Chapter 12
Poppy
Istare up at Nick, my mouth open in shock at what he just suggested.
“Um, what?” I finally say.
I don’t miss the fiery flicker in his rich brown eyes. “Let’s go upstairs and pretend to fuck,” he says again in the most relaxed, casual tone. Like he’s suggesting we go sit on the couch or get another drink.
I let out a shaky breath, feeling hot all over.
I’m still recovering from the way Nick teased me a minute ago, his mouth and hands on me. My heart is racing, and I’m breathing faster.
That was the single sexiest thing that anyone’s ever done to me. The way Nick pinned me between his body and the wall while kissing my cheek and neck and shoulder and the corner of my mouth…the way his big hand held my waist so confidently, so naturally…
I’m suddenly dizzy. I lean my head back and focus my gaze on him.
I’m not this kind of girl. I don’t go to parties and let a guy tease my body in open view of everyone. I don’t pretend to have sex.
But right now, I am that girl. I’m the girl who’s sick of letting her ex make her feel like nothing. I’m sick of him invading my space. And I want to get him back for that.
“How exactly would we do that?” I ask, intrigue sparking through me.
Nick holds my gaze as the corner of his mouth quirks up in a sexy half-smile.
“We go upstairs. Find an empty room and make noises like we’re having the wildest, craziest sex. He’ll hear us and get so pissed that he’ll storm out, guaranteed.”
“How can you be so sure he’ll leave?” I ask.
“Because no guy wants to hear the girl he’s into getting railed by some other man.”
Fire engulfs my cheeks at how bluntly Nick puts it.
He quirks an eyebrow. “Fake railed,” he says.
A giddy feeling swoops through me. Yeah, it’s petty that I’m even considering doing this. But I don’t care. Brody broke my heart. He cheated on me and didn’t even apologize. I cried for weeks over him.
And now, when I’m trying to be civil and move on, he’s still trying to insert himself in my life, still trying to upset me.
Screw that. I want to get back at him.
I grab Nick’s hand. “Lead the way,” I say.
I follow him through the crowd and up the stairs. The second floor is almost as crowded as the first floor, with people standing around while drinking and talking.
I spot Brody standing in a corner, nodding while listening to some guy talk to him. When he spots Nick and me, I tense. He glares at me, then Nick.
“Hey, man. I didn’t know you were coming here tonight.”
I turn and see Travis walk up to us. He says hi to me.
Nick grins at him. “Felt like blowing off some steam with my girl,” he says. “I thought you were staying in tonight.”
Travis frowns. “Blake said he’d write my essay for my Brit Lit class if I’m his DD tonight.”
Nick laughs. “Nice.” He clears his throat. “Hey, are any of the bedrooms free?” he says in a low voice.
Travis nods toward the end of the hall. “No one’s in that one.”
Nick and I make our way down the hall. We’re about to pass Brody when he steps to the side and bumps his shoulder into Nick.
Nick barely moves. He’s way too big and broad and muscular to be fazed by a pathetic shoulder-check from Brody, who’s almost as tall as Nick, but not nearly as muscular.
The muscles in my body tense as I look between the two of them. Brody is glaring at Nick; Nick looks annoyed.
“Watch it,” Brody snaps.
“You’re the one who bumped into me, pal. You have too much to drink?” He nods at the red solo cup in Brody’s hand. “Too many white wine spritzers?”
I burst out laughing.
Brody’s face turns red. “Just watch where you’re going.”
His hard gaze lands on me, and I tense even more.
“Good thing we’re not going far,” Nick says, pulling Brody’s attention back to him. “Just to that bedroom over there to have some alone time with my girl, if you know what I mean.”
Nick’s trademark cocky smile dances across his lips as he looks at Brody, whose face is so red that he looks like he’s on the verge of blowing a gasket.
“Enjoy the rest of your night,” Nick says before leading me to the bedroom just a few feet from where Brody is standing.
As we walk past him, I feel his gaze on me, even though I’m not looking at him. Despite how uncomfortable it is, I feel a small burst of pride inside of me. Brody is so mad, and it’s so satisfying to see.
“What a prick,” Nick mutters.
He leads me into the bedroom and shuts the door behind him. The second it closes, my nerves kick up.
I fiddle with the sleeve of my dress and glance around the room. “So, um, should we sit down?” I say, my voice quiet. I can hear the conversations and music through the walls, so I don’t want Brody to hear us talking through this.
I sit on the edge of the bed, then instantly stand back up. “Wait, that’s probably way too intimate, isn’t it? Sitting on an actual bed while we pretend to fool around and…”
I trail off as Nick walks over to me, that easy grin playing on his lips. He sits down on the edge of the bed, then takes my hand and guides me to sit down next to him.
“Sitting on the bed is good,” he says, his voice quiet too.
“You sure?”
He nods.
I take a breath and fold my hands in my lap. “Now what do we do?”
“Now we make a lot of noise.” Still grinning, he looks at the door. “Oh, fuck, baby. You’re wearing my favorite bra. God, that’s hot,” he says loudly.
My eyes go wide, and my cheeks burst into flame once more.
“Look at those gorgeous tits.” He groans through that cocky smile.
I stare at him. “Seriously?” I whisper.
Nick reaches up and stretches his arm, that annoying handsome smirk still on his face. “We need to make this believable, Poppy,” he whispers. “And if you were really my girlfriend, you’d wear hot lingerie for me.”
I roll my eyes and fight a smile. Intrigue sparks inside of me, though…I didn’t know that he likes women to wear lingerie for him.
“Take it off slowly for me, baby. Real slow,” Nick says loud enough for whoever’s on the other side of the door to hear. “Oh fuck, you’re so sexy. Now take off your panties.”
I swallow hard at how different his voice sounds now. His tone is low and rough, on the edge of pleading.
There’s a flicker of heat that ignites in my chest. It glides down my stomach, through my lower abdomen, settling between my legs.
He holds my gaze as his smile turns wicked. “Now hop on my cock and ride me like a good girl.”
My clit throbs. Oh. Is this how he sounds when he’s actually having sex?
Of course not. He’s playing it up so that Brody can hear him above all the party noise.
Nick turns to me. “Your turn.”
I bite my bottom lip, my heartbeat kicking up. Then I take a breath, open my mouth, and cry out, “Oh, yes!!”
“Nice. Now say something dirty,” Nick whispers.
I quietly clear my throat, my skin hot. “Oh my god, Nick!” I cry out, my voice breathy and whiny. A second later, I slap my hand over my mouth to hold in a laugh. I sound so ridiculous.
Nick quirks his eyebrow at me. “That wasn’t dirty.”
I bite my lip, holding in a laugh. I feel so silly and a little shy. But also…weirdly excited. God, this is so random.
“Oh, fuck!” I cry out.
Nick just grins and mouths, “Nice.”
The reassurance from him quells the doubt coursing through me. That faint throb between my legs is back.
We’re both quiet for a few seconds, then Nick says, “You like it when I go hard, honey?”
I pull my lips into my mouth. I’m sure my face is some insane shade of red right now.
Nick nods at me, silently telling me it’s my turn.
I take a moment to work up the nerve, then I let out a moan. “Mmmh oh, yes. Just like that.”
My eyes go wide. That actually sounded pretty convincing.
Nick’s brow lifts like he’s amused. His smile relaxes, and he looks at me. “More.”
I work up the nerve to moan again, this time louder. Then I whimper.
“Don’t stop, Nick. Please. I need your dick.”
His bourbon brown eyes widen. He’s not smiling anymore. His mouth is a straight line, and the tan skin on his neck is turning red.
Crap. Am I being too over the top?
“Was that too much?” I whisper.
He shakes his head and swallows hard. “No, that was perfect. And very realistic sounding. Um, good job.”
I smile, relieved. I swipe my hair over my shoulder, feeling even hotter now.
“What should we do now?” I ask him.
He blinks quickly and shakes his head, like he’s trying to think.
“I’m gonna slap my leg, and you just moan along, okay?”
I nod. He slaps his massive quad. I moan. He slaps again. I moan even louder, my imagination running wild at how he’d make this noise in bed…
He’d be fucking me from behind and slapping my ass.
That ache between my legs intensifies. God, that’s hot to think about.
I notice his jaw is bulging, like he’s biting down hard. He slaps his leg again. I cry out. Every inch of my skin is on fire now.
I didn’t think pretending to have sex could turn me on so much, but that’s exactly what’s happening.
I cross my legs, the slight pressure from my thighs a minor reprieve for the throb in my core.
“You like it when I slap your ass while fucking you, don’t you, honey?”
Honey.
He called me that earlier downstairs when he was teasing me, and it drove me wild. It’s doing the exact same thing to me now.
“Say you like it,” he growls.
My breath lodges in my throat, and my lips part open. He’s so bossy…But I like it. A lot.
“I like it.” My voice is a loud, breathy whine. I sound so desperate.
I’m instantly imagining him doing that to me…fucking me hard from behind, digging his thick fingers into my hips while he drives into me, slapping my ass cheek with his massive hand.
My mouth parts open, and I let out a whimper. It’s not loud enough for anyone outside the door to hear. Just Nick.
He lifts a brow, clearly caught off guard at the sound I’ve made. For a second, I’m embarrassed, but then he flashes a knowing smile.
“You’re into that?” Nick asks.
I nod, biting my bottom lip.
His eyes are glittery with amusement. “Good to know,” he says softly before letting out a loud groan.
The embarrassment fades, and the arousal inside of me amps up.
I notice his eyelids are heavy now, and his gaze is cloudy. Like he’s aroused.
Oh. Well, then. Looks like I’m not the only one who’s getting into this.