by Bianca Vix
“Me too.”
Her desire for me is more than I can stand. In a swift movement that catches her off guard, I flip her over. She laughs as I cover her body with mine. We kiss, over and over, until I move down.
My lips make their way over Rachel’s heated skin. I lick at her nipples, sucking one and then the other between my teeth. She arches up, wanting more.
My tongue trails down past her stomach. Rachel sucks her breath in sharply as I go lower. And lower. Her reactions spur me on and I dive in between her legs. I want her to respond to what I’m doing again and again.
I glance at her quickly, wanting another look at her pretty face. Rachel’s smiling, lost in what I’m doing to her. She opens her legs wider in an invitation that’s far to sexy to resist.
I ease my tongue between her sweet, wet lips. Her fingers wind into my hair as I trace every fold. She moans as I explore her from top to bottom, all before I stop to concentrate on her swollen clit.
Her gasp is short and sharp. “Don’t stop.”
“No way.” I shift gears from unhurried to single-minded. I slide a finger into her, adding a second as I suck her clit. She cries out, her thighs clenching around me as I drive her over the edge. I keep my rhythm steady so her orgasm will last as long as possible.
When her ragged breathing begins to calm down, I move up to lie beside her. She opens her eyes, still catching her breath. “You’re so good at that, Jay.”
I grin, giving her a kiss on her cheek. “Only the beginning, Rachel.”
My cock’s a steel bar, eager for some fun. Rolling away from her, I grab a condom from the bedside table. Rachel tries to distract me by kissing me everywhere she can reach, but nothing can stop me from getting the damn thing on.
Rachel lies down beside me and I’m on top of her as soon as I’m covered. We kiss as I penetrate her burning depths. In spite of the urgent need pulsing inside me, I go slow. Her breasts rub against my chest as I move. I can’t resist when she wraps her legs around me.
She murmurs my name and I pump harder. She’s so hot, I don’t want to hold back. I pound into her and my cock swells. I’m coming, hard and fast and long.
Burying my face into Rachel’s neck, I try to catch my breath. That was intense, even more so than I thought it would be. Rachel traces her fingertips over my back until I pull out of her. It’s a nice moment, and I don’t want it to end.
Chapter 9
Matt
I rub at my eyes. I got in really early this morning, and after a few hours of intense focus on my computer screen, I’m feeling it. Standing up and stretching, I pace around my office. That does nothing to help.
I don’t understand why I’m so restless lately. Or maybe I do. I’ve been like this ever since Jay told me about the woman who dropped into his life unexpectedly. He’s still acting like he feels way different about her than he ever has before. Even through our first crushes as school boys, our first real girlfriends, and all the way through college and ever since. Jay has never felt this way about anyone he’s gone out with. He still won’t admit it, but I can see right through him.
It shouldn’t bother me this much. Or at all. And I’m happy for him.
I am.
Yet I can’t shake this nagging feeling of loss that’s been dogging me since he met her. Yeah, I could tell something had changed in him from the moment he met her. Even before he told me about her, I could see it in him. How the hell anyone can know they’ve met the right person, just like that, is beyond me.
I’m the same way Jay is. Or how he used to be, at least. Finding women I like well enough, but who never turn out to be the right ones for me.
I’ve got to put this all behind me. It’s never going to happen between Jay and I. Hell, even I can’t imagine how that would actually work. I’ve never had a boyfriend. Never wanted one. That alone should be enough for me to let it go. Although it’s not like I haven’t tried.
My latest attempt was this past weekend. I’d planned to drown all my feelings in one drunken night. Get it all out of my system.
Yeah, that didn’t work out like I’d planned. I don’t recall much after Friday evening, when I walked into that dive bar that was way outside of my normal hangouts. I have a vague memory of falling into my own bed sometime late last night. Not that I got much sleep once I did. After staring at the ceiling for way too long, I gave up and decided to come in to the office. Better to attempt to get some work done than lie around doing nothing.
My head’s still pounding like a fucker. Grabbing a bottle of painkillers from the corner of my desk, I down two more and I don’t stop drinking from my bottle of water until it’s empty.
I haven’t been that completely wasted in a long time. I don’t know what I was thinking, going on an entire weekend of binge drinking. I can’t do something like that again. I’ve got to get my head on straight now.
If only I knew how to do that.
I go over to stare out the window. The view never fails to help calm me down. But it’s way, way too bright out there. I can’t even squint outside. It’s just too painful.
Christ, I need coffee now. Industrial-strength. Just the thought of drinking anything but water made me sick before I got here. Now it’s all I can think about.
The office is still empty as I walk through the maze of cubicles. Suits me fine. It’ll be filling up very soon and I’d prefer to be as caffeinated as possible by the time I have to face anyone.
I lean against a nearby wall as I wait for the elevator. I rarely get bad hangovers, but this one’s a killer. The doors slide open and a few people get off. They’re so intent on hurrying right to their desks that no-one notices me off to the side. Perfect.
I stride over to catch the elevator right before the doors slide closed. Just at that moment, someone at the back of the small group that got off spins around on her heel. Her movement’s so sudden, I can’t react in time.
We collide. Hard. I catch at her arm to steady her, and myself.
“I’m so sorry.” She had a folder full of papers and they’ve gone flying everywhere. I catch only a quick glimpse of her face before she bends down to start collecting them.
“It was my fault, I’m sure.” Ignoring the throbbing pain in my head, I start to help her. Once we retrieve all of the papers, I get a proper look at her.
She’s pretty. Very eye-catching. “Thank you so much. I’m sorry about bumping into you.” She has a sweet voice, too. I recognize her from somewhere.
I shake my head, then regret it. “Not at all. Are you new here?”
“Yes. I mean, no.” A hint of color rises to her cheeks. “I don’t work on this floor. I was looking something over and I thought I was at my floor. I just automatically walked out along with everyone else. That’s why I turned around so suddenly. I realized I was in the wrong place. But have we met before?”
She’s looking at me quizzically. The answer hits both of us at the same time. I remember where we were. “No. We didn’t meet, but our paths crossed. I think it was last week, at the coffee shop at the end of the block. You were arriving and I was leaving.”
“That’s it. I thought you were familiar. So you work in this building too?”
“I sure do. And since I’m most likely the one that ran into you just now, would you allow me to take you out for coffee to make up for it? Or to take you out for something nicer than that? Your choice, if you’re interested.”
The heat in her cheeks intensifies. It only makes her more attractive.
“I’d like that. Maybe we could do something on the weekend?”
I give her the warmest smile that I can manage around the pain behind my eyes. “Great. I’m Matt.”
“Rachel.”
I enter her number into my phone. “Unless you’d like to have coffee with me now. I’m on my way down to the coffee shop.”
Her eyes brighten. “I’d like that very much, but I really can’t. I have to get to work, I have a meeting that I need to prepare for.”
I press both elevator buttons. Unfortunately the one going up arrives in seconds, so we can’t continue talking. Rachel gives me a beautiful smile before the doors close behind her. “Talk to you soon.”
“You will.” My elevator comes along soon enough. I ride it alone down to the lobby. I don’t have it in me to head out onto the busy sidewalk so I settle for the coffee shop in the building. It’s not a bad place, it just usually has too many people that I know in it. And there’s a good chance Jay’ll might stop in there too.
He’s the last person I want to see today. I’m moving on from him. Not as a friend, of course, but I made the decision on the elevator ride down here. Jay’s out of my mind, as far as anything beyond friendship is concerned. That’s over. All I need to do is make the decision and follow through on it. And now I’ve done just that.
My first impression of Rachel is a great one. A new woman in my life is exactly what I need. I’m going to make a real effort in getting to know her.
Who knows.
Maybe she’ll be the one for me.
Chapter 10
Rachel
“So. Tell me everything.” My sister flops onto my sofa, balancing one of my huge coffee mugs in her hand. It’s Sunday morning and we’re both dressed for yoga. The moment I told Lianna about Jay, she declared that we’re skipping class. I like yoga but I don’t mind missing it today. This week at work kicked my ass and I’m in desperate need of some downtime. I haven’t gotten together with Lianna in more than two weeks. That’s not normal for us.
I take a bite of one of the muffins she brought over with her. “Blueberry. My favorite. You really made these?”
“Yup. Now stop holding back. I want details, and I want them now.” She leans in closer to me. “And this guy better be a good one. No more Dennis types. Promise me.”
I roll my eyes at her. “Hey, it’s not like I want to date idiots like him. They don’t exactly advertise it, at least not up front. Besides, losers are attracted to me.” I drink some of the coffee I made. Lianna can bake like a pro, but at least I can make a way better cup of coffee than she can. “Except this time.”
“Really?” Lianna settles back into the sofa. “Then this is gonna be good.”
“Jay’s great. He’s got it all together. And he’s extremely handsome.” My mind instantly flicks to my favorite feature. “His eyes are such a dark brown, they look black. They’re like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And his smile. I can’t even describe it.” I stop myself before I start detailing Jay’s body for my sister. Not going to happen.
“Sounds hot.” Lianna starts to chew on a muffin. “So, how was your night out with him?”
“It was really, really good.” Heat rises to my cheeks when I think about how much I enjoyed being with Jay. Especially the after-dinner part back at his place. “He’s thoughtful, nice, and just so easy to be with.”
Lianna smirks at me. “Are you talking about the date? Or what happened afterwards?”
“Both.”
“Hah, I knew it. I knew you slept with him.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “It was our first date. You so didn’t know that. But yes. I did.”
“And? How was it? Did the bed burst into flames? Did you have to call the fire department? Or was it just okay?”
I laugh and elbow her playfully. “Fire department.”
“Nice.” Lianna sets her mug down on the table, concentrating on her muffin. “Very nice, Rachel. You must be into him if you slept with him on the first date.”
“I am. Everything about that night was great. The restaurant, the food, the conversation. And the sex was off the charts.” I polish off the rest of my coffee, and pour refills for both of us. “Jay struck me as a straightforward man. He acted like he really wanted to get to know me.”
“But?” Lianna stirs some sugar into her coffee.
“What makes you think there’s a ‘but’?”
“Come on, Rachel. I can tell. You’re holding back on something.”
I sigh. “Yeah, okay. I’ve replayed the night over and over again in my mind. I can’t think of a single screw-up. Or anything that didn’t go well. It was a first date for the record books, you know?”
“Sure.”
“But he hasn’t called me since. He said he wanted to see me again when I left the next morning. But other than a couple of texts, he hasn’t asked me out.”
It’s been bugging me for days. I can’t figure it out.
Lianna frowns. “You like him, right?”
“I like him a lot. One of the things I like about him is that he appears to be really genuine.”
“So why don’t you ask him out? Go after what you want.”
I stir my coffee. “I kind of did. I mean, I suggested that we get together for dinner again. I figured he’d take the hint and lock it down. All he did was agree with me. He said yes, that’s a good idea, or something like that. He didn’t come back with a time and place like I thought he would.”
“Mm, that’s not so good. Maybe he decided that dating an employee was a bad idea for him after all.”
I pick up another muffin, turning it around in my hand. “I mean, that’s fair. I get it. It’s his company, he’s at the highest level. It’s not like he’s just a random supervisor or something. It’s just that, even if he decided he’s not into me for whatever reason, I never thought he’d be the type of guy to ghost. Everything about him says upfront and direct. Like if he changed his mind, he’d tell me. Not run off and hide without a word like some coward.”
“Yeah, from everything you told me about him, that doesn’t match. But I think it’s too soon to write him off just yet. Maybe you should give him a little more time. Great guys don’t come along everyday.”
I can’t help but grin around my mouthful of muffin. “Sometimes they do.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“I met someone else too.”
“Seriously?”
Quickly I tell her about running into Matt. Lianna’s eyebrows lift up. “Unbelievable. So, where’s this office building where all the hot men work at?”
“I know, right? It’s crazy.”
“And he asked you out? Just like that? What did you say?”
I take a deep breath. It’s a weird situation to be in. “I said yes.”
“Great!”
“Is it? I like Jay. I definitely want to see him again. But I don’t know what he’s thinking. If he’s already decided that we’re not right for each other after one night together, then that’s it. It’s over before it started. Even though part of me does want to give him a little more time.”
I wrap my hands around my coffee mug, enjoying the feeling of the warmth against my skin. “And I don’t know anything about Matt. But there was chemistry between us. No doubt. Way more than I’ve ever felt from someone I just met.”
“Hey, Jay sounds like a catch but you can’t wait around if he’s not going to make another move. Besides, it’s one date. There’s absolutely no harm in going out with this new guy to find out what he’s like. Maybe it’ll go somewhere, maybe not. But you won’t know if you don’t give it a try.”
“I know. I know. I guess I’m just struggling with it a little.” I stretch my legs out and lean against Lianna’s shoulder. “Like I mentioned, I like both guys. And I’m not sure what to do.”
“What do you mean? Do about what?”
I twist up the fabric of my top. I don’t quite know how to explain what I’m feeling about the situation. Lianna waits patiently for me to answer her.
“I’ve never had two men to go out with at the same time before. I don’t know what I should do. Is it really okay for me to go out with Matt when I still like Jay?”
Lianna laughs quietly. “Of course it’s okay. It’s way too early to even think about being exclusive. I mean, Jay didn’t ask for that yet, did he?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“I see what you mean. It sounds a lot more clear when I hear you say it out loud than it does when my mind’s jumping back and forth.”
“I get it. It’s easy enough to get caught up in a loop when you’re in the middle of something. If it goes farther with both of them, you can let them know you’re seeing other people. Until then, there’s no need to even worry about it. You’re not doing anything wrong, so stop feeling guilty about it.”
“You know me too well, sister.”
“You don’t owe Jay anything. Especially if he hasn’t asked you out again, or even called. There’s no reason not to go for it with someone else. If Jay does come through in the end, then you can choose whoever you want.”
“That’s easy for you say. You’re already married.” I take a long drink of coffee and that makes me feel a little better about my dilemma. “Dating’s complicated.”
Lianna sighs. “I know what it’s like. Not firsthand, not anymore. But nearly all of my friends are single, and I get details on the reg.”
“Okay. The thing is, I really like Jay.” Lianna smiles, encouraging me to keep going. “And I’m interested in Matt as well. I mean, really into him. I don’t why. It doesn’t make any sense. We just met and we barely spoke. But I can’t stop thinking about him.”
Lianna tilts her head. “Yeah, Rachel. That’s called attraction.”
I swat lightly at her shoulder. “Thanks, I never knew that. What I can’t get my head around is how can I be into more than one guy? I’ve never done that before. Gone out with two men at the same time.”
“Why not? Really, it’s all about the timing. Say you’d met Jay and gone out with him for awhile. Things ended, and then you met another man and starting seeing him. You’d have liked them both, right? Just one after the other. Now you just happened to meet them at very close to the same time. Same reaction, you like them both. It doesn’t really matter.”
