Keeping Her Close: A Slow Burn Standalone

by Casey Diam

  He took another sip from her cup and passed it to her, not letting go until she looked into his eyes. “Jealous?” he asked, lips twitching into a smile.

  “No.” Jordan pouted, toying with the cup handle before taking a sip.

  Brandon leaned sideways into the couch and tucked a leg in before leaning forward and wrapping a fist around her ankle. His touch was light and eased any distrust, so she allowed him to tug one of her legs onto his lap. Dumbfounded, she watched as he peeled away her sock, a sexy gleam in his eyes. About a minute too late, nerves started to warn her of imminent danger, but she shoved it aside as his thumbs kneaded the sole of her foot.

  “I know it was weeks ago, but I was jealous when I saw you kissing Greg.” He stared at her toes before tugging on each of them. “Kelly and I weren’t going to work out. Honestly, I can’t even remember the number of women I’ve slept with—and yeah, sometimes two at a time. But I can remember the number of women I’ve ever really wanted. Sleeping around doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I’ve actually never really enjoyed it. But I think a few years ago, we each did something out of fear. You chose not to date, and I chose to sleep around. And now, here we are. You’re ready to date, and I think I’m done sleeping around.”

  “You think?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve discovered the pleasures of the slow build. I still haven’t slept with you.”

  Setting the teacup on the end table, she decided it was time to pull her foot away from this alluring man obviously sweet-talking her into bed. But it was a painful process. He gave a damn good foot massage.

  “Your promiscuity is still disgusting. I can’t believe I kissed you.”

  “Twice.” Brandon licked his lips, tightening his grip on her foot. “And you loved it. I still have a picture to prove it, and I bet you’d do it again.”

  “Nope. The first time I was clueless; the second time I thought I was in danger.”

  “Really? Because I think you’re still in danger.” His gaze traveled up her leg to the hem of her shorts, and her sex throbbed as he massaged his hands up to her knee and back down to her ankle. “In fact, I’m positive you’re still in danger. I promise you, the promiscuity is done.”

  Her heart thudded. She’d missed the exact moment he became her predator and she his prey, but the pursuit was final. She never had a chance. His starving gaze raked over her body, burning into every inch. She wanted his hands, his mouth everywhere. Desire spiraled through her, and wetness pooled between her thighs. She needed to have him now, if only she could form the words. But perhaps those words weren’t essential.

  “Why can’t I get you out of my head?” He lifted her leg and kissed her ankle, then lowered it to the couch to trail kisses up her calf.

  Rising up from the couch, he continued the soft pecks up her thigh, placing the last at the edge of her shorts, which had rumpled at the crease where her thigh met her hip.

  “Jordan?”

  He rested his cheek on her thigh. And wow, if she hadn’t had shorts on, his hair would be making direct contact with her vagina.

  “Yes?” she answered, fighting the urge to tangle her fingers in his hair. She was more than ready for him. So if that was him asking permission, she would agree to anything.

  “I’m going to eat your pussy, right here, right now, but I need you to keep an eye open while I indulge. Sarah and Andrew are in their room, and Adrianna should be coming up soon.”

  “Wh-what?” she stuttered, peeking around the silent living room. “Brandon, you can’t—” Her words stopped as he tugged at the wide, stretchy hem of her shorts. She didn’t wear underwear below the comfy garment and would be exposed in seconds—if Brandon hadn’t already caught a glimpse.

  “Oh God!” he groaned just as she tried to pry her shorts from his grip.

  Her face heated, and she tried to twist away, but he pinned his large hands on her hips while resting his weight against her outstretched leg. She was no match for his strength.

  “Brandon, no. Someone could see us,” Jordan hissed.

  “That’s why you’re keeping an eye out, beautiful.” Darkened green eyes looked up at her, “Now, if that’s all you’re worried about . . .” He skimmed a finger under the fabric, tracing the plump corner of her sex.

  Want coursed through her, and she bit her lip. Brandon pulled her shorts to the side and just stared. And as if it would make her any less exposed to him, she clenched her inner muscles. He cursed under his breath before sinking his teeth into her inner thigh and yanking her hips toward him.

  She gasped. “We should go to your—”

  His mouth came down on her clit, and his heated tongue swiped across her folds. She gasped, swallowing a moan as she melted, her legs falling open to him. With her quick submission, he moved his hands below her hips, eating her like she was his last meal.

  His tongue sent her to ruin, sliding up, down, and around, before he sucked on her clit. She clenched and unclenched as she fought coming apart, but the pleasure was too much as his tongue lapped over her. It was unlike anything she’d felt, and she was dying to let out some sound of pleasure, but the stillness in the suite would make their naughty deeds known. If only she could moan, just a little, but she was too scared to look away from the hallway’s entrance.

  His tongue spread across her like a blanket and parted her. “Did you have any other objections?”

  She looked down to see him peering up at her. Licking her lips, she shook her head.

  His tongue stiffened at her entrance, and he worked it inside. “Beautiful, I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this scrumptious pussy. And you were wondering why I had to have you right here—even though there’s another reason you’re lying in front of me like this.”

  Her lips parted, but only a small sigh came out.

  “It’s my birthday, and I was starting to fantasize about what if . . . then I couldn’t help myself.” His tongue caressed her as he moved his head from side to side. “Because now, the only thing worth remembering from this weekend is the taste of you by this fireplace.”

  Jordan regarded the fire, the crackling wood becoming more prominent. As a stronger longing overwhelmed her, she gave in to the moment, reaching down and curling her fingers into his hair and thrusting her hips toward his mouth. He obliged, letting his warm tongue cloak her before a single wet swipe pushed her over the edge. Shaking, she yanked his hair, surrendering to the tremendous release of pressure swirling through her.

  “Brandon,” she pleaded as he stuck a finger inside of her.

  “Shhh . . .” He smiled, a wicked gleam in his eye.

  Adjusting his body on the couch, he worked two fingers inside, first sliding them in and out before settling to scratch at a sensitive spot. Wanting more from him, she clenched down on his fingers. He took note and pushed her legs farther apart, dipping his fingers deeper as his mouth descended above his buried digits. With a throaty groan, sweet vibrations pulsed from his lips and through her core. Seemingly satisfied, he flicked and pressed his tongue over her swollen bud. She arched beneath him, waves from another orgasm surging through her. Removing his fingers, he left his mouth to drain her of everything before easing away.

  “Holy shit,” she murmured, closing her legs and observing him through lowered lashes as her body dissolved into the cushions. But his attention wasn’t on her, it was in his lap. Lifting her head, she discovered Brandon’s hand tucked inside the waistband of his pants and moving at a steady pace. Her mouth watered, and her pussy throbbed with renewed cravings. There was no way she would let him get himself off after that.

  “Keep doing that,” she whispered, crawling over to him. “It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, but you should let me.” Staring into his heavy-lidded eyes, she straddled his hips and set her arms on either side of his head.

  He wrapped his arms around her back and squeezed her to him. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  Loving the comfort and safety of his strong hold, she snuggled
into him, shivering at the feel of his hand gliding through her hair and his breath tickling the side of her neck.

  “Your hair is so soft.”

  At the throb of his erection beneath her, she smiled. “Your dick is so hard.”

  He chuckled and held her tighter. “What the fuck, Jordan?” He sighed. “How did we end up here?”

  He wasn’t saying much, but she understood him. She wanted him more than she was comfortable admitting, even with his unsure eyes. Behind his façade, she could see he was trying, and for that reason, it was worth trying with him. It had to be.

  Brandon released her and brought a hand up to her cheek. “I care about you, and I don’t want to hurt you again. I’ve been trying so hard to stay away. But damn, I wanna fuck you.”

  “Then fuck me.”

  Brandon cupped her head and kissed her hard. Sucking her bottom lip between his, his hips thrusted up. “Fuck, bedroom now, or we will get caught.”

  But instead of moving, he pulled her hips down, the pressure of his bulge goading a wicked arousal, his tongue teasing hers until she writhed against his cock. Eagerness swayed her. She needed more of him—a view of his provocative physique, his cock in her hand, his heated skin on hers, anything to assuage the ache.

  The next thing she knew, she was on her back on his bed, a shirtless Brandon hovering over her half-clothed body. In the heat of the moment, her top had vanished, but she didn’t mind as his eager hands continued to roam. Her nipples begged for more attention as he kneaded her breasts through her bra. It wasn’t enough; she needed his touch at the junction of her thighs, the dire need forcing her to clench the muscles longing to be filled.

  Squirming beneath his body, Jordan whined, “Brandon, you’re driving me crazy. I want you inside of me. I need—”

  He kissed the next words off her mouth. “Talking dirty, beautiful? I would never have guessed. I knew she was hiding in there somewhere.”

  He continued kissing her, and she snaked her hand into his pants, palming the smooth bulge he’d been hiding from her. Touching him only made the need worse, but the thick length had been pressing against her all night, luring her and giving her a hint of what was to come. She rubbed her hand over the thick head and moisture smeared. She’d never felt that much wetness from a guy before.

  Brandon’s forehead moved to her shoulder. “That feels so good . . . You win. Holy shit.” Continuing the torture, she seized his thickness, working her hand up and down until he groaned. “Baby, if you don’t stop, you and I are both going to be disappointed.”

  She smiled, and he rolled off the bed, turned on the television, and upped the volume. Jordan couldn’t take her eyes off his chiseled, shirtless body as he removed a condom from his wallet and threw it on the bed. She watched the muscles contracting in his sculpted back as he sat on the edge of the bed and removed his pants.

  “Is this your way of punishing me?” she asked, propping up on her elbows.

  “Trust me, I can’t wait to be buried . . .” He stood and turned to her. “. . . deep, so very deep inside of you.” His fully engorged cock took her by surprise, and she swallowed. She’d felt his size when she fondled him, but having him stand naked in all his glory punched the air out of her lungs. He wasn’t joking about the waxing. The man was perfection. No wonder women flocked to him.

  She licked her lips. There was no possible way she would want him any less after tonight. This was a bad idea. What would happen tomorrow and the day after?

  “Take everything off and spread your legs,” he said in a raspy voice, the grin on his face silencing her thoughts.

  “Can you turn off the lights, please?”

  Brandon smirked, but accommodated her without a word. Unhooking her bra, she threw it to the side and shimmied out of her shorts. He returned to the bed a second later, tracing a warm hand up her leg as he crawled between her thighs. Soft kisses started at her navel, inched up the center of her ribcage, to the valley between her breasts, and then lowered to the small dip at the base of her neck. She sighed as his hand traced the same path while his lips continued up her neck. Her nipples peaked just before his hand grazed over them. And as he rolled a nipple between his fingers, she moaned, arching into him and gliding her hands over his back.

  His needy breath caressed her earlobe as he pressed his scorching body to hers. “I can’t wait any longer, baby. I need to be inside of you.” A hand traveled down her stomach and a finger slipped into her wetness. “Tell me again that you want my cock inside of you.”

  When she hesitated, he cupped her breast and sucked her nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue over the tender tip.

  “Yes, please,” Jordan begged.

  He rose up on his knees and positioned himself between her thighs. Removing his finger from her body, he replaced it with the engorged head of his member. She forced out a breath as his large cock penetrated her.

  “Fuck, you’re so tight,” Brandon said, stopping. “Does it feel okay?”

  “Yeah, I—just give me a second,” Jordan breathed. “My dildos are, like, half your size.”

  “What?” Brandon asked, the television’s dim lighting making him an irresistible beast in the night. “Am I—you didn’t?”

  She didn’t want to think about Greg right now. “No.”

  “Oh fuck, Jordan. That makes me so fucking happy.” He eased down on top of her, kissing her as he slid farther into her, inch by inch. She cursed at the pain as he stretched her to more than what she was prepared for. “I hope my cock won’t be the reason you don’t have sex again. I mean, I think it’ll feel good for you in a second. I feel—fuck. So good. Jordan, you feel so good.”

  She didn’t know why, but his words made her laugh, and Brandon groaned.

  “Would you hold it against me if I came right now?”

  “Mmm, maybe just a little.” Jordan giggled as she caressed the back of his head and neck. “It feels good now.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  Long, snug stroke after stroke, Brandon pulled out all the way before pushing in, increasing his pace as her inner muscles greedily clenched around him. With his cock creating a sweet friction inside, pulling on an impending orgasm, Jordan gasped and moaned. She’d never been able to climax from just intercourse with her exes. But the way Brandon’s size stretched her as he pounded in and out had her breath catching.

  “Brandon!” She clenched around him but then relaxed. She couldn’t. It wasn’t possible.

  “Baby,” Brandon said against her lips as he rocked into her. “Think about how good I feel inside of you. Going in,” he said, matching his movement to his words, “and out. In and out. I’m going to make your tight little cunt come for me, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  Biting her lip, she tried to fight it. But he impaled her with thrust after thrust while tugging on her taut nipples. Her breathing quickened as her pelvis rose off the bed to meet his hips. Like he’d predicted, the force of the orgasm caught her by surprise, knocking the air out of her lungs yet again. Gasping between moans, she dug her nails into his back as she clung to him.

  Brandon groaned. “What I wouldn’t do to see every single reaction on your face right now.” He kissed her lips, still stroking inside of her as her body relaxed beneath him. “It’s so much harder figuring out what you like without the lights on.” He rose to his knees and threw one of her legs over to meet the other.

  Euphoric, Jordan purred, “I think you’ve already outdone yourself.”

  Brandon laughed, pressing his hand into her hip to steady her as he took her from the side. “All thanks to your sexy moans for guiding me—which I fucking love, by the way. But damn, if you feel like this with a condom on, I can only imagine fucking you bare.”

  He quickened his pace, at one point going so deep she winced, but she wanted to be enough for him, wanted him to lose himself in her, wanted him to trust her, wanted him to let her in.

  Only this was Brandon, and this intimate moment with him might be the
closest she ever got to the man inside. She bit the back of a finger as a half-smile passed her lips; Brandon would love that pun.

  Brandon awoke to find Jordan next to him, and he kissed the back of her head and shoulder. The night before, she’d hurried from his room, telling him no one could find out what had happened between them. But being her friend, as well as the bearer of bad news, and because she felt good in his arms, a few minutes later he’d entered her bedroom and climbed into her bed.

  He’d smelled the saltiness before he kissed and tasted it on her cheeks. So the bad news had to wait. He couldn’t cause her any more pain. And though she’d said she didn’t want to talk about the reason for her tears, he’d told her everything would be fine, just like she’d done for him when he was sad.

  Crawling out of her bed, he tried to make a quick run to the bathroom but passed Andrew in the hallway on the way back. Remembering what Jordan had said, he pivoted before reaching for her door, but Andrew was already staring at him.

  “Where were you just going?” Andrew questioned.

  “The kitchen.”

  “Uh-huh, then why didn’t you use your own bathroom?”

  Brandon scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know, man. It’s too early for this.”

  “Did—” Andrew pointed from Jordan’s room to Brandon. “Did you sleep in her room?”

  A smile escaped. He should probably work on misrepresenting the truth a bit, but last night had been incredible, and there was no hiding it. “No—what? Why would I do that?”

  Andrew covered his mouth. “You, oh dude, Sarah’s going to kill you.” Then he grinned. “So how was it?”

  “Dude, shut up. I told you, nothing happened.”

  Brandon got another hour of sleep in his own bed, and hoped Jordan didn’t think he’d left her in the middle of the night.

  Hours later, while everyone was getting ready in the living room, Andrew found a sock in the couch and was ready to investigate for some damn reason. “Why is there only one sock on the couch? Whose are these?”