Interference st michaels.., p.25
Interference: (St. Michaels Duet #1), page 25
I’d started the night looking for trouble. A new version, because the old kind might never come back to me.
This night had been my chance to take the reins, to emerge from the shadows. In part, I had. I could see it now. My misbegotten patience. The games. The settling for a back seat. I’d waited too long for something I should have just gone out and taken back.
I didn’t need to go find trouble.
I had it right here.
Inside myself.
It had been sitting there all along, begging me to unleash it.
With calm resolve, I lifted my shoulders up and down, so the blouse could slide down my arms and pool at my feet, a puddle of black silk and pride. Thin white lace was all that covered my chest.
I’d made a vow to myself as soon as I cashed my first paycheck from the marina. I’d promised myself, if this day ever came, I would give good old Whitney a run for her money.
I realized now why Victoria’s Secret was so pricey. They sold nylon and confidence.
Gone was the little girl who thought of herself as an ugly duck. I stood there, bare, feeling sexy and empowered, turning myself into the match.
The power of certainty forced the edges of my mouth into an upturned smile. I let my fingers reach behind my back, working to unhook the clasp.
“Ash . . .” Brayden stepped toward me, his voice clouded by apprehension. He inhaled sharply and then held his breath.
I looked up into his eyes, finally brave enough to accept their intentions. I could do this. Expose my body and my desire and take whatever came with them.
If he was going to reject me once more, I would live through it. I felt sure of that now, too. I would pick myself up and walk out. I’d be strong enough to sew my heart back together and never walk back in. It would end us. I knew that as well.
I was done with halfway. Done with every interference standing in our path.
My resolve crystallized.
Now or never.
I slowly coaxed both straps down off my shoulders and then pulled to let the frilly garment fall away.
“Holy shit.” Brayden stared, transfixed, as if he’d never laid eyes on a pair of naked boobs before. He stepped forward until he stood only inches away from me. “Even better than all my daydreams,” he murmured.
He tipped my chin up, forcing my eyes to meet his. “I should be strong right now. But, God, you’ve been driving me crazy. All fucking summer. I thought I was gonna lose my mind. Those goddamn bikinis you wear at work. These short fuck-me skirts with your legs hanging out all over the place. The tight shirts with these perfect tits peeking out.”
One hand reached out and cupped my right breast, testing its weight, tracing the contour around the side. His thumb grazed over my nipple, making it tighten and pebble from the touch.
He shook his head. “This is the prettiest shade of pink I’ve ever seen.”
His other hand joined in, molding to me so both his palms covered and squeezed me.
Watching his hands carefully explore me was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen. My creamy flesh was plumped up and spilling out against his darker skin. He moved in slow motion, so unlike the rush we’d been in before. He was taking his time. Treasuring me.
When his thumbs slowly slid across both my nipples at once, places that already tingled started to throb.
I pressed my head back to the wall and shut my eyes. “Oh God, Brayden. Please . . .”
I didn’t even know what I was asking for.
He did.
He replaced a thumb with his mouth. Hot, wet sin. Unlike anything I’d ever known. I was in unchartered water, on one of those mystery boats sailing out to find happiness.
I started making noises I knew nothing about.
“How could you ever doubt how much I want you?” he asked, pulling his head up to stare into my eyes. “How could you not know? How could you not see that all I want . . . Soot . . .”
“Tell me. Please. Don’t cut yourself off and walk away from me. Talk to me. You’re always begging me to stay, but you’re the one who runs. Don’t leave me tonight.” I placed my hands on top of his, molding them back to my breasts.
He lightly kissed me, his lips barely grazing mine. They brushed back and forth, trailing around the edges. He pulled back enough to press his forehead down to mine.
“You think I don’t want to give in to this? All I dream about, all the time, is telling the whole world to fuck off, so I can finally be with you.” The pad of his thumb sketched across my bruised bottom lip. “That shit I said to you at the last party was the truth. That was me talking. Not the booze and the weed. I fucking crave you. You’re all I want. You always have been. I just . . . don’t think I’m good enough to deserve you yet. I’m trying to be. Christ, I’m trying, baby girl. To be good enough to earn all our dreams. To be good enough so you’ll never leave.”
He leaned forward and trailed kisses down the side of my neck till he reached my ear. “But how could you not know that what I dream about every night is being able to bury myself deep inside you and never come up for air?”
I gasped and whispered his name before desperately pulling the back of his head, forcing his mouth down onto mine. He grabbed my ass again, lifting me up, so far this time that I had to wrap my legs around his waist because my feet couldn’t touch the floor. He thrust against me while using one hand to push my skirt up so it bunched around my middle. His hands met my lace-covered bottom, squeezing until they surely left a mark.
He groaned painfully. “God help me. I don’t know if I can stop.”
“I don’t want you to. I want to feel good, Brayden. Make me feel good.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.” His breath came out in panting, short gasps.
“Yes, I do,” I replied emphatically.
I ground my hips forward, sliding the crotch of my panties over the hard bulge in his jeans. We both moaned in unison.
“All that stuff you said that night on the deck. That’s the trouble I want, Brayden. Please.”
He paused. Long enough for us to share a handful of ragged breaths.
“You’re sure?”
I nodded my head.
He quickly spun me around, carrying me toward the bed. He gently laid me down and then hovered over me.
“If you tell me to stop, I will. You understand?” he murmured against my lips.
I pushed back on his chest a little, so I could see his face. I met his eyes with another certain nod and smile.
With adept speed, his fingers unsnapped the button at the top of my skirt. In one motion, he yanked it down my legs. He propped himself up, so he could stare at me lying there in nothing but creamy skin and a scrap of white lace. One finger skimmed up my leg, across my hip and belly. He made a figure eight around my breasts and came to rest on my bottom lip.
“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless.
“Memorizing you.”
I tried to suck back in some of the air his answer knocked out of me.
“In case I wake up and this isn’t real again. I want to remember this forever.”
His hand slid back down until he cupped my mound through my panties. My back involuntarily bowed up off the bed. I moaned—a drawn-out, primal kind of sound I didn’t even recognize. He sank down onto the bed next to me as he used two fingers to rub my clit. Back and forth, whispering across it, so slowly I had to squeeze my thighs together.
“So wet. Jesus.”
I arched even more into his touch.
“Tell me, Ashley . . .” His voice grew a little angry again as he suddenly applied more pressure. Everything inside me pulled taut, so close to snapping. “Tell me you didn’t give this to anyone else. You were messing with me before, right? Did you let that asshole Kendrick touch you like this? I wanted to break that fucker’s fingers every time he got near you. Did you give this up to one of those shitheads I let slide this summer?” He rambled like a mental patient, watching his own fingers as they rubbed unforgivingly against the damp lace.
I tried hard not to thrash around.
“It killed me, seeing you with other guys. Please, baby. Tell me this is still all mine.”
“Brayden, I’ve never wanted anyone else to touch me like this.”
He exhaled a shaky breath. “Thank fucking God. I was so scared I was too late.”
He leaned his head back down and traced my nipple, memorizing it with his tongue now. His fingers kept working their magic until I wasn’t sure I could take it anymore. I was full-out panting in a way that should be embarrassing. But I felt too good to care.
Tingles were giving way to fireworks.
“You’ve gotta tell me to stop, Soot. It’s the only way. I’ll do anything you ask. You know that. I’ll always do anything for you. Make me stop. I’m half out of my mind right now. You’ve gotta be the strong one tonight.”
“I don’t want you to stop. I want to feel good.” My palm cupped the side of his face. My eyes joined in on the shameless begging.
His eyes darkened. I watched as his very last shred of cloaked resistance finally fell away.
“I want to watch you go over the edge so bad. That’s what I see in every one of my dreams.” He leaned down and ghosted his lips across mine. “I’m gonna make you feel so good, Soot.”
His fingers slid under the edge of my panties, meeting my soft flesh and making me cry out. He traced his finger up and down, barely a whisper of a touch that sent little sparks shooting up my body. He coaxed a finger inside me. He eased it back and forth, pressing into me from the inside out. My mouth hung open, but no sound would come out. My eyes found his in marvel and question.
“I know, sweet girl. I know. Just let go. I’m gonna make you come all over my hand now. Relax, and give it to me.”
He worked his middle finger in and out. Over and over until I was writhing and grasping hold of the comforter beneath me. When he sat up suddenly, I almost died from the loss of contact. I tried to grab on to him, feeling a little self-conscious about my wanton behavior.
“Shh. It’s okay. I need to see you. I need to see all of you.” He tugged my panties down my legs, completely exposing me. “Fuuuck,” he hissed, palming his crotch with one hand as the other leisurely traced back up the inside of my leg.
He sucked two of his fingers into his mouth, and then gently thrust them one at a time back inside me, stretching the place only he had been.
Taking another one of my firsts.
“Dallas,” I cried out.
He continued the onslaught. Granting no time to unscramble my brain, the wet heat of his mouth suddenly met my over sensitive clit. It traced over my new favorite spot.
I was in shock.
I leaned up on my elbows to witness what he was doing to me. His dark hair stood out against the creamy skin of my belly. I said something else about Jesus. His eyes met mine while his tongue and fingers continued working me.
The room exploded.
Every muscle inside me pulled strained and then shattered. I might have screamed. My body shook. Sense and reason splintered into little pieces scattered around me.
“Dear Lord.” I didn’t realize I’d even spoken out loud until Brayden answered me back, “No kidding.”
He hovered over me now, his chest visibly rising and falling, reminding me how to breathe. He softly kissed my forehead and my temple.
“That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” He grinned shamelessly. “If that was from my fingers, you might not ever survive my dick.”
He was still rubbing himself through his jeans. I tried to place my hand over his. He held my wrist, thwarting my attempt.
“If you touch me right now, I’m gonna go off in my pants. I’ve never been this hard in my life. Even the thousands of times I’ve jacked off while imagining this very moment.”
I swallowed because thinking about that made me tingly again. I reached up and palmed my breasts to create friction in any other spot.
“Holy shit,” Brayden said reverently as he watched my fingers knead my own flesh. “Please don’t wake me up. Best. Dream. Ever.”
That was a demented cue for some asshole to pound his fist on the bedroom door.
“Brayden! Stop banging, and get out here, dude. We’re doing shots of Jäger. Your record’s on the line, brother. Quit fucking around!” Bobby shouted through the barrier.
“I’ll kill him,” Brayden muttered, closing his eyes.
The pounding continued.
“Brayden! Bros before hos, dude. Kiss the pussy goodbye and come out here.”
Brayden shook his head as his expression turned remorseful.
“No, no, no.” I quickly sat up. I wasn’t letting him ruin this. “Don’t leave me, Brayden.”
He took my hand and brought it down to rest on his crotch like I’d been trying to do moments before.
“Does this feel like there is anywhere on earth I would rather be right now? I wish I could wave a magic wand and make all those motherfuckers out there disappear.”
He shook his head in disgust again. I got bold enough to squeeze him through his pants, sliding my hand up and down a little to test his reaction. I wasn’t disappointed. His head dropped back, and his eyes squeezed shut. He inhaled deeply and then leaned forward to look at me with renewed hunger.
“Let’s get out of here. I want you all to myself. We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. I promise. I just don’t want to let this dream end yet.”
The doorknob rattled.
The world outside kept trying to break the spell.
I stared at the handle jerking against the lock. I detested the idea of opening that door. Everything felt crystal clear inside these four walls. I didn’t want to let go of this grinning version of my boy. In here, he was safe from the outside influences that turned him into someone else, that turned him away from me.
From us.
“I’m scared,” I whispered, motioning to the door. “I’m afraid we’re going to step out there, and I’ll lose you all over again.”
Gentle hands framed my face. “I’m done letting anything on the other side of that door keep me away from you.”
Halfway across the deck, almost to the stairs and sweet liberation, I heard my name called out. In my blissed-out state, I’d completely forgotten one important thing.
Joey.
I pulled back on Brayden’s hand, forcing him to stop. He groaned, but acquiesced, his arm circling possessively around my waist.
“We’ve been looking all over for you. Where the hell have you been? You had us worried to death.”
“Um . . . I’m so sorry. I went to the bathroom and . . .”
How was I supposed to finish that thought?
I was felt up by a random, and then I had the most fantastic orgasm with the boy I’ve loved most of my life. If you stop being a cockblocker, I might be forfeiting my virginity within the hour.
Although Joey and I overshared all the time, I felt certain Conner didn’t want to hear that much of the story.
“I found her getting sick in the bathroom. She’s had too much to drink. I’m taking her home.”
Brayden. Always the protector.
In my lust-filled haze, I’d forgotten all about the power of little white lies.
“Um, yeah. I got sick. Had to borrow Brayden’s shirt.” I thumbed the black cotton swimming around me. It dragged near the hem of the skirt that barely concealed I’d never retrieved my panties.
“Oh, shit, honey. You should’ve come and found me. Did you get it in your hair?” She reached out to smooth her hand over my tangled strands. “I know you don’t usually drink, but I didn’t think you’d had that much.”
“It’s okay, Joey. Ash learned a good lesson tonight. I’ll take care of her now. I’ve got this. You and Conner stay and have a nice time. If you need a place to crash, you’re welcome to go up to the main house.”
Joey eyed him suspiciously. Her nose got that funny wrinkle right across the top. A clear sign we were busted. He’d been too polite. He was never polite to Joey. It smelled fishy.
Joey had a great nose for fish and bullshit.
She slowly turned her head to eye me and telepathically yell, Are you kidding me? Her left eye twitched a little, transmitting a few more expletives as punctuation.
“You want me to take you home and make a hangover cure? By morning, you might wish you’d had it to knock some sense into you.” Her double entendre wasn’t hard to miss. Neither was the eyebrow that rose up to her hairline.
I’d vowed that tonight wouldn’t be about him. I couldn’t blame her for finding fault with my fickle mind. To any third party, it would appear suspect. I was tipsy and making major life choices.
“When things are right, you’ll know.”
One of my mother’s favorite mantras.
Surely, that timeless adage had buried itself somewhere in Joey’s Book of Rules.
I knew walking out of here with Brayden was the right decision. There were no inebriated uncertainties clouding my mind. His hand squeezed my hip, as if he’d read my thoughts.
“I’m good, Joey. Really good.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she replied quietly.
Trust me, I mouthed back.
“I just hope you can trust him,” she returned aloud, not bothering to stay quiet anymore.
Brayden cleared his throat and tugged lightly on my hand.
“You’d better take care of her, asswipe,” Joey said. Her hands found her hips as she glowered up at him.
“I will. She’s safe with me. You know she is.”
Joey huffed as Brayden tugged on my hand again, prompting me forward.
We made it to the stairs and walked down, past his dad’s boat, until we could exit out the side door. The grassy lawn stretched out before us. We faded into the privacy of night, following the same path I’d watched that random couple retreat to during the first party. I wondered if anyone watching could feel that same intimacy vibrating between us.
“We made it.” Brayden laughed. He sounded carefree for the first time in recent memory. He was a kid again, ready to run to the end of the dock and take the plunge with me.
