Troublemaker

by Bladon, Deborah

  He tosses me a small smile. "No more baseball references and just one more question for this round."

  I sigh, knowing what it's going to be. "You're going to ask me how the kiss was."

  He nods silently.

  "It was fine."

  "Fine," he repeats slowly drawing his top teeth over his bottom lip. "It was a fine kiss."

  "It was a fine first kiss," I elaborate even though he didn't ask. "Not all first kisses blow your socks off."

  "It depends who the first kiss is with." He cocks his head. Why does he look even more devastatingly alluring tonight?

  My phone chimes, the tone loud since the volume is at its highest setting. "I need to look at that. I'm on call at the clinic."

  He reaches to pick up the phone from where I left it on the coffee table. His eyes skim the screen before he hands it off to me. Then, in an instant, he's on his feet headed back into the kitchen without a word.

  I look down and instead of feeling an ounce of disappointment, I feel relief.

  It's a text from Trey.

  My ex showed up at the game. We're headed back to her place. She swings both ways (get it?) so you're welcome to join us.

  I type out a reply and hit send.

  I'll pass. It's been fun, Trey but I think we should just be friends.

  I lightly bite the nail of my thumb while I wait for his response. Crew still hasn't come back. I know he saw the text.

  My phone chimes again and my gaze drops instantly to the screen.

  I could use a good friend in this town. Friends it is.

  I smile. Where there was once potential for more between us, now there's the foundation for friendship. I won't mourn that.

  "Are you sticking around?" Crew walks across the room toward me. "I might have caught the tail end of Hale's text message."

  "You read the entire thing."

  "What's the verdict?" He scrubs the back of his neck with his hand.

  I rest my phone on the arm of the chair I'm sitting in. "I'm going to hold out for a first kiss that blows me away."

  "Does that mean it's over between you two?"

  "We agreed to be friends." I don't want it to sound pathetic because it's not. There was a time in the past when I'd take it to heart if a man agreed to be just friends with me as easily as Trey did. Now, I cut my losses as soon as I realize the fit isn't right. "That means you better watch out, or he may inch you out of the position of my best guy friend."

  "That won't happen." He settles back down on the couch, his hands falling to his thighs. "I'm not letting anyone take my place in your life."

  I don't respond. I can't. A heated rush runs through me. I'm not imagining the way he's looking at me. Something has definitely shifted between us. I have no idea where this is going, but I want to find out.

  Chapter 13

  Crew

  My turn.

  A million questions are running through my mind now that Hale has suddenly dropped out of the picture. I saw the text. I have no idea if Ad is into what he proposed, but I was holding my breath in the kitchen waiting to see if she'd race out the door to be part of the Hale's babe threesome.

  My mind took a second to catch up with the reality of what she said to me. It's over between her and Hale.

  "Are we still playing?" Wetting her lips with a lash of her tongue she looks over at me.

  How do I answer that? I'll play Truth or Dare with her all night, but I'm tired of edging around what's going on between us. That game needs to end tonight.

  "What'll it be, Ad. Truth or dare?"

  She hesitates, and I wonder if she's going to take the leap and take a dare. Before her text exchange with Hale, I would have kept the dare clean. Now I'm not so sure.

  "Truth," she answers without hesitation.

  "You mentioned your first kiss with Hale." That pinch on my last nerve that I felt every single time I said or heard his name isn't there anymore. Now, he's just another guy who passed through her life. The chemistry was never there. I could sense it at the burger place. A fuck between them would have been just as boringly fine as the kiss.

  "Are you still talking about him?" As she stretches the bottom hem of her T-shirt rides up to expose her stomach. "Do you want his number? Maybe you and Trey can be friends too. We can all hang out."

  I like that she's teasing me. She's pushed aside whatever sadness she was feeling earlier. She's happy. I still crave the knowledge of what brought her to tears, but she'll come to me with that if and when she wants to.

  "Hale and I will never be friends." I smile wryly. "I was just about to ask about the first kiss you ever had."

  Her eyes widen. "Like ever?"

  I lean back on the couch, watching her reaction. "Tell me about your first kiss. How old were you? What was his name?"

  She answers so quickly that I know that it's a good memory. She's held onto the details tightly. "I was eleven. His name was Tommy Marshall. It was an amazing first kiss."

  I inhale deeply. This is what I want more of. I want to know what she was like when she was a kid and who her friends were. I want every detail about anything that ever mattered to her.

  "It happened after school," she goes on as she runs the palm of her hand over her knee. "He asked me to meet him. I didn't know why, but I liked him so I thought I should go. When I came around the corner, he was already there. He dropped his backpack, grabbed my face and kissed me."

  It's the stuff young girl's dreams are made of. I want to thank Tom for giving her the gift of that kiss. She deserves to be wanted that way every day of her life.

  "It sounds like Tom was a catch."

  "We held hands and kissed a few more times." She looks past me to the distant lights of the city. "I sometimes wonder where he is now. I hope he's happy."

  If he's got that same memory to fall back on, he's doing all right.

  "Truth or dare, Crew?"

  I'm not about to tarnish her answer with a dare to do something she's not ready for. I opt for the safe choice. "I'll go truth again this round."

  There's a hint of challenge in her eyes when she looks at me. She takes a deep breath. "What was your first time like?"

  Hell if I can remember that far back. I probably kissed a girl when I was in the second or third grade. That memory has gotten buried under everything else I've done with the female population since I realized how intoxicating a woman's lips and body are. "I don't remember who my first kiss was with, Ad."

  She runs her fingers through her blonde locks, her eyes never leaving mine. "I wasn't asking about your first kiss, Crew. I want to know about the first time you fucked a woman."

  My heartbeat quickens and my cock hardens. She just slid a toe over the line we swore we'd never cross. I'm ready to pick her up and carry her over it. I give her one last out because if we're doing this, I'm all in. "You're sure you want to go there?"

  She holds her breath for a beat before she answers. "I want your truth about your first time. Tell me."

  I reach forward to gulp down the last swallow of scotch in my glass. I should pour another but I have to stop with that shit. I've been using it as a crutch for too long. It's a decent way to hide from reality but tonight I want to be present. I want this question to lead to more.

  "I was seventeen. She was older. It was good as far as first times go."

  "How much older?" she asks immediately, both her brows shooting up.

  "Five years." I drum my fingers over my thigh. "She was the older sister of a friend. It was winter break, so she was home from college."

  "You'd already done stuff with girls before though, right?"

  When I was a teenager, I ate pussy like I was a dying man and it was my last meal. I never took it beyond that though, because the girls were always willing to drop to their knees to reciprocate. After blowing my load, I'd pack up and head out or send them home.

  It wasn't until I met Jenna that I felt the urge to bury my dick in anyone.

  "The usual stuff teenagers do."
I smile. "I was never short of female company in high school."

  That earns me an eye roll. "I can imagine what you were like. The girls must have been lined up to be with you."

  I would have pushed them all aside for her, but back then she was too young for me. She was also too blonde. My draw to dark-haired women has always been there. It's not that I've never bedded a golden-haired beauty or a redhead. I have, too many times to count.

  I fell into a pattern with brunettes. I'd choose one and then another would be waiting her turn. At some point, I just narrowed the playing field by looking for the first available beautiful brown-haired woman who showed an interest in me. I'd approach her, buy her a drink and by the time the proposition left my lips, she'd be wet and ready.

  "I wasn't good to women back then," I say that like I'm the poster boy for how to treat a woman now. I'm not. I try my best to be a decent guy after I've been with a woman, but it doesn't always go as planned.

  "Why not?"

  "I had a big appetite after I fucked Jenna." I don't break eye contact with her. "I wanted more and I didn't stop."

  "You haven't stopped," she corrects me quietly.

  Wrestling with disappointment in myself I don't respond immediately. Even though we never talk about who we're fucking she knows I go through a steady stream of partners on a monthly basis. Occasionally, I'll settle into a pattern with a woman for a few weeks, but it doesn't last. I never want it to.

  "I'm not judging." Her mouth twitches. "It's not like I'm a saint."

  I bow my head down. I don't want to know about her past. I don't think I can stand hearing about how many men have tasted her pussy or fucked her. The thought of her mouth on another man's dick creates a knot of jealousy in my chest.

  This was so much easier when I saw her as just a friend. It started to shift on New Year's Eve when she ditched her date to take care of me. My feelings for her have only intensified since then. I sat next to her at Nolan's one Sunday in February. The smell of her perfume permeated my skin. I went home and jacked off thinking about her.

  The guilt wore on me, so I shifted my focus. I fucked other women, drank more and when she showed up on my doorstep the night of the snowstorm I let her in. We watched television and shared a beer. It was light and easy but when she went to bed, I thought about her lips wrapped around my cock.

  I'm a strong man but I have a limit and I'm barreling toward it at full speed.

  "I'm going to get a bottle of water." She pushes to her feet. "When I get back it's your turn. Think about whether it's going to be a truth or a dare."

  I eye her sweet ass as she walks into the kitchen. All bets are off. It's time to dare Adley to show me how she really feels.

  Chapter 14

  Adley

  I use my time in the kitchen to drink half a bottle of water and calm my nerves. I didn't know how Crew would react when I asked him the question about his first time, but he hesitated only briefly before he answered.

  I can feel that we're edging toward something more intense than the just friends arrangement we agreed to after we first met. The thought of losing Crew as a friend scares me, but not taking a chance when there could be something more between us, terrifies me even more.

  Crew Benton is without a doubt, the once-in-a-lifetime type of man all women dream about.

  "Did you fall asleep in there?" There's amusement in his tone as he calls from the other room.

  I adjust the hem of the T-shirt I put on. I wish I would have had more time to get ready before he walked through the door. I didn't expect to see him tonight, so I wasn't exactly worried about what I looked like.

  I round the corner and walk back toward where he's sitting. I feel his eyes on me when I lower myself on the sofa next to him.

  It's a risky move, but I want this.

  "Do you want to keep playing, Crew?" I look over at him. He stretches, resting his arms on the back of the sofa. My eyes trail over his chest and tight abs before they land on the front of his pajama bottoms. The outline of his erection is clearly visible.

  "Truth or dare?" His voice is deeper; the tone gruff.

  I turn so I'm facing him, my leg bending at the knee as I rest it on the sofa. I know I'll likely regret this in the morning, but life isn't all about playing it safe. I've done that for the past few years and look where it's gotten me.

  "What will it be?" He tilts his head, studying the spot where the tattered hem of my jean shorts meets my thigh.

  "Dare."

  "Kiss me."

  My head shoots up. I stare at him but he's still focused on my body. His gaze is now carving a path over my pebbled nipples. "You want me to kiss you?"

  "I dare you to kiss me." He makes the subtle correction with a tilt of his chin as his eyes meet mine. "We talked about memorable first kisses. I'm daring you to see how memorable my kiss is."

  The sly smile that curves his lips only makes me want to taste them more.

  "What do you say, Adley?" he whispers roughly as he leans closer. "Are you up for the dare?"

  I'm not one for backing down from a challenge. The consequence of what I'm about to do bears down on me, but I don't care.

  I move quickly, my legs sliding over the soft leather of the sofa before they straddle him. I land in his lap, his lips closer to mine than they've ever been.

  His hands dart from the sofa's back to my thighs. He pins me there, pushing me down so I can feel the steely length of his cock pressing into me through the barrier of fabric that separates us.

  I raise my hands tentatively, twisting my fingers through his hair. It's as soft as I imagined. A brief image of his face between my legs while I yank gently on the strands invades my thoughts. I pull lightly, tilting his head until his lips align perfectly with mine.

  His eyes are hooded, dark and full of the restless need I feel inside of me.

  "I accept the dare," I whisper against his cheek before I move to cover his mouth with mine.

  His lips part to invite me to taste more. Our tongues collide instantly, lashing against one another. He groans into the kiss, his hips grinding up to meet my body, the movement an invitation for me to take what I want.

  I slide myself along the length of his thick cock, shivering when I hear the low moan that comes from his throat.

  I've never been kissed like this before. It's exquisite, indulgent, intoxicating. I want it to last forever. It makes me dream of more, and touches that are only from him; his fingers, his mouth, his cock.

  "Jesus," he hisses the word out as he moves. His hands slide to cup my ass before he flips me over in one swift movement. My back lands on the soft leather and suddenly he's hovering above me, one strong hand pinned to the back of the sofa to support his weight.

  "I. Want. More," he growls against my mouth as his hand inches up my stomach.

  I don't stop the kiss or his hand. I can't. Every inch of me that is blessed with his touch feels alive. I've never felt this desired before. I'm so wet that I know he can feel it through my shorts. He has to know what he's doing to me.

  I arch my back to show him that I want everything he does.

  He deepens the kiss, his tongue moving as slowly as his hand. It's an achingly delicious path to a place I've only imagined in my mind.

  I feel his fingers when they glide along the underside of my right breast. I moan because I can't control what my body wants. The sound brings a smile to his lips that I feel through the kiss.

  There's nothing between us but pure lust and need.

  For the first time in a long time, I feel safe and wanted.

  "Crew." His name escapes my lips in a low hum when I feel his fingers on my nipple.

  He pinches it so hard that I yelp.

  "Dare me to do more." The raw need in his voice draws goosebumps to my skin.

  I stop him with a hand to his chin. I look into his eyes. They're the same mesmerizing eyes that I've seen for the last two years but they're reflecting back differently to me now. The hunger that I see i
n his gaze is a perfect match to what I feel inside.

  "Crew," I murmur again, while I struggle to think of the right words to say. I want him to strip me bare and take me to his bed.

  "I'll take care of you." His gaze travels slowly over my face. "Let me show you."

  I nod. I've never wanted anything more in my life than to make love to this man.

  Just as his hand trails over my stomach, he pulls back suddenly, rushing to get to his feet. His abrupt movement and the loud music that fills the room catch my breath in my throat. I reach for him to steady myself but he's not there. Even though I'm on my back on the sofa, I feel as though the entire world is falling away beneath me.

  "My phone," I mumble as my mind catches up to what's happening. "That's my phone."

  It's in his palm before I'm upright. I take it from him, our fingers touching briefly.

  "Adley York," I answer breathlessly. "What is it?"

  I listen intently as a female voice from the answering service for the clinic explains something to me about a dog and an accident.

  "I'm coming," I tell her calmly. "I'll be there in fifteen. I'll call Dr. Hunt myself."

  When I look up, Crew's not there. The only reminder of what we just did is the tenderness of my lips, the ache in my core and the feeling that I just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

  Chapter 15

  Crew

  I had to leave the room after she took that call. It was the only thing I could do to stop myself from grabbing her phone and tossing it out a window.

  I was so close, so fucking close to being inside her.

  "Crew?" Ad's voice carries down the long hallway to my bedroom. I came in here to get dressed. I put on a pair of jeans and a gray T-shirt. If she's leaving at this time of night, I sure as hell am going with her. "Crew, I need to go."

  I'm out of the bedroom like a shot. I jog down the corridor with unlaced shoes. "Wait. I'm coming with you."

  She turns to look at me. Somehow she's been able to get into her scrubs, tuck her hair into a messy bun and pack up her stuff in record time.