Chapter Thirteen

· hilary ·

An afternoon of swimming and sun wiped me out. I scarfed a sandwich, showered, and proceeded to get ready for my date with Ben. The doorbell pulled me out of my makeup application trance.

A beautiful woman stood smiling on the porch. Her dark, curly hair cascaded down her shoulders and over her large breasts. Olive skin accentuated dark chocolate eyes.

“Hi, is Zach home?”

She held a familiar device in her hands. “No, he’s…at work.” I hesitated. “I think.”

“I’m Isabella Sanchez, I work with Zach at the restaurant.” She stuck out her hand, and I shook it. Her grip was firm, as was mine.

“Hilary Matthews.” The competitive streak in me held onto her hand, waiting to see if she’d let go first. She put up a fight, but in the end, I persevered. Ha.

“Oh, you’re Evan’s sister?” Her voice was eager, excited. “Zach’s mentioned you.”

I gave her a hard look. “I’ve definitely heard about you, too.”

Her smile fell, and she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Zach left this at the restaurant. I figured he’d need it.”

She handed me his laptop. I took it and held it against my chest, wrapping my arms around it like a shield. “I’ll give it to him.”

“Thanks. Tell him I’ll see him tomorrow.” She spoke carefully. She turned to walk toward her car and lifted her hand up in a farewell gesture.

I gave an affable smile in return. I wanted to be rude, but I couldn’t, not when she seemed…nice, and as pretty as Zach claimed. How many women had come after me? Was I different to him in any way other than the fact that I was Evan’s little sister? I was insistent about a physical relationship with him when he had a plethora of women at his disposal. Who was I compared to all of them?

I went upstairs and continued to get ready. I’d wear something sexy. Did I own anything sexy? I needed to feel spicy. It wasn’t long before I heard shuffling downstairs that signaled Zach was home. I wasn’t sure why nerves got the better of me. I put on my jean jacket over the short, barely there summer dress I wore and spritzed on some perfume. One last look in the mirror and I made my way to the ground floor.

“I see Isabella dropped off my computer.” Zach glanced up from the screen and did a double take when I entered the living room. He was sitting at the bar but stood from the stool, the sound of the chair scraping against the wooden floor loud in the space.

“Yeah, she thought you might need it.” I brushed past him into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. I took a few sips and set it aside.

His eyes swooped up and down my body then met mine. “Where are you going?”

It had been a while since I’d dressed up, and he was enjoying the view. “Dinner.”

His eyes zoomed in on my legs. He opened his mouth to say something. My gaze went to his lips, then his stubble-covered jaw. I wanted to kiss him, to feel that scruff between my legs. The sexual tension between us was unmistakable. It wasn’t imagined. His voice broke through, quiet and tender, but his eyes were hungry as he approached. “With who?” I didn’t answer. His body hovered near mine. “You have a date?”

I glanced out the window. Ben walked from the house across the street. Zach followed my gaze and turned back to me. “Ben? You’re going out with Ben?” His tone was harsh, the same as earlier in the day, as if he were chastising me. “You’re seriously doing this?”

“Screw you, Collins,” I spat, then drew away from him and reached for my purse.

“Excuse me?”

“Stop judging who I go out with. Why don’t you call Isabella? Maybe she’ll keep your vast appetite for women satiated for five minutes. Or is a one-night stand your rule with all of us? From what I’ve heard, they rotated in and out of this place before I got here.”

His hands curled into fists, and the side of his jaw ticked as he clenched it tight. The knock on the door cut the discussion short. I wouldn’t let Zach ruin my evening, and I wouldn’t let him invade my every thought. I gathered myself before greeting Ben with a friendly smile.

“You look beautiful,” Ben said.

“Thanks, handsome.” I winked.

Ben nodded toward Zach, but I didn’t look back. I was ready for this date and wanted to get Zach as far from my mind as possible.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was casual, and the food was amazing. We gabbed about Ben’s upbringing in London, and what led him to act. I told him about my time in school, along with my indecisive nature. He wasn’t intimidated by my education like most guys tended to be. My dreams of picking up photography sounded wonderful to him, and he was willing to let me take his photo once I got a camera.

He was courteous, his stance strong and stately. He looked like a Disney prince, but he was more than just his looks. He was friendly, kind.

After dinner, we stopped at Amy’s Ice Cream. He offered to share a small size with me but soon discovered my appetite was larger than the average woman’s—or man’s for that matter. He got a kick out of it, after the initial fright.

We sat outside, listening to the people chat, the crickets chirp, and the passing of traffic. My text alert went off, and I reached into my bag. Zach’s name flashed on my screen, and my heart jumped.

Please, Hilary. Don’t make a stupid decision tonight.

I stared at my phone and then tucked it away. Ben clutched my hand. “Everything all right?”

I cleared my throat. “Fine, it’s nothing. Zach’s being a dick.”

“Are you two dating?”

“Um…” I swallowed, unsure how to admit to him or myself what exactly was going on with Zach and me. “It’s…no, we’re not.”

I stared down at Ben’s hand over mine. He was so lovely, so sympathetic, but he was also intuitive. “But you want to be?”

I met his gaze. “He’s just over-protective. He and Evan think they can tell me what to do. They have an opinion about everyone I go out with.”

“It shows how much they care.” His smile was small, his mind somewhere else. “Let’s call it a night.”

The pit in my stomach grew as Ben took me home. I didn’t want to face Zach. My emotions were all over the place, and I didn’t fully understand them. Ben walked me to the door, and the goodnight kiss I had semi-hoped for only ended up landing on my cheek.

I entered the house, slammed the door behind me, and turned the corner to see Zach on the couch. A pile of scripts sat beside him, and one was clutched in his hands. He stared at me and set the script on the table. “Did you have fun on your date?”

I ignored him and turned sharply, ascending the stairs. He trailed behind me. “What’d you guys do? Did he kiss you?”

“We fucked. In his car.” I shoved off my jean jacket as I entered my room and threw it into the closet.

He huffed. “Oh, yeah? Did he make you come the way I did?”

I turned to see him rooted in my doorway. Dammit, he looked amazing leaning on the doorjamb with his hands in his pockets. Was he jealous? He had no right to be. I offered, he always rejected. Anger lanced through me. “He was better. And I sucked his cock, which I never did for you.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled.

I scowled. “Why are you laughing?”

“Because you’re full of shit.”

“Fuck you, Zach. Why don’t you go sleep with that Salma Hayek look-a-like and leave me the hell alone?” I removed my jewelry and slammed it on my dresser, only glancing at him through my mirror. He advanced rapidly. “Don’t even think about it, Collins.”

He tugged my arm and twirled me around. “Enough of this shit,” he growled. My breath hitched as his lips landed on mine. His kiss was frantic, needy, as were his hands that crawled down my back to my hips. He pulled me flush against him, his hard-on evident through his jeans and the scrap of my dress. I grasped onto him, my hands bracing the back of his head.

“Don’t you dare stop,” I said in breathless anticipation between kisses.

Our movements accelerated as he pushed me against the wall. He seized the backs of my thighs, lifting me off the ground. My legs wrapped around him, and he pushed, the bulge of his jeans hitting me in the right spot. A rough moan escaped my lips. I clutched his shoulders as my body hummed.

“I need you inside me.” My hands fumbled with his belt and jeans as he lifted my dress higher, grabbing at the tiny scrap of lace beneath. I gasped as he ripped it away.

His hands moved to my ass, and I grabbed his cock, stroking him a few times and placing him at my entrance. I rubbed him over me to lubricate him. He was breathless, his words strained. “What are we doing?”

“Fucking,” I told him. His eyes traveled down to watch as he entered. “Oh, God,” I whimpered as we both watched our bodies join. Inch by glorious inch, he buried himself inside me to the root. Feeling him again was what I had ached for, was desperate for, as if our bodies were meant to be connected. “Finally.” I shuddered as he groaned.

He began to move. Hard and fast, he drove into me, making me cry out senselessly with each shove. He was big, stretching me to the point of pain. It combined with the pleasure and had me begging for more. His breathing became heavier, his eyes locked on mine, hooded and clouded over with lust. The slapping of him against me, my sighs, his grunts, made my desire surge. I tugged him closer, taking his mouth to mine, letting our wet tongues tangle.

He held my body tightly to his, slanting his hips in the right way, pounding against my clit. His mouth traveled down my neck where he sucked on the skin behind my ear. I moaned out sharply, clenching my eyes tight. “Fuck, yes.” I dug my fingernails into his flesh and sank my teeth into his shoulder.

I pleaded for more, begged him to go faster, deeper, harder. I was on the verge. I threw my head back, let my lips part, air rushing from my lungs as spasms hit me. My insides tightened, my body arched against him, and I convulsed, vibrating with the intensity of the orgasm.

I cried out his name as his thrusts increased and a strangled groan unfurled from his throat. The heated, violent blast of his release caused another burst of pleasure to rocket through me, and I drew taut within his arms, letting another cry fall from my lips as I milked every bit of him. It was everything I’d desired—passionate and instinctive. The last time I’d had an orgasm this intense was with him. He brought it out in me, made me feel renewed.

He held still as we regained our bearings. My hand cupped the base of his neck, and I raked my fingers through his thick hair. He lowered my shaky legs, my feet unstable. His warmth and wetness trickled down my inner thigh, turning me on all over again. However, the worry was evident in his expression.

I tipped his chin down so his troubled eyes met mine. I smiled and kissed him, cupping his face in my hands. “Now that was some great sex, Collins.”

He smiled, tugged me close, and kissed my shoulder, his hands caressing my head and back. “Are you okay?”

“Mmm-hmm,” I hummed, satiated.

“That was…we shouldn’t, I didn’t—”

“It’s okay,” I interrupted, pulling away. “I’m on the pill.” He stared at me, his eyes wide. “I haven’t been with anyone since you, Zach. I’ve been tested. I’m clean, and I’m figuring you are, too.”

I strode away from him toward the bathroom. He tucked himself into his jeans and followed. The expanse of his body took up the doorway. He was rumpled, his hair stuck out everywhere, and his lips were swollen. He was perfection.

“Why do you think that?” he asked.

I tugged my dress off my body and turned on the water to the large tub. His eyes washed over me as I knotted my hair on top of my head. “Because you wouldn’t have put me in that danger.” He exhaled. I extended my hand for him to hold. “Now, get that muscular body undressed and take a bath with me.”

A small grin took over his lips as he drew near. He was enjoying this every bit as much as I was, and wanted it just as badly. What it meant was vague to both of us, but for now, it was all we needed.