by KJ Reed
Her body was heavy as wet cement. As her heart still raced, not quite ready to slow down, Donovan rubbed a palm down her spine in soothing strokes. The sound of Mary Ellen’s gulps for air and Goodwin’s deep breathing mingled with the sound of the air conditioner and the blood thundering in her own ears.
“Can you handle another?” Donovan’s voice rasped in her ear.
Chapter Four
Could she handle another orgasm? It was like asking a chocoholic if they wanted another slice of devil’s food cake. “Yeah, another sounds good,” she muttered. But if she had to move her rubber-filled limbs to make it happen, “another” would have to wait.
He sat up and the lack of heat had her shivering. The rustle of denim and the tear of foil made her want to move, to watch the strip show, but her arms felt like jelly when she tried to push up. She waited for Donovan to roll her onto her back, but instead he slid over her once more.
“Relax,” he murmured when she made another halfhearted attempt to flip over. “Just relax. Let me…” Bracing himself on one forearm by her head, his other hand nudged her legs apart once more and she felt the blunt head of his cock probing between her thighs. He slid up and down the slick line of her entrance, her body jerking in response with every brush on her clit. A few more gliding passes had her wriggling her hips back, her butt brushing his stomach, silently begging for the teasing to end. But when he sat up once more and she lost all contact, she growled her frustration.
He chuckled and shushed her. “Our friends seem to have decided it was time for a nap.”
Sure enough, she glanced over and saw that Goodwin had shifted off of Mary Ellen, one arm and leg still hanging limply over her naked body. Both dead to the world. She laughed a little. “She always had no problems falling asleep. Sex for her is more effective than a tranquilizer dart.” Her limbs felt stronger, so she pushed up onto her elbows.
Donovan grabbed one of the pillows at the head of the bed and handed it to her, all smiles. “Here. Under your stomach.”
She looked at the puffy pillow and it clicked. She hid a smile as she stuffed it under her stomach, raising her hips in an erotic offering to anyone behind her.
Anyone like Donovan, who wasted no time positioning himself. He leaned over her back, the hair on his chest tickling her sweat-slicked skin, and supported his weight on one forearm.
The head of his cock nudged, slipped, then found her entrance and pushed deep.
She couldn’t contain the sigh as he filled her completely. The angle of her hips had him deeper, farther than normal, and she wiggled in satisfaction. This. This was what she craved most of all. That first moment of complete connection that made the time away from her books, the effort of going out, all worth it.
“Don’t look now, but we’ve got an audience,” he rasped in her ear.
Of course, with an announcement like that, how could she not look? No longer oblivious to the world around them, both Goodwin and Mary Ellen were watching through heavy-lidded eyes. Goodwin’s hand covered one of Mary Ellen’s breasts, his fingers idly plucking and massaging. One of her hands brushed up and down his arm. But their gazes were on her and Donovan. Or, more specifically, on where their bodies were connected.
Donovan pulled out then thrust back in with controlled slowness. Her inner muscles clamped down, trying to keep him in. A few more achingly slow thrusts had her begging him to speed up. But he only chuckled and held still inside her.
“Give her what she wants, Donovan,” Goodwin said and she shot him a grateful look.
“What the peanut gallery wants…” Donovan joked, then drew back and plunged back in so hard she felt the mattress shift. Her teeth rattled as he pounded into her, abandoning technique in pursuit of release. Mary Ellen’s groan had her looking over once more to see Goodwin moving between her legs, his face nuzzling her mound. She could almost feel that sensation, the long wet rasp of a tongue on her own pussy, the soft suckling on her lips.
And when she felt her abs tighten, felt her thighs tense up, she reached down around the pillow between her legs and circled her clit with one finger.
The explosion was too intense. Her knees wanted to curl up, but didn’t have the room. She bit her bottom lip and screamed, the sound only half muffled. Her hips churned up and back, working in an unconscious rhythm to prolong the exquisite torture.
“God…dammit,” Donovan growled over her and pushed in once, twice more before his body went stiff and she was almost convinced she could feel the pulse of his cock through his release. Then he groaned into her ear before collapsing to her side.
Neither moved nor spoke. The air felt heavy with heat and sweat and panting breath. Donovan blew on her neck, lifting the baby-fine hair there and cooling her down. She smiled at him. His cock was still inside her and her body was boneless from two intense orgasms, yet he managed to give her the most adorable “Did I do good?” little-boy grin and she fought back a laugh. She doubted he’d like the comparison.
He lifted off her and headed to the bathroom to clean up. When he came back, he lifted her hips with ease and removed the pillows holding her up, tossing them on the floor. Without their support she flopped back down to the bed stomach-first, still unable to move. He slid next to her, his fingers trailing up and down her back. His chest was warm against the side of her body, his fingertips and the air that moved over her back were cool. The shiver was involuntary and he planted a kiss at the base of her spine and asked, “Cold?”
“No, that just tickled a little. Feels good though.” It wasn’t her style to spend the night, but right then Ariel felt like she could close her eyes and sleep for a week straight. She could crawl up to the head of the bed, curl up on her side and let Donovan’s warmth blanket her while he wrapped her in his arms.
Whoa. Her eyes flew open, staring straight at Donovan’s forehead. Let his warmth blanket me? Where the hell did that come from? She rolled onto her back and stared at the popcorn ceiling. It was that line of thinking that would get her into trouble. She didn’t have time for a relationship and the guy wasn’t even a local to begin with.
The deep, even breathing from Donovan assured her he was either asleep or close to. She wondered if it would be easiest to just slip out now and avoid the uncomfortable “We’ll say that we’ll see each other but both know it’ll never happen” convo.
But before she could even figure out how to best slip out from under his arm, the mattress dipped and shifted. Mary Ellen and Goodwin both stood, as if coming to some silent consensus that they’d been lounging around long enough. Mary Ellen headed to the bathroom and Goodwin, heedless of his nakedness, turned on the bedside lamp and stretched. When he glanced down and caught her staring, he gave her a wolfish grin. “So you’re awake.”
She nodded, not sure what else to say. Why did this feel awkward all of a sudden? They’d been in this position before, ending the night with the same guy—or pair of guys—together. But for some reason, Goodwin’s obvious perusal of her body while Donovan slumbered next to her, his arm a heavy weight on her torso, made her stomach flip just a bit.
Goodwin’s eyes, bright and joking only moments earlier, took on an intent focus. “Ready to switch?”
“No switching.” Donovan had been close to sleep, lulled by the feel of Mackenzie’s soft skin beneath his hand, her breathing next to his ear, her warmth. But one mention of giving her over to Pete snapped him out of his pleasure-induced coma. No fucking way was he watching his friend’s hands all over her. As if to reassure himself she was still in his arms, he ran a hand up her ribs, cupping her breast possessively.
When Pete gave him a measuring look, raising one eyebrow, he took stock of what he’d just said, what he’d just thought. What the hell was he doing feeling protective, jealous even, over a woman whose last name he didn’t know? Who he hadn’t even known an hour? But it was instinctively there.
His friend cocked his head, shrugged and sat down on the edge of the bed. He opened the nightstand drawer and took ou
t the phonebook. “Worked up an appetite. Pizza?”
Trav forced a casual tone to his voice. “Yeah, sounds good.” Looking down at Mackenzie, he asked, “Hungry?”
“Um, sure I guess.” She looked anxious, like a deer on the first day of hunting season.
Dammit, that’s not what he wanted. He wanted her relaxed, calm, enjoying herself. Not nervous with one foot out the door. His hand stroked her arm a few times. “If you want to get something else to eat—”
“No, pizza’s fine.” She shook her head. “Actually, I have a lot to do, so it might be best if I take off.”
“Don’t tell me you double-booked the night,” he joked. “You’re not rushing off to some other guy, are you?” Say no. I don’t know why it matters…but say no.
She laughed and he liked the sound. It wasn’t fake or hollow, but full and thick with fun intentions. “No, nothing quite like that. Just life.” She sat up and shifted out of his grasp. “I’m going to get dressed.” And without a look back, she bent to pick up her clothes—giving him an amazing shot of her ass that had his cock shifting to life again—grabbed her purse and headed to the bathroom. With a quick knock, the door opened and Mackenzie slipped in.
“Ever wonder why it’s totally cool for two girls to be in the bathroom together, but not two guys?” Pete asked.
Trav’s head snapped his way. He’d completely forgotten his friend was there. “No.” He stood up and stretched. Was there a way he could talk Mackenzie into staying longer without sounding creepy?
Though Pete would take to a nudist colony like a fish to water, Trav preferred to be clothed if there wasn’t a good reason for him to be naked. Like sex with a hot brunette. He grabbed his jeans and slipped them on. As he buckled his belt, his cell vibrated against his thigh.
Ariel. As usual, the moment he received a message, her name was on his mind. A quick glance to the bathroom showed no sign of the girls, so he slipped the phone out of his pocket. Guilt stopped him in his tracks and he stared at the lit-up display showing one new message. Two seconds ago he’d been debating how to keep Mackenzie around longer, maybe the whole night. Now he was sneaking a peek at his phone because it might be some girl named Ariel that he would never meet?
Another moment of thought, then he decided to screw it and flipped the phone open to check.
Try coffee houses, local and national chains.
Ariel
She was still helping. He pecked out a quick thank-you text. As the door to the bathroom opened, his thumb hit send and he slipped the phone back in his pocket in one smooth motion.
Mackenzie and Ellen emerged, dressed and pulled together. Nobody looking at them would have guessed they’d just spent the last hour horizontal and in several compromising positions. Ellen went to sit by Pete on the bed and Mackenzie walked his way. Something beeped in her purse and she stopped to set it on top of the TV.
“Sorry,” she said and gave him an apologetic smile. “I just want to make sure it’s not important.” She opened her phone. As her eyes scanned the screen, her lips curved into a slight smile. Her thumbs flew over the keypad. She closed the cell, held up the phone and grinned at him. “What would we do without them?”
“Not sure,” he said. His cell vibrated once more and he wanted to laugh. The timing was ironic. But he ignored the message for the moment. “So we can’t convince you to stay for a late snack?”
“Or more sex?” Pete asked, blunt and hopeful.
They both laughed and Ellen said, “Sorry, boys. My work doesn’t have weekends and that one over there,” she said, pointing a thumb at Mackenzie, “is a bookworm. We had fun though.” She grabbed the back of Pete’s neck and dragged him close. “Lots of fun,” she purred, then gave him a smacking kiss before letting go.
“Did you have fun?” Trav asked Mackenzie. She gave him a shy smile and nodded. “Good,” he said and grabbed her hand. He tugged until she was pressed up against his front. Her body was soft and warm and he was loath to let her leave now. His muscles tightened, flexed, and he fought hard to keep another erection at bay. “Maybe we’ll run into each other again before we leave town.”
She hesitated a split second before nodding. “Maybe.”
He let her go and grabbed his shirt from the floor. Flinging it on, he said, “We’ll walk you down.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Mackenzie protested, blushing a little. She shook her head and a piece of hair stuck to her lip.
He reached out and smoothed the hair behind her ear before he realized he’d made the move. She turned to the side, but he could see the flush creep up her neck and reach the shell of her ear. God, that was adorable.
“Yeah, we want to.” He glanced over and saw Pete shrugging into his shirt, jeans already on. “Let’s go.”
The foursome walked down the hall in silence. In the elevator, Ellen mentioned a few restaurants to try in the area. Mackenzie stayed silent and stared at her reflection in the mirrored doors. When they opened, she walked out so fast she almost knocked over a mom holding onto a stroller.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” She blushed viciously and stammered another apology to the scowling woman. But she didn’t slow down. The rest of them had to pick up the pace to keep up.
When the group reached the revolving front door, Ellen paused. “We’ve got it from here. I know you manly men are all about walking a woman to her car, but we’re good. Seriously.” She reached up on her toes and gave Pete a light brush of a kiss across his cheek. “Thanks for a good night,” she said.
“Thanks back,” Pete said without hesitation. Then he took a step back and waited in the wings.
Ellen gave Trav a wink and walked out to wait on the well-lit sidewalk.
“So,” Trav began, then cursed himself for sounding like a moron.
“So,” Mackenzie repeated, giving him an impish smile. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, thanks.” He didn’t trust himself not to grab her and pull her back to his room so he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
Mackenzie stared at him for a moment then took a step toward him. He held his breath, not sure what she was going to do, but it didn’t matter. She rocked back, turned and walked out the door without another word.
Well. That was anticlimactic. He watched as the two women walked to the parking lot, not able to take his eyes off Mackenzie’s back as she faded into the evening.
“Let’s get some food,” Pete said behind him. “I’m starving.”
He turned to look at his friend, seeing none of the turmoil or regret on Pete’s face that he felt himself. Apparently only one of the four developed a quick attachment. And since that was the case, he needed to shake it off. Fast.
“Sure. You’re buying.” He started toward the elevators with Pete.
“Donovan!”
He spun and saw Mackenzie sprinting through the lobby. Before he could do more than take his hands out of his pockets, she launched herself at him. He stumbled back one step before his hands found her waist and his legs caught their balance. Arms wound around his neck, she leaned up and took his mouth in an urgent kiss. It was like she was giving him a sendoff before going to war…again. Her tongue flicked at the seam of his lips and darted in for a too-quick taste before retreating.
She eased back and sighed a little. “Thanks.”
Trav’s tongue was too thick for his mouth. He managed to grunt out, “I think we covered ‘thanks’ before.”
She smiled. “Yeah. But I wanted to say it again.” She slid out of his grasp and sighed once more. “If only,” she murmured, then gave him a jaunty salute. “Bye.”
He watched as once more she slipped out of his grasp and into the night.
On the elevator ride up he remembered Ariel’s text from earlier. He fished his phone out of his pocket and checked the message. The irony, based on his “thanks” talk with Mackenzie, made him smile once more.
You’re welcome.
Ariel
Chapter Five
“I’m glad y
ou decided to stay the night at camp,” Mary Ellen said as she turned the car down the isolated dirt road that led to the entrance of Camp Tecumseh. “Between a late night and us having the breakfast shift tomorrow, I’d be worried about you driving here from your apartment tomorrow morning.”
“Me too,” Ariel said, staring out the window. She didn’t want to be on the way home with Mary Ellen, much as she loved her friend. But what she did want—being in bed with Donovan for another hour or two or twelve—wasn’t just impractical, it was dangerous. Dangerous for her mind. She knew herself well enough to know that for whatever reason, they sparked. And spending extra time with him might lead her to romanticize or fantasize about a relationship that would never happen. Ever.
Ariel’s purse beeped on the floor next to her feet.
And speaking of relationships that would never happen…
“Gonna check that?” Mary Ellen asked wryly.
“Why bother?” Ariel snapped, then sighed and checked her pissy attitude. “Sorry. I’m just in a bad mood.”
“After that? You’ll have to excuse my confusion, but from my point of view, it looked like you were enjoying a double orgasm thirty minutes ago. How does that put someone in a bad mood?”
It doesn’t. Ariel turned to stare out the window as the camp lights came into focus. She waited until Mary Ellen parked her car in the staff parking lot and got out.
“I’m going to head to my cabin,” she said. The cheerful tone was faked. The yawn she produced afterward was not.
Mary Ellen eyed her a moment in the dim streetlamp light. “All right. If you need anything, you know where my cabin is.”
They headed their separate ways, Ariel continuing on to the cabin she stayed at when she worked summers as a counselor or long weekends for retreats. Her parents kept the cabin ready and open in case she ever needed a place to crash.
Ariel walked the short distance to her small room and shut the door behind her. Normally she’d let someone—either her parents or her brother if it was late—know she was there. But she wasn’t in the mood for company and conversation.
