by M. Malone
I grabbed my purse and made a beeline for the door. I tried not to think about how hurt he looked. I tried not to think about how much my body already missed the press of his skin against mine. No, better not to think about that.
Traffic was a bitch which only worsened my mood. When I finally got home, I let myself into the apartment and went straight for the shower. I could still smell Hunter's cologne all over me, and I’d have an impossible time sleeping if I didn’t wash it off.
After a hot shower that did nothing at all for my knotted muscles, I headed for bed. But the moment I plugged my phone in, it rang. Hunter’s smiling face appeared before me, and I scowled. Why couldn't he just let this go?
The thing was, I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to regain some of who we were. Friends. Friends who were desperately trying to ruin everything we had.
I answered. "Hunter, if this is to somehow get me back to your place, it's not going to work. I said everything I needed to say."
He sighed. "No, Bailey. Let me apologize. I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand. But the moment I kissed you—" he took a deep breath, started again. "Look, all I'm asking for is a shot. Obviously, there’s something going on with us. Something more than just being best friends. Just come with me on a date tomorrow night. Somewhere that isn’t either of our apartments, and if you don't feel what I feel, I'll leave you alone. We’ll never talk about this again. We’ll go back one hundred percent to being Bailey and Hunter."
"Hunter, it's not going to be that easy."
"Yes, it will be, because your friendship is more important to me than anything else. But if I have the chance at more with you, then I want to take it. Because just feeling what I’ve felt the last couple of times we’ve been together, I have to take the shot."
"Hunter, how are you so sure?"
"I just am. What do you say? Will you let me take you out?"
All I wanted to do was blurt out yes, but I was cautious, trying to think it through. If it didn't work out, he’d promised me we could go back to being normal, and I wanted that. So if one date was all it took for us to get on an even keel again, then I was in.
"Okay. Let’s go on a date."
Hunter
When was the last time I had been this nervous for a date?
I’d been of two minds about what we should do. Part of me thought I should pull out all the stops: super fancy restaurant, followed by some insane view of the city, followed by some underground speakeasy type of bar. Somewhere cool and intimate where I could turn on the charm.
I wanted all of that for Bailey. I wanted to show her the moon and stars. But I also wanted to show her that even if things went wrong, we would still have our friendship.
So I was going to skip all that.
I just hoped she liked it. I didn't want to come across as if I wasn't trying. Hell, I was actually trying really hard.
Why is this so important to you?
Because it was Bailey, who I’d been falling for slowly over the last year. Also because a part of me knew she was right. What we had was good. I knew we could be better than good, but I didn't want to fuck this up. So I was gonna go low key. Make her comfortable. And if somehow she didn't want to see me like that, I would deal. I would have to buy some major stock in a porn company, but I’d be okay.
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.
I picked her up at seven on the nose. When she opened the door, I had to resist the urge to reach out and touch her in all kinds of inappropriate ways.
That afternoon at work, I’d told her to dress casual. For Bailey, that evidently meant tight leather leggings that hugged her ass and her legs, black low-heeled boots, and a pink off-the-shoulder top that clung to her tits in ways that made me want to bury my face between them.
No. The early part of this date was about me and Bailey finding our footing and being able to still be ourselves. Later tonight, I might do just about anything to bury my face in her tits, but right now I wanted to have fun. I wanted us to play.
"So why the mystery? Where are we going?" she asked.
“You know, you're just going to have to trust me."
She wrinkled her nose, but when I offered her my hand, she slid her palm into mine. I tried not to focus too much on how it felt to touch her. I tried not to think about the satin smooth feel of her skin, the charge of electricity running up my arm. No. Right now, all I wanted to think about was enjoying her company…and not where else that satin soft skin would feel good.
It took us a few minutes to get used to each other, and the tension was thick, but I was determined.
When I drove up to the old-fashioned diner, she giggled. "This is not what I expected for dinner."
"Well, I figure any guy can take you to some fancy douchey place." I laughed. "Relax, we’re here to play."
"To play, what?"
"Pick a game, any game. Even though this is a date, I will warn you that I will show you no quarter. I'm here to kick your ass."
Immediately, Bailey's competitive nature came out. "What? You think you're gonna kick my ass in arcade games? You're on."
I laughed. She was so cute every time she got that determined look on her face, with her nose scrunched and her lips pursed slightly. It made me want to kiss her, but that could wait. For the time being, I was here to kick her ass.
Except that was not how it happened. After three rounds of Ms. Pac-Man, King Kong, Ski Ball, and Hoops Shoot Out, we were evenly tied. Why was she so good at these? And how the hell had I not known that?
Usually, we played bar games: trivia, darts, pool. I actually had to try at some of these games. She was a demon at Miss Pac-Man. She’d won all three of those games. King Kong, I won. Ski Ball had been a heated battle and she’d won by one. And Hoops Shoot Out, I’d won by one. Now it was down to Dance Dance Revolution.
I could only pray I wasn't going to get my ass kicked on this. But given the way she unzipped her boots, laid them to the side, and gave me a cheeky grin, I had a feeling an ass whooping was imminent.
I was right. Bailey was not above knocking me over or shoving my feet off of the footpads, and I was pretty sure she made her boobs jiggle a little extra just to distract me. When we were done and she’d beaten me by over a thousand points, I demanded a rematch.
But once again, I got distracted by her jiggling breasts.
"That was hardly fair. I'm pretty sure you were trying to distract me."
"If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."
I shook my head. "Next time we do this, I'll be ready for you."
"If you say so," she giggled.
"Come on, let's go eat."
"Okay."
As I led her past the hostess stand, she jogged to catch up to me. "We’re not eating here?"
"I told you. We came here for the games. Now, I'm going to feed you. And find out all the secrets to how you got so good."
"A master never reveals her tricks."
"Yeah, whatever."
Again, I knew I’d surprised her with my dinner pick. We drove up to the food truck, Mini Chef.
"I love this food truck!" she squealed.
"I know. Why do you think I brought you here?"
If she had her pick, she’d spend her entire lunch hour most days driving around looking for it. They had this Korean BBQ sandwich she usually inhaled. I had no idea where she put any of that.
Her smile was warm when she turned to me. "You know, I didn’t think you were paying such close attention to me."
"Bailey, when it comes to you, I'm always paying attention. Come on, let's eat."
After our dinner, eaten on the curb next to the food truck, she said, "Thank you. This was actually kind of perfect."
"Well, I do aim to please. But you don't think we’re done yet. Do you?"
"Oh, yeah? What does the great Hunter Richards have up his sleeve this time?"
I stood and tugged her hand so that she stood in front of me. "Dessert, of course."
H
er pupils dilated, and I bit back a groan. This was the perfect moment to kiss her. And fuck, did I want to. But there would be time enough for that. Right now, I was still in date mode. Once again, I put my hand out, and Bailey took it without hesitation. With her, this was so easy. With her, this was so right. I just hoped that she would see it that way.
9
Bailey
I was in so much trouble.
I gnawed at my thumbnail, trying desperately to think of anything but how sexy Hunter looked. He’d surprised me by taking me to the arcade. When he’d convinced me that going on a date was a good idea, I’d assumed he planned to impress me. I’d braced myself for a pretentious restaurant with tiny portions that wouldn’t satisfy an ant, and for Hunter to morph into someone else; a mirror image of all the other guys who’d tried to get in my pants.
That was really what I was afraid of, I had to admit. Taking our friendship to a different level meant by definition that we had to leave the level we were currently on. I didn’t want to leave this level. I liked this level. More than anything, I liked knowing that my best friend, Hunter, would be there for me, no matter what.
Now the bastard had done the absolute worst thing in the world. He’d called my bluff and proven to me that dating him didn’t mean our friendship would disappear. It would just have a new, exciting layer of sexual tension sprinkled on top.
Which was a wonderful thing, but also completely nerve-wracking.
As we approached my door, my nerves surged once again and I placed a hand against my stomach. It shouldn’t be such a big deal—after all, we’d already kissed. Multiple times. But we’d never kissed after going on the most fun date I’d ever been on. We’d never kissed with the knowledge that the fun date was over and it was time to decide if I wanted to take this new aspect of our relationship any further.
But no pressure or anything, right?
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Hunter said as we reached my door. His dark eyes locked on mine and, just like that, all my nerves were back.
“Me too. This wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but it was great. Perfect, actually. You're a really nice guy, Hunter.”
Instead of the smile I was expecting, his eyebrows drew together. He cursed softly and his hand tightened around mine. When he looked at me again, I shivered. He was looking at me the same way he had the other times he’d kissed me. Intense. Wanting. Aggressive.
Basically, the opposite of the Hunter I was used to.
He gripped my chin tightly and I let out a soft moan. It shocked me that I enjoyed this side of him. There was no denying how wet it made me when he took control like this.
“Let’s get one thing straight, sweetheart. I’m glad you enjoyed our date. I’ll always work overtime to make sure you get everything you want and everything you need. But I am not,” he leaned down until his lips were brushing mine with every word, “that fucking nice.”
As soon as he said the word our lips connected. All thought scattered until my whole world was Hunter’s mouth devouring mine and his hand cupping my ass through my leggings.
I lost all sense of time and place, no longer caring about anything but feeling his skin against mine. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He grumbled something that I didn’t catch, but in the next moment I didn’t care what he’d said, because he aligned himself perfectly between my legs and oh my God, was that really as big as it felt?
“Bailey, fuck, you feel good, sweetheart. I knew you would.” He continued growling things against my skin in between kisses, and his deep voice sent shivers up and down my spine.
It made me crazy, he made me crazy, and I no longer had control of my body. I was no longer running the control tower, because my pussy had taken the reins, and it wanted to feel that monster in his pants come out to play.
I grabbed his hair, holding on for dear life as I rode him like a show pony, rubbing myself against him shamelessly. Even with all the layers of clothes, it felt amazing, and I wondered why the hell we’d taken so long to do this. And why were we wearing clothes, again?
Then I wasn’t thinking anything, as fireworks exploded through my body. Jesus Christ. I’d just come. Right in the fucking hallway.
Hunter growled his approval as his hands left my ass. One crept under my shirt and the other found its way into my panties. Oh, Jesus Horatio Christ. When his hands found my breasts spilling over my bra, he moaned. And when his hands moved to my pants and his fingers found me slick, he bit me.
“So fucking sexy, Bailey. You know exactly what you’re doing to me, don’t you?” He slid two fingers inside me while he teased my nipple. “You could take my big dick right now, couldn’t you? You naughty girl.”
It came out like an accusation, but apparently he was speaking a language that my pussy understood, because that traitorous bitch just preened at his words as if to say, Yes, I do like to tease cocks. But it’s because they enjoy it so much. It clenched hard around his questing fingers, and I moaned. I needed more of him.
There was a loud whistle, and we sprung apart at the sound. I shook my head to clear the fog from my brain. Mrs. Potts, a sweet elderly woman who always seemed to wear cardigans no matter the weather, was standing in her doorway watching us.
“Normally I wouldn’t be a cock block,” she warbled in her reedy voice, “but my grandkids are here and they’ll be leaving soon. It’s a little early for them to get the birds-and-the-bees talk.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry, Mrs. Potts!” I turned and grabbed my keys from my purse, which had dropped to the ground during our frantic fumbling. I opened the door to my apartment and Hunter followed me inside, chuckling the whole way.
“It’s not funny! We just scandalized my eighty-year-old neighbor!”
Hunter didn’t even bother trying to hide his amusement. “In case you didn’t notice, she didn’t seem all that scandalized. Hell, I’d wager she stood there and watched for a while before she said anything. Besides, she said cock, so how scandalized can she be?”
That thought was even worse than the previous one, so I covered my ears. “I’m not listening.”
Hunter grabbed my hands and pulled me against him. I wasn’t expecting the sudden motion, so I fell against his chest in an awkward heap.
“Where were we before the interruption?”
As his head lowered toward mine, I knew that this was make-it-or-break-it time. I could either put a stop to it and always wonder how good we could have been together, or I could put my big girl panties on and take a chance.
I looked down at the large bulge in the front of Hunter’s pants.
Come on, it taunted. You know you want to see what I can do. And you really want to see if I’m as big as I look.
Oh, hell, I thought. You only live once, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to live the rest of my life wondering if I’d let the cock of my dreams go by, just because I was afraid of getting hurt.
Plus, if the look in Hunter’s eyes was any indication, he knew how to make it hurt real good.
Hunter
I watched as Bailey stepped back and whipped her shirt over her head, leaving her in only a black bra and the tightest black leather pants ever invented to torture the male mind.
Instantly, my cock tried to punch through my jeans. I tried to slow my arousal down. I couldn’t blow this. I thought of baseball stats, my last marketing campaign, and tried to remember how much horsepower my favorite muscle car had. It was no use: my mind and my cock refused to be distracted from the monumental hotness of Bailey Jones.
Her blond hair was an absolute mess around her head, strands falling over the cleavage spilling from her bra. Her blue eyes stood out against the blush on her cheeks. She looked adorable and somehow naughty at the same time.
“This might be a bad idea, but I officially don’t care anymore. I want you, Hunter.”
Her voice lowered at the last part into a husky purr and I almost came right then and there.
“Jesus, Bailey. I want you too, sweethear
t. But we’re not rushing this. I’ve been dreaming about what I’d do to you if I had the chance for too long.”
“You’ve been dreaming about me?” She twisted a strand of hair around her finger nervously.
Oh hell no, that wouldn’t do. I didn’t want her nervous and over-thinking things. Luckily, I knew exactly how to take her mind off anything other than how good I could make her feel. That was something else I’d been dreaming about for months.
I picked her up, and she squeaked as she grabbed at my shoulders. I’d been in her place enough times that I didn’t need directions. Her bedroom was a girly paradise. I’d watched her getting ready too many times, often fantasizing about pushing her down on that ruffled comforter and burying my face between her legs. I set her on the edge of the bed carefully. Bailey watched me warily as I tugged and pulled until her leather pants were around her ankles. She giggled and kicked them to the floor, then turned and scrambled across the bed, providing a heart-stopping view of her luscious ass.
The devil made me do it. Honestly, I really couldn’t help myself. When my palm landed on her ass, her delicate skin pinked and I cursed softly.
“You are really trying to kill me,” I mumbled before shedding my own clothes.
When she turned and saw that I was naked, she blushed. “You don’t waste any time, huh?”
I shook my head silently, too turned on to bother with conversation at this point. Without a word, I reached out and gently pulled her down by the ankles until she was right in front of me. With her legs spread open, she looked like a centerfold, all blonde hair, full breasts and smooth skin.
“Oh, wow, you’ve always been efficient.” Bailey moaned as I leaned over her and kissed her neck.
My fingers made quick work of the front clasp of her bra, and then her breasts were free. Her candy-pink nipples beckoned and I took my time lavishing them with soft, suctioning kisses. One day, I’d spend hours just torturing these beauties, but today I had a different destination in mind.
“Hunter… please.”
