Neutral Zone (Love on Thin Ice Book 2)

by Amber Lynn

  “Just so you know, I’m sure most people fear that look on your face, but all it does to me is make me want to pick you up and fuck you against that wall. If that’s what you want, keep it up. There’s nothing in the contract that says we can’t have sex before the three weeks are up.”

  Nina had to think about his words. She was pissed at him, but his cockiness made her blood boil in ways that had nothing to do with anger.

  He was right that the contract specifically said they couldn’t have sex with anyone else, but there wasn’t anything in there about sex with each other. The whole masturbation thing was added because Nina thought it was obvious they wouldn’t be playing around until the three weeks were up.

  “You think I’d let you touch me right now? If I wasn’t hoping to use your dick in the near future, I would kick you so hard it would flatten.”

  Brady laughed and stepped back a few feet. There was nothing funny about the comment, so Nina’s glare remained on her face.

  “That’s why I made sure to put on a cup before you got home. I’m guessing I’ll probably need to sleep with it tonight.”

  It was no fair that Brady had protection always on hand. Nina wasn’t sure if he was serious, but the thought of kicking something hard, well at least harder than he usually was, kept her from committing to a kick.

  Nina hadn’t ventured into Brady’s room, so sleeping with his protection was silly. So was telling her that he was planning to, because knowing it was there made it easy to work around it.

  Nina’s eyes ventured down to try to figure out how in the world Brady’s penis shrunk down enough to fit in a cup. As far as she knew, he still had problems with a constant boner.

  “Quit staring at it and get back out there to eat your dinner. You said you were starving and haven’t touched your food. You can play hide and seek with the dog clothes later.”

  Brady grabbed Nina’s hand and turned around to pull her down the hallway behind him. She wasn’t done arguing with him, but his strength made it impossible for her to stop the forward motion. Even if she dragged her feet, he’d still easily be able to make her move.

  “You’re not wearing a cup, are you?”

  She should’ve asked what he meant about the clothes. Hide and seek sounded like he hadn’t caught them on fire, but it didn’t give her any certainty that they were still in the house.

  “You gave up the chance to see when you threatened to kick me. If you’re a good girl and are a little more attentive to our guests, I’ll only wear my boxers the rest of the night after they leave. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out.”

  “Ugh. There went my appetite.”

  Nina saw a fork that had been headed towards Curtis’ mouth fall back to his plate as they rounded the corner. She supposed it was good to hear he wasn’t interested in seeing Brady in his boxers. He’d probably already seen more than that in the locker room, but the way the guys were all buddy-buddy sometimes made Nina wonder about them.

  “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on? Obviously, Brady did something to piss you off, but I think we all know that breathing wrong has been known to do that.”

  Hannah’s plate was empty, making it easy for her attention to be on the couple coming in the room. Nina didn’t think they’d been gone that long, so the clean plate was a little surprising.

  Brady twirled Nina around quickly when they got to her chair and pushed her to sit down. She opened her mouth to answer Hannah, but Brady shook his head.

  “I’ll explain, you eat. You’re even grumpier than usual when you’re hungry, so let’s fix that problem.”

  He took his place next to Nina and snacked on a couple bites of food before he spoke. Nina just stared at him, trying to figure out when exactly he decided he could say and do whatever he wanted without worrying about punishment.

  It was clearly her own fault, and she needed to figure out something to teach him a lesson. The little stuff around the house wasn’t cutting it, so it was time to step up her game.

  Chapter 10

  Brady hadn’t known hosting dinner guests could be so much fun. He’d planned on waiting to tell Nina about his new game until after Curtis and Hannah left, but Nina just had to bring something else home for Henry to wear.

  She hadn’t taken his warning about what her mean warrior princess looks did to him, because every time he spoke, she flashed another one in his direction. Brady had a lot of experience with foreplay, but what they’d been doing since they started playing house was unlike any foreplay he’d dealt with before.

  Curtis and Hannah hung around for an hour or so after the table was cleared. The entire time, Brady felt like he was under some sort of microscope. His friend had never qualified the woman trouble he claimed Brady had, but Brady hoped watching him and Nina together erased any question of marriage around the corner. If it didn’t, Curtis needed to get his eyes checked.

  Brady was tucked in bed for the night. After their guests had left, Nina and Henry had disappeared, probably off searching for the dog clothes, leaving Brady space to relax on the couch for a while and unwind. It was nice to have a little break in the routine they’d established.

  It wasn’t that the routine was boring per se. The sexual tension between the two of them was pushing Brady to a breaking point. For all the flirting and advances he made, he didn’t take advantage, and with the contract in place, he couldn’t run out and find someone to relieve the pressure. That left him alone with his hand, something he hadn’t needed to use in a decade.

  And he wasn’t about to start, no matter how much he needed it.

  It made him a tangled frustrating mess. It was a miracle he hadn’t ripped anyone’s head off.

  “Do you always sit around in bed and brood, or is this a special occasion?”

  The she-devil’s voice quickly brought Brady out of his thoughts. He assumed she’d been in his room at some point, during her explorations of the house, but never while he was around to wonder what she saw as she looked around.

  Glancing towards his door, he saw she wasn’t looking around the room. Her eyes were glued to him as he pushed himself up to rest his back against the headboard, keeping his movements slow. It was amazing Brady could even move, given the fact that Nina was dressed in a black and red corset and black thigh highs.

  Fuck me.

  The words didn’t escape his lips, but his brain yelled them. He knew he brought up the idea that the contract didn’t curtail them from fucking like bunnies even before the deal was up, but he didn’t think for a second she’d take him up on the offer. No matter what she was wearing, Brady wasn’t jumping to conclusions about what she was doing standing in his doorway.

  “As far as I know, I don’t have anything to brood about. I had a great day today.”

  Nina’s forehead raised as she rolled her eyes to the right. Brady held his breath as she took a couple steps into the room and finally showed signs of looking around. He knew she’d been surprised that his bachelor pad was all neat and tidy, a fact that carried over into his bedroom.

  His mom was a neat freak, which he’d clearly picked up. He could have paid someone to come in and straighten up after him, but the habit of putting things where they went was hard to break.

  “You had a great day? What exactly did you do today that was so great, Brady?”

  The perusal of his bed, dresser and TV stand only took Nina a few seconds. Since things were relatively bare, he figured she only needed those few seconds to pick out all the new décor she wanted to buy for the room.

  “The usual, work, housework, dinner.”

  “The usual? Work,” she said taking a step forward. “Housework.” Another step. “Dinner.”

  Brady smiled and nodded his head once. Nina still had plenty of distance to go to get to the bed. He wasn’t so sure he wanted her to make it to him. She was dressed for fun, her shaven mound was even exposed for him to see, but there was something in her eyes that told him torture was more than likely where thin
gs were going. That something was why he only gave the smooth skin between her legs a quick glance.

  It wasn’t like she could make him more uncomfortable. Sure, she could call his bluff about wearing a cup. Brady wasn’t looking forward to that thought, but she had noted she had a use for him that may prevent any permanent damage.

  “That’s what I said. Great day. I’m sorry yours wasn’t as great.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. It’s really hard for me to have a bad day.”

  Brady heard her, but his mind drifted to the idea of taking a picture of her and having it made into one of those life-size clings people put on walls. Usually they were of athletes, or at least that’s what the commercials seemed to show, but if Nina wanted to decorate things, he saw no problem with making her the decorations.

  “What the fuck is that goofy grin about?”

  She’d pretended to be full-on seductress, but it was easy to bring the she-devil out. All you had to do was not pay attention to her when she wanted you to.

  “Some thoughts are better left private.” Brady grinned, then patted the bed next to him. “If you’re planning on sticking around a while, maybe you should sit. Or, you could just tell me what punishment you’ve come up with for me hiding the clothes. I’m guessing it’s a little more than just walking in here dressed to kill.”

  “Don’t be silly. This outfit doesn’t even boast a knife sheath or gun holster, so killing is off the table. I just thought it’d be a good idea to come in here and remind you why you don’t want to piss me off. Most guys don’t get this kind of warning, so pay attention.”

  Nina reached behind her as Brady watched her pull a string. The front of the corset immediately loosened, and it was only seconds before both hands were lowering it down her body. Brady swallowed hard when he saw the promised pinkie-sized nipples make an appearance.

  Those nipples were rosy pink and one-hundred percent suckable, just as Brady knew they would be. Nina was playing with fire, and Brady was sure that was the point.

  “Now, sweetheart, why’d you have to go and do that?”

  Once the corset was chucked, Nina continued her path to the bed like a lioness on the prowl. Brady could see her bare smooth skin all the way to the tops of the thigh highs.

  “I told you. I’m reminding you why we’re playing this game.”

  She licked her lips as she climbed on top of the bed. Brady was pushed against the wall, so he couldn’t get further away from her, but he still tried. His general reaction was always fight in simple fight or flight situations. For once, his brain was thinking logical and trying to get away.

  The sensation of trying to get away from something so beautiful was completely foreign. He wasn’t really sure when caution had become part of his life, but he knew it had to do with the woman tracing her fingers up his leg. He was under the sheets, so it wasn’t skin-on-skin contact, thankfully.

  “I don’t need a naked reminder. Isn’t that why you wanted us to move in together? You can keep a close eye on me to make sure I’m not breaking the deal, and I get to see your scowling face to remind me how much I want to fuck you.”

  “And you haven’t broken that deal, right? I mean, our nights together eat up a lot of the time we’d otherwise spend occupied, but I’m at work all day, so I can’t keep a constant eye on you.”

  Brady raised his eyebrows at the question. He kind of thought she’d hire someone to follow him around to make sure he was being a good boy. He’d considered it himself, but didn’t trust someone to be stealthy enough to do it without notice.

  “I haven’t had sex in six days. You?”

  The contract had only been in place for three days, but Brady decided it was best to quit cold turkey as soon as the situation presented itself. It wasn’t like finding another woman to hook up with would really satisfy the craving he’d been trying to quench for months.

  “Just a few hours until it’s seven for me. I should be more irritable than I am about that, but playing with you really does keep one busy. How about your hand? Has it been getting a workout?”

  The question registered, but as Nina asked it, the fingers toying with his leg made it to the rigid structure pushing the sheets up around his waist. Flattening out her hand, she rubbed up the whole length of him.

  Brady gulped, loud enough he was slightly embarrassed by the reaction. It deserved the gulp, but it shouldn’t have drawn Nina’s eyes away from her new toy.

  “I’d hate for my right arm to get stronger than the left.”

  “Really? No jacking off either. You poor, poor man.”

  With Nina rubbing up and down, her whole body moving with each motion, it was kind of hard to feel sorry for himself. Her breasts hung like small pendulums swinging closer to him then away. He wanted to suck them into his mouth, giving them both the attention they deserved, but he was letting her run the show.

  Another shoe had to be dropping at some point. That didn’t stop him from groaning as a wave of pleasure from Nina’s continued rubbing hit him. He hoped she didn’t think he was some amateur and just a little rubbing would set him off.

  “I’ve been promised the reward for waiting will be more than worth it.”

  “You know,” Nina said as she stopped her rubbing, climbed a little further up the bed and threw her leg over his torso. “You’re different than other guys, Brady McDonald.”

  Her hands both pressed on his shoulders as she settled her hot core on top of him. He wasn’t inside of her, but the sheets between them left very little to the imagination.

  “I’ve heard that rumor before, but usually both the lady claiming it and me are naked, and she’s just had her world rocked.”

  “You’re not naked under there?”

  Nina sounded honestly shocked to even have to ask. His torso was bare and visible, but the rest of him was covered. She’d been living with him long enough that she should’ve known he didn’t wander around naked, and since Henry hadn’t come in to bed yet, Brady would eventually have to go find him to make sure he didn’t try to climb the stairs to see his new favorite person.

  “Boxers. My neighbors don’t appreciate me walking Henry out to piss in my birthday suit.”

  He’d never been quite that brazen, so he didn’t know if that was true. He also wasn’t very close with the neighbors. They could have been all for him starting his own nudist colony in the backyard, and he wouldn’t know.

  “I guess that’s logical. Someone might think it’s a weapon. Speaking of it,” Nina paused to wiggle a little, maybe to get comfortable, maybe just because. “Are you seriously not going to touch me? I’m on top of you in nothing more than some stockings and you haven’t lifted a finger to touch me. Most guys don’t need to be told a little interaction would be welcome.”

  “Oh, so that’s how I’m different.”

  Brady smiled, but didn’t move his hands to touch. The equal parts of annoyance and disappointment in Nina’s voice only reiterated that she expected him to act a certain way, which was all the more reason for him to do the opposite.

  “I know you want me. I came in here wrapped like a present for you and somehow you’re actually able to keep eye contact.”

  Shaking his head, he thought about rolling so Nina was next to him instead of on top of him. It’d make the conversation easier, but seemed like it would be letting Nina win whatever battle they were in the middle of.

  “I specifically asked for a red ribbon and bow, nothing else. The corset was lovely, but I don’t consider it a present.”

  “Why won’t you let me punish you?”

  Brady winked, which only seemed to aggravate Nina. She screamed, then pounded him once on his chest with her fist before she slid off him to stand next to the bed. He rubbed the spot she’d struck in feigned pain.

  “I hate to verify this, but were you trying to get me all hot and bothered just to leave me hanging?”

  It seemed like the obvious answer. The lack of creativity seemed beneath Nina. As far as he
knew, she wasn’t aware that he didn’t spend all night jacking off, so the plan had some holes in it.

  “You took away Henry’s clothes. How is he supposed to go to sleep without any jammies?”

  The question was somehow serious, but it was impossible to see it that way. Not surprisingly, Nina didn’t seem to appreciate Brady’s attempts to keep from laughing. His hands finally moved as he brought the left one in a fist up to his face to cover his mouth.

  “It’s not funny, Brady. You’ve let the dog run around naked for years.”

  “I’m pretty sure most dog owners do the same. I got the feeling you were only doing it to piss me off. Or at least try to piss me off. You do remember warning me that you wanted to fuck with me, right?”

  Seductress Nina was gone, leaving the usual pissed off one in its place. Brady didn’t know how many times she’d tried to play the game with other guys, but he was making sure she knew without a doubt that her declaration about him being different was in fact true.

  “So, if I wouldn’t have warned you, you would’ve been all over me just now?”

  Her hands went to her hips as she sucked in a breath and straightened up. Those perfect boobs of hers taunted him again to reach out and touch them. Brady had seen dozens, even hundreds of tits over the years, and while all of them were nice and fun to play with, he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into Nina’s.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head as his eyes returned to her face. “We’re too much alike in our way of thinking for me not to realize you were goading me on. You get an A for effort, because I’ve been taking plenty of mental pictures to keep me nice and warm over the next couple weeks.”

  She huffed and turned on her heels to head towards the door, picking up the corset on the way. Brady sat up a little straighter to get a look at her bare ass has she did so. He already knew it was tight and toned, but seeing it naked gave him more ammunition for his fantasies.