23. Crossing Lines
Chapter 23
Crossing Lines
Neve slid under the thick covers, grateful for the cocoon of warmth. She’d turned on her electric blanket hours before, anticipating she’d be in bed long before now. But the spontaneous conversation with Reece had eaten up a big chunk of the evening. She still wasn’t sure if it had actually taken place, or if she had dreamed it. Yes, they’d been friends for ages, but they’d never bared their souls like that before.
She knew as much of the story about Chelsea as she needed to know. To his credit, Reece hadn’t backed away from answering Neve’s pointed, often uncomfortable questions. Picturing him in bed with another woman was an image Neve wanted to scour from her brain, but at least he hadn’t been so enamored of Chelsea that he had been willing to bend his moral compass for her. That fact brought Neve some comfort she could cling to.
What started as a casual fling had morphed into something more serious for Chelsea after spending time with Reece, but the same hadn’t been true for him. And honestly? Neve couldn’t blame her. Neve had been in love with the man since … forever. And if it was possible, seeing the heart beating under the layers of Reece’s armor made her fall that much harder for him. Sure, she was grateful he was here looking after her tonight, but another part of her screamed at him to go. These choppy waters were too difficult to navigate. Ties that bound her heart to his had grown more powerful than before.
She was never going to get over him. If there was such a thing in this world as “the one,” she had found hers when she’d been a kid, and there was never going to be another one to replace him.
Her boldness during their conversation had surprised even her, but at some point she realized she had nothing to lose. His romantic feelings toward her didn’t match her own for him. Matter of fact, his were nonexistent, and the thought made her heart hurt.
He had made it clear she was a friend—such a good friend he’d never considered bringing his carnal needs to her doorstep. Not that she would have been capable of sorting what to do with that kind of revelation. Being his fuck buddy had its appealing and not-so-appealing points. The fact that he had carnal needs was an eye-opener by itself. Apparently, her mind had protected her by making her believe he lived the life of a monk.
A little flame of hope kindled inside her when she recalled the flare of anger she’d noticed in his eyes when Leo called. If Reece was jealous, that meant something, didn’t it? Or was it simply a don’t-touch-my-sister sort of reaction? Even when she’d explained to Reece that Leo only called to find out if she had planned to be at the parade—like Hailey or Joy or any friend might do—that glare had returned to his mossy greens. His normally stoic expressions were nowhere to be found lately, but she was too exhausted to examine the reasons why.
“Live to fight another day tomorrow,” she murmured to herself as she settled into her nest. Her headache had mercifully retreated, only to remind her it was there when she turned her head too quickly. The gash on her chin throbbed in time to her pulse. What an idiot she’d been! Neve Embry might be a good vet, but she was doing a horrible job at adulting. One bad decision piled on another until the heap was ready to fall over .
Pearl whimpered on the floor beside her, as if to protest Neve’s self-appraisal.
“I love you too, girl.”
Neve drifted and began to dream. Images floated through her consciousness, and she snatched at them like she might at wisps of smoke. They were elusive things, but she had the sense they all carried images of Reece. If that was how she could be close to him, then so be it. She sighed and drifted deeper.
A commotion made her bolt upright in bed. Pain knifed through her head and chin, reminding her of her “disaster on ice.” It took a few beats for the pain to recede and for her to realize it wasn’t a commotion at all. There stood Reece, silhouetted against a faint light from the hallway as he loomed over her, with Pearl capering beside him. He was dressed in gym shorts and nothing else, and the glow of the light reflected on his smooth skin.
His deep timbre reached her through her fog. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I just needed to wake you so I could check on your symptoms. How are you feeling?”
“Groggy, but that’s what happens when someone wakes me up out of a dead sleep.” She clutched the covers to her chin, suddenly remembering she’d shed her clothes before climbing under the covers.
“Flashlight warning.”
He sat heavily on the mattress beside her and checked her eyes. “Nice and clear,” he murmured. He held up three fingers. “How many?”
“Seven? Or is that nine?”
Even in the dimness, she could spot dismay flickering in his eyes. “Are you serious?”
“No, I was teasing. I wanted to find out if you were paying attention. I see three.”
“Of course I’m paying attention. I haven’t been able to sleep from worrying about you, you troublemaker.”
“Really?”
“Really. Now hold still.” He quizzed her on a few other details, and she passed his tests with flying colors.
Pearl settled at his feet, and he clicked off his penlight. But he didn’t move .
Neve tipped her head to the side. “Are you here to give me that foot massage?”
He shook his head.
“Something else on your mind?” she prodded.
The intensity in his orbs pierced her as he stared at her through the dark. “We got this thing ass-backward.”
“What thing?”
“We were best friends—are best friends—and we got married. We skipped everything else.”
She stared at him dumbly. “What are you trying to say?”
He leaned in, planting his palm on one side of her body to carry his weight. Heat waved off him, enveloping her, and his warm breath fell on her cheek. The familiar smell of leather and pine, mingled with Reece, drifted up her nose. The fingers of his free hand feathered over her hair, sending shivers skittering along her scalp.
“I’m trying to say I only got to kiss you once,” he murmured, “and I’m embarrassed to admit I was so damn drunk my memory is a little cloudy. I get that it’s a bad idea, but I can’t stop thinking about it. I’d really like to know how it felt.”
Her pulse jumped, and she swallowed to coat her suddenly parched throat. When she finally got her words out, they were a croak. “My memory’s cloudy too.”
His fingertips moved to her cheek, caressing as they mapped the contours of her face, trailing down the side of her throat, along her shoulder, and back to her collarbone. His eyes followed, as if he were looking at her for the first time. Did he like what he saw? The scrutiny clamped a vise on her stomach.
“Neve,” he whispered, twining his fingers in her hair, his touch featherlight. He dropped his head, his moist lips landing where her neck met her shoulder. “Why didn’t I see …?” he murmured against her skin. “So beautiful, so soft.”
The hand that had been propping him up moved to cradle the other side of her face, gently holding her in place while his mouth did magical things to her neck. She let her head fall into his hold, welcoming the sensations that washed over her and erased the sting of her gash. Tingles fired up every nerve ending in her body, and an errant moan escaped her. Did she have to be so … easy ?
Yes, she did. She’d wanted this her entire life.
Oh God, if this is a dream, please don’t let me wake up.
He pulled back, and his lids lifted partway. “Is this okay? I don’t want to hurt you.”
He hadn’t even kissed her yet, and she was trembling like a bowl of Jell-O riding out a magnitude-nine earthquake.
“You’re not hurting me,” she managed right before she launched herself at him, catching him by surprise when her mouth landed on his. His firm lips softened, meeting hers, tasting and nibbling as he drew her bottom lip into his mouth with a gentle suck. A nip. Then his tongue got into the mix, first taking a swipe at that same lip before licking into her mouth, languidly probing, exploring. He tasted mildly like salt and something indescribably wonderful. The kiss was sensuous and slow, and her tingles turned to explosive chills that puckered her skin and her nipples.
Her fingers fell away from the covers she’d been holding in place and dove into tufts of his soft hair. His hands moved down her bare back, splaying across its width. His tongue plunged deeper, and she met it, dueled it, stroked it while his fingertips dug in. Growls reverberated in his chest and rose up to his throat. His weight pressed against her, and she lay back, the covers still a barrier between them.
He broke the kiss and looked down at her with a lopsided grin, his breaths coming rapid and ragged. “I can’t believe I could have forgotten something that mind-blowing.”
“So you remember now?” she panted.
“I don’t know. Brain’s not firing on all cylinders at the moment. I’d better make sure.” His mouth found hers once more, but before the kiss could get a head of steam, he abruptly pulled away. When she opened her eyes, his were wide.
“What?”
“I shouldn’t.” He sat up, sliding his hands from underneath her and tunneling his fingers through his hair.
She stroked his steely upper arm but otherwise didn’t move. “Shouldn’t what?”
When he looked at her, his eyes filled with regret. “You’re hurt, and I’m acting like an asshole. And there’s a whole other boatload of reasons I shouldn’t have started this. I want you, Neve. You must know that. But I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost control. ”
Knowing she’d made Reece Hunnicutt lose control, even for an instant? Wow. Power surged inside her, emboldening her.
She raised up on an elbow and slid the covers down to her waist. “I’m not sorry.”
His eyes lowered and rested on her bared breasts. His expression turned pained.
“Reece?” She tugged on his shoulder.
He raised his gaze to hers. “We shouldn’t.”
“I know.” She brought her hand to her chest and stroked her nipple, turning it into a hard bead. What possessed her to be so brazen, she wasn’t exactly sure, but she did know this: She was laying herself wide open to complete and utter humiliation—and holding her breath while she did so.
He licked his lips. “Neve, if we cross that line, there’s no going back. We won’t be talking annulment anymore. It’s divorce with a capital D and the black mark you said you don’t want.”
She trailed her fingertips over her breast, drawing his gaze once more. “I know that too.” But did she? Her desire for this man overflowed, consuming every other sense, like her ability to see and to reason—or to remember he was moving away in a month.
Something shifted in his eyes, and pain transformed into a dark gleam of lust that lit a blaze inside her. He’d given up the fight. Pushing her hand away, he lowered his body on top of hers and took her mouth with such heat and hunger she thought a floodgate had been torn off its hinges.
Suddenly, his mouth and hands were everywhere at once. This was heady stuff.
After a kiss that left her breathless, he moved down her body, lavishing her neck and chest with open-mouthed kisses. When he finally reached her pearled peak and latched on, the anticipation made her whimper with pleasure. His hot, moist mouth suckled and licked and nibbled one breast while his fingers deftly manipulated the other. Then he switched sides, ratcheting up the assault until her back arched off the mattress. Dear God, she was ready to orgasm from him merely toying with her breasts.
He climbed back up her body and nuzzled her earlobe. One hand dove into her hair, and the other traveled up and down her body until it covered her breast and began kneading. His hand was so big it engulfed her, and the roughness of his palm caused a delicious friction on her sensitive flesh that arrowed right between her legs. Her body undulated beneath his of its own accord. She couldn’t have stopped it if she’d tried.
“How’s your chin?” he mumbled.
“What chin?” she breathed.
He chuckled softly before sliding back down her body and flicking her nipples with his tongue. “I hope you don’t mind if I play here for a while.”
Oh, please do!
He did, but not for long. He trailed his tongue lower with purpose, pausing to kiss and lick, pushing the covers out of his way as he went. When he reached her apex, he rose up on an elbow and nudged her legs apart, then drew his tapered finger the length of her seam and pushed inside. She bucked off the bed. He flashed her a wicked smile that made her question if this man was really Reece Hunnicutt. Then he sank a second finger inside her and curled it just so.
“Fuck yeah. You are so damn wet.”
God, she was! And she didn’t care that he knew how ready she was for him—or that he was crowing about it. Out loud.
They had definitely crossed into new territory.
While his fingers worked in and out of her body, he aligned himself and pulled a nipple between his teeth, teasing it with his tongue. He pushed a third finger inside her, and as his mouth tormented her breast, he positioned his thumb pad in just the right place.
He knew what he was doing and how to do it, and she came apart mere moments later. He paused only a moment, letting her gulp in air, before he started up again. His eyes were trained on her, and she stared right back, unflinching, until she came again and squeezed them shut so she could relish every last tendril of pleasure racing up and down her body. She was a mewling mess when he was done with her, yet her body was primed and begging for more.
Sliding his fingers from her body, he bolted upright.
Breathless words rushed out of her. “Where are you going?”
“Bedroom. Condom.” His speech seemed about as difficult to come by as coherence in her thoughts was. She was one writhing bundle of sensations. He stared at her for a beat, two. “Unless …”
“Unless?” Was Mr. Safety actually suggesting what she thought he was suggesting ?
“After Chelsea, I got tested and I’m clean. I haven’t so much as held someone’s hand since.”
“And you trust me enough to go bare?” This both surprised and delighted her.
“Yes, I trust you.” Leaning down, he bracketed her body. Only his lips touched her, and he used them to kiss her mouth thoroughly. He ended with a nip and a soothing lick. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
She shook her head. “I’m clean too.” More like completely sanitized—it had been that long. “And I’m on birth control.”
He brushed his nose against hers. “I know.”
“H-how do you know?”
“I overheard you comparing notes with Hailey one night at the tavern.”
“Oh my God, what else have you heard?” Her mind took a quick trip around recent conversations but came up empty. Her focus was decidedly elsewhere.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “You can coax it out of me.” Hovering above her, he began an unhurried, erotic assault on her neck. “What do you say, golden girl? Are you good with this?” When she hummed her approval, he continued. “I want to slide inside you so bad. I’m dying to know how you feel around me,” he rumbled.
Who knew this quiet man had so much to say? And in such a sultry, delicious way? Still waters really did run deep.
His provocative words vibrated deep and low inside her, igniting a carnal well she never knew existed before.
Her breath caught in her throat. “I want that too.”
With a growl of approval, he stood, shucking his shorts in one go. No underwear. He’d come to check on her commando . Extra flutters waved through her belly as she ran her eyes over his very fine ass. She was on the verge of sinking her teeth into it, and then he turned.
Oh my .
His cock was thick and heavy, its glistening crown pointed right at her. Her mouth watered, and he might have smirked. She was too busy admiring him to pay attention to what his face was doing—there was a lot to admire.
He dropped a knee on the mattress, coiled to crawl up her body, but she placed her hand on his arm and nudged him back to a standing position. “Wait. ”
He shot her a questioning glance. “Too much too fast? Should we stop?”
“No.” Bringing herself fully upright, she planted her feet on the floor on either side of his legs. With her eyes fastened on his, she grasped his shaft at the root, leaned in, and gave his broad tip a lick. A swirl. A suck. He was smooth and salty and so damn beautiful.
She watched his face contort as she explored him with her tongue, her fingers. He let out a guttural noise that was part groan and part curse.
“Neve,” he pleaded, plowing his fingers into her hair. She felt the tug on her sore chin, but she didn’t care. She wanted to taste him. She wanted to know all of him. When he began a gentle thrust, she could tell he was straining to hold back, and she wanted to take him deeper, drive him crazier. She might never get this chance again.
With one hand cupping his balls, she used the other to draw him farther into her mouth so she could worship every inch of him.
“Neve,” he gasped, “I’m not gonna last.”
With a final twirl of her tongue, she drew back, all bold confidence. “I don’t just want your cock inside me, Reece. I want to feel it all over me.”
His fingers were still twined in her hair, and he slid them out when she proceeded to brush his wet tip over her nipples, back and forth, then circled her breasts, as though she was using it to paint designs on her body.
His eyes widened as he watched her, then darkened. “Jesus fucking …” The rest was garbled.
“Touching my skin everywhere, Reece,” she purred. Unbridled lust coursed through her veins, and she rode the current. A different woman had apparently taken command of her psyche. She sat forward and pressed her breasts together, surrounding his shaft.
Grasping her shoulders, he thrust upward, more forcefully now, shifting angles, laboring as his hips flexed forward. Suddenly, he stopped … and pushed her on her back none too gently.
“Scoot up and spread your legs,” he ordered.
She complied, and he stretched out on top of her, gripping her arms and pulling them above her head. His hand was so big it easily held both her wrists captive. She brought her knees up, and his cock slotted in perfectly between her thighs, prodding her entrance.
“Much as I love having your mouth on me and you teasing me with your gorgeous tits, I’d rather come deep inside you our first time.” He lowered his mouth and sucked her neck as his broad tip glided inside her a fraction. “Slick and hot and so damn perfect.” His voice was a velvet rumble that caressed her all over, sending fresh tingles cascading throughout her body as she floated in a lust-muddled stew.
His free hand slid behind her knee, splaying her leg to one side before he positioned it just so. Then his hips snapped forward, and he drove inside her. The angle, coupled with his determined thrust, made them both gasp. She could feel his heart thumping against her chest as he caught his breath.
“Hey, look at me,” he rasped. Her body sang out to him, and she was helpless to refuse him anything. He rubbed the tip of his nose against hers and murmured, “You fit me like you were made for me.” Then he kissed her, a demanding, untethered thing that held the promise of claims he was about to stake.
His last words sank in, and her heart swelled, He laced the fingers of his one hand with both of hers. Then he pulled out and pushed in again, grunting, “Oh fuck. Heaven. Right there.”
He had her pinned in such a way that she could barely manage to raise her hips, trying to meet his thrusts, though it didn’t seem to slow him down. He picked up the tempo, pumping into her, over and over and over. In and out, hitting the very best spots as if he held a map that unlocked each and every one. And he was relentless. Ruthless. She loved it. As he rocked her into sweet oblivion, her mind spun off into another galaxy, and the only thread holding her to the earth was the exquisite ecstasy building up inside her. Bursting forth like so many exploding stars. Spilling over in an orgasm that rocked her entire body.
From far away, she heard herself cry out his name as she soared off the edge, heard him follow her into that warm, primal abyss.
She wasn’t sure if she was still alive, and she didn’t care … because she had landed at the gates of heaven.