Riptide Affair, page 14
Hours later, with the woman of my dreams draped across my naked torso, I play with her hair and wonder if this is it. The it everyone seems obsessed with finding. Did I stumble onto it when I wasn't even paying attention, just blindly ambling through life without a single care or goal or desire in sight?
“Lasagna, jewelry, and orgasms,” Merrin whispers as she curls into my side. “I think you might be the perfect man.”
Chuckling, I play with her hair and press a kiss to her temple. I'll be whatever she wants me to be, but first, I have to tell her the truth. I didn't make Merrin that gift out of guilt, but I may as well have. The thought of losing her this early in the game has become the one thing plaguing my conscience, and I know I have to tell her. It's the only secret I have left in me, and it's eating away at my insides, not knowing how she's going to take it. Will she consider it a lie of omission? Or will she take it as something else? Something bigger? Because I do. To me, when I reveal how our pasts were interwoven far before we both stepped into that elevator, it will be a confession. Or, more precisely, it will be a proclamation that I believe in fate.
And I was fated to love her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Merrin
“Morning, lovers!”
Brian bounds into the kitchen like the little ray of sunshine he is, wearing spandex running shorts and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut out, just as Jared and I sit down to have our first cup of coffee. He's entirely too chipper, but he's equally adorable, so I forgive him. I'm just happy I remembered to put pants on before coming downstairs.
“I thought you had a thing this morning,” Jared says, blowing the steam out of his Lakers mug.
“Oh, you mean this thing?” He holds up a flier for the annual 5K run Blackjack hosts each year. In bright neon, it reads, “Blackjack be Nimble, Blackjack be Quick.”
I roll my eyes. “That's the best the city council could come up with? Really?”
“Really, really,” he says, nodding with gusto. “And! I just registered the three of us as a team. Surprise!”
I stare at Brian.
Jared stares at Brian.
Brian smiles wider and wider, waiting for our excitement to fire off.
Spoiler alert: It doesn't.
After the sexual Olympics Jared put me through last night, I'm not sure my body has what it takes to endure such a race, but with each passing second, Brian's smile slips.
If I didn't adore him so damn much, it'd be easy to say no, but not giving in to him is about as hard as turning your back on a homeless puppy in a cardboard box floating down raging rapids toward a waterfall.
“Fine,” I sigh. “Count me in.”
“Yes! Thank you!” Brian envelopes me in a tight hug as Jared continues glaring at the flier.
“This is in—” he glances at the clock “—two hours.”
“Good job,” Brian says, clapping him on the back. “Glad to see all that sex hasn't interfered with your ability to tell time. And two hours isn't bad. You can be ready and at the track in time for the starting shot.”
“I can,” Jared drawls. “Question is, do I want to be? And the answer to that would be a huge, resounding no.”
Brian's shoulders slump forward, and it's pitiful, but I know these men, so I know this is a battle Jared will ultimately lose.
“C'mon, man,” Brian whines. “You flaked on me last year. If you do it this time I'll never ask you to come to one of these things ever again. This will be your get out of jail free card.”
“Yeah, except I have to pay for the get out of jail free card by actually going to jail. That hardly seems fair.”
“It's only a 5k,” I say, joining forces with Brian. “We could be back in time for lunch.”
He grimaces. “I'm not really an organized running event kind of guy.”
I smack him in the belly. There's no reason for him to be so adamant about not going. Physically, he's flawless. His stamina is incredible, if last night's multiple encores are any indication, and this is his baby brother and girlfriend giving him puppy dog eyes.
He can't say no.
“Please come with us,” I whine, running my palm up his thigh under the table. “It'll be fun. And even if it's not, I'll make it worth your while.”
Jared blows out a breath and I know I've won.
“Fine.”
“Damn,” Brian says, chuckling as he looks between the two of us. “So that's what I needed to win an argument against you all these years. A vagina.”
“Apparently so,” Jared sighs.
His sour mood doesn't deter Brian one bit. He shimmies his hips in a happy dance right in the center of the kitchen, kisses his palm, and slaps Jared right across the cheek, but his big brother isn't phased one bit.
“Two hours!” Brian calls, heading for the door. “Get your sneakers laced and your muscles stretched and I'll see you at the starting line!”
Jared patiently waits until we hear Brian's car squeal out onto the street before turning his own set of pleading eyes my way. “I really don't want to do this. Can I fake an injury?”
“Nope.” I run a finger along the bracelet Jared made, which still floors me. “He's way too excited about this. Don't ruin it.”
His throat rolls as he downs the rest of his coffee and makes a show of frowning at the empty mug. “I was excited about taking you back to bed after breakfast, but yeah, sure, let Lance Armstrong win. Kill my hopes and dreams.
He's so petulant, it's laughable, and he knows it. Just to make him feel better, I slide into his lap and tuck a strand of shaggy brown hair behind his ear before kissing the tip of his nose. He pouts, but I smile.
“You can have your way with me as soon as we're done. Unless the race turns out to be as bad as you think it will be, and in that case I'll tend to your war wounds.”
Warm hands slide up the back of my shirt, caressing my skin. “I'm holding you to that.”
The 5K isn't the fun, outdoorsy event I thought it would be. I was ready for laughs and endorphins and camaraderie, but it turns out, Jared is an awful runner. Like, really awful. No stamina at all. No motivation. No concept of pacing. But damn if he isn't cute in those athletic shorts.
“How are you this fit but this out of shape?” I ask, jogging backward in front of where he's shuffling. “I don't understand.”
“Not...a cardio...guy,” he pants.
“Obviously.” I flip my water bottle his way and he miraculously catches it.
Watching him attempt to 'jog' and drink at the same time is the highlight of my day, and I can't help but laugh. Water drizzles down his chin as he keeps one eye on the track, but I'm not sure why he bothers. If he were to fall at this point, even that would be in slow motion.
At least we don't have to worry about overeager runners plowing us down. Everyone else passed us by a good twenty minutes ago. The only people still trailing behind us are a group of asthmatics with inhalers strung around their necks on lanyards and lines of white sunscreen streaking down their noses. Also, I'm pretty sure the youngest person in their group is fifty.
“You know, you're kind of adorable. It makes me happy knowing you aren't perfect. That you have a flaw.”
Jared recaps the water bottle and chucks it at my head. “I hate you so much right now.”
“I know.” I glance over my shoulder and spy the white stripe indicating the end of the track. “Good news is we're almost finished.”
“Thank God!” His head lolls back and I laugh, wondering if I'll have to drag his limp, wheezing body across the finish line.
“C'mon, Sparky, you've got this!” I lace my fingers with his and he squeezes hard as we run.
Eventually, we cross the finish line.
In eighty-fifth place.
“Where the hell have you two been?” Brian asks once he finally locates us in the crowd. Everyone is packed in tight, reveling in whatever remaining adrenaline lingers in their systems. “I haven't seen you since the starting shot.”
Jared finishes off his second bottle of water since the race ended and uses the last few droplets to wet his neck. “I hate you,” is all he says as he hunches over, bracing both hands on his knees.
I rub his back through his gray tank top and cast Brian a smile. “This may have been too much for wittle Jared today,” I tease.
Jared shakes his head, laughing but still not completely upright. “Hate you both. So hard.”
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry,” Brian says, hoisting one of Jared's arms over his shoulders and pulling him to a standing position. “Let's go home, change, and head to South Cedar. I'll buy you a drink to apologize.”
Jared looks down at his little brother. “Throw in a basket of hot wings and I'm game.”
Brian laughs under his breath. “You've got yourself a deal, old man.”
Back at the house, I call first dibs on the shower. Jared's clothes may be soaked through with sweat whereas mine are relatively dry, but if I get in before him we'll be ready around the same time. I'm slowly figuring out this whole 'relationship' thing and how important time management is when you're dealing with two peoples grooming, eating, and sleeping habits.
Go me.
Stripped down to my sports bra and panties, I let out a panicked shriek when the bathroom door opens, only relaxing when I realize it's Jared. I open my mouth, a joke about privacy poised on my tongue, but words fail me when he grabs me by the sides and lifts me onto the sink basin before sliding between my legs.
“Uh, hello...” is all I manage.
One thumb presses under my chin, bringing my eyes up to his. “Hello,” he whispers back.
Smiling, I let him kiss me, and our mouths meet gently, slowly, stealing licks and nibbles as we undress one another. It's sensual. Oddly intimate. Blue eyes never leave mine when Jared lifts my leg straight up, until my calf rests on his shoulder, and both the burn of overworked muscles and the promise of what's to come have my heart racing. I shove his shorts and boxers down, letting his erection spring free against my stomach as he reaches over my shoulder and grabs a condom from the medicine cabinet. Neither of us say a word as he rolls it on, pulls my panties to the side and eases inside me slowly.
This is what's been missing in my life for so long. Not the sex, but the connection. The freedom of entrusting your body and mind to another human being. Orgasms are great and all, but welding a solid link between your heart and the heart of another? There's nothing quite like it. At least, not in my experience.
Jared's thrusts grow in speed and soon he's powering into me, bottoming out with every thrust, delivering the greatest pleasure/pain combination one person can feel.
“Good to know you've got stamina somewhere,” I say, breathless.
He grins but doesn't offer commentary, choosing instead to feast on the slopes of my breasts. My sports bra makes it easy for him to locate my nipple and suck it into his mouth as he continues pumping fast, barely breaking a sweat. My hands grip the edge of the sink and I close my eyes, chasing down that explosion I love so much. The bliss only Jared has ever been able to give me.
I come hard and fast like I always do, crying his name, holding on for dear life as I praise God until my voice is nothing but a hoarse whisper. He still hasn't found his release, so I'm confused when he stops and pulls out.
“What are you doing?” Hot lips kiss up and down my body as he removes both my bra and panties with ease. “Why didn't you finish?”
“I will,” he assures me, just before hoisting me in his arms and walking us backward toward the shower.
He starts the water and as soon as it's warm he steps over the lip of the tub, sets me down, and directs me into a position he likes without ever muttering a word. Legs spread, palms pressed to the cold tile wall, heart beating so fiercely the vein at the base of my neck throbs and my entire body shudders with anticipation. He moves in behind me, bringing his warmth, cupping one hip while sliding his hard length along the curve of my ass.
“Do me a favor,” he whispers, lips brushing my ear. “Don't slip.”
I try my best to stand firm and still as he soaps me up from top to bottom, filling the air with the scent of his minty body wash, but I writhe under his skillful hands, knowing there's so much more pleasure to come. With Jared, there's always more.
He tosses the loofah to the tub floor once we're both covered in suds and grips one of my legs. I bend at the knee, taking all his non-verbal clues, and he places my foot on the side of the tub, completely opening my body to him.
“Keep that right there,” he whispers against my neck.
I may be a novice when it comes to sex, but I trust my partner, and I'm not one bit ashamed of the way his eyes devour my body. When he looks at me that way, like he could live to be a hundred and still never witness something so beautiful, I feel invincible. Strong and desirable and filled with grace. I blame his eyes. His eyes are magic.
The shower fills with ragged, expectant breathing as he moves behind me and I press my shoulder blades to his chest. With one hand wrapped firmly but protectively around my throat, he slides all the way home and I cry out an expletive from feeling so damn full as he takes up his pace from before. Water splashes off our skin as my breasts bounce and I claw at the shower wall, desperate for something to hold onto as that mysterious coil inside of me tightens, winding tighter around itself. Teeth dig into my shoulder, delivering a pain so unbelievably pleasurable I explode like a dying star. Rough hands squeeze my breasts as Jared thrusts forward, harder this time, before growling in my ear and stilling with his release.
“Fuck,” he exclaims, causing me to jerk in surprise, and then ultimately fall into a fit of giggles.
Full-body wreckage encases me as I fight for breath and Jared nuzzles his nose against the back of my neck. Dazed, I reach back to cradle his head in my hand and turn so I can lay a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “I should force you into things like that more often. I could do this forever.”
Forever.
The confession rocks me. I know I shouldn't be using words like that so soon, but it's the truth. I feel it with him. I feel forever.
Hands grip my hips tighter—harder than he's ever held me before. “Promise?”
Promise.
Another word we shouldn't be using, but yes, I do. I'd make a million promises to this man if it meant continuing to be cherished and worshiped just like this.
Out on the cool tile floor, Jared wraps me in a towel before securing another one around his waist. We stand hip-to-hip in front of the sink, me brushing my hair, him applying cologne and deodorant. Although we're no longer touching, in the mirror, our eyes never stray. With his hair mussed and a goofy, sated grin softening his features, he's the most beautiful creature I've ever seen.
Just when I have my hair all contained in a knot at the top of my head, Jared's phone rings, skittering across the granite counter top. He swipes a thumb across the screen and presses it to his ear. We both know who it is.
Brian. Too scared to come upstairs and check on us.
“Yeah, we're gonna be a little late.”
I hear Brian groan through the speaker, but Jared ends the call and I glance at the time on his screen. “Late? We still have half-an-hour left before we need to leave.”
Jared tilts his head, smiling, and drops the towel secured around his waist to the floor.
Oh...
“Did you get into my pills?” I ask, teasing but not really.
He shakes his head from side to side. “Nope. This is just what you do to me.” He clutches the front of my towel and walks me backward until my ass hits the wall. Then his eyes darken as he rids me of the terrycloth and wraps a hand around the base of his cock. “Hop on.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jared
“You guys comin' out tonight?”
The girls all sit around a booth rolling silverware and wiping down menus, and I feel sorry for them. At my job, when the clock strikes five, I'm done. At theirs, they have to stay at least an hour after closing to do side work so the next morning isn't hell. Usually, I offer to help, but tonight I have somewhere to be.
“Are we coming out where?” Kate asks, keeping her eyes trained on the linen napkin she's folding.
“Jared's,” Merrin supplies, sneaking a smile my way. “It's Brian's birthday.”
Laura scoffs. “Party for a gay guy? Meaning there will be zero eligible, straight men there? Hard pass.”
“It's an open bar,” I say, trying to tempt them into joining. Partying with my brother and his friends is fun, but I have a sneaking suspicion that if my crew and Merrin's crew were to ever get together, chaos would ensue. I've been pushing hard for a mash-up for weeks.
“I'm out,” Kate says through a yawn. “Today was my third double. I'm fuckin' beat.”
“Ditto,” Laura adds. “Plus, I just don't wanna go.”
“Seriously?” I plop down into a chair, straddling it backwards. “It's Friday night. None of you want to spend it throwing back shots or singing along to shitty music or flirting with strangers? I'm disappointed. When did y'all get so old?”
“Old? No.” Harper's severe eyebrows raise toward her hairline. “Overworked? Hell yes. We're not all running on love and unicorn farts like you two love birds.” She gestures between me and Merrin, disgusted. “All some of us have is coffee and debt pushing us through our days.”
When we first met, I wasn't sure what to think of Harper, but now that I know a little more about her history, I get it. She's angry at the world. Rightfully so. I just wish she didn't feel the need to put a damper on every conversation the girls ever have. It's exhausting. I don't know how they do it. The girl is funny as shit, but damn. The dark cloud she carries with her sometimes suffocates everyone within reach.
“Fine,” Merrin huffs. “I guess I'll just have to drink enough for all you losers.”
Laura taps her fist to Merrin's shoulder. “Atta girl. Oh, and while you're at it, have an orgasm for me, too. It's been a while.”
