Chapter 8
It wasn’t hard to find a good wine in this hotel, so I acquired two bottles, spoke with the bartender about the winery—Gramps always said to shoot your shot every chance you had—and I did. It made me feel like I was contributing more to the family business and to Gramps’ legacy.
A short while later, I headed to the room, expecting Lainey to be out of the tub and already robed up and under the covers. Instead, the bathroom door was still closed, and the mumbles of singing floated into the main room.
Lainey never could carry a tune. Not that it ever stopped her from belting out every lyric. As long as she was having fun, she never really cared what people thought of her. It was a confidence I admired. There was nothing sexier than a woman who exuded self-assurance and was completely comfortable just being herself.
Jesus. I shoved my hand through my hair. Sexy and Lainey was not something I ever thought to put together. I’d always looked at her like a little sister, but after that kiss… she ripped down my blinders, stomped them into oblivion, and now it was taking everything I had not to picture Lainey on the other side of that door, naked and covered in soapsuds.
My dick twitched as the thought entered my mind. Then Franc’s words drowned it out.
She’s too good for you. You don’t want forever. You never have. It’s not who you are. You get bored too easily. Move from one woman to the next.
I hated the words, but what I hated more was how right they truly were. Though, I couldn’t imagine a world where I’d get bored with Lainey. For most of our lives, she had entertained me, made me smile and laugh, brought joy even on my darkest days. Lainey was many things and boring simply was not one of them.
I put the bottles, the two glasses and corkscrew down on the round table by the floor to ceiling window. It had been a long day and a glass of wine sounded really good. Uncorking the bottle, I poured a six ounce pour into each glass then decided to make it eight before stripping down and getting into a robe myself.
The last thing I wanted was for Lainey to feel uncomfortable. If we were going to get drunk and watch movies in robes, then that was exactly what we were going to do. I propped the pillows up on the wall, grabbed the two glasses, and settled on top of the overly soft bedding.
A few minutes later, the click of the bathroom door echoed through the room, and Lainey’s head popped out. Her hair was wet, tucked behind her ears and highlighting a makeup free face. Her cheeks were adorably red, and her blue eyes sparkled on their own.
Her gaze landed on me, and those blue eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
“Getting comfy,” I said. “Wine?” I held up the glass and waited for her to decide.
She slowly eased the door all the way open, then stepped out of the doorway. Her fingers clutched the neck of the robe, tugging it tight over her ample cleavage. She didn’t let go of the material as she hurried over to the bed and snatched for a glass.
I pulled back before she could get the glass. “Nope. You need to get in the bed.”
She glanced at the other bed then back at the one I resided in. “Why, so you can add another notch to the bedpost?”
I knew it was a joke, but her words hit with a force I wasn’t expecting.
“Lanes,” I said, so I knew she was listening. “You will never be a notch on my bedpost.”
The easy upward curve of her lips turned down. The realization of how that must have sounded to her, washing over me. I insulted her without even meaning to. “That’s not what I meant.” I tried to recover, but her damn lips were still pointing down. I pushed off the pillows and leaned toward her, holding out the glass as a peace offering. “Here.”
She took the glass without hesitation.
“It’s not Vine Valley’s Sauvignon Blanc, but it’s still pretty damn good.”
She motioned her head toward me. “What happened to your arm?”
I glanced down at the burn mark I got the other day in the workshop. “Oh, burnt myself. Bacon splatter.” The lie came out too easily, but I’d been doing it for so long. The guilt, however, was new and sat like a lead rock in my gut.
“You can actually add water to the pan to prevent the splatter. I don’t. I like to live dangerously.” The glass touched her lips, and as ridiculous as it was, I was jealous of a darn glass. She tilted it, not stopping until half the wine was gone. Good thing I poured eight ounces.
“Might want to take it easy,” I said.
“Why? We’re getting drunk, right? Wasn’t that the agreement?”
“Yes, but—”
She grabbed the bottle and eased onto the bed. “No buts.” She topped her glass off and handed me the bottle. “You need to catch up.”
“Slow it down there, Captain Jack Sparrow.”
“Did you know that the reason he walked the way he did wasn’t because he was drunk, but because he was at sea for such long periods of time, he wasn’t used to the steady land?”
With a shake of my head, I topped my glass off and put the bottle down. “Hitting me with random facts. I feel like I’m with Gio.” My nephew was a walking encyclopedia.
She reclined beside me, her back against the pillows I had propped up. Her head drooped to the side, her eyes blinking up at me. “What are we watching?”
“Whatever you want.”
Her legs crossed at her ankles, the robe hitting just below her knee, her bare feet showing off a pretty shade of pink on her toes. She swished her lips, her cheeks puffing up one at a time. The remote appeared in front of me, and she waited.
“What am I supposed to do with that?”
“It’s my fault you’re here, and you shouldn’t be punished further, so you should choose.”
“Punished? I have an excuse to take off work and sit on this super comfy bed with one of my favorite people. I am far from being punished.”
A smile lifted and touched the corners of her mouth. Her shoulder bumped into mine. “We both know I’m not even in the top five of your favorite people.”
“You can think that, but you’d be very wrong.”
I felt her gaze, hot and penetrating. I turned toward her, blue irises narrowing. “You’re in my top five,” she said, her voice soft like a gentle caress.
“What would I have to do to be number one?”
She inhaled, a sudden intake of breath that floated between us. The blue of her eyes sparkled. Two glittering orbs that grabbed me, held me, hypnotized me.
“You’d have to fight Sherry to the death.”
A laugh rumbled up my throat and burst free. “Sherry fights dirty. I’m not sure I’d win.”
“Still scarred from the Easter egg fight of ‘98?”
“I found that egg first. She’s the one who dove under me and knocked me on my ass.”
“Then you pushed her in the mud and ruined her white dress.”
“She didn’t have to give me a bloody nose. She should have let me get the egg. I saw it first.”
“She was smarter, quicker.”
“More like mean and ruthless. Besides, she wanted the egg for herself. I was going to give it to you.”
“Me?” she exclaimed.
“Austin kept getting to the eggs before you could. Everyone had so many, and I noticed you only had a few in your basket.” She had kept a smile on her face, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes every time she wasn’t fast enough. Then she spotted the bright pink egg beneath the tree. Her face lit up, and I headed there to make sure no one snatched it. I didn’t expect Sherry to take me out at the knees.
“I had no idea.”
“You were what… eight? I can’t believe you even remember the fight.”
“It was pretty epic.”
“Definitely not in the top five, though.”
“No, not top five.”
She turned her head, eyes boring into mine. “You’ve always had my back. Even when I didn’t know it. Why?”
I shrugged. I didn’t exactly have an answer. “I don’t know.”
“I do. It’s because you have a good heart. I know you don’t think so, and there are actions of yours that can argue my claim, but deep down.” She tapped a pink nail above my heart. “You’re golden.”
“You’re the only one who thinks that.”
“That’s because no one else cares to look hard enough. I do.” Her words touched that deep part inside of me. The part that only she could access. My entire life, she had been Lainey, my little sister’s best friend, but now, knowing what her lips felt like against mine, the way her body melded to my hand, and how she looked at me without any preconceived notions, she was so much more.
Her lips beckoned me, and I moved, closing the slight gap between us. I cupped her cheek and captured her mouth in one fell swoop. Her body tensed for a single second, her hand spread wide, pressing against my chest.
She tasted like heaven, and I was ready to drop to my knees and pray at her altar, begging for entrance. My lips parted, but instead of letting me in, her hand pressed harder, forcing me away.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I stopped in my tracks. Regret spiraled through me, but it was nothing compared to the disgust I felt toward myself. This was fucking Lainey, not some woman I was taking home for a one-night stand.
“I’m sorry,” I said, the words strangled by every damn emotion that it was barely audible. I pushed off her, disgusted how easily I crossed the line. I slipped out of the bed and paced away, shoving my hand through my hair.
“Nero,” she said, and I spun around, not expecting her to be out of the bed, standing there, so damn close.
She stepped toward me, her hand stroking my cheek. I blinked at her, focusing on those two beautiful blue orbs that always managed to see right through all my bullshit. She lifted onto her toes, but she was still only up to my shoulders. Her other hand wrapped around my neck, and she yanked me down.
My lips crashed into hers, and before I could react, her mouth moved with an urgency that even if I was a strong man, I wouldn’t be able to walk away. We stumbled, my back slamming into the wall. Every reason for why this was such a colossal mistake fled my mind, lost to the soft curves of Lainey.
I had started this, but she seemed determined to finish it, and I was not one to say no. I couldn’t say no to her. Not now and not ever.
I grabbed her waist, pulling her tight against my throbbing erection. She kicked her leg up, the robe falling open only held together by a loosely tied belt. My touch found her bare leg, running my fingers over her silky smooth skin, and toward her most beautiful curves.
“Are you sure?” I asked as my hand cupped her ass. I kissed her neck, her chin, and the corner of her mouth. “If you want to stop, tell me now.”
Her eyelashes fanned down, touching the apples of her cheeks before she blinked up at me. “I know I’m not your type.”
“You’re perfect,” I growled, hating that she even felt the need to say that. A type was nothing more than a habit. Lainey had broken my pattern, hell she had flipped it on its head, showing me what I truly craved.
“You’re only saying that because you want to get laid,” she said, and my head snapped back. I pressed a finger to her chin, angling her hooded gaze to my own.
“Don’t do that. Don’t make this less than what it is.”
“What is it, then?”
I tucked a damp strand behind her delicate ear. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since I kissed you. You’re all I think about. All I want. And that scares me… because I… I know you deserve better. You deserve someone who can give you every. Damn. Thing. And the only thing I might be able to give you is an orgasm.”
Her slightly parted lips turned upward, her eyes sparkling with playfulness. “Pretty confident on that one, huh?”
My forehead touched hers, a smile breaking across my face. “One hundred percent guaranteed.”
“Prove it,” she said with more confidence in those two words than any she’d ever said before. Her fingers tugged on the loose knot, yanking it free of the robe. It fell from her silky porcelain skin, leaving Lainey completely bare in front of me. My eyes swept down her body, taking in every luscious curve.
The sexy as sin bow of her waist highlighted her ample hips that begged for me to sink my fingers into. Her tits were large mounds of beautiful flesh I wanted to get lost in.
Words completely vanished, but I didn’t need words right now. I spun her toward the wall, dipped my head, kissed her neck, and trailed my tongue down the curve. Her breast sat heavy in my hand as I lifted it to my mouth, taking her pale pink nipple between my teeth.
She sucked in a jagged breath, and I dropped to my knees. A gasp filled the air as I swiped my tongue over her clit, my fingers brushing up the small patch of blonde curls. Desire pulsed through my veins, my need for her growing with each taste. I lifted her leg, draping it over my shoulder, spreading her wide for me. Her familiar sweet vanilla scent was absent, but the smell of lemon surrounded me.
She was as sweet as the desserts she made and my new addiction. A frantic desperation clawed through me, and I sucked and licked until her leg began to shake. She was so close. I slipped a finger into her slick heat, and she cried out. Her fingers threaded into my hair and her body arced, pressing her delicious mound against my mouth. I devoured her, pumping my finger in and out, slashing my tongue in quick strikes.
Her grip on my hair tightened. The heel of her foot dug into my shoulder blades, tightening her hold as I continued my ruthless attack, fingers sinking deep into the soft flesh of her ass. A cry echoed through the room, her body shaking in uncontrollable tremors. I slowed my attack, savoring the taste of victory.
I glanced up, catching a glimpse of her face as she floated down from her high. She looked more beautiful than ever. Pink stained her cheeks, spreading toward her ears and down her neck. The hoods of her eyes lay heavy, barely allowing the bright blue of her irises to shine.
With one final swipe of my tongue, I placed her foot down on the ground and stood. Her gaze locked on mine. I was about to make a joke about proving my point, but just like before, my words vanished. All I could focus on was the deep blue depths that pulled me in and held me captive.
I don’t know who moved first, but our mouths crashed together in a clash of lips and teeth. Any ounce of control I had was somewhere back in Vine Valley. My need for her grew with each passing second. Her fingers curled in my hair, mine dug into her waist, spinning her around, and backing her toward the bed.
Our mouths moved as one, parting together as our tongues slipped beyond their divides and meeting in a tangle. Lainey’s grip on my hair loosened, her hand slipping beneath my robe and wrapping around my rock hard length. I felt her about to collapse to her knees, and I stopped her, throwing her onto the bed.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a giggle. “I was about to return the favor.”
“I need to be inside you.”
She pouted as if that would change my mind, but all it did was solidify my desire. I spread her legs and came down on top of her, capturing her mouth and kissing her until my body shook with desperation.
“Please.” The plea fell from her kiss-swollen lips, and my eyes met hers. “Fuck me.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“What?” Her eyebrows pinched above the bridge of her nose, confusion filling her gaze.
She’s not a notch on my bedpost. She’s Lanes. She’s my friend… She’s everything.
I took her face in my hand, kissing her lips once, twice, then resting my forehead against hers. “You’re so much more than a fuck.”
A smile touched the edges of her mouth, a gleeful glint sparkled in her already too blue eyes. Her hand on my cock tightened, attempting to guide me to her sweet center.
“Shit,” I mumbled. “Condom.” I lunged to the side of the bed where I had placed my pants and fished out my wallet. I retrieved a condom and returned to Lainey. She took the metallic package out of my hand and ripped it open.
I sucked in a breath as her fingers rolled the latex into place.
“Where were we?” she said, fisting my cock and guiding it toward her entrance. Usually, I took charge, but I wanted Lainey to get everything that she desired. I released the reins I always held so tightly and let her have control.
She swiped the head of my cock against her slick folds. She bit her lip, her eyes locking on mine as she positioned me right at her entrance. Without breaking our gaze, I thrust into her. Pleasure rushed through my entire body.
Her head tipped back, elongating her neck, pressing her beautiful tits into my chest. My gaze lingered on her pale pink nipples before lifting to her eyes. I was completely stuck on those pretty blue orbs, waiting for them to level with mine.
I gripped the perfect curve of her waist and pumped into her with slow, rhythmic thrusts. She moved with me, our bodies falling into perfect sync. Her hand wrapped around the back of my head and pulled me down to her. She kissed me, soft, sweet and too damn tender for someone like me. But instead of flipping the switch and making it frantic, I followed her lead, savoring the gentle caress of her tongue against mine.
She eased back, taking my face in her hands. Anyone else, I would have flipped over and pounded them into oblivion, but not Lanes. At least not now. Now, I wanted to see her face. See her eyes roll as she crested toward an orgasm. See her lips part as ecstasy consumed her, knowing I did that to her.
I stared down at her, never wanting to be anywhere else, forever wanting to be in this moment caught up in those too blue eyes and balls deep inside her.
Her thumb rubbed against my jaw, and I turned my head into her palm, placing a kiss there before she drew my lips to hers. White lights flashed behind my eyes, a goddamn firework display fit for the heavens, pure and beautiful, as her mouth moved with mine.
Pressure built with each drive into her slick heat. My fingers dug into the pillow, searching for leverage. But with a force like Lainey, there was no fucking leverage.
My body tensed, and I refused to fall over the edge without her. I swiped her clit with the pad of my thumb, and her hands slammed against the mattress. I pumped and circled, focusing all my attention on Lainey’s pleasure. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip, marking the plump skin.
I dipped my head, kissing away the bite marks, swiping my tongue along the indents. A cry sputtered against my lips, my thumb working faster.
Lainey’s breaths came fast, her body jolting as I pumped harder and harder. Vibrations overtook her until she bucked against me. I thrust again, allowing myself to focus on my own pleasure, and just as I opened my eyes, meeting Lainey’s pleasure heavy lids, I exploded.
A violent shudder raced through me. Aftershocks rattled me down to my core. I inhaled, trying to catch my breath, trying to center myself in a world that was spinning out of control.
Lainey’s gentle touch brushed my cheek, and my attention snapped to her. The world settled, and everything felt too damn perfect.
“That was… unexpected,” she said. I waited for the regret, the remorse, the shame, but nothing knocked the pure satisfaction from her face. “But every bit as I imagined.”
I slipped the condom off and disposed of it in the trash. “And how did you imagine it?” I asked, though my brain was still stuck on the fact that she imagined this at all.
“Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
She pulled me down and cuddled into my chest, resting her head above my heart. I never cuddled. After sex, anxious energy consumed me, until fight or flight kicked in, and I took off. But as each second passed, the anxious energy never came. If anything, I became more content.
I snuggled my nose into her still damp hair and inhaled, letting her sweet scent follow me into sleep.