Undeniable: A Friends To Lovers Romance (Love Desired Book 4)

by Cassie Verano

  Before she could respond, the beat of the music picked up again, breaking the spell. I laughed and relaxed under the fast-paced hip-hop beat as Peyton struggled to find her groove.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re laughing at me, huh?”

  I leaned backward when one of her arms flailed towards my head and then grabbed them, pressing them at her sides.

  “Well, I’m just trying to avoid being hit by a flying missile,” I said.

  Peyton’s eyes widened. “Are you saying that I can’t dance?”

  “Everyone can dance. The question is, do you have rhythm?”

  Laughing, she said, “The answer is no! I’ve never had rhythm, and unfortunately, it’s not something that you can buy.”

  “Tell you what, just keep your arms down at your sides, move your shoulders lightly, work your hips, and we should be just fine. Or at least, I’ll be safe,” I said, laughing.

  “Oh, so you’re Mr. Funny guy.”

  “Dead serious!”

  “I’ve got a better idea,” she said with a wink as she stopped moving. “Let’s go have another drink.”

  “That sounds much safer,” I replied.

  I leaned back but not in time to avoid the smack to my chest that she gave. Catching her hand in mine, our eyes met briefly, and I held on to her hand a bit longer than I should have.

  Peyton bit her bottom lip as we struggled to break our gazes. People danced all around us, but it didn’t bother us one bit.

  But just as quickly as the moment arrived, it left. I knew we’d eventually have a conversation about the things I’d done and the words I’d spoken. But the club wasn’t the right place.

  “Umm, about that drink,” she said, giving me a reprieve.

  Releasing her hand, I followed after her as she headed to the bar.

  “Looks like someone had the same idea,” she said as we approached Gianna and Bishop sitting at the bar.

  “What’s up with you two?” Bishop asked when the women started chatting about something that didn’t interest me.

  “Who?”

  “You and ole girl, Peyton.”

  “Nothing’s up.”

  “I mean, you brought her to the club tonight. Y’all look like the two of you had a moment on the dance floor out there a few minutes ago.”

  “A moment?”

  “Yeah, you know that shit you be writing about in your books,” Bishop said, laughing.

  “I don’t have moments, bruh.”

  “Well, maybe you’re confused or something. Because y’all definitely had a moment. Standing out there, staring into each other’s eyes while you’re holding her hand and shit,” Bishop said.

  I shook my head because I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I wasn’t sure what happened either. There was no way that I could try to explain it to someone else when I didn’t understand. I was just glad as hell he hadn’t seen the kiss, or he’d really call me on my bullshit.

  “Nothing, B. Just kicking it, that’s all.”

  “I don’t know, Bryx. There’s this tension between the two of you.”

  “Peyton and I are cool. Ain’t no beef on the table, bruh,” I said.

  Turning to the bartender whose attention was focused on me, I placed mine and Peyton’s drink orders and then turned back to my brother.

  “Not that kind of tension. Damn, for you to be a romance writer, you’re kind of thick when it comes to your own life. When y’all two are at the store, and even here tonight, there’s this shit between the two of you like a buzz. I mean, the tension gets so thick that you can cut it with a knife. I know you feelin’ old girl, so wassup, big bruh?”

  I glanced over at Peyton. She was listening intently to something Gianna was saying, a smile lurking on her beautiful lips and laughter dancing in her eyes.

  Turning back to Bishop, I shook my head. “Nothing, dude. You know we’re old friends. Nothing more than that.”

  “But do you want it to be?”

  “Nah. I’ve got a life in L.A., and she’s Carolina based. I’m just having fun while I’m here, that’s all.”

  “Well, just make sure you don’t get her too caught up. Girls like that catch feelings, and then they get hurt. She’s a sweet girl, man, so just tread lightly.”

  “You don’t have to warn me about Peyton, B. I think I know her well enough. Anyway, I’m heading out in a few days, so I don’t have time to start something between us.”

  I couldn’t believe I was defending my feelings about Peyton to my brother. What the hell was happening here? I normally had no problems interacting with a woman and keeping it sexual. Discussions of feelings never occurred. This conversation was deeper than I wanted it to be, and I needed to bring it to an end quickly. But Bishop wasn’t quite ready.

  “What about Labor Day? Is she invited to the beach house?”

  “Nah, I hadn’t planned on it. I was thinking about coming out there, spend the night with you guys and then head out Sunday. I won’t be there for the holiday,” I said.

  “Dude! You can’t play us like that. Everybody’ll be there. Me, G, Kole and Silver, Darnell and Gina, Carmen and Will, and Karina and Zy. You’ve gotta hang for the entire weekend and bring a date, dawg.”

  I chuckled. “I recall a time in the not so distant past that you showed up without a date, and nobody hounded your ass about that.”

  “Sooo not true. Everybody was all up in my shit, especially Carmen.”

  “I don’t remember none of that.”

  “I guess not. What was that chick’s name with the big ass?”

  Laughing, I said, “Lucy.”

  “Her ass was so big she needed her own area code.”

  “Zip code, you mean?”

  “Hell, nah. Area code that ass covered a helluva lot more ground than a zip code,” Bishop said.

  “You stupid, man,” I said, laughing loudly.

  “All I’m saying is that you need to bring somebody. I don’t know if it should be Peyton, but don’t bring your ass alone. We all gonna be getting some ass that weekend. And I don’t want you moping around like I was.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Gianna asked, slipping her arm over Bishop’s shoulder.

  My brother lowered his head and kissed his woman on the lips. The kiss was so deep and heated I could’ve sworn the scene was stolen from one of my books.

  “Get your ass a room!” I said, causing Bishop to give me the finger. But he didn’t stop kissing his woman.

  I glanced at Peyton, who looked away, shyly with a smile on her lips.

  “Come on, let’s find a table to watch the X-rated show,” I teased.

  Reaching back to grab her hand, the curve of Peyton’s breast brushed against my arm as she took my hand, and I led her to a table. The softness of her hand in mine combined with the feel of her breast shot heat straight to my dick, making me wish I’d been the one giving the X-rated show instead of Bishop.

  CHAPTER 10 – PEYTON

  SCRUBBING MY HANDS over my face, I blew out a weary breath. I was thankful we were now closed. Today’s sales were down just a bit, but a lot was going on with the construction.

  Although I knew Bryce said it would change things around in my favor, today didn’t give me a glimpse of hope. A teenaged boy was caught stealing an erotic book, a few customers complained about the dust and the noise in the store, Claire called out sick, Maggie was scheduled off, and I had a migraine the size of Texas.

  I’d forgotten my breakfast at home this morning, but once I’d arrived at work, there was no time to take a break. Despite lagging sales, I’d spent most of the day behind the cash register since we were short a cashier.

  I’d had to cover the shifts until Anita arrived. A vendor arrived with a new shipment, payroll had to be processed, inventory completed, and a million other things that demanded my attention.

  What a day! All I wanted was to go home and take a hot bubble bath, eat a sandwich, and bur
y my head in a good book and reminisce on last night.

  I didn’t dare think about those things while I was at work, or I’d be no good. Last night, my brain kept telling me that it was all the alcohol we’d both consumed. And still not to read too much into his words.

  Yes, I would reminisce and pick it apart when I returned home this evening. I wasn’t scheduled to return to the store until noon the next day. And for once, I was going to stick to that schedule.

  The store opened at nine the next morning, but Anita and Maggie were scheduled to open. I knew they could handle it and any problems that might arise.

  I pushed my chair back and paused for a moment when I heard a tapping sound. I headed for the front door, trying to detect the outline of the person standing on the sidewalk. Unable to identify the person, I tried to make out the object in their hand and failed at that, too.

  “Hi,” I greeted Bryce warmly after unlocking the door. “What’re you doing here? And what’s that?” I asked, pointing at a picnic basket.

  Thick, cinnamon-colored lips pulled back into a smile. The warmth of Bryce’s eyes made me feel gooey inside, and I wasn’t sure why.

  “I’m here because a little birdie told me that you hadn’t eaten or had a break today and that you had a headache, which brings me to your other question. This,” he said, holding up the basket. “Is dinner.”

  “Dinner? And let me guess. That little birdie was Anita.”

  “You said it, not me.”

  “What’s in the basket? It smells great,” I said, leaning in to try to peek into the covered basket.

  Pulling his arm back and up, he said, “Nope. You’ve got to find a place for us to eat first.”

  Spinning around, I grinned widely.

  “Ummm...the space in front of the bean bags in the adult section?” I suggested.

  “I just might have to read you a bedtime story if one of my books are over there,” he teased.”

  “You just might,” I said, pushing the bean bag chairs further back and winking at him.

  “Is this good enough for a picnic?” I asked, smiling up at him.

  “It’s perfect,” Bryce said, kneeling and setting the basket on the floor.

  I watched in awe as he uncovered the basket and pulled out dishes.

  “Smells yummy.”

  “Oven-fried chicken, red potato salad, and salad in a jar,” he said, naming each item he set out.

  “You cooked all of this?” I asked, my eyes round and my belly growling loudly.

  “Of course not. I’d love to claim I did, but my cooking skills aren’t on this level yet. Bishop’s chef prepared this meal.”

  “His chef?”

  “Yeah, I know. But I guess it comes with the territory and all. A mansion wouldn’t be a mansion without a chef, would it?”

  Laughing, I said, “I guess not.”

  I held up the jar holding a mixture of greens, colorful peppers, pecans, strawberries, clementine, and pine nuts.

  “I can’t wait,” I said as he removed the silverware and plates.

  Bryce prepared our plates and sat down next to me. We made small talk for a while about the progress of the store as we enjoyed our meal.

  “I’m surprised you’d think to do something like this.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought those millions would’ve gone to your head.”

  “Nah, I still do the same shit I did when I was going through the rough times. Not much has changed.”

  “Have you had many rough times? Since I’ve been gone?” I asked.

  “I’ve had my fair share. Mostly after college graduation. Those first few years weren’t easy.”

  “I remember you said that you’d cut everything out except the essentials.”

  “Yeah, restaurants, internet, cable, entertainment. All that shit had to go. I had rent, utilities, and a phone bill. My phone included Internet, and for less than eight bucks a month, I could watch Netflix.”

  “So, you were Netflixing and chillin’ with all of your women?” I asked with a grin.

  Laughing, he said, “Not for real. All of my women, Peyton?”

  “Yes. You had a lot of women in college.”

  “None of ‘em mattered when I couldn’t have the one I wanted.”

  Deciding to play his game, I said, “And who was that?”

  “I can show you better than I can tell you,” he said, toying with the gold heart on my chain.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah,” he said, scooting closer to me. “Why does it seem you’re always running from me?”

  “I didn’t know you were chasing.”

  “Since college,” he replied.

  “College was too complicated. My feelings. Not sure what acting on them would create. Not sure what you wanted from me. Not wanting to get hurt.”

  “And yet, you ran so fast from me you ran straight into a brick wall. That shit had to hurt,” he said.

  “Yeah, it did.”

  “That was never my endgame, Peyton.”

  “You scared me, Bryce. The things I felt for you and the way that I wanted you.”

  “Still scared?” he asked, cupping my face in his hands.

  I didn’t dare admit the truth, so instead, I opened my mouth to accept the recreation of the kiss we’d shared at the club. This time as his tongue swept through my mouth, I found myself more into the moment. There was no liquor to lessen the thrill or to blame it on the reason we engaged in a kiss.

  He took his time sucking on my tongue, licking around in my mouth, his thumb caressing the underside of my jaw. And the little moans that kept escaping from me without my permission turned me on.

  I loved kissing Bryce. His mouth was soft and warm, controlling the speed, depth, and passion of the kiss. And when his hand slipped underneath my t-shirt laying flat against his belly, my hand boldly met his there, sliding it up toward my breast.

  My thumb and his pinched my nipple forcing it to bud as a shiver ran through me.

  Bryce’s lips found a path from mine to the underside of my jaw and further down until his lips and teeth replaced our thumbs. Arching my back, I pressed my breast further into his mouth, loving the heat that he was stirring in me.

  I couldn’t pretend tonight that what we were doing had anything to do with alcohol or the club scene. This was all Bryce and me at this moment. His lips heated my body inside, flames that I didn’t want to douse flickered with vibrancy inside of me seeking oxygen to be fed.

  Greedily, I reached for the hem of his shirt, tugging at it, forcing him to sever the connection with my breast.

  His eyes met mine, questioning.

  “I want to see you. Touch you, Bryce.”

  He stood and reached for my hand, pulling me up alongside him. His hands cupped my face again as my fingers trailed over the hard planes of his chest, down to the sculpted ridges of his abs.

  His body was a study in perfection. No nicks, scars, or tattoos. It was surprisingly free of blemishes, but a definition of muscle.

  I pulled back from the kiss first, pressing my lips against his chest, licking around his nipples as my fingers dropped to the waistband of the basketball shorts he wore.

  Slowly, I allowed my hand to travel further south, surprised at the hard bulge I found there. Jerking my hand back, I looked up at him.

  “You think that’s funny?” I asked at the merriment in his eyes and the chuckle deep in his throat.

  Tipping my chin up, he didn’t answer the question but kissed me again as I toed off my shoes and began unbuckling my shorts.

  “Let me see you,” he said after I’d unbuckled the shorts. His voice husky with need, creating a warm glow deep within my belly, stirring up a rich craving between my legs.

  I made quick work of removing my t-shirt, shorts, and underclothes. Part of me wondered if this was just a dream. Was I really standing in my book store about to have sex with Bryce Lexington? A man I’d wanted years ago but denied myself the right to?

  There
was no mistake that the attraction we’d felt for one another was undeniable even back then. But I’d had my reasons for not going there, and so had he. I knew that my attraction was more than purely physical, but I wasn’t sure if he’d shared the same.

  And so it was safe to avoid the complications at the time. But now? Well, now, I was a woman in heat who needed to be filled with his throbbing cock. Now I was a woman who wouldn’t deny the pleasure and desire lingering inside of me of being satiated.

  “You’re so fucking sexy, girl. C’mere,” he said, pulling me against his hard body, his hands cupping my ass and squeezing.

  I tossed my head back as he licked down the column of my throat and then to my breasts. His tongue was lighting fires my breasts never felt before. If they had vocal cords, they’d sing an aria just for him.

  And just when I began to ache with need for him, he slid down, kissing my belly, licking his tongue into my navel as his hand squeezed between my thighs. Long, tapered fingers rubbed over my slit, rubbing the juices around and spreading it back and forth before he pinched my clitoris.

  Jerking my hips forward, I whimpered at the sensation he created.

  “That hurt?” he asked.

  I nodded as he lowered to his knees, spreading my thighs apart.

  When the heat of his mouth met my pussy lips, I damned near came. It had been such a long time since I’d had sex. So long, I’d wondered if my body worked anymore. But Bryce was dedicated to proving to me that it did indeed still work.

  Hungrily, yet, slowly, he lapped at my juices, his tongue compelling more to come forth. I swear this man was the pussy whisperer. The way he worked his tongue all inside of me while his top lip teased my clitoris, almost as if he were sharing a secret with it.

  The crying sounds escaping me escalated in pitch when he inserted a finger into my ass. Pulling back, Bryce looked up at me and winked. “Open wide for me, baby.”

  Obediently, I let him grab the leg he was tugging on and placed it over his shoulder.

  Damn! Why did I do that? He went to work like a construction worker drilling concrete. His head moved so fast in mind-blowing circles and back and forth motions it was dizzying.

  “Fuuuuckk!” I screamed as I came.

  The feeling was so intense my chest began to hurt as I squeezed my eyes shut tight.