by Zoe Reid
“Before you say anything, as your friend, I need to tell you, holy hell, good job, lady! He's fine!” she screeched before looking at me with a big smile.
I could feel myself turning red. I felt as if I were on full display. It was very awkward. I silently prayed she would pour another shot. I needed it.
“Now, would everybody like another shot?” she asked sweetly.
We all pushed our glasses toward her, silently begging. After another round, we all sat in silence for several long minutes. Each of us mulling over what Marissa had said.
“Leah,” Marissa said in a much softer tone. “I am sorry I didn't tell you about Blake. It just happened, and then it kept happening, and I didn't know how to tell you.”
Leah smiled. “I get it. Trust me, I get it.”
The two women started laughing. I still wasn't sure what was going on. Were we cool? Did Leah and I have a shot? Was Blake still pissed at me?
“Got anything to eat in this joint?” Marissa asked, yanking open the refrigerator. “I don't want yogurt or anything healthy. I want some good junk food. Please tell me you have something.”
Leah slid off her stool and walked to a pantry, pulling it open, and bringing some chips and salsa to the counter. “Is this acceptable?” she asked with mild sarcasm.
Marissa grinned. “Perfect. Now, let's get drunk. Don't worry,” she said, looking directly at me. “There won't be some orgy or anything like that.”
I nearly choked on the chip I had just put in my mouth. “Good to know,” I mumbled.
Marissa poured more shots, and each of us greedily drank them down. I could feel the buzz and knew I couldn't be the only one. I looked at Marissa and mouthed the words thank you. She winked at me before turning her attention back to the bowl of salsa she was devouring with serious gusto.
Chapter 18
Leah
I loved Marissa. She was young, and some people underestimated her, thinking she was shallow because of her beauty, but I knew differently. She was very intelligent and brutally honest. It was what first drew me to her. She, unlike the other fake people who flaunted their wealth, was real. She didn't pretend to be anything but who she was. She was born into a wealthy family, but she loathed the social circles her wealth launched her into. We had met at the club years ago and had quickly become friends, sharing the same dislike for some of the arrogant, stuck-up women who pretended to be better than everyone else in the world.
It was a little weird to have her and Blake in a relationship, if that's what they were calling it, but I was totally fine with it. It was cute, and Blake would learn a lot from her. She was a loyal friend, and I knew she would never do him wrong.
I still didn't see how that would ever work out, but if they wanted to give it a go, who was I to say anything different? Marissa usually went after powerful men. Her last boyfriend had been an attorney in some big law firm. It was very odd she would be attracted to Blake. He was certainly good looking, but he was a senior in college. His typical plans for the day were to attend a class before taking a nap and then getting drunk. He wasn't exactly driven. I assumed that had been immaturity and didn't really fault him for it.
With graduation only a few months out, I knew he would have to change. He was hoping to become an architect once he graduated. It was a tough field to get into, but with his family connections, he would probably land a job fairly quickly. Maybe that's what Marissa was counting on.
I looked at Blake, waiting to see if he wanted to say anything. He didn't. I would have to make the first move.
“Blake, I'm sorry. I don't feel I’m cheating on your dad if that is what’s bothering you the most. I've been lonely. You’re pretty far away, and it’s just me in the house. But if me being with Chase bothers you to the point you won't come and stay here, I won't see him anymore,” I said softly.
I could feel Chase's eyes on me, but I ignored him. This was Blake's choice. I wouldn't abandon Dennis's son. He needed me, whether he thought he did or not.
Blake didn't say a word. He reached for the bottle of Jack and poured another shot before slamming it down. No one moved or said a word, each of us waiting on Blake to say something.
“It's okay. I'm sorry for being a dick and saying those things. I may have overreacted a bit,” he said sheepishly.
I felt the tension leave my body. The entire atmosphere in the room changed. It was as if we could all breathe again.
“It's okay,” I told him. “We both made some mistakes. I’m really sorry you had to see what you did,” I said, feeling my cheeks growing red at the memory.
He grinned. It was the grin of a man who had a good buzz going. “After all, how can I be mad at you when I'm in love with your best friend, right?”
There was a gasp, and I knew it had come from Marissa. I turned to look at her. She had frozen in place with a chip halfway to her mouth. I realized Blake's revelation was news to her. I had to smile. It really was very sweet. If they were happy, I was happy for them. I just hoped it worked out, or if they did part ways, it was on good terms. Things could get very awkward if they had a nasty breakup.
“So, are we okay?” I said, turning back to Blake.
He grinned, stood up, and wrapped me up in a bear hug. “We're good.”
I laughed. “Thank you.”
“I was a little shocked though. Please, for the love of god, never let me see that again,” he teased.
Chase choked, and I started laughing again. “Hey, I was a little shocked myself. You came home way early. A little warning would have been good.”
He groaned. “If I had known what was going on, I would have definitely called to let you know we left the mountain early.”
Blake looked at Chase. “Sorry, man. I didn't mean to be such a dick to you.”
Chase nodded. “It's cool. I'm sorry, too. I should have talked to you about the whole thing.”
I cleared my throat. “It wasn't his fault. I mean, we were both willing parties. It just happened.”
Blake shook his head. “I don't need details.”
I laughed.
“I do!” Marissa said, wagging her eyebrows, looking between me and Chase. “I want lots of details.”
“I'm right here,” Blake said loudly. “I don't think I want you to hear details about my best friend's—” he waved his hands at Chase “—you know!”
We all laughed except for Chase. He looked like he wanted to fade into oblivion.
“My lips are sealed,” I said, hoping to make Chase feel a little better. I knew he certainly wouldn't be talking to Blake about our sex life, and I would give him the same respect. What we had between us was incredibly intimate, and I didn't want to share it with anyone else. That was ours and ours alone. Even if there was no us, I wanted to hold on to those memories and selfishly keep them to myself.
With Blake and me in a good place, I felt much better. Now, I just had to figure out me and Chase. There was some definite tension there. A lot had been said, but we hadn't actually spoken to each other. We needed to talk, but I preferred to do that without an audience.
“How about I make us some real lunch before we all fall flat on our faces?” I said, sliding off my stool and feeling a little unsteady.
Everyone eagerly agreed. I quickly made some sandwiches. I wasn't quite sober enough to make anything too fancy. The sandwiches were a hit and helped soak up the alcohol. We ate in relative silence, the conversation focused on safe topics like the weather. There was still some tension in the room, but I was glad to have cleared the air with Blake. He was my priority.
I was never really upset with Marissa, so we were fine. It was me and Chase who were putting out the negative vibes in the room. We had a lot to talk about. I supposed that was the problem when the sex was as good as it was between us. We talked little and screwed a lot.
We were all coming down off our buzz and like mature adults, we decided to get drunk all over again to avoid the giant elephants that had dropped in the room.
Instead of sitting down to a nice, elegant Christmas Eve dinner, we raided the pantry a second time and ended up ordering pizza. Chase and Blake had drifted off to the game room to play some pool while Marissa and I attempted to play, but with our inebriation and complete lack of skill in general, it became dangerous.
We ended up watching and cheering from the sidelines before heading off to the den to get some girl talk in. It had been fun, and I felt much better by the time I floated upstairs to pass out. The alcohol had dulled some of the tension, but Chase and I had yet to talk. Neither one of us was willing to make the first move. Instead, we pretended to be friends hanging out on Christmas Eve.
Except now, I was lying in bed and feeling very alone. The buzz had worn off and all the feelings I had been trying to ignore all day came rushing in. I had to do something. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I would get up early, make breakfast for everyone, and invite Marissa over. We could have a nice holiday without any tension, I hoped.
I drifted off to sleep, thinking about what I would cook. I wanted it to be festive, filling, and impressive. It wasn't long before my thoughts about cooking brought up memories of Chase. The smell of burned cookies wafted through my mind as I reminisced about that time in the kitchen. I would miss him when he left and not just the sex. Him. His warm smile, his protective nature, and his ability to make me laugh.
Dammit. Was I actually falling for a guy ten years younger than me who was also my stepson's best friend? There would definitely be coal in my stocking this year. I had been a very naughty girl.
Chapter 19
Chase
I couldn’t sleep. I had assumed the alcohol would knock me out, but I was completely sober. I had gone to bed a couple hours ago, but I had done nothing but stare at the ceiling. I was glad things were cool between Blake and me, but Leah and I never had a chance to talk in private. Neither one of us wanted to excuse ourselves from the group, knowing it would draw a lot of attention. Our relationship had started secretly, and I kind of liked it that way. I didn't want Blake watching my every move when I was around Leah. I loved the idea of only Leah and me knowing we had something between us. Now, we had to share it with everyone.
I wanted to talk to her. I longed to have her in my arms, even if it was to sleep. The last two days had been miserable. My body was going through withdrawals. I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was just after midnight. Merry Christmas.
Fuck it. I needed to talk to Leah. I had to know where things stood between us. Were we a thing or was this a fling that had come to an abrupt end the second Blake found out? The only way I would ever know was by talking to her. I wasn't a coward. I wasn't going to tiptoe around and pretend nothing happened between us. Today had been okay, and it was cool pretending we were all a group of friends hanging out, but I couldn't leave it that way.
I crawled out of bed, not bothering to put anything on except my boxers. If I did run into Blake, I could say I was going to get a snack or something like that. No more running around the house naked I guessed. That had been a lot of fun, though.
I opened my bedroom door, looked up and down the hallway, and didn't see or hear anything. I closed the door behind me and strode down the hall toward Leah's suite. I knew where her room was, but I had never gone in. It had been too weird. Her room was the one she’d shared with her husband. She told me she had a new bed and had completely redone all the furnishings, even the carpet, but I still felt like it would be violating another man's space.
I didn't care now. I needed to be near her.
Taking a deep breath outside her door, I slowly opened it. Damn! Her room was huge. There was a soft glow of light coming from a small nightlight near the door. I knew she didn't like the total darkness, which made me want to wrap her up in my arms and hold her close.
I knew she slept nude and didn't want to be overdressed. I stripped off my underwear and crawled under the covers. The smell of her was familiar. I snuggled in close beside her, my body wrapping around hers. I used an arm to pull her naked body against my own, her ass snuggling perfectly against me. We were a good fit. Our bodies were made to cradle each other. I fought back the erection that sprang to life the moment her bare ass pressed against my cock. Not now, I told myself. For now, I only needed to hold her.
“Chase,” she murmured, half asleep.
“I'm here, baby, I'm here,” I whispered, squeezing her closer to me.
“Good. Hold me,” she breathed.
“I got you. Go to sleep.”
She wiggled a bit, finding a good spot, and we both fell asleep. It felt right having her in my arms, and I finally found the peace I had been searching for all night.
Her gentle kisses across my chest woke me up. I was on my back, and she was over me, her breasts rubbing across my stomach as she moved her mouth over my chest. I reached up to put my hands on her hips, trailing my fingertips up her spine. I felt her body shudder.
“Hey,” I whispered. “I've missed you.”
She kissed me softly on the lips. “I've missed you too.”
I lay there while she kissed my neck and ran her hands over my body in a very slow perusal. This was different than before. I didn't feel that rush to take her hard and fast. I was relishing in the feel of her tender kisses and her gentle caresses over my body. I wanted to return the favor and gently pushed her off me, putting her on her back while I lay on my side.
“You're beautiful,” I whispered, kissing her ear while running my finger over her collarbone. “I love every inch of your body. I want to taste you all over.”
She moaned, and I began to follow through with my spoken wish, starting at her neck and slowly working my way down. I skimmed over her core, leaving the best for last. I explored every inch of her with my tongue, licking and kissing and teasing. I could feel her body vibrating with need and knew she was ready for me, but I wanted to take my time.
I worked my way back up to her sweet pussy and slowly parted her before gently licking.
“Chase,” she whisper-shouted.
I used my fingers to spread her wide and pushed my tongue inside her while pressing my thumb to the swollen nub. Her body bucked, and her orgasm flowed. I lapped at her, feeling my own climax coming close. I slowly kissed my way up her stomach, doing what I could to quiet my own raging lust. I wanted to make her come again and again. I wanted her body to know my touch and long for only me and what I could do to her.
My tongue went to her nipples, licking and sucking with strong pulls before nibbling each of them with my teeth.
“Chase,” she begged, and I knew she was on the verge of another orgasm.
I put my palm against her pussy and applied gentle pressure. She rocked up, pushing hard against me. I slowly slid a finger in, finger fucking her until I brought her to another orgasm. I held her while her body rocked with spasm after spasm. Her pussy was swollen, and I couldn't wait to push inside, but I wanted her to be ready to come again. I was determined to make this a night she would never forget.
“Roll over,” I ordered, gently pushing her up on one side.
Once she was on her stomach with her arms spread wide, I used a hand to spread her legs open. I felt her body shudder. She was completely exposed. It was an image I committed to memory. I began another slow perusal of her body with my tongue. I discovered she was ticklish behind the knees. My fingers sought out her pussy once again. She lifted her ass in the air, giving me better access with an angle that had her quivering with desire after a single stroke. My own need was too great to continue teasing her. I had to be inside her.
I got on my knees behind her, used one arm to lift her hips higher and plunged in, my balls resting against her thighs. Her wetness enveloped me, causing such a violent reaction, I couldn't move or breathe for several seconds. Once I managed to catch my breath, I pulled out and pushed in again. I could feel her growing wetter and knew she was ready to come again.
“Come with me, Leah,” I grunted, picking up the tempo of my thrusts, my own desire p
ushing me harder and harder. I placed my hands on her hips, holding her in place as I slammed into her from behind.
“Yes,” she wailed, her voice muffled by the pillows. “Harder, Chase, harder,” she cried out.
I drove in, deep and hard, and my orgasm tore through me, ripping a shout of pleasure from my lips. I felt her coming, her body tightening and soaking me with her orgasm.
I rolled off her, both of us lying face down and sprawled out on the massive bed. The woman had squeezed every last drop from me. I couldn't move. My body was spent. At least, I thought it was. Leah rolled to her side, her hand moving over my ass and squeezed.
“Don't fall asleep. I'm not done with you yet,” she said, kissing my shoulder and then running her tongue over my ear.
