“See you tomorrow. And don’t be late.” Kellan might be saying the words to me, but I’m not the one he’s referring to. Troy and Lucas have a habit of being late on Saturday mornings, because they’re fucking their girlfriend or wife right before they head out to the Warriors property.
“Okay.” My mouth slides into a smirk, acknowledging that of course I won’t be late; I’m not Lucas or Troy.
I walk to Zara’s apartment in record time and knock on her door. It opens, revealing the woman who’s been on my mind all evening. I step into the apartment, closing the door behind me with a soft click.
And then my mouth is on Zara’s.
It was torture sitting next to her during Game Night, unable to touch her. But now, with everyone else gone, I no longer have to restrain myself.
I deepen the kiss, but it’s not enough. I grab the back of her thighs and hoist her up. Her legs wrap around my hips, and I push her against the wall. I rock into her, my cock getting the wrong idea. It hardens in my jeans.
Zara lets out a shuddering moan. “My bedroom,” she murmurs on my lips.
I don’t bother to reply, my thoughts focused on how much I want to taste her. On how much I want to hear her cry out my name.
I walk toward her room, our mouths busy making up for lost time. Making up for the long stretch tonight when I just wanted to touch her, kiss her, but couldn’t because my brothers and our friends were here.
I lower her onto the bed. Her skin softly glows in the light spilling into the room from the hallway. Christ, she’s fucking gorgeous. A goddess. A siren. Luring me willingly to my demise. Her subtle jasmine scent is the last nail in my coffin, the one I’ll happily hammer in myself for the chance to taste her.
I brush my thumb across her nipple, hidden under her T-shirt and bra. She shudders beneath my touch, her inhale a whispered gasp.
“Can I?” I lift the hem of her T-shirt enough to reveal a thin strip of her golden-brown stomach, enough so she knows what I’m really asking.
She nods, her lips parted, her eyes dark with want, and I tug the fabric up the rest of the way.
I help her remove the top. Then I peel off the rest of her clothes, waiting for her permission with each one until she’s sitting on her bed in only her violet lace bra and panties.
I stand motionless for a beat, barely able to draw oxygen into my lungs, my gaze worshiping every part of her.
She lifts an eyebrow and gestures to my body. “Are you forgetting something?” The corner of her mouth curls up. “I’m not the only one who is gonna be naked here. You said ‘next time’ I’d get to see you.”
She pushes the button of my jeans through the hole. Her fingers brush the hard length pressing almost painfully into the denim, and I suck in a sharp breath. “Oh, and I bought a box of condoms this afternoon.They’re in the drawer. If you’re interested…” She points to the bedside table. “If you want to have sex with me.” Her voice is low and smoky, a sweet dab of honey mixed into a cock-arousing elixir. “Because…because I want to have sex with you.”
Fuuuuuuck.
“Are you sure?” Because, damn, while I crave to be wrapped in her, to be snug in her tight heat, I need to make sure it won’t affect our friendship. Ensure she also definitely wants what she’s offering.
“I’m sure. I know when we agreed to our kissing arrangement, I said no sex. But that was before…”
“Before you found out one of the benefits of orgasms?”
Her mouth curves into a huge-ass grin. “Exactly.”
We quickly shed our clothes until we’re standing in nothing but glorious nakedness. All I’m capable of is staring at my best friend, the ability to speak gone.
Zara’s gaze is a mirror of mine, taking in my body the same way I’m perusing hers. Her eyes linger on my tattoos and the scars that war has left behind. Scars I’ve never told her about. That I’ve never told anyone about, other than those in the military with the necessary clearance.
I’ve always thought she was beautiful, but seeing her like this, like a bronzed goddess from one of the African myths she loved as a kid, is too much. I’m almost afraid to touch her in case she vanishes, like smoke on a breeze.
Afraid of somehow messing this all up.
I skim trembling fingers on the silky skin of her shoulder and down her arms to her breasts. Her sultry, rose-brown nipples beckon for my touch, and a groan slips out from deep in my chest.
Christ, I want to explore every part of her body, learn her through and through. Know what sounds she makes when she’s close to coming with me inside her. What sounds she makes when she falls apart. I want to see what pushes her to the edge, what makes her whimper, gasp, call out my name. What makes her shatter in my arms.
I want to know everything.
I lean down and tease a taut nipple with the tip of my tongue, circle it, draw it into my mouth, suck on it hard.
