Em’s eyes are closed, and her fingers have slid into her long dark hair. My mouth dries as I watch her body move in perfect rhythm to the music. She’s wearing a tiny blue bikini top that barely contains her breasts. One wrong move and they’ll pop free from the overflowing cups.
I ball my hands into fists and notice that there’s more than one dude checking her out.
And who can blame them?
The way she dances is mesmerizing. What’s worse is that she’s not even aware of her own allure. Emerson has no freaking clue how tempting she is. How she remained a virgin for this long is a total mystery.
Thank God her lower half is covered by jean shorts. Not that they leave much to the imagination but it’s a hell of a lot better than a miniscule bikini bottom that doesn’t cover her ass cheeks. I got an eyeful of that particular suit when we hit the beach last summer. It’s nothing more than a thin scrap of material covering the necessities. I was fighting a boner the entire day.
It wasn’t a good situation.
By the time I got home, I had to jack off.
Twice.
My cock stirs in my board shorts as I push my way through the writhing bodies until I’m standing in front of her. It’s only then that I realize she isn’t alone. Some guy with a death wish is grinding against her backside. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll remove his fingers from her hips before I break every damn one of them.
As soon as he catches sight of me, his eyes widen. I don’t have to say a word before he’s jerking his hands from her and disappearing through the crowd.
Smart man.
This wasn’t a fight he was going to win.
It takes a moment for Emerson to realize that her dance partner has taken off. When her eyelashes flutter open, her gaze fastens on to mine. Just like her friend who turned tail and ran, she seems surprised to see me.
The sleepy look in her eyes tells me that she’s already downed a few drinks.
Seriously, what the hell was she thinking?
Is she trying to get taken advantage of…or worse?
“We need to talk.” I don’t bother waiting for a response. Instead, I shackle my fingers around her upper arm and drag her from the living room. The crowd parts like the Red Sea making it easier to maneuver. Emerson trails after me, stumbling in her sandals as my grip stays locked on her.
We’re halfway up the staircase before she gasps, “Reed! What are you doing? I was having fun!”
Fun!
I don’t think so.
That kind of fun won’t be happening on my watch.
My jaw is so tightly clenched that it’s painful. I don’t bother to answer as I search for a quiet place where we can talk privately. But this party is raging, and every square foot of space is occupied. I head down the hallway before barging into one of the back bedrooms and flicking on the lights. The couple on the bed jumps apart. Luckily for them, clothing has yet to be shed. Drunken stares land on us as we loom in the doorway.
“Hey,” the guy protests, propping himself up on his elbows. “We were just about to—”
“Out!” I snap.
Yeah, I know exactly what he was about to do. The boner tenting his shorts is a dead giveaway.
Too fucking bad, buddy.
I point to the door. “You can leave on your own or I’ll toss you the fuck out. Your choice.” I shift my shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension.
The girl is already scrambling off the bed and straightening her clothes. Not that there’s much to straighten. Like every other chick at this party, she’s wearing a bikini top and bottoms. Not wanting to come off as a pussy, the guy grumbles under his breath as he glares. I don’t give a shit if I jacked up his plans for the night. It takes everything inside me not to grab him by the scruff and toss him out the door for taking his sweet damn time vacating the space.
Once they’re gone, I drag Emerson further into the room, away from the noise of the party before releasing her. I close the door and twist the lock, ensuring our privacy which is exactly what the jackass in here previously should have done. Then I lean heavily against it and try to wrangle my emotions under control. It’s only when the silence has settled around us that I realize how harsh my breathing has become. It’s like I’ve been on the ice for an hour. But this has nothing to do with physical exertion and everything to do with being pissed off about how close Em came to giving her virginity away to some undeserving asshole. Just like the guy I booted out of here, Emerson’s chances for getting laid tonight have been blown to shit.
Other people may quake in the face of my anger, but not Em. She knows I would never do anything to hurt her. I’ve spent the duration of our friendship trying to protect and look out for her.
The sexy expression she’d been wearing downstairs has long since fallen away. In its place is a scowl. It deepens as she plants her fists on her hips. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I release a bark of laughter.
There is so much fucking wrong that I don’t know where to begin. All I understand is that it has everything to do with the girl glowering a few feet away from me. It’s almost ironic that Em has no idea the effect she has on me.
Well, that’s about to change.
Chapter Twenty-One
Emerson
Tension crackles in the charged air between us. My skin tingles with awareness as Reed stares at me with a strange look on his face.
It’s like he’s pissed off…
But there’s more to it than that. Whatever has set him off has my body going on high alert.
Nothing about the way he’s acting makes sense.
I’d been downstairs, having a good time and minding my own business. Everything with Andrew had been heading in the right direction, all signs pointing to the possibility of a hookup.
If given the choice, would I necessarily want my first time to be with someone I barely know?
Of course not. But we’re past the point of being picky. I was in the middle of making the best of a situation. Tonight could have very well been the night.
Except…
Reed just obliterated any chance of that happening.
I’m beyond frustrated.
When he remains silent, I throw my arms wide and snap, “Reed! Are you going to tell me why you dragged me up here?”
His eyes narrow and he growls, “Brinley told me what you’re up to and it’s not going to happen.”
My mouth tumbles open.
Goddamn Brinley!
Why would she open her big mouth and share the plan with Reed? She had to know that he wouldn’t like it.
I clench my hands at my sides. If I want to have sex with a guy I barely know at a fraternity party, it’s none of Reed’s damn business. Just like him hooking up with all those groupies is none of mine. Have I ever mentioned one damn word about it?
Nope. I’ve been a good friend and turned a blind eye.
Why can’t he give me the same courtesy?
Especially after turning me down last night. The guy isn’t picky about who he sleeps with and yet he wouldn’t even consider my idea. As far as I’m concerned, Reed took himself out of the equation when he refused to help me. Now he needs to stay out of it and let me handle the situation. This isn’t a democracy. He doesn’t get a vote.
I straighten my spine in an effort to regain a few shreds of my tattered dignity. “You don’t get to decide who or when I sleep with someone.” I glare. “It’s not your business.”
“Wanna bet?” With that, he pushes away from the door and stalks toward me.
A squeak of surprise leaves my lips as I take a hasty step in retreat, not that there’s anywhere for me to go. The heat snapping in his eyes sends nerves skittering across my flesh. I gasp when my back hits the far wall of the bedroom. My heartbeat hitches as the gap between us dwindles. With his gaze boring into mine, he braces one wide palm against the wall next to my head before doing the same with the other until I’m caged in.
His body s
ways closer. “I’ve changed my mind.”
As his warm breath feathers across my lips, I find myself straining toward him.
“Hmmm?” I’m too preoccupied with Reed’s proximity to focus on what he’s saying. The guy is like an assault on my senses. From the woodsy scent of his cologne to the warmth emanating from his body as it hems mine in. Everything about Reed is intoxicatingly masculine.
My gaze falls to his lips as another zip of awareness shoots through me before I force it up again. His eyes flash with heat and my belly responds by clenching with desire.
“I’ve changed my mind. If you’re going to fuck someone, it’s going to be me.”
For the second time in as many minutes, my mouth falls open and my mind empties.
This morning, Reed had been adamant about us not doing anything that would compromise our friendship. I don’t understand the abrupt reversal.
His face lowers as his eyes search mine. “You better be damn sure about this, Em. Once we cross that line, there’s no turning back.”
My tongue darts out to moisten my lips and his gaze drops, tracking the movement. The groan that rumbles up from his chest is the only warning I’m given before his mouth crashes onto mine. The intimacy of what we’re doing explodes in my brain like a gunshot. When I gasp, his tongue slips inside my mouth. Then I’m lost in a sea of riotous sensation before being dragged to the bottom of the ocean.
His hands settle on my cheeks as my arms twine around his neck. He steps closer so that our bodies are pressed together. Air flows from him to me and then back again. There’s no gentleness as his lips rove hungrily over mine. The kiss is raw and thrilling. Hot licks of need rush to fill every cell of my being, making me frantic for more.
Once Reed realizes that I’m not going to push him away, his hold loosens. His exploration turns lazy and tortuous. The way he nibbles at my lips, sucking the top one into his mouth before releasing it only to lick at the corners makes heat flood my bikini bottoms. Pleasure rolls over me like a wave, pummeling my senses. I’m all but drowning in it.
Never in my life have I been kissed so thoroughly. Is it any wonder that I lose track of time and space? My world shrinks until it’s just big enough to encapsulate the two of us. His hands frame my cheeks, holding me in place as he explores every inch of my mouth.
I’m so caught up in the way he’s touching me, that I don’t realize Reed has spun us around and is walking us backward until my calves hit the mattress and I’m falling onto the bed where I land with a bounce. There’s barely time to catch my breath before Reed follows me down. His heated gaze locks on mine as his heavy weight pins me to the mattress. I whimper as his mouth fastens on mine again.
“You feel so damn good,” he growls against my lips.
His deep voice arrows to my core before exploding like a firework.
Reed’s mouth slides along the curve of my jaw before continuing down the column of my neck. I bare my throat, wanting to feel the velvety softness of his tongue and nip of his teeth against my flesh.
“Tell me when to stop, Em.”
Stop? I don’t think so.
I want this to go on forever. The exquisite feelings pulsing through my body only solidify the realization that I’ve never come close to having sex with any of the guys I’ve gone out with. How could I, when none have ever sparked this delicious rush of desire inside me?
“Em?” Reed’s voice is full of crushed gravel as he pulls away enough to search my eyes.
“I don’t want you to stop,” I whisper. “Not yet.”
A smile lifts his lips as he goes back to nibbling at my throat. “Good, because I want to keep touching you.”
My core clenches in agreement. I’m ridiculously aware of his thick erection pressing against the soft curve of my belly. I move my hips, rubbing myself against him. The newly created friction sets off another burst of sensation in me.
Reed rolls to the side and I groan at the loss of his weight. He throws one thickly muscled leg over my thigh as if to anchor me in place. The solid width of his chest is pressed against the side of my overheated body. Before I can wrap my mind around the loss, his mouth sweeps over mine as he slowly drags his knuckles across my bare belly. My restlessness multiplies under his gentle strumming. It’s almost a relief when his fingers dip beneath the waistband of my shorts and stroke across my flesh. Barely has he touched me and I’m on the verge of coming undone.
I lift my hands and let my fingers tangle in the thick mass of his hair. My body arches against his touch. I want his fingers to sink beneath the elastic band of my bikini bottoms and stroke my heat. Instead he teases, coming close but never quite caressing me the way I need him to. I flex my hips, impatient for more. His lips curve as if he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. His hand slips free of my shorts and my moan of protest gets swallowed up by his mouth.
Our tongues tangle, sliding against one another as a million tingles scatter across my flesh. The firm pressure of his fingers dance across my tummy. The circles he draws get wider, growing increasingly closer to the undersides of my breasts. It doesn’t take long before his knuckles are grazing the material of my bikini top. Unable to lie still, I whimper and arch my back. The deliberate buildup of intensity drives me insane. He brushes against the fullness with every leisure pass.
I wiggle impatiently beneath him, trying to inch closer. My hands slip free from his hair and slide to his chest where I plant them before pushing him back just enough to lift his lips from mine.
His eyes drift open. “Do you want me to stop?”
I shake my head.
God, no.
Reed presses a gentle kiss against the corner of my mouth. “What do you want?” His lips feather against the other side. “Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.” He nips at me. “All you have to do is ask.”
Unsure how to give voice to my desire, I grab his hand and place it on top of my breast. The heat of his palm penetrates the thin bikini top, singeing the flesh beneath. Reed flexes his fingers and squeezes the softness as if testing the weight. Sensation shoots through me and I whimper. He pulls his hand away just enough to draw lazy circles with his finger around the areola, never quite touching the little bud. When I can’t stand another moment of this exquisite torture, his hand slips beneath the fabric covering my breast until he’s able to bare it to the warm night air. His forefinger and thumb strum the pebbled flesh and stars explode behind my closed eyelids.
“Your breasts are fucking perfect,” he groans before his mouth closes around the stiffened little bud.
I gasp as he draws my nipple deep into his mouth. The pull of his lips arrow straight to my core and a wave of heat floods my pussy. I squirm beneath him, wanting more. My fingers slide into his hair again, scraping against his scalp, as I hold him close.
With his mouth at my breast, his hand is free to slip lower. His fingers trail lazily across my ribcage until they graze the waistband of my shorts. He strums my belly before flicking open the button and lowering the zipper. Once the material has been parted, his fingers delve beneath the denim and across my bikini-covered pussy. I moan and widen my legs as sensation ricochets through my body. The way he continues to suck my nipple and stroke me has need coiling tight in my core.
I whimper and he releases the stiff peak with a gentle pop before lifting his head to meet my feverish gaze. The air hits my wet flesh and sends a shiver dancing down my spine.
He cups my heat, giving it a possessive squeeze, as I arch into his palm. No one has ever made me feel so dizzy with pleasure.
“I want to make you come.”
Reed’s words send a fresh burst of arousal careening through me right before his lips lower to mine. Just as his tongue plunges inside my mouth to tangle with my own, his fingers slip beneath the fabric of my bikini bottoms. I widen my thighs as they skate across the length of my slit before slowly dipping inside. A moan escapes at the delicious fullness now seated deep in my body.
“No one else gets to touc
h you like this,” he growls. “Do you understand?”
Pleasure ripples through me as Reed slowly pumps his fingers. I flex my hips, matching the rhythm. Every time he sinks inside, desire curls like a ribbon of smoke in my core. It doesn’t take long for the orgasm to build. It swirls, propelling me higher with every caress. The lash of his tongue against mine and the slide of his fingers in perfect synchronicity are almost more than I can bear.
My body grows restless. His fingers disappear from my warmth before carefully grazing my clit. He circles the tiny bud until I have no choice but to dive headfirst over the edge of the precipice. My body tightens and he swallows my moans, drinking them down, as my world splinters apart.
Not once does Reed let up on the gentle assault. He continues to caress me, slipping his fingers back inside to stroke my pulsing flesh. As I crash back to earth, he nibbles at my mouth. Little nips and kisses that keep me grounded in the here and now. When my eyelashes flutter open, I find the intensity of his gaze trained on me. My breath hitches at the possessive look filling his eyes.
As if to confirm my thoughts, Reed removes his fingers from my body and cups my slick heat with his palm.
“You gave this to me and now it’s mine.”
I suck in a shaky breath, unable to wrap my mind around the intimacy we just shared.
When I fail to respond, his grip tightens. “Do you understand?”
I nod, already knowing that Reed’s claim is like a brand I have no wish to erase. The way he made me feel is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s instantly addictive.
And I want more.
“Are we,” I swallow and lower my voice, “going to have sex?”
“No.” He shakes his head, his gaze never faltering from mine. “When I have you, it won’t be at a frat party.” He closes the distance until his lips can settle on mine.
Desire ignites in me which seems impossible given that I’ve just experienced the best damn orgasm of my life.
Reed groans and wrenches himself away. His gaze falls to my bare breast before he captures the puckered peak with his lips and sucks it into his mouth before finally releasing it. Reluctantly he straightens my bikini top and buttons up my shorts. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
Just Friends Page 13
