by Harper Sloan
"Hey," I answer.
"Hey, you. White or red?" she oddly asks.
"Uh, white or red, what?"
"Wine, Ember. Really? We skip a few wine nights, and it's like you forgot what we do once a week."
"It's Tuesday." At least, I'm pretty sure it's Tuesday. The downside to not having a conventional job is that time has no meaning most days.
"Oh," she murmurs. "Really?"
"I'm pretty sure. At least, that's what my planner said this morning when I was checking my deadline for the last piece I need to get over to Annabelle at the gallery."
"Well, son of a Bieber," she complains. "Well, we might as well just have wine night anyway. I'm in desperate need of it since I've been two seconds away from killing Seth since last week."
I laugh, not surprised that they've been fighting ... they're always fighting. And honestly, she isn't the only one who is in the mood for a much-needed wine night with her best friend.
"How about get one of each and we will just play it by ear. I could use a good night of relaxing with a glass."
"Or ten," she mumbles.
"I wouldn't go that far." I snicker. "I'll start dinner in an hour, so come over whenever."
"'Kay. Love ya, bye!"
"So did he ever text you back?" Nikki all but wheezes, her eyes wide as her mouth hangs open with shocked anticipation.
I had just finished catching her up on everything that's going on between Nate and me. Needless to say, she's been about to fall off the couch with every word I've spoken.
"Nothing, which is weird for him. Even when he's been busy, he doesn't usually take this long to respond to me."
She nods her head but doesn't speak.
"Should I try again?" I ask, taking another sip of the nasty red she picked out.
"Nope. No way. Don't look desperate."
"I am desperate!"
"No, you aren't. You're horny."
"And that's different?"
"Sure, it is," she muses. "You want some of his dick, which I bet is huge if I'm being honest right now. But I digress; you're horny for what he can give you, not desperate in the sense that you're going to die if it doesn't happen right this second. Plus, judging by what you've told me, I think you still have some doubts about his motives, which is stupid as hell."
I turn my head from where I had been looking out the front window, staring mindlessly into the dark night, and narrow my eyes at her.
"And you think I shouldn't?"
"I didn't say that. You've been hung up on that for a while now, so it makes sense you have reservations, but now that I've heard his side of things, I think it's time to at least take his advice and try to put the past in the past to stay. He makes a good point; the longer you hang on to that pain--remembering how much it hurt--you feed it the fuel it needs to grow bigger. Also, you were just out of high school, Em. Then and now are like night and day. I'm not saying you should just jump in head first without thought, but I don't think he would even be pursuing anything if he wasn't serious about you."
I mull over her words before responding. "You're right," I agree with a sigh of acceptance. "But we've had one, technically two, dates. If you call them that. How can I know he's serious in that short period of time? What if he finds something about me that he doesn't like? Hell, we haven't even done anything past kissing. He might not like what he gets if we take it past that. He's a lot more experienced than I am, and every time I've been with a guy, there wasn't even a spark, let alone fireworks. He could figure out on the next date that I'm not worth the trouble or risks."
She snorts, almost spilling her drink. "Yeah, no. First of all, you have known him your whole life. I doubt he's going to find something he doesn't like about you. Knowing someone that long means you know all their faults and just choose to look past them. Second of all," she continues, jabbing the air with her finger. "How does every other happily committed couple know anything after two dates? They don't, I'll tell you! They just take a chance and enjoy the hell out of it. You can't rush that. THIRD!" she screams, again stabbing the air between us. "You got Fourth of July-worthy fireworks from a kiss, Ember. You don't have those kinds of sparks only to find out that sex gives you something like a sparkler."
I open my mouth to respond, but Nikki is on a roll because before I can open my mouth, she jumps from her seat and throws her hands up in the air.
"AND! Let me tell you something, missy! He told you what 'risks' were holding him back before. Risks that I might add he is finding no trouble accepting are worth it to take now. He knows how close you are with your sister. He also knows Maddi can't hold a secret to save her life. The second he made that play, he was accepting those risks with the confidence that he wanted to make that trouble worth it when y'all's relationship went further."
She lifts her wine glass and downs the contents of the half-full glass before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Only then does she flop down on the couch and lean her head back with a sigh.
"Ohhhkay," I droll, my heart pounding as her words take root and the understanding and acceptance blooms.
Her head rolls on the back of the couch, and she narrows one eye at me, looking ridiculous instead of intimidating. "You know I'm right. But I also know that you overthink everything. It's time to stop that shit. If you need a little more time, then take it, but don't question him or his motives until he gives you a reason to. A current reason to, I should add. Forget the rest of it and just give him a chance."
"You're right," I begin, but I'm forced to stop talking when her finger hits my lips to silence me.
"Of course, I am. And now that you've listened to reason, I think you should sleep with him and get that silly thought it won't be explosive out of your head. Since you've already established you're horny for his dick AND you know damn well that you're holding on to your crazy excuses about his motives as a shield of protection, drop it and be the one willing to take risks this time."
"You don't think it's too soon?" I wonder out loud; it's something that's been on the back of my mind since I did just get out of a relationship, even if that relationship had been very short-lived.
"Too soon?" She snorts and starts to cackle loudly, slapping my thigh as she cracks herself up. "You've been in love with the guy for forever. You've known him forever and you've been dreaming of having him--in every way possible--FOREVER. Too soon? More like it's about time!"
I roll my eyes.
"Don't be a brat. You know I'm right ... again. If he doesn't text you back today, call him tomorrow or go see him at Dirty. Make the move. No one says you have to wait on him to do it."
"Okay. You're right," I say with a slight shake to my voice. I take another sip. "If he doesn't text me by tomorrow night, I'm going to him."
"That's my girl!" she screams, and we both start giggling.
God, I love my best friend.
I DRAG MY FEET AFTER softly closing my truck door and try to keep my eyes open. I've been on my last ounce of energy for the last two days, not that I'm complaining, but things have been so busy at Dirty that I hardly had time to even eat. Not to mention, I've been spending every second either at Dirty or passed out after I finally manage to drag myself home. Now that things are starting to move along, I'm confident that Shane is ready to handle the nightly operations himself, especially since we've already promoted Denton to give Shane the coverage he needs to have time off himself. I can't fucking wait to be able to go in during daylight hours to handle office shit and only have to stay a few hours at night.
If it hadn't been for a text earlier from a certain woman that has plagued my every thought for a week, I might have passed out behind the bar hours ago.
I need you, she had said. Well, she had said a bunch of other shit too, but nothing stood out more to me than seeing her say she needed me.
Those three words had lit a fire under my ass, and I had been busting tail in order to get out of there before closing. Thankfully, Shane was there to close because if I had to wait a second
longer, I was going to come out of my skin.
I lift the mat in front of the door, and sure enough, a shiny silver key catches the moonlight. I snatch it up with the mental note to spank her ass for leaving a key there. She might as well put a big neon sign telling every lowlife motherfucker to come on in.
I enter the house silently, only briefly looking at the woman sprawled half on and half off the couch, the TV muted as some late-night infomercial plays on the screen. Nikki looks about as uncomfortable as can be, but judging by the drool pooling under her cheek, the girl is out cold.
Bam meets me at the mouth of the hallway, but after a sniff, he walks over to where Nikki is now snoring and climbs on top of her. Well, on top of the one leg that is still on the couch, but she doesn't even flinch when his head drops onto her ass.
Weird girl.
My booted feet are silent as I make my way down the hallway toward the doorway that is open at the end. When I step into Ember's room, I'm confused for a second since her bed isn't where I know it used to be. The same place it was when all the guys in our little family--at the demand of her dad--helped move her stuff in here two years ago. Looking away from that spot, I see it now on the opposing wall. The moonlight doesn't touch the bundle in the middle of the mattress, but I can see clear enough and what I see makes my mouth water and dick twitch.
Her covers must have slid down at some point, tangling with her bare legs. My eyes trail up those legs and I almost choke on my tongue when I see what is on display for me. The shirt that she's wearing twists around her stomach, and with the way she's lying on her side, you can clearly see one very naked ass cheek.
That's all it takes for me to silently start pulling layers of clothes from my body. I bend, making quick work of my boots before placing them against the wall near her bedroom door. I unhook my belt, pull the button at my waist, and slowly drag my zipper down. Wisely, I leave my boxer briefs on because if I allowed my painful cock the freedom he wants, I would be inside her in record speed. My shirt comes next and after pulling my hair free of the band, like I know she loves, I close her bedroom door. The only sound breaking the silence comes from the soft snick of her lock.
Nikki might have looked passed the hell out, but I'm not taking a chance that she comes to when I'm about to finally have my girl in my arms.
The first step I take toward Ember's sleeping form has me taking my swollen cock in my hand and squeezing through the cotton of my briefs as I look down at her. If she were to turn just a little, I would be able to see her pussy clearly and that thought alone makes a little spurt of pre-come leak from the tip of my cock.
Fuck me.
The second I lie down next to her, I'm going to be hanging by a very frayed thread. I know without a doubt that if she gives me what I need, by the time the sun is coming up in just a few hours, I'm going to be coming inside her body.
With one last squeeze to my very confused cock, I place my knee on the mattress and move to climb into her bed. When my weight makes her roll slightly, she turns. The one leg that's covering her up shifts and she moans. I still, waiting to see if she's awake, but when her soft breathing continues, I move and lie down next to her. This close, her legs open slightly, I can smell her--all of her, but I ignore the cravings that scent brings and turn to the side before reaching over her and pulling her closer.
The second her ass settles against my crotch, I jump. The soft flesh of her lush ass rubs once as she tries to get comfortable without waking. I should feel guilty about my next move--I should--but I don't because she isn't the only one who needed someone tonight.
With our bodies pressed tightly, my front to her back, I spread my hand open against the smooth skin of her stomach, the tip of my pinky hitting the soft, short hairs on her mound. I shift until my nose is in the crook of her neck and I take a deep inhale, my cock pulsing again when her scent fills my senses. My hand travels up, moving under the bunched up shirt, and I rest my palm just under her full tit as her heart beats steady beneath.
It took fifteen soft kisses to the silky skin on her exposed shoulder and neck before she started to moan. I counted. When I ran the tip of my tongue from the edge of her shoulder all the way up to the back of her ear, I felt her shiver in my arms. When I pressed my cotton-covered erection against her hot naked ass, she arched her back and rubbed herself against me with a deep groan of desire.
But the second that I lightly bit her neck, she vaulted out of my arms and with lightning speed, had me on my back with her straddling my lap.
"You came," she pants.
"Not yet, but if you keep rocking against my cock, I will."
"You never responded. I didn't think you would come." She continues to speak, ignoring my smartass response, but she also doesn't stop grinding her core against me, the heat of her making me clench my jaw.
"Ember, you need to stop."
"Nate, you need to start," she stresses with a moan.
It's taking every bit of control I have not to flip her off me and show her who is in charge in here.
"Em," I moan, my head pressing against the pillow when she gives a hard jerk of her hips.
"I need you," she pleads.
"You don't know what you're saying."
"Make me yours," she whines.
My heart thumps erratically. "Yours?"
"God, yes," she moans, rocking even faster.
Reaching out blindly, I find the lamp next to her bed and click it on. Her flushed face and unfocused eyes don't hide from me when the harsh brightness fills the room.
I curl my abs and lean up, forcing her with our new position to stop her movements. She pants, her chest heaving, and I know she was just seconds away from coming.
"Make you mine?"
She nods.
"You ready for that?"
She nods again.
"I take you, baby, and I'm never fucking letting go. You ready for that?"
She nods, but I don't miss the small hesitation. She wants this, us, but she still has some lingering fears.
"That's okay, my little firecracker, I'll have fun making you believe that."
Her hands move from where they had been resting against her spread thighs and she places each of them on my chest, pushing me back down to explore my body. She twists each of my nipple rings and her pupils dilate.
"I'm ready to be yours, if ... if you're ready to be mine."
I feel my chest rumble, having a hard time hearing over the roaring in my ears, but I'm sure whatever sound I'm making right now sounds more animal than man.
"Yeah, Emberlyn Locke, I'm beyond fucking ready to be yours."
THE SLEEPY DRUNK FEELING WAS just starting to recede when Nate spoke the words I've longed to hear for such a long time. Words that I had given up on ever hearing. Words that, if I lived to be a hundred, I would never forget how I felt when I heard them, finally, for the first time.
"Yeah, Emberlyn Locke, I'm beyond fucking ready to be yours."
His eyes drop to my mouth as I feel my lips spread into a wide, toothy smile. I watch in fascination as his green eyes seem to darken and the color on his cheeks gets just a little flushed when his attention comes back from my mouth. His expression, so open and easy to read, is void of the playful mask he usually wears.
The realization that he's been hiding his feelings, acting and trying to make everyone believe he is so unaffected by anything, hits me hard. How have I missed that? Probably because I've had my head up my ass licking my own wounded pride for the last couple of years.
I push back the thought that I could have changed things a long time ago and focus on here and now. His stare still holds me captive, just as the hands gripping my hips roughly are, but I have a feeling deep down that what I see in his eyes is love, not lust.
My thighs, still spread with his body between them, try to close when the enormity of the moment mixed with the adoration in his eyes hits me. All rational thought flies out the window and I know, I just know, if I don't have him right now, I mi
ght just die from the need overtaking my body.
"I want you so bad," I mumble through the arousal rushing and flowing over every inch of my body, tingling up every nerve and swimming around inside me in overdrive. "I've dreamed of this for so long," I continue, my words coming out in a pant as I rock my hips.
"Ember," he warns when I jerk my hips out of his unforgiving hold, giving us both the friction we're in need of when my wet and swollen lips slide against his erection. "Stop," he barks in a deep rumble, his neck straining as he takes my hips again between his hands.
"Never." I let my head roll back and start to pick up my movements, each thrust up getting the attention to my clit. The burn in my core starts to fire up my spine, wrapping around me as it climbs through my body, gearing up to explode.
"Fuck!" he roars.
Before I realize what's happening, he's flipping us. My head lands in my pillows, just a breath away from the headboard in the center of my bed. It takes me a second, still clinging to the climax that had been just seconds away from taking over, and I push my hair off my face with both hands. When I look down my body, I almost retreat when I see the feral expression on the man kneeling between my spread legs.
He takes huge body rocking gulps of air, his chest heaving with their power. His hair is a loose mess hanging free to dance at his shoulders, a few pieces falling into his face that he either doesn't notice or just doesn't care about.
And his eyes are focused downward.
If I didn't believe he was fighting the same all-consuming feelings as I was, I would have thought that his downcast gaze was for another reason, but seeing those brilliant emerald eyes locked on my very exposed and wet sex, I know that I'm the reason he's being slammed with a hungered need.
The power I feel seeing his reaction to my excitement is a high I never want to live without. Something that I will wake up thinking about and fantasize every second we're apart, trying to think of new ways to make him come alive like this. That uncontrollable, feverishly strong emotion he's wearing can only be an aftereffect of our chemistry. Until it burns so bright that it's exploding around us like a brilliantly beautiful display of fireworks.
And with that thought, he makes a sound low in his throat, pushing forward in the next breath to cover my body with his as his mouth takes mine in a deep, bruising kiss. His underwear still keeping him from me completely, but that doesn't stop him from thrusting against my body as if he were already inside me. Each time he slams against me, the headboard slaps against the wall and my eyes roll back in my head.
