Chapter 15
Bryson
“What is for you, will not pass by you.”
~ Rowan O’Sullivan
As I pressed my finger against Kelsi’s doorbell and listened to the ring echoing inside the house, I knew I was taking a risk. Kelsi hadn’t texted me back since our kiss a week ago, so showing up unannounced at her house was a bold move. But at this point, bold was all I had. Well, bold and desperate.
I’d been going crazy this past week with the radio silence. Each day it’d gotten progressively worse until the point that I found I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. This afternoon when I was getting dressed to go into the bar I picked up my phone to text her for the tenth time (without a response) and I knew that I couldn’t keep going on like this. Something had to give. So I called in one of my part-time bartenders, and here I was. My mind was spinning with what I should say to her, what perfect words would make her see that she should take a chance on me. On us.
The door opened, and all the thoughts that had been racing around my head like they were on the track at Talladega flew right outta there. God, she was beautiful. Her hair fell softly around her shoulders in big, loose waves and she looked effortlessly gorgeous in her bare feet, plain white T-shirt, and those damn faded jeans that fit her like a glove.
My blue jean goddess.
“Hey, Bryson,” she said, looking more than a little surprised to see me.
That would’ve been my cue to respond if my thoughts hadn’t been such giant traitors and left the building early. Ever since our kiss, I hadn’t been able to think of anything else but Kelsi, and now here she was right in front of me, and damn if I couldn’t think at all.
After a moment of silence that I was too distracted to realize was awkward, she tilted her head to the side and said, “Milo’s not here, he left for camp.”
That snapped me back into action.
“I know.” I grinned and opened up the bag I was carrying so that the smell of its contents could waft out. “But you still have to eat.” Satisfaction washed through me at the orgasmic look on her face as she leaned forward and sniffed.
“Oh my sweet lord, what is that?”
“Only the finest Texas barbecue in the whole damn state.”
She hesitated for a moment, the inside of her cheek hollowing as her eyes jumped from the bag to me to the bag to me. Finally, she opened the door wide and held out her arm to welcome me in. If there was one thing you could say about barbecue, it was that it would almost always equal an automatic invitation in for dinner.
I followed her into the kitchen and couldn’t tear my eyes from her denim-clad ass. The jeans that fit her like they’d been molded right onto her body, lifting and hugging in all the right places. As much as I loved her in them, all I could think about right now was stripping her out of them.
As if she was reading my mind, she announced, “I hope you don’t think this is going to be dinner with benefits. I can’t do this. I think I made myself perfectly clear.”
“Crystal clear.” I couldn’t help but smile at her straight and to the point communication style. She didn’t play games. One thing was for sure; I would never have to wonder what Kelsi was thinking. “The problem I see with your position isn’t that it’s unclear.”
She laughed as she pulled plates and utensils out of the cupboards and drawers. “Oh, really? And what do you see as the problem with my position?”
I walked up behind her and stepped close, brushing her body with mine. Even though my excuse was setting the bag of food down on the counter, the real reason was much simpler—I wanted to touch her. No, scratch that. I needed to touch her.
When I was standing behind her so close that I could lean my head down and whisper right into her ear, knowing that she was feeling the heat of my breath as I spoke, I rasped, “I just think you should rethink your position.”
The forks she had been holding clattered to the floor as she spun around to face me. It would’ve been so easy to just lean forward and crush her lips to mine. So easy. Everything in me screamed for me to do it. My muscles trembled and twitched with the effort it took to hold myself back.
But I didn’t. And I wouldn’t. If this was going to happen, she needed to want this to happen just as much as I did. The good news? The way her body was trembling told me that at least part of her did. The bad news? I had no idea which way her mind was falling on the issue.
“I’ll make you a deal,” I proposed in a husky whisper. “One more kiss. That’s all I’m asking for. One more moment where our lips are pressed together, my tongue is tasting you, my arms holding your body tightly to me. One more kiss where you let yourself just feel, don’t think. And then, after that, if you still feel the same way, we’ll eat dinner, and I’ll be on my way. I’ll stop texting every day. We’ll be friends. No benefits.”
Her eyes had widened just a little bit more with every word I spoke. I was lost in them, drowning, and I never wanted to come up for air.
“What if I say no?” she rasped.
The corners of my lips turned up. “Then, we’ll eat dinner. I’ll be on my way. And you’ll lay awake in bed, tossing and turning, thinking about what it would’ve felt like to have my lips against yours again. Regret will keep you awake all night. You’ll be so tired tomorrow, so mentally and physically drained from torturing yourself over denying yourself what you really wanted that you’ll fall asleep while giving a facial ruining your chances for Esthetician of the Year, all because you were scared of a little kiss.”
Her head fell back as her sweet, melodic laughter filled the air.
When she lifted her head again, she shook it slightly as she pressed her hand to my chest giving it a half-hearted shove. I didn’t move, and I knew she must be able to feel the pounding of my racing heart beneath her palm.
“Esthetician of the Year?!” Her smile still covered her entire face as she looked at me with amused disbelief. She began to drop her hand, but I covered it with my own, holding it in place.
Her breath caught, and I slowly lowered my head down and as I did she tilted her head back so that she was still looking into my eyes. When my lips hovered above hers I said, “I’m only thinking of your career.”
“One little kiss?” she clarified terms.
“Yes.”
“No thinking.” Her breaths were coming in short pants. “Just feeling.” Her fingers dug into my chest, and it was everything I could do not to crush my mouth to hers and devour her in a soul-claiming kiss.
I nodded and rested my forehead against hers. I didn’t trust myself to speak, but I did bring my hand up and trace those luscious lips with my thumb. I couldn’t help myself.
Her eyes closed as she whispered so soft it was nearly inaudible. “Yes.”
“Say it again,” I commanded.
“Yes,” she repeated, the word more forceful, and undeniably erotic.
Instead of pouncing on her like a hungry jaguar as I’d just been fantasizing doing only seconds ago, I lowered my head to her neck and planted small, gentle kisses all over her tender flesh. I could feel her pulse pounding under my lips and it made me think of how fragile she was. How much I wanted to protect her. How much I never wanted this to end.
When soft groans started reverberating from the back of her throat, I raised my head and pressed my lips, finally, to hers. The anticipation made the kiss even better than the last one. Or, maybe it wasn’t the anticipation at all. Maybe it was just going to keep getting better and better every time I kissed her. I hoped that I could spend the rest of my life finding out.
I pushed my tongue between her lips, exploring and claiming the hot recesses of her mouth. At first, she let me take the lead. I stroked her tongue with mine, again and again, loving the sensation of our intimate connection.
When I needed more, my hand threaded in her hair, and I tugged her head back, giving me even better access to her. When I did, she gasped, and her tongue pressed back against mine, in perfect rhythm and time, meeting me with equal passion and desire.
My dick strained against my jeans as our mouths moved against each other, the hunger building with every movement of our lips. I slid my other arm around her tiny waist, and my hand spread across her backside, gripping her perfect ass. She rocked into me as her desperate whimper vibrated through our kiss. I felt her hands roaming up and down my back, finally anchoring on my shoulders. I squeezed her firm flesh as her hips rocked against my erection. Her entire body quivered against mine, pushing me closer and closer to the edge.
Using self-control I hadn’t even known I had, I pulled back and rested my forehead against hers, knowing I needed to stop if this kiss wasn’t going to end with her jeans on the ground. She opened her eyes, and I stared into them searching for an answer, not wanting to break the spell by speaking. Sometimes words could weave a web and sometimes they could wash it away more powerfully than a garden hose, and I couldn’t afford to make the wrong call here.
Finally, after what seemed like years, she lifted her hands, cupping my face in them. “One night. One night of feeling and not thinking. One night of benefits.” She grinned, and a twinkle sparked in her honey gaze before her expression grew serious. “That’s all I can give you.”
It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, but I’d take it. She might think her terms were final, but I knew everything was up for negotiation.
Not wasting a second of the time I’d just been granted, I whipped her T-shirt off and over her head in one fast, confident move. As her glossy hair settled back over her shoulders, I saw that she hadn’t been wearing a bra underneath, leaving me with a perfect view of her perky breasts, topped by rock-hard, pink nipples.
“Damn,” I breathed as I dipped my head and captured them in my mouth, first one and then the other. I ran the sandpaper flat of my tongue over the sensitive nubs, loving the groans that hit my ears with each pass.
Her fingers tangled in the back of my hair and her back arched, driving me to suck harder and lick faster. I ran my hands up and down the smooth, warm skin of her back and as I did, tiny earthquakes of muscle tremors teased my palms. Arousal heated my veins, flowing through them like lava at the knowledge that pleasure was zipping around her body and sparking in her muscles, just like it was for me.
I’d never been so turned on. My dick knew that this wasn’t a drill like all the times I’d gotten off on fantasies of Kelsi. He was hulking out behind my zipper, trying his best to break through the barrier. This was happening in real life, and he couldn’t wait to meet the woman that had starred in the sexual escapades I’d envisioned. I couldn’t wait for her to meet him either.
My second wish was granted as she reached down with trembling fingers and started fumbling with the button and zipper. I could tell that her shaking hands weren’t going to get the job done nearly fast enough for my liking, so I decided to assist her efforts.
I took over, and my pants and shirt were both on the ground in seconds. When I straightened, I saw that she’d done the same. We were both naked as the day we were born. I stared at her in the awed reverence that her body deserved. She was petite, but with curves in all the right places.
“You are…perfect.” I dropped to my knees in front of her and began kissing her body with tedious attention. My mouth, tongue, and hands grazed every inch of bare skin working my way from her ankles all the way up to her thighs, her hips, her belly. I stood and kissed her arms, her shoulders, and her chest, only avoiding her most sensitive areas because I knew once I tasted heaven I would ignore the rest of her body, and it deserved to be worshiped.
She was the softest, sweetest thing I’d ever felt. Every touch, every taste, and every caress told me again and again what I already knew from the first time I saw her—Kelsi was mine. She was my one true “one.” Fate or destiny or whatever it was brought her to me and I never wanted to let her go.
Now, if only she felt the same way, I’d be one happy camper.
I’d just finished placing an open-mouthed kiss on her shoulder when Kelsi pushed me back away from her with a sudden and decisive shove.
I froze, not sure of what had happened. What had made her change her mind so abruptly? Concern flooded through me that I’d done something wrong.
But that worry evaporated when she lowered to her knees and wrapped her hands around my pulsing sex. She ran her hands lightly over my shaft, causing my dick to jump. Her eyes lifted to mine, “I want to taste you.”
A loud groan escaped me, taking me by surprise and my knees locked of their own accord. I was always in control in the bedroom. Sex was a dance that I’d always naturally and instinctively led. With her, though, it was different. I wasn’t in control. I felt more than I ever had before and it was making it difficult to think. I didn’t know if I liked that or not. It was exciting, sure—but being out of control wasn’t something I was used to, and I couldn’t see myself getting comfortable with it anytime soon.
Just as that thought took root, Kelsi slipped her lips over my engorged head, and my hands flew to the back of her hair and tangled themselves there.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from her head as she moved it up and down. Between the mesmerizing sight of the light glinting off of her glossy hair and the overwhelming sensations roaring through me like a freight train, it was like I was hypnotized. I couldn’t think or reason, only feel. But, that’s what we’d agreed to. One night. Just feeling, no thinking.
Her tongue swirled around my dick as she sucked it, and the combination of movements created a vortex that I knew I had to escape from damn quick unless I wanted to explode in her mouth right then and there.
I knew I had to somehow stop her mouth from giving me the insane pleasure that it was giving me. The only question was how to do it—and the only obstacle was summoning the will.