22. Behind The Mask #2
“Can you forgive me for being a grade A asshole all this time?”
Bex nods. “I think deep down I knew that wasn’t really you.”
“How?” I ask.
“You called me beautiful, and you sounded like you meant it.”
The old, familiar fear of letting someone else in rears its ugly head. “I didn’t.”
She doesn’t let me get away with it. “You did. The morning after the break in. When you saw those horrible comments Aisha and my other ex-friends posted about me. A few of those called me ugly, and you said that it wasn’t true. That I was beautiful.”
Fuck it.
“Because you are.”
“Thank you.” She says, but she isn’t thanking me for calling her beautiful. “Thank you for fighting your fears for me.”
The words slip out of my mouth before I even realize it. “I’ll always fight for you, Bex.”
“I know.” She whispers. “And I’ll never hurt you. I’m going to protect your heart the same way you’ve been protecting me. I’ve never thanked you for the other night at the arena.”
I kiss her, but it ends too soon. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m just glad that you’re safe now.”
“I am. And so are you. This isn’t just lust, Keene. I care about you.”
Fear grips my insides, but I swallow it back down. If I’m doing this, I need to be all in. “I care about you too, Bex. I’m falling for you. I’ve been falling for you since that morning on the deck, when I thought you were Jamie’s one-night stand. I’m done fighting that feeling.”
“I’ve been falling for you too. Even if I didn’t want to at first.”
She doesn’t say it, but I sense the word hanging on the tip of her tongue. “But?”
My heart is in my throat as my eyes track the way hers works when she swallows.
“But I have the same feelings for Jamie and Connor. And they’re not going anywhere. I’m not going to choose between the three of you. Not now, not ever.”
Even though I expected this, my anxiety skyrockets. “I know. We—the guys and I—talked about this. I think I can try to accept it.”
“Trying isn’t enough, Keene. They’re your best friends, and I know they want us to be happy. I’m not going to hurt you, but I would never hurt them either. So, I need you to accept that being with me means accepting that they’re always going to be a part of the picture.”
My competitive nature is hard to tame. “Fine. As long as you don’t like them more than you like me.”
“Never.”
That’s all the reassurance I need for now.
I kiss her again, and this time I don’t hold back.
When her fingers undo the strings keeping my hockey pants closed, I help her by sliding them down my legs.
This entire time, I didn’t even realize that I was still wearing the skates Bex gave me.
I take care of my hockey socks and skates and then attack the zipper of her skirt.
She’s left in a barely there pale pink thong, and the urge to rip it off of her like I did with her shirt is strong.
“Don’t even think about it.” She squeals. “This is my favorite set.”
Her fingers slide under the sides, and I enjoy the show as she takes her panties off.
“Fuck.” I bite out. “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined.”
I pull her against me, and this feels more right than anything I’ve ever done.
Her skin is smooth and incredibly soft, and I kiss every inch I can reach, dragging my open mouth down the column of her neck until I reach her perfect tits.
The noise Bex makes when I close my mouth over one of her small, hard nipples goes straight to my cock. I want nothing more than to be inside her, but I force myself to slow down.
When I told her that I hadn’t been with anyone since my ex-wife, I wasn’t lying.
It’s been over two years since I was last with my ex, and now I’m terrified that I’m going to let Bex down and last a whole thirty seconds once I’m inside her.
I need to make her come before my cock goes anywhere near her. I look around the long, rectangular room and curse myself for choosing this of all places to tell Bex how I feel about her.
There’s no furniture whatsoever, not even carpet on the floor, as this room is meant for messy projects like the one we just completed.
I can’t have my girl lay down on the untreated wooden floor and if I fuck her against the wall? I’m going to be done in two pumps.
Desperate for a way to solve my problem, my eyes land on what looks like a white sheet neatly folded on the floor by the buckets of paint.
“Wait a sec, kitten.” I run to grab the sheet and lay it down on the floor, taking Bex’s hand and dragging her down with me.
We’re laying down on our sides, facing each other. “I can’t believe how lucky I am that you’re willing to forgive me for what an ass I was to you for weeks.” I say honestly, running a gentle hand over the outline of her collarbone, her chest and the narrow slope of her waist.
“At first I wasn’t.” She admits. “But since our truce, I’ve been able to see the side of you that you keep hidden. You’re a good man, Keene. A good friend, a great teammate, and I’m willing to bet you’re going to be a great boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend,” I whisper. “I like that. I haven’t been anyone’s boyfriend since high school.”
Bex hugs herself tighter to me, and the feeling of her silky skin against mine makes it hard to stick to my plan to go slow.
I kiss her slowly and deeply until she relaxes in my arms. Then my lips leave hers, starting a journey down the length of her body.
Our gazes are locked together as my open mouth reaches her tits. I commit to memory the way Bex moans when I close my mouth over her nipples and suck. But what makes her arch her back and tangle her fingers in my hair is when I graze her with my teeth.
Learning what makes them feel good is one of the most exciting things in a new relationship. But the truth is that if I have any say in this, Bex is also going to be my last girlfriend.
The fact that she isn’t going to choose between me and my two best friends isn’t a problem for tonight.
Maybe the thought that we might be able to coexist as Bex’s boyfriends is crazy. But Jamie is right about one thing. If loving the same woman, long term is at all possible, the only two people I could think about doing this with are my two best friends.
“Keene,” Bex squirms as my mouth reaches her lower stomach. “I—I don’t know if I want you to do that right now.”
I stop in my tracks, my face hovering over the bare, soft looking skin of her pussy. “Why not?”
Her cheeks turn pink. “I showered this morning before leaving the house. I’ve been here all day, and I’m worried I’m not going to be that fresh.”
I run two fingers over her slit, parting her skin, and it’s even softer than I thought it would be. “Kitten,” I murmur. “I don’t care.”
She rolls her eyes, but her breath hitches, her chest rising and falling with the effort not to moan. “It’s easy to say that when you’re coming straight from practice and you showered right before you got here. You smell clean, like soap.”
“So do you. I’ve been kissing you all over, and you taste so fucking sweet. I can smell a hint of your body wash, but the rest is your skin’s natural scent. You have nothing to worry about.”
Bex still looks unsure, and I’m dying to taste her, but I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.
“I don’t want to do anything you don’t want, Bex. But I promise that you smell absolutely perfect.”
She traps her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking about what I just said. “Ok. But if for some reason I don’t, I need you to promise that you’re going to stop.”
“I swear.” I smile, and then lower my face and let my tongue trace her slit the same way my fingers were just doing. “God, you taste fucking fantastic.”
I mean it and I’m going to prove it with everything I have.
The fun part about this is bringing her to the edge slowly, getting every ounce of pleasure I can out of her before she comes.
I take my time licking her gently, warming her up without putting too much pressure where I know she’s going to want it most.
“Oh, fuck.” She gasps when I up the ante and suck on the silky skin of her outer lips with every small kiss I trail, starting from her entrance and working my way up to her clit.
“Do you like this?” I whisper, my breath fanning over her.
Bex’s answer is a tight little nod, and I could push her to use her voice, but I don’t.
For once, I have her attention for all the right reasons, and I intend to keep it this way from now on.
I lave her pussy with soft kisses and teasing licks, letting her pleasure build. The way she’s writhing under my mouth makes my cock pulse with need, but we need to be patient. Just a little longer.
The first time my tongue makes direct contact with her clit, Bex makes a desperate sound, and I know she’s ready for more.
A couple of flicks of my tongue have her moaning and tightening her thighs around my head. I fucking love it.
I know she’s close, and I know exactly what she needs to tumble over the edge. Like I did earlier with her nipples, I graze her little swollen clit with my teeth. It’s the softest bite, and the second she cries out, I suck the sensitive nub into my mouth.
If I thought Bex looked beautiful when she glared at me, seeing her writhe and gasp with the pleasure I just gave her is beyond stunning.
“Come here, kitten.” I scoot up, gathering her into my arms and kissing her softly. I know she can taste herself on my lips. “See how amazing you tasted? I enjoyed it so much that I might give you a minute and then go for seconds.”
Her reaction surprises me. “No.”
“Come again?” I chuckle because the way she’s looking at me is kind of funny.
“Keene if I don’t feel you inside me right now, I think I might die.” She grabs my biceps as if she were trying to keep me from scooting back down.
The urge to make a joke about it is strong, but that’s because I’m nervous. I’ve already shown her my vulnerable side tonight though, and Bex didn’t look turned off by it. It’s nice that I don’t have to put on a fake front with her.