by E. L. Todd
I brewed the coffee then sat at the kitchen table with a magazine. My hair was a mess and all over the place but there was no saving it. I didn’t want to take a shower just in case Troy needed to use the restroom when he woke up.
Half an hour later, the door cracked. “There’s my teddy bear.”
I looked up and smirked at him. He leaned against the doorway wearing his boxers. His perfectly sculpted body got me excited all over again. And I couldn’t forget that gorgeous face if I tried. When he smiled, a dimple formed on each cheek. He was the only man I met who could be incredibly sexy and cute at the same time. “Your teddy bear had to pee and make coffee.”
“Wow…so she can do more than snuggle.” He came out then leaned down and gave me a warm kiss. The embrace was simple but I squeezed my thighs together anyway. Anytime he kissed me, there were sparks deep in my eyes. He eyed my baggy shirt. “I’ve never seen you look hotter.”
“Yeah?”
He kissed my neck. “Yeah.” Then he headed to the bathroom. “Mind if I use it?”
“It’s all yours.”
He walked inside and did his business. But when I heard the faint sound of a toothbrush, I knew he was brushing his teeth. Did he bring a spare? Or was he using mine…?
I pounded on the door. “Please tell me you aren’t using my toothbrush.”
He opened the door, and even though my toothbrush was in his mouth, he somehow smiled. He spit in the sink and shrugged in guilt. “If I’m eating you out every night, then I’m entitled to use your toothbrush.”
“But it’s my toothbrush.”
“So?” He cocked an eyebrow. “You’ll suck my dick but won’t share a toothbrush with me?”
“Bring your own!”
“I will. Geez.”
I growled then walked away.
“I used your razor to shave my face. Hope you don’t mind.” He shut the door and locked it before I could attack him.
“Asshole!” I returned to the table and read my magazine again.
He came out a few moments later, rubbing his cheek with a smug look. “What’s for breakfast, Perfect Ten?”
“Frosted Flakes, Nine Inches.”
He made his bowl then sat across from me. “Nine? I thought my nickname was Eight Inches?”
“Well, that doesn’t do you justice.”
A smile accompanied with dimples emerged. “You measured me?”
“Not exactly,” I said as I kept flipping through the magazine. “But I can tell.”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve never measured yourself?” I asked incredulously.
“Only losers do that.” He shoveled a few bites into his mouth.
“You’re going to do it when you get home, aren’t you?”
“No…”
I gave him a look of triumph.
He stood up and started looking through my drawers.
“What are you doing? Looking for another toothbrush?”
“A measuring tape.”
I rolled my eyes. “Right now?”
He snatched it then closed the drawer. “Found it.” He sat down again then touched himself under the table.
I gave him an incredulous look. “At the kitchen table?”
“Now or never, baby.” He looked down at himself then turned to me. “Show me your tits so I can get hard.”
“No.”
“Come on.” He nudged me under the table. “Do daddy a favor.”
I made a disgusted face. “You can be so sweet then you can be so gross.”
“Fine. I’m going to remember the way you gave me head last night…fuck, that was good.” He closed his eyes and remained quiet.
“I’m right here…”
He held up a finger. “Shh…”
I sipped my coffee and tried to ignore him.
He opened his eyes a few seconds later. “He’s ready.”
“Yippie…”
He pulled out the measuring tape then did his business under the table. Then his face broke out in a grin. “What do you know? I am nine inches. Good eye, Perfect Ten.”
“I’m so glad I could be of service to you,” I said sarcastically.
“Now, how can I get rid of it…?” He rubbed his chin then gave me a meaningful look.
“That was sly.”
He released a quick laugh. “Come on. After that amazing blowjob, that’s what I’m always thinking about when we’re together, just to give you a heads up.”
“That’s sweet…”
“Hey, you tell me your needs and I’m there. Like last night. And I tell you my needs…”
“Then I want some action when I’m done with you.”
He put his hands behind his head. “I’m more than happy to oblige.”
***
We were in bed.
Troy wasn’t a distant sleeper like most guys. He was all over me, all the time. He stuck to me like a magnet, our bodies tangled together. Our hands were intertwined together like usual.
“You don’t strike me as a cuddler,” I said.
“I’m not.”
“Then why do you do it with me?”
He shrugged. “I like it. I do a lot of things with you and I don’t understand why I do them.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Well, I’m still here when I should have left hours ago.”
“Why haven’t you?”
“I like being with you.” He stroked my hair gently. “I was actually going to ask if you wanted to spend the rest of the weekend with me at my beach house—not as a decorator.”
“Really?” Excitement pounded in my heart.
“Yeah.” His smile stretched when he saw my enthusiasm. “We can hit the beach, have a picnic, do some skinny-dipping…”
“You’ve already seen me naked. What’s so fascinating about being naked in a pool?”
“Your nipples will be hard.”
I rolled my eyes. “I would love to—minus the skinny-dipping.”
“Cool,” he said. “I haven’t had anyone over there since I bought it.”
“We should invite Rhett and Aspen.”
He shrugged. “Then I can’t be myself around you.” His voice lowered into one of sadness. “And you’re the only person I can truly be myself around. I’m not giving that up for anything.”
“Yeah?” His words touched my heart in a profound way.
“Yeah.”
“I feel the same way.”
He rubbed his nose against mine. “I’m going to grab a few things. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”
“Okay.”
***
After we arrived at his beach house, we placed our bags into the bedroom and the snacks in the kitchen. The sun was out and it was a clear day, perfect for sunbathing and swimming.
“I’m so jealous,” I said as I grabbed a beach towel from his closet.
“Of what?” His usual cocky smile came in, so I already knew what he was going to say. “My good looks? My charm?” He nodded to his crotch. “The gifts bestowed upon me?”
I walked passed him with the beach towel around my waist. “No, idiot. That you have a beach house.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “That too.”
“I’m surprised you don’t live here instead.”
He shook his head and put sunblock on his nose. “Not practical. In Manhattan, I can leave my apartment and walk a few steps to twenty different restaurants. There’s nothing here but a Taco Bell.”
“Hey, Taco Bell is awesome,” I said defensively.
“Maybe once in a while. You think I look like this from eating fast food all the time?”
“I’m surprised you can walk through the front door with that big head of yours.”
“Which head are you talking about, sweetheart?” A smug look was on his face.
“You’re ridiculous.” I marched out back then headed to a nice place in the sand. I lay my towel down then lay on my back with sunglasses on. The sun was warm but there was a breeze so I wo
uldn’t fry.
Troy joined me a few moments later. “Popsicle?” He handed it to me.
“Sure.” I grabbed it then shoved it into my mouth.
He watched me, making it obvious he was staring.
“What?” I asked.
“I just like to watch you suck things.”
I swatted him on the arm gently.
He laughed. “Sorry…couldn’t help it.”
We lay side-by-side and stared at the surf and waves.
He finished his Popsicle before I did and shoved the wrapper under his towel so it wouldn’t fly away. I did the same. Silence ensured for a long time. The sound of seagulls looking for scraps and the crashing waves came to my ears.
“Can I ask you something?” I said.
“Whatever you want.” He rested his hands behind his head and lay back.
“Why couldn’t you have sex with me?” It’d been on my mind all day. He didn’t have a reason for it but that just confused me more. He was hard and I was ready. What stopped him?
“I already told you, Harper. I don’t know.”
“You can’t not know.”
“It just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I felt like I was doing something wrong.”
“Because I’m not Alexia?” I demanded. I was growing impatient with his weird feelings toward this girl. She left him and broke his heart. Why wouldn’t he forget about her already? Why was I so upset about this?
“No.” He sat up and looked at me. “I never think about her when I’m with you. Maybe that’s why I like to be around you so much. I’m actually happy with you. You keep the bad dreams away. You…fix me.”
“I still don’t understand…”
“I don’t either,” he said honestly. “My brother has his theory…I’m not sure if I believe it.”
“What?”
“He thinks I can’t sleep with a girl unless I’m in love with her. I sincerely hope he’s wrong because that would be shitty. He doesn’t think it has anything to do with Alexia. I just want that intimacy and happiness back. Lonely nights and meaningless sex aren’t enough for me. I don’t know what to think.”
His words gave me a lot to think about. “What were you like before you met her?”
“I’d fuck any girl, any time. I was the biggest manwhore in Manhattan. But when I met Alexia, all of that changed. I settled down because I thought she was the one. Then she wasn’t…”
“You seemed too experienced to only be with one girl your whole life…”
“I’ve been around,” he admitted. “And honestly, despite the way it ended, I liked monogamy. I liked only being with one woman. Our love and physical relationship grew with every passing day. But after she shattered me, I could never do it again. There was a lot of joy in the relationship but there was more pain in the end. Now it’s fucked me up in the head and I can’t even function right anymore.”
“No,” I said gently. “I just think you’re scared. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I’m afraid I’m doomed to feel this way forever.”
“You are,” I said honestly. “If you don’t take another chance.”
He sighed. “Easier said than done.”
‘Three years is a long time to be with someone. You don’t just get over that in a day or a year.”
“How long should it take?” he demanded. “She was with someone a week after we broke up. What hurts more than anything else was the fact we were together and she wasn’t happy. I had no idea and she never told me. Honesty would have been much better than the web of lies she created.” He dug his toes into the sand and stared at his feet. “Have you been in a serious relationship?”
“No.”
“Never?” he asked in surprise.
“Never.”
“May I ask why?”
“I just haven’t found the right guy. I’ve dated and had a few flings but that’s it.”
“Sounds like someone else is scared…” He turned to me with a knowing look.
“No.” I pulled my knees to my chest. “I just don’t want to waste my time with someone I don’t think is going to work. Basically, I’m the opposite of Alexia.”
He released a painful laugh. “You couldn’t be more different.”
“I really think you should try again.”
“No,” he said firmly. “I’m happy with the way my life is.”
“Really?” I challenged. “Because I haven’t gotten that impression so far.”
“Well, I’ve been really happy with you…”
When he said things like this, it made me wonder if Troy and I could have something more. The longer I was around him, the more attached I became. I never had trouble guarding my heart or protecting my feelings, but they were spiraling out of control with Troy. I loved spending time with him, and every time he left, I was sad. I thought about him all day at work, and whenever we kissed, it was explosive. I never had that kind of chemistry with anyone else. It was natural with him. Did he not feel it too? Was I the only one? He did warn me not to fall for him. I promised I wouldn’t but I was starting to break that promise. “I’m happy with you too.”
He stared at the water and rested his arms on his knees.
Since we were always honest with each other, I decided to ask something dangerous. But I didn’t see the harm in it. “Could you ever picture yourself with me?” I couldn’t be the only person who felt this connection. It had to be mutual. That spark was there from the beginning. It was masked by his cocky attitude but it was there, deep down.
He turned his gaze on me but his eyes were dark. “You’re the only woman I could picture myself with, Harper.”
***
The weekend at the beach house came and went, and I missed it as soon as we were back in the city. It was nice to be out in the open with the sea just feet away. Troy and I cuddled on the patio furniture, and we watched the ocean while he ran his fingers through my hair. Hours had passed but neither one of us spoke.
But now that vacation was gone.
I had a lot of work to do that week, and a lot of new clients came in. Troy and I had lunch every day, and soon as I was off work, he called me and asked if he could come over. Some evenings he worked, but I never asked him about it. For some reason, knowing he was out with other girls made me uncomfortable. A knot formed in my stomach and made me feel sick.
I was finishing an order with an art company when someone walked inside my office. My secretary spoke to him but I didn’t pay much attention. I was still on the phone, and I finished the call before I turned to a potential client.
Troy walked inside, wearing jeans that hung low on his hips and a t-shirt that highlighted his expansive chest. He looked around my office as he walked and nodded in approval. “This place is sweet.” He leaned over the desk and kissed me gently on the lips.
My assistant caught the affection then turned away.
“Thanks,” I said. “I like it.”
“I just realized something,” he said. “We’re both business owners.”
“You own Beautiful Entourage?”
“We’re all equal partners in it.”
“Oh.” I never knew that. “Impressive.”
“No, this office is impressive.” He looked around again, taking it all in.
“So, what brings you down here?”
He stood with his hands in his pockets. “I realized I hadn’t seen your office so I wanted to stop by. Plus, I wanted to get lunch with my lady.”
My lady? He said he didn’t want a girlfriend but sometimes he treated me like I was. “Well, I already have plans.”
“What?” He looked devastated. We saw each other every day but that didn’t seem to be enough—for both of us. “With who?”
“Aspen.”
“Oh…”
“I haven’t seen her much. She’s been busy with Rhett and I’ve been busy with you.”
“Yeah…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I haven’t been hanging out with Rhett or the
guys like I usually do.”
“We’re terrible friends.”
He laughed. “I suppose. But when BJ’s are involved, it’s understandable.”
I shot him a hateful look. “Watch your language when you’re in my office.” I nodded to my assistant a few feet away.
He eyed her then turned back to me. “You give the best head in the fucking world, Perfect Ten.” He didn’t yell it but he didn’t lower his voice either.
I smacked his arm. “Knock it off or get out.”
“How about you get on your knees?”
I smacked him again, this time harder. “Just get out.”
“Promise me I’ll see you the second you get off work.”
“Why?” I asked.
“What do you mean why?” he barked. “Just do it.” He leaned forward and gave me a kiss before he walked out. The bell rang as the door opened and closed, and soon the silence of the office descended.
My assistant turned toward me, a grin on her face. “He’s cute.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s cocky, that’s what he is.”
***
When I arrived at the diner, Aspen was there. But she wasn’t alone. Rhett was sitting beside her, and across the table, was a handsome man I’d never seen before. He had dark brown hair like Troy and there was a faint scar along his eyebrow. He was extremely good-looking but in a dangerous way. I assumed this was one of the six guys who ran Beautiful Entourage.
“Hey,” I said when I approached the booth.
“Hey.” Aspen’s eyes widened in excitement when she looked at me. “You look cute.”
“You always look cute.” I sat in the booth beside the beautiful stranger.
“She does always look cute.” Rhett gave Aspen an affectionate look.
“Wow,” Aspen said. “This lunch is starting off great.”
The man extended his large hand to me. “Cato.”
I shook it. “Harper.”
“I’ve heard about you.” His eyes darkened in realization. “You’ve got quite a mouth and you’re a hottie.”
Did Troy say that?
“That’s not what I said,” Aspen argued. “I said she’s got sass and she’s gorgeous.”
“That’s what I said,” Cato argued.
“You said it in a really crude way,” Aspen said.
