Believe in Me

WRITING AS J. LYNN

IF THERE WAS ever a manual—something like Picking up Girls for Dumbasses—I could edit slash ghostwrite that mammoth tome in a nanosecond. Ever since I was twelve years old, I had a knack for obtaining company of the feminine kind.

Hell. When I died, my tombstone would read something like: Here lies Oliver (Ollie) Ryan. He sure got a lot of play in his charmed life.

And I didn’t discriminate.

Cougar. Kitten. Black. White and every shade of skin tone in-between. Curvalicious and then some or skinny as a sheet of paper, it didn’t matter. I just loved females and they loved me.

All except for one girl.

Brittany Simmons had never been a fan of my happy—and quite delectable—ass. My med school would be paid for if I had a buck for every time she rolled her eyes at me when I suggested we get to know each other better or walked away from me while I was in the middle of telling her something extremely important.

Like how great we’d look together in my bed. That hadn’t gone over like I expected.

When I’d said it to her at a party once, she’d looked like she’d been seconds away from punching me in my balls. And I liked my balls just the way they were, so I’d moved far, far away from her that night.

And if I remembered correctly, I moved on to this cute little brunette who wanted to do other things with my balls that didn’t involve pain.

Brit and I had this sort of antagonistic flirt thing going on my whole last year of undergrad. She was good friends with my roomie’s girlfriend, so we ran into each quite a bit around campus and outside. No conversation we had didn’t involve heavy innuendoes and end with some sort of insult being flung in my direction.

Maybe I needed to buy her a turtle. That seemed to have worked for Cam.

Then again, she’d probably throw the turtle in my face and that wouldn’t be fun, but she’d look hot doing it.

Brit . . . well, Brit was a different type of girl than the one I spent time with. As sexy as any of the girls with her shoulder-length blond hair and deep brown eyes. And what I’d seen of her curvy hips and shapely legs was enough to make me start drooling at any given moment. But it was more than that. The girl was smart and didn’t seem scared of shit. With her snappy comebacks and nuclear level of resistance when it came to me, she’d always presented the kind of challenge any guy would go for.

But a month or so back, the night before I’d left for med school, something had changed in her when we’d ran into each other in the parking lot of Cam and Avery’s apartment building.

Dressed in sweats and a plain T-shirt, hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and without a drop of makeup on, she’d still managed to pull off sexy like no one else.

I’d grinned as she’d stopped between the two first rows, waiting while I swaggered up to her. “You miss me already?”

She’d cocked her hair to the side and raised an eyebrow. “You’re leaving tomorrow, right? For WVU?”

“Yep.”

“Med school?” When I’d nodded, she’d laughed softly. “You’re going to have to cut back on the partying.”

“Whatever. I’m great at multitasking.”

Brit had stared at me, the skin around her full lips—lips I’d give up all my fingers to know how they tasted and felt—pinched. “You are not going to still party like you do now while in med school.”

I wouldn’t. I’d be stupid to do so, but she hadn’t needed to know that. “Why not?”

Her eyes had rolled. “Because the last time I checked, med school is pretty hard.”

“Believe it or not . . .” I’d leaned down, tweaking the tip of her nose. “I’m smarter than most people realize. “

Her nose had scrunched as she’d pulled back. “I know you are.”

The statement had caught me off guard and I’d said nothing as a slight smile crossed her face. “That’s the one thing I like about you, Ollie. You’re smart.”

I’d snapped out of it. “The only thing you like about me?”

“It’s not the only thing,” she’d replied. “You have a nice ass.”

A laugh burst from me, and her smile had spread. “I always knew you’d been checking me out this whole damn time.”

Brit had shrugged as she shifted her weight.

“And you wait until the night before I leave to tell me? That’s wrong.”

She’d laughed softly, but the smile on her face had quickly slipped away. “Are you going to behave yourself?”

To this day I had no idea why I’d said what I had, nor could I have predicted its effect on me. “Of course,” I’d said. And the next words had to have climbed out of my ass. “For you.”

She’d drawn in a shallow breath and then stretched up. She’d kissed my cheek, and fuck if my heart hadn’t lurched like something crazy in my chest. “Please take care of yourself,” she’d whispered, her lips brushing my cheek.

I’d watched her rock back and a small, sad smile filled her pouty lips before she’d nodded once and then turned, heading toward the apartment building.

Damn if I hadn’t wanted to chase after her.

That had almost been two months ago, and that chaste, sweet little kiss on my cheek was the most action I’d seen in that time.

It was like being a damn virgin again for me.

But I was back in the little speck of the Eastern Panhandle for the weekend. I was out here, sitting in my car like one of those weird men who hung out near college parties in vans, reminiscing about the good old days.

Scrubbing a hand down my jaw, I then killed the engine and glanced over at the three-story home.

Light spilled out of the garage. Place wasn’t too packed. Hell, I wasn’t sure why I came here. Okay.

That was a lie. I’d been planning on coming down for a visit to see my friends, but I hadn’t planned on the party. But Cam was going. So was Avery.

And they told me Brit would be here.

And so here I was. With a purpose that didn’t involve getting shit-faced. At least right off the bat. I needed all my functioning brain cells, because I had to talk to Brit. Needed to know if there was something between us after a year’s worth of flirting and smack talk. If there was, then damn if we didn’t need to act on it, so I could get her the hell out of my head. And if there wasn’t, then at least I had my answer and I could get her the hell out of my head.

The whole point of tonight was to get back to normal, and normal for me wasn’t lusting after any one girl in particular, especially one who’d only kissed my cheek for shit’s sake.

Yanking the rubber band off my wrist, I pulled my hair back from my face and reached for the bottle —

A knock on the window jarred me and my head swung toward it. My heart jumped. Not from surprise either. Surprise would’ve been better.

Brit stared in at me. Those big, beautiful brown eyes of hers were outlined in black. A grin curled her lips up at the corners as thick lashes lowered. “Scare ya?”

For a moment, I did nothing but stare at her like a dumbass. God, it had only been about two months since I’d last seen her, but I swore I still could feel her lips on my cheek.

“Ollie?” Her smile started to slip.

Snapping out of it, I reached for the door and stepped out. Brit moved back, her eyes following me as I straightened to my full height. I was a tall guy, well over six feet, but Brit wasn’t too much of a shortie. Her lips lined up with my chin.

“You’ve been waiting out here for me?” I asked, grinning as she rolled her eyes. “Admit it. You were.”

Wearing one of those sweater dresses, I had a hell of a hard time keeping my eyes off her pretty legs as she crossed her arms across her chest. “Actually, I just got here and saw you sitting in your car. I was hoping you weren’t passed out already.”

“Come on, you know me better than that. It’s at the end of the night when I’m usually passed out in my car.”

“True.” She laughed softly as she glanced at the frat house and then swept her gaze over me. “You look . . . you look good.”

“So do you.”

Her eyes widened just a bit at the sudden deepening of my voice. “Hell, Brit, you don’t look good,” I corrected. “You look hot as hell.”

Brit glanced down at herself. “Have you started drinking already?”

“Haven’t drunk a sip of anything other than water.” I stepped forward, and she bit down on her lower lip as I was close enough to share the air she was breathing. I swallowed a groan as a jolt of pure lust shot through me.

“That’s a first for you.” The hollows of her cheeks deepened under the streetlamp as her gaze drifted over me again. “Aren’t you cold?”

Winter, spring or summer, I was always in Nike flip-flops, shorts and a T-shirt. “Nah, this is perfect weather for me.”

Brit unfolded her arms slowly. “So how’s WVU?”

“It’s good. As expected.” I paused, and the strangest words came out of my mouth. “I haven’t been partying.” Not like I owed her an explanation, but my lips kept on moving. “Just going to classes and studying at the apartment I got up there.”

“I didn’t think you’d really kick off med school partying,” she said, propping a curvy hip against the side of my car. I liked how she was in no hurry to join the party. Neither was I. “I’ve never really believed that you’re a stupid party guy. No matter how much you acted like one.”

I opened my mouth to . . . I don’t know what. Feeling my face heat a little, I rubbed my palm under my chin. “How’s classes been for you?”

“Same old. Nothing really exciting to share.” She reached out, tugging on the hem of my old, worn university shirt. “You know, I think this is like the second time in forever that we’ve had a conversation where we haven’t insulted one another.”

Her small fingers were still wrapped around the hem of my shirt, and as I angled my body toward

hers, her arm bent, brushing over my hip. “Is that a bad thing?” My heart kicked like a jackrabbit when she shook her head. “I didn’t think so either.”

She titled her head back and her eyes met mine. “I kind of like it.”

“Kind of?” I bent my head, and her lips parted on a soft inhale. Her eyes took on a hooded, dazed quality that hit me like a punch to the gut. It was now or never to get this shit out of my system so I could go back to normal. “I want to ask you something, Brit. Okay?”

“All right.”

I titled my head to the side and she shivered when my breath danced over her cheek. “Why hasn’t there ever been something between us?”

Brit didn’t answer immediately, but her hand remained on my shirt and hadn’t ended up across my face. “Maybe . . . maybe is because you’ve never asked.”

Muscles in my lower stomach tightened as I leaned in, placing my hand on the roof of the car behind her. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I asked in about every conversation we’ve had.”

“You haven’t asked, Ollie. You’ve insinuated about a hundred different sexual acts during our conversations, but you’ve never asked me if there was anything between us.”

I laughed quietly as her point made its way home. “You’re right. I haven’t, but I am now.”

She let go of my shirt and placed her hand on the center of my chest, searing through the shirt and branding my skin. “You also haven’t asked me out on a date,” she continued, and a small smile appeared as my eyes widened. “You haven’t asked me to even come over to your place without making some kind of innuendo. And you also haven’t even asked me for a kiss.”

“A date?” I got hung up on that. “I wasn’t sure where I could fit in asking you out in-between you threatening to kick me in the balls and walking away from me.”

Brit laughed, and the sound did funny things to my chest. “Maybe if you tried to fit it in, I wouldn’t threaten to do anything bad with your balls and I wouldn’t walk away.”

“So you’d do nice things with my balls?”

“Don’t be gross—”

I swooped down and kissed her. Yeah, I didn’t ask, but somewhere between her talking about dating and talking about my balls, I just stopped thinking. So I kissed her, and the moment my lips touched her, adrenaline rocked me. Like scoring a goal at the end of the game or being near an explosion, my entire body tensed and then hardened.

Her lips were soft like the finest satin and absolutely perfect. My mind was on autopilot as I flicked my tongue along the seam of her lips. When she opened them, a deep sound rumbled up from my chest.

I tasted the faint trace of strawberries on her tongue.

She made a small, utterly feminine sound as she leaned into me. Desire arced as the kiss deepened, and I dropped my hands to the sides of her face, tilting her head back. I pressed her against the car and there was no way she didn’t feel what she was doing to me. My hand trembled slightly as I slid it to the nape of her neck, tangling my fingers in the soft edges of her blond hair.

My pulse pounded in all of the major points, but it was more than just a physical reaction. There was something about kissing her that felt like it was the first time and sure as hell wasn’t the first time, but it felt right in a way that made me want to get away from her as fast as possible and somehow get even closer.

Her hands slid up my chest, fingers digging into my shoulders as she kissed me back. Girl gave as good as she got. But that didn’t surprise me. I always imagined that Brit would be this way. A beautifully packaged little firecracker.

Not too distant laughter tugged at the edges of my consciousness. I broke the kiss, catching her sweet lower lip as I pulled back before I did something crazy. Like lifted her skirt and sank into her softness right here on the side of the road.

“You didn’t ask,” she whispered, breathing heavy.

“I didn’t.” I kissed the corner of her lip and then the other, not sure why. “Can I kiss you?”

She laughed huskily, causing several parts of my body to tighten to the point of pain. “You just kissed me, Ollie.”

“But I want to kiss you again.” I smoothed my thumb over her cheek, surprised by how true that was.

“I’ve never been big on kissing, Brit. What’s the point in it? But with you, I could fucking kiss you all night long. And throughout tomorrow, too.” To prove my point, I lowered my head and caught her lips.

“I could kiss you all weekend.”

In the dim light, her eyes searched mine as they filled with keen wariness. “And how many girls have you’ve said that to?”

I rested my forehead against hers. “None. Hand to God, I’ve never said that to another girl.”

Her hands drifted back down to my chest and flattened there. I expected her to push me away then, but she didn’t. “Why me?” she asked. “Why now?”

Damn, that was a good question. I closed my eyes, and for a moment, I just enjoyed the feeling of her being close to me, of her hands on me, our lips inches apart and breaths mingling. When I opened my eyes, I lifted my head.

“I miss you.” Hell. I totally blurted that out. Her eyes widened. Might as well go with it. “I missed you more than Cam and Jase. And I don’t really know why. But I miss your smart mouth. I miss how you never give into me. I miss looking forward to seeing you. And when I leave on Sunday, I know I’m going to miss you even more now that I know how you taste and feel.”

Brit’s chest rose against mine as she studied me. She didn’t respond immediately, and I could feel the heat creeping into my cheeks. Perhaps I said too much, because suddenly, I felt like I’d should be reading poetry and getting in tune with my sensitive side.

“You’re a romantic at heart, Ollie. I never would’ve guessed that,” she said finally, and my brain

actually cringed. “I always knew you were smarter than you acted.” Her lashes lowered as she trailed her hands to my lower stomach. “I always knew there was more to you than partying and getting laid.”

That made Brit probably the only person alive, besides my parents and baby bro, to know that.

“And I’m not saying the partying and the joking around is an act. I know it’s not,” she said, lifting her gaze. “You’re just a laid-back guy who wants to have fun. I’ve always liked that about you, but I . . .”

My heart was pounding like I was running the bleachers. “But what?”

“But I like this side of you better,” she whispered, her eyes searching mine again. “I just wish I’d seen it sooner.”

“Me too,” I admitted, voice oddly thick as I smoothed a strand of hair back behind her ear. “Is it too late?”

I don’t know what Brit was thinking in that moment as she stared at me in the silence, but my chest exploded with her next words. “We have tonight, don’t we?”

WE HAVE TONIGHT.

That could mean only one thing—a thing I could so get behind.

It was finally going to happen.

I was like a fifteen-year-old boy about to see boobs for the first time. Hell, to want something as badly as I’ve wanted this for so long, it was like taking every Christmas Eve as a child and rolling them into one.

So I was rattled.

Off my game.

Brit went inside to say hi to her friends and as I did the same, I watched her hug Avery and Cam’s little sister.

“Seeing your sister all grown up and at a frat party makes me feel old,” I told her brother.

Cam snorted as he took a drink from his bottle. “You and me both.” He stiffened as he followed my gaze to where the girls were huddled together and then pinned me with a look that would’ve shriveled my balls. “Don’t you be getting any ideas about her.”

I laughed as I folded my arms. “Your sister is hot, but it’s not who I’m looking at.”

Understanding and a bit of relief flashed across his face. “Ah, Brit?”

I didn’t respond, which was strange, because I never had a problem with talking about the object of my attention in detail before. Wasn’t because I was embarrassed about her or any shit like that.

Everything with Brit was different. I’d feel like I’d be insulting her if I starting talking about all the things I planned on doing with her to Cam.

“Want a beer?” he asked, motioning over to the fridge in the corner of the garage that was eternally stocked with beer.

“Nah.”

Cam looked like I’d just told him I was planning on entering priesthood, and a wry grin twisted my lips. “I’m not going to be hanging around tonight.”

He glanced back to where Brit stood with his girlfriend and sister and then he chuckled. “I take it neither will Brit?”

The back of my neck tingled in an odd way. “Nope.”

“I got ya,” he replied, taking a swig of beer as he picked up a Ping-Pong ball.

“Where’s Jase?” I asked, changing the subject.

Cam shrugged. “No clue. He’s around here somewhere. Steph was looking for him, so I’m sure she’s got him cornered somewhere.”

I was hoping to get cornered with Brit soon. Lingering a couple of more minutes, I told him I’d swing by tomorrow afternoon. When I graduated and left for grad school, a lot of the partying shit had been left behind. I was ready to get out of here.

Stalking across the garage, I joined Brit. “Hello Avery and Miss Teresa, how are you doing this fine evening?”

Teresa giggled, and upon close inspection, her eyes had that happy, glazed look. I wondered if Cam realized his sister was close to being trashed. “We’re doing good.”

“Great.” I captured Brit’s tiny ponytail. “I need to borrow you for a second, si?”

Brit’s eyes went heavenward, but her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. “I’ll be right back. Senor Fucktard can’t want me for that long.”

“It’ll be a while,” I corrected, and her blush traveled down her neck.

Taking her hand, I steered her out of the garage. “They’re watching us, aren’t they?” she asked.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Yep. They are grinning and whispering.”

“Great,” she moaned.

We stopped midway on the driveway, and I looked at her. “You don’t want them to know we are . . . well, whatever it is we’re about to do? If you’ve changed your mind about this”—please God, tell me you haven’t changed your mind—“we don’t have to do this. We can stay here and chill. That’ll be cool, too.”

“No. I haven’t changed my mind.” She tugged on my hand as she started down the driveway again, and I about dropped to my knees and starting praising Jesus. “And I’m not embarrassed to be seen with you. It’s just . . .” She looked away, focusing on the road ahead.

“It’s just what?” I probably should’ve let it go, but I was curious. “I know I have a reputation, Brit.

And you’ve never seemed shy of saying what’s on your mind.”

She cast a grin over your shoulder. “Okay. I know you’re not into relationships and all of that and I don’t want them jumping to conclusions. Like I know they will.”

“What kind of conclusion?”

“Oh, I don’t know. That this one night is going to lead to an epic romance.” She turned to me, walking backward. “I know that’s not what you’re really about. And I’m okay with that. I mean, I’d be okay with . . .” Her nose scrunched up the cute way it always did whenever she was about to say something she didn’t want to. “Anyway, I’m okay with this. I want to know if you have a reason to be so cocky,” she teased.

Oh, I had a reason, but for some asinine purpose, I wanted to ask her why she didn’t think I was into relationships. Which was stupid, because my track record showed why. I shouldn’t care that she wasn’t going into this expecting anything other than great sex, but I kind of did.

We stopped by my car, and she slipped her hand free. “We could go back to my dorm. My roommate’s gone for the weekend.”

“Works for me.”

She flashed a quick grin. “I’ll lead the way then.”

As she started to pull away, it felt too much like a random hookup that could’ve been any number of girls I’d picked up at a party or the bar, and that didn’t settle right in my gut. Brit was different, and this was the first time for us, probably the last time.

I tugged her back to me. Caught off guard, she placed her free hand on my chest to balance herself.

Her chin rose and her lips parted, but I caught whatever she was about to say with my mouth as I cupped the nape of her neck with my other hand. I kissed her deeply, something I would’ve never done on a hookup, because hell, hookups were kind of like business transactions at this point.

Brit stiffened for just a tiny second and then relaxed, melding right into me as her tongue slipped over mine. When her hand clenched the front of my shirt, I lifted my head and grinned down at her.

“I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay. All right.” Cheeks flushed, she backed away, blinking several times. “You do that.”

I chuckled as she wobbled away, but the amusement quickly vanished once I was in my car, behind hers, and I was driving the short distance to campus.

Hell. I was nervous.

I hadn’t been nervous since I lost my virginity and even then I’d just been too damn excited to get really anxious. Oh, but I was sweating now. Ridiculous.

Brit found a parking space close to her dorm, which gave me a little more time to pull my dumbass together. She’d waited for me at the entrance, and I draped my arm over her shoulders, telling myself to play it cool.

I didn’t need to turn into a fumbling idiot now.

Her dorm room was small—two single beds pushed against opposite walls. A shared desk and TV in the corner. It was obvious which side of the room was hers.

One bed was covered with clothes.

“Yours?” I asked, nodding at the bed.

Brit blushed as she hurried over to the bed. “How’d you guess?”

“Ah, you’ve never seemed like the kind to be into neat and orderly.”

“Is that a bad thing?” She scooped an arm full of clothes and headed toward a small closest.

“Not to me.” I kicked off my flip-flops. “It fits you.”

“It fits me,” she repeated quietly as she used her hip to nudge open the closet door. I grinned when she unceremoniously dumped the clothing in the closet. “Would you like anything to drink? There’s some stuff in the small fridge under the desk.”

“I’m good.” I moved to help her, but she gathered up the rest of her clothes before I could interfere.

“Where’s your roomie?”

“With her boyfriend for the weekend.” Tugging her hair down, she turned to me as she ran her fingers through the blond locks, working out the kinks. “I can turn on the TV.” She toed off her flats and started for the desk. “Or some music. We can—”

I caught her hand, drawing her to a stop. “You’re nervous.”

She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. “Yeah. Kind of.”

My heart did a weird flip. “So am I.”

Her brows rose. “Really? You?”

I laughed at her question. “Why is that such a surprise?”

“Well, you’re . . . you have a lot of experience at this.” She toed with the edge of her dress with her free hand. “Not that I don’t, but you’re always so confident.”

“So are you,” I pointed out, but relieved I wasn’t the only one who felt out of my element.

She grinned. “This is different though.”

Our gazes collided and held. “Yeah, it is.”

She drew in a deep breath and then bit down on her lip as she slipped her hand free. I watched her go to the desk and bend slightly at the waist. The back of her dress rose, revealing shapely thighs. She opened a laptop and after a few seconds, a low hum of music drifted into the room.

I had no idea what song it was, because I was too focused on her curve of her backside and the graceful way in which she straightened and turned to me. She leaned back against the desk, head tilted to the side.

And I was already hard.

For a moment, I couldn’t move from where I stood. That stupid-ass saying floated through my thoughts. Be careful what you wish for. I had it in front of me and wasn’t sure what to do with it. Well, I had a lot of ideas, but none of them seemed good enough. Suddenly I wished I’d gone about this differently. Like maybe taken her out to dinner first, because it wasn’t that late. Or to the movies. Or we could’ve hung out at the party. Together.

But she was here and so was I.

Her eyes met mine, and I reached down, wrapped my fingers around the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my head, letting the material fall wherever it landed.

Pride and a razor-sharp anticipation swelled inside me as her gaze left mine, and moved slowly over my chest and down to where the shorts hung low on my hips. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen me shirtless, but it was the first time in her room, by her bed.

I wished it were the first of many.

That thought came out of nowhere, and uncomfortable with it, I bitch slapped it aside as I started toward her. Brit straightened even more, pushing off the desk. Two pink spots bloomed on her cheeks and her chin tilted up as I stopped in front of her.

Circling my hands around her thin wrists, I slid my hands up her arms, wishing it were bare skin under my fingers and gently gripped her upper arms. I lifted her up, placing her bare feet atop mine.

She giggled as she placed her hands on my sides. Air hissed between my teeth at the feel of her bare fingers against my skin. “Are we going to dance?”

“Something like that,” I murmured, trailing one hand around her waist to her lower back. “Did you go to your high school prom?”

Another laugh escaped her as her fingers flexed and then rose to my shoulders. Tilting her head to the side, she smiled at me. “I did. I was a part of the prom court.”

“Queen?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I was a princess.”

“You were ripped off.” I started to move around the small space as I pulled her against my chest. “You should’ve been queen.”

“But you didn’t see who was queen. She was the hottest—”

“I don’t care.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “She wasn’t hotter than you. I think we need to go back to your high school and demand a damn recount, because that’s bullshit.”

Brit laughed. “Let’s do that.”

I kissed her temple. “You’re as beautiful as any queen.”

“Charmer,” she whispered, her fingers squeezing as I trailed a path of kisses along her jaw. When I reached the corner of her mouth, she slanted her head toward me. Her tongue flicked out, and I groaned.

“I wasn’t trying to charm you,” I said, running my hand down. I cupped her ass and lifted her onto the tips of her toes, so that she pressed against me.

She made a breathy sound. “Well, for not trying, you’re doing a damn good job.”

“Oh, I haven’t even begun to try.” I tasted her lower lip, thrilled when one hand snaked up, balling into my hair. When she gave a little pull on my hair, I all but growled.

The kiss started off slow, but quickly spun into something laced with lust and need that had been building for far too long. Our tongues twisted and danced and when I lifted her again, she rose and wrapped her legs around my waist, hooking her ankles behind my back.

The feel of her . . . damn, the feel of her pressing against me, was enough to almost cause me to lose it right then, before I even got my pants off. How awkward would that have been?

“I want you,” she breathed against my mouth, in between kisses. Her thighs tightened around me.

“I’ve wanted you for a very long time.”

“It’s like you’re reading my mind.” I walked us over to her bed, my heart thumping in an insane way.

“Too bad we waited this long.”

“Should’ve asked.” She grinned as I groaned. “Please tell me you have protection.”

“I do.”

“Thank God for latex,” she said.

I chuckled as I placed her on her feet by the foot of the bed. Her whiskey-colored eyes were dreamy, unfocused. I skated my hands down her sides, reaching the edge of her dress. “May I?”

She nodded and then said, “Yes.”

Hesitating just for a moment, I then drew the dress up, revealing her body, and hell if it wasn’t like unwrapping the best damn present ever. With the dress off, joining my shirt somewhere on the floor, she stood before in me in lacy black panties and a red bra.

“God,” I said, taking a step back. Her breasts were full, straining against the satiny cups of her red bra.

Her body was rocking curves like a country back road. Hips flared out sweetly, her belly concaved, and I already knew how those soft legs felt wrapped around me.

A flush traveled the length of her body as she folded her arms across her stomach. “What?”

“You’re beautiful,” I said, dragging my gaze back up to her wide eyes. “You’re fucking beautiful, Brit.”

Her lips tipped up in a small grin. “You’re already getting laid, Ollie. You don’t need to flatter me. I’m already half naked and ready.”

“I’m not trying to flatter you, but glad to hear this is a done deal.” I laughed when she rolled her eyes.

Taking hold of her arms, I moved them to her sides. “You should never hide yourself. Not from me. I could look at you all night.”

She curled her fingers in. “I hope that’s not all you do.”

The throbbing going on in my shorts was also hoping that wasn’t the only thing I was going to do.

And it wasn’t.

Catching the delicate straps of her bra with my fingers, I slowly slid them down her arms. She shivered as my fingertips grazed her sides. I reached around, finding the clasp.

Brit sucked her lower lip between her teeth as the bra slipped to the floor. God, she was . . . she was perfect, right down to the rosy tips hardening under my gaze.

She drew in a little breath and her chest rose temptingly. “I . . . I’m surprised.”

It was a damn miracle that I dragged my eyes up. “About what?”

“I thought you’d be more of a wham-bam kind of guy.” Her cheeks flushed bright red when I arched a brow. “I mean, not that it would be bad. I’m sure it would be really great—”

“It will be really fucking awesome.”

“Okay. It will be really fucking awesome, but I’m surprised you’re going slow.”

So was I. It was a change a pace for me. I never took it slow before. “I want to make this last.” And that was the truth. I placed my hands on her shoulders. “There’s not a single part of you I want to miss.”

She opened her mouth, but all that came was breathy moan when I cupped her breasts.

“Is this okay with you?” I asked, kissing her plump lower lip.

“Yes. Oh, yes.”

I chuckled as I trailed a path of tiny kisses down her throat and over the delicate collarbone before tasting the soft skin between her breasts. She drew in a deep breath as the slight stubble on my jaw grazed a swell.

Smoothing my thumbs over the tips, I shook at the sound of her moan. My mouth watered as I

lowered my head, drawing one little nub into my mouth. Her answering cry sent pressure powering down my spine. I moved to the other, worshipping her in the way I’d wanted for so long.

I took my time, licking and nipping my way down as I knelt in front of her. The scrape of black lace that remained on her body was probably the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.

Closing my eyes, I placed a kiss against the satiny material, right where I wanted to be, to spend my night in.

Brit gasped, her fingers tangling in my hair.

I grinned as I hooked my fingers around the band of her panties. Leaning back, not wanting to miss a damn second of this, I slid them down.

Fuck yeah.

At my first look at her completely bare to me, something fluttered in my stomach. Holy shit, was that the proverbial butterflies? I’d never believed in them, but something felt like it was trying to wing its way out of my stomach.

There was a moment, as I helped her stand out of them, I didn’t know what to do. My fingers trembled as I dropped the panties to the side, my heart became a jackhammer in my chest, trying to drill its way out. I’d never, ever felt this way before.

It shook me—she shook me.

And she humbled me with this gift, because this was a gift.

My hands slid up her soft legs, to her curvy hips, and my mouth turned into a damn heat-seeking missile. I kissed her there, reveling in the way she jerked and her hands clenched tighter. I tasted her and she was the fucking best thing I’d ever tasted. I could spend a lifetime on my knees before her and it wouldn’t be enough.

I eased her down so she was sitting on the edge of the bed and it wasn’t long before she fell back, her hips moving in a slow, sinuous motion that would linger with me long after tonight was done.

All of this was to get her out of my system, but deep down, I knew I’d be fucked if I really believed this would work, because now her taste, her scent, and her breathy moans would forever be imbedded in my system, smacked with a label “mine” and filed away.

Her head kicked back, my name a cry on her lips as she came, and I stayed there, between her legs, my head resting on her thigh, my eyes squeezed shut.

I was rattled.

And I was ready. My body throbbed almost painfully, I drew in a deep breath, but it didn’t help. I tried to think about something gross—turtles screwing, because seriously, there was nothing hot about that, but I was still on the edge and I hadn’t even taken my shorts off.

“Ollie?” she whispered.

Opening my eyes, I drew in another breath. I needed to keep it together. I also needed to get off my knees and stop using her thigh as a damn pillow, because that might be weird for her at this point.

I stood, knees locked and eyes wide. “Damn, Brit . . .”

She bit down on her lip, watching me through thick lashes. Lying like that before me . . . ?

“I could get used to seeing you like this,” I said before I could stop myself.

Her cheeks flushed. “For real?”

The slight rise in her voice, the cloud of disbelief that passed across her features, tugged at something in my chest. “Yeah, for real.”

She rose up on her elbows, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t have a problem keeping my eyes on her face. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I’m not me when I’m around you.” Yeah, that made absolutely no sense. “I mean, maybe I am me when I’m around you.”

A smile pulled at her lips. “Oliver Ryan,” she said, and holy Christ cookies, I almost came hearing her same my full name. “I think you might actually like me.”

“I do.”

Surprise flickered across her face. A moment passed. “I like you too,” she whispered. “I like you a lot.”

There was a strange swelling in my chest. As I stared into those warm eyes, I knew suddenly this wasn’t just a challenge. Nothing about being her with her was a simple as getting in and getting off.

There was no getting her out of my system. This wasn’t that. My heart rate kicked into cardiac territory.

Was I having a heart attack? I had no idea what to do with the feeling.

I froze at the unexpected feeling in my chest.

“Ollie,” she breathed, her head cocked to the side. “You still with me?”

“Yeah.” My voice was gruff, thick.

Brit sat up, her gaze traveling down my stomach. Muscles tensed under her gaze. She reached for the button on my shorts, flicked them open with a confidence I’d always admired. She concentrated on the task, easing the zipper down.

Her eyes popped to mine. “You’re commando?”

I grinned, because I was beyond talking at this point.

She laughed softly as she gripped the sides of my shorts. “I should’ve guessed as much. You know.”

She eased my pants down, and I stepped out of them. As she checked me out, her mouth opening slightly, she appeared to lose her train of thought. “Wow.”

Male pride pecked at me.

Her eyes swept up to mine. “You know,” she repeated, wrapping her hand around the base of me. The touch caused my hands to curl into fists. “This doesn’t have to be our only time.” Her cheeks flushed a deep, pretty pink. “I mean, if you wanted, we could get together again. I could come up and visit you or —”My balls tightened like a fist had been wrapped around them. Release powered down my spine, and there was no stopping it. My head thrust back as the most powerful orgasm almost knocked me on my feet, pulsed through me.

Floored, I swayed back a step, vaguely aware that her hand was still wrapped around me. It hadn’t been her touch that had sent me off. Oh, hell, no, it had been her words, her want to see me again.

What in the hell?

Brit stared up at me with wide eyes. Her hand was covered, so was my lower stomach.

Holy fuck, I just came.

This was the first time something like this had ever happened and it had to happen with her?

“Holy shit,” I groaned, stepping back, easing her hand off me. “I don’t know . . .”

Her cheeks blossomed with color as she wetted her lower lip. “Uh, it’s not a big deal.”

I stared at her. This was a big deal. Usually this was a huge and long deal that fucking lasted, like I don’t know, through actual sex, but right now it was an underperforming sad deal.

“Seriously,” she said, standing. For a moment I got hung up on the twitch of her ass as she walked over to the dresser and picked up a towel, wiping her hand. She handed it to me. “I mean it.”

I laughed, the sound harsh to my own ears as I took the towel and cleaned myself up. “Yeah, you’re being too sweet.”

“I don’t think so.” She sat on the bed, completely at ease with her nakedness. “It must’ve been a while for you.”

“It has been.” I thrust my hands through my hair. “I haven’t been with anyone since I left for med school.”

Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Might as well get all caring and sharing since I just came all over her hand. What the fuck ever. “Not a single person.”

“Why?”

The question of my lifetime it seemed. Screwed up thing was that I knew the answer. “It’s because of you.”

Her delicate brows climbed halfway to her hairline. “Me?”

I nodded and the words just dumped right out of my mouth. “The night before I left? When you kissed my cheek and asked me to behave? Well, I . . . I don’t know. I just haven’t been interested in anyone, because you’ve gotten under my skin and I thought—fuck, I don’t know what I thought.”

Brit’s eyes were so wide I wondered if it was painful for her.

“I thought by coming here, getting shot down by you or getting with you, would get you out of myself, but that’s not what’s going to happen. I know that. And I wanted this to be good for you.”

“Wait,” she said. “You really like me.”

I stared at her.

“And it has been great for me so far.” She tucked a short strand of hair back behind her ear. “So let’s just get that straight, but back to the other part. You really like me.”

“I do.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand why.”

“Are you crazy? Wait. Don’t answer that. You are a little crazy, and I like it. You’re a smartass. You’re funny as hell. You don’t take shit from anyone, especially me. You’re smart.” I blew out a breath.

“You’re absolutely beautiful to me and you always saw more than anyone else when you looked at me.

So yeah, I like you. I really like you. And when you said you wanted to see me again, that you didn’t want this to be a one night thing, well, you know how that affected me. It ended up all over you hand.”

Brit blinked, and I really needed to find my jeans and get the hell out of here, because I totally just unloaded on her like some kind of lovesick sixteen-year-old.

This was a fuck ton awkward.

“You’re right,” she said, stopping me. “I’m pretty damn awesome.”

My lips twitched.

“And you’re pretty damn awesome. I’ve always known you were more than a stoned-out man whore,” she said, peeking up at me through thick, dark lashes as she giggled. “I’ve always believed in you, Ollie.”

My heart about grew five times its size and I wondered if I’d be dropping off Christmas presents to random houses this year. Standing buck-ass naked in front of her, all I could do was stare. Thoughts spun in my head and I was thinking some crazy shit.

Being here with her, both of us naked, suddenly wasn’t about the sex. Hell, it had never been about the sex and I was just now realizing that.

This was a first for me, totally uncharted.

I didn’t date.

I didn’t do relationships.

Commitment was a four-letter word to me.

But Brit . . . she was different, always so different, and I wanted to do this different with her. I had to do it different.

“Okay. Shit.” Sitting on her the bed beside her, I tugged her into my lap. Her weight got me stirring to life all over, but that wasn’t important. I cupped her face, hoping my hands didn’t start shaking again. “I like you, Brit, and this . . . this is a first for me, so I’m probably going to sound pretty stupid.”

She wrapped her hands around my wrists. “I don’t think you will.”

I sure as hell hoped not. “I want . . . I want to do things right with you. I want this.” I groaned when she shifted, pressing that sweet ass down. “I really want this with you, but I want it to be different. I want to go out with you—take you on a date, the movies, dinner—anything. I don’t want us to start this out hooking up.”

“What is this?” she asked, her thumbs running up and down the insides of my wrists.

“I don’t know.” I rested my forehead on hers. “A relationship? Yeah, that sounds about right. Me. You. Doing the . . .”

“Boyfriend and girlfriend thing?”

“Yeah, that thing.” My face heated, and I wanted to kick myself.

“You’re blushing!”

“Thanks for pointing that out,” I said dryly.

A slow smile crept over her face, reaching her eyes. “This really is a first time for you.”

The awe in her voice made me feel a little stupid, but then she closed the distance between us, kissing me. “I like that idea, Ollie. A lot.”

Surprise punched into my gut. “You do?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, kissing me again. “I do.”

“Hot damn,” I murmured, capturing her mouth and taking the kiss to a different kind of level that left us both breathless.

I tucked her close, wrapping my arms around her. It was kind of funny, both of us naked and entangled together with sex screaming in the back of my brain, but all I wanted to do was hold her. A smile was permanently etched on my face, and I knew it was the kind of smile Cam wore whenever he was around Avery. I finally got what it meant and why.

Tonight had been a lot of firsts for me, but this—what I was feeling—was the most important first.

“But you know what?” Brit said, reaching between us and wrapping her hand around me. I kicked, throbbed. “This is the twenty-first century. We can do it and then go eat dinner. Right?”

My smile spread as I leaned back, giving her space to do her thing. I hardened, and Brit was right, this was the twenty-first century, so . . . “God, you’re fucking perfect.”

She grinned. “I know.”

My laugh ended in a deep groan, and the last thought before I all but tackled her ass on the bed was that this was a first, a start—a new beginning—and I couldn’t wait to take this ride.

And buy her a damn tortoise.

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 810