The Whole Package, page 21
He nodded. “Said she always worried her hot younger sister would one day steal her man.”
Naomi gaped up at him. “She did not.”
Reid grinned. “Oh, she did. I told her not to worry. No way was I letting you get away. Then she told me how much better I was than Tanner could ever hope to be.”
“She did?”
“Well, not in so many words. But she did say we looked good together. I extrapolated the rest.”
Naomi continued to gape at him. “Extrapolated. You actually used that in a sentence. You are so getting lucky later tonight.”
He laughed and kissed her. By the time he pulled back, he was breathing heavily. “Maybe best not to do that again. I need a few minutes to recover before we head back to the table.”
Unfortunately, Ben had started toward them. “Better recover fast or Ben will think you’re excited to see him.”
He glared at her before turning to order them both wine.
She had already mentioned how much she liked the red she’d had earlier. Reid, of course, paid attention to details. Was that because the Marine Corps had made him into a detail-oriented person? Or had he always been like that?
The more time she spent with Reid, the more she wanted to know him. To no great surprise, his charm and looks made him that much sexier. She found all of him attractive, and she didn’t think she’d ever felt that with Tanner. She’d been aware of Tanner’s flaws before, during, and for sure after their relationship.
“What’s that look?” Reid asked her as he handed her the glass of wine. Ben, fortunately, had been waylaid by several people with congratulations.
“Tell me something bad about you.”
He paused in the act of drinking. “Ah, why?”
“Because you’re charming me just by breathing, and I don’t like it.”
He grinned. “I can be crass. I sometimes forget that second i in liaison. And I hate chick flicks.”
“Hmm. I can probably work with that. I mean, forgetting the second i. That’s almost unforgiveable.”
He laughed.
That sound wound its way into her head and into her heart. Naomi took a step closer to him, uncaring that she’d started to seriously fall for this man she still didn’t know as well as she should. But she had plans to rectify that.
Tonight.
* * *
Reid hadn’t thought he’d enjoy himself so much at a fancy award function with a bunch of snooty doctors. He’d done plenty of ceremonial dinners while in the Marine Corps. But the chance to be near Naomi had been too good to pass up. And Naomi’s family cracked him up, all of them trying to outdo each other. Talk about competitive. No wonder Naomi felt like second best. Her family held pedigrees in success times twelve.
“I take after Mom,” Ben was saying as Naomi sat with her mother and sister at the table. She’d ditched him to Ben and Kyle. Girls at the table, boys at the bar.
Worked for him.
Reid would think about all Harley had told him about his girlfriend later. Right now, he put on his work face, needing to hold tight to the fact he wanted to jump for joy because Naomi was into him. Like, really into him.
Fuck, he’d finally done something right. His mother had died without seeming to give two shits about him. Yet a woman he felt for felt something back.
“How exactly do you take after your mom?” he asked Ben.
Kyle snorted. “Try not to be overwhelmed. Kim’s a surgeon at St. Mary’s in Walla Walla. I’m sorry, she’s head surgeon.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” Ben smiled. “She’s the reason I got into medicine.”
“So we have a doctor. Naomi mentioned your brother is a lawyer?” Reid asked.
Ben nodded.
“Harley is a big business type. What about your dad?”
“Corporate lawyer. Big money.” Kyle shook his head.
“Wait. So what do you do?” Reid started to feel ill. Sure, Naomi had mentioned her amazing family. But he hadn’t realized he fell far short of the mark in comparison. Not that money should make a difference, but when it came to collars, he fell on the blue side, not the white, no matter what the guys at work thought.
“I’m a nobody.” Kyle smiled. “And I’m fine with that.”
Ben snorted. “Don’t let him fool you. Kyle owns a small tech firm that’s designed some apps you might have heard of.” He rattled off some of the more popular games even Reid had tinkered with on his phone.
“No shit?”
“Well, I can’t take all the credit. My nephew started me doing it. I was really into coding and computers as a kid. Kind of nerdy.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Reid did his best to shake off feelings of insecurity. Hell, he’d been in Cash’s shadow most of his life. He’d learned to deal. So what that these guys had money?
Ben laughed, and Kyle made an impressive muscle before downing a beer.
“So what about you?” Ben asked. “My little sister’s been pretty closemouthed about you. And I have to wonder why.”
Ah. The big brother talk. He’d seen plenty of friends make the same speech to others interested in their sisters, but he’d never been up close and personal with one. Reid grinned. “If I tell you I’m actually married with seventeen kids and several outstanding arrest warrants, will we get into a fight right here, right now?”
Ben wasn’t a big guy, but he clearly had some muscle. Reid could take him down with one, maybe two blows. Kyle would be easy. One thing that had never left him from his time in the Marines was the ability to detect physical weakness. Reid had been a hand-to-hand wonder during training, his skill with a sniper rifle near unbeatable. Of course, none of that was taking into consideration getting sucker punched by fake victims.
Now he was more aware. He continued to exercise, though he’d let his weapons training lapse.
Ben, though, wouldn’t want to damage his skilled hands.
Ben snorted. “You and my sister clearly belong together. You’re as warped as she is. Come on, Reid. Let me do my job.”
“Let him do his job,” Kyle parroted. At Ben’s look, he shrugged. “Hey, you did it to me. Now I get to sit back and watch some new guy get the Dr. Ben glare.”
“Shut up.”
Reid laughed. “Sure, whatever you want to know. Just don’t frown so hard at me. It’s lethal.”
“You shut up too. Well, I mean after you answer my questions. Now talk, Griffith. Tell me your life story.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest, clad in a suit that had to have cost a pretty penny.
“It’s no secret. I spent fourteen years in the Marine Corps. Did my time, liked it, but decided to get out to help my family. Dad and Mom are dead.” He suppressed the pang that came with his mother’s mention. “It’s just me and my older brother. We own Vets on the Go!, a local moving company. That’s how I met your sister. She helped me out with some business advice, then we hooked up. I mean, she’s hot…er, super smart and pretty.” He noted Kyle biting back a grin. Ben nodded to keep him talking. “I like her a lot. She likes me. Period.”
“So no kids, wives, or ex-girlfriends in the wings?” The guy seemed a lot more concerned with Reid’s personal life than his career.
“Ah, no.” Reid frowned. “Has she had trouble with that before?”
“No, but that’s because Pete or I scope out all her dates. Or we used to when she was younger, before she moved out here. I live in the same town and barely see her anymore.” He sighed. “But she was smart to move. More to get out from under Mom’s thumb than anything else, I think. My mother tends to be a little controlling.”
Reid chuckled. “Must be where your sister gets it.”
Ben nodded. “I know! She acts like she’s so easy to get along with. Let me tell you, you think I’m bad? You should have seen Naomi when I started dating Donna. Girl was all over my wife with questions.” Ben smiled. “Had to make sure Donna was good enough for her big brother. She can say it all she wants, as I’m sure she’s told you we’re so intimidating.” He huffed. “Please. It’s really the girls who are the problem in our family. Mom, Harley, and Naomi can be too assertive for their own good sometimes.”
“You got that right,” Kyle muttered. “So, ah, what did you do in the Marines? Or can’t you talk about it? Is it classified?” he teased.
Some of his work had been. Reid shrugged. “Not really. I was in a recon unit. We used to gather intelligence for the data dinks to go over.” He gave Kyle a once-over. “Guys like you.”
Ben laughed. Kyle gave him a sour smile. “Funny.”
“Hey, everyone has a job to do, and we know how to delegate.”
“So you shot guns? Like, in combat situations?” Kyle asked.
“Kyle.” Ben frowned. “He might not want to talk about it.”
Unlike many of his comrades-in-arms, Reid had come out of his time in service with a healthy attitude about what he’d done. He had no problem with his missions. Then again, his had been clear-cut. He’d been fortunate not to get dropped in the zones with civilian combatants in live fire. No, his teams had gone behind enemy lines but been very specific about verified targets.
“I can tell you that I can shoot pretty accurately. And I hit the gym a lot, so don’t even think of going toe to toe with me in a ring.” He held up a fist. “But I’d never hurt you, Kyle. Because I love Doodler Do way too much.” One of his favorite games on his phone. “Ben, I know other doctors. Your future is up in the air.”
Ben flipped him off, and Reid had to laugh. They continued to give one another a hard time until Kim signaled for them to return to the table.
“Uh-oh. Her majesty, the queen, wants us back.” Ben waved.
“Poor Harley. I should have gone back to save her earlier.” Funny, but Kyle didn’t look sorry.
“She’s fine. It’s Naomi you should worry about,” Reid said, defending his girlfriend. “She looks nervous surrounded by all those blood-thirsty Starrs.”
“Whatever.” Ben shook his head. “You poor fool. She’s the worst one.”
Which made Reid more than curious to see exactly how lucky he’d get tonight. What had Harley said about him?
For that matter, why was her mother scowling at him?
Chapter 18
Once back at his house, because Naomi refused to go back to hers, he let out the laughter he’d been holding inside. He sat on the couch while his fierce redhead paced in front of him like an angry tiger.
Naomi snarled, “Why the hell did you tell my sister you were falling in love with me?”
That had not been one of his smarter moments. But he’d been watching Naomi laugh, and Harley had caught him looking all swoony, so yeah, he’d admitted the truth. It had felt good, natural, to want a woman’s love in a non-dysfunctional way. Almost a “take that” kind of gesture to his absent mother.
Hmm. Maybe he wasn’t handling her passing as well as he’d thought…
“Reid, focus.” She glared down at him, that gown on her absolutely stunning. Naomi wore a blue, silky dress that bared her arms and came to the middle of her calves. It hugged her figure in all the right ways, revealing a mouthwatering view of her décolletage.
He blinked up at her and gave her a lazy grin. “You look incensed, sweetheart. And yes, I can spell that. Aren’t you proud of me?”
“Now they think we’re way more serious than we are.” She looked pissed. No, she looked worried. What the hell was that about?
Reid shifted on the couch. “Hey, you wanted me to fit in. I had to make it look like we were serious, because Harley asked a lot of questions.”
Naomi paused. “Like what?”
“Like how we met, what did I know about you, did I think I could ever feel for you the way she and Kyle felt for each other… That kind of stuff.”
“She did?” Now Naomi looked horrified. She sat next to him, baring a bit of leg. Nice. “I’m so sorry. She was way out of line.”
“I don’t know. It was nice of her to look out for you. I didn’t mind.”
“She’s always doing things like that.” Naomi sighed. “You were so great tonight. I don’t even know why I’m mad.” She swallowed.
He stifled a groan, suddenly aroused.
“Because you know it gets me hot.” He grabbed her and settled her over his lap, her knees braced on either side of his thighs.
“Reid.” She blushed and looked around. “What if Cash comes back?”
“He won’t until much later. He’s out with the crew tonight.” He ran his hands up her thighs, bunching the material. Her skin felt silkier than the dress, and he wanted to taste her everywhere.
She put her hands on his shoulders, and the movement emphasized her breasts. The thought of burying his face between them turned him to steel.
“Reid, I have to ask you something.”
He didn’t like her worried tone. “Sure, what?” He kept stroking her legs, needing her to sit down on him. His cock ached, so hard it hurt.
“Did I push you into something you don’t want? Asking you for more than a fake relationship when you were vulnerable wasn’t ri—”
He cut her off with a kiss, so in lust with the damn woman, it wasn’t funny. He hadn’t intended to but lost himself to feeling and ground her over him, leaving her no doubt to his feelings. When the need for air outweighed the need for Naomi’s mouth, he pulled away, gasping. “That a good enough answer for you?”
She stared down at him, her eyes like a tropical sea, her mouth red and slick from their kiss. “I did say you were getting lucky tonight…”
“How lucky?” He decided to push. God, he had to. He needed… He didn’t know what he needed, but he knew what he wanted. “Naomi, I’m clean.” He paused. “Are you protected?”
She stilled. “I am.” She stroked his neck, knowing how much he loved that. It turned him on like crazy. “And I know I can trust you.”
“I’d never, ever do anything to hurt you. I told you before, I haven’t been with anyone in a long time. And I always use protection. I’m clean, but unless you’re on something, I could get you pregnant.”
“If you always use protection, why not use it with me again?” She watched him, and he felt so much, he didn’t know what to think.
“I don’t know. You’re different.” His heart threatened to pound out of his chest. “Fuck. Look. I shouldn’t pressure you, but I want to come inside you so bad.” Understatement of his fucking life. “I have condoms though. We can—”
This time, she interrupted him by kissing him. So lost in her kiss, he hadn’t realized she’d freed him from his pants until her hot little hand wrapped around his dick.
“Shit. Oh yeah,” he groaned as she started pumping him. “Hell, Naomi. Slow down, or I’ll come too soon.”
“Not yet.” She let him go, then reached between them to pull her panties aside. “In me, Reid. Or have you changed your mind?” She arched a brow, a sassy look on her face.
He dragged her down for a kiss while angling himself at her hot, wet entrance. He thrust up just as she plunged down, and the electric feel of her body gloving his was as close to heaven as he’d ever come.
She moaned into his mouth, kissing him back with hunger.
He cupped her ass, moving her up and down, needing to slow down yet unable to stop, overloaded with sensation.
She pulled from his mouth and planted kisses on his cheek, his jaw. “You’re so big,” she hissed into his ear before nibbling his earlobe.
He was too close, and he knew it. “Gonna come too soon…”
She grabbed his hand and put it between her legs, rubbing her clit through her panties. “Me too.” Naomi watched him as he fingered her to a quick climax. The sight of her in the throes of orgasm shattered his already loose control, and he pumped up twice more before coming.
The release destroyed him, and he flooded her as endorphins sent him somewhere else entirely. The scent of her perfume clung to him, the heady smell of Naomi and sex and affection grounding him.
“All in me, Reid,” she whispered and moved over him, causing him to tremble.
He jerked again, apparently not done. Fucking A.
She kissed her way down his neck, sucking hard at his throat.
He could only sit there, hers to play with, as he finally finished. He hadn’t engaged in unprotected sex but twice in all his years, and he knew it wasn’t the lack of a prophylactic that made it so damn good. Naomi embodied every one of his fantasies, her body just a small part of what made her perfect for him.
“Not that I didn’t lose my mind, but we need to move before things get messy,” she said on a breath.
He laughed, then groaned. “Oh, that’s not good. I’m falling out.”
“Not yet.” She left him on a shriek and raced down the hall toward the bathroom.
Reid lay there, so satisfied yet hungry for more of Naomi. He stared at his limp cock and gave it a thumbs-up. “You did good, buddy.”
“What?” she asked from the bathroom.
He felt drunk. Must be if I’m talking to my dick. Reid shook his head, then stood and took off his shoes and socks. He shrugged out of his jacket and shirt, then said to hell with it and walked out of his pants and underwear.
“We’re far from done,” he said, his eyes wide when he saw her nude in the bathroom. “You look like a goddess.” Not just flattering her but speaking the truth.
“Aw, and you already had me. You must be wanting more.”
He grinned, loving this playful side of her. Hell, I’m such a dip. I love every side of her.
It was too soon, too weird, too scary. But there it was.
She frowned. “Are you okay?”
“How the hell can you ask me that when I haven’t had a chance to go down on you? Now who’s an idiot?” he growled.
She lost her uncertainty, her smile like a wash of sunshine that kept him warm. Close. Safe. A strange thought to have, but with Naomi, Reid belonged.
Naomi gaped up at him. “She did not.”
Reid grinned. “Oh, she did. I told her not to worry. No way was I letting you get away. Then she told me how much better I was than Tanner could ever hope to be.”
“She did?”
“Well, not in so many words. But she did say we looked good together. I extrapolated the rest.”
Naomi continued to gape at him. “Extrapolated. You actually used that in a sentence. You are so getting lucky later tonight.”
He laughed and kissed her. By the time he pulled back, he was breathing heavily. “Maybe best not to do that again. I need a few minutes to recover before we head back to the table.”
Unfortunately, Ben had started toward them. “Better recover fast or Ben will think you’re excited to see him.”
He glared at her before turning to order them both wine.
She had already mentioned how much she liked the red she’d had earlier. Reid, of course, paid attention to details. Was that because the Marine Corps had made him into a detail-oriented person? Or had he always been like that?
The more time she spent with Reid, the more she wanted to know him. To no great surprise, his charm and looks made him that much sexier. She found all of him attractive, and she didn’t think she’d ever felt that with Tanner. She’d been aware of Tanner’s flaws before, during, and for sure after their relationship.
“What’s that look?” Reid asked her as he handed her the glass of wine. Ben, fortunately, had been waylaid by several people with congratulations.
“Tell me something bad about you.”
He paused in the act of drinking. “Ah, why?”
“Because you’re charming me just by breathing, and I don’t like it.”
He grinned. “I can be crass. I sometimes forget that second i in liaison. And I hate chick flicks.”
“Hmm. I can probably work with that. I mean, forgetting the second i. That’s almost unforgiveable.”
He laughed.
That sound wound its way into her head and into her heart. Naomi took a step closer to him, uncaring that she’d started to seriously fall for this man she still didn’t know as well as she should. But she had plans to rectify that.
Tonight.
* * *
Reid hadn’t thought he’d enjoy himself so much at a fancy award function with a bunch of snooty doctors. He’d done plenty of ceremonial dinners while in the Marine Corps. But the chance to be near Naomi had been too good to pass up. And Naomi’s family cracked him up, all of them trying to outdo each other. Talk about competitive. No wonder Naomi felt like second best. Her family held pedigrees in success times twelve.
“I take after Mom,” Ben was saying as Naomi sat with her mother and sister at the table. She’d ditched him to Ben and Kyle. Girls at the table, boys at the bar.
Worked for him.
Reid would think about all Harley had told him about his girlfriend later. Right now, he put on his work face, needing to hold tight to the fact he wanted to jump for joy because Naomi was into him. Like, really into him.
Fuck, he’d finally done something right. His mother had died without seeming to give two shits about him. Yet a woman he felt for felt something back.
“How exactly do you take after your mom?” he asked Ben.
Kyle snorted. “Try not to be overwhelmed. Kim’s a surgeon at St. Mary’s in Walla Walla. I’m sorry, she’s head surgeon.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” Ben smiled. “She’s the reason I got into medicine.”
“So we have a doctor. Naomi mentioned your brother is a lawyer?” Reid asked.
Ben nodded.
“Harley is a big business type. What about your dad?”
“Corporate lawyer. Big money.” Kyle shook his head.
“Wait. So what do you do?” Reid started to feel ill. Sure, Naomi had mentioned her amazing family. But he hadn’t realized he fell far short of the mark in comparison. Not that money should make a difference, but when it came to collars, he fell on the blue side, not the white, no matter what the guys at work thought.
“I’m a nobody.” Kyle smiled. “And I’m fine with that.”
Ben snorted. “Don’t let him fool you. Kyle owns a small tech firm that’s designed some apps you might have heard of.” He rattled off some of the more popular games even Reid had tinkered with on his phone.
“No shit?”
“Well, I can’t take all the credit. My nephew started me doing it. I was really into coding and computers as a kid. Kind of nerdy.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Reid did his best to shake off feelings of insecurity. Hell, he’d been in Cash’s shadow most of his life. He’d learned to deal. So what that these guys had money?
Ben laughed, and Kyle made an impressive muscle before downing a beer.
“So what about you?” Ben asked. “My little sister’s been pretty closemouthed about you. And I have to wonder why.”
Ah. The big brother talk. He’d seen plenty of friends make the same speech to others interested in their sisters, but he’d never been up close and personal with one. Reid grinned. “If I tell you I’m actually married with seventeen kids and several outstanding arrest warrants, will we get into a fight right here, right now?”
Ben wasn’t a big guy, but he clearly had some muscle. Reid could take him down with one, maybe two blows. Kyle would be easy. One thing that had never left him from his time in the Marines was the ability to detect physical weakness. Reid had been a hand-to-hand wonder during training, his skill with a sniper rifle near unbeatable. Of course, none of that was taking into consideration getting sucker punched by fake victims.
Now he was more aware. He continued to exercise, though he’d let his weapons training lapse.
Ben, though, wouldn’t want to damage his skilled hands.
Ben snorted. “You and my sister clearly belong together. You’re as warped as she is. Come on, Reid. Let me do my job.”
“Let him do his job,” Kyle parroted. At Ben’s look, he shrugged. “Hey, you did it to me. Now I get to sit back and watch some new guy get the Dr. Ben glare.”
“Shut up.”
Reid laughed. “Sure, whatever you want to know. Just don’t frown so hard at me. It’s lethal.”
“You shut up too. Well, I mean after you answer my questions. Now talk, Griffith. Tell me your life story.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest, clad in a suit that had to have cost a pretty penny.
“It’s no secret. I spent fourteen years in the Marine Corps. Did my time, liked it, but decided to get out to help my family. Dad and Mom are dead.” He suppressed the pang that came with his mother’s mention. “It’s just me and my older brother. We own Vets on the Go!, a local moving company. That’s how I met your sister. She helped me out with some business advice, then we hooked up. I mean, she’s hot…er, super smart and pretty.” He noted Kyle biting back a grin. Ben nodded to keep him talking. “I like her a lot. She likes me. Period.”
“So no kids, wives, or ex-girlfriends in the wings?” The guy seemed a lot more concerned with Reid’s personal life than his career.
“Ah, no.” Reid frowned. “Has she had trouble with that before?”
“No, but that’s because Pete or I scope out all her dates. Or we used to when she was younger, before she moved out here. I live in the same town and barely see her anymore.” He sighed. “But she was smart to move. More to get out from under Mom’s thumb than anything else, I think. My mother tends to be a little controlling.”
Reid chuckled. “Must be where your sister gets it.”
Ben nodded. “I know! She acts like she’s so easy to get along with. Let me tell you, you think I’m bad? You should have seen Naomi when I started dating Donna. Girl was all over my wife with questions.” Ben smiled. “Had to make sure Donna was good enough for her big brother. She can say it all she wants, as I’m sure she’s told you we’re so intimidating.” He huffed. “Please. It’s really the girls who are the problem in our family. Mom, Harley, and Naomi can be too assertive for their own good sometimes.”
“You got that right,” Kyle muttered. “So, ah, what did you do in the Marines? Or can’t you talk about it? Is it classified?” he teased.
Some of his work had been. Reid shrugged. “Not really. I was in a recon unit. We used to gather intelligence for the data dinks to go over.” He gave Kyle a once-over. “Guys like you.”
Ben laughed. Kyle gave him a sour smile. “Funny.”
“Hey, everyone has a job to do, and we know how to delegate.”
“So you shot guns? Like, in combat situations?” Kyle asked.
“Kyle.” Ben frowned. “He might not want to talk about it.”
Unlike many of his comrades-in-arms, Reid had come out of his time in service with a healthy attitude about what he’d done. He had no problem with his missions. Then again, his had been clear-cut. He’d been fortunate not to get dropped in the zones with civilian combatants in live fire. No, his teams had gone behind enemy lines but been very specific about verified targets.
“I can tell you that I can shoot pretty accurately. And I hit the gym a lot, so don’t even think of going toe to toe with me in a ring.” He held up a fist. “But I’d never hurt you, Kyle. Because I love Doodler Do way too much.” One of his favorite games on his phone. “Ben, I know other doctors. Your future is up in the air.”
Ben flipped him off, and Reid had to laugh. They continued to give one another a hard time until Kim signaled for them to return to the table.
“Uh-oh. Her majesty, the queen, wants us back.” Ben waved.
“Poor Harley. I should have gone back to save her earlier.” Funny, but Kyle didn’t look sorry.
“She’s fine. It’s Naomi you should worry about,” Reid said, defending his girlfriend. “She looks nervous surrounded by all those blood-thirsty Starrs.”
“Whatever.” Ben shook his head. “You poor fool. She’s the worst one.”
Which made Reid more than curious to see exactly how lucky he’d get tonight. What had Harley said about him?
For that matter, why was her mother scowling at him?
Chapter 18
Once back at his house, because Naomi refused to go back to hers, he let out the laughter he’d been holding inside. He sat on the couch while his fierce redhead paced in front of him like an angry tiger.
Naomi snarled, “Why the hell did you tell my sister you were falling in love with me?”
That had not been one of his smarter moments. But he’d been watching Naomi laugh, and Harley had caught him looking all swoony, so yeah, he’d admitted the truth. It had felt good, natural, to want a woman’s love in a non-dysfunctional way. Almost a “take that” kind of gesture to his absent mother.
Hmm. Maybe he wasn’t handling her passing as well as he’d thought…
“Reid, focus.” She glared down at him, that gown on her absolutely stunning. Naomi wore a blue, silky dress that bared her arms and came to the middle of her calves. It hugged her figure in all the right ways, revealing a mouthwatering view of her décolletage.
He blinked up at her and gave her a lazy grin. “You look incensed, sweetheart. And yes, I can spell that. Aren’t you proud of me?”
“Now they think we’re way more serious than we are.” She looked pissed. No, she looked worried. What the hell was that about?
Reid shifted on the couch. “Hey, you wanted me to fit in. I had to make it look like we were serious, because Harley asked a lot of questions.”
Naomi paused. “Like what?”
“Like how we met, what did I know about you, did I think I could ever feel for you the way she and Kyle felt for each other… That kind of stuff.”
“She did?” Now Naomi looked horrified. She sat next to him, baring a bit of leg. Nice. “I’m so sorry. She was way out of line.”
“I don’t know. It was nice of her to look out for you. I didn’t mind.”
“She’s always doing things like that.” Naomi sighed. “You were so great tonight. I don’t even know why I’m mad.” She swallowed.
He stifled a groan, suddenly aroused.
“Because you know it gets me hot.” He grabbed her and settled her over his lap, her knees braced on either side of his thighs.
“Reid.” She blushed and looked around. “What if Cash comes back?”
“He won’t until much later. He’s out with the crew tonight.” He ran his hands up her thighs, bunching the material. Her skin felt silkier than the dress, and he wanted to taste her everywhere.
She put her hands on his shoulders, and the movement emphasized her breasts. The thought of burying his face between them turned him to steel.
“Reid, I have to ask you something.”
He didn’t like her worried tone. “Sure, what?” He kept stroking her legs, needing her to sit down on him. His cock ached, so hard it hurt.
“Did I push you into something you don’t want? Asking you for more than a fake relationship when you were vulnerable wasn’t ri—”
He cut her off with a kiss, so in lust with the damn woman, it wasn’t funny. He hadn’t intended to but lost himself to feeling and ground her over him, leaving her no doubt to his feelings. When the need for air outweighed the need for Naomi’s mouth, he pulled away, gasping. “That a good enough answer for you?”
She stared down at him, her eyes like a tropical sea, her mouth red and slick from their kiss. “I did say you were getting lucky tonight…”
“How lucky?” He decided to push. God, he had to. He needed… He didn’t know what he needed, but he knew what he wanted. “Naomi, I’m clean.” He paused. “Are you protected?”
She stilled. “I am.” She stroked his neck, knowing how much he loved that. It turned him on like crazy. “And I know I can trust you.”
“I’d never, ever do anything to hurt you. I told you before, I haven’t been with anyone in a long time. And I always use protection. I’m clean, but unless you’re on something, I could get you pregnant.”
“If you always use protection, why not use it with me again?” She watched him, and he felt so much, he didn’t know what to think.
“I don’t know. You’re different.” His heart threatened to pound out of his chest. “Fuck. Look. I shouldn’t pressure you, but I want to come inside you so bad.” Understatement of his fucking life. “I have condoms though. We can—”
This time, she interrupted him by kissing him. So lost in her kiss, he hadn’t realized she’d freed him from his pants until her hot little hand wrapped around his dick.
“Shit. Oh yeah,” he groaned as she started pumping him. “Hell, Naomi. Slow down, or I’ll come too soon.”
“Not yet.” She let him go, then reached between them to pull her panties aside. “In me, Reid. Or have you changed your mind?” She arched a brow, a sassy look on her face.
He dragged her down for a kiss while angling himself at her hot, wet entrance. He thrust up just as she plunged down, and the electric feel of her body gloving his was as close to heaven as he’d ever come.
She moaned into his mouth, kissing him back with hunger.
He cupped her ass, moving her up and down, needing to slow down yet unable to stop, overloaded with sensation.
She pulled from his mouth and planted kisses on his cheek, his jaw. “You’re so big,” she hissed into his ear before nibbling his earlobe.
He was too close, and he knew it. “Gonna come too soon…”
She grabbed his hand and put it between her legs, rubbing her clit through her panties. “Me too.” Naomi watched him as he fingered her to a quick climax. The sight of her in the throes of orgasm shattered his already loose control, and he pumped up twice more before coming.
The release destroyed him, and he flooded her as endorphins sent him somewhere else entirely. The scent of her perfume clung to him, the heady smell of Naomi and sex and affection grounding him.
“All in me, Reid,” she whispered and moved over him, causing him to tremble.
He jerked again, apparently not done. Fucking A.
She kissed her way down his neck, sucking hard at his throat.
He could only sit there, hers to play with, as he finally finished. He hadn’t engaged in unprotected sex but twice in all his years, and he knew it wasn’t the lack of a prophylactic that made it so damn good. Naomi embodied every one of his fantasies, her body just a small part of what made her perfect for him.
“Not that I didn’t lose my mind, but we need to move before things get messy,” she said on a breath.
He laughed, then groaned. “Oh, that’s not good. I’m falling out.”
“Not yet.” She left him on a shriek and raced down the hall toward the bathroom.
Reid lay there, so satisfied yet hungry for more of Naomi. He stared at his limp cock and gave it a thumbs-up. “You did good, buddy.”
“What?” she asked from the bathroom.
He felt drunk. Must be if I’m talking to my dick. Reid shook his head, then stood and took off his shoes and socks. He shrugged out of his jacket and shirt, then said to hell with it and walked out of his pants and underwear.
“We’re far from done,” he said, his eyes wide when he saw her nude in the bathroom. “You look like a goddess.” Not just flattering her but speaking the truth.
“Aw, and you already had me. You must be wanting more.”
He grinned, loving this playful side of her. Hell, I’m such a dip. I love every side of her.
It was too soon, too weird, too scary. But there it was.
She frowned. “Are you okay?”
“How the hell can you ask me that when I haven’t had a chance to go down on you? Now who’s an idiot?” he growled.
She lost her uncertainty, her smile like a wash of sunshine that kept him warm. Close. Safe. A strange thought to have, but with Naomi, Reid belonged.
