“Well, it looks good on you,” I murmured.
“What?” Everett asked.
“I asked if you enjoyed playing baseball.”
He grinned at me before he spoke. “I did. Some of my greatest memories as a child are on the ballfield.”
“Do you still play?” I asked.
“I haven't in years, no. As you get older, sports get more and more competitive. I enjoy healthy competition, but a lot of sports competition isn’t healthy. I got myself out of that scene before it became too much.”
“I didn’t play any sports growing up. I was never athletic like that.”
“You look strong.”
“I take self-defense classes in my spare time, but that’s about it.”
“Self-defense?”
“Yep. I’m a single woman living alone in Charleston. I need to know how to defend myself.”
“Has something happened to you?”
“I got accosted by some massive man sliding an invitation into my pocket once.”
“Oh, really? What happened?” he asked.
“I wanted to punch him in his dick, but I didn’t know how to reach it at the time.”
“Why? Too mesmerized by his eyes?”
“No. Too surprised at his forward insinuation to move. Self-defense has helped me to get over a lot of that shock value men use toward women to get what they want,” I said.
“If I made you uncomfortable with that encounter, I’m sorry.”
“It left a very bad taste in my mouth with you, Everett Wilder.”
“What does the taste in your mouth say now?” he asked.
I took a long pull from my water as my eyes danced between his.
“It doesn’t taste too bad now,” I said.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t pull that move on many women.”
“So I was the lucky one who’s space you invaded?”
“It usually works to get their attention so they’ll come to the party.”
“So, you just really wanted me to come to that party.”
“I did. I searched all night for you there, hoping you’d show up.”
“Wait, you did?” I asked nearly spitting out my drink.
“I did.”
“No, you didn’t. You’re pulling my leg.”
“I’m not.”
The seriousness of his tone caught me off-guard. Did he really search for me at that party? I felt part of myself slide into a well of disappointment. I still wouldn't take back not going to that party. I’d never been a party person, and I wasn’t going to start simply because a handsome man slid an invitation into my back pocket. But the idea of meeting Everett sooner and having one of these wonderful conversations did made me wonder what else I had missed out on with him because I had judged him too harshly.
“Well, maybe the next party then,” I said.
“Is that a promise?” he asked.
“It’s a ‘we’ll see.’”
“Then I’ll take it.”
“Would you like something else, ma’am?”
I turned my gaze to the bartender before I looked down at my empty glass of lemon water.
“Could I get an appletini, please?” I asked.
“The signature drink that matches your eyes,” Everett said.
I smiled at him as my cheeks tinted with a blush.
“And for you, sir?” the bartender asked.
“A Jack and Coke, thanks,” Everett said.
“I hate my alcoholic beverages carbonated,” I said.
“I thought you didn’t drink much.”
“I don’t. But when I do, it’s never carbonated.”
“Why? Because it makes you burp?”
“No. Because it makes me bloated and sleepy.”
“Sounds like the perfect drink to have before bedtime then.”
“I don’t want to keep burping myself awake.”
“So, it does make you burp,” he said with a grin.
“Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
I smiled and shook my head at him as our drinks were handed to us.
“Thank you very much,” I said.
“I appreciate it,” Everett said.
“Let me know if you two need anything else,” the bartender said.
“Will do,” Everett said.
“So, are you barred from working while here like I was with Jessica?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. I even had Flynn dip in on me last night just to make sure I wasn’t working,” he said.
“And which one is Flynn again?”
“The smallest one of the bunch. Over there with the wild hair.”
I followed his finger and saw Lucas talking with a much smaller brother. Not in height, but in stature. He was lean instead of stacked with muscle.
“Gotcha. And what does Flynn do at the company?” I asked.
“Mostly, he’s our numbers guy. He’s a whiz at mathematics. Still shocks me to this day the types of calculations he can run in his head,” he said.
“Wow. that takes a lot of intelligence.”
“And Flynn’s got a lot of it. He’s a walking encyclopedia of useless knowledge.”
“He’d be good at Jeopardy.”
“We keep telling him to go on the damn show!”
I giggled as my eyes panned back to Everett.
“What is your hidden talent?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Flynn’s a walking encyclopedia. Lucas can apparently make the most innocent of women an absolute sexual freak.”
“Jessica’s been talking with you about things?” he asked.
“I can’t get her to stop. Everett, get it to stop.”
He chuckled and I watched his lips a little too hard as he took a sip of his drink.
“So, what’s your hidden talent?” I asked.
“Besides playing baseball as a kid?”
“That’s not a talent. That’s just something you did.”
“Do you have a hidden talent?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
He grinned at me as he scooted his chair closer. I felt his leg brush against mine and it jolted me to life. A tingle ricocheted up my leg and struck my spine, causing me to draw in a sharp breath.
“You want to know my secret talent?”
I nodded as his face came closer to mine.
“Come here. Lean a little closer. I don’t want everyone hearing,” he said.
I closed the distance between us and sighed as his hot breath hit the shell of my ear.
“I can open a stick of gum with my tongue.”
“No you can’t,” I said as I pulled back.
“Want to see?”
I narrowed my eyes at him as he held out his hand to the bartender.
“Do you have gum, by any chance?” Everett asked.
I watched as the bartender pulled out a stick of gum from his pocket.
“Do you really have a packet of gum in your pocket? Or did he give you that one stick for you to hang onto in case the moment presented itself?” I asked.
The bartender grinned at me as he took out a package of gum from deep within his pocket. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, but Everett did have my attention. I watched him slide the paper sleeve off before he stuck the entire stick of gum in his mouth, then his jaw went to work. It moved and undulated with his tongue’s motions and I found my legs locking up. My toes curled around the bar of the chair I was sitting on and my hand gripped my drink glass a little too hard. His eyes never left mine as a grin lid across his cheeks, then I watched a small sliver of the aluminum wrapping paper jut out between his lips.
“No you didn’t,” I said.
He grabbed it with his fingers and slowly began sliding it out of his mouth.
“You did not,” I said.
He held up the empty piece of paper before smiling broadly at me. And it was then I felt a rush of heat pool between my legs.
“Holy shit,” I said breathlessly.
“A nice little party trick to bust out when people are a little too drunk to care about the skill level of such a thing,” Everett said.
Every inch of my body had come alive watching him do that.
“So, what’s your hidden talent?” he asked.
I drew in a deep breath to try and calm the electricity buzzing throughout my body.
“I… play piano,” I said.
“You play piano?”
“I do, yes.”
“Why is that a hidden talent?”
“I just don’t do it often.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. There’s never really been many opportunities, I guess.”
“How long have you played?”
“A few years. Six, maybe seven?”
“Could I hear you play sometime?” he asked.
“I mean, I’m not good. I haven’t taken lessons or anything. Just a few videos on YouTube and a lot of playing around on the instrument.”
“Sometimes that’s the best form of education. Playing around until you get it right.”
His jaw chewed rhythmically on the piece of gum and it made me wonder how much playing around he had done with that tongue of his before getting that trick right. I shook the thought from my head. Contain yourself, Andrea. Move slowly.
“Well, maybe one day the opportunity will present itself,” I said.
“And if it does, will I get to hear you play?” he asked.
His eyes hooked with mine and I saw a genuine interest, something I’d never seen in anyone’s eyes regarding me. I took a second to take it all in. I took a moment to bask in what it felt like to have someone genuinely interested in something I could do. Not what I could give them and not what I could volunteer for, but something I did because I wanted to.
“For you? Okay,” I said.
And the smile the crossed Everett’s face caused my heart to slam against my chest.
TEN
Andrea
“And that’s when Cayden turned to me and said, ‘Everett, this thing is massive. What the hell were you thinking?’!”
I threw my head back and laughed as my hand came down onto Everett’s knee. My stomach hurt so badly from laughing that tears crested my eyes. I threw back the last of my appletini and wiped the tears away, holding my stomach and rocking back in my chair.
“Oh my gosh. I cannot believe you did that,” I said.
“The bear was way too big for public consumption. But I couldn't get the damn thing in the house!”
“I bet he hated you for that,” I said.
“For days. But it still remains today as the best practical birthday joke any of us have ever pulled.”
I wiped more tears away from my eyes before thunder sounded in the distance. I looked up to the sky and watch it quickly darken with clouds as they soared overhead. I looked over toward the pool and didn’t see anyone. No Jessica. No Lucas. No Flynn. No one.
“Where did everyone go?” I asked.
“I’m not sure, but I think we need to go. It looks like it’s about to—”
Before he could even finish his statement, the clouds unleashed. Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder crashed above our heads. I squealed as the rain drenched me, my legs running as fast as they could over to my things. My towel was soaked. My purse was soaked. My wide-brimmed hat was soaked.
“Come on! Let’s get inside!” Everett exclaimed.
“Did we pay the bartender!?” I asked.
“On our tab. But I tipped him. Come on. We’re going to get sick in this rain.”
He took my hand and began running with me toward the side entrance of the hotel. And the second the air conditioning system hit my skin, I began to shiver. He raced us to the elevator and slammed the button down, then he turned to me and took in my puckered skin.
“Here, let me try to help,” he said.
His hands fell to my arms and he began to rub them up and down. And the alcohol coursing through my veins didn’t make things any better. Fire flooded my veins as I watched his broad chest roll underneath his skin. My teeth began to clatter as my body dripped with the water that had come raining down upon us. The elevator door beeped before the doors drew open, and Everett guided me onto it before pressing the button for our level.
“We have to get you warm. You’ll get sick,” he said.
Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around me and drew me to him. And oh, how I sighed against his skin. I fell into his embrace, allowing the alcohol to dim all my inhibitions. His arm embrace and his soft skin pulsed with the thickness of his muscles. I closed my eyes and reveled in how he felt. He drew me close. His arms pulled me up and into his body, almost picking me up off my feet. Then, I realized why. The elevator doors opened and he began carrying me to my room. His long strides got us there quicker than I ever could have done running on my own two feet.
“Do you have your key?” he asked.
“I-I-It’s… in my… uh… m-m-my uh--.”
“Here. I’ll take you to my room. Come on.”
I felt us moving again, but I was helpless to stop it. The alcohol hazed my mind and my body had completely locked up. Partially from the cold, and partially from feeling Everett’s beautiful body against mine. I closed my eyes and allowed my face to fall into his neck. His arm wrapped around me tightly as he dug through his pocket, pulling out his wet key card. He held me up with one arm like it was nothing. But the second we got into his air-conditioned room, I groaned with the pain that coursed through my body.
“Let me get you in a warm bath. That’ll help the most,” Everett said.
He sat me down on the edge of his bed and I watched him retreat. There was genuine concern in his voice. Genuine worry in the way he moved. I heard the water turn on in the bathtub in the bathroom and noticed his room was laid out a little different from mine. His bathroom sat on the same plane as his balcony, so the bathtub still had a wonderful view of Vegas while still being in the bathroom. I watched the steam pour from around the corner of the bathroom and groaned. I’d never been this cold in my life. How the hell had rain done this to me? I had played in the rain all the time as a child and I’d never had this reaction.
“Let’s get you warm,” Everett said as he hoisted me back into the air.
He carried me effortlessly in his arms before sinking me into the hot water. I hissed with pain as it slowly melded over my skin, but once my butt touched down to the bottom of the tub, I relaxed. I closed my eyes and allowed my head to fall back as water trickled over my body. I felt Everett splashed a bit onto my shoulder before wiping his warm hand over my brow.
“How does that feel?” he asked.
“Why is the… rain so… cold here?” I asked.
“It’s not as humid. If it was humid like it is in South Carolina, we would’ve been fine. But the lack of humidity here helps rain in quickly dropping temperatures.”
“Look who’s full of useless knowledge now,” I said, grinning.
He smiled at me as his hand continued to cup hot water over my skin. He poured it over my shoulders and down my breasts. He reached in and rubbed my feet and calves to try and unlock them. Feeling his touch along my skin was too much. Feeling his fingers kneading into my skin was too much. And when his hands crept up to my thighs, I found myself parting my legs for him.
“Let me know if I go too high for your comfort,” he said.
“Oh, you couldn't,” I moaned.
My eyes flew open at the statement and I watched his gaze pan over to me. There was something behind his eyes. A muted heat he kept at bay. My mind swirled and my fingertips burned with a need to curl into his skin. I held his gaze for what felt like ages before his hand slid a little further up the inside of my thigh.
“What about now?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” I said.
“And now?”
His fingertips brushed against the fabric of my bathing suit bottoms.
>
“Still okay,” I said breathlessly.
“What about now?” he asked.
His fingertips slipped underneath the hem of my bathing suit bottoms and I couldn’t hold it back any longer. My legs parted and one even slung itself over the edge of the tub. My head fell back in ecstasy as his fingertips played with my pussy folds, exploring my body as he hovered over me. I felt his lips fall to my arm, kissing all the way up to the crook of my neck. His hand slid into my bottoms and cupped my entire pussy, causing me to buck against him as his lips nibbled against my skin.
“What about now?” he asked.
“Everett,” I whispered.
“Yes?”
“Don’t you dare stop.”
I turned my eyes to meet his and the fire he was holding back unleashed. His blue eyes darkened as his finger slipped between my folds, slowly working its way into my body. I shivered at the sensation. My jaw slipped open as my hips bucked forward. His thumb found my throbbing clit and I moaned out for him before his lips encompassed mine. I got a first-hand taste of what it felt like to have that dexterous tongue of his against my body.
I rolled my hips against his, chasing a high I hadn’t felt in years. I groaned into his mouth as his tongue raked against the roof of mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into the tub with me. Water sloshed all over the floor and his massive thud made a loud noise that echoed off the corners of the bathroom. But I didn’t care. I wanted him. Needed him in that very moment.
And I wasn't going to stop until I had all of him.
I whimpered and rolled as water ebbed and flowed around our bodies. My lips swelled against his as he filled me with another one of his thick fingers. His callused hands felt so good against my skin. So strong and commanding while still allowing me to take the reins. I dug my nails into his back and raked them down, pulling a growl from him that made my pussy pulse.
Shit. I was so close I could taste it.
I shook and contracted. Tensed and released. My toes curled as my thighs spread wider, giving him as much room as he could ever need. His thumb pressed deep into my throbbing clit as his fingers filled me to the brim. He crooked them against a spot that sent stars bursting in my vision, and before I knew it I felt myself tumbling.
Accidentally Wild: An Accidental Marriage Romance (The Wilder Brothers Book 2) Page 8
