I STARE AT HIM, not blinking. Is he serious? He doesn’t seem to recognize me. Hasn’t Cameron shown him a picture in the last few years? Granted, I don’t post photos on Facebook due to my career. It is strictly to connect with my family since I was living three thousand miles away.
I hold out my hand and let loose a lie. “Alyson,” I say, giving him my best friend’s name.
His lip twitches up into a smirk as he takes hold of my hand and pulls it close, pressing his lips against my skin. If I weren’t so mesmerized by his actions and his beautiful eyes, the heat from his touch traveling up my arm would feel like an inferno.
Ten years have passed, and in less than ten minutes, he has me hooked all over again. The last time I saw him was right after his dad died. He was the same energetic, bright Niko, but his shadow was filled with sadness. I wanted to hug him then, to take away his pain, but I was just his best friend’s little sister. Nothing more. Apparently not even worth remembering.
Then again, a lot has changed for me in that time. I finally grew out of my awkward phase and gained the curves my teen years denied me. A little help from Alyson, who I met my junior year of high school, and I learned how to tame and style my hair and how to use makeup. With all that, I finally had the confidence to wear clothes that accentuated my body.
I’m not the ugly little duckling I was when we were kids, following my brother around. No, now I’m the swan my brother seems to think he is forced to scare princes away from.
“Niko,” he says and lets go of my hand, his lips drawn up in a smile.
Oh, I know.
He hasn’t changed. Same vibrant, piercing grey eyes, dark hair, and smile that makes me go dumbstruck. There is energy moving between us, and after the last few weeks, I’m more than ready to run with it. He’s looking at me like an animal looks at its prey, and I want to be that so very badly.
Physically, he’s bigger. Broad shoulders, thick arms, and pecs for days. I couldn’t see them, but I was confident he had perfect abs and a beautiful V showing the way to what I’d always fantasized to be another ideal part of his anatomy.
Overall, his presence is even more significant than when he was a teenager. Sitting here, looking at him now, I can imagine just how large other things have gotten since back then.
God, he’s just what I need right now after all the Tate shit I’ve been dealing with.
An hour on the tarmac and six-hour flight followed by an hour of Boston traffic made me nearly two hours late to meet Cameron. It’s been four months since I’ve seen my older brother, and I don’t want to think about what Cameron would do if he found out that Niko was hitting on me. I look around the bar wondering where my big brother is and wonder just how long I can keep up this act of being Alyson before Cam returns and this blows up in my face.
“So, where is your friend?” There. The only way to know is to ask. He’ll think I saw him with someone and was here already.
He looks puzzled for a minute, and I know he’s apparently stumped. After all, I am two hours late. Cam could be anywhere now. My damn phone died, and I haven’t had the chance to check my messages.
“I have many friends. You’re going to have to be more specific, baby.”
I look at him and raise my eyebrow. I can’t forget all the stories I’ve heard about Niko. Of course, he’d have been sitting here with another woman.
“You mean the redhead? She wasn’t one of my friends, but I’d like you to be,” he says with the cockiest freaking smirk I’ve ever seen on a man. True, he has a right to be cocky. After all, he’s gorgeous. The epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, but I’m not falling for his shit. Let’s see how cocksure he is after I’ve gotten up enough guts to pull this off tonight.
“Umm, no, not the redhead, but now that you mention it, I’m surprised you’re here talking to me. I’m quite the opposite of her.” It’s a challenge just to get a better gauge on what he’s thinking.
“Not that there is much to compare where you’re concerned, but let’s just say I’ve got an eclectic taste.”
“Let me guess; you’re a ‘variety is the spice of life’ kind of guy.” It comes out more like a statement rather than a question, and I realize I sound a little snippy. Before he can respond, I keep going and decide not to touch that right now and move on to the more important things. Like the whereabouts of my big brother. “Ah, anyway, I was talking about the guy that was sitting with you earlier. That friend.”
He frowns a little, and then it’s gone. Back is that cocky smile he had when he told me he’d scream my name if I gave it to him. Oh, my God, do I want to give it to him.
“Ah. You mean Cameron. He’s gone. Work, actually. You weren’t waiting for him to come back, were you, because I can assure you that out of the two of us, I’m much better company.” He takes a swig of his beer while looking at me over the top of the bottle.
He thinks I came over here for Cam? That’s just gross.
“No, not at all. I was just thinking that it might be rude if I asked his friend to take me home without letting him know that you were . . . safe.” His eyes go wide for a second before he recovers. “Unless he’s used to that? You taking strangers home for sex. If that’s the case, then my mistake.”
He swallows hard and places the beer down. Pulls his wallet out of his pocket, throws some cash down on the bar, and gets up.
Too strong? Shit! I’ve been with Tate so long that I think I forgot how to flirt right. I feel stupid now and feel the need to grab my bag and get the hell out of here.
Tate. Why the hell would he come to mind now, when I have Niko Callahan in front of me? Niko, the guy I have crushed on since I was around eleven years old. Niko, who is now standing in front of me with his hand extended like he’s waiting for me to, what?
Oh, that’s right. I said I wanted him to take me home so we could have sex, and holy shit! He’s waiting for me to get up. What am I doing?
“You want to finish your drink first, or are you ready to go have dessert? I’ve been craving something sweet all night.” He raises one eyebrow, waiting to see if I’m serious.
A challenge? Oh, he’s got the wrong one tonight. I’m not going to back down now. The part of me that has wanted Nikolas Callahan for so many years is patting me on the back right now screaming, “Hell, yeah! You are totally about to bone Niko-fucking-Callahan. Screw his brains out, girlfriend!”
Then there’s the other part of me, the part that knows this is wrong. I know this is Niko. I’ve known him since I was a kid. Hell . . . he practically grew up in our house. Wrong because although he was around all the time, he hasn’t seen me in the past ten years and has no idea that I’m Everly Hayes. Not Alyson, the name I gave him when I sat down.
I sit for a minute and think about what it would be like if he hadn’t known my brother since we were all kids. What if I was just some girl he found attractive and decided he wanted to hit on, take home, and then maybe see again in the future? That’s not the case, though, and there isn’t anything I can do to change the fact that I know this man even if he doesn’t recognize me. He never looked at me as more than Cameron’s kid sister. He probably never will.
Can I do this? Can I be that girl? I’m so tired of being little Miss By-The-Book. Miss Follow-The-Rules. Can I put myself out there and be someone wild, careless? A girl that sees what she wants and takes it, and says screw the consequences?
I look at him, and it takes me all of one second to decide which side I’m going to listen to. I grab my Sex on the Beach for some liquid courage, chug it down very unladylike, and then grab my bag before standing up.
Sex it is. I can worry about the rest later. The chances of me running into Niko are rather low once Monday rolls around. I’ll be too busy with my new job even to see my family, never mind Niko. This is my life. My rules. I want Niko, and I’m going to enjoy myself while forgetting everything from my past. Time to leave that Everly Hayes in the rearview mirror.
“How about both?” I say, placing my hand on his, a spark of static electricity as we touch and the drink I just downed making me feel bolder than I’ve ever been in my life. “Lead the way.” I’m so proud of myself right now. I didn’t even stutter when I said that, and I sounded one hundred percent confident when I’m about two hundred percent nervous.
He chuckles at my statement, but with a squeeze of my hand, I know he’s not laughing at me.
“My bike is out back. Did you drive?”
“Umm, no, I took an Uber.” Another lie. My rental is around the corner, but there is no way I’m going to give up the chance to rub up on Niko’s ass on the back of his bike by driving the rental car.
“Good.”
Before I think about what I’m doing, I push Niko against the brick wall on the side of the pub and kiss him. He seems caught off guard at first, but that only lasts about a minute before his tongue decides to join the party, and I’m lost. I’m kissing Niko fucking Callahan.
“A girl that knows and takes what she wants,” he says in between breaths. “I like it.” I may have started this kiss, but it only takes a minute for me to realize that it’s Niko who’s in control now. He’s demanding, hot, and if he tried, I’d more than likely let him fuck me right here against the brick wall.
He pulls away from me, eyes alive and bright with pure fire. God. Those eyes! I could drown in the pools of Niko’s grey eyes.
“We need to stop before I rip your pants down your legs and fuck you right here, and baby, the things I want to do to you, well, they need to be done behind closed doors.”
He’s breathing as heavy as I am, lips swollen from that fucking hot as hell kiss, and I just want to go before I chicken out.
“I can see your brain working there, beautiful. If you don’t want this, now is the time to say so.” He raises one eyebrow, waiting for my answer.
“I’m not backing out. I’m wondering why we’re still here talking when we could be at your house doing all those things you claim you can do to me, but only behind closed doors.” I give him back his smirk, and he laughs.
“Well, let’s go, then. My bike is this way.” He grabs my hand, and I feel it . . . the electricity I’ve only read about in romance books. The ones I usually roll my eyes at when reading while thinking, bullshit! Silly authors and their arm zings. Doesn’t happen in real life, but fucking hell if that’s not what I just felt. Niko must have felt it too because his steps slow for a second and he looks back at me with an odd expression on his beautiful face, those eyes glancing down at our joined hands, and for a second he looks like he wants to pull away.
Niko’s bike is all black, pure muscle, and sexy as hell. A shiver runs through me, my heart pumping even harder as I watch him swing one of his long legs over the body.
“That was hot,” I say while wondering if I’m drooling.
His lip pulls up as he reaches for my belt and hooks a finger in as he pulls me closer.
“Don’t worry about your hair. I’m about to knot it with my fist anyway,” he says as he slides his helmet over my head.
The fire inside me explodes, heating my skin as I stare at him.
“I could straddle you right here, on your bike.”
His nostrils flare as a groan vibrates in his chest. “Get on.”
Using his shoulders to steady myself, I climb on behind him and wrap my arms around his waist.
“Hold on,” he says as he starts the engine.
The vibration makes me gasp, and I slide my hand down just past his belt to the bulge I’ve been eyeing almost since I sat down next to him.
“How about here?” I whisper into his ear.
He moves my hand back up to his belt. “Safety first,” he says, and I can hear the strain in his voice before he turns the throttle and we speed off.
I let out a gasp, my arms tightening around him as we rocket down the road. It’s exhilarating and scary, the breeze cool and biting.
The roads have cleared, and it only takes a few minutes before we’re pulling up to a parking lot of a two-story building.
“What do you think?” he asks as he turns the engine off.
“I think you need to warm me up.”
He runs his hands up my legs. “Baby, you’re going to be burning up in a few seconds.”
There’s no pause of touching as we climb off his bike. He rips the helmet off before his hands are cupping my ass, pulling me off the ground and up to his lips. I thought I’d known a good kiss, but Niko puts his whole body into it.
More than sensual, it’s heady, clouding every thought while driving up the need to have Niko closer.
“Fuck,” he groans and sets me back down on my feet. “Walls. Need walls.”
It’s all he can manage to say. Reaching between us, I get my first good feel of him in my hand. It’s covered, but I can barely get my hand around it and even through his jeans, the heat is scorching. He’s cussing, hips rocking.
Niko definitely is not cocky for compensation’s sake.
“You were pretty much carrying me.”
“Had to, or I’d fuck you against the side of the building.”
“I like seeing you undone,” I say.
His fingers flex against me. “Baby, get your ass moving so you can come undone around my cock.”
“Think you can get me off?” I ask.
“No, I don’t think I can.” His lip twitches up, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips. “I know I can, but can you keep up?”
“Only one way to find out.” I pull away from him and jog up a few steps before turning back to his confused expression. The drink I had is giving me the courage to be someone else. “Are you coming, hunter?”
“Don’t have to ask me twice.”
His long legs have him on me in a few strides. Swept off my feet is taken in the literal sense, his arm wrapping around me as he practically drags me through the front door and up the stairs to his door. A shiver runs through me at the feel of his teeth scraping along my neck. It’s so intense I don’t even notice that we’re inside his place until he pulls my purse from my arm and tosses it onto the counter.
I don’t care about it or anything else. Not with the dark eyes devouring me or the body melting me. The way he grabs my ass, filling his hands, and practically kneads it before pulling me up like I weigh nothing until we are face to face. Instinctively, my legs wrap around his hips, and he begins walking us, his cock pressing against my clit with each step.
Fuck.
I fist his shirt while I fuck his mouth with my tongue because I know it’s the last time I’ll be in control for a little while.
“Too much,” I murmur. “Not enough.”
Niko chuckles but doesn’t stop. I don’t want this to end.
“Baby, there is no such thing as too much. I’m going to show you that and then some in about ten seconds.”
I grip his arms, pulling him closer. My fingers dive into his hair. My whole body feels like it’s been electrified, and I start to pull back. Niko isn’t having it as the kiss turns brutal. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re just getting started.”
His hands are turning impatient, no longer playful as he starts tugging at my shirt. I lift my arms as he pulls my shirt up and away, tossing it somewhere behind me. He stops for a moment, taking the sight of me in, and I see it. Pure fire in his eyes, desire taking over. The look excites and terrifies me at the same time, leaving me to wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
I feel my face heat and dip my head down, but then before I can start to think about what I’m about to do with Niko, the boy I’ve secretly crushed on since I was just a girl, I turn myself off and become an alter ego. Someone that can do this and not give a damn about the aftereffects.
“No sweet nothings in my ear. That’s not why I’m here. You’re either going to fuck me or you’re not. Your choice.”
“Well, all right, then,” he says with a chuckle.
I’m not laughing, though. I don’t want to think about this for more than what it is right now. The crush I had as a child was just that—a childish crush. Right? But this, this is sex. Niko is no longer that teenage boy I followed around as a goofy, nerdy, and shy kid. He’s all man, and I intend to live out any and every dirty fantasy I’ve ever had when Niko has come to mind.
I want this man to drag me to the floor and thrust into me until my screams are heard all over the city. I still can’t believe I’m doing this. Too late to turn back, and I wouldn’t anyway.
I want this. Need him now. Niko is exactly what I need right at this moment, and I’m not going to allow myself to go there. There is no way I’m stopping this now.
“Let me down,” I say as I unhook my legs.
“Don’t want to,” he groans against my lips.
I reach between us and pull his belt through the buckle. “I can’t suck your cock from up here.”
His eyes widen, nostrils flare, and I can feel him twitch against my fingers. In two seconds, my feet are on the ground and he’s furiously grasping at his belt. Cupping my face, he brings my lips to his while he finishes getting his pants open. He curses when he does and I look down, my eyes popping wide.
“Oh,” I say and look back up at him.
That smirk draws up again, and I gather up my courage before dropping to my knees. It’s been years since I had a first time with a man, and suddenly I’m very insecure about my abilities.
The cock in front of me is even bigger than I imagined. I can’t help but stare, my mouth slack as I run my hand up and down the length. There aren’t many I have to compare him with, but it really is just as perfect as the rest of him.
“If you keep staring at it like that, I’m just going to shove it down your throat.”
My gaze flashes up to him and I lean forward, pressing the flat of my tongue against him before giving it a little flick at the end. A groan falls from his lips as his hand moves to rest on the back of my head.
“That is the best sight I’ve ever seen,” he says as I wrap my lips around the head, and I look up at him.
My hands are wrapped around his shaft, pumping him as I work him into my mouth. Maybe one day I’ll be able to take him all in, but today is only the top three or four inches. I stop myself from asking the cliché, “How is it going to fit?” I’m far from a virgin and I know it will fit, but only now that I have him in my hands do I realize how much bigger he is than other guys I’ve been with.
A shudder rolls through me with just the thought of how good he’s going to feel inside me.
“I bet you do some damage with this beast,” I say when I come up for a breath.
He’s breathing hard as he looks down at me, his eyes dark, and his lips twitch up into that sexy smirk that makes me wonder if I’ve just issued a challenge. Crossing his arms over his torso, he grabs the hem of his shirt and pulls it up and over his head.
I lean forward and absentmindedly suck on him while I stare up at his chest. It’s just as muscular as I imagined. He’s gotten broader in the shoulders, large pecs, and solid abs. There’s a firefighter’s emblem tattoo on his shoulder, and I spot some Greek lettering on his ribs.
“My turn,” he says. He grips my wrist and pulls, helping me up before once again picking me up. His lips are immediately back on mine, but this time he holds me close, letting me hang as he walks me to the bed.
The mattress presses against my legs before he leans over and drops me the last few inches.
“You get the jeans, I’ll get your boots,” he says as he unzips one boot. A swift tug, and then he drops it to the ground before moving to the other boot.
All the while I’ve barely gotten my jeans unbuttoned, enthralled by the way his muscles flex. Finally, my jeans are undone, and I push them past my hips and butt. He doesn’t let me get much further and tugs on them, taking my socks with them. They join the floor with everything else, leaving me in just my thong and my bra.
Hungry eyes take me in before his body is covering mine, lips crashing into me. His mouth moves down my neck, igniting my skin. A light scrape of his teeth, the softness of his lips, and the flexing of his touch has me in overdrive.
Niko is touching me like he’s trying to devour me.
Nikolas-fucking-Callahan.
My crappy day, crappy month . . . maybe it was all worth it to have this man. Even if it’s just one night, I’m all he wants.
“Fuck, Alyson, I can’t wait to taste you,” he says, and it’s the cold reminder that he isn’t with me, with Everly.
I’m Alyson, if just for the night. It messes with my fantasy night, which never included another woman’s name. I push it away, instead focusing on his hands and the way he practically rips my panties from me.
There’s no pause, the quick breeze against my exposed pussy before his mouth is on me. My back arches, and I cry out as his tongue flicks against my clit.
“Fuck!”
My outburst only seems to incite him, and he delves in with fervor. Not just my clit, but all of my pussy. Niko has a very talented tongue.
His whole mouth, whole body . . . Jesus, I’m so screwed.
Almost instantly I lose track of time. It could be hours, days, or even just a few seconds, but time seems to have no meaning under his touch.
One of his hands slides up my back, but I’m too focused on what he’s doing to my pussy to notice until suddenly my bra is loose. The back is undone with one flick of his wrist, and his hand slides around and under the fabric. His fingers dance across my skin, spreading the fire until he ghosts my nipple.
A quick strum of his finger and my whole body jumps, my nipple hardening and sending a zing straight to my clit.
“Shit!” I cry out as I recover from the surprise and pull my arms from the straps, leaving yet another piece of clothing on the floor.
The double sensation is so powerful, his mouth so sensually aggressive, that my hands shoot to his hair, fisting it. It’s leverage to pull him in, to move him exactly where I need him. He knows the sign and dives deeper, groaning against my clit.
There. There.
“Yes, yes,” I whisper over and over until it’s just sound that crescendos into a scream as I come against his mouth.
It takes a few convulsive jerks before my fingers release him and I relax back down on the bed.
Fuck. I can’t remember the last time I came that hard.
“Damn, that was sexy,” Niko says, licking his lips.
I’m trying to breathe again, a complete mess on his bed. In my periphery, I can see him pushing his jeans down his legs before climbing back on the bed and over me. He kisses up my body, nipping and sucking my nipples as he crawls up.
“Perfect tits,” he says with a groan.
Warmth taps near my clit and I reach between us to hold him, but as I grab onto him, I immediately notice it’s not skin to skin. He really is good if I didn’t even notice he put on a condom.
His eyes meet mine, and I guide him closer until he’s sliding against the wet mess he created. He never looks away as he rocks his hips, then drifts down and pushes in.
My eyes widen, refusing to look away from him, but the feeling of him stretching me is pleasure overload. Lips parted, I struggle for air as every nerve ending erupts in a mini-explosion.
“So good,” he says with a moan, his hips pulling back before pushing in again, working himself deeper.
It’s an erotic gratification I’ve never experienced before. He flexes his hips and I feel it, pressed against the deepest part of me.
“Ready?”
I stare up at him. Ready? For what?
My question is answered when he rears back, then slams into me. The sound that comes from me is high pitched and unidentifiable. His dark eyes hypnotize me, his hands a distraction, as his cock ravages me.
I’m still sensitive from my orgasm, but it wouldn’t matter. It only takes a few good, hard strokes of him inside me to ramp me up toward a second wave.
“Niko,” I say in a breathless whisper.
His hips pick up speed, tearing apart any last thought from me.
Nothing but carnal pleasure as I come again, clamping down on him.
I’m cock drunk. Completely and totally consumed by Niko.
All sense of anything other than his cock is gone.
“Fuck, baby, that’s it,” he growls. His sounds increase, and then, he slams into me.
I can feel him twitching inside me, deep in a place I’m not sure any man has been before. He’s breathing hard, hot against my skin before he pulls back, hand on his dick, probably taking the condom off, before he falls down onto the bed next to me.
“Wow,” is all I can say. My body has no strength at the moment.
Fantasy? No, my fantasies were a bland comparison, but I have new fantasies with actual memories to accompany them.
He chuckles, and I turn into his side and his rapidly expanding chest.
“Definitely wow.”
We’re both silent for a minute as we come down from our high. Strength starts to return as air pumps in and out of my lungs at a slower pace.
“You’re going to make sure I can’t walk tomorrow, aren’t you?”
He looks over at me and smiles. “Challenging me again?”
I giggle and draw my lower lip between my teeth. “Maybe.”
His head falls back down to the bed. “Five minutes.”
I scrunch my brow. “Five wha—” I cut myself short and glance down.
My mouth drops open as I stare down in amazement. He’s still hard. Maybe not fully, but as I stare, it twitches. I look up to Niko who is smirking at me.
“See something you want, baby?”
I straddle his hips and lean over to his nightstand and the box of condoms. A smile fills my face as I look down at him and I hold one up. “I challenge you to a round two.”
“Fine, but round three’s challenge is mine.”
“Think you can take me?”
He grins at me. “I already did.”