by Kendall Ryan
“That feel good to you, Everleigh?” I demanded hoarsely, loving the sound of her cries, wanting to pull more of them from her mouth. “You want my cock right here?” I asked, plunging my fingers into her until she whimpered my name.
Her cries had become incoherent, and her chest was heaving as she thrust toward me, urging me to work her harder . . . faster. She was close, so close, and I couldn’t wait to feel her go over the edge.
I pressed my face between her thighs and replaced my thumb with my tongue, nibbling on her clit until she clawed at my shoulders in an unspoken plea. In answer, I sucked the tiny nub of flesh into my mouth and drew hard, once . . . twice, and then she screamed.
My cock jerked, and I arched into the mattress to keep from coming as her orgasm rained down on me. Coating my fingers even as her pussy clamped over them like a vice.
“Smith, oh God!”
I held it together, just barely, as she shook beneath me, but I was one false move from exploding myself. The moment the last tremors faded, I climbed up the bed and scrambled for a condom.
Seconds later, with a tear of foil and a quick fumble, I was ready. I pressed her back against the pillow and stroked her flushed cheek with my fingertip, my heart nearly as full as my aching cock.
“You ready?” I asked softly.
Her eyes gleamed and she nodded. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”
I gripped my cock and slid between her legs, resting the head against her opening. Her bottom lip quivered as I brushed a lock of hair away from her face.
Once I was in, I was in. There was no way I could live with myself if I had no intention of being with Evie beyond today, not even to satisfy her virginity vendetta. That thought only made me more eager to get inside her, though, because I’d never been more sure in my life.
But maybe this was just a box to check for her. Once she’d had a proper, satisfying sexual experience, would that be it?
For me, it was so much more. As I looked into her eyes and thrust inside her, filling her . . . taking her, it all seemed so fucking clear.
I was in love. I wanted Evie Reed to be mine now and forever. Now, it was up to her what happened after tonight.
So you better make it good, Hamilton.
Her mouth dropped open in a silent gasp as I drove forward, slow and steady. Inch by excruciating inch.
“God, you’re fucking tight,” I bit out through gritted teeth.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
But for once, she didn’t look sorry, or shy, or nervous. She looked totally enthralled.
Good start.
I was seated about halfway when I felt it again. The feeling that had put my radar on high alert that night in the hotel. The band of muscles wrapping around my cock like a fist. This was the tricky bit. I needed to move forward to finish the deed, but getting into her tight little pussy that deep would come at a price—my sanity.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a steadying breath before opening them again. “Relax,” I whispered.
She nodded furiously, her throat working as she swallowed hard. “Trying to.”
It was easy to forget she’d done this before. Both because I wanted to pretend that I was the first one to claim her, and also because whoever she’d been with must have been hung like a fucking field mouse.
I inched forward, and her every muscle tensed against me. “Tell me if I hurt you, baby. Don’t want that.”
“N-no. Not exactly. It feels huge,” she whispered, flicking out her tongue to lap at the beads of sweat dotting her upper lip. “Like pressure, but good too, you know?”
I bit back a groan. I did know. If there was any more pressure on my cock and balls right now, I’d literally disintegrate.
“One more push and I’ll be all the way in, okay?”
She nodded, and her eyes fluttered shut. “Yup.”
I leaned down to kiss her softly on the mouth. Then balancing onto my forearms, I drove forward in a single smooth motion until my cock was fully seated deep inside her. My vision went hazy as her gasp rang out in the silent room.
I wanted to stay still. To give her time to adjust, and ask her again if she was all right. But the weeks of denying my need finally exploded inside me, and I was all instinct.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, my hips pounding against her now of their own accord. Heat snaked up my shaft, and my cock bucked as I realized with a rush of relief that she was moving beneath me, her own soft hips crashing against mine.
“For what?” she breathed.
“Being too rough with you.” I clenched my teeth, my ass muscles flexing as I pumped harder.
“Feels so good. Don’t stop.”
Her whimpers became shouts as I filled her again and again, plowing forward until I hit bottom, her channel working me over in a sensual assault.
“I’m going to come,” she groaned, her fingernails tearing into my shoulders.
“Fuck, yeah. Come for me, Evie.” The headboard slammed against the wall in a steady rhythm as she shattered around me.
“Smith!”
Thank God.
Evie’s back bowed, her breasts smashing against my chest as she came. She clutched my ass, melding her body to mine, dragging me over the edge with her.
“Fuck.”
My muscles clenched as heat thundered through me. Her gaze locked with mine as I unloaded inside her, coming so hard, I almost blacked out. I flexed my hips, drawing out our pleasure, pressing deeper and holding true until the last wave subsided. Then I collapsed on top of her with a groan.
“Boy, when you finally do it, you do it right,” I murmured in her ear.
Her breathy laugh warmed my neck, and she pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “All credit to you, good sir. It makes me really glad it was you, Smith.”
It wasn’t until she said the words that I realized how much it meant to me that she felt that way.
I rolled to the side, tugging her with me as I went, and tucked her under my arm. “I’m glad it was me too, Evie.”
She was totally right. You could have a do-over. No one could take this from us. It was perfect.
We lay there for a long time in each other’s arms, totally silent, just soaking in the warm glow. I almost could have fallen into a light sleep until I felt her soft lips graze my ear.
“It felt like that was a good start, but there’s so many more questions I have,” she murmured, her soft hand traveling down my abs slowly until my cock leaped up to meet her.
“Looks like you’ve come to the right place,” I growled, grabbing her by the hips and yanking her on top of me.
Her squeal of laughter rang through me like a song, and I pulled her mouth down to mine.
Tomorrow, we’d talk it all through, and I’d find out if her heart was in the same place as mine.
Tonight?
I just wanted to make her scream again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Evie
The room was too warm. That was the first thing I realized as I blinked open hazy eyes. The second thing I realized was that I was butt naked and sprawled out over Smith’s body.
As I scrambled off him into a sitting position, my body ached in places I had never ached before.
“Evie?” Smith’s sleepy voice asked.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the digital clock and saw it was just past midnight. We’d made love twice and then had fallen asleep in each other’s arms.
“Be right back,” I whispered, climbing from the bed. Padding naked and barefoot into the adjoining bathroom, I flipped on the light and sank onto the toilet to relieve myself.
After washing my hands, I tiptoed back into the bedroom. Smith was lying quiet and still in the center of the bed, the sheet draped over his waist. My throat tightened as I watched his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm.
This night was everything I’d dreamed it could be. It had been the most amazing sexual experience of my life, and Smith had been the perfect man to share it wi
th. He was so attentive, so giving and loving, and I’d been completely lost in the moment. But now? Now I was freaking out a bit.
Feeling around on the floor, I located my underwear and jeans, and slid them on. My bra was hanging off the back of a chair, and my shirt was nowhere to be found.
Exiting the bedroom as quietly as I could, I headed for the living room and spotted my shirt on the hallway floor.
The need to be in my own space outweighed everything. I had to process what had happened tonight and my growing feelings for Smith. And I needed to do it in the safety of my own home.
I’d grown closer to Smith in these past few weeks than I’d ever imagined was possible. It was no longer just about sex. Yes, we’d had an amazing time between the sheets, and I was sure no man would ever compare, but things were so much more complicated than that. He’d let me into his life, introduced me to his lovable yet chaotic family, shown me what it was like to let go and have fun.
And now that it was over? I was more heartbroken than I’d ever imagined.
Dressing quickly, I slipped on my shoes and coat, scratched out a quick note, and fled.
• • •
Pushing open the heavy glass door to the office Monday morning, I forced my mouth into a smile. “Morning,” I said to my brother.
“Hey, Evie,” Cullen said, his eyes still trained on his computer screen. “Is there a reason you’re”—his gaze dropped to his wristwatch—“forty minutes late?”
I sniffed. I’d been frozen in fear this morning, sure that my brother would read guilt and heartache all over me. “Sorry about that. I’m not feeling very well today.”
His gaze swung over to mine and softened. “If you need to go home and take it easy today, it’s no big deal.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
We worked in silence for a few minutes until I couldn’t help but ask the question burning a hole in my brain. “Where’s Smith? Did he call in sick or something too?”
Cullen shrugged. “I haven’t heard from him at all, other than a very weird conversation last week. Regarding you, actually.” He paused, and when I pulled my gaze away from my laptop, I found Cullen looking at me expectantly. “Did something happen between you two?”
The image of Smith moving on top of me flashed through my brain, and the memory of his naughty game of keep-away where he wouldn’t let me touch him burned inside me. The inner thoughts and dreams and fears we’d shared . . . it all felt like a mountain of deceit inside me.
With tears filling my eyes, I grabbed my purse and rose to my feet. “I’m not telling you anything. You’re my brother.”
Then I stormed from the office, set on hiding out the rest of this decade, safe in my own apartment.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Smith
Four missed calls. Three from Cullen and one from Evie.
Blowing out a sigh, I set my phone down on the table and stared out the window at a young woman pushing a baby stroller down the street.
After what I thought was a great night with Evie, I’d woken up alone yesterday, and I still wasn’t sure what to think. Yeah, there had been a sweet note saying she’d had a great time and would see me at work on Monday, but that didn’t take away the sting completely. I’d spent my Sunday contemplating whether to call her and find out where her head was at, but had eventually opted to leave it for a day.
It was probably partly my fault that she’d left. I’d meant to tell her how I was feeling, and when we fell asleep in each other’s arms, I was sure I’d have time in the morning. Until she’d up and left before I woke.
It had left me in a dark, miserable mood all day. One that I almost let take over. What if she was like my mother, and the second I decided I was all in, she packed up and walked out? What if what I was feeling was one-sided, and she’d only been in it for the sex, to check that item off her bucket list?
Now, though, as I thought back on it all—the light in her eyes as I moved over her, the warmth in her face when she looked at me—I was confident she’d felt it too. The bond tightening between us that felt more real than anything I’d felt before. The only question was whether she was going to be strong enough to withstand Cullen’s disapproval and admit what I already knew, deep down in my bones.
We were meant to be together.
But the thought of going to the office and trying to talk this through with Cullen there made my gut churn.
So I didn’t. Instead, I’d slapped my alarm clock off the nightstand and closed my eyes again, determined to get at least another hour of the sleep the Reed family had robbed me of the night before.
I’d managed a whole half hour of sleep before I climbed out of bed to make a massive decadent breakfast for myself. Pancakes, bacon, the whole nine yards. Then I’d proceeded to eat exactly none of it because Cullen’s texts started coming in.
Cullen: Where the fuck are you?
Cullen: Pick up the phone, asshole.
And my personal favorite?
Cullen: Real fucking mature.
Maybe he was right. Not showing up for work hadn’t been my finest move, but he was the pot calling the kettle black. How mature was it to try to keep your little sister from having a relationship if she wanted one?
A relationship that just might make her happy if either of them would let it.
I took a swallow of coffee and grimaced. It was cup number four, and already my empty stomach was feeling bitter with acid. Clearly, something had happened at work if Cullen was so desperate to get in touch, but damn if I knew what. What I did know was that, as much as I liked putting off the inevitable drama, I couldn’t just sit here stewing all day either.
Time to face the music, once and for all.
I rushed through a quick shower and dressed for the office, taking a second to scrape my congealed breakfast off the plate and into the garbage before leaving.
On the ride over, I was a mental wreck, wondering if I was going to walk in only to get shit-canned, or if Cullen was going to be waiting on the other side of the office door with boxing gloves on. Neither scenario was out of the question, and I was almost hoping for the latter. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d solved a problem with our fists. Hell, it might actually clear the air.
But once I got there and saw Evie’s car wasn’t in the lot, something in my mind snapped and my whole mentality changed.
I was sick to death of tiptoeing around. This was all so fucking stupid. There were people in the world with real problems, stuck in abusive relationships or taking care of a loved one with a serious illness. This wedge keeping Evie and me apart was all our own doing. The three of us had put each other into little boxes our whole lives. Evie was my best friend’s little sister, but it was only sheer stubbornness on Cullen’s part that dictated she couldn’t also be my woman.
Enough pussyfooting. I was going to get through to him today and make it official with Evie, or I was going to die trying.
I shoved my way through the doors, each step spring-loaded.
“First things first,” I muttered under my breath.
I pushed through the office doors and found Cullen staring down at his phone in irritation. Evie was nowhere to be seen.
Cullen’s gaze shot up to meet mine, and he grimaced. “About fucking time you showed up. Thanks for gracing us with your presence.”
I flipped him off and turned my desk chair around, sliding it in front of his desk to straddle it.
“I’m in love with your sister,” I said, zero apology in my voice.
Anger rolled off him in palpable waves now, but I was past caring.
“One night when we were in Paris, she came to my hotel room and tried to seduce me,” I continued. “Once I realized what was happening, because of our friendship, I put her off. For the past month, I’ve continued to put her off because I didn’t want to cause a rift. Not between me and you, or you and Evie. But now, shit’s getting real. I don’t just want to sleep with her. I want to wake up with her, and spend the d
ay with her, and share my life with her.”
Cullen’s face was still stony, but his eyes narrowed a little as he listened intently.
“She’s the only person of the opposite sex besides Pam who gets me. She makes me laugh, and she’s so smart and caring.” I let out a low laugh. “Here I am telling you, but you already know all this. Point is, it took me this long to realize that she’s all that and more. Now, I know I haven’t always been a relationship guy, but I swear that if you give us your blessing, I will never hurt her. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, Cullen.”
He leaned his palm against the desk and cocked his head. “Have you thought about what happens if it doesn’t work out, Smith? Then what?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take if she is. But honestly, man?” I shook my head slowly. “This is it for me. She’s the one. So if she’ll have me, I’m going to devote everything I’ve got to making sure it does work out. So I’m asking this one time. Can we have your blessing?”
Silence stretched for so long, my hopes started to fall, but then he spoke.
“And if I say no?”
This wasn’t a question I wanted to answer, but I was through lying.
“If I have anything to say about it, we’re going to do it anyway. That’s how much I care. But I know it would go a long way to making your sister happy if you said yes.”
Apparently, despite my reservations, that was the right response.
Cullen shot me a bitter half smile. “All I ever wanted was for her to be happy. Maybe I didn’t show it the right way sometimes, but that’s the truth. So, yeah.” He pushed himself to stand and then made his way around his desk. “You have my blessing. But if you hurt her? You’re also going to have my foot so far up your ass, people will think you’re a boot, understood?”
Some of the ice in my stomach started to melt, and I scrubbed a hand over my jaw in relief. Now hardly seemed like the time to remind him I’d whipped his ass last time we’d sparred, boxing at the gym, so I managed to hold it in.
“Yup, got it,” I said with a nod as I stood.
