“So, how did you two meet?”
The question caught me unexpected after spending the majority of the day in the sun and pool, then a few hours of eating and drinking beer. I was in that warm, full, and slightly buzzed state that had allowed me to curl up next to Angel on a chaise lounge as a cool breeze whipped off the lake. It had seemed perfectly acceptable to doze off with my head on his chest as he absently stroked my hair while paying attention to his phone. Now, I realized people had been watching us. We were the picture of a couple in love right down to the constant casual touching.
Self-consciously, I sat up a straighter, but there was little to no bonus room on the lounge. Getting distance would require me to suddenly get up, which would make me look like a freak.
“In high school,” Angel said. “I worshipped her and she let me help her with her Spanish homework.”
“Um, excuse you, I helped you with English.” I poked his side. “And you were dating Crystal.”
He rolled his eyes the way he always did when I mentioned Crystal—my high school nemesis. “Yeah, that was senior year. We met way before that.”
I also wasn’t sure they’d officially been dating. Judging from the stories Crystal had loved telling me and my other friends, it had sounded like they’d had nonstop sex. Those same stories had driven me nuts. Even now, I was mad at her for talking about everything from his dick size to the way he’d loved going down on her. My rage had been the epitome of hypocrisy considering I’d also made out with Crystal dozens of times in bathrooms and staircases all over school. We’d been fine until she’d set her eyes on him. Mostly everyone in the school had understood that I had an unspoken thing for Angel, except for her. Well, and except for him. He was oblivious to this day.
“Okay, fair, but,” I said to our audience, holding up a finger, “it was the Crystal thing that made me realize someone else would have him if I kept dragging my feet.”
Angel looked at me, surprise clear on his face, but it was Corrigan who leaned in for a juicy story. “So competition caught your attention?”
“Uh, I guess? Now it sounds cliché.” I wrinkled my nose but couldn’t deny it was partially what had happened. Crystal had made it sound like Angel wanted to ravish her nonstop, and he probably had. She was gorgeous. In my freshman and sophomore year, I’d wanted to ravish her nonstop. She was thick and brown and beautiful with a head of curly hair that had transfixed me. But, I’d also noticed she was the type to catch feelings, whereas I’d always liked flying solo, so we’d quit fooling around.
Way later, after she’d started college, I’d thought she and Raymond would make a good couple, but . . . Ray’s apathy had caused her to give up. I didn’t blame her. “So, in high school, Angel was very low-key, didn’t date much, and mostly hung out with me and our other friends. Then all of a sudden he had this whole passionate relationship, and I remember wondering why it had been her to spark his interest in that way and not me. They were only together a couple of months, but still. I wondered.”
“Because Stephanie wasn’t interested,” Angel told them with a scoff. “Literally zero interest.”
“Friend-zoned,” Brandon muttered behind his drink.
I nearly died laughing at the flat look Angel aimed his way. They had a weird dynamic that I’d noticed as soon as everyone had gathered to eat. Interesting as in, Brandon spoke and Angel stared at him like he was an idiot. Then again, the whole picture of Angel holding down the grill and producing seriously delicious food while standing there like a walking thirst trap with no shirt on had been . . . amazing. I hadn’t been able to stop watching him.
Lots of people grilled. I grilled all the time at Ray and David’s house. So why was seeing Angel being the only competent dude in this group turning me on? It was super pathetic, but I’d stared him down the entire time I was eating my burger. No wonder my coworkers kept prying into our fake relationship.
“First off, friend-zoned is not a real thing,” Angel rumbled next to me. “It’s called someone not wanting to fu—be with you romantically. That’s just how life goes. Some people want you. Some people don’t. In Stephanie’s case, she didn’t want me until a . . .” He cocked his head and glanced at me with faux sheepishness. “When did we get together, nena?”
Across from us, Corrigan had hearts in her eyes at the endearment. I almost felt bad for her. Brandon was apparently so unromantic that Angel just acting like himself made her think he was a deity. “Three years ago,” I said. “Three years ago on August fifteenth.”
Next to me, Angel went still. My heart slammed into my rib cage at the thought that he would recall that day. The day he’d bought Victor a ticket to Chicago and held me as I sobbed at LaGuardia Airport. The way he’d stroked my hair and promised to check on my brother, to do anything he could, to be there for me no matter what, since no one else in my family would be. I’d told him I loved him, and he’d said it in return. I’d never forget those three whispered words as he held me to his broad chest. Or his promise to never let me down.
It hadn’t seemed like a romantic thing so much as us trying to find comfort, but in that moment, Angel had meant so much to me. He’d been my fucking hero. After that is when I’d started wishing, hoping, he’d openly look at me the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. That he’d touch me. Kiss me. I’d fantasized about it, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to give him what he wanted. A relationship. Tradition. The happily ever after that the rest of our friends had.
“Well, you two are beautiful together,” Ryanne said, smiling. “You’ll have such gorgeous babies.”
I sighed inwardly. Angel shook his head.
“Nah, I’m sterile.”
Ryanne’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God, I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it’s fine.” Angel shrugged, grinning his slyest grin. “I’m pretty happy to just be with Steph.”
This time I went still. As tingles shot through me, intensifying when he kissed my forehead, I had a sudden urge to get distance from him and the lie I’d created. Instead, I went back to leaning against him and smiled.
Two more days.
Sleeping was a nightmare.
The only times Stephanie and I had shared a bed in the past had been during our on-again stages. We hadn’t necessarily always knocked out after wild banging, but I’d been comfortable with her next to me. I’d known we could touch each other if we wanted. That I didn’t have to suppress my attraction or instinct to cuddle up to her.
Now, as we lay awkwardly in the queen-sized bed with less than a bible’s width between us, I was overly aware of her presence next to me—the warmth of her body, the feel of her arm pressing against mine, and every time she sighed or shifted in her sleep. I lay awake for over an hour, staring at the ceiling or out the window.
I dozed off and what seemed to be moments later, a sound snapped me out of the light sleep. My eyes cracked open, and I found myself staring at the window again. There was no telling what had jolted me, but—
Something bumped the wall behind me. The sound was punctuated by a muffled moan.
I’d expected this as soon as I’d seen Kip and Dee barely able to stop groping each other at every rest stop and then in the pool, but damn. Sighing inwardly, I closed my eyes, determined to not let it keep me up. It was a plan set to fail because I was now focused on what was going on next door. Every thump, moan, and louder cry worked its way into my brain until my body was tense and the lick of my arousal began to grow more insistent.
After a tormented five minutes, I chanced a look at Stephanie. She had one hand pressed to her eyes as she bit her lip. Definitely not asleep. I dragged my gaze down her body, since she was a weirdo who slept without covers, and couldn’t help but notice the way her other hand was splayed on her abdomen, fingers flirting with the band of her little shorts. Her thighs were also pressed together.
The lick of arousal widened and swallowed me whole.
“How long have they been fucking this loudly?”
Stephanie dropped her hand from her eyes and huffed out a long sigh. “Like thirty minutes? I have no idea.”
“Huh. Didn’t think he’d have the stamina.”
“Judging from her encouraging comments, he’s been fingering and eating her out for an eternity.”
I stared at her shadowed profile, grinning. “I can’t tell if you’re mad or jealous.”
“Both,” she muttered. “She sounds like she is genuinely enjoying this, and her voice is hot as hell. Now I’m horny and irritable.”
My hand twitched with the urge to slide it down and cup my growing erection. Instead, I nudged her with my elbow. “Just close your eyes and pretend you’re somewhere else.”
“If I was somewhere else, I’d already be on orgasm number three.”
She sounded so fucking grouchy that I imagined she was oblivious to how hot she was getting me. That was just Stephanie. Blunt. No filter. Talked about sex the way other people talked about sports or music.
“You’re that turned on by those two fools?”
“Not them. Just . . . the sound of a woman enjoying herself really does it for me.” She shifted again, fingers still dragging along her waistband.
I rolled on my side, trying to keep my attention on her face and not the way her body looked in the moonlight.
“She could be the most annoying person ever, but knowing she’s probably on cloud nine as someone spends their time really turning her out is like . . .”
Her voice was getting lower, her fingers now toying with the waistband. She shifted again, wetting her lips, eyes closed.
“What’s it like?” My own voice came out in a husky scrape that she responded to with a deep breath.
“It just jump-starts my imagination. I start wondering what they’re doing and then picturing it—not them, but . . . other people. Another woman on her back with her legs spread open, but not like . . . poised and pretty and clean. She’s sweaty, hair tangled from her own hands and her partner’s, and her pussy is so wet.”
Stephanie’s breath hitched, but she kept teasing her waistband even as she subtly arched her hips. My dick was a fucking stone column. I ignored it and covered her hand with my own, sliding her fingers down into her shorts. I withdrew just as she found what she wanted, and watched with rapt fascination as her head fell back, thighs slid open, and her fingers went to work beneath the cotton.
“Keep talking,” I whispered. “How wet is she?”
“Soaked.” With her free hand, Stephanie squeezed her breast through her tank top, then rubbed her palm over it. Her eyebrows drew together as the motions got faster, the sound of her fingers sliding over her own flesh loud in the quiet room.
“She sounds like a mess.” I moved closer, speaking into her ear without touching her. “Tell me what she’s doing.”
Stephanie shuddered, her hips rocking against the bed. “Rubbing her clit. Pretending it’s someone else’s fingers.”
The game we were playing flipped without me even thinking about it, and I pressed against her side so she could feel my dick. “Someone who’s gonna turn you out the way that girl next door is?”
“Yes. Fuck yes. I want it so bad, Angel.”
“Tell me what you want.” I pushed up her tank top, rubbing the smooth skin of her stomach and panting at my hand’s proximity to the heat between her thighs. “Describe it. Every fucking detail.”
Her lips moved, but no words came out except for a rough moan punctuated by the increasingly wet sound of her touching herself. “I want someone to play with me,” she panted. “Push me down, yank my legs apart, and do whatever they want to my pussy until it’s swollen and sloppy just from them using me like a toy. Making me come hard over and over until I can barely think.”
“Fuck yeah, Steph.” I gave in, grabbing my dick through my shorts and squeezing. “Tell me how to make you come the first time.”
“Keep rubbing my clit. Fast. Like—just like that. And then, oh God—” A spasm went through her, and she sucked in a deep breath. She arched into her hand, muffling back a series of moans, and then squeezed her thighs together again. God, I loved watching her come. “Fuck.”
Stephanie’s hand stilled, but she didn’t pull it out. She lay there, breathing hard, and continued squeezing her breast. I kissed the side of her face, trailed down, and then nudged her hand away so I could shove the tank top up further and run my tongue over her nipple. She hissed out a breath.
“Feel better?” I asked against her damp skin.
Next door, the party was raging. There was a consistent thumping now, but that was the least of my concerns. Stephanie’s body was an inferno against me, and there was growing tension thrumming between us. She swallowed audibly.
When she didn’t answer, I put my hand over where hers was beneath the cotton. Even through her shorts, I could feel how wet she was. They were damp. “Does this need more?” I asked, rubbing my fingers along her hand.
“Yeah . . .”
I moved her hand with mine, and was ridiculously jealous of her fingers when she dragged them along her slit. “Is that what it needs, nena?”
Stephanie released another tortured moan, arching up against me so I was forced to press against her harder.
“Or do you want something in this tight little pussy?”
“Yes,” she breathed, eyes opening to train on me.
“Your fingers, maybe . . .” I trailed off, running my tongue over my lower lip as she gazed up at me with wild eyes. “Or did my bad girl bring something else to fuck herself with? Just in case she couldn’t sleep and needed something to come all over?”
Stephanie’s mouth turned up at the sides. “In my bag.”
I leaned over her to reach into the duffel bag still sitting next to her side of the bed. We were briefly face-to-face, and I took the opportunity to lick her parted lips. I sucked the lower one into my mouth, then kissed her messy and breathless as I rooted around in her bag. There was an interior pocket, and in there I found a glass dildo instead of her favorite vibrator.
I knelt between her thighs, staring down at her in a way that I knew had to be filthy. “Trying to be sneaky?”
Stephanie arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t know if I’d need to get off on the low.”
The idea of her masturbating when she thought I was sleeping, or sneaking off to the bathroom to do it, drove me wild. My nostrils flared, and I reached down to grab my dick again.
“Take your clothes off.”
She did it with no pause, flinging her tank top somewhere and then kicking out of her shorts. Laying before me, she bent her legs at the knee and let me see every part of her—the heavy breasts, wide hips, thick thighs, and the wet mound between them. I gave her the dildo, watching her fingers wrap around the base. She dragged it along her slit, and I squeezed myself harder.
“Let me see your dick,” she whispered.
I shoved my shorts down my hips and let my cock rest in my hand. It was heavy and throbbing, pre-come already gathered at the tip. I stroked myself as she teased her clit with the head of the dildo, and found myself subconsciously rubbing the head of my own cock against her entrance. The need to fuck her consumed me, and I started a steady jerking rhythm. When she finally slid the dildo into her hole, I was fucking my hand wildly.
With her knees pulled back, one hand rubbing her clit as the other drew the dildo in and out at a slightly frantic pace, she was the picture she’d described earlier. Sweaty and wild and shameless. Her brows were wound together again, mouth gaping.
“Fuck it harder,” I panted, hand flying over my shaft. “And tell me how it feels.”
“Amazing.” Stephanie’s hips jolted, and she spread wider, sliding it in deeper. “God, Angel, my pussy feels so good.”
“It’s hitting you deep?” I hunched over her, one hand pressed against the wall behind us as I jerked with the other. “Nailing that good spot?”
“Yeah, right there, baby.” Stephanie closed her eyes, like she was lost to the feeling, to whatever weird fantasy we were creating. “Yeah, there. Please, Angel.” Her thighs began to shake. Her lower lip trembled.
Fireworks cracked through me at the sound of her breaking, anguished voice. I angled the tip of my dick against her ass, teasing the hole. Just the idea of fucking it while she used the dildo sent me into a meltdown.
I came so violently that I shouted, deep and loud enough to be heard through the wall. The orgasm took hold of me, sending my hand flying over my pulsing dick, as ropes of semen splattered her thighs and her exposed ass. When she was a total mess, I leaned down and shoved her hand out of the way so I could rub her clit with my fingers coated in my come.
She cried out my name as she came, her body jerking up against me and the dildo as she kept fucking herself even as she got wetter and stickier. When she finally pulled it out, she was shaking from the force of her orgasm and looked so beautifully ruined that I instantly covered her face in kisses.
Stephanie wrapped her legs around my waist and forced me down on top of her, our bodies sliding together in the mess we’d created. After we came up for air, I crushed her to the bed with my body, loving how she kept her long limbs locked around me even then.
“You have a couple minutes,” I whispered in her ear. “And then I lick my fiancée clean just so we can make another mess.”