CHAPTER EIGHT

BRYAN

“Oh, my God!” she moaned. He tried to think about hideous things, so his body wouldn’t react to her sexy little mewls, but it was impossible. He was hard. Harder than hard. “This is so good.” He watched her lick clean the tip of her thumb and bit back his own moan.

After grabbing Double-Doubles, fries, soda, and shakes in the drive through to go, he had driven them up to a spot he liked. It was on the side of a hill, away from everything that was LA life. High enough so that they could watch the city beneath, all the lights sparkling like stars under them as they sat on the tailgate of his SUV.

“Good?” he asked, his eyes skating over her sweet little body as her bare legs swung back and forth.

“I love In-N-Out.”

“Me too,” he said, looking out into the distance.

“You haven’t touched your food,” she pointed out, and he took a huge bite of his burger, shutting his own eyes as the taste of the juicy cheeseburger hit his taste buds.

“Mmm,” he groaned, swallowing and taking a long drink of his soda. “Damn, that’s good.” Opening his eyes, he saw Valerie’s own were pinned to his lips.

“Sounds good,” she whispered, her gaze moving up to look at him through her lashes. He wanted his mouth on hers so damn bad he could almost feel the soft plushness of her lips.

He didn’t think and he sure as hell didn’t hesitate. He had given her enough space.

Bryan leaned toward her, taking in the way her breath hitched. She wanted him just as badly. When he reached his destination, their lips touched, and just like with every stolen kiss before, sparks flew, igniting a need like none he had ever known.

They kissed like a pair of high school teenagers. Hands roamed over clothing at first, slowly building the white-hot burn as they finally moved beneath the fabric and they were skin to skin. He had never been as worked up with a woman as he was with Valerie. But then again, everything was different with his sassy little blonde.

Their meal was cold by the time they pulled away. Lying on her back, she looked at him through glitter-filled eyes, while half his body covered hers.

“We keep doing this,” she said with a shuddered breath, caressing his face with her fingertips.

“We do.”

“We really shouldn’t, Bryan.”

“I don’t agree. It’s a lot of fun.” He winked, which granted him a smirk before she shook her head and glared at him playfully.

“I bet you like doing all sort of things just because they’re fun.”

“And you like to be a grandma,” he teased.

“I don’t.” She beamed as her head titled upward. Their lips touched, and once again, they lost themselves in a kiss.

VALERIE

His hand in mine, he led the way into the house. He only stopped to kick his shoes off at the door. I bit my tongue from telling him he should put them in his room.

“What are we doing?” I whispered even though it was only the two of us in the house.

There was something intimate but at the same time carefree about the both of us getting back home a little past two in the morning after we had gone to eat and make out in a romantic, secluded spot above the city. I’d never done that. Yet with Bryan, I kept finding myself in new and adventurous situations.

“I think it’s hotter in here than outside,” I noted nervously as we passed the kitchen, but he didn’t say anything.

He opened the back door and looked at me, urging me to walk ahead of him. Walking outside, sighing my relief at the fresh air, I couldn’t help but breathe in deeply, the scent of salt water filling my lungs.

“Guy’s coming to look over the AC tomorrow morning,” he shared right before lifting his tee off and over his head.

“Okay,” I croaked, my gaze on his big hand rubbing his neck, and I was like a moth to a fire. “Does your neck hurt?”

“No, it’s just—“

“Sit,” I ordered, my hands not aching to touch him again. Liar.

“Sit?” He raised an eyebrow, and I walked to the chair.

“Come on,” I urged, and he sat down.

My hands fell onto his broad shoulders; his skin radiated an exquisite heat. When my thumbs dug into his flesh, his head fell forward as a seductive groan filled my ears and spurred my need to have him make that sound over and over. I worked his muscles switching from barely-there touches to deep, firm strokes. My mouth watered at the sight of his bare skin under the moonlight.

“God…” he groaned, and with every sound that escaped him, my body reacted. My skin felt like it was on fire, my breasts heavy and too sensitive, not to mention the wetness between my legs. “Your hands are like magic, baby.”

I opened my mouth but immediately closed it, not having a smart-ass response, and I didn’t trust my own voice not to give away how turned on I was. My eyes fixed on his freckle-lined shoulders. I wanted to play connect the dots with those freckles. With my tongue.

I rubbed, stroked, caressed, and kneaded until my hands felt like they were going to fall off, but even then, I didn’t want to take them off him.

He must have been able to sense how tired I was getting, because his fingertips draped over mine. “Thank you.” My legs clenched together at the husky tone of his voice.

His fingers pulled mine toward his mouth and he planted the lightest of kisses on the tips. “You have great hands.”

“You have great shoulders,” I whispered, meaning it. Broad and muscular. He could carry the world there. My free hand skated up and down his arm, coming back to his shoulder. “We should probably get to sleep.” He shifted in the chair and pulled me around, making me sit on his lap.

“What are—“

“I want you,” he announced, and when I shifted in his lap, I felt just how much he did.

“Bry—“

“I’m not going to rush you.”

“Who says you are?” I brazenly asked and could see the internal fight inside of him. What is holding him back?

“Val,” he growled, making me shiver, and it had nothing to do with the way the temperature had dropped. I closed my eyes. I was an idiot.

“I get it,” I whispered, embarrassment flooding every molecule of my body. His body might want me, but he wasn’t sure about me.

“By the look one your face, baby, I can tell you don’t.” At his words and tone, I popped my eyes open only to take in that he’d leaned in closer, so close that all I could see was his handsome, masculine face. “I want you. I want you in every way possible.”

“Okay.” Sign me up, I almost blabbed.

“But we live together,” he reminded me, but I was too lost in his eyes and the way he was looking at me and felt to see the red flags.

“Okay.” This one was slower to spit out.

“I like you. I want you to know I respect you.”

“What?” I asked, slightly confused.

I just wanted to get laid. I didn’t need any of the other things. Liar, a voice chimed again in the recesses of my mind.

“So, we’re going on a date, sharin’ a meal, hanging out, and then we’re coming back here.” He didn’t suggest; he told me, and I fought from rolling my eyes.

“So chivalrous.” The words came out sassier than I had planned, but his lips moved up and I felt like I deserved a trophy for making him smile like that.

“I can be.”

“Is this your thing?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“My what?”

“Your MO? You know, how you, umm, bag chicks?” I asked with a slight shoulder shrug.

“Bag chicks?” Amusement hit his eyes and I rolled mine.

“You know what I mean. How you get laid.” How weird was it that I was in the position I was in? Sitting on his lap more than comfortable? Me! The girl who was never comfortable around men, yet it was like second nature with him.

Being this close to him, this vulnerable and not a Nervous Nelly or fake, overly sweet version of myself with hopes that he would like me. I was just being me.

It was cozy and felt right.

“I don’t date. I told you I was married. After that ended, I... hung out with women.”

“Hung out?” I asked, now feeling amused at the way his cheeks went a slight shade of pink I could make out even under the moonlight. My hand came up to trace it.

“Yeah.”

“You mean hooked up,” I clarified, and the pink went a little brighter. I couldn’t contain my own grin.

“Well...”

“Wait.” I put up a hand, and he lifted his head up, giving me a little space. “Do you like, go out and HOOK UP or hook up?”

“What’s the difference?” He raised his eyebrows with curiosity.

“Well, do you get laid here and there, or are you like, a walking STD with how much you get laid.”

“Do you really want to know?” he asked, amusement shining bright.

“Yes,” I immediately answered without hesitation. His eyes searched to see if I was lying.

“Will it make you change your mind about me?” he asked. His question caught me off guard, but I had to be honest.

“I don’t know.”

He pulled me up so I was standing in front of him and he could bring me close, making me straddle him. “I told you I married my high school sweetheart?”

“Yeah.” He had; he just hadn’t shared why they ended. I wanted to know but felt like it was too soon and probably rude to ask.

“She was my one and only. For a long time, even after the divorce was final, she was all I knew.”

“Okay.” Does that mean he is still in love with her? Is that why he doesn’t want to give me what we both want?

“That being said, about six months after the divorce was final, I got back on the horse, so to speak. I’m not a choir boy, Blondie. But I’m not a, what did you call it? A walking STD?” His hands caressed my face.

Then he kept surprising me. Out of his free will and without me having to coax it out of him, he kept sharing, “I haven’t been with anyone in three months. Not for any particular reason. I just haven’t. And to answer your other question, no, I don’t normally date. But I’ve never wanted to get to know my roommate the way I want to get to know you.”

“Well, that’s good, since you only lived with men, most of whom you were related to,” I mumbled, and his body shook with quiet laughter.

“Go out with me,” he whispered, his breath covering my now tingling lips. God, I want him. I want to squirm and rub myself all over him.

“One date?”

“For now.” His eyes glittered dangerously. A glitter full of promise and one I liked way too much.

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re obviously attracted to one another.”

“Cocky much?”

“You’re not attracted to me?” he asked, raising a manly eyebrow, and I bit the inside of my lip because I couldn’t outright lie to him. Before I could answer, he shifted his body, bringing his hips up. The sensation of his hardness touching just the right spot made me gasp. “You have to know by now, baby, I’m fucking attracted to you.” His voice was deep and rough. I could get lost in his eyes and voice.

So incredibly lost I knew I wouldn’t find myself ever again.

“I don’t do relationships,” I blurted out loud without thinking, probably in a way to try to keep some kind of control, reminding myself that people only disappointed you in the long run. His hands gently moved into my hair, bringing my front down and closer to him, my face now right in his.

“I don’t, either.”

“We should probably just mess around and not date, then. A friends-with-benefits kind of thing,” I suggested lamely, reaching for anything that could help me stay guarded. Accidentally, at that moment, I swiveled my hips, getting his length to hit just the right spot. God, he feels good.

“Val,” he growled my name like a warning.

Then it hit me. He doesn’t want easy with me. Hope bloomed in my chest, but I wasn’t going to think about it right then and there. Instead, I took a deep breath, falling further into him.

“Fine,” I sighed into his neck. It weirded me out how easy it felt to be physically close with him. “One date.”

“For now,” he mumbled, and I closed my eyes, breathing him in, enjoying how cozy it was. It was more than comfortable; it was safe. Something I was not used to feeling with anyone.

Not even with the only friend I had.

“Let’s get some sleep,” he murmured into my neck, and I held him tighter.

“Okay,” I whispered. Even if part of me was a little disappointed, I was looking forward to going on a date.

Before I could say something, he lifted me up and walked us to the hammock. We settled in, one of his hands under his head, the other playing with my hair, while I laid my head on his chest. Between the warmth his body radiated and how safe he made me feel, I drifted off to sleep quickly.

***

“Val?” a deep voice whispered lightly, and I tried to open my heavy eyes, but it felt close to impossible. I felt too good wrapped up in a hard, warm body.

“Hmm…”

“Baby.”

“Mmm.” My lips tilted upward and the feeling of firm lips gently pressing to mine coaxed my eyes to open. “Hi.” Staring into his eyes, all I could think about was how I really liked waking up next to him.

“You sleep okay?” he asked, and I smirked at him, playfully rolling my eyes.

“My pillow was a little lumpy, but—“

“Lumpy?” he ghastly asked, rolling us over smoothly in a way I had only ever watched in movies. “Lumpy, huh?” He smirked confidently.

“I like sleeping with you,” I stupidly shared, blaming it on my sleepy, hazed-over brain.

What am I doing?

His eyes flickered with hunger, and I watched as he slowly licked his lower lip.

“You should get ready. The HVAC guy should be here in a little bit. Once he gets done figuring out what the hell is wrong with the system, we’ll get out of here, yeah?” he suggested, breaking the silence, his hands on either side of my face, his body covering mine.

“Where are we going?” I asked him, my voice pliant. His face went warm.

“It’s a surprise, but I promise you’re going to like it.”

“I need to know, so I don’t go underdressed.”

“I like you underdressed.” He winked, the tips of his fingers skimming the line from my neck to my shoulder.

“You’re such a guy.” I laughed, my eyes still closed, enjoying his touch.

“I think you like that about me.” My cheeks warmed, and his lips kissed mine softly. Pulling slightly away, he whispered, “Jeans and a tee, comfortable shoes,” against my lips. I smiled.

“Okay,” I whispered back, leaning in to return his kiss.

I’d meant it to be a light, slightly flirty kiss, but like it usually did with us, it inflamed into something more. Sexier and more intimate than anything I’d ever experienced. I should have known better. Every time we kissed, we got lost to the pull between us and need burned bright. This time was no different.

His hands cupped my face, while my own trailed down the lines of the outside of his bare-chested torso. Our hips swayed back and forth. His hardness rubbed against my slickness. The thin material between us didn’t stop the ache or the build-up. Our mouths locked together at moments, then at others, we both kissed and explored what we could while in the hammock. The feel of his teeth on my neck, his cock pressing just right, I knew I was close to the brink. Panting and squirming beneath him, I ached for more.

That is until the doorbell rang. Luckily, with the windows open, we heard it, and both our bodies froze.

“I hate that doorbell,” I sighed, my head in the crook of his neck, enjoying the feel of his hand deep in my hair, lightly massaging my scalp.

“Me too, baby.” His breathing was as off as mine, his voice hoarse, making my nipples strain under my tee. “Go get ready. I’ll take care of this.”

Reality crashed down.

A new AC unit would cost an arm and a leg.

Ones I didn’t have to spare. Even if Vaughn were here, there was no way he would cover it.

“If we need a new unit...”

“Like I said, Val, I got it.”

“Bryan, I don’t think you realize how much a whole new—”

“Blondie, I used to own my own place. I know. Now, go get ready, yeah?”

“But—”

“I’ll settle it with Vaughn,”

“That’s a really bad idea,” I whispered, and his eyes flickered.

“Why is that?” he asked curiously, and I couldn’t help but worry my lower lip.

“Because you can’t count on him,” I honestly answered.

“You can say that about your only friend?” he asked, surprise in his eyes. I shrugged, pushing him off. My feet on land and no longer on the hammock, I stretched.

“I’m just being honest, Bryan.”

“I’ve known him for a while, too, you know?”

“Yeah, so you say.” I shook my head. If he really knew Vaughn, he wouldn’t have moved in. “All I’m saying is, before you tell this guy to go all free willy-nilly on fixing it, let me know. Maybe we can get a second opinion, or I can help with the labor—” The doorbell rang again and he sighed.

“Okay, Blondie, you got my word. Now, will you go get ready?”

“Why are you rushing me off?”

“Because, babe, you’re dressed like you are and I don’t want anyone else to see you like that.” His eyes did that hungry smolder thing, and my body did a full head-to-toe shiver, moisture pooling between my thighs.

“Fine.” I stood straighter, realizing what little I was actually wearing and that I didn’t want a stranger to see me like this, either. “I’ll go shower and get dressed.”

“Good.” He kissed the top of my head before grabbing my hand in his, and as we walked into the house together, my stomach fluttered and my heart flip-flopped.

I had to go get ready.

I was going on a date.

A real one.

My first one.