Ray of Hope (Ray #2)

by E. L. Todd

  Her cheeks continued to burn the same color. “That’s nice of you to say but…I need a lot of help.”

  “Help?” What did that mean?

  “This is where the awkward part comes in.”

  I held my breath.

  “You’ve been around the block a few times and know exactly what guys want. I would love it if you taught me a few things…”

  This was too good to be true. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. My voice had disappeared due to the shock. I covered my mouth and cleared my throat before I finally got something out. “When you say teach you a few things…what does that mean exactly?”

  “Teaching me how to talk to guys. Teaching me how to make a pass at someone I like…”

  So, boring stuff that she didn’t even need help with. My excitement vanished.

  “How to kiss a guy. How to give a good blow job…”

  What the fuck did she just say?

  “How to be good in bed…stuff like that.”

  Was she serious? Did I just win the fucking lottery again? “You want me to teach you how to give good head?” Was she messing with me right now? Was this just a big joke? If it was, I didn’t even care that I fell for it.

  “Yeah…if that’s something you’d want to do. If not, I totally understand. We’re friends, and things could get weird. I just wanted to do this with someone I’m comfortable with, someone who knows what they’re doing. It’s really not a big deal if you say no—”

  “Say no?” I asked with a laugh. “My answer is yes. A million times over—yes.” I leaned forward and felt my hands shake with excitement. My cock was desperate for release and was going to break through the zipper at any moment. “I’ll gladly teach you anything you could possibly want to know—from the basics to the Olympics.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t make things awkward between us.”

  “Hell no. You just made my day.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Absolutely. You’re one of the hottest girls I’ve ever seen. Watching you suck that milk shake was torture.”

  “Really? I—”

  “When can we start?”

  She chuckled, her cheeks finally returning to their normal color. “I don’t know. I thought—”

  “How about now? Let’s go to your place.”

  “Uh, okay. But maybe we should lay down some ground rules.”

  I hated rules.

  “I think we should keep this between us. That includes not mentioning this to Zeke.”

  I told Zeke everything. But I understood her request. He would probably tell Rae and Jess, and that would be a weird conversation to have. If I was giving her shit about Ryker, she could easily give me shit about this. “That’s fine. What else?”

  “That’s it.”

  I jumped out of the chair so fast I knocked it over. “Then let’s get going.”

  “Right now?” she asked incredulously.

  “What? You have plans?”

  “No, but I—”

  “Then let’s get started.”

  ***

  She had a one-bedroom apartment that was half the size of Rae’s place. If I had to share this space with my sister, I really would kill myself. I’d never been there before, and I took a moment to notice the way she decorated it. All the furniture was white, and vases of fresh flowers were everywhere. It was definitely a woman’s haven.

  “Alright.” I rubbed my hands together greedily before I sat on the couch. “Let’s get started.”

  She left her purse by the door and hung up her coat before she joined me. A few minutes ago, she seemed calm, but now she was nervous. Her hands shook, and she couldn’t look me in the eye. She pulled her limbs closer to her body and tried to appear as small as possible.

  I grabbed her hand and held it on my thigh. The second I touched her, I felt the longing deep in my bones. Her fingers were slender and warm. They would feel amazing all over my body, particularly wrapped around my cock. “Don’t be nervous.”

  “Can’t help it.”

  I grabbed her chin and forced her gaze directly on me. Her eyes were bright blue and made of crystal. I never noticed them before, how clear they were. Her skin was soft under my touch. Her scent washed over me, smelling like summer and strawberries. “So where should we start?” I wanted to go straight into the bedroom and take all my clothes off, but that was jumping the gun.

  “I don’t know. I guess I don’t know how to talk to a guy.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean. You really don’t need to do anything. They’ll come to you.”

  A small smile formed on her lips. “I appreciate the compliment, but guys almost never hit on me.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “I’ll never believe that no matter how many times you say it.”

  “You think I’m lying?”

  “No. But I think you’re confused.” If I didn’t know Kayden as my sister’s friend, I would have hit on her a long time ago. But she was off-limits so I kept my distance. Now that she asked for a teacher, I didn’t feel any guilt for what I was about to do. I helped her, and I got something in the process.

  “I’m not confused.”

  “Alright. Let’s start from the beginning. Let’s pretend I’m a guy you’re interested in. You walk over to me and then say what?” I let go of her hand. “Where do you start?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know…”

  “Come on. You’re face-to-face with a stranger and you say nothing?”

  “Uh…hi.”

  Her lack of confidence shocked me since she was ridiculously gorgeous. She had a perfect face and a perfect body. A woman like her didn’t need to chase anyone down. They came to her. I didn’t want to be too hard on her because she was self-conscious, so I gave her a gentle nudge. “Men respond to confidence. We hate it when women are conceited. That’s just annoying. But confidence is sexy as hell.”

  “How do I act confident?”

  “When you talk to me, act like I’m the one who could get a great opportunity.”

  “Okay…how?”

  “Just say hello and introduce yourself.”

  “Okay.” She cleared her throat. “Hi. I’m Kayden.”

  “Perfect.” I gave her a thumbs-up. “I’m Rex. Nice to meet you.”

  She stared at me blankly because she didn’t know what else to do.

  “Now you can do one of two things. You can either make a comment about the situation, or my preference, just come out and tell him you think he’s hot.”

  “What?” she asked incredulously. “Desperate, much?”

  “It’s not desperate. It’s confident.” Big difference. “Now tell me you think I’m cute or something.”

  She tucked a loose strand behind her ear. “I think—”

  “Don’t fidget. I can tell you’re nervous. Don’t let him know you’re nervous.”

  “My god, I didn’t know hitting on someone was so much work.”

  “Well, be grateful you’re a woman.”

  She cleared her throat. “I think you’re cute.” She stared me in the eye as she said it and she didn’t fidget.

  “Great,” I said. “If you’re really into the guy, tell him you think he’s sexy.”

  She cringed. “That’s just weird.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “No one says that. Sexy? I think cute is more appropriate.”

  “But cute could describe a puppy or a kitten. Men are like women. We want to feel attractive too.” I’d met a few women who outright told me I was a sexy stud, and that really got me hard. “I’m telling you, he’d love it.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Now tell me you think I’m sexy.”

  She straightened her shoulders and didn’t fidget. “I think you’re sexy.”

  I gave her a thumbs-up again. “Perfect.”

  “Now what?”

  “If he’s not a dick, he’ll say thank you. And then he’ll ask you o
ut or say he has a girlfriend.”

  “What if he doesn’t ask me out?”

  “Then you ask him out.”

  “Again, that feels desperate.”

  I held up my finger and shook it. “No. Confident.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Trust me on this. You asked for my help for a reason, right?”

  She sighed before she nodded.

  “Then you’ll have yourself a date. Bam.”

  “Hope so. But I don’t know what to do on a date.”

  How did she not know how to do anything? She wasn’t an alien, as far as I could tell. “Just be yourself.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  “You know what I think?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I don’t think having ‘moves’ is a good way to go. Be yourself, and if they don’t like you for who you are, then it’s better that it doesn’t work out. Don’t give someone a good impression if it’s not who you are. You want someone to want you exactly as you are. That’s the only way you’ll be happy.”

  Her eyes softened. “That’s really wise…and sweet.”

  “What can I say? I’m a guru. So…let’s get to the good stuff.” I leaned closer to her and eyed her lips. “What do you want to work on?”

  Her eyes glanced at my mouth before she looked at me head on. “I don’t know how to be sexy all around. I’m pretty clueless.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re being sexy right now.”

  “How?”

  “Because you’re stunning. Your hair is all pretty, your eyes are pretty, your skin is pretty…it’s all good, Kay.”

  She cracked a smile. “But I don’t know how to be sexy. I could sit here all day, but I’m not actually doing anything.”

  Now I understood what she meant. “Gotcha.”

  “When I kiss a guy…I don’t know where to put my hands. I don’t know how much tongue I should give. I don’t know what a man wants when he kisses a woman. I feel awkward most of the time.”

  “Well, I can help you with that.” I scooted closer to her on the couch until our faces were almost touching. My arm moved over the back of the couch and my hand rested on her opposite shoulder. I should’ve felt weird for coming on to my friend, but I didn’t feel weird at all. I studied her pink lips, noting how plump and smooth they were. When I imagined kissing her, the taste of bubblegum filled my mouth.

  Her eyes moved to my lips, and her chest stopped rising because she wasn’t breathing. “Rex, how do you like a woman to kiss you?” Her words escaped as a sexy whisper and trickled down my spine.

  I was already hard, but now my cock was made of steel.

  My hand moved up her shoulder until it reached the back of her neck. I lightly felt the smooth strands as they were pulled back into her ponytail. The pulse in her neck thudded against my fingertips. “I like a slow kiss. Harder and faster isn’t necessarily better. I like to feel her lips and let her feel mine. And I love it when her tongue slips into my mouth once in a while, gently.”

  Her lips were slightly parted and she began to breathe hard. Her cheeks were flushed, but not from embarrassment. “How do you like to be touched?”

  “Everywhere. Anywhere.”

  Her hand snaked to my thigh where she gave it a gentle squeeze.

  She was so close to my cock.

  She closed her eyes and leaned in, her lips pressing against mine with a sexy softness. Her lips felt full like I imagined, and instead of giving me an awkward kiss like I expected, she felt my upper lip with hers. She sucked on it gently before she pulled the bottom one into her mouth.

  I was too stunned to do anything.

  She squeezed my thigh then deepened the kiss, not increasing her pace but intensifying her touch. She breathed into my mouth gently before continuing, her chest pressed into mine. Her hand slowly slid up my thigh and across my stomach. When she reached my chest, she rested her hand over my heart, feeling it beat.

  Damn.

  She hooked one arm around my neck and pulled her body closer. Her lips cherished mine with sexy desperation, and she purposely pressed the swell of her tits right against me. She sucked my bottom lip again before she breathed into my mouth.

  Oh my fucking god.

  Her hands continued to move across my body, feeling the lines of muscle in my chest and my arms. When her hand moved to my cheek, she cupped it and gave me a small amount of her tongue.

  Yes.

  She crawled farther into my lap and straddled my hips. My neck went to the back of the couch, and my mouth was tilted toward hers. She dug both of her hands into my hair and kissed me harder, wanting more of my mouth.

  It was the best kiss I’d ever had.

  She rocked her hips gently, sliding her bottom across the definition of my cock.

  And she thought she didn’t know how to be sexy?

  My hands recovered from the amazing things her mouth was doing to me, and they moved across her body. I felt the steep curve in her back, noting just how prominent it was. I was a sucker for that curve, and hers was off the hook.

  Her kiss was making me a little crazy, so my hands migrated to her ass where I squeezed both cheeks through her jeans. Perky, firm, and perfect. My fingers dug into the fabric, and I wished I could feel her naked skin.

  My hands moved to her hips and slender waist. I could feel the small muscles of her core working to rock into me and kiss me at the same time. I could feel her strength as well as her feminine curves.

  She was perfect.

  She followed my directions perfectly and executed my orders like a commander. She took control with sexy confidence and owned that kiss like she did it for a living. I should’ve ended the embrace so we could move on to something else, but I didn’t have the strength to stop. I wanted to keep kissing her forever.

  And never stop.

  ***

  When it was dark inside her apartment, I knew it was late. We got to her place around five and since my stomach was growling, I knew it was at least ten in the evening. Our kiss lasted for hours, and I didn’t get tired of it.

  I haven’t done that since eighth grade.

  Kayden finally ended the kiss and pulled away, but her face was still close to mine. Her ponytail had come undone at some point, and her hair formed a curtain around me. Her lips were swollen and red from the make-out session we just had, but she didn’t seem to regret it. “Feedback?”

  I stared at her blankly because I didn’t have a damn thing to say.

  She pulled farther away and shifted her hair over one shoulder, keeping it out of my face.

  “That was…yeah.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You nailed it, baby.” I grabbed her hips and pulled her back into me, wanting to take her into the bedroom and fuck her senseless. “But practice makes perfect, right?” I wanted to lift her shirt and suck her nipples until they were raw.

  “True.”

  “So, let’s pick this up tomorrow after work.” Who knew being a teacher would be so fulfilling?

  “Okay.”

  I rolled her off me before I stood up. My cock was aching for release. Having a boner for four hours really pissed him off. I needed to shoot my cannon before I exploded. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Should we meet here?”

  “Yeah, sounds good.” She walked me to the door, a slight smile on her lips.

  I pretended not to notice. “Well, good night.” Now that I’d kissed her for four hours, I didn’t know how to say goodbye. Did I just wave like I usually did? Was I supposed to kiss her? Or was the physical affection only during lessons?

  “Good night.” She stayed by the door and didn’t move to embrace me.

  That answered my question. “Rest those lips. We have a lot of ground to cover.”

  ***

  I called Zeke when I got home.

  “What’s up?” He sighed into the phone like he was tired.

  “What? You have a woman over there?”

  “No. I’m in bed rea
ding.”

  “Wow. Really living it up, huh?”

  “It’s ten thirty, dude. I have work in the morning.”

  “Still lame.”

  “Did you call for a reason?”

  “Yeah…” I wanted to tell him what happened with Kayden but we agreed not to say anything. But I wanted to launch into details about those kisses we shared and how long it went on for. And I wanted to know if what I was doing was a really stupid idea or a great one. I got to fool around with a beautiful woman with no strings attached. There was no fear of her wanting more because she was just using me—and I was using her.

  “Then what’s up?”

  “I just…never mind.” Maybe when Kayden and I finished our project, I could tell him what happened. By then, everything would be in the past so it wouldn’t matter. “I’ll let you go.”

  “Are you sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?”

  “Yeah…I’ll talk to you later.” I hung up before he could ask me anything else.

  Chapter Five

  Rex

  The clock couldn’t go fast enough.

  I loved Groovy Bowl and the transformation it had just undergone. But all I really wanted to do was get off work and make out with Kayden—and whatever else she wanted to work on. She was so goddamn sexy that my cock wanted to bury itself inside her and never come out. I wanted to kiss every inch of her and never stop.

  The situation was only temporary, and once she was comfortable with everything I taught her, she would be on her way to finding Mr. Right. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy every second of this. I was immensely attracted to her, and the fact she was off-limits just made her irresistible.

  When I was finally able to leave, I practically ran to her apartment. I would have taken an Uber but walking was actually quicker. I stopped myself from running even though my legs wanted to take off at full speed.

  I finally reached her apartment and knocked louder than I meant to. The door shook under the force, and I realized I needed to chill out a bit.

  She opened the door, looking just as beautiful as she did yesterday. “Hey, teach.”

  “Hey, student.” When I walked inside, I had to stop myself from grabbing her and kissing her. We were doing these lessons for her benefit, not mine. I just got to enjoy the things she preferred to do. So I kept my hands to myself. “What lesson are we working on today?”