by Allie Able
I shake my head and make grabby hands towards my wine. “I need wine.” My brain is so jumbled; I barely know which way is up. I’m still trying to make sense of everything and I’m not sure I’m ready to talk to him about it yet.
“Nope, no more wine for you,” he says with a smile.
I don’t answer him and just continue to stare at his handsome face. Suddenly his smile drops and his face becomes serious.
“Talk to me, baby,” he whispers.
My nose begins to feel tingly and my eyes start to burn. Damn, wine. It always makes me over emotional. I shake my head and lower my eyes to the blanket.
“I don’t know what to say. I think I’m over thinking this.”
“You think?” he asks, with a chuckle.
I squeal when he slips one arm under my back and the other under my knees and picks me up. I grab onto his neck and hold on for dear life. A combination of the wine and him moving so damn fast has made me dizzy.
“Damnit, Zack. Put me down,” I demand.
He chuckles and kisses the side of my head. He turns us around and holds me close to him as he sits down on the couch.
“There, that’s better. Now, tell me what’s bothering you, Angel. I’ll make it better.”
His eyes patiently watch me and I love that about him. He never rushes me to get my thoughts out, he just waits. I realize right then what I’ve been missing in every other relationship. Someone who really loves me, sees what a mess I can be, how moody I can get and how hard I am to handle, but still wants to be here. I’m quickly realizing how deep his feelings run for me and it becomes clear that I’m falling in love with my best friend.
I can’t figure out if I need to run or if I need to hold on as tight as I can.
Chapter Ten
Zack
I STARE AT LEXIE AND patiently wait for her response. I'll sit here all night, if that's what it takes. I hate seeing her like this and I hate that I have caused her to feel this way. I run my hand through her soft hair, trying to soothe her. I know this is a lot to throw at her and that's why I've avoided doing it. I know it's shocking.
“I just don't know how I never noticed the way you felt and I kind of feel like an asshole,” she mumbles.
“I never told you, Angel. That's on me not you, okay? I want to move on. I don't want to dwell in the past.” I pause, gathering my thoughts. “Do you want to be with me?” I hold my breath, waiting for her response, but luckily I don't have to wait long.
“Yes. That's one thing I'm not questioning. I have deep feelings for you and I want to try a relationship with you, but, Zack, what happens if we don't work out? I will lose my best friend.”
“Tell me a reason we wouldn't work and I will give you a thousand reasons why we are perfect for each other.”
She stares at me for a long time. “It's never worked with anyone else. I can be strange at times,” she whispers.
I chuckle and lean forward to lightly kiss her lips. “It didn't work out with anyone else because it wasn't suppose to, Angel. As for the strange part, I already know that. I love that you can't control your mouth and I love all of your weird habits. I think you are forgetting that I know all of these things about you already, Lexie. This isn't like we are just meeting and learning everything about each other. We've known each other forever and at this point you either want to be with me like that or you don't. I know what I want.”
“I want that too,” she responds immediately. “I think it's just shocking. My whole life is changing and it's kind of scary.”
I nod my head. “I get that. We'll go slow, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Oh… my mom called today and wanted to know if we would go to dinner at her house tomorrow night.”
“Zack! We just agreed to go slow.”
I chuckle and give her leg a squeeze. “Not as a couple. She was asking my best friend Lexie to come have dinner.”
She bites her lower lip and I have to suppress a groan.
“Do you think it will be weird?”
“Why would it be weird? You've been over there a thousand times.”
“Yeah, but what if I kiss you or something?”
“Then I guess my mom would see you kiss me?” I can't help but laugh. She is really over thinking all of this.
She lightly slaps my shoulder. “I'm serious, Zack.”
I lean forward and capture her lips with mine. My hands tangle in her hair and I tilt her head, taking the kiss deeper. I bit down on her lower lip and she gasps in response. When I slip my tongue into her mouth, I can taste the sweet red wine she was drinking earlier. She moans and moves her mouth in sync with mine. God, I love the way she kisses. It's sweet and addictive. I can feel her nails digging into my shoulders and I reluctantly pull back from her delicious mouth.
When I open my eyes, I look down at her swollen, wet lips. Jesus Christ. I'm as hard as a rock after just a kiss from her. It takes my lust filled brain a second to remember what we were talking about.
“I'm serious, too. It will be fine. Come have dinner with me tomorrow, please?” My voice is deep and husky and when I look up into her eyes, I can see the barely contained lust swimming in those beautiful blue depths.
“Okay. Tomorrow,” she whispers. She leans forward and kisses a path from my neck to my ear. Her mouth is hot and wet and I can feel myself grow harder in response.
“I can feel you,” she whispers in my ear, as she swivels her hips and pushes her ass into my cock.
She's going to fucking kill me. I grab onto her hips and hold her still. “What are you doing, Lexie?”
She bites down on my earlobe and I groan in response. Why are ears so damn sensitive? On instinct, I lift my hips off of the couch and grind my hardness against her. Her little hands slide under my shirt and I suck in a breath when she slides them up my abs to my chest. She pulls her head back just enough to pull my shirt over my head and then looks down at me for a second before her mouth is on me. She lays kisses across my shoulders and down my chest, before climbing off of me and dropping to the floor between my legs.
“What are you doing, Angel?” I repeat.
She looks up at me and licks her lips, giving me a sly smile. “I'm going to suck your cock.”
I groan and lay my head back against the couch. Jesus!
I feel her hands moving to my belt and I open my eyes to look down at her. She makes quick work of opening the button on my pants and pulling the zipper down. I lift my hips and help her pull my jeans the rest of the way off. My cock strains against the fabric of my underwear and she rubs her hand up and down the outline of my cock.
“Lexie, I swear I didn't come over here for this.”
She looks up at me from beneath her lashed and smiles. “Are you saying you don't want my mouth on you?”
I lean forward and trace a finger around her lips. “No, I didn't say that.”
She smiles again and sucks my finger into her mouth as she reaches for my boxer briefs.
I sit back, removing my finger from her hot mouth, and watch as she pulls my under wear down past my straining erection. I lift my hips and help her pull them the rest of the way off. Her wicked little hand moves up and down my cock. Pre-cum leaks out of the head and she uses her thumb to spread it around.
“Take your shorts off, Lexie.”
She lets go of me and stands up, pulling her shorts down her long legs. I take my self in hand and fist my cock as I watch her.
“No underwear?” I ask.
She smiles and shakes her head. “Nope.”
She watches me touch myself for a second before dropping back down to her knees and as I spread my legs, she slides between them. Running her hands down my chest, she digs her nails into my abs. I suck in a sharp breath and watch as she lowers her head. I keep holding onto the base of my cock as she licks me like I'm her favorite ice cream cone.
“Jesus, Angel,” I groan.
I see a hint of a smile before she lifts up more and takes me completely i
nto her mouth. I move my hands to her hair and I pull it back away from her face.
She uses her hands and her mouth to bring me to the edge of insanity. It's not long before I'm lifting my hips off of the couch and pushing myself in and out of her eager mouth. She moans around my cock and I see her hand sneak between her legs.
“Fuck, baby! Are you touching yourself?”
She moans in response and I feel the tingling in my spine. I grip onto her hair and still her movements. She looks up at me with questioning eyes. My cock is still in her mouth and it's the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen. While still holding her hair in one hand, I lift the other to her face. I trace a finger around her lips again, trying to memorize everything about this moment.
“I don't want to come in your mouth, Lexie. Come up here.”
I pull her head up and she lets me go with a pop. She crawls into my lap and straddles my legs, one on each side of my hips. I reach for her face and pull her lips down to mine, kissing her hard and deep. She tastes like me and something primal inside of me loves it. She grinds herself on the underside of my cock and I can feel her wetness dripping on me. I slip a hand between us and run it through her folds. She moans against my mouth, as I sink a finger inside of her. God, she's so wet and tight. Her hands are resting on my shoulders and she digs her nails into my skin as she starts moving her hips against my hand.
I pull my lips away from hers. Both of us are panting against each other’s mouths and I swear I'm going to die if I don't get inside of her soon.
“Can I put my cock here?” I curl my fingers inside of her, so there is no mistaking where ‘here’ is. She closes her eyes, throws her head back and moans, as she continues to ride my hand. I can feel her wetness coating my hand and her inner walls start to flutter.
“Yes,” she moans against my mouth.
I waste no time moving my hand and gripping onto her hip with one hand and lining myself up with her center with the other. She lifts up enough to take me inside of her and slowly lowers herself down on me. When I'm all of the way inside, I hold her down on me for moment, just relishing the feel of her surrounding me.
She circles her hips and lets out a moan. “I need to move,” she pants against my mouth.
I ease up on my grip and take her mouth in a deep kiss. She raises up and slowly sinks back down. She does it again and again, until my eyes are crossing and I don't know which way is up. I move one hand to her ass, sinking my fingers into her flesh. God, she feels so fucking good.
“Angel, I'm going to come,” I say as I try to slow down her thrusts. I don't want to come before her, but I'm too worked up.
She moans in response.
She places her hands on my chest and speeds up. I look down between us and I can see my cock disappearing in and out of her, and the visual is not helping my current state. I reach one hand down to where we are connected and find her clit. Rubbing my thumb across the hard nub, I groan as Lexie's moans get louder. Her inner walls grip me tight. I move my other hand up her toned stomach and cup her heavy breasts in my hand and run my thumb across her nipple before giving it hard pinch.
“Shit,” she moans. “I'm coming.”
Her thrusting becomes frantic, as she chases her orgasm. I wrap my arms around her back and bring her body close to mine. I can feel her coming around me as I lift my hips off of the couch and push myself into her over and over again, until I'm spilling my come deep inside her body.
Keeping my arms tightly wrapped around her, I relax against the couch. Her face is buried in the crook of my neck and I can feel her panting against my skin. I lay little kisses across her shoulder to her neck and up across her jaw, and she pulls her face back enough for her lips to meet mine. Her tongue touches mine in a slow, sweet kiss.
She feels so fucking good and I can feel my cock twitching from where it’s seated deep inside of her.
Pulling back from my mouth, she smiles up at me. Her eyes are still at half-mast, her hair is a mess, and her face is glowing. She looks stunning.
“So, ummm…”
I chuckle and kiss the tip of her nose. “Is that your way of asking me if that was good?” I ask, with a smile.
She nods her head and leans forward to nibble on the skin of my neck. Two more seconds of that and I will be ready to go again.
“I don't think you need to ask that, but the answer is yes. Now it's my turn.”
She pulls back and her eyes are twinkling with delight. “Your turn?” she questions.
Without answering, I wrap one arm under her ass and stand up. The change in position makes my already hard cock sink deeper into her and we both moan in response. I pick her up and let her slide back down on me before I answer.
“You did all of the work that time. Now it's my turn.”
She chuckles as she lowers her mouth to my neck and starts to suck on my skin. I quickly walk down the hallway and into her bedroom. I lay us both down on the bed, careful not lose our connection.
I look down into her beautiful face, as I start moving slowly back and forth inside of her.
“I love you, Lexie.” I don't give her a chance to respond, before I lower my lips back down to hers, and I spend the rest of the night showing her, with my body, just how much I adore her.
Chapter Eleven
Lexie
“DO YOU MIND IF I take some of these to Zack's mom's house tonight?” I ask Jenna as I stick my finger back into the icing on my cupcake.
“Are you going to eat them all before you get there?” she asks, with her eyebrows raised in question.
I glare at her as I stick my finger into my mouth and lick all of the icing off. Yum. So good.
“No, I'm not going to eat them all.”
She laughs and passes me a box. “I don't care. Just be sure to save some for everyone else.”
I don't bother responding as I shove the last bite into my mouth and start loading the box with the delicious red velvet cupcakes. I can't bake to save my life, but Jenna and Summer can and it's not a secret that I don't mind sampling everything they make.
We are already closed for the night and I've already counted down the register. I'm just waiting for Jenna to finish up so we can leave. I hear a knock at the door and I look up to see Zack smiling at me from the other side. I return his smile and wave before I close the box and make my way over to him.
“Hey, handsome,” I say, as I open the door.
“Hey, Angel.” He bends down and gives me quick kiss on the lips and my stomach does a somersault. I've never been one for public displays of affection and he just kissed me in the doorway of the bakery for anyone to see. I quickly look around to see if anyone walking past saw that exchange. When I look back at his face, I see the hurt in his eyes. He gives me a tight smile and walks past me into the shop.
You are such a bitch, Lexie Sinclaire.
God, why did I do that? I quickly shut and lock the door and walk back over to the counter. Jenna is staring daggers at my face, but I ignore her and give Zack a bright smile.
“Thanks for coming to pick me up.”
He smiles back, but it still feels off. “Anytime.”
I hold the box of cupcakes up. “I thought your mom would like some of these.”
He nods his head and stuffs his hands into his pocket. “She'll love them.”
Well, shit. This is awkward. I hate awkward situations. I look over at Jenna, hoping she will ease my discomfort, but I should have known better. She continues cleaning her side of the shop, as she gives me a look that says I'm on my own.
I start wrapping the cupcake box with ribbon, just to have something to do with my hands.
I'm using the scissors to curl the ribbon when Jenna finally finishes up.
“Ready?” she asks, looping her purse over her shoulder.
“Yep.” I look towards where Zack is standing. He has been looking out the front window, not saying a word the entire time.
“Zack,” I say getting his attention as we walk towards the
door.
He turns to look at me and pulls his keys out of his pocket. Jenna sets the alarm, before we all go outside.
“See you tomorrow, Lex. Bye, Zack.” She gives us both a wave, as she walks to her car.
We both say our goodbyes and more awkward silence fills the air around us. Zack holds my door open, but doesn't attempt to help me up into his truck. I set the cupcake box in the back seat and buckle up. He walks around to his side and without a word, he cranks his truck up and backs out of the parking lot.
I last all of ten seconds before I apologize. “I'm sorry.” I start picking at the hem of my shirt.
“For what?” he asks.
I sneak a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He's staring at the road in front of him, his jaw is tight with tension.
“For acting the way I did after you kissed me.”
He sighs and takes a hand off of the steering wheel to run it through his hair. He glances over at me and his eyes soften a little. He reaches for my hand and pulls it away from my shirt. He gives it a squeeze. “I'm sorry too, Angel.”
I squint at him in confusion. “What are you sorry about?”
“I keep forgetting that we are at different stages in whatever this is that’s happening between us. I've known my feelings for you all along. You are just now learning yours. I shouldn't have kissed you like that.”
Dammit. Now I feel even shittier.
“That's not it,” I try to reassure him.
He gives me a sad smile and shakes his head before returning his eyes to the road. “That is some of it, Lex.”
I don't know what to say, which is strange for me. Usually I don't know when to shut up. Zack knows me as well as I know myself. There is no denying that I am still a little freaked out about what is happening between us. I just hope I don't run him off before we really even get started.
We pull up to his mom's house a short time a later. She lives in the same downtown area that my parents live. It's only a five-minute walk between our childhood homes.
