by Anara Bella
He grabbed her hips and plunged her down onto his throbbing cock in one hard thrust. They both groaned, long and loud.
“God, you feel incredible. So hot, so tight. I’m fucking going to lose my mind.”
She immediately started to move and, with his hands still on her hips, he helped her ride him with the frenzied tempo they both needed. He was right about not lasting long. His balls pulled up tight to his body, and the familiar tingling shot up his spine. He was a goner.
Thank God, Nica picked that moment to come again and saved him from embarrassing himself. Free to follow, he plunged over the top to join her in shouting out his shuddering release. The spasms racking him while her pussy milked his cock until they were both completely spent.
His head fell back and Nica sagged against him. They both sat there taking agonized breaths for what felt like ages. Through it all, he continued to hold her close as wonder filled his being. He’d never felt this close to a women after sex before. All he wanted to do was keep holding her and that was downright shocking.
It was also the last thing he had any business feeling about Nica.
Chapter Five
Who the hell let someone into my head with a jackhammer?
Wary of the backlash to his brains, Logan took a chance and carefully lifted an eyelid, only to slam it shut again. Disbelief rocked through him. He couldn’t have just seen what he thought he’d seen. Because if he did then he was a complete asshole.
He peeped his eyelid open again, but nope, nothing had changed. He was still in bed with Nica.
Naked.
At least she looked as if she was naked under that sheet. And he most definitely was naked.
Shit. What the hell had he done?
No sooner did he wonder when everything came back in a rush of Technicolor still shots. The drinking match, helping Nica back to the apartment, her standing before him naked, and, oh God, him losing all control not once but over and over again, both on the couch and in this bed after he’d carried her over here. Hot images of the things he’d done to her and with her assailed him, making his morning woody throb and ache to do those things all over again.
Repeatedly and with enthusiastic gusto.
But there was no way that was going to happen. That he’d done it at all was already inexcusable.
He groaned. This couldn’t be happening.
Still trying to take in the enormity of what he’d done, he watched as her eyelids fluttered open and she looked right at him. A radiant smile spread across her face, dazzling him with its happiness. She all but glowed as she reached out and caressed his cheek. “Good morning.”
How the hell could she be so happy? She should be furious, screaming or slapping his face silly, not looking at him like this. For God’s sake, he’d just taken advantage of her.
Good God. He couldn’t deal with this. He’d just had sex with his best friend’s sister. And he’d been worried about other guys taking advantage of her. What a hypocrite he’d turned out to be. He hadn’t been that drunk, just sort of loose and buzzed. He frowned. Obviously, too loose and buzzed. His common sense and decency had become completely unhinged.
He thought back and was pretty sure that although Nica had been tipsy, she hadn’t been plastered. She’d known what she was doing, right?
Shit and double fuck.
How the hell could he explain any of this to Tony? The tequila shots, the nakedness, the hot sex. With his sister. Repeatedly.
No way would Tony understand. What the hell had he done?
He jerked back from her touch and threw himself out of bed even though the abrupt movement cost him dearly. The pounding in his brain increased double time. Remembering he was naked, he searched for his boxers and threw them on.
The smile faded from her lips. “What’s wrong?”
“You have to ask?” He scanned the room for the rest of his clothes.
“I guess I do.” She sat up, the sheet dropping to her waist exposing her beautiful little breasts. The ferocity with which he wanted to jump back into bed and lavish those breasts with kisses freaked him out worse than he already was. What a fucked-up pervert he was.
“Cover yourself up, for God’s sake.”
Her face crumpled. She literally looked crushed and he felt like shit for being the cause of it. She picked up a corner of the sheet and drew it up to cover herself.
“What’s the matter with you, Logan? It’s not like you haven’t seen my breasts before. As I recall, you didn’t have any problem with seeing them last night. You seemed to like them. A lot.”
“Yeah, and that’s the trouble. I never should have seen them, or touched them, in the first place. None of this should have happened.” His throbbing head kept getting worse, just about killing him. Which was all he deserved. “God, how I wish I hadn’t had anything to drink last night. If I’d stayed sober then this disaster wouldn’t have happened.”
“Disaster? You think sleeping with me was a disaster?”
He heard the hurt tinged with anger in her voice but he had to make her see this was never going to happen again. “Of course it’s a disaster. You’re like my little sister.”
“I am not your little sister. We’re not related at all.” Her eyes flashed fire and she scrambled to her knees on the bed. “I know what this is really about. You just can’t believe you slept with plain old me. That’s it, isn’t it? You’re embarrassed.”
Shit, now he’d insulted her. “No. That’s not it at all. You’re twisting this all around.” He ran his hands through his hair and dug his fingers in. His brain hurt. Hell, even his hair hurt. “Shit, I am so not up for this discussion right now.”
“Well, don’t put yourself out on my account. You’re free to leave whenever you want.”
“Maybe I should leave. I’m not thinking clearly enough to reason with you.”
“Oh, so now I’m being unreasonable.”
“No, I didn’t mean that…”
He gave up trying to explain. Every time he opened his mouth he made things worse. He threw on his jeans and spotted his cell phone on the floor. Picking it up, he slammed it into his front pocket. “I’d better go. We’ll talk later.”
He left the bedroom and nabbed his shirt off the floor as he headed for the door.
Nica shouted after him. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Before he could react, the TV remote flew past his head and shattered against the wall.
“I hope the remote put a permanent dent in the back of his head.”
Nica wished it had too. She was still in complete turmoil over Logan’s unflattering rejection earlier that morning. “No such luck. I missed.”
“Too bad. Maybe it would have knocked some sense into him.” Rustling through bags from the previous day’s shopping spree, Carmen continued, “I can’t believe you slept with Logan and now you’re back to square one. I knew he was stubborn but I didn’t know he was this stubborn.”
Slouched down in her favorite wingback chair, Nica miserably watched Carmen toss clothes all over the couch, trying hard not to remember that she and Logan had just had sex there only a few short hours ago. “He’s an obstinate asshole, is what he is.”
Carmen grunted in agreement. “No kidding.”
Anger, hurt and embarrassment churned through Nica’s gut, making her feel slightly ill. It didn’t help she was still a bit hung over. How was she ever going to deal with seeing Logan later today? “You know, I really thought once I got him past the kid-sister thing I’d be home free. What do I do now?”
Carmen held up a shopping bag in triumph. “Here they are. I was beginning to think we’d left the damn things in the store.” She spread two bikinis on the back of Nica’s couch. “This is what you do next.”
Nica looked askance at the cherry red and black bikinis Carmen referred to. “What are you talking about?”
Carmen held up the bra half of the super-skimpy black suit they’d picked out during their hunt for Nica’s new w
ardrobe. “This is your secret weapon. You need to wear this to the company pool party today.”
Nica flushed as she took in the flimsy scrap of fabric masquerading as a swimsuit. She shook her head with uncertainty. “I know that’s why we bought those suits but I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Of course you can. You’re just feeling raw after Logan’s bullheaded rejection this morning. Don’t let him win this round.”
“Is there any point in a round two?”
“Of course there is. You can’t give up already.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m sure. You have to get out there and show him what he’s missing. Show him what’s he’s giving up.”
Nica slumped further into her chair. “You don’t think it’s hopeless? Because I’m kind of thinking maybe it is.”
Carmen waved away Nica’s negative attitude. “No way. Like I said, Logan is stubborn. You’ll have to wear him down, tempt him into crossing that stupid line he’s drawn. Break down his defenses.”
A glimmer of hope poked through her pessimism. Carmen was right. She did feel defeated right now. Not surprising after this morning’s disaster. The big question was whether she wanted to take the chance of being mortified like that again? But she really didn’t have to think about it, she knew the answer was yes. She was ready to take that chance because she wasn’t ready to give up on Logan. She just didn’t feel up to trying again so soon.
As for the swimsuit… “I have serious doubts about whether I can pull off that suit.”
Carmen dropped the bikini and sighed. “I knew you’d chicken out on me.”
“I’m not chickening out.”
“Who do you think you’re fooling here? I twisted your arm to buy these swimsuits yesterday and now you’re having second thoughts.”
“It’s just… I don’t know. I’ll feel ridiculous in a skimpy suit like that.”
“No, you’ll feel sexy and desirable. Exactly what you need after this morning.”
Carmen had a point. Her newfound confidence had taken a major beating. There was no question she was feeling really wobbly today.
“Come on. You know you need this. You need to use your anger. Channel it to your benefit. What’s your new mantra?”
Nica hugged the throw pillow into herself. “Go all the way. Brazen or bust.”
Carmen rolled her eyes and yanked the pillow out of Nica’s hands. “That was beyond pathetic. Think of what’s at stake. Now stand up and say it again. With conviction this time.”
Nica closed her eyes and pictured Logan in all his naked, ripped and sexy gorgeousness. A yearning so sharp she almost gasped washed through her. She longed to kiss him again, to feel his steely strength beneath her fingers, to have him hot and naked against her flesh. Sliding into her, thrusting home…
A bubble of lust burst through her depression, fueling an unexpected surge of motivated excitement and determination. There was no way in hell she was going to give up her chance to have those things again.
She jumped to her feet, all of a sudden feeling more than ready to do battle. To take Logan on and show him they belonged together. “I’m going all the way. Brazen or bust!”
Yeah, that definitely felt better.
Hands on hips, Carmen nodded her approval. “That’s more like it. And don’t you forget it either. You had the makeover. You’ve got a hot new look and a new attitude to go with it. Now follow through on it. Go out there and knock ’em dead.”
With elated satisfaction, she realized her earlier hopeless anger had now turned into hopeful anticipation. What if she really could make Logan jealous? What if she could make him sorry he’d turned her down? What if she could entice him? It would be worth everything she’d gone through and more if she could make that happen. Exhilaration churned through her at the possibility of succeeding this time. “You’re right. I’m not done yet.”
“Damn straight. Live a little. You need to go out there and have a blast. Flirt with all the single guys and say yes when they ask you out. Maybe even try a few of them on for size. You might even make Logan jealous in the process.”
Nica’d had the same thought about making Logan jealous, although she wasn’t too sure that would happen, but it was worth a try. “That’s exactly what I need to do.” Nica picked up the skimpy black bikini as a wickedly decadent feeling washed over her. “Whatever else happens, it’s time I had a little fun.”
Chapter Six
Logan spent the entire day freaked out about what had happened with Nica.
He’d tried his damndest to banish her from his thoughts, but no matter what he did he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Especially the delectable, naked parts of her. The parts he could still see when he closed his eyes. The parts he wanted to taste and explore all over again. At his leisure. With rapt attention. Inch by luscious inch.
Damn it. There he went again.
It didn’t help that he remembered everything that had happened between them with a lucidity that shouldn’t have been possible in the inebriated state he was in last night. Apparently, he wasn’t a forgetful drunk.
Lucky him.
Instead of being blissfully unaware, he was dealing with flashbacks of the two of them deliciously naked, hot and sweaty, in a variety of erotic positions he craved to explore again.
Not one thing, not one tiny detail of last night, had escaped his steel-trap memory. He remembered it all. The silkiness of her hair, her sweet scent, the softness of her skin. How incredible she tasted. And felt. The way her lips begged to be kissed. Every bit of it taunted him with its vivid clarity.
He clenched his hands into fists and slowly straightened them again finger by finger. He didn’t know how, but he was going to have to shove these inappropriate and way-too-crystal-clear-for-his-own-good images out of his head. She was forbidden fruit, his best-friend’s kid sister, and that was the end of it. There was an unwritten code between guys about this kind of thing and he’d already broken it once. He wouldn’t make things worse by doing it again.
The first step towards that was to avoid Nica whenever possible. It was the coward’s way out, but he didn’t know how long he’d be able to keep his hands off her if he saw her all the time. He wished there was a way to avoid her today, but there was no way that was going to happen. Today was Morelli Construction’s annual pool party. The Morellis threw the big bash for all their staff towards the end of July and no one from Morelli Construction missed it if they could help it.
That went double for him. It was enough the Morellis often used his architectural business for their construction jobs, but even more important was that they were almost family. He would never hurt them by not showing up. After everything they’d done for him over the years—helping him out so he could become an architect, giving him summer jobs, showing him what a real family was all about—no reason, short of his death, was good enough to miss it. He just had to suck it up and deal.
At least he’d bought himself some time by telling them he’d be a little late. It wasn’t much as far as reprieves went, but it was better than nothing. And it gave him a bit of breathing room.
As he turned onto their street he saw all the cars parked on both sides and pulled into the first spot he could find. It was the perfect day for a pool party. Hot, sunny, no rain in the forecast. And judging by the number of cars, it looked as if everyone had made it.
Deliberately dawdling, he sat back in his truck and looked around the neighborhood. With fondness, he took in the enormous trees and huge lots with nice family-sized bungalows on them. He had so many great memories in this neighborhood. Hanging out with Tony, meals with the Morelli family, hot summer days spent swimming in the pool. Hell, he’d spent more time at their place than his own and each memory was more cherished than the last. He wouldn’t have had any happy-family type memories without the kindness of the Morellis. His father sure as hell hadn’t given him anything happy to remember.
It was mostly due to those good memo
ries that he wanted to live in this neighborhood someday. It was also because it was a great place to live and raise a family. When he was ready to settle down, Logan fully planned on buying a place around here.
Deciding he’d procrastinated enough, he forced himself out of the truck and headed towards the side gate. The sound of children’s laughter reached him at the same time as the music and he smiled. These annual pool parties were a lot of fun for everyone and he’d always looked forward to them in the past.
Today was another matter entirely. He dreaded seeing Nica again. He’d hurt her and he wanted to apologize, but he was ashamed to admit a part of him didn’t want to face her. Not that an apology was going to help or change anything, but he owed it to her.
It wasn’t going to happen today though. Not with this many people around. And this damned inconvenient attraction to Nica wasn’t helping anything. He’d just have to avoid her as much as possible.
He spotted Tony and his twin brothers Mario and Marco manning the barbeques as soon as he hit the backyard. He shouted out a hello and moved to join them.
Tony waved him over. “There you are. I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
Logan stood beside Tony. “You know I wouldn’t miss this.” No matter how much I wanted to.
Seeing Tony jabbed more shards of guilt into his sorry hide. What should he do? Should he tell Tony what he’d done, or not? Hell if he knew.
Tony flipped a rack of ribs. “There’s still time to catch a swim before we eat.”
Swimming. What a great excuse to make his escape. Look at me. I’m turning spinelessness into an art form. “I think I will. This heat is something else.”
Tony grinned. “I know. Great day for the party.”
Unless you were a guilty prick who didn’t want to face anyone. “Sure is. Talk to you later.” Unless he could figure out a way to avoid it.
Logan headed to the pool, confident it was the best place to avoid Nica. She never went anywhere near the pool during these things. She was always too busy helping her mother with preparations.
