31. Kyle
31
KYLE
I steered my truck around a tight bend in the road, noticing for the third time in less than a mile that Tori was sitting as far from me as humanly possible. She was practically hugging the passenger-side door, so I decided to call her out on it—but she beat me to it.
“What?” she asked, apparently feeling my eyes on her.
“Why are you sitting so far away?”
“Because this is the passenger seat?” Her tone was half question, half statement.
I shot her a grin. “You sat in the middle that night we drove to your ex-roommate’s house.”
“Yes, but that was because Lucas was sitting over here.”
“Well, why don’t you pretend he’s there and slide over next to me?” I stopped and made a face. “On second thought, don’t do that. Tonight’s just about you and me.”
“That works for me,” she said.
“So…?” I let the word hang, hoping she’d get the hint. Shouldn’t be a hard concept—she looked so fucking hot that any man would want her closer. I’d just about fallen out of my chair when she came out of her room earlier. The dress was low-cut and clung to her curves. It fucking showed off every single one of them. It made her look classy and sexy and beautiful all at once.
And she’d gone all out. She had natural dark eyes and long lashes, but she’d amped them up tonight—smokey makeup, I guessed it was called. Her hair was pinned up, except for a few loose strands that framed her face. She was stunning. A goddess. I had a pretty damn high opinion of myself, and even I thought she looked out of my league.
I’d taken one look and instantly gotten hard—and completely forgot how to speak. Luckily, no one saw that but her, and she’d been busy checking me out at the same time.
Our other two roommates were nowhere to be seen, and I had a feeling Jayden had taken it upon himself to get Lucas out of the house. I appreciated it. Like I’d said, tonight was just Tori and me.
She gave a small sigh, then undid her seatbelt and slid across the bench seat. As soon as she was next to me, the sweet scent of her perfume hit. She wreaked havoc on all my senses—including touch, now that she was so close.
“Got your seatbelt on?” I asked. Her safety mattered, but it was also smart to keep her strapped in so I wouldn’t be tempted to pull her into my lap.
“I’m working on it. There’s not enough room for my feet.” Her legs were angled away from the gearshift on the floorboard.
“You could straddle it, one foot on either side.” I let my fingers hover over the gearshift and gave her a not-so-subtle look. “I already know you like it when my hand’s between your legs.”
“It’s not movie night,” she finally said, trying to sound unaffected—but I knew better.
“That was hot,” I said, thinking about the way her bare skin had felt under my fingers. Then I snorted. “But what the fuck was that movie about?”
She laughed, and I liked the relaxed sound. I wasn’t enough of a bastard to want to keep her on edge the whole damn night.
“I have no idea! I mean, when did that family of aliens get there?”
I chuckled. “I bet you the two nerds were following along just fine.”
“I’m not so sure. Jayden was paying more attention to what we were doing.”
My eyebrow lifted. “Really? That would explain a few things.” I eased the truck around a curve. The headlights barely lit more than the next turn. It felt like we were in our own little world.
I slung my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She felt incredible—all soft curves and that addictive scent.
But of course, she had to be the practical one. “Don’t you need that arm for shifting?”
“Not until I have to reduce speed closer to town.” I squeezed her a little tighter. “When you look this fucking good, I’d much rather be touching you than handling my stick. Of course, if you’d like to handle it?—”
She laughed, and even in the low light, I caught the flush her cheeks.
“That was bad.”
“I know. This is why I need a tutor for English class. Good thing I’ve got one—the best one.”
“I’m not your tutor tonight,” she said, half-teasing, half-firm.
“Thank fuck for that.” I leaned over and brushed my lips against the side of her head, catching a hint of her shampoo. “You smell so good. And have I told you how fucking fantastic you look tonight?”
“Yes,” she admitted, a little shyly.
She really did look fucking incredible, like she’d stepped out of one of my most graphic daydreams. An XXX fantasy, in the best way.
We neared town, so I let her go to downshift. The truck rumbled as I guided it into a parking lot and backed into a space under a big oak tree. I shut off the engine and checked to see if anyone else was around.
“Where are we?” she asked, peering out at the stone building nearby. “Is that the back of the admin building? Weird place for a date.”
“You can be the judge of that when we get there.” I hopped out and circled around to open her door. When I grasped her waist, feeling that soft, slinky fabric under my hands, it was just to help her down, not because I was dying to touch her. And when I didn’t let go right away—it was just to make sure she didn’t fall in those heels, right?
The night air was cool, and her shoulders were bare. Maybe I should’ve told her to bring a jacket, but truth was, I liked seeing her like this. And if she got cold, I had a few ideas about how to warm her up.
We walked across the lot side by side. The sexual tension between us was real, and I couldn’t wait to see how tonight played out. I didn’t know how she’d react to what I had planned—but damn, I was excited to show her.
Eventually, we stopped where the sidewalk parted into two paths. There was a waist-height wall made of gray stone under a streetlamp. I pulled out my phone to check the time and scowled when I saw there were four texts—all from the same person.
“We have eight minutes.” As I put my phone away, it dawned on me that I could’ve just checked my watch. Normally, I never wore one, but it looked good with the suit.
“Until what?” she asked.
“Our window. We stagger our arrival times. Helps keep the secret location, you know, secret.”
She gave me a skeptical look. “We’re by the admin building. How is that secret?”
She was about two seconds away from asking a dozen more questions, and I didn’t want to get into it. “This is your fault, you know.”
“What?”
Putting my hands around her thin waist, I lifted her and set her on the flat surface at the top of the wall. She put her hands on either side for balance and then crossed her legs. The deep slit of her dress parted, leaving her legs bare from mid-thigh on down, and my mouth watered at the sight.
She was so fucking sexy.
Tori snapped her fingers, no doubt having noticed where my attention went. “What’s my fault?”
“It’s your fault we got here early. It was the sight of you in that sexy dress—it got my blood pumping harder, and I drove too fast.”
She smirked, but I could tell she was pleased as well. “So what you’re saying is the sight of a woman in a pretty dress makes you come too fast?”
I threw back my head and laughed. She was so fucking fun. Then I rested my palms on the stone on either side of her, leaning in close. “There’s only one way to find out.”
She put her hand on my chest, pushing me back—and didn’t seem in much of a hurry to break the contact.
Good.
“How long do we have to wait?” she asked finally.
This time, I checked my watch. “About six minutes now.”
“In that case, can I use three of them?”
My head cocked to the side as I stared at her. “Do you need a restroom or something?”
She laughed. “No, just kind of a… a time-out. Just three minutes. Then we can get back to our date.”
Now I was intrigued—and I saw an opportunity. “Fair enough—if I get the other three minutes.”
“What for?” She was suspicious—as she should be.
“You’ll see.”
She pouted, and I wanted to bite her lower lip. “Now you’re keeping secrets about your secrets. But okay, it’s a deal. The time-out starts now.”
“All right.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, curious.
“You know how in the truck you said that this night was about us and how you didn’t want to talk about Lucas?”
“That still seems like good advice to me,” I said.
“Not during a time-out.” She was cute when she lectured me. “So can you please tell me—I’ve been dying to know… what the hell happened last night when you called a homeowner’s meeting and dragged Lucas into the backroom of the basement?”
I laughed, long and hard. She was curious about everything, and that alone was intriguing even if she hadn’t been drop dead gorgeous.
But should I tell her? It was breaking the bro code, but I sure as fuck didn’t owe Lucas anything.
She sensed me debating. “Please?”
Shit, I liked hearing that word from her. She had no idea of the ways I was going to make her beg someday soon.
“All right.” I glanced away from her for a moment because I needed to gather my thoughts. When I looked at her, all the blood in my body rushed to the small head, not the big one. “Okay, so you insisted that Lucas should move back into his room, and we were talking about where you could sleep, and you suggested you could share a bed with Jayden.”
Tori frowned. “Yes, I remember. And?”
“And Lucas agreed, even though that was clearly the last fucking thing he wanted.”
Her frown deepened. “What do you mean?”
I shook my head, not sure I had the language skills to explain the fucked-up way my stepbrother viewed things sometimes. “I knew that wasn’t what he wanted, so I marched him into the backroom and asked him why the fuck he was pushing the girl he liked into his best friend’s bed.”
She cocked her head to the side. “That’s not exactly what happened…” But I could see it on her face. She knew Lucas liked her. “What did he say?”
I rolled my eyes. “The usual. He sputtered and denied it. But I—unfortunately—have known him for five years, and I figured it out.”
“What?” She leaned forward, curious.
“See, he really wanted you to keep that bedroom.”
“But it’s his?—”
I held up my hand. “I’m not disagreeing with you. But from his point of view, he wanted it to be yours, so he couldn’t suggest that you two share the bed because in his mind, that would be him inviting himself into your bed.”
“But it’s his bed!”
“Not the way he saw it. So, he was too much of a fucking gentleman to ask to share your bed. So when you suggested sharing Jayden’s, he felt he couldn’t object.”
Her jaw had dropped. “So what did you say?”
“I politely and calmly explained to him that he was being a fucking moron.”
She laughed. “You two have the most interesting dynamic.”
I shook my head a little ruefully. “And I bet you never thought that I’d be the more rational one.”
It was a flippant remark, but she took it seriously. “I wouldn’t have when I first met you, but I’ve seen how Lucas sometimes loses his mind when you’re around.”
“He does when you’re around, too, just in a different way.” I checked my watch again.
Her cheeks pinked. “Thank you for telling me.”
Again, I winced inwardly. I’d never share the secrets of a guy on my team or in my frat, but with Lucas, all bets were off. But hell, while we were on my least favorite subject, I put my hand on her thigh and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “I know that you two did more than just sleep next to each other when you stayed in that hotel. It was written all over your face, you bad girl.”
I pulled back and smirked when I saw Tori’s mouth in a perfect O of surprise. But I didn’t give her time to dwell on it. “We’ve got three minutes left, and it’s my turn.”
Her mouth still gaped open, and I wanted to kiss it so badly. But finally, her jaw snapped shut, and she nodded.
I took a beat, trying to think of how to start. “Do you trust me?”
Speech finally returned to her. “Um… yes. Mostly. Within reason.”
I laughed. “Good answer. But let’s test that.” I cupped her face, then slid my hand down her throat to her chest. Then I hooked a finger in the V of her neckline right between her breasts. I held her gaze, not losing eye contact. I slowly pulled on the fabric, drawing it away from her soft skin. “Do you trust me not to look down?”
Her face flushed, but she held my gaze, nodding.
I wondered how far she’d let me go. I pulled the neckline out farther, feeling the fabric stretch.
Tori’s breathing grew louder, and I could feel the movement of her breasts through the vibrations on the fabric. But she kept her eyes on mine. Shit, maybe she trusted me more than I trusted myself. If I looked down now, I’d see everything. It had been obvious that she wasn’t wearing a bra with the dress, not with the thin straps. It probably had some kind of built-in cups, but with the neckline gaping open, I’d see down to her navel at least.
But with a superhuman effort, I managed not to look. I just held her gaze, not hiding the hunger in mine. Her breathing was even heavier, and I knew her pulse was spiking, but she didn’t give into it. It was so damn exciting, knowing that this was affecting both me and her—but neither of us acknowledging it.
Finally, I let go. She broke the eye contact, exhaling loudly as she looked away. Her hand rose to her chest, patting down the fabric.
“If you let me do that , then this next part won’t be so bad,” I said roughly. It was just so damn hard to keep control of myself when she was around.
“What is it?” She stared at me with those intense, dark eyes of hers. It was like she could see right through me.
I reached into my suit jacket and pulled out a black cloth. She stared at it, and I could see the possibilities—none of them good—flashing across her face. I tried to hide my grin.
“What’s that?” she asked, like it might bite her.
“A blindfold.”
Tori leaned back. “No fucking way.”
“Yes, it really is.” I shouldn’t tease her when I needed her cooperation, but it was just so damn easy—and fun.
“You want me to wear a blindfold ?”
God, yes. More than anything. But I kept my tone light. “It’s required. Just for a short while until we’re inside.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not.”
“But why?”
“What part of secret location is so hard to understand?” I teased. “I’ll lead you on the short walk. Once we’re there, you can take it off. It won’t even mess up your hair.”
She still didn’t look convinced—she wasn’t the type to jump into something blindly, literally or figuratively. But after a few moments, she gave a small nod. Relief and a jolt of excitement hit me hard. Any excuse to touch her did that second one.
I stepped forward, pressing against her world-class legs. Gently, I lowered the cloth over her eyes and then reached behind her, behind her tying it snugly. My cock twitched, clearly misunderstanding the reason for the blindfold. And fuck, what I wouldn’t give to use it on her under completely different circumstances.
My fingers grazed her hair, and the scent of her perfume hit me again. She shivered when I touched her, and that little reaction fired me up even more. Part of me was still stunned she was trusting me enough to go along with this. The rest of me wanted to spread her gorgeous legs, push between them, and then drive into until she screamed.
Tori tensed once I stepped back. But holy shit, she looked hot with the dark cloth over her eyes. All sexy and vulnerable and completely at my mercy.
Fucking hell, it was a damn good thing my little tutor couldn’t hear my fucked-up thoughts.
I helped her off the little wall, holding onto her until she was steady. Then I offered her my arm, brushing it past her bare one. She clung to it with both hands.
“Ready?” I asked, my voice low and a little rough. She had a way of making me lose my composure.
“Yes,” she said, sounding anything but. But she was here, and she was game.
I set off, moving slowly so she could match my stride. It felt strangely intimate, like our bodies were falling into sync. “Just walk naturally, Victoria.” Then I leaned closer and murmured, “Or I could carry you.”
She let out a sharp breath. “I’ll walk.”
I grinned. If I picked her up and held her to my chest, the only place I’d want to carry her was to a bed, and who the fuck knew where the nearest one was. So I behaved. For now.
We continued walking slowly, since her strides were so much shorter. Not to mention those incredibly hot fuck-me heels she wore. Those must’ve been hard to walk in even if she could see.
We wound through campus, and I took a few unnecessary turns to throw her off. Eventually, we slipped inside a building. The air changed, and it was warmer. Quieter.
She sniffed delicately, evidently trying to let her other senses figure out where we were.
A few more turns later, we reached the elevator. I pressed the button. When it opened, I led her in.
“It’s a good thing I’m blindfolded, or I might somehow figure out that we’re in an elevator,” she said dryly.
Chuckling, I stepped behind her and untied the blindfold. One side slid down her shoulder, and she shivered. That did something to me.
I leaned in, close to her ear. “Seeing you in that thing gave me all kinds of ideas,” I murmured, letting my breath trail over her skin.
She tried to play it cool, but I heard the hitch in her voice. “The only idea it gave me is that I’m insane for doing this.”
I smiled against her hair. “My ideas were much more fun,” I whispered. And I meant it. Hopefully, someday I’d get to show her.
Someday soon.