CHAPTER TWELVE
brYCE
Watching my cock disappear into Avery’s mouth, a harsh groan slips from my parted lips.
Burying my fingers in the softness of her blonde hair, I arch my hips, urging her to take more of me in.
The hot squeeze of her throat around the fat head of my cock is almost too much and I need to ease back a bit, taking shallower thrusts.
“Fuck, that feels good,” I moan, watching her from beneath heavy lids as her cheeks hollow, her pink lips stretched wide around me. The only better sight is her pussy taking every inch I give her.
Avery licks and sucks me, her hand working my cock as her other hand cups my balls, pressing and squeezing them. Every time she dips lower, taking me to the back of her throat, I moan.
“I’m going to come soon,” I warn her.
She sucks harder, her hands clenching in the material of my loosened pants.
Dropping my head forward, I palm the back of her head, thundering her name as I come in long, jerky spurts, pleasure pulsating through my cock and balls.
My eyes slowly open, locking with her light blue ones.
Her tongue runs along my cock, and I shudder as she continues to suck at the sensitive flesh.
Pulling back from her, she releases my softening cock with a final slurp, her tongue teasing at the still weeping slit before a smile spreads over her face.
“You are so gorgeous,” I say, staring down at her.
Her blush is immediate. Tucking my spent cock back into my pants, I tug her to her feet. “You don’t know that do you?” I whisper, stroking my fingers along the round softness of her cheeks.
“Bryce.”
My name hangs in the air, my chest feeling impossibly tight. “Can you spend the night?”
At her nod, I lean up and press my lips to hers, happiness a warm buzz tingling through me.
***
After that night, we spend every night together.
Either at her apartment or at my place. The days speed by and before I know it, it’s been three weeks and I’m wondering when we can make it officially known in our bingo group that we’re a couple.
It feels funny and wonderful sitting side by side on one of our couches, playing bingo on our phones with our group.
I kinda let it slip at work that I’m seeing someone. At the time, I wondered if Avery had told her work friends about me. Though, I can’t help grinning, thinking maybe all the flower deliveries have clued them in that she’s seeing someone.
On Thursday I have my answer when we’re having a rare dinner out at a pizza place close to her apartment, our first time out since our initial meet-up date, and one of her coworkers pop up.
A short brunette with huge red glasses dashes over to the tiny two-person table we’re sitting at with a huge grin on her face. “Avery! Is this Bryce?” she asks, her body a whirl of movement as she bounces lightly on her feet, our table rocking with her movements. “The flower guy?”
“Sarah, hi,” Avery’s eyes shift from her friend to me. “Yeah, this is Bryce, the flower guy. Bryce, this is my friend and coworker, Sarah.”
Standing, I hold out my hand to her. Sarah snatches it between both of hers, clutching it more than shaking it. “It’s so good to meet you. Avery goes on and on about you.”
My eyebrows jump up and I glance over at Avery, my smile growing wider. “She does?”
A snort comes from the woman still clinging my hand. “No, of course, she doesn’t. Not nearly enough. She owes me details. Mad details,” she says, glaring at Avery who’s squirming under that penetrating stare.
“Sarah, order up!” A worker at the counter yells.
Her head whips around and she releases my hand. “That’s me. Avery, we’ll have to chat more tomorrow at happy hour. Don’t forget it’s Trevor’s party. Bring Bryce.” She shoots us a thumbs up and whirls away to collect her food.
Sinking back down into my chair, I mutter, “Whoa, she’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“You have no idea,” Avery says, staring fondly after her friend and shaking her head. Turning in her seat to face me, she smiles. “I was stressing over replying to your message asking about meeting and Sarah made the decision for me. As you see she pretty much just does what she wants.”
Wiping my hands off with a wet nap before I can resume eating, unease burns like heartburn in my chest. “Oh.”
“Yeah, we were at happy hour at the local pub around from work and she grabbed my phone and sent the text before I even knew what she was doing,” she says, shrugging her shoulders and rolling her eyes before picking up her slice of pizza again.
“You didn’t want to meet me?” I ask, trying not to sound as hurt as I feel.
I’m expecting her to laugh and blow that silly thought off. I mean, we chatted for two months, it seemed meeting was the next logical step. Something we both wanted.
“Of course, I wanted to meet you. I was nervous, though.” She drops her pizza and pushes a thick bunch of hair behind her ear. “You’re very handsome,” she says, giving me the shy smile that normally makes my heart beat faster.
This time I’m too hurt for it to have its normal effect on me. “Good thing you didn’t know how short I was then,” I say in a snide tone.
She draws back as if struck. And a part of me hums in approval.
I’m hurt, so I’m lashing out. I want her to feel the same stunned pain that’s currently spreading through my body.
It’s childish as hell, I know that, yet I can’t stop my tongue from continuing to spit vitriol.
“You would have deleted my message and I never would have heard from you again if you had known I was shorter than you. I’m surprised you’re even out in public with me if it bothers you so much. ”
I glance suspiciously around the tiny pizza parlor. It’s a hole in the wall kind of place, with barely a trickle of customers. Maybe that’s why we’re here. No chance of people seeing us together.
“Bryce, I’m sorry. I told you I was sorry about that,” Avery says, reaching across the table for my hand.
Looking over at her, it hits me. I’m blowing things way out of proportion here and my gut rolls in nauseating waves. “Ahh, shit. I’m so sorry, Avery. I don’t know what got into me there.”
“No, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have told you about Sarah replying for me.”
My stomach cramps up. That’s not what I’m upset about. But I need to let it go. I don’t want to fuck up what we have, not when I- I swallow hard and slam the door on that thought before I can give voice to it. It’s neither the time nor the place.
“So, what time’s happy hour? I’m good any time after five tomorrow. I got a few things after school hours that I need to handle before I can leave, but I can bring a change of clothes to work.” I give a weak grin, happy to change the subject and reclaim the good mood of earlier.
Avery returns my grin, her eyes not quite meeting mine. “Oh, you don’t need to come. It would be so boring for you, and Sarah would hound you the entire time. Besides, you wouldn’t know anyone there.”
“I’d know you. And isn’t that how you meet people?”
A panicky look tightens her face, and she gives a shaky laugh. “I doubt I’ll be there long. Just long enough to show my face so nobody comments later that I didn’t show up.”
My hands ball into fists on the table as my mouth tightens. I give a slow nod. “I understand.”
She grabs for my hand. “No, Bryce, it’s not what you’re thinking. This isn’t about you. It’s about me.”
“If it’s not about my past or my height, and it’s about you then tell me the real reason you don’t mention me to your friends and you don’t want me there, Avery,” I say quietly.
“Or is it because it’s a party for this Trevor guy?
You complain about him, but maybe you don’t hate him as much as you want to pretend. ”
She looks stunned for a minute and then she laughs. Avery laughs in my face.
Still gasping, she shakes her head. “Bryce, there is zero worry about that. I want nothing to do with Trevor. I wouldn’t even be going to this if everyone else in the office weren’t going too.”
Avery strokes her fingers along my bunched hand. “And I have talked to Sarah about you. Remember, she’s the one who answered your text. Believe me, the party is completely a me issue. We talked about this. You need to be patient with me.”
Blowing out a breath, my shoulders slump as I gaze at the woman I adore. “I can be. Absolutely, I can be patient with you, to a point.”
I disentangle my hand from hers, pushing back in the chair. “But I don’t want a woman who’s ashamed to be with me. I’m proud to be with you. I just want someone who feels the same. How long will it take, Avery? Six months? A year? Will you ever be comfortable?”
Her lips part and as she stares at me, tears well up in her lovely eyes. She doesn’t utter a word as I stand and toss some bills down on the table to cover our food and a generous tip.
Looking down at her, my eyes lovingly trace over her features. “Goodbye, Avery.”