Chapter 13
Kate
‘One more game?’ I ask, shuffling the cards.
‘I think we’re done.’ Brody leans back in his chair, rubbing his hand over his jaw. ‘It’s after midnight and I’m really fucking drunk.’
‘Me too.’ I set the cards down, laughing. ‘We might’ve overdone it with the whiskey.’
‘I can’t believe we finished the whole damn bottle.’ Brody gets up and walks over to the fridge. ‘You hungry?’
‘Maybe.’ I get up and stumble over to him as I stare at the open fridge. ‘What do you have?’
‘Cheese.’
I burst out laughing.
Brody looks at me. ‘Why is that funny?’
‘I don’t know.’ I stop laughing. ‘Oh!’ I point my finger at him. ‘Because you live in Wisconsin! It’s known for cheese!’
‘I still don’t get it.’ He gives me a confused look. ‘Why is that funny? ’
‘It just is.’ I’m laughing again. I’m drunk. I had way too much whiskey.
This has been such a fun night, drinking whiskey and playing poker.
I really like Brody and I’m so damn attracted to him.
I’m not even going to try to deny it anymore.
The guy is sexy as hell and I’ve had dirty thoughts about him all night.
Is it wrong of me to think that way a day after breaking up with Cam? Maybe, but it doesn’t feel wrong.
I haven’t had dirty thoughts about Cam for a really long time, probably because I knew I couldn’t act on them.
Or if I’m really being honest, it’s because I wasn’t attracted to Cam.
I was at first, but as I got to know him, my attraction to him got less and less.
I told myself that was normal, that when you’re with someone for a long time, you don’t feel that intense attraction anymore, but I don’t think that’s true.
I think I just didn’t like the way Cam treated me, which made him less attractive.
Brody closes the fridge. ‘You think it’s still snowing?’
‘Probably,’ I say, now doubled over in laughter.
He turns to me. ‘What the hell is so funny?’
‘Nothing. I just laugh when I’m drunk. I can’t help it.’
He walks around me to the sink. There’s a small window above it with a curtain. He shoves the curtain aside and sighs. ‘It’s still snowing.’
‘Let me see!’ I whip around and bump into Brody. ‘Oops!’ I cover my mouth with my hand and start laughing again.
Brody stares at me. ‘Would you stop?’
‘Stop what?’
‘Laughing. It’s really annoying.’ He says that, but he’s smiling.
‘Sorry.’ I hold my lips together really tight but feel the laughter bubbling up. I can’t hold it in. It bursts through my lips, unable to be contained.
Brody rolls his eyes, still smiling.
‘I tried.’ I grab hold of his shirt and look up at him. ‘It just came out.’ I step closer and rest my head on his chest, closing my eyes and smiling. ‘You smell good.’
‘I do?’
‘Yeah,’ I say, my body relaxing against his. My legs feel tired or maybe I’m just too drunk to stand up.
‘You okay?’ I hear Brody say. I feel his arms going around me, holding me up.
‘I’m great,’ I say, my words slurred. ‘I like your chest.’ I run my hands over it. ‘It’s all hard and muscle-y.’
He laughs. ‘I don’t think that’s a word.’
‘I’m making it one.’ My hands go around his waist to his backside.
‘Kate.’
‘What?’ I ask, my head still resting on his chest, my eyes closed.
‘You’re touching my ass.’
‘I know.’ I sigh. ‘It’s a nice ass.’
He laughs a little. ‘Do you even know what you’re saying?’
I do, but I don’t feel like it’s me saying it. I feel like I’m someone else, someone who says and does what she wants. I love this person, whoever she is. She’s wild and free and uninhibited.
Brody pulls away. ‘I think you need to go to bed.’
‘With you?’ I smile at him.
He gives me a look I’ve seen before. It’s the look he gave me when he saw me wearing his flannel shirt. And the look he gave me when I fell on him in the snow, right before he kissed me. He wants to kiss me again right now, but doesn’t think he should.
Instead of waiting for him to make up his mind, I grab his shirt, pull him down to me, and kiss him.
He breaks from my lips, his eyes going to mine. ‘Kate, we can’t do this.’
‘It’s just a kiss.’
‘You really believe that?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s late. We’re drunk.’ He pauses, his breaths getting faster. ‘And you turn me on so fucking bad I won’t be able to stop.’
‘So don’t.’ I feel myself sobering up as I realize what I said. But I don’t regret it. I really like Brody, and I want to know what it feels like to be with a guy who wants me this way.
Brody shakes his head. ‘I can’t do this. You just broke up with a guy. You were supposed to get married.’
‘Cam and I were over a long time ago. We didn’t even live together.’
Brody looks at me. ‘You said you lived in his apartment.’
‘Yeah. Alone. He’s been living in DC for over a year. He only came back for holidays. And the wedding, obviously.’
‘It’s still not right. You were with him last week.’
‘And we didn’t do anything.’ I pause. ‘He didn’t want to.’
‘Yeah, right.’ Brody goes past me to the kitchen table and starts stacking up the poker chips. ‘Go to bed, Kate. You’ll feel better in the morning.’
I walk up to him. ‘I’m serious. Cam and I haven’t been together for over a year. ’
Brody stops stacking chips and turns to me. ‘How is that possible? How could he not—’ He shakes his head. ‘It doesn’t matter. We still shouldn’t do this.’
‘But do you want to?’ I step back and take off my sweatshirt. Under it is the Kanfield Orchard t-shirt Brody bought me. He hasn’t seen it on me until now.
He’s watching me but not saying anything.
I walk up to him. ‘You like the shirt?’
He’s staring at my chest, at my boobs. The shirt is really tight and I’m not wearing a bra.
Brody doesn’t answer me, but the way he’s looking at me is all the answer I need. It’s a look of desire, hunger, like he’s imagining all the things he wants to do to me. It’s been years since a guy’s looked at me this way. I forgot how hot it is, how much it turns me on.
I wait for him to make a move, but he doesn’t. He’s honoring our agreement to only be roommates, nothing more. But I know he feels the chemistry between us. Our attraction to each other is so strong it’s impossible to ignore.
‘Okay, well, I guess I’ll go to bed.’ I turn to leave.
‘Kate.’
I turn back. ‘Yeah?’
He comes up to me and wraps his hands around my face, his eyes on mine. ‘This is a really fucking bad idea.’
‘Then don’t do it.’
‘Too fucking late.’ His lips smash against mine and my body explodes with warmth and tingles, a feeling I haven’t experienced in years, maybe ever. It’s been so long since I felt anything with Cam that I don’t even remember what it was like. But if it was like this, I think I would’ve remembered .
I hook my arms around Brody’s neck and my legs around his waist. His hands go under me, gripping my ass as he holds me up.
‘I love your ass,’ he groans over my lips.
‘It’s even better when it’s not covered in sweats,’ I tease. ‘Wanna see?’
He groans again as he walks down the hall to his room. He sets me down next to the bed. ‘It’s not too late to change your mind.’
‘I’m not changing my mind.’ I turn my back to him and slowly take off my sweatpants, leaving my lower half bare. ‘But if you don’t want to do this .?.?.’ I look back at him.
His eyes are on my ass, looking like he wants to devour it. It’s so damn hot. I can’t remember ever being this turned on.
‘What do you think?’ I slip my t-shirt off as I turn to face him.
His gaze moves up and down my body and he smiles. ‘I think we won’t be sleeping much tonight.’
He rips his shirt off and stalks toward me. I barely get a look at his muscular chest before he’s got me on the bed, his lips pressed to mine, his hand lowering to my breast, his thumb rubbing over my nipple. My body’s on fire, the sensations he’s causing almost too much to bear.
His hand moves lower, sliding down my stomach to between my legs. I suck in a breath as his fingers move over my clit. I haven’t been touched there for so long, at least not by a man. I’ve had to take care of myself since Cam declared his no-sex rule, which included him not touching me.
‘You’re so fucking wet,’ Brody says as he slides a finger in me, then another. He moves them in and out, going deeper each time.
‘More,’ I beg as the feeling begins to build. He just started and I already feel like I’m about to come.
‘Tell me how you like it,’ he whispers in my ear as his thumb circles over my clit.
‘What you’re doing is perfect.’
It’s true. The way he’s touching me? It’s just how I want it. The right speed. The right amount of pressure. It’s almost too good. If he keeps it up, this will be over soon, and I’m not ready. I want more—more than his hand.
I pull away.
Brody stops what he’s doing and looks at me. ‘What are you doing?’
I answer by smiling and undoing his belt.
‘Don’t you want to finish this first?’ he asks, touching me again.
‘I would, but I—’ I gasp as the sensations return, building, climbing, so fast I can’t hold back. My body explodes with pleasure.
I tried to hold out, but I couldn’t. Brody’s too damn talented. I’ve never had a guy be that good with his hand.
‘Damn,’ I mutter as I catch my breath.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing. That was amazing. I just didn’t want it to happen that way. I wanted to wait. But now it’s over.’
‘You don’t think it can happen again?’
‘Not tonight.’
‘So one and done, huh?’ he says with a slight smile .
‘Yeah, but hey, it was great. Better than great.’ I run my hand over his chest. ‘I really like your muscles.’
‘Thanks,’ he says with a laugh. ‘Would you be saying that if you weren’t drunk?’
I shake my head.
‘I didn’t think so.’ He gets up just long enough to strip off the rest of his clothes, then joins me on the bed.
‘That was fast,’ I tell him.
‘You’ve got me so worked up I can’t wait any longer.’ He moves so he’s over me, his cock between my legs. ‘You still want to do this, right?’
I answer by pulling his face down to mine and kissing him. I love how free I feel right now. I’m not as drunk as I was earlier, but I’m drunk enough to not let my inhibitions stop me from doing what I want.
‘I love your body,’ I whisper over his lips as my hands rake down his back.
‘I love yours too.’
I feel the weight of him as he lowers down, then the tip of him sliding inside me. God, it feels good. I’ve never been with a guy this big. He’s going slow, but with every inch, I feel him stretching me, filling me.
‘You’re huge,’ I whisper, then realize I just said that out loud.
Brody laughs a little. ‘Is that a problem?’
‘It’s just more than I’m used to.’
‘I’ll slow down.’ His body stills and he kisses me, his tongue slipping past my lips.
I kiss him back, wanting more of him, wishing he hadn’t stopped. Then, as if he heard my thoughts, he pushes deeper, until he’s all the way in. He breaks from my lips and kisses the side of my neck.
‘Damn, you’re tight,’ he whispers in my ear, the feel of his warm breath sending tingles down me.
As he pulls out, I lift my chest and feel his tongue flick over my nipple.
‘You have great tits.’ He enters me again, going slow, letting me feel every inch of him as he sinks deeper inside me.
‘When you were wearing my shirt the other night, unbuttoned enough for me to see your tits, I couldn’t stop staring at them. ’
I love that I turned him on. I’m also loving that he’s telling me this. Cam never talked during sex, and he got mad if I did.
‘You liked seeing me in your shirt?’ I ask, smiling.
‘Shit yeah. You had me so fucking worked up.’ He’s moving in and out of me, his eyes on mine. It’s sexy, and intimate, and another thing Cam would never do. He’d keep his eyes closed during sex. ‘And then you’re walking around without any panties.’
‘Because I don’t have any.’
He looks at me, that hunger still in his eyes, but it’s more carnal.
Wild. Untamed. Like he’s losing control thinking about me walking around without panties.
His hips move faster, and with each thrust, he pushes harder.
I love that I get to him like this. I love that I arouse this kind of passion in him, especially after being with someone who didn’t want me this way.
‘Can I wear your shirt again?’ I ask, wanting to work him up even more.
‘You do and we’ll be doing this again,’ he says.
‘Then I’m definitely wearing it.’
He groans as his lips go to mine. He speeds up even more, thrusting deep inside me.
This is usually where I’d just lie here and wait for the guy to finish, but this time is different.
I feel something, almost like I’m going to come again.
Maybe it’s just Brody’s size, the fullness creating pressure.
His hand slides between us and he touches me like he did before.
‘What are you—’ I stop, feeling the sensations building, not believing this is happening.
It’s not possible, is it? ‘Oh God!’ I grab hold of the sheets as waves of pleasure pulse through me and keep going.
It’s pure bliss, and like nothing I’ve experienced before.
It’s never been this intense, or lasted this long.
Brody’s hands move under me, gripping my ass as he pumps in and out of me. I feel his body stiffen, his arms tremble.
‘Fuck,’ he groans as his release comes. He pauses to take a few breaths, then pulls out of me and lays beside me.
I’m so relaxed I could fall asleep, but I’m not sure if Brody will let me stay in his bed. Just because we had sex doesn’t mean he’ll want me sleeping next to him.
‘Get over here,’ he says, putting his arm out.
I slide up beside him and rest my head on his shoulder. He reaches down for the blanket and pulls it over us. I guess he’s letting me sleep here. I didn’t think he would. I assumed he’d think it’s too intimate, too much like something you’d do in a relationship, which is not what Brody wants.
But I think if Brody was open to it, he’d be a good boyfriend. I’ve only known him a couple days and already like him better than the guy I almost married.