17. Hailey
17
HAILEY
I blinked, not believing what my eyes were telling me. I had to be dreaming. Because there was no way that Hailey was standing at my door, wearing a fucking French maid costume.
“What the hell?” I said again. Half the blood in my body headed straight for my cock as I realized just how skimpy that little dress was. It barely covered any part of her stocking-covered thighs, and the black part of the dress had a neckline that sat low on her chest. The white stretchy fabric above it looked as if its main purpose was to offer a woman’s breasts up on a platter.
Instinct bypassed thought, and I grabbed her wrist and yanked. “Get in here.” As an afterthought, I picked the robe up off the floor before slamming the door behind us. “What the hell were you doing in the hallway dressed like that?”
“Coming to see you,” she said simply. My sluggish brain was taking in more and more details. The black high heels. The way the fishnet stockings made her legs look a mile long. The fluffy little skirt that barely covered her panties—if she was wearing any. That thought made my cock jump in my jeans, but it didn’t explain her appearance. Her hair was piled high, with loose, curly tendrils hanging down. She even had a lacy white cap in her hair, just a small thing, but it completed the look. And holy shit, what a look it was.
Which didn’t change the fact that I shouldn’t be seeing her like this in the first place. I tried to sling the robe around her shoulders, but she merely stepped to the side, and the damn thing fell to the floor again.
What the fuck was going on? I ran a shaky hand through my hair, the way Ian did when he was frustrated by his classes. I was feeling many things—confusion, exasperation, and an overwhelming desire for the exquisite creature in front of me. Frustration wasn’t on the list. Not anymore.
“Did anyone see you like this?”
“Only you.”
Okay, that was good, but what I didn’t know was why she was here in the first place. “Whatever you think you’re doing, it’s not a good idea.”
“Perhaps,” she said lightly. “But I had to try.”
“Why?” I was utterly perplexed. Ian and Grant were worried about me too, but they hadn’t shown up looking like this and offering me god knew what.
Her neutral expression—the one she used when she served dinner—gave way to concern. “Theo, I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
I scoffed. “Really? Well, maybe I can’t stand seeing you like—” Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? She looked amazing. Like every wet dream I’d ever had rolled into one.
I turned away, trying not to ogle her. That day she’d interviewed, when Bennett had produced the skimpy little costume, I’d thought that she’d look great in it. But now I knew better. Great was an understatement. By a lot.
A delicate finger stoked my shoulder. I had on a long-sleeve t-shirt, but it was like her touch seared a hole through my shirt.
“Don’t,” I said, still not looking at her.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist you.” She moved closer, clutching my arm from behind, and pressing against me. Pressing her breasts against me to be more accurate. “Do I seem like I want you to resist? I trust you.”
I whirled around, shaking my arm out of her grasp. Were all virgins this naive, or only her? “Hailey, you shouldn’t trust any man—not when you look like that.”
She smiled, running her hands down her body, smoothing out the skirt—or what there was of it. Then she grinned up at me and gave a cheeky little curtsy.
Jesus, give me strength.
“Can I give you a massage?” she asked. The thought of her touching me—dressed like that—almost made my cock burst out of my jeans. But she didn’t know what she was asking. I shook my head, but she saw me start to speak and jumped in ahead of me.
“How about I just rub your shoulders? That’ll feel good, right?” She took my hand—shy, sweet little Hailey took my hand and led me over to my desk chair. “Sit,” she urged.
Shit. How the hell had my evening ended up here? I sat heavily in the chair, fairly certain that if she’d told me to climb up on my drafting table and flash anyone on the sidewalk out front, I would have.
I leaned forward, putting my head in my hands. This was wrong.
She moved in behind me, and the ruffles from her short little skirt brushed past my bicep. Then her warm hands were on my shoulders, and she pulled back, making me straighten up.
“Just relax,” she urged, but there was no fucking way I could relax with her pressed against my back like that. In fact, I was pretty sure that certain body parts would never stand down again.
Her hands plunged into my hair, her fingers pressing against my scalp. I opened my mouth, one more time, to try to talk some sense into her, but damn, that felt good. She kneaded and rubbed me with strong little fingers, and I leaned back in my chair in spite of myself.
Her nimble fingers slid down my neck, sending shivers of anticipation down my spine. Then she squeezed my shoulders with a surprisingly strong grip. All that housecleaning had made her hands strong.
Crap. My eyes closed and I tried to relax and enjoy the sensations—but the monster in my jeans wanted more.
Hailey made circles with her fingers, digging into some of the knotted spots along my shoulders. Then she slid both hands down my right bicep, leaning forward to do so—which made her barely covered breasts brush against me.
Where had she learned to do that? When the hell had she become a sex kitten?
Her hands moved back to my neck, squeezing and rubbing more gently now. And then she placed her palms on my shoulders and slid her hands down my front.
Mentally, I cursed myself for not having a mirror on the wall above my desk. If I had, I could’ve watched how hot she looked. But no, I’d decide on artwork. What a fucking moron I was.
My cock twitched again when her fingers slid over my nipples and for a moment, she seemed distracted. As if she was momentarily more interested in feeling the muscles in my chest and stomach than continuing on with her mission. But then she pressed her hips against me, practically doubled over as her hands slid lower, and I knew she was back on track again.
But the trouble was, I didn’t know how far she wanted this track to take her.
“Hailey,” I said, reluctantly tugging one of her wandering hands away from my body. I pulled her around until she was facing me. “Hailey, what are you doing?”
“Trying to make you feel better.”
“You’re succeeding.” The fucking contest had been the farthest thing from my mind these past few minutes. “But you don’t have to do that.”
She frowned, her lips looking plump and puffy. I’d kissed those lips, back before the shit hit the fan. “What if I want to?” She slid her free hand down my other arm, positioning herself in front of me. She was so damn tempting, and so damn close.
I pushed backwards, the rolling wheels taking me a foot or two away. Not exactly a safe distance, but it gave me enough room to look up at her. “Honey, I’m honored. And flattered. And hard as a rock. But we’re friends.”
She nodded, stepping forward. Somehow, god helped me, she wedged her way between my knees, my legs involuntarily spread wide. Well, mostly involuntarily.
Holy.
Shit.
I tried again. “Friends try to cheer each other up by taking a depressed pal out to lunch. Or on a hike through the woods. But I’ve never had a friend present herself to me in a get up like that, like a present for me to unwrap.”
“Then maybe your other friends should step up their game.” She winked, and I almost laughed.
“Do you like the way I look?” she asked, changing tactics.
I’d have to have been dead for two fucking years to not like the way she looked. Her thighs were between mine, and her breasts were at eye level. Her nipples strained against the thin white fabric, and she obviously wasn’t wearing a bra. “Yes.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, staring down at me. “Then what’s the problem?”
Where to even begin?
But she didn’t give me a chance to respond. “When Bennett first showed me this outfit, I was horrified. I almost ran out of the building right then.”
“You probably should have.” My hands dangled uselessly by my sides, but it seemed the safest place for them.
“And then he kept leaving it out where he knew I’d see it, and I hated him for it.”
“He what?”
“And I hated the dress itself and all it represented. When I found it in my room, I wanted nothing more than to rip it to shreds and burn the remains, but I didn’t.”
“Why not?” It was hard to focus on her words when her lithe little body was so damn close.
“At first, I thought he might get mad. Might even press charges if I destroyed his property. But then… something changed.”
“What?” My voice was hoarse, and my mouth was dry.
“I somehow began to want to put it on. To see what I looked like in it. To slide on the stockings and fasten them to the garter belt.”
“There’s a garter belt?” God, give me strength.
“Yes,” she breathed. “I did it for you. To try to cheer you up and make you feel better.” She reached out and lightly stroked my hair. “But I also did it for me. It felt good to take something he’d used to shame me with and sort of… make it my own.”
That was the first thing she’d said since I’d opened the door that I could actually wrap my head around. “You took your power back.”
“Exactly. And now I want to help you.”
And we were back to square one. “Hailey, you don’t have to?—”
“I know.” To my horror—and my arousal—she slung one shapely leg over my thigh. Then she held onto my shoulders and did the same with her other leg. Holy fuck, she was straddling me.
Now I knew what to do with my hands. I wrapped them around her back, holding her. Keeping her safe. Well, if being in a frat house, dressed like that, counted as being safe.
“I know I don’t have to,” she said softly, practically whispering in my ear. “But what if I really want to?”
Unlike that day in the condo, she was the one to initiate the kiss. Except this time, it was a full-body kiss, since her wrists linked behind my neck, her breasts smashed against my chest, and her legs spread wide over mine.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. My resolve was wavering. Would it really be so bad to give the lady what she wanted? What I wanted?
Fuck it all.
I plunged one hand into her thick hair, stroking, rubbing, and pulling as it cascaded down my arm. With my other hand, I pulled her even closer, running my hand up and down her back. And then, as I teased her mouth open, I let my fingers stray lower, squeezing that pert little ass.
I was probably going to hell for this, but it felt like heaven. She felt so good as she squirmed in my arms and moaned against my mouth. My rock-hard cock strained in my jeans, trying to reach her, but it would just have to wait until she was ready—which wasn’t tonight. But she sure as hell was ready for more than the relatively tame kiss we’d shared before.
Her hungry little mouth planted kisses all over my jawline—one that I hadn’t shaved in too many days, but she didn’t seem to care. Then I ducked my head and kissed the side of her throat. She moaned, her back arched, her head thrown back. I continued to kiss her neck, thrilled by the way it made her squeal.
With a mind of its own, my hand slid beneath her fluffy little skirt, and I touched warm, bare skin. Bare skin and then a strap. Shit, she really was wearing a garter belt. I slid a finger under it, tugged on it, and then let go, causing it to snap against her sweet ass. She let out a squeal. Then she looked guiltily toward the closed door, as if worried someone had heard, but she’d chosen her moment well. As far as I knew, we were the only ones here. Besides, it was a frat house. Noises like this coming from bedrooms weren’t uncommon.
I moved my head back, enjoying the tingle in my lips from where they’d been pressed against her warm skin. I put both hands on her sides and then squeezed as I slid them up. I didn’t stop until my fingers were poised just under her breasts.
Hailey’s breath caught in her throat, and she stilled. The bold young woman who’d thrown herself at me before had retreated—temporarily. That was okay. I could guide things from here on out, if she wanted me to.
I squeezed her sides, shaking her slightly. “Breathe, Hailey.”
She gulped in a big breath of air and her cheeks pinked.
I could feel her ribcage under her trembling skin. “You’ve done an amazing job of helping me forget my trouble,” I said quietly. “We can stop here.”
She stared into my eyes. Hers were beautiful, tawny, gold, and hazel combined. “I don’t want to,” she whispered.
I grinned at her and ran my thumbs along the underside of her breasts. They were stretching the elastic of the little white panel almost to the breaking point. Then I ran my thumbs across her nipples. They’d been semi hard to begin with, but now they were jutting little points. She had no idea how badly I wanted to suck them into my mouth.
She moaned and my smile widened. There was something so hot about this. Well, okay, everything was incredibly hot about this. But beyond the sexy little costume, and her gorgeous little body, there was more. She was sitting in my lap, maintaining eye contact while I toyed with her nipples and made her squirm. It was both intense and intimate at the same time.
It would’ve taken me half a second to flip down the stretchy white swath that covered her luscious mounds. But it was too much, too soon.
Then, to my astonishment, she did it herself.
My jaw dropped as she bared her upper body to me. Her breasts were perfectly round with just the right amount of bounce to them as she squirmed on my lap. Her nipples were a dusky rose color, and they were nearly as hard as my cock.
With my hands around her waist, I lifted her up. She squealed when I buried my face between those amazing breasts and traced a line along her cleavage with my tongue. It was the perfect place to be. All I could see, hear, touch, and smell was her. And now it was time for taste.
Leaning to the right I lapped at her nipple before drawing into my mouth. She clutched at my shoulders, steadying herself as her back arched, pushing her further against me. Had anyone ever done this to her before? I was pretty sure they hadn’t.
I moved to her other side, circling her nipple with teasing strokes of my tongue. Then she groaned as I took as much of her breast into my mouth as I could. Her hips were undulating in little circles, and I wondered if she craved contact there as much as I wanted to give it.
But not with my straining cock, I reminded myself. At least not tonight. I set her back down on my lap, wishing I could watch the way her breasts bounced on an endless loop. Her legs somehow spread even wider apart on either side of my thighs, and I trailed a finger down her stomach. Over the layers of ruffles and lace. And then to her bare thigh.
She gasped and squeezed my shoulders as she held on. I watched her carefully, looking for any signs that she wanted me to stop, but there weren’t any. So I explored the soft skin of her thighs at the top where it wasn’t covered by the stocking. Her skin was soft, silky, and as hot as fire.
She thrust her hips forward, and I stroked back and forth, hypnotically, each time getting closer and closer to that sweet pussy. And when I cupped her there, palming the moist length of her panties, she let out a squeal.
God, her skin was hot. It nearly burned my hand. But I didn’t want to stop, and neither did she. She grinded her hips against my hand, and I let one finger slide under the fabric of her panties.
Hailey bit her lip, and she was so fucking sexy. She squirmed against my hand as I stroked back and forth. My read was that she was wet and ready for more. She whimpered when I found her clit, circling it teasingly. Then I backed off, teasing my finger up and down her folds. When she was practically vibrating with need, I moved to her clit again, circling it and flicking across it, providing different sensations.
She clutched my shoulders, her breasts still bare and her lips swollen and red. Her hair was coming out of the updo she’d had, and she looked sexy as fuck.
With the tip of my finger, I gently explored her entrance, and she gasped. I would have bet a million bucks that this was virgin territory—literally. So I didn’t let my finger slip in too far. I just circled her opening, stretching her little wider each time while she flooded my hand with evidence of her desire.
“Please, Theo,” she whispered.
I angled her body a little toward the side, and now I could press just a little way inside her tight channel with my index finger while I worked her clit with my thumb.
She squeezed my shoulders so hard that it almost hurt, but I didn’t care. She was close and I couldn’t wait to see the moment her body exploded with pleasure.
Whimpering, her breathing labored, she nonetheless looked me in the eye, and it was fucking hot, maintaining eye contact while my fingers drove her crazy.
She writhed around like a livewire, and it was fucking gorgeous as I worked her harder. She had a death grip on my shoulder, and I knew she was close.
“Fuck, Hailey, you are so fucking beautiful. No, don’t close your eyes. Watch me when you come, baby.”
Gasping for air, she nodded frantically, and I felt her legs tremble. I pressed down on her clit with the pad of my thumb, circled it, and then caught her soft labia between my fingers. I squeezed, and as I suspected, the little sting of pain pushed her over the edge. She cried out, her whole body shaking as she rode out the waves of pleasure. I didn’t let up, working her clit as she writhed on my lap, holding onto my shoulders for dear life, her thighs clenching around mine
Her face was red, her hair was wild as she fought to catch her breath. And then she collapsed against my chest, all her strength leaving her. I held her close, patting her back, running my fingers through her hair telling her how amazing she was. How brave and courageous she’d been to come to me like this… and how it was one of the best surprises of my life.
All over-the-top sentiments, but all true. I’d never met a girl who’d been through the things she had—yet still cared more for others than for herself.
She clung to me for a long time, her face buried on my shoulder, her hair spilling over my arm. Then I stood, picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. Not to take things further, but because she deserved a warm comfortable place to rest after all of that.
I set her on the bed, and she turned on her side, her arm under her head as she looked up at me. I sat down next to her and stroked her arm. Touched her cheek. Smoothed her hair away from her face.
Hailey looked spent, and as if she could’ve easily dropped off to sleep, but instead, she smiled weakly up at me. “Your turn.”
Tentatively, she placed her hand over the bulge in my jeans, but I shook my head. “Not tonight.”
She looked up at me with what seemed like a mixture of relief and disappointment. “But I wanted to make you feel better.”
“You did, sweetheart.” I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed it. “You really, really did.”