by Kait Gamble
He stilled. She heard him swallow before his measured response came.
“Are you sure?”
Maisie felt the excitement coursing through him. It was contagious. “Positive.”
“Shit, Maisie, I’m getting hard just thinking about it.”
He wasn’t the only one getting excited.
“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?” She smiled up at him, trying not to come across like the cat that had gotten the cream.
“It can wait.”
He climbed off and presumably went in search of the box. The bed dipped under his weight when he returned moments later. It seemed he truly was anticipating the moment.
Maisie nibbled her bottom lip. She hoped she wouldn’t disappoint him.
“I want you to relax. It might feel a little strange at first, but I promise you it’ll be worth it.”
She nodded and let him position her on the bed. Trepidation and excitement coursed thick and hot through her veins. He laid her on what felt like the center of the bed and, for an instant, Maisie wondered how she could be letting a perfect stranger do this to her.
A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that letting him do what he liked had worked out very well so far and to just go with it.
That was the voice Maisie listened to.
Not that she had long to mull over things, since he’d started kissing her again and the brush of his tongue against her blasted all thought from her mind.
He kissed her with skill, care and a tinge of thankfulness. It was something that came through with almost every caress. He honestly seemed to be grateful for her and that she let him even touch her. As if he was the one being blessed.
It was both humbling and heady.
Long, hot, wet moments passed before he moved downward from her mouth, as if he had all the time in the world to do as he liked. Maisie definitely wasn’t going to be the one to dissuade him of that. He kissed a path down her throat to her breasts, over her navel and finally to his goal, worshiping her with his mouth and tongue as he did. The sensations multiplied when she felt the icy metal of the plug dragged along her skin after the blazing heat of his tongue. The mix of hot and cold confused her senses—tantalized them—and left her craving more of her mystery man and his many talents.
Her instinct told her that he wouldn’t hurt her and previous experience led her to believe that what was coming was going to be spectacular.
Maisie let him push her thighs apart and bury his face between them as he sucked and tugged on her clit. In no time, he had her trembling and mindlessly craving everything—anything—he had in store for her. It didn’t matter as long as he didn’t stop the endless waves of pleasure.
He hitched her knees over his shoulders as he continued to lick and kiss her pussy, changing the angle of her pelvis so that she lay tipped upward into his mouth. Dragging the plug over her clit, he chuckled when she hissed against the chill, even as she arched into it. He rubbed it against her, using it to bring her to another toe-curling orgasm.
As Maisie came down from this one, she felt a slight pressure against the tight ring of muscles in her ass just as there was a stretch and more pressure still until it slid into place, followed by the sensation of fullness. It did feel strange, but not painful. Maisie writhed a little, wanting to feel more.
“You look incredible.” Her mystery man took only a moment to admire his handiwork, running his fingers over the jeweled end of the plug, before he crawled over her. “Are you okay?”
Maisie nodded. “I want more.”
He chuckled as he rubbed the head of his erection against her, lubricating himself with her juices. He slowly pushed into her.
Her body lit up with pleasure as he inched his way inside her. The dual sensations of him rubbing against her clit and the plug were indescribable. Jaw slack, Maisie could only moan her pleasure, begging wordlessly for more.
Full. It was the only way to describe the feeling when he was inside her as far as he could go. He held himself there for a while, letting her get used to it before he groaned and shifted his hips a little as if he couldn’t help himself.
“Please tell me you’re good. I need to move.”
Maisie answered him with a buck of her hips. It was all he needed to let loose.
It was fast, furious fucking, and exactly what Maisie needed to hit the stratosphere once again and cement in her mind that this man, whoever he was, was the one for her.
Chapter Six
Maisie spent her rare day off both work and classes tidying. Who knew she had so many clothes that they could be piled up into the mini mountain she was staring down?
Now Kian had returned from work to help out and was following her lead and putting his own room in order.
He walked past her room with an armful of his own clothes. “Want some company?”
She smiled at him. “Please.” He knew that the laundry room creeped her out and the activity itself bored her to tears. At least with him in there with her, it wouldn’t be as bad.
He took one look at the daunting pile and whistled. “You need a bulldozer.”
“Maybe.” She grabbed all her darks and jammed them into the net bag she usually used to transport her things to the laundry room and back. To that she added the bottle of detergent and softener.
“Let me.” Kian took the bag from her with a smile. “Ready?”
She swiveled on the spot to searching for her purse. “I need some change.”
He shrugged a muscled shoulder. “I’ve got it.”
“I’ll pay you back once I find my bag.”
Kian nudged her with his elbow to get her moving. “Don’t sweat it.”
“All right, Moneybags.” She held the front door open for him and followed after making sure the door was locked behind them.
They walked the hall quietly, heading toward the rooms in the middle of the floor where the laundry was situated.
They picked two machines next to each other and started loading.
“So how was your night?”
Incredible. Amazing. Awe-inspiring. “It was really good.”
“Meeting with him again tonight?”
“No, he’s got some other commitment, but we’re meeting again tomorrow.” Maisie couldn’t help the grin that spread over her lips at the thought.
“What’s that smile for?”
It didn’t get any smaller. “He promised to tell me who he is.”
Kian arched his eyebrows. “Big night, then.”
“Very.” She bounced up and down as she loaded up her clothes, dumped detergent in and filled the conditioner reservoir.
When she turned, she caught Kian avidly watching her little performance.
“What? I’m excited.”
“I couldn’t tell.” He finished up what he was doing. “Since neither of us has anything to do tonight, I thought we’d stay in. Maybe get some takeout, watch some trashy TV.” He gave her a charming smile. “What do you think?”
“Sounds great.” She could most definitely use some time to decompress and maybe reenergize before her meeting with her mystery guy.
That she was going to find out who he was, was huge. Maisie was excited about that prospect. And terrified. What if he was totally wrong for her? Well, maybe not totally wrong. But what if he wasn’t who she thought he would be? What if they had nothing in common except sex?
Was that enough of a foundation for a relationship?
Was it wrong that Maisie was willing to give it a try if only to spend a little more time with him in bed?
The walk back to the apartment was quiet while she mulled over her dilemma.
She looked up at her roommate as he unlocked the door. “Can I run something past you?”
“Of course.”
She knew nothing was off the table with Kian. Not only was he level-headed but also knowledgeable and totally nonjudgmental.
Maisie took a deep breath. “Is it selfish to want to be with this guy mostly for th
e sex?”
He laughed. “Seeing as you’re asking a guy, I guess you’re expecting the answer to be in your favor.”
Kian was often right and this time was no different.
“Sort of.”
“Well, considering that’s all you really know about the guy, is that a bad thing? You seem…compatible, right?”
More than. “Yeah, I thought that was obvious. I’m just worried that outside of sex, we’ll have nothing in common. What if he’s really dull to talk to on a daily basis?”
“I see your problem.” Kian pulled out his cell and tapped the screen. “The usual?”
“Depends. Is that the usual Chinese, Italian, Thai or pizza?”
He grinned. “Whichever you prefer.”
“How about pizza?”
Kian had already started dialing. “Sounds good to me.”
Maisie tidied up a bit while he was on the call. Living with Kian was so comfortable. He was the best roommate. They fit together so well, but they’d never crossed the friend line.
In the early days, she did wonder what he was like with his girlfriends. She’d certainly heard his various women over the years through the wall they shared. If the screams were anything to go by, Kian definitely knew what he was doing. Those visits, however, had grown fewer and further between as he’d gotten more and more focused on his work.
But what they had was too good to risk. What if they crossed the line and couldn’t recover? Would her next roommate be as good? Would she lose her best friend? It wasn’t worth ruining. She didn’t know what she would do without Kian to come home to.
He was her rock.
She just hoped that he wouldn’t disappear from her life if her mystery man came into it.
“You look like you’re thinking really hard.” He dragged her back to the couch, adopting their usual seats and poses. His arm was thrown casually over her shoulders as they settled into the worn sofa.
“I’ve got a lot to think about, I guess.”
Kian sighed. “How does he make you feel?”
“Good. Great. But like you said, I don’t know anything about the guy other than the fact that he can give me multiple orgasms.”
“Well, considering what you’ve told me before, that’s an improvement. Right?”
“Definitely, but I don’t want to be the defining thing in our relationship, because if we ever lose that, then where would we be?”
Her roommate nodded. “I get it. I wouldn’t worry about it too much right now. Once you find out who he is, you can take it from there.”
Kian was right. Panicking before she got all the facts wasn’t going to help anything.
Maisie picked up the remote. “So what are we watching tonight?”
* * * *
The food was gone and they were most of the way through their monster movie marathon when Maisie woke with a start.
Kian still had his arm wrapped around her, though he watched her rather than the TV.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” Maisie stretched, but couldn’t be bothered to move. She was just so languid and comfortable. She snuggled deeper. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing much. Want to go to bed?”
It sounded so wonderful. It was on the tip of her tongue to say yes, when it clicked that they wouldn’t be going to bed together. And what was she thinking anyway? She had been dreaming of her mystery man and transferred the feelings to Kian when she’d woken. That had to be it.
She carefully sat up and put some space between them. “It’s okay. I think I got a second wind. Unless you want to go to bed.”
“Nah. It’s been a while since we’ve just hung out like this. Let me tidy this mess up and we’ll settle in for another movie.”
She smiled. “I’ll help.”
They quickly got rid of the remnants of their meal, found a few drinks and sat back down. Her with wine and him with beer.
She settled under his arm again and sighed happily. “This is what I want.”
“Huh?”
“This. This thing we have going, but with the fantastic sex I get from my mystery guy.”
“Uh, ouch.”
“I don’t mean that you couldn’t do the same. I’m just saying that this is what I want. You.” She held up one hand. “Him,” she held up the other the clapped them together.
“I hope you don’t mean that literally.” He pried her hands apart.
Maisie almost jerked away at the feel of his hands on hers. Kian hadn’t looked away and held her gaze steadily.
He had such beautiful eyes. “You never seemed interested in me that way.”
Maisie swallowed. “You didn’t seem interested either.”
“Maybe I was just biding my time.”
Why couldn’t he have done this a week ago? A few days ago? She might not know who her mystery man was, but she wasn’t going to sleep with anyone else while she was still with him. No matter who it was or how compatible.
“Stop screwing around, Kian.”
He smirked. “Relax, Maise. Just messing with you.”
Was he? She wasn’t sure if that was a relief or a disappointment. She took a long drink of her wine. “So what are we watching now?”
He stretched. “I have no idea. I think we’ve been through everything worth watching on Netflix.” Kian picked a film randomly and sat back.
Her pulse fluttered at her throat still. It was the absurdity of the thought of them sleeping together that had her off kilter.
It wasn’t his touch.
She spent the remainder of the awful movie chugging her wine to distract her from her disturbing thoughts about Kian.
It didn’t take her long before the room started to spin and she started to giggle at everything.
“I definitely think it’s time I get you into bed.” He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her through the hall.
Maisie just started laughing harder. “It’s fine for you to say that now. Why couldn’t you have said something like that before?”
“And if I had?”
She let her head droop to the side so she could get a look at him. “Things might have been different. Maybe. I don’t know if I could risk our friendship. It means more to me than anything.”
Kian lowered her into the bed and dragged the covers over her. “Me too.”
Maisie couldn’t be sure, but she thought she felt a kiss on her forehead as she drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
As always after a rare night of binge drinking, she regretted it the next morning.
She buried her head under her pillow until she needed to resurface for air. Maisie gripped it and threw it across the room.
Straight toward Kian’s head as he walked through the door.
He deftly dodged it. “Morning to you too.”
“Sorry.”
“I thought you could use these.” Kian held out a glass of water in one hand and some headache tablets in the other.
So thoughtful.
Maisie took them. “Thanks.”
“Can’t have you feeling lousy today, can we?”
Dammit! Her meeting with the mystery guy…
“What time is it?” She finished off the water and hurriedly got out of bed.
Kian held up his hand. “It’s still early. Relax.”
Maisie breathed a little easier, but her lungs seized again when she remembered the night before. At least the bits and pieces she could recall.
Had she really felt so attracted to Kian or was she just displacing her emotions by putting his face on one she couldn’t see?
Her roommate cleared his throat. “Right. You’re okay, so I’m going to go to work. Good luck with tonight if I don’t see you before.”
Why did he have to be so nice? “Thanks.”
Kian shrugged with a wan smile and walked out.
Her stomach in tight, gnarled knots, she tried her best to get herself together. She went through her usual pre-work routine with the speed of a daz
ed turtle and felt like one too. Most of the time was spent mulling over her feelings. She was hungover and confused while the night before she was only confused.
Or maybe she just wasn’t used to having her attention split by two men. Maisie had spent most of her life just assuming that no one would be interested in her and therefore she refused to focus her attention on anyone unless they were actually dating. Then things rarely worked out.
Was it any wonder she was a pessimist when it came to matters of the heart? Or why she was so slow to jump into a relationship?
So why had it been so easy to jump into the arms of a mystery man?
Because not knowing who he was had made it easier. Not seeing him or his reactions to her had most definitely eased her mind, so she could just slip into a fantasy world and enjoy herself.
Not exactly smart or something that would last. Was she just setting herself up for another fall?
More than likely. But what a way to go.
This whole adventure would be something she would remember for a long time, no matter what the outcome.
That alone kept her going through the day.
* * * *
After a day of drudgery at school then enduring the ridiculous tasks given to her by the beast she called her boss, the last thing she wanted to do was leave the apartment again—usually. Tonight, however, she was buzzing. And more than slightly terrified.
Kian was nowhere to be found when she walked through the door, but she found a box waiting for her so he had to have been around at some point.
It was big.
There was no note on it, but it was in the same white box and black ribbon like the other had been.
Maisie quickly undid the big bow and pulled the lid off to find a beautiful dress inside. Nestled in the fine fabric lay a little card that bore the words—Please wear this tonight.
That solved the issue of what she was going to wear. At least on the outside. She had some underwear that she had been saving from her last shopping trip that could work with it.
After a quick shower to get the day off her, Maisie pulled out the dress and grinned. It was gorgeous. Black and white to match her hair, it was made of an incredibly fine material that she never could have afforded on her own. The tight-fitting top was sleeveless and did up like a corset in the back while the skirt flared down to her knees. It was cute and perfectly suited her style. Under the dress was a pair of shoes that finished off the ensemble wonderfully.
