I lowered her onto the mattress. Her sundress had bunched around her hips when I’d picked her up. I left it that way and enjoyed for a second the view of her lacy, light pink underwear. Then I leaned over her and said hotly against her ear, “There’s nothing I want more than to eat you, but that’s gonna have to wait.” I ran my fingers along her seam, applying enough pressure to cause her to arch her back.
She whimpered. I grinned.
“Tell me, Kels, how wet are you?”
“Very wet.” Her voice was a breathy whisper. My cock hardened that much more. “Just for you, Trent. Only for you.”
I groaned against her jaw. “Christ, you’re killing me.” I slipped my finger past the elastic and stroked her slick lips. “I want you so fucking bad. I always want you so fucking bad.”
“And that’s exactly what I want. You fucking me.” A campfire could’ve been started by the amount of heat in her voice.
“Soon. But in the meantime”—I hooked my fingers on the waistband of her panties—“you won’t need these for dinner.” I slid them down her legs and tossed them somewhere on the floor.
I guided her legs apart. “Let me see my favorite pussy, Kels. I need something to think about during dinner.” Screw dinner. I wanted to feast on her now.
And then I wanted to fuck her long and hard.
I admired her slick heat for a moment, then brushed my thumb roughly against her core. She bucked at my touch. “You’re so beautiful,” I told her, and with a shocking amount of self-restraint, I gently brought her legs back together.
I helped her off the bed and kissed her, white-hot desire burning in my veins. In the back of my head, I was vaguely aware of a soft knock at the door but ignored it. I had everything I needed and wanted right now in my arms. Nothing else was important.
For now, the pain-in-the-ass voice in my head warned. Then it was back to reality once we returned to San Francisco—and my job that always came first.
As if hearing my thoughts, Kelsey pulled away. “Yes?” Her voice was louder than before, but still rough with need.
She indicated for me to duck behind the bed. I would have laughed if the person behind the door wasn’t someone who was supposed to remain oblivious to what Kelsey and I were up to.
“It’s Jillian,” the person on the other side of the door said.
Kelsey let out the breath I hadn’t realized she was holding, and unlocked the door. She opened it wide and let Jillian in. Kelsey wasn’t the only one who looked like she’d had a very satisfying make-out session.
“We’re supposed to head down now,” Jillian said.
“Thanks,” I told her.
Matt entered the room. “Are you ready for this?”
“I think so,” Kelsey said, although she did suddenly look as though she was going to be sick.
“All you have to do is pretend you’re with me,” Matt coached. “Everything else will be simple. Try to keep the conversation away from us as a couple and it’ll be fine. It’s just another dinner with friends.”
“Don’t worry, Kels,” I said. “You’ve got this.”
“But how long do we have to do this for?” she asked. “I mean, I get why I can’t be honest with my best friend, but how long will I have to pretend Matt’s my boyfriend?”
“Until you’re able to convince my sister and Holly to quit setting you up.” Or until she’d had enough of our relationship and was ready to date other men for real.
My stomach turned to lead at the thought.
“We can stop pretending now if you want and tell Erin the truth,” I added. “It’s up to you. I’ll stick by you whatever you decide.”
Kelsey shook her head. “No, we’re already here and this is for the best. It will keep our friends off our backs for a while.”
As long as we could pull it off.
32
Kelsey
Dinner was great. As was the company. Jillian and Matt did a good job convincing everyone that Trent and I were dating them.
Okay, maybe they did too good of a job.
Did you see the look in Erin’s eyes? That’s right, the one already envisioning Trent’s and my future children.
But it wasn’t our combined genetics she had mixed together. It was future Jillian-Trent junior and Kelsey-Matt junior she was seeing. Trent was right. I needed to pull up my big girl panties soon, and stop Erin from setting me up with yet another guy I had no interest in.
There was only one guy I wanted—the one I couldn’t have. Not in the way that I wanted him. Trent needed to learn to trust me and trust that I would never hurt him like the women in his past had. He needed to be as committed to me as he was to his job, which had never let him down. And after that, we’d have to convince our siblings that we could make it work.
Except it would’ve been easier to convince terrorists to sing Karaoke with the world leaders. While wearing women’s underwear.
Once dinner was finished, Holly, Jillian, and I helped Erin clean up, then we joined the men outside on the deck. There wasn’t a lot of room for all of us. Erin cuddled up next to Darren.
Jillian and I exchanged looks, but it was clear we didn’t have a choice. Whether we wanted to or not, unless we wanted to raise suspicions, we had to cozy up to the wrong guy.
Resignedly, I sat next to Matt on the loveseat. He played his role well, other than stiffening slightly when Jillian cuddled up to Trent. If I hadn’t been leaning against him, I wouldn’t have noticed.
“It’s been driving me crazy,” Holly said to Matt, “but I’m positive I’ve seen you before.”
Matt chuckled, but something was off about it. A quick peek at Erin’s and Holly’s expressions told me they hadn’t noticed, both watching him intently.
Trent was too far away for me to tell if he was breathing—or if like me, his breath had stalled in his chest while waiting for Holly to piece things together.
“You’re probably confusing me for someone else,” Matt said. “I get that all the time.”
Holly didn’t look too convinced.
“I can guarantee with your Australian accent I would remember you,” he cleverly pointed out.
“I guess that’s true.”
Erin was looking at him, her head tilted to the side, as if noticing for the first time that he did looked familiar.
Shit.
I didn’t think Erin watched Criminal Minds, but there was always a chance she had seen the one episode Matt had been in.
Quick, think!
“So, Holly,” I said, blurting the first thing that came to mind. “Maybe Erin can help you find a great guy since I’m officially off the market for one.”
Foot, meet mouth.
Erin’s face lit up with a grin. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea.”
Holly shifted in her seat, as though it were made of burning coal. “Thanks…but, um, I think I’ll take a rain check. It’s quarter end…and I’ll be really busy for a while.” Holly changed the topic so fast after that, I was surprised none of us ended up with whiplash.
By ten o’clock, Erin was fighting to stay awake. She leaned her head against Darren’s shoulder, and a few minutes later she was asleep.
He scooped up his wife. She didn’t even stir. “See y’all tomorrow,” he said.
Holly uncurled herself from her seat. “I’m up for the hot tub. Who wants to join me?”
“I will,” I said, even though the only place I really wanted to be was in Trent’s arms. On the bed…or bent over it. I wasn’t fussy.
But…
Hot tub safety 101: friends don’t let friends hot tub alone under the influence of Napa Valley wine.
Trent, Matt, and Jillian also said they were in, and we headed upstairs to our rooms. Except Matt’s swim trunks were in Jillian’s room and Trent’s were in mine…where they weren’t supposed to be according to Erin’s sleeping arrangements. The men had purposefully switched suitcases back in San Francisco, to make things easier for once we got here. Trent’s clothes were i
n my suitcase. Matt’s were in Jillian’s.
So much for that plan.
Matt stood in the middle of the bedroom and checked his phone. He removed Trent’s swim trunks from the suitcase and walked out onto the balcony. Curious what he was up to, I followed him.
Trent was already out on Jillian’s balcony, with what I guessed to be Matt’s swim trunks.
“How are you planning to get them to him?” I asked Matt.
“Like this…” He placed the trunks on the ground, rolled them into a tight ball, and tucked in the ends.
He stood back up and walked over to Jillian’s balcony. “Ready?” he called to Trent, arm cocked back as if he was about to throw a baseball.
At Trent’s nod, Matt threw an impressive pass and Trent intercepted it. Trent did the same with the makeshift ball he’d made out of Matt’s swim trunks. Matt easily caught it.
Jillian pretended to throw him a kiss. He easily caught that too.
I chuckled. “Wow, you’re really good.”
He let out an easy laugh. “I was an all-star baseball player in college for a reason.”
“Yet, you went into acting instead?”
“Call it a twist of fate.…Do you want to get changed first? I can stay out here until you’re ready.”
By the time we had changed into our swim gear, Holly was waiting for us in the hallway. She was wearing a tiny green bikini, with a matching wraparound tied low on her hips. Like with everything else she wore, she looked amazing.
“Love your bikini, Kelsey,” Jillian said, walking toward us in hers—a cute, light pink top with black boy shorts accented with light pink.
Did Trent appreciate it? I had no idea. He was too busy staring at my bikini, with the aqua-blue fabric peeking through the black lace overlay. I’d bought it the other day for this trip—and for Trent’s benefit.
He swallowed hard, his gaze still on me. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. A light frown formed between Holly’s eyebrows.
She opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Matt’s arms were around me and he pulled me in for a kiss.
Just a quick kiss. Nothing to make me weak in the knees.
But as he released me, I caught the end of Trent’s reaction…and it wasn’t a happy one. He scowled at his friend, even though his friend had just saved our asses.
Fortunately for us it wasn’t Holly this time who saw what happened. Unfortunately for Trent, it was Jillian. Her elbow jabbed his stomach. Not enough to cause damage, but enough to remind Trent what was at stake.
“Where’s the hot tub?” Jillian said, laughter in her voice, although I had no idea if that was part of the act, or if she had actually enjoyed nailing Trent in the stomach.
“Follow me,” Holly said.
Jillian and Matt did exactly that. Trent lightly grabbed my wrist, holding me back. My skin tingled at his touch.
“Screw the hot tub.” His breath was hot against my ear and my knees felt a little wobbly from the sensation. “I want to take you back to your room and fuck you.”
I pressed my lips against his. “Soon. But it’ll look a little strange if my boyfriend and your girlfriend join Holly and we vanish.”
“I’m going to have to kill her husband for kissing you,” Trent growled but it was missing any real anger.
I laughed. “Her husband saved your ass.”
“How so?”
“You were so busy staring at me that you almost gave us away.”
At least he had the decency to look sheepish about it.
We quickly joined the others before Holly could realize we had disappeared. Jillian deserved an Academy Award for her role in distracting her.
We climbed into the tub, Jillian and I on either side of Holly. Except Trent forgot who his girlfriend was supposed to be and sat next to me, leaving Matt to sit next to his wife.
My heart rate picked up at the error, but the loud gurgling of the water kept anyone from hearing the thump, thump, oh fuck, thump. If Holly thought it was a little odd that Trent and Matt were sitting in the wrong spots, she didn’t say anything or give any hint of what she was thinking.
Eventually my heart rate eased, helped along by the soothing water.
We spent the next fifteen minutes relaxing in the hot water, not talking a lot at this point. Being in a fake relationship was exhausting, and I’d run out of things to say. Instead, I leaned back and stared at the stars.
“So beautiful,” I whispered, more to myself than to anyone else.
Trent’s fingers brushed against the back of my hand. Without thinking through the consequences first, I smiled at him.
“I’m tired. I think I’ll head to bed,” Jillian said, and I could’ve almost hugged her.
The rest of us agreed and headed back inside.
Jillian and I had our showers first in the two available bathrooms. While I waited for Trent to join me in my room, I blow dried my hair, then climbed into bed, naked.
The door eventually opened…and Matt walked in. I let out a small squeal and yanked the sheet up, covering my breasts.
“Sorry,” he mouthed and shut the door. “Holly’s door is open, so I had to come in here.”
He paced the room for a few minutes, then inched the door open to check if she had shut hers yet. Shaking his head, he closed the door again.
I slumped back against the pillows.
Shit, now what?
33
Trent
Men are generally an impatient species. From the moment we discover our penises as babies, we favor instant gratification.
Which was why Holly wasn’t currently topping my list of favorite people. Her bedroom door was open, meaning I couldn’t sneak into Kelsey’s room.
And it didn’t look like she was in a rush to shut it.
Like she wasn’t in a rush to shut it thirty minutes ago.
Matt: What the fuck are we going to do?
Good question.
Me: The balcony?
Matt: Might work.
Jillian and I headed outside, to be met by Matt and Kelsey on the other balcony. Thank god Holly’s and Erin’s rooms weren’t overlooking this side of the mini mansion. It was dark out, but the lights on our balconies were like spotlights, preventing us from sneaking around.
Matt and I inspected the one obstacle separating us from the women we wanted to be with. The balcony railings were possible to climb over, and as long as they were firmly attached to the balconies, it was possible to climb between them.
The good news was we were only on the second floor and the ground beneath us wasn’t concrete. The bad news? The rose bush didn’t look too comfy if hit wrong.
I tested the railing. “They feel secure.” Matt tried his and agreed. “I’m coming over first,” I said.
“Are you crazy?” Kelsey called out. “You could get killed.”
“I’m not gonna get killed.” Holding onto the railing, I managed to climb over without maiming the boys.
“Be careful,” Kelsey said, gripping her own balcony railing. If she’d had superhero strength, she would’ve created a sizeable dent in the black metal.
“That’s the general plan.”
“It better be…or…or else I’ll have to kill you if you die.”
I snorted a laugh. “I’ll take that into consideration.”
Still holding onto the railing, I shifted my body. With one foot perched on the concrete, I stretched my other leg toward Kelsey’s balcony. Once my footing was secure there, I reached for the railing, and swung my body over, leaving my balcony behind.
Kelsey grabbed hold of my arm and helped me over the railing. Well, more like she tried to drag me over, fearful that I would otherwise fall to my demise.
Once she had assured herself that I was indeed safe, she flung herself at me.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “Looks like you won’t have to kill me after all.”
“Glad to hear it.” Her arms went around my neck and she
kissed me long and hard. I was vaguely aware of Matt making the same journey to the other balcony to be with his wife.
“I want you so badly,” Kelsey moaned when we briefly came up for air. Matt and Jillian were no longer on the other balcony, having already retreated into Jillian’s bedroom.
My cock strained against the zipper of my jeans, hell-bent on giving my woman what she wanted. We barely made it to the bedroom before Kelsey unzipped my jeans and slipped her hand in, cupping me.
At the sensation of her hand pressing against my throbbing length, I saw stars. Unable to wait another moment, I practically ripped her jeans and T-shirt from her body while she did the same to mine.
I paused once she was standing in nothing but her lacy panties. She smiled, but unlike the shy smiles from when we first hooked up, this one was filled with a confidence that almost had me coming at the sight of her.
Yes, sexual confidence was that hot, that powerful.
I kissed her once more—deep, hungry, demanding—then peeled the lacy fabric down her legs. Once they were tossed aside, I indicated for her to lie on the bed and removed three silk ties from my bag. Kelsey’s eyes dilated at the sight of them.
Just as I expected they would.
I climbed onto the bed, straddling her. “Put your hands together above your head.”
She did as requested and my lips moved into a devilish smile. I lightly dragged the tip of one tie up her stomach and between her breasts, silently promising her nipples that I’d soon be worshiping them, like I would be the rest of her body.
She gasped softly and my smile widened.
I continued along her arms, then gently bound her wrists together before knotting the ends of the tie to the headboard.
“Do you trust me?” I asked. She nodded without hesitation, and a warmth stirred in my gut at how easily she had given me her trust when I struggled with that myself.
I took the other tie and covered her eyes with it. Once it was secure, I lightly brushed my lips against hers, silently thanking her for giving me this part of her, for trusting me not to hurt her.
She playfully nipped at my lower lip, and everything south of the equator pulsated with need. But as much as I wanted to sink into her, I wasn’t ready to end the game just yet.
Decidedly Off Limits Page 18
