. I suddenly felt boxed in. My anxiety level began to rise. If they knew the truth, they would look at me with disgust. I jumped to my feet, moving away.
“You can tell us what’s bothering you,” Darby said.
For a while, I’d been caught up in everything they had to offer. Still, I wasn’t quite ready to end our friendship. God, I was such an idiot. “You don’t want to know. Not really.”
“We’re your friends.” Zoey reaffirmed.
Okay, fine. I squared my shoulders and turned to face them. “I don’t think you want to know that my father disappeared when I was ten, and I haven’t seen or heard from him since. Or that when I was twelve, I walked in and found my mother dead, the needle still in her arm. That I bounced around from foster home to foster home until I turned eighteen. Layne hired a PI to try to find my father, but it’s as if he disappeared off the face of the earth.” There, now they knew about my past.
Zoey came to her feet, then walked toward me. I figured she’d tell me it was time I left, but she put her arms around me and hugged me close. Darby joined her.
“We don’t care about your past, only that you were hurt. If you think we won’t be here for you, then you’re wrong,” Darby said.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said as they stepped back, tears blurring my vision.
Zoey shook her head. “You don’t have to say anything, but if you ever want to talk, we’re here for you.”
I started to cry, then Zoey and Darby started to cry.
“Why are you crying?” I asked.
“Because you are, and that’s what women do. They cry with each other,” Zoey said. She grabbed some tissues, then blew her nose so loud that Darby and I began to laugh.
“I know, let’s do a girls night,” Darby suggested.
“Actually, it has been a long day, and I’m kind of tired. Can I have a rain check?” I only hoped they bought my excuse. As much as I loved them right now, I was feeling a little boxed in.
“Okay,” Zoey said, as if she sensed what I felt. “We’ll make it a girls’ day out next day off. We’ll find Darby some decent heels that won’t hurt her feet so much.”
“Shopping! That sounds like so much fun,” Darby said. She turned to me. “How about it? Are you in?”
I wanted to tell them no. I was afraid if I did, they’d keep badgering me. Again, I felt as if I was being sucked into their world. The problem was, I really liked being around them. They were a lot of fun and made me feel as if I belonged. That had never really happened before. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. Never really a part of any group. I’d always been fine with that. My motto was, I didn’t need anyone.
Maybe, for just a little while, I could pretend. They had seemed sincere.
“I’d like that,” I finally said.
As I walked back to my apartment, I called myself every kind of fool. I’d kept my distance since Jeremy started looking for my father, bringing my protective walls back up. Zoey and Darby had a way of knocking them right back down. Much like Layne.
When I walked past Layne’s apartment, his door suddenly opened, and I was pulled inside. Startled, I let out a small scream, which was quickly covered by his mouth. I immediately relaxed as his arms pulled me closer and his kiss deepened.
When he ended the kiss, he continued to hold me close. “I didn’t think you were ever going to escape them.”
“I’d promised to show Darby how to walk in heels. It took a while.”
“I’m glad you’re here now.”
Then it hit me. I was glad, too. “So am I.” I stepped away from him and pulled my T-shirt over my head, then let it fall to the floor. “I hope you haven’t changed your mind about sex.” His gaze was glued to my chest as I brought my hands behind my back and unfastened my bra.
He slowly shook his head. “Are you kidding? It’s all I’ve been thinking about.”
I chuckled as I let my bra straps slide down my arms, then drop to the floor. He drew in a deep breath. Stepping closer, he fondled my breasts. I drew in a deep sigh as tingles of pleasure made their way down my body. He pinched my nipples lightly between his thumb and forefinger, then cupped the underside of my breasts, massaging.
“I want you naked,” he said. “
It’s all I’ve been thinking about.” He jerked his T-shirt over his head, flinging it to the floor.
All his delicious muscles were right there in front of me. I couldn’t resist. I began to touch him, flicking my nail across his tight nipples. He sucked in a deep breath. I couldn’t seem to get enough of touching him. I needed more.
I reached for the button on his jeans, my fingers slipping inside. When I bumped his erection, he groaned.
“You’re killing me, woman.”
I pushed the button through, then tugged the zipper down, stepping closer as my body pressed against his. “I certainly hope not, because I want to fuck you.” My breath teased his skin.
With a low growl that came from deep in his throat, he scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bedroom. He laid me in the middle of the bed, then went down to the foot and tugged my shoes off. I was already unfastening my pants. He grabbed the hem and began tugging them off. My panties went with them.
He opened my legs and began moving up the bed. “Damn, you’re fucking sexy, woman. Especially right here.” His fingers ran up and down the curls between my legs. My hips arched as a moan escaped past my lips. He replaced his fingers with his mouth. Gently sucking and nibbling.
My hands fisted in the sheets as hot sensations swarmed over me. He inserted a finger inside me, moving it slowly in and out. I thought I was going to come unglued. My body was on fire.
I suddenly tightened. My orgasm had me trembling from my head to my feet. Then it felt as if I was falling back to earth after being taken to heaven.
He stopped long enough to roll on a condom, then he was entering me, filling me. He waited for my body to adjust, but I was ready for him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper, tightening my inner muscles.
I reached around and squeezed his ass. “Fuck me. Fuck me hard.”
He began to thrust inside me, pulling almost all the way out, then plunging in again. The fire began to build inside me once more. Waves of heat washed over my trembling body. Our ragged breathing filled the room.
“Oh God, I can’t hold back any longer,” he said.
“Then don’t. Give me all you have.”
Flames licked my body as I reached orgasm. He cried out, his body tightening.
Then he slowly sank down to me, rolling to his side and taking me with him. He held me close, one hand absently stroking my back.
“I’ve had sex before,” he said. “But never like this. Sex with you is fucking fantastic.”
I stilled. I knew what he was feeling because I was feeling the same thing. It scared the hell out of me. “You know this can’t last.”
He leaned away from me. “It can last for as long as we want it to.” He brushed his lips across my forehead.
I didn’t tell him that with me nothing ever lasted very long. My heart said this time might be different, but I had a feeling my heart was only lying to me, just like all the other times.
Chapter 16
Fiera
It was actually our second day off before we got to go shopping because Darby had to help her sister move. I was okay with that. I didn’t think I’d have fun going again this soon. Until I realized it wasn’t just about the shopping. I finally admitted to myself that I was having fun from the moment we climbed into Zoey’s car. While we were shopping, Darby and Zoey had me laughing most of the time. Now we were waiting for our lunch to arrive.
“Why the hell did you pick a tea room?” Zoey asked Darby.
Darby sat a little straighter. “What don’t you like about it? It’s almost as if we’re having a tea party. I mean, just look at the cute, pink, frilly tablecloth. It’s absolutely adorable. They even have little white lights strung around the room. It reminds me of something out of a Victorian romance book.”
Zoey didn’t look impressed. “The only men in the room are old geezers with their wives who dragged them here because of the other antiques that are in the next room.”
“I like antiques,” Darby told her.
Zoey continued as if Darby hadn’t spoken. “It smells like incense, too. It reminds me of when I used to smoke pot in college.”
“I like incense,” Darby said.
Zoey shook her head. “You liked pot, too. I didn’t.” She released an exaggerated sigh. “We could’ve gone to a sports bar. Young, virile men looking for their next conquest. I could’ve been drinking a margarita.” She threw a disgusted look toward her raspberry tea. “Do you know how long it has been since I’ve been laid?”
Darby crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with one eyebrow raised. “Let me take a wild guess. Last weekend?”
“Yes, last weekend. That was five days ago. Five long ass days.”
I grinned. I couldn’t stop myself. They’d been going at it like this since we’d walked into the first store, but I knew there was no anger between them.
“You’re a slut,” Darby said.
Zoey opened her arms. “So? What’s your point?”
“Well, there’s a reason we came here. I stopped by last weekend with my mother.”
“Then you should’ve known not to bring me here.”
“You are so going to grovel before our meal is over.”
“Do you want to place a bet?” Zoey asked.
Darby leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Name it.”
Zoey cast an evil smile in her direction. “The loser has to spend one day deep cleaning the other’s apartment.”
“But you hate cleaning,” Darby said with a smug smile of her own.
“Exactly, and I don’t think I’ll lose.”
“You’re on.”
“Okay ladies, who had the grilled cheese and tomato soup?” The waiter asked as he set the heavy tray down on the stand the waitress had opened beside our table.
Zoey’s mouth dropped open. Not that I could blame her. The guy was gorgeous. He had sandy blond hair and the kind of biceps you had to wrap both hands around, and even then they might not reach.
“I did, Tommy,” Darby gushed.
He grinned. “I should’ve known it was you. That’s exactly what you ordered last weekend when you were here with your mother.”
“Everyone, this is Tommy,” Darby introduced him. “He owns the tea room.”
He slowly looked around the table, his eyes lingering on Zoey. “Actually, my aunt owns the tea room. My cousin and I work here on the weekends to help her out until she can get someone permanent. Since she put Mike and me through college, it’s the least that we can do.”
“Did I hear my name tossed around?” Mike said as he came into the dining area.
Mike was just as impressive with broad shoulders, blond hair a little darker than his cousin’s, and twinkling blue eyes. When his eyes landed on me, I looked away. He apparently took the hint and turned his attention to Darby.
We talked for a few minutes. They had us laughing at some of their customer complaints. More of the lunch crowd began coming in, so they excused themselves, but at the last minute, Mike turned.
“We’re going to Hijinks tonight. Around eight. Would you ladies like to join us?” Mike asked. “I’ve heard they have a pretty good band tonight.”
“We’d love to,” Zoey quickly spoke up.
Darby nodded her head in agreement.
“Sure.” I shrugged. I knew if I went back to my apartment, I would only start thinking about my father and what I was going to do if Jeremy actually found him. I hadn’t really let myself think about it. Knowing he might be out there and hadn’t even attempted to get in touch. It was too painful to even think about. So yes, going anyplace where I didn’t have to think sounded pretty good to me.
We agreed to meet up at eight o’clock tonight. We didn’t get another chance to talk to Tommy and Mike as we went back to eating.
“I have plenty of cleaning products,” Darby said out of the blue.
Zoey and I looked at her as if she’d gone off the deep end.
“What the hell a
re you talking about?” Zoey asked.
“When you come to clean my apartment. You did lose the bet.”
“You cheated,” Zoey told her.
“Did I cheat, Fiera?”
I shook my head.
Darby continued. “Besides you’re the one who wanted to make the bet, not me.”
Zoey opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. “I don’t do windows.”
Darby laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s not that dirty. But you have to admit, I was right about coming here.”
“Will it get me out of cleaning your apartment?”
“Not a chance.”
“Then I’m not going to admit to anything. And you can gloat all you want.”
For a moment, I wondered what it would be like to be around these two all the time. I didn’t feel as if I was on the outside looking in. They both drew me into their circle, welcoming me with open arms.
“So, Layne tells me you’re sleeping with him,” Zoey commented.
My mouth dropped open and my fork clattered when it hit my plate. “He said what?”
“Well, not in so many words, but I do have eyes.”
“Zoey, that’s none of our business,” Darby said, then turned to me. “Are you really sleeping with him?”
I crossed my arms and leaned forward. “Do you want to hear all the juicy details? What he’s like in bed?”
They both leaned forward and said in unison, “Yes!”
“Sorry, I don’t talk about my sex life.” I grinned when they both looked crestfallen.
“That’s just wrong,” Zoey told me, then sighed. “I guess I don’t really want to know about how Layne is in bed anyway.”
“You should call Layne. See if he wants to meet us there tonight. We’ll make it a threesome.” Darby frowned. “I guess you could call it a six-some.”
“I was in a threesome once,” Zoey said, getting both our attention. Then looked up as if just realizing she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.
“You can’t leave us hanging after saying that,” Darby said, then looked thoughtful. “When were you ever in a threesome? I’ve known you since college, and you never even mentioned it.”
“I don’t tell you everything. It was a few weeks ago. I met two brothers at Hijinks. I think you were sick that night. Anyway, I went out with Connie. She knew the two guys and introduced me. Then she got a migraine and decided to leave early which left me with the two guys. They asked if I had any objection to a threesome. The idea sounded intriguing, so I went with them.”
