Chapter Four
January
“I can’t believe you’re going to a Frat Hell party,” Cassidy giggles, packing a plush teddy bear into a box.
“The guy got bitten by a raccoon because of me and had to have rabies shots. After I tased him. It was kind of hard to say no.”
“Are you going to fuck him?”
“At the party, surrounded by a bunch of drunk idiots? No.”
Wyatt walks into the room, and gives Cassidy a look. She turns to me. “So, we have something to talk to you about.”
My hands slam onto my hips. “Did you knock her up already?”
“No!” Cassidy exclaims as Wyatt laughs.
He takes a seat across from me. “I want to offer you the general manager position at Scarlet Toys.”
What? My head turns to Cassidy so quick my neck cracks. “Are you quitting?”
Adoring eyes sweep over Wyatt, and I get a brief pang in my stomach. What they have is something special. Something I really hope is waiting for me in the future. “I’m going to spend more time helping at the community center and I’ve opened a little online store to sell my plush animals. Wyatt talked me into giving it a go.”
I force a smile. No matter how much I don’t want to lose her at the store, she’s happy and I need to be happy for her. “That’s amazing, Cass. Your animals are beautiful.”
“Thanks, I don’t expect it to be all that popular, but I’d like to keep it small, anyway. Offer special orders, monogramming etc.” She waves her hand. “But I can’t leave the store short-handed. You know my job backward and forward. You’ll have to hire your replacement, but I can help with that if you want.”
It’s a great opportunity. More money for the same amount of hours, but more flexibility in my schedule. “When do you want me to start?”
Wyatt gets to his feet. “We’ll run an ad this week for the job opening. After we get the new hire trained, you can take over. If you’re accepting the position.”
“Never found a position I wasn’t cool with,” I reply, and Cass rolls her eyes at me. “Yeah, I’m accepting.” I hold up a finger before Wyatt can reply. “On one condition. You cannot keep Cassidy all to yourself. I know she’s awesome and all that, but she was mine first. I want full bestie benefits. That means at least one girl’s night per month, and I reserve the right to call her anytime I need to, and you can’t prevent me from talking to her.”
“Why would I do that?” Wyatt asks, amused.
“Ha! I’ve heard all about your…distracting member. Bestie trumps sex. Chicks before dicks. That’s all I’m saying.”
Wyatt looks at Cass. “Is she serious?”
Cass pulls her legs up until she’s sitting cross legged. “Absolutely. And I agree. Ovaries before broveries.”
Wyatt stares at us like we’re both insane. “Broveries?”
Giggling, I suggest, “Uteruses before duderuses?”
Wyatt shakes his head and mutters something about crazy women as he leaves the room.
Cass looks me in the eye. “Seriously, though, Jani. I know I’m not around as much, but I’m still here whenever you need me.”
Sighing, I reply, “Then tell me I’m completely crazy for letting things get this far with Noble. Because if someone doesn’t talk me out of it, I’m going to fuck that guy like his dick is the key to happiness.”
“It might be.” Cass tucks her legs beneath her. “Not his dick, specifically, but him. You never know. I’m happier now than I ever was, and while his cock definitely plays its role, it’s the everyday things with Wyatt that make me happy.”
“Ugh.” I fall back on the couch. “You’re not helping. Fine, I’ll see how tonight goes and maybe I’ll give his cock a little play time.”
Wyatt retreats from the doorway. “I always manage to walk in at the wrong moment,” he grumbles.
Cass and I break into laughter. “It’s cute that he thinks there’s ever a right moment when we’re talking.”
Cass giggles, looking toward the now empty doorway. “He’s learning.”
***
I can hear the party at Frat Hell before I get there. It’s not that the music is all that loud, but the laughing and talking spill out of the windows they’ve opened to vent the pot smoke. Noble must have been waiting on me to show up because he yanks the front door open before I can knock.
“Hey, beautiful.” He wastes no time pulling me in for a kiss. “You’re just in time to watch me kick some ass at beer pong. Want to play?”
I’m going to need some alcohol to get through this night. “Sure, why not?”
His arm wraps around my waist as we head inside. Denton is sitting on the couch along with a group of other guys, all staring at the T.V.
“Dude! How did you miss him? Give me that!” One of the guys I don’t recognize grabs the controller from the other, and takes over playing the shooting game.
Another grins up at me, either oblivious to the fact that Noble’s arm is around me or too drunk to give a shit. “Heeey, sweet thing.” Slurring like crazy, so it’s definitely the latter. “Want to go home with me? I got something for you. It’s ten inches long, full of sperm, and makes all the ladies scream.”
Noble’s face hardens, and he takes a step toward the guy, but I get between them. I’ve never needed anyone to fight my battles. “I’m not interested in seeing the sock under your bed.”
A chorus of “ohh, buurn” fills the room. Before it ends, and the guy says something that’s most likely going to lead to Noble beating his ass—judging by the look on Noble’s face—I smile and start toward the kitchen.
“Sorry,” Noble apologizes as soon as he catches up with me. “Scott is a dick. Want a shot?” He holds out a shot of Fireball, and I down it before taking another.
“Didn’t bother me.” I grin up at him. “Are we playing or what?”
The game is set up on a long, fold out table in the kitchen. The usual kitchen table has been relegated to a corner, where it holds an array of drinks and snacks.
We watch as a ball bounces into the last cup, and the winning team cheers. The losing team of guys both grumble and start stripping off their clothes. “Losers have to strip down to underwear for an hour,” Noble explains.
Alarm bells start ringing in my head. Abort Mission! Retreat! “If you think I’m stripping down to panties in a houseful of drunken—”
“No.” Noble practically barks the word. “No way are any of these guys seeing your panties when I haven’t even seen them yet. We won’t play by that rule.”
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that expression on his face is jealousy. I pat his cheek with my hand and drop a quick kiss on his lips. “What makes you think I’m wearing any panties?”
His eyes nearly fall out of his head, then find their way to my leggings covered back side. Trey has to call his name twice before he shakes himself out of it. “Dude, quit ogling your girl’s ass and get over here.”
Kenny sets up the cups and pours in some beer. “All right, Broski, you two are up first.”
Noble stares at Kenny. “Oh no, did you get hit with—”
“Yes,” Kenny interrupts, shaking his head. “Fuckin Trey the bromosapien hit me with the bro card when I lost the last game.”
I’m probably going to be sorry for asking. “What is a bro card?”
“If you get the bro card, every sentence you speak has to include a word with bro in it,” Trey explains, handing me a ping pong ball. “And it can’t just be bro. You have to mix it up.”
Of course. Makes perfect sense.
“For how long?”
Noble grins down at me. “Whoever gives the card is the only one who can revoke it. So, whenever that happens, or the next morning, whichever comes first.”
I toss the ball and hit one of Trey and Kenny’s cups. Noble does the same and we grin at them as they drink. “If we win this one, will you revoke the card, Brosicle?” Kenny asks.
“Yep. But it’s not looking good so far.”
A few turns later, Noble and I are killing it. Godzilla couldn’t have done a better job of destroying them. “I’m kind of thirsty. Could I get a beer?” I ask, taunting them with the fact I’ve barely had to drink.
Laughing, Noble grabs a beer from a nearby cooler and hands it to me. “Watching you teach my friends a lesson is incredibly hot.”
“Beginner’s luck,” I reply with a shrug.
Trey and Kenny both gape at me. “You’ve never played this game before?” Trey asks.
“Nope.” He mumbles something that sounds a bit like this some bullshit, but I can’t be sure.
I hit my next throw, but Noble’s bounces back out. “Get it together, buddy.” I shove him and attempt to retreat around the edge of the table.
“It’s your fault,” he announces. I’m pulled back against him, and his lips run up my neck before I feel his breath in my ear. “All I can think about is whether you’re wearing panties or not.”
“So if I told you I’m wearing black, lace boy shorts, would that help?”
His groan makes me laugh. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but I’m actually having fun. Noble’s friends may be a little silly, but, hell, Cassidy and I act stupid together all the time.
We’re down to the last cup, and Noble hands me the ball. “Come on, baby, you can do it.”
The way Kenny stares at the cup and holds his breath makes it hard not to laugh, and I’m tempted to miss one more time just to draw it out. Instead, I toss it and it lands perfectly in the cup.
“Fuck,” Kenny curses, quickly adding, “-ing brotastic.”
Trey shakes his head, a wicked grin on his face, when Kenny turns to him, pleading, “Rematch?”
“No way. I’ll take the card back at midnight.”
“How the hell am I supposed to get a bro-job while talking like this?”
Noble and I both crack up at the way he slipped the word in that time. “Dude, Carl is in the living room if that’s what you’re looking for,” Noble says.
His bottom lip sticks out in a pout that matches his sulky tone. “Fuck off, you know I’m not gay, Bro-ble.”
That does it. I’m sure the alcohol is the main reason I fall into hysterics at the sound of Noble’s modified name, but either way, it’s hilarious. Noble’s smile is wide and genuine as he watches me try to stifle the giggles that just won’t quit. Listening to Trey and Kenny insult each other really doesn’t help.
“This is bullshit, brotato. Just because you look like a before picture for Weight Watchers doesn’t mean I should have to go without.”
Trey slaps his considerable belly. “My gut can’t compete with my dick, so there’s no shortage of women who want to ride the Trey Train. Unlike you, not all of us want to expose ourselves to various strains of the hepatitis alphabet.”
“But this is my last night to do this, bromosexual.” He does a little stompy dance like a obstinate three year old, and I have to swallow back a laugh.
Trey finally takes pity on him. Or he’s sick of hearing him whine, I’m not sure which, but he sighs, “Fine. I revoke the bro card. Go give some poor girl three minutes of missionary, under the covers disappointment.”
Kenny slaps him on the back and races off like pussy might have an expiration date.
“Can we step outside and get some air?” I ask, a few giggles still slipping through.
“Sure, we’ve got a fire burning out there.” His dimple pops out, setting another fire alight.
My phone beeps and I give it a quick look. I recently posted an ad on the internet about the ring we found in the river, and now someone is trying to claim it.
The text reads: I bought Mayetta that ring and I’d like it back.
Wow, way to be nice about it, buddy. I may have believed him if he had spelled her name correctly.
Me: Sure, just let me know what the inscription says, as the ad requested.
I tuck the phone away, not interested in calling out this person’s bullshit. I’m much more concerned with the sexy man in front of me and the feelings he’s stirring up.
Turns out I lied to Cassidy. I am most definitely going to sleep with him in a house full of his friends tonight. It’s that or drag him back to my apartment where my mother can hear, so, Frat Hell sex it is.
I grab my coat while Noble heads off to get his. He returns with a fluffy throw blanket and drapes it around my shoulders. “Oh!” Denton exclaims as he walks past. “She gets the binky? No one can touch the binky!”
Noble glares at him, which draws a smirk from Denton. “His baby blanket. He carries it around the house and no one is allowed to touch it.”
Noble flips him off. “It’s not a damned baby blanket. And no one touches it because you guys dirty up everything. I don’t want it full of joint burns and soaked in Trey’s sweat.”
“It is really soft,” I remark, pulling it around me. It smells good too, like him. “Thanks.”
A few guys sit by the fire out back, passing a joint and talking about fixing a car. Noble drags an oversized Adirondack chair to the other side of the fire, then pulls me into his lap.
“I’m going to squish you,” I protest.
He scoffs and spreads the blanket over us. “You’re tiny.”
“You obviously haven’t met thunder and lightning.” I clench one thigh and then the other to introduce them.
His eyes close briefly and he shakes his head at me, a small smile on his face. “I plan to make their acquaintance very soon.”
His body is warm, and I snuggle into him. His arms wrap around my waist, under the blanket, and his hands rest on my thigh. “Do you have to work tomorrow?” he asks, nuzzling his chin into my neck.
“No, in a few weeks I’ll be able to set my own hours, though. I’m replacing Cassidy as GM of Scarlet Toys.”
He pinches my chin and turns my head toward him. “You got promoted to GM?”
“Yep. Cass just told me.”
A soft kiss lands on my lips. “Congratulations. That’s great.”
He can be so sweet sometimes. I settle back against his chest. “Thanks. I hate to lose Cass, but I’m happy to take the job.”
His fingers curl into my hair, playing with it. “I’m sure you two will still hang out.”
“Yeah, what about you? You graduate this year, don’t you?” I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but he’ll likely move after school. Now that I like him, I hate to think how temporary this might be.
“With my bachelor’s degree, yes, but I won a scholarship to continue to my master’s degree.”
Hope leaps in my chest. “Here? At the same school?”
“Yes.” He grins down at me. “Why, were you hoping to escape me at the end of the year?”
I run my hand up and down his thigh. “Nah, I kind of like you.”
“Kind of?” He slides his hand to tickle my ribs with his fingertips.
“As long as you don’t tell anyone.” I tilt my head up and bring my lips to his. “Congratulations on the scholarship. What do you do with a master’s in weather?”
“In meteorology and climatology,” he corrects. “I’m not exactly sure what line of work I want to end up in. Maybe research. My focus has shifted more to the study of climate change.” He grins. “But storm chasing is a real possibility.”
“Mmm…storm chasing. That’s kind of sexy. I’ve always wanted to see a tornado, but if I ever did, I’d probably pass out or wet myself.” Yeah, Jani, that’s how you do it. Just keep up all that sexy talk. Ugh, sometimes I wonder who thought it would be a good idea to put me in charge of a vagina.
My talk of involuntary urination doesn’t seem to faze him though. His hand sweeps across my ribs, and I reach under the blanket to unbutton my coat. Taking it as the invitation I meant it to be, he runs his warm palm across my breast, cupping it, then running a thumb over my nipple.
“I feel like I’m sixteen again, getting felt up under a blanket,” I whisper, before claiming his cool lips with mine.
“I was never this lucky at sixteen. Beautiful woman in my arms, all soft and sweet,” he murmurs, kissing me again.
We’re interrupted by Trey’s loud cry. “Look! It’s a UFO!”
I had practically forgotten they were there. At some point, Trey and Denton have joined the fun. Right now, five drunk men are staring at the sky. I’m overcome with a brief moment of evilness when I picture how funny it’d be if a bird flew over and shit right now, since their mouths are all hanging open like an inflatable sex doll.
“I don’t see anything,” one of them argues. I don’t recognize him, so he must not be from the circle.
“Right there!” Trey insists, stumbling to his feet and pointing at the sky. He takes a quick step back, catching his balance.
It’s funny, because one of the things I discovered the first time I drank was that looking up at the stars is not a good idea. Everything spins, and you want to puke.
Denton snorts and takes a drink of his beer. “That’s a satellite, you idiot.”
“Is not! It’s a UFO. Maybe aliens.”
Another guy speaks up. “I saw a UFO before. ‘Bout three years ago.”
“See,” Trey says, vindicated, pointing to the sky again like we might have forgotten where it was. “It’s a UFO.”
“Lots of things are UFO’s if you’re stupid,” Denton says.
Noble nuzzles my neck. “You want to go to my room? Unless you’re invested in the alien debate.”
Getting to my feet, I wrap the blanket back around my shoulders. “Let’s go.”
“Nice angle on your dangle, there, dude!” Denton yells as we walk past, and Noble flips him off.
“He’s just mad because I made the new neighbor think he’s gay.”
Laughing, I grab his hand. “Let’s go put the dangle to good use.”
He doesn’t have a response for that.
Noble’s room is neat and pretty much looks like you’d expect any young guy’s bedroom to look, except for the massive poster of a tornado on one wall, and another that depicts the patterns of ocean currents.
I’m trying to make some sense out of the ocean poster when he presses his chest to my back. “Most people don’t realize how much of our weather, especially temperature, is controlled by ocean currents. With the ice caps melting, they dump freshwater into the stream which affects the density and alters the flow.”
It occurs to me that Noble may be smarter than I gave him credit for. The passion he has for his field shines through in his voice. He certainly isn’t the party all the time slacker I thought he was. He works hard and has plans for his future. I feel bad I rushed to judgment just based on how he goofs off with his friends.
“Like in that disaster movie where New York freezes instantly?”
Chuckling, he kisses my neck. “They exaggerated the hell out of it, but that’s the scenario it’s based on. Realistically, it could take two centuries to affect it to a dangerous extent.”
“Mmm.” I tilt my head, giving him better access. “Talk science to me, nerd boy.”
“Barometric pressure,” he whispers, reaching around to caress my breasts. “Evapotranspiration, southern oscillation—”
I stop his words with my mouth, grinning at the sound he always makes when I slip my tongue against his. Still kissing me, he reaches past me to lock his door.
“Do you have a condom?” I ask, unbuttoning his pants.
Maybe he didn’t think I was actually going to sleep with him, because his lips fall open a little, and it takes him a second to answer. “Yeah, in the night stand.”
Rough hands slide up my sides, taking my shirt with them. His lips return to mine, and I’m so lost in the kiss I don’t notice he’s unclipped my bra until the cool air chills my nipples. Deep blue eyes delve into mine when we break apart, and his voice is firm when he says, “Do you have any idea how much I want to fuck you? All I’ve thought about is having you squirming under my tongue while I make you come.”
Heat races across my skin at his words, and he smiles. “You like me talking dirty to you.” It’s not a question, and I don’t bother with a response.
We strip each other, pausing to kiss and lick and caress until we’re both out of our minds with desire. My back arches as he sucks my nipple, and I explore the muscles of his back, reveling in the way they flex under my fingers.
I love his body, the smooth skin, sprinkled lightly with hair in all the right places. Lean and muscled, warm and hard. It’s perfect. When he slides a thick finger inside me, then another, I spread my legs wider, and reach for his cock. I wrap my hand around it, delighting in the weight of it on my palm and the little breath he takes when I stroke the silky, hot skin.
“You’re so wet,” he murmurs.
I’m also close to coming already. “Condom,” I gasp, my ability to speak in coherent sentences temporarily stalled by the movement of his fingers.
Flashing me a wicked grin, his lips scorch a trail of kisses down my stomach as he moves out of my reach, wrapping his arms around my thighs. “Noble, you don’t have to—”
The unfinished sentence hangs in the air, punctuated by my loud moan. His hot tongue moves over my clit in slow, tight circles, and my hands clamp onto his hair. Holy fuck, the man has skills. My legs start to tremble, and I feel reality slipping away as I’m overcome by sensation. “Noble, please, oh god.”
A little growl rumbles his chest, making his mouth vibrate against me, and it’s the last thing I feel before falling into a long, pulsing, orgasm. His fingers and tongue work to draw it out until every inch of me is buzzing and alive.
He crawls up my body, and I caress his cock again. I swear it’s even harder than before, swollen and hot. I barely have a moment to lick just under the head when he pulls away with a gasp. “Not this time, babe. I want to be inside you.”
He sits back against the headboard and rolls on a condom. I straddle him before he can protest, and his head falls back as I sink down on him. He’s thick and just long enough so he fills me completely without trying to split me in half, but it still takes a moment to adjust to him.
His hands hold my hips, and I kiss along his jaw, moving to his neck and ear. His whole body goes lax when I lick his earlobe. Hmm…good to know.
I take it nice and easy, teasing him with long, slow movements. “January,” he moans, “you feel so fucking good.”
Grabbing the headboard, I start to fuck him with determination. We’re both panting and covered in sweat when he rolls us over so he’s on top and pounds into me like a madman. I love to see him lose all control like this, and the thought shoves me into another shattering orgasm. I look up at him as his eyes squeeze shut and his mouth falls open, his body trembling against mine.
We stay right like that, his body sprawled over mine for a long minute, just basking in the sensations we’ve created together. I’ve always enjoyed sex, but it’s never been anything like this. We have some serious chemistry together.
Finally, he plants one last soft kiss on my lips and sits up.
Staring down, his eyes widen, and he warns, “Uh…don’t freak out.”
Not the words I want to hear right after a guy pulls out of me. “The condom came off.”
“What? It came off! When?”
“I don’t know! The damn things are tight enough to strangle it, I’ve never had one come off!”
I sit up, and we both look around the bed frantically until the only other place it could be becomes clear. “Great,” I grumble, sticking my fingers inside myself to try to locate the wayward condom. Have you ever tried to find a slick rubber when everything is wet? It’s like trying to grab a grape in a bowl of Jell-O. Freaking impossible.
When I look up, frustrated, Noble is staring at me, and not just with his eyes. “Seriously? This turns you on?”
“Babe, you’re wet and fingering yourself on my bed. This is all I’m going to be able to think about until I die.”
Glaring at him, I gesture between my legs. “You want to help?”
A snort of laughter escapes me at the way he leaps across the bed. I barely get the words out and he’s grinning at me. “I was afraid you’d never ask.”
His fingers are gentle when they slip inside, feeling and searching. “I don’t feel anything,” he murmurs.
“I think that’s my line,” I giggle, and he deliberately rubs across my G spot, making me gasp.
“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought,” he says with a smirk. A few more seconds pass before he adds, “I can’t find it.”
As tempted as I am to point out that’s my line as well, I refrain. “It’s got to be there. It’s a vagina, not a bottomless pit! And I am not going to the hospital for an emergency condom extraction!”
After a few long minutes, he sighs. “I swear there’s nothing in you.”
Before I can argue again, he grins and says, “Uh…Jan? It’s stuck to your ass cheek.” His hand slides under me to lift my ass off the bed, and I feel it peel away. Ew.
I rarely get embarrassed, but this is not the way I picture a first time with anyone. I cover my hot face with my hands.
Noble chuckles and pulls my hands away. “Come on, don’t get all girly on me now. So we had to do a little spelunking.”
“Oh my god, shut up,” I laugh, reaching for my panties.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks, pushing me down onto my back again.
“Well, walking naked through an apartment full of guys doesn’t sound appealing, so I’m getting dressed.”
Pinning my arms to the bed, he grins down at me. “Where are you planning to go?”
“Call me crazy, but my plan is to go home. You know, the place I live?”
His head dips, and he runs his tongue across my nipple. “I have an attached bathroom and that’s as far as you get to go. I’m not through with you. Not even close.”
The little moan I utter makes his lips tilt up. “I don’t know. Do you have some duct tape so we can keep the condom on this time? Or maybe some super glue.”
Pausing for a second, he asks, “Do we need to get you a morning after pill?”
“I’m on the shot, so I’m covered. Do I need to get tested or anything?”
“Nope, I’m clean.”
“We’re still going to use condoms,” I tell him.
“I wasn’t suggesting otherwise. Now, turn over so I can make you beg me some more.”
My mouth drops open. “I didn’t beg!” I did. I distinctly remember pleading with him not to stop.
He grabs my hips and flips me over, covering my body with his. Brushing my hair aside, he delivers little sucking kisses on the back of my neck. His voice is high as he says, “Oh, yes, Noble, don’t stop. You have the best cock in the universe. It’s so massive and hard and perfect. I can’t live another second without it. Sound familiar?”
Okay, now he’s full of shit. “You must be thinking of someone else.”
“Never. You’re all I’ve thought about for too damn long, January. Now, I want to make sure you can’t stop thinking about me.”
Over the next few hours, he proves his point, searing the night into my memory as the best damned sex I’ve ever had.
***
Noble’s scent wafts over me when I drag my eyes open, groaning at the wonderful way my body aches, but he’s not in bed beside me. I must’ve been out of it not to hear him get up. I usually sleep really light, but I guess mind blowing orgasms will do that for a girl.
Thankfully, the rest of the guys are nowhere to be seen when I creep out of Noble’s bedroom. After all the drinking last night, I’m not surprised. Their beds probably won’t see the end of them until at least noon. Pulling my hair up into a messy ponytail, I walk into the kitchen and stop dead in my tracks.
Noble stands at the stove, dressed only in a pair of boxers, his back to me as he flips sausages in a frying pan. His hips swish back and forth as he belts out his own version of Despacito.
I wanted to make an omelet with pico.
But there’s no eggs cause Denton’s too damn cheapo.
He throws in a few pelvic thrusts, and shakes his ass.
So I’ll just make sausage burritos.
I swallow back a laugh as he tosses a fork in the sink, and slides back over to the stove, singing.
In the sinko.
“Do you take requests?” I ask, and he jumps, turning to face me. A smile climbs across his face.
“Is the request for me to stop singing?” There’s not a scrap of embarrassment on his face.
“No, you’re a natural. Obviously very fluent.”
He crosses his arms and leans against the counter. The muscles in his abdomen tighten, reminding me of how they flexed when he was on top of me last night.
“All you have to do is add O to translate a word to Spanish,” he says. “Not many people know that.”
I grab a bottle of water from the fridge. “I’ll try to keep it in mind.”
Grabbing my arm, he pulls me against him and nuzzles my neck. “Did you have fun last night?”
“You mean at the party or after?” He’s so much fun to tease.
“At the party. Your cries of ecstasy and pleads for me not to stop made it pretty clear you enjoyed the after.”
He grins down at me when my arms circle his neck, and I plant a quick kiss on his lips. “I did have fun. Your friends are crazy, but they make me laugh.”
“So, let’s see, you have fun with me, you like my friends, and you worship my cock like a pagan god. I think that all adds up to you being my girlfriend.”
His words take a second to sink in and then I’m not sure what to say. He has definitely caught me off guard. “You don’t think it’s a little…soon,” I stall.
He shrugs and runs a palm down my back, resting his hand on the swell of my ass. “I know what I want, and she’s standing right in front of me looking terrified.” He threads his fingers through my hair. “Tell me what you’re afraid of.”
I can’t believe the words fall out of my mouth. “That I’ll get serious and you won’t. I’ll get my heart broken and you’ll move onto the next girl.” Wow, way to just blurt those issues out.
“Has that happened to you before?” His voice is soft as he plays with my hair.
“No, not me…someone I care about. It nearly killed her.”
It’s not something I like to talk about, but I’ve watched my mother spend her whole life alone after my dad ran out on her. She always swore she was over him, that she could never love a man who abandoned her kid, and I believe that, but it also meant she wouldn’t trust a man again either.
His sky blue eyes are intense when they stare into mine. “I can’t predict the future or where this will lead us any more than you can, beautiful. But I can promise you I’m serious about us. I love spending time with you and I want to know that you feel the same.”
“I do,” I murmur. “I have a lot of fun with you.”
“I want to be able to tell people you’re mine.”
Stepping back, I grin up at him. “Staking your claim, huh?”
“That’s right.”
“Okay,” I sigh, as if he’s really putting me out. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”
His face lights up and he slams his lips to mine, kissing me until I feel half drunk with it. “Okay, here are the stipulations. One, I need a daily blow job. Two, I need daily access to your vagina, both orally and—”
Denton steps into the room, interrupting. “Dude, shut up. My head is going to explode.”
“I have a girlfriend,” Noble tells him with a goofy smile. He sounds like a twelve year old boasting to his friends.
Denton grabs a carton of orange juice out of the fridge and nods at me as he walks by. “My condolences.”
“He’s just jealous,” Noble taunts, returning to his cooking. The sausages are burnt black when he flips them over.
“Smooth,” Denton remarks. “Maybe it’s because you weren’t singing to them.”
A snort of laughter escapes me as I sit across the table from Denton. “Do you always sing while you cook?”
“Of course. When the big record labels come calling, I have to be ready.”
“Good thinking.”
Dropping the burnt sausage in the trashcan, he turns to me, “Do you want to grab breakfast at the diner?”
“An orgasm and waffles? You sure know how to treat a girl. I’m going to use your bathroom real quick first.”
Trey is coming out of Noble’s bathroom just as I walk through his room. He just nods at me, so I don’t think anything of it. Kenny must be in the hall bathroom. I relieve myself, wash my hands and meet Noble back in the kitchen. It isn’t until Noble drops me off after breakfast, so he can get some studying done, that things get weird.
Mom lies on the couch, watching television, but she mutes it the second I walk in. “Well, look at you, staying out all night. How scandalous.”
“Very funny.” I flop onto the couch next to her. “What are we watching?” Wincing, I shift around a little. My ass cheek is sore for some reason. Maybe Noble scratched me or something.
“It’s about a group of people who live in Alaska. See those guys, they’re hunting a moose.”
Fascinating. Shit, both cheeks are starting to burn, What the hell? Trying to ignore it, I turn to Mom.
“How are you feeling?” She was diagnosed about five years ago with multiple sclerosis. She’s not wheelchair bound, but it does limit her mobility. She worked for years at a plastics factory, but as soon as they found out she was sick, they fired her. She got a year of unemployment insurance out of them, but that was all. After twenty years of working for them, they used some lame excuse that she was late too often and not dedicated to the job, to get rid of her. She gets disability payments now, but it’s not nearly enough to live on, especially since some of her treatments aren’t covered by her disability insurance. So, she lives with me.
“Had a little dizziness today, but otherwise not bad. I was thinking of making some chicken and dumplings for dinner.”
A yawn jumps from my throat, and I stretch my screaming muscles. The burn of my ass is only growing. I need to go to my room and see what the crazy guy has done to me. “Mmm, sounds good. I think I’ll take a nap. Cass is coming by later.”
Mom grins at me. “That boy wore you out, huh?”
“Mom!”
“I like him, Jani. He seems like a sweet kid. And he’s obviously crazy about you.”
“Of course.” I drop a kiss on her cheek. “I look like my mom.”
“Are you sucking up so I’ll make homemade rolls to go with it?”
“You know me too well.”
As soon as I’m alone in my room, I yank down my pants and underwear, and look at my ass in the mirror. It looks perfectly normal, not even red. Which makes no sense because it feels like I’ve been paddled for hours. I try to think back to the night before. I wasn’t drunk. I remember everything.
The condom stuck to my butt cheek, but that wouldn’t set it on fire, and both are in agony now. I grab a washcloth and my phone and retreat to the bathroom. I dial Noble, then put it on speaker while I wet the cloth with cold water. I don’t see anything, but it feels like it’s burning so water seems like a good option.
“Miss me already?” Noble says without a hello.
“What the hell did you do to me?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“My ass! You did something to my ass! It’s like it’s been dipped in lava!”
“I didn’t do anything. I—oh fuck. Trey!, he screams, and then all I can hear is raised voices until he returns. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
I rub the dripping wet cloth across my ass, sighing at the relief just as he says, “Whatever you do, don’t put water on it. It makes it worse. Trey tried to prank me by putting Capsaicin cream on my toilet seat.”
Yeah.
Too fucking late.
The surface of the sun couldn’t compete with my poor butt cheeks right now.
“I’m going to fucking kill him! Oh god, it burns. What do I do?”
“Milk,” Noble replies, trying to hide the amusement in his voice.
“Are you laughing? Are you fucking laughing right now when my ass has turned into Krakatoa?”
“No, I swear—”
A knock at the door interrupts us. “Jani, are you okay?” Mom asks.
Of course, because I’m shrieking like a banshee.
“I’m fine!” I call out, before lowering my voice to talk to Noble. “If you know a way to stop this you’d better tell me or so help me, your balls are next!”
“Milk,” he says again. “I’m serious. It won’t stop it completely, but it’ll make it bearable. Then you just have to wait for it to wear off.”
Great. Fantastic. Mom knocks again. “Jani, what’s going on?”
Fuck it. “Can you bring me the milk?”
“Milk?”
“Yes, milk. Please hurry.”
Mom enters carrying a half gallon of milk, looking at me like I’ve completely lost it when she sees me standing in the shower, naked from the waist down. “What the hell, Jani? What were you yelling about?”
I snatch the milk and pour it over my ass, making sure to get every inch, reveling in the instant cooling effect. “It’s Noble’s fault,” I snap, when I realize she’s gaping at me. I mean, fair enough, it’s not the most normal thing to do.
“Hey, I didn’t do it!”
Shit. I forgot I still had him on speaker. “I’ll call you back.” I reach over and hit the disconnect button.
“Trey put Capsaicin cream on the toilet to prank Noble, but I sat on it,” I explain to mom, glaring at her when she bursts out laughing.
“Aren’t you going to rinse off the milk?”
“No, water isn’t my friend right now.”
I can hear her laugh echoing through the house as I wrap a towel around me and stalk to my room, flopping onto my stomach on the bed where I plan Trey’s eventual disembowelment.