Deliciously Thick (Naked Brews Book 2)

by KB Jacobs

  I poured her half a glass. “Looking at you, I’m guessing that wouldn’t be so bad. You look tired.”

  She self-consciously smoothed her hair with a hollow chuckle. “Looking that good, am I?”

  “You always look gorgeous.” I kissed the top of her head, and something in her seemed to relax. Her muscles went a little looser than they’d been, and she sagged into my chest with a soft exhale. A man could get used to that.

  I rubbed up and down her back. “I missed you today. Let me spoil you a little tonight.” I headed back around the island to the oven where the pizza was reheating. I slid it out, using the big wooden paddle that I’d also bought at the new restaurant.

  “Fancy.” She sounded impressed, and I was happy to again see signs of the girl I’d been living with the past week.

  I shook my head. “Such a typical girl...only impressed by the size of my...paddle.”

  She managed to hold it in for a moment, but then the giggle escaped. She ducked her head. “And not just the one you cook with...” she murmured to her chest.

  I wanted to smile—she was here with me again— but instead I gave her a stern look of reprimand. “We’re concentrating on taking care of you right now. Not other things.” No matter how much I wanted to taste her instead of pizza. She needed sustenance and then rest.

  I gestured to the paddle. “They want the locals to buy the pizzas to take home and reheat in their own ovens, so the paddles are part of the deal. According to the owner, reheating the pizza on a pan can ruin the crunchy crust that comes from the brick oven. Using the paddle saves the quality of the final product.”

  “Wow, it sounds like you learned a lot at the pizza shop today.”

  I chuckled. “It was fun. I think it will be a good place for Aspenridge to have, so spread it around if it’s good.”

  “If it tastes even half as good as it smells, we’ll be set.” She moaned and sniffed the air. “My mouth is watering.”

  That moan ripped at my gut and sent a bolt of lightning straight to my dick.

  She looked up at me. I didn’t know what she could see on my face, but her eyes widened before darkening with some arousal of her own.

  I shook my head. “You’re dangerous. Whatever you’re thinking, put it away for another night. Tonight, you’re going to eat and then go to bed. Oh, and I have something I want to ask you, too.”

  She’d been grinning, but that smile dropped off her face.

  “What’s wrong?” I stopped rolling the pizza cutter across the big pie.

  Shrugging, she tried to look like it was no big deal. “It’s just usually not a good thing when someone says ‘we need to talk.’ Have your sponsors said something?”

  “Oh, no. It’s nothing like that.”

  Her raised eyebrow said she didn’t buy it.

  I plated up two pieces of pizza, slid one in front of her, and then sat on the barstool beside her.

  This time, her smile didn’t light up her eyes like it normally did.

  God, I was so awkward, and now I was ruining tonight’s dinner, too. “Seriously. It’s all good. I just wanted to—” Nervousness clutched me again. “Ask you out on a date,” I mumbled in a rush.

  A frown formed between her brows.

  That certainly wasn’t the response I’d hoped for.

  “I don’t understand,” she said slowly. “I thought that’s why I was living here...to be your date for stuff?” She picked a piece of meat off her pizza absentmindedly while not meeting my gaze.

  I blew out a breath in frustration. I really sucked at this. “No, that’s not what I meant. God, this is hard. Now I understand why I’ve never done this before. I want to take you out on a date for real...dinner, romance, and whatever else that entails. I promise I’ll figure it out before then. And I’ll make sure to put the reservation under a fake name so there’s no way the press can get wind of it.

  “If you say yes, I want this to be a real date...between you and me simply because I want to spend more time with you. For no other reason than I like you.” I sounded desperate and pathetic.

  Her eyes rose to search mine. “A real date?”

  I nodded and swallowed against the sudden dryness of my mouth. She was going to say no, wasn’t she?

  Her smile became real in slow increments. “I’d like that,” she said so softly I almost couldn’t hear her.

  Then her mouth dropped open. “Wait a minute.”

  My stomach plummeted. I hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy her yes.

  “You said you’ve never done this before. You’ve never asked out a girl? Or have never gone a date?”

  I winced. Nothing like sounding like a loser virgin. “Um, neither?”

  “Really? How does that happen?”

  I shook my head, not wanting to discuss my checkered past when she’d just agreed to go out with me. She might change her mind before her agreement could even feel real. But this was the reality of my life, and she deserved my honesty. “Girls were always there. I never had to put any effort into it. I never wanted to put any effort into it...until you. Everything’s different with you.”

  This time, her smile took over her whole face.

  Triumph surged through me. Suddenly I felt like I’d won the X-games, Olympics, and the World Title all in one amazing run. Who needed the adrenaline spike from snowboarding when I had Melissa in my life?

  Chapter 28

  Melissa

  I pushed open the door to Naked Brews and dodged the pile of falling snow sliding off the roof. The buzz of power tools filled the air, and a couple guys from the construction crew glanced up to see who entered. I didn’t pay them much attention. My focus was on the lifeline hopefully sitting in the office. My legs shook as I walked to the doorway. I needed my two friends to help me with this.

  Lake’s booming laugh echoed out of the office door, followed by a deep manly laugh that must be Walsh. The two of them were never far apart these days.

  I stepped inside to find Lake, Walsh, Alex, Harlan, and Warner standing around the desk. The room was packed.

  “Hey, Melissa,” Lake called out, a smile still etched on her face. “I wasn’t sure if we’d see you today. I figured Anthony would have some event to drag you to.”

  “Not today.” I shook my head and threw my coat at an empty chair. “Tomorrow. He asked me on a date.” I felt better after getting the words out.

  It all had seemed perfectly normal last night. He’d asked me out; I’d said yes. After dinner, we both headed to bed. Anthony had joined me but spent the night snuggled against my back, his long dark fingers rubbing my arm as I fell asleep. But with the rising sun, my nerves reared their head.

  This wasn’t a precisely orchestrated press conference or a simple “wave and smile at the cameras” appearance. Anthony wanted to go on a date. A real date. One that had nothing to do with winning over sponsors or me pretending to be his stable girlfriend. This date meant something, and I had no idea what to do about it. Was I ready to take things deeper with Anthony? What about when Triple B made an appearance?

  Alex planted a fist on her hip and tilted her head to the side. “Like...a real date?”

  I nodded and bit my lip as the butterflies in my stomach went into panic mode.

  “All members of the male species, out now.” Lake flapped her hands like she was shooing flies out the door. “Yes that means you too, Walsh.”

  “Fine. Have your private girl time now.” Walsh kissed the top of Lake’s had. “I’ll be looking forward to some private girl time later tonight.” He flashed the three of us a saucy grin and closed the door on his way out.

  “All right, start talking.” Alex perched her perfect posterior on the desk and waggled her eyebrows at me. “Does this mean you took my knocking-boots advice?”

  Lake sat in the desk chair and shot a confused glance at the both of us. “I feel like I missed something here.”

  “Just our dear, sweet Melissa having epically hot chemistry with her knight on a shiny
snowboard.” Alex twirled a piece of her rich brown hair around her finger, her face the model of innocence except for the devilish gleam in her eye.

  “Oh really?” Lake dug into her candy dish and popped two red M&Ms into her mouth. “I would’ve thought Anthony’s house was big enough that the two of you could avoid running into each other naked. Unless, of course, you ran into each other naked on purpose.”

  A tiny bead of sweat ran down my neck as heat crept up my body into my face.

  “Oh my God!” Lake spun her chair around in a circle, and a huge smile spread across her face. “You did run into each other naked on purpose. How long have you and Mr. Anthony been getting down and dirty?”

  The flush up my face grew hotter. If only they knew exactly how dirty we’d been. “That’s not really the point here. I need help preparing for a date.”

  “We’ll get there,” Alex said, pointing at an empty chair. “But first, you’re going to give us all the saucy details about what’s been going on at Anthony’s house.”

  I sat down on the edge of the chair, my butt cheeks barely making contact so I could make a quick getaway if need be before I died of embarrassment. “There isn’t much to say.”

  Lake laughed out loud. “Like hell there’s not. If the blush turning your cheeks tomato red is any indication, you have plenty of beans to spill.”

  “So what happened? I thought you guys were just supposed to be pretend dating for his sponsors or something,” Lake said.

  “We are. Were.” I let out a heavy breath. “It’s complicated.”

  “Let’s uncomplicate it.” Lake scooted her chair closer to mine and held up a pencil to my mouth like a fake microphone. “Melissa Frye, are you or are you not sleeping with Anthony Millett?”

  “Maybe?”

  Alex almost fell off the desk. “When it comes to doing the deed, there is no maybe. Do we need to have the talk? You know, the one with the birds and the bees?”

  “God, fine.” I rubbed my hands down my legs to wipe off the clammy feeling. “Anthony and I have...” I dropped my voice down to whisper, “had sex. But we haven’t in a while.”

  “What’s a while?” Lake asked, shoving the pencil back at my face.

  “Three days,” I squeaked out.

  Alex and Lake both burst out laughing.

  “Jesus, Melissa.” Lake tossed the pencil on the desk. “Not even Walsh and I have sex every day. The man is recovering from a major injury.”

  This was not going as planned. I was starting to sound like a major nympho. “It’s not that. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Try us.” Alex leaned back on the desk, and her expression turned serious.

  These two were my best friends. If I couldn’t tell them, who could I tell? But how was I supposed to explain something that was still so confusing to me? I took a deep breath and steadied my nerves. Maybe if I told them the story, they could help me figure out what was going on inside Anthony’s head. Or better yet, what was going on inside mine.

  “It started a while ago. I came home from work, and Anthony was waiting for me with candles, rose petals, and champagne.”

  “Wait.” Alex held up her hand to stop me. “Was this the same day we talked about you going for it?”

  I nodded, remembering my stop at the one department store in town to pick out the sexiest lingerie set I’d ever owned.

  “Well that’s all kinds of convenient.” Alex winked. “Go on, and don’t leave out the good parts.”

  I rolled my eyes at her. “This isn’t an erotic audio book, Alex.”

  She crossed her arms and pouted like a child. “Everyone is getting some except me. I have no choice but to live vicariously through you guys.”

  “What happened to that guy you went out with last month?” I asked.

  “Uh huh.” Alex wagged a finger. “Don’t try to change the subject. Spill.”

  “Fine,” I huffed out, throwing my hands in the air. “We had sex all night long. It was the amazing, spine-tingling kind of sex I’ve only ever read about that leaves you deliciously sore the next day and ruins you completely for other men.”

  Alex clapped her hands together, and Lake let out a slow whistle.

  “So what’s the complicated part?” Lake tossed a handful of red candies into her mouth.

  It was easier to get it out now that the most embarrassing part was out of the way. “It was just supposed to be fun. We have chemistry, and we’re both consenting adults living under the same roof.”

  “But you like him now, right?” Alex asked.

  I nodded and shrugged my shoulders at the same time. “Maybe? Sometimes, he’s this amazing guy who seems too good to be true, but then at other times, he’s so obnoxious and full of himself, and I’m ready to pitch him off the roof. Then I talked to Lauren—”

  “You talked to his mom?” Lake cringed in her chair. “Sorry about that.”

  I wrinkled my nose in confusion. “What are you talking about? Lauren is amazing.”

  Lake held both her hands up in surrender. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s awesome so long as you aren’t trying to date her sweet angel. Lauren was notoriously rough on the ladies vying for young Anthony’s hand when we were growing up.”

  With the heat flooding my face, I was pretty sure even my roots were blushing. “She actually wants us to be together.”

  Could that happen? I could never see myself long-term with Triple B. He was a brash ladies’ man. But Anthony? He was sweet and romantic. The guy who got nervous just asking a girl out on a date. The one who called me Juliet and read one of my books just so he could figure out what I liked. And then delivered in spectacular fashion. Anthony made me want to keep trying, to keep letting this thing between us get deeper. But if Triple B was in our lives forever, could I live with that? It was too early to decide, because right now I wasn’t willing to give up on this thing with Anthony. I nodded, decision made.

  “Son of a...” Alex hopped off the desk and grabbed her jacket. “So what color will it be?”

  “What are you talking about?” I looked at Lake, but she shrugged, just as confused as I was.

  “Lake picked blue,” Alex said, gesturing to Lake as she munched on more M&Ms. “If you tell me what color bridesmaid dress you want, I can start shopping now.”

  I choked on a gasp of air. “I think that’s probably more than a little premature.”

  “Whatever.” Alex grabbed my coat and tossed it to me before throwing Lake hers. “We can hold off on the dress, but we could use a girl’s day, and you have some shopping to do.”

  I slid into my coat and followed her to the door. “For what?”

  Alex opened the door and winked at me over her shoulder. “I do believe you’re in need of some more sexy underwear.”

  Chapter 29

  Anthony

  I clutched the bouquet of flowers in the crook of my arm as I unlocked the door leading to the tower.

  When I stepped through the doorway, Melissa stood at the top of the stairs, waiting for me. My breath caught in my chest, and my heartbeat took off. “Wow.”

  She flashed a shy, pleased smile and walked down the stairs. From this angle, I got the full effect of how gorgeous she looked. She wore a short dress with a skirt that swung as she stepped, giving me glimpses of her long, toned thighs. The skirt shimmered in a mix of blue and green...girls would know the name of the exact color, but it reminded me of pictures I’d seen of the Caribbean. The top of the dress was a silvery-white color that glittered, reflecting the lights in a way that at moments looked almost sheer. Almost, but not quite. My throat grew dry at the thought of a flash of nipple...a tiny tease of flesh when she looked so perfectly groomed.

  Her hair fell in waves around her neck although the front had been pulled back. Long earrings the same colors as the top of the dress barely grazed her neck, drawing my attention to what I could do to that soft, pale skin there.

  She stood three steps from the bottom when I reached up to help her. Her silver, s
trappy shoes looked like a tripping accident waiting to happen, although they did phenomenal things to her legs. I could already imagine those legs, with the shoes still attached, wrapped around my waist as I buried myself inside her.

  “I don’t think we can go out anymore,” I whispered, my words sounding more harsh than I meant them to be.

  Her face fell. “Why not?”

  “Between my hard-on and having to fight off other guys, I’m sure to embarrass you tonight.”

  Her smile broke free then as she cupped me through the front of my dress pants. “Oh, my, Mr. Millett. You do seem in a bad way right now. Should I do something about that?” She licked her lips, and I groaned. Yep, she was a temptress sent to torture me.

  She began to drop to her knees, and I grabbed hold of her arms. “Don’t you dare.” I shook my head with a pained laugh. Just when I thought I knew her, she would do something like that, something so completely against what I expected from her. “You are a little minx, but we’re going to have a normal date where you’ll get the full royal treatment of a princess if it kills me.”

  For a moment her face had fallen, but when I’d said “princess,” her eyes lit back up. “Royal?”

  “Of course.”

  Because I wanted to keep her a little off-center, too, I leaned down to whisper in her ear, “But don’t you doubt it, we will be playing later.”

  She had an adventurous streak with sex that I loved. I needed to do something tonight that would make the night memorable in that aspect, too.

  Running her hands over the shoulders of my suit jacket, she licked her lips. “I look forward to it. Until then”—her hands dropped to the buttons on my jacket—“you can just keep this buttoned so no one knows what you’re packing but me.”

  I laughed. “Oh, Juliet, I do love you.”

  We both stilled at my faux pas. Why had I said that? It was way too early for any declarations, no matter... Nope, not going there. I shoved the flowers at her to cover my glaring misstep. “These are for you.”

  She blushed. “They’re gorgeous. I love tulips. Do we have time to put them in water before we go?”