Playing Pretend, page 9
“I thought you were meant to be distracting me. So much for a challenge.”
“I’ll distract you when I’m good and ready. But first I want answers. Why would you allow him to convince you of something that’s not true?”
“I wish a fake kiss gave you the experience to make an informed opinion, but it doesn’t. In fact, you’ve contributed to cementing his statement by incessantly teasing me over my inability to handle sexual conversations. So not only am I cold in the bedroom, but I’m completely uncomfortable.”
“Discomfort is a given when your partner is a fucking chump. And regarding my teasing?” I lean closer, getting in her face. “I’m sorry if anything I’ve said has contributed to what you’ve been going through with him. I never would’ve—”
“I know.” She tilts her face away, staring across the length of the water. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“You’re not cold, Pip.”
“I appreciate the placation. But please stop. There’s nothing you can say that will fix this.”
“Then give me a chance to prove it without words.” I release her waist, raise my hands above the water to comb her wet hair behind her back.
Her chin hitches with the brush of my fingertips against her naked skin. In rejection or discomfort I’m not sure. The devil on my shoulder tells me to ignore it. The alcohol does, too.
“It’s not just our kiss this morning that has me convinced he’s wrong.” I inch my feet closer, bringing us toe to toe. Thigh to thigh. “You have a frequency. A vibration. I feel the heat of it all the time.”
“I’m not trying to be rude.” She keeps her gaze on the far side of the pool. “But couldn’t that be your syphilis flaring up?”
I grin, encroaching farther, not stopping until her breasts graze my chest as I slowly sweep my mouth along her shoulder.
A breath shudders from her lips.
“Maybe this is where Julian fucked up. Maybe your pitiful jokes of discomfort were taken personally instead of them being a clear sign you’re searching for direction.” I graze my teeth along her skin. “For dominance.”
She smells so good. The light hint of floral perfume teases my lungs like a drug.
“Rome.” My name is a subtle caution.
I grab the edge of the pool, caging her as I nuzzle her neck. “We’re in public. I’m allowed to act like your boyfriend.”
“And what if I don’t want to do this anymore? What if I changed my mind about taking the job early?”
I pause with a sudden wave of dread. She can’t change her mind. I may have been cautious about allowing her early access to the position, but now I’m already too invested in spending the rest of my days working with her by my side.
“We can talk about your career later. Right now, what I’m doing is being a good friend. Any bestie would make it their priority to show you how wrong Julian is.” I brush my lips over her neck, her jaw, my blood surging with her quickening breaths. “When you were in my arms this morning, you clung to me. You kissed me back. You sparked a fucking fire.”
“I clung because I was startled,” she whispers. “I was shocked at discovering you’re a slightly good kisser.”
“Slightly good? I’m going to ignore the laughable taunt and let you know I’m damn fucking good at a lot of things.”
She inches her head back. “Unless you’re talking about crosswords and sudoku, I don’t want details.”
“No, little Pip. I’m talking pleasure and orgasms.”
“Jesus Christ,” she hisses. “I’m not sleeping with you, Rome.”
“You don’t need to. Just tell me why he thought you were cold so I can prove him wrong.” My dick throbs as she falls silent. God, how I want her. Every inch. Every breath.
I’m dying to slide my hand beneath that pathetic slip of fabric she calls a bikini and have her climax on my fingers.
“You know you can trust me.” I recapture the space she made to brush kisses down her neck. “Share what happened so I can set your mind at ease.”
“Or have you tease me relentlessly. Have you hold it against me for the rest of my life.”
I pull back to meet her gaze, but she’s still staring across the pool.
“Hey.” I grab her chin, forcing her to look at me. “I would never use this against you. You know that, right?”
She lowers her attention to my chest.
“Do you think I wouldn’t do absolutely anything to make you feel better?” I ask. “Do you think I’m that cruel?”
“No.”
“Then trust me.”
“I do.” Her voice regains an edge of strength. “But I’m embarrassed. This is humiliating.”
“Why?” I stroke a finger along her jaw. “What happened?”
“Not a lot.”
“Obviously something did. Something substantial.”
The quiet returns. There’s nothing but the kids splashing in the distance and her staggered breaths.
“Come on, Piper.” I return my mouth to her shoulder and suck, hard.
“Goddamnit, Rome.” She shoves at my chest, but I don’t retreat. I keep my lips on her skin, her scent in my lungs. “He couldn’t make me come, okay? That’s it. That’s the whole thing.”
I freeze, unmoving, barely blinking. I bide time, pulling my thoughts together. Problem is, those fuckers are wild and rampant. Adrenaline floods my veins, my appreciation for Julian’s misgivings proving how much of a selfish prick I am. But there’s no denying it. I’m grateful that the son of a bitch couldn’t make her feel good.
“I could do what he couldn’t.” My confidence takes over. My need. “I could do it right now.”
Her goose bumps break out beneath my lips. A second later, she scoffs awkwardly.
“I’m not joking.” I kiss her shoulder again and again. Soft. Sweet. Slow. “Let me show you.”
“No.” She pulls to the side, banging her shoulder against the cage of my arm as she meets my gaze. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Why?”
“I’ve had too much to drink.” She swallows, her eyes wide. “And so have you.”
“No amount of alcohol would stop me from wanting to fix this.”
“And what exactly do you think you can fix? My dysfunctional anatomy isn’t—”
“You don’t have dysfunctional anatomy, Piper. Let me prove it.”
She shakes her head. Fast. Panicked.
“I’m not going to fuck you.” I raise a knee, my pulse loud in my ears as I guide it to her joined thighs. “I’m not even going to use my hands.”
“What are you doing?” she whispers.
“Proving him wrong.” I add pressure, gently inserting my thigh between hers.
She doesn’t protest. There’s only those wild eyes that stare at me with bewilderment. “Rome, we’re in public.”
“It doesn’t matter where we are; there’s nothing for anyone to see.” I pat the sodden edge of the pool. “I’m going to keep my hands right here. You’re going to do all the work. Nobody will know.”
“What work?” She blinks back at me, confused. “I don’t even know what you mean.”
I press my knee farther, gliding it between her legs, not stopping until her crotch straddles my thigh.
She gasps.
“You’re going to ride me.” I bury my face in her neck. Taste the saltwater on her skin. “You’re going to grind until you come.”
She shudders, continuing to shake her head, but those gentle hands rise to my shoulders and cling tight.
“That’s all it will take,” I vow. “No hands. No other body parts.” Only my lips on her skin and my dirty words in her ear.
“He might not have been able to make you feel good. But I promise I can.” I nuzzle her neck as her throat struggles over a heavy swallow. “I can do it out in the open. Without penetration. Just your sweet pussy rubbing my hard thigh.”
She sucks in another rabid breath.
I yearn to moan. To growl. My dick already throbs for her, the length bare inches from temptation. “Grind for me. Work those hips against mine to gain the friction you need.”
“I can’t.”
“Sure you can. Take advantage of all those lowered inhibitions from the liquor and show yourself that Julian doesn’t know shit about you.” Her nails pierce my shoulder, digging deep. “I want you to use me, Piper. I want to hear you come.”
“Rome…”
I nuzzle. Kiss. Graze. “Have I told you how much I love hearing my name on your lips?”
“This isn’t right.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re friends.”
“Yeah, we are.” I nod. “Best friends. It’s my job to empower you. To pick you up when you’re down.”
“Not like this.” Her voice fractures, breathy with need and panic. “People are watching.”
“Close your eyes. You won’t see them.”
Her chuckle is a lone puff of air that rushes over my neck. I could fucking come. Five pumps of a tight fist are all it would take to release twenty-plus years of pent-up obsession.
“We’re cuddling.” I drag my mouth along her jaw. “Nothing more. My hands are in plain sight. We’re both dressed. Now ride me.”
I close my eyes. Waiting. Needing. Each passing second is torturous. My desire is held hostage by her insecurities. I can’t push her any further. She has to make the last move. “Have faith in me.”
“I do,” she whimpers.
“Then move, Piper,” I beg. “Prove him wrong.”
A noise carries from the back of her throat. A keening, mournful sound.
I hold my breath. The time ticks by slower than dripping molasses until I feel it. The slightest shift. The weakest slide.
Lust shoots through me, down every limb, along every nerve. “Keep going.” My palms itch to help her. To grab her ass and drag her back and forth. “I’ve got you.”
She does it again. Another slight slide. The most imperceptible roll of hips.
“A little harder.” I match the tiny movements, inching my leg back and forth. “Faster.”
Her breathing increases. “This isn’t going to work.”
“Forget the rest of the world.” I drag my tongue along her neck until I reach her ear, then suck her lobe into my mouth. “You deserve this. You’re owed it.”
She shudders. “This is embarrassing.”
“Why? Gratification is natural. It’s fucking normal. And don’t, for one second, think you’re the only one enjoying this.”
Her movements pause as she pulls to the side, meeting my gaze with wide eyes. “You are, too?”
“You bet your finely sculpted ass I am. I’m fucking throbbing. Julian might not have found the heat in you, but you make me burn.”
She shakes her head in denial, yet her rock and grind starts again. Grows.
“Believe it. There’s never been a woman more perfectly rounded. Not in beauty. Or in intelligence. And, you best start to learn, not in fucking sexuality either. You’re a masterpiece.”
“You know me better than that.”
“It sounds like I know you better than you know yourself.” I latch my fingers against the edge of the pool, my resistance waning. I’m so fucking hungry for her. “Tell me how it feels. Describe it to me.”
She clings tighter to my shoulder. “I can’t.”
“Are your nipples hard?”
She shudders a breath. Rocks faster.
“Does your pussy beg to be filled?”
“Everything begs,” she admits. “This isn’t normal. I’ve had too much to drink.”
“You’re safe with me. Your body. Your thoughts.” I want to say her heart, too. But that’s dangerous territory and I’m not willing to risk spooking her. “Want me to tell you what I’m thinking? What I’m feeling?”
“Yes.” She nestles closer, hiding her face in my neck, her chest rubbing against mine.
“I’m thinking how easy it would be to drag your bikini bottoms aside. To bury myself deep.” I nip her skin. Claw at the cement. “I can imagine how tight you’d be. The perfect fit.”
She mewls, frustration and exhilaration etched into the sound as the water gently laps between us with her movements.
“Can you imagine that?” I’m pushing boundaries. Breaking down walls. It’s fucking dangerous territory, but I can’t stop myself. “Can you picture me inside you?”
She pants, the breaths sizzling against my skin.
“I want you to grind harder. Imagine my hands on your ass, forcefully rocking you, giving your clit the friction it needs.”
She obeys, each roll of movement stronger than the last.
“Good girl.”
She moans.
“I know you don’t like the reference, but it does things to me I won’t apologize for.” I fist her hair, dragging her head back to meet her dazed expression. “You’re my good little girl, Pip. Always have been. Always will be.”
Her eyes flare, her shock shooting through me to culminate in my dick. I’m in agony. Balls aching. Dick throbbing.
I’m so fucking hard. So deliciously fucking tempted. I can’t take it anymore.
I smash my lips to hers.
Hungered.
Devoted.
Enslaved.
The torment only intensifies when she kisses me back.
Wild.
Savage.
Unleashed.
Her hands find my hair, clinging, clawing.
I devour her tiny whimpers, my cock pulsing with each new roll of her hips.
“Keep going.” I speak against her lips. “Don’t stop. Use me.”
Her legs are a vise around mine. Her nails so deep in my skull I’m sure she’ll leave scars.
“Rome…” This time my name isn’t a warning. It’s goddamn salvation. She sucks in a sharp breath. “Rome…”
“Come for me, little Pip.” I kiss her as she comes undone, her groans caged between our pressed lips.
She grinds and rocks, those hips the most perfect torture device.
I do everything I can to restrain myself from fucking her against that wall. Because right now, she’d let me fuck her. I could be buried deep, ruining her trust in me one fast thrust at a time.
I grip tighter to the edge of the pool. I clench every muscle. Hold my breath to stop from pushing this further. Right up until the moment her movements slow.
Her pleasure recedes. Her body becomes lax.
I pull back, drowning in the sight of her as she stares wide-eyed and blinking across the pool.
She was made for me. No one can convince me otherwise.
I can’t come back from this. I can’t return to normal. To a relationship without touch. Without unbridled lust.
“I…” She swallows. Licks her lips. “I, ahh, should go...”
Fuck. “What’s the rush?”
We both know what it is—her fear, her inhibitions.
“I need to get ready for dinner.” She slides off my leg, the blush I’ve grown accustomed to bleeding through her cheeks.
“Then wait a minute and I’ll come with you.” I can’t go anywhere with a hard-on the size of a tree trunk.
“No.” She dips under my arm, snatches her cell from the pool’s edge, then wades toward the stairs. “Enjoy the water. I, umm, I’ll see you later.”
CHAPTER 9
Piper
“Piper, wait,” Rome calls after me.
Nope. Not possible.
This whole trip all I seem to be doing is running from him, yet there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
The alcohol has well and truly gone to my head. Everything is hot—my face, my limbs, my womb. Not to mention my pulse, which beats like an out-of-control freight train.
I need to get out of here.
I climb the pool stairs, stumble slightly as I lunge for the lounger to snatch a towel and my dress, then rush to get inside.
I know I’m being ridiculous. I’m only compounding my embarrassment by fleeing…but either intoxication or shock has me scooting my dumb ass the hell out of there.
I escape to our suite, find a clean dress for dinner, shut myself into the bathroom, then sink to the floor, my body still tingling with a post-orgasm high.
It isn’t until my butt is firmly planted against the tiles, my head leaning back against the door, that I realize what I’m staring at—the exact spot that put our friendship on a collision course for damnation.
What the holy heck am I doing? And why does my body love it so much?
I came easily. Without penetration. In a public pool.
That perverted fuck is rubbing off on me. And my insides won’t stop humming over it.
How is this fair? The one person who shouldn’t affect me sexually is letting off chemistry firecrackers while the rest of the male population leaves me icy.
I bury my head in my hands, my mind swaying from one too many cocktails. I succumbed to temptation too easily. I rode my best friend like a pony at a carnival while he murmured heart-palpitating filth in my ear.
This isn’t healthy. So why can’t I quit hearing those words in my head or feeling the associated stomach flips that go along with it?
“You’re stupid.” I drop my hands to my sides and press my head back against the door. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”
The suite door opens and I hold my breath as footsteps carry past my hiding space, then the television turns on.
Rome doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t ask how I’m handling the consequences of my indecent actions. All he does is provoke me with his silence.
Typical. He always knows the best way to get to me.
I drag myself to my feet, turn on the shower, and wash the loose morals off my back. I scrub my body, ignoring how it continues to tingle, how my lips refuse to quit burning.
I shunt. Hot water. Cold. Hot again. I need to make the sensations stop. I try everything to get Rome out from under my skin, but nothing works. He’s well and truly ingrained. The memory of the pool is sickeningly erotic torture.
“Piper.” He knocks on the door. “You can’t stay in there forever.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I mutter under my breath. I could if I wanted to.
