by Joya Ryan
Oh, you heard me, lawyer boy.
“I want to experience sex,” she said.
“How much experience do you even have?”
Time to admit the truth. “Eli was the only man I was ever with.”
“That idiot you dated a few years ago?”
“Yeah.”
“That it?”
She nodded, hating that insecurity was creeping in, but this was why it was so important.
“You two were together a year?”
“Six months,” she said. “But we only had sex once.”
“Are you fucking with me?” His voice was harsh, but not angry.
“No, it’s true. I wanted to wait, turns out he had someone on the side. The same someone he’s engaged to now.”
“I heard he was coming into town soon.”
She nodded. Small town like theirs, word traveled fast. Everyone knew everyone, and Eli was no exception.
“So that’s what this is about. You want to get Eli back?”
“God no!” she shot out. “Yes, his coming into town with the woman he cheated on me with is…weird. But it made me realize how stagnant I’ve been. I’ve been letting what happened with him affect my sex life.”
Or lack thereof.
She needed to move on for herself, but she needed to be prepared to face Eli. And wanted to feel confident when that encounter happened. But more than that, she wanted to finally understand what it meant to be passionate. To give in to the instincts she’d suppressed for far too long. To feel on fire for someone—on fire for Sebastian.
“I’ve seen you on dates,” he said.
“Yeah, with men that I have nothing in common with. And Ryder’s only made dating more difficult.”
“He just wants to protect you.”
“I know, but I don’t need protecting. I need freedom. Need to enjoy my life.”
Eli had been a big obstacle. When she got the news about him coming to town, she’d known she would have to face down a painful moment. She was feeling increasingly more alone and isolated, and it was slowly suffocating her. Even if Sebastian only did two weeks at a time, surely it was enough for her to learn and have a chance to really move on with some experience under her belt. To find a man that she could be passionate about long term.
“Ryder scares most men off. The few guys that do come around are boring. Not the kind of men I’m interested in.” Nothing like you. “I can’t keep living like that.”
“He scares the bad ones off. You’re a white picket fence kind of woman. Not a…” He waved his hand absently.
“Not a what?” She looked down at herself, that stupid insecurity doubling. “Not a sexy woman?”
He hit her with a hard look. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. Everyone treats me like I’m some adorable doll.”
“You’re a good girl.”
“But that’s not all I am.”
“I know. But you deserve good things. You’re a relationship kind of woman. The marrying kind. And I’m not interested in either.” He shook his head.
Yes, she was interested in those things. Her parents had a great marriage, and she’d always wanted the same for herself one day. But she also wanted to ditch the chastity belt and feel like a woman. And she needed Bass’s help with that. She had to seal this deal before she lost him for good. This was her one chance to lay it all out there.
“What if I’m not looking for a relationship? I can be discrete.”
He raised a brow. “You planned this, didn’t you? This game of seduction.”
“I had a mission—”
“And I was your target.”
Penny was silent, and she couldn’t tell if he was pissed, or really pissed. Sure, she’d gone into this with him as her target, but it was because she trusted him. Had her whole life. Because over the years, he’d demonstrated time and again that he cared about his friends. Including her. He wouldn’t hurt her, but he could have a sharp bark…and maybe even a sharper bite.
“So let me get this straight,” he said. “You set out to seduce me tonight, hoping we’d fuck around in secret?”
“Something like that,” she mumbled.
She wanted experience, and she wanted him. Whatever he’d give her. So what if he usually dated out of town women for a short period of time? She was tired of living in a bubble.
She could do short term if it meant they’d finally stop dancing around what both of them wanted. She was determined to move on. To explore her sexuality and stop living like an empty shell of a woman.
“If you won’t help, that’s fine. But I’m done with celibacy. I’m done letting my heavy-handed brother dictate who’s suitable dating material. And I’m for damn sure done watching life happen around me. I’m going to do this with or without you. But I want it to be with you.”
His jaw clenched, and she hoped to God she hadn’t just overplayed her hand.
After an agonizingly long moment, he spoke. “Are you sure you know what you’re asking? Sure you can handle what I’d offer? ”
“You like control,” she said, repeating his words from earlier and trying not to smile. She could hear the hunger in his voice. With any luck, he was moments from signing on for a sexy exploration with her. “I can handle that.”
“Yes, but it’s more than that. I like hard and rough, and when it comes to the woman I’m with, however short a time, she’s mine.”
“Yours? Like you own her?”
He glanced at her. “For the time we’re together, she’s mine. Totally and completely. I wouldn’t call it ownership, more of a strict understanding. Until our time is up or she says no.”
A tremor of anticipation raced through her. She liked the idea of him wanting her to that extreme. She also liked having him. It wasn’t a bad thing in her mind. It made her feel valued. Protected, in a very different way than she was used to.
“Trust is key,” he said. “You’d have to trust me to know your body. I’d have to trust you to be honest. Trust that you’d tell me no when you feel uncomfortable, and trust that you’d keep our time together a secret.”
Yes, their “relationship” would be best kept between them. Because their tightknit group of friends would likely have their own reaction if they found out exactly what was going on. Ryder knew about Bass’s short-term policy, and if he found out Penny was in the rotation, he’d freak. Likely so would the rest of their friends, thinking she needed to be protected. But she didn’t want protection. She wanted domination.
“Yes, I understand,” she said.
“I can give you lessons in sex, but the minute you say no, it ends. I respect that word implicitly.”
“What if I never say no?”
“Then we work in a timeframe of two weeks.”
“Why two weeks? I mean, I know you don’t do long term, but how did you choose fourteen days as your timeframe?”
“Anything longer and emotions tend to cloud the situation.” He said that so bluntly, like he’d experienced this problem before.
“Colt and Jenna are getting married in two weeks.”
“Yes. So come that time, we’re done. If you even last that long.”
She swallowed hard. He was trying to make it sound scary, but all she heard was the adventure and excitement in this new arrangement. A short-term arrangement. Which left her wondering, “Then what?”
“Then we go back to being friends. No one is any the wiser.”
She pursed her lips. “And Ryder?”
“I don’t like the idea of lying to my best friend, but if you’re set on fucking someone—” He took a deep breath, and those dark eyes pierced her. “I’d rather it be me.”
His internal struggle was clear. She didn’t want to put him in a situation to lie to Ryder, but she wasn’t willing to give up this chance with the one man that made her feel more like a woman than a girl.
She looked at him for a long moment. He was so starkly beautiful. Dark hair and eyes, thick lips that s
et into a stern line. He was chiseled out of lean muscle, and his black tee fit tight around his chest and biceps. What could a man like him do to her?
She wanted to find out. Might die if she didn’t.
“So we’d be together during the rehearsal dinner.” It was the night before the wedding, and one Penny was looking forward to. She was hosting and catering it.
“We would not be together,” he said. “Privately, yes. But publicly, no. Not at the rehearsal.”
Looked like she would go stag to the rehearsal then. Which was fine. Because like he’d said, at least in private, they’d be together.
“Okay,” she said. “So we’re in agreement.” She rested her hand on his knee.
“First lesson,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road. “Take that hand and put it on your breast.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he shot her a hard stare, so she did as she was told. She took her hand from his knee and cupped her breast. He stole a glance. Just that quick look made her nipples harden and her skin buzz with need. This was out of her element. She’d never done such a thing in front of someone before.
When her hand slowed and uncertainty crept in, he said, “Both hands, rub your breasts. Close your eyes and imagine it’s me.”
She glanced down at the one hand she already had on herself.
“This is part of the game, darlin’. If you don’t want to play, you know the word to say.”
She took a deep breath to regain her focus. She had to keep her eye on the prize. Sebastian’s approval.
She nodded and reached with both hands now to caress her breasts. Still unsure, she kept her touch soft.
“Remember, I told you to think of me.” He lifted his chin at her ministrations. “Do you think that’s how I’d touch you?”
“No,” she whispered. He would be intense. He’d consume her. Just thinking of his big strong hands—how he’d grip her, how he’d take her—made her own touch roughen.
Would he bite? The idea shot a jolt of pleasure through her. She pinched her nipples, imagining it was his teeth—
“Now spread your legs wide.”
She paused to process his request, but he didn’t allow her to overthink it.
“Your legs. Spread. Them.”
She did. And eyes close, she waited for his instruction. Part of her wanted to look at him. The other part was happy her eyes were closed. It allowed her to be more bold. Focus on his voice. His presence.
The anticipation built, but he stayed quiet. Was he looking at her? Was he bored already? The time that passed could have been seconds or minutes, but it felt like forever.
She wanted him so much, her body begging for the orgasm he’d denied her earlier, and now her nerves and lack of experience swirled, her insecurity rising, and just when she was about to open her eyes and make sure he was still in the car, he broke the silence.
“Reach between those pretty thighs and rub your clit.”
Relief raced through her. She lifted one hand, wondering if she could really do this but eager to prove she could—
“Slowly,” he said. “Sometimes waiting is the hardest part. But you’re in my world now.”
That’s when it hit her. All the things he’d spoken of earlier, what he could do to her body, the one thing he hadn’t promised was the one thing she feared the most: distance.
He could keep her on edge. Not touch her. Not speak to her. And that was where the torture came in. He was gauging how much she really could let go and trust him.
“I told you to do something. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
She swallowed hard and did as told. The edge in his voice made her want to drink down every rough syllable. How could his voice—his commands—alone make her feel this aching need?
Pushing her panties aside, she used the moisture Bass had coaxed from her earlier to slide her fingers along the sensitive bundle of nerves. She’d never touched herself in front of someone before. But he was different. This was what she wanted to learn, and he was providing.
She’d only rubbed three slow circles and already was on the brink of coming.
“Good girl,” he rasped. His approval sent shivers up her body. If only it was his hands on her. “Now sink your fingers inside. Just like I did earlier.”
“Yes,” she said and instantly obeyed. Her skin was hot, her lungs stretching from lack of air. She was close…but the tremors slowly fizzled as she slid her fingers inside and realized it wasn’t the same as what Sebastian made her feel.
“Don’t you want to come, darlin’?” he asked.
“Yes, but I…” She shifted her hips, still keeping her eyes closed she frowned. “I can’t reach.”
She was at the edge of bliss, but she couldn’t get there. Not without him.
She let out a frustrated huff. “It’s not the same without you.” Her words came out soft and almost pained. “I need you…”
The car went from a smooth glide to bumpy in seconds. She opened her eyes to find he’d pulled onto a desolate gravel road off the highway and parked. She couldn’t say a word before he got out of the car, stalked around the front, and threw her door open.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
Bass unclasped her seatbelt, grabbed her ankle, and spun her so that her legs dangled outside the car. With the gravel crunching beneath his boots, he stepped between her thighs.
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He cupped her nape with one hand and plunged the other between her legs. “I want you to come, and I want to feel it.”
Just like at the club, he thrust two fingers deep inside of her and rubbed that spot she couldn’t reach.
“Oh God, yes.” She gripped his shoulders.
“Is that what you need?” His voice sounded just as desperate and raspy as hers had. He rubbed faster, his fingers working magic deep inside of her. “Right there?”
“Yes, yes right there.”
“Then come for me.”
Penny was helpless against him. She obeyed, like she had from the moment he’d started this lesson. With his name on her lips, she cried out as her body shuttered her over the edge in a hot, heady kick of ecstasy.
“There’s my good girl,” he said, continuing his assault on her sensitive flesh. “Come on, you can do better. Give it up. All of it.”
His thumb brushed over her clit while his other fingers remained deep, taking her orgasm to a whole new level.
“Sebastian!” She screamed his name and dug her nails into his back. All she could do was hold on as her body tensed and released, her climax so hard that she felt dizzy from the pleasure.
“There you go,” he whispered in her ear as his ministrations became slower and softer, bringing her down from the intense pleasure.
His grip on her nape tightened, and she opened her eyes. She might be sitting in her seat, but Bass was supporting her limp body and staring down at her.
“Next time, you’ll do that around my tongue.”
Penny swallowed hard and nodded. It sounded like a half promise, half threat. And she was anxious for either.
Chapter Three
I need you…
Those three words Penny had said last night hadn’t left his thoughts since.
Sebastian had been out to teach her a lesson. She might be wholesome, but she was a wiry woman with a temper that tested his patience. So he had to see if she could allow him to control the situation. Establish that her pleasure was in his hands, even when he put it—literally—in her own. Then in one, sweet, breathy plea, he’d thrown the playbook out and become consumed with his own need.
Her.
“Looks like you need a beer,” Ryder said, walking up to Sebastian.
Standing outside Penny’s BBQ, the place they met every Sunday for lunch and to shoot the shit, they shook hands and then headed inside. Thank God Rocco ran the restaurant on Sundays, giving Penny her weekends off.
Facing down one Diamond would be difficult enough, much less two.
/> “Yeah, maybe a couple beers,” Bass said. Because Penny had said something else. She’d asked, What if I never say no?
Bass had to hold back a scoff, because eventually, she would. She’d walk away. Whether that was today or two weeks from now, someone always did.
They made their way to the booth near the pool table. The wood floor creaked as they walked, and the smell of barbecue sauce and the sound of the old jukebox put him instantly at ease. This was the closest thing to home Bass knew. Sure, he had a house, some land, and his law practice on Main Street. But a home? When he thought of such a thing, the name “Diamond” always came up.
Sebastian’s dad had been a mean son of a bitch. After his mom had left, his dad had shown no problem taking out his anger on Bass, especially when he’d been drinking.
He hadn’t always been like that. Sebastian remembered how his father had once smiled. Before his mother left. Yes, Walt Strafford was an ass, but it was because Gretta Strafford had stolen his heart. His happiness. His faith in women. Something he’d ranted about over the course of Sebastian’s life.
Bass had needed somewhere to escape, and thank God he’d found the BBQ. From grade school to high school, Mrs. Diamond always had a place for him and made him feel welcome. When she’d passed away last year and Penny took over, he’d found himself still coming for solace, only the Diamond woman that greeted him made his chest ache in a way he didn’t understand.
And now I’m involved with that Diamond woman.
There was a guilt that went with that. Another emotion he didn’t do well. But when he made up his mind, he stuck to it. Penny wasn’t a bluffer. She had a mission, and he believed her when she said she’d go on this sexual exploration with or without him.
No fucking way was it going to be without him.
Of course, that meant lying to his best friend. But in some sick way, he thought—hoped—that her being with him was better than whoever else she could find out there. He’d never take advantage of her innocence the way some men would. Which made him an even sicker son of a bitch, because part of him liked that she was innocent. That she was fresh and naïve, and he would be the one to tap into her wild side. To teach her.
