Chapter 9
NINE
KAIRI
“You and I both know that’s a bad idea,” Colton mutters, holding my gaze so intensely that goosebumps rise along my arms.
“Is it really though?” I try again, desperate for him. “We’ve done it before.”
Colton reaches down and grabs onto my elbow, gently pulling me to my feet. “We had alcohol to blame that on,” he reminds me. “But if all you need is to come, darlin’, then I can do that without fucking you.”
What I need is for him to fuck me, but I can’t say that out loud.
Instead, I let him guide me to his bed until the backs of my legs hit the edge and I stumble, falling onto the mattress.
One side of his mouth lifts into a half smirk as he slowly lowers himself to his knees before me, never looking away.
I swallow as his hand runs up my calves, past my thighs, and stops at the waistband of my panties.
“Are you ready?” Colton asks, eyes bouncing between mine.
I nod and lick my lips. “Very.”
He hooks the waistband with his finger and slowly drags it down my legs until I’m completely bare to him, then his hands snake up my knees and spread my legs wide, eyes dropping down and brightening with excitement.
“So beautiful,” Colton murmurs as he brings his eyes back up to mine. “Every inch of you.”
My heart is pounding so loudly I can’t think straight. I glance away, flustered and fighting the urge to grab a pillow to bury my face in, but he reaches up and catches my chin, forcing me to look at him.
“Don’t do that,” he says.
I swallow. “Do what?”
“Look away when I compliment you, as if you don’t believe what I’m saying.”
My chest tightens but I ignore it and roll my eyes instead. “You’re just saying that because my hair is straight,” I say, proving him right. “Everyone always thinks I look prettier with straight hair.”
He frowns and releases my chin, running his fingers through the ends of my hair instead. “You look nice with your hair straightened,” he says.
“That sounds dangerously close to an insult.”
He tugs lightly on a strand. “I wasn’t finished,” he says, voice dropping low. “It looks nice, but I prefer the curls.”
I freeze. “You do?”
He nods. “I do.”
“I think you’re the first person, aside from my parents, to say that.”
He chuckles and the sound sends a shiver through me.
“I like you how you are, Kai,” he says, placing a gentle kiss on my shoulder. “You wouldn’t need to change anything about yourself if you were with me.”
I’m stunned into silence as the room goes still, and Colton stiffens slightly.
If I were with him?
Why would he say that?
He recovers quickly, and refocuses on what he was doing before the compliment.
His fingers run down my torso, stopping at my knees, and pushing them further apart as he lowers his mouth to my skin, kissing a trail up my inner thigh.
Each kiss leaves my skin feeling hot, and when he plants a gentle kiss between my legs it feels explosive; familiar; important.
But it shouldn’t feel like that, should it? This is supposed to just be a fun way to let off some steam, so why does it feel like so much more?
“Stop overthinking it,” he mumbles.
I glance down and realize he’s watching me closely, so I open my mouth to tell him I’m not overthinking anything, but when he swirls his tongue against my clit a moan escapes from me instead.
“You like that?” he asks, not waiting for me to reply before doing it again.
I lift my hand to his hair, holding him in place as he repeats the motion over and over, still watching me. A warm heat spreads across my skin as I hold eye contact, feeling completely and utterly at his mercy, and he knows it.
“You’re so close and I’ve barely started,” he says, pulling back slightly to grin up at me. “I think the five minute title should belong to you, Kairi.”
“The great thing about being a woman,” I whisper, grinning back, “is I can come over and over and over.”
He makes an agreeable sound before lowering his mouth back to my clit and looking up at me with dark eyes. I expect him to do the same tongue swirl, but this time he strokes my pussy with his tongue—up and down, then round and round—and my eyes roll back as my moans grow louder.
“Look at you,” he mumbles, watching me carefully. “Your pussy is begging to come.”
My cheeks warm but I don’t let him stop, gripping him by his hair and pushing him back down. I don’t want this feeling to ever stop.
He chuckles against me, the vibration adding to the growing pressure.
It’s almost unnatural how in tune he is with my body, despite us only ever having slept together once when we were both very drunk.
He knows the perfect amount of pressure to apply, he knows where I like to be kissed and how, and I have no doubt he’d know how to fuck me into bliss—again.
My nipples pebble as I near an explosive orgasm and I start grinding against his mouth, wanting more. He keeps the pressure and the speed steady, not changing a damn thing until I tip over the edge moaning his name.
I can’t imagine feeling this with anyone other than him, and although that scares me, I’m beyond caring right now as I ride out the waves of pleasure until they slow down.
“Still so beautiful,” he whispers as he takes in my flushed state.
But I can’t take anymore compliments or complicated feelings, so I reach behind me and pull his pillow out from under my head and throw it straight at his face.
“That,” I say with a giggle, “was fun.”
He pushes the pillow aside and grins up at. “Round two in five minutes?”
I laugh, but the sound is flat even to my own ears. Colton studies me carefully, his expression changing immediately.
“Probably not a good idea,” I say, giving him a small smile as I sit up, pulling the pillow onto my lap and using it to cover as much of my body as I can.
He stands and stares down at me with a furrowed brow. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” I stare at the pillow. “It’s just…”
“Spit it out, Kai,” he says, nudging my knee with a half smile.
“You said I wouldn’t need to change for you,” I say, voice quiet as my eyes drop down to the spot that he nudged, my skin hot. “Why did you say that?”
“I don’t know,” he says after a moment. “I say stupid things when I’m caught up in the moment. Don’t you?”
Stupid.
That’s exactly how I feel.
I let out a weak laugh. “Yeah. Sometimes.”
“But aside from that,” he says carefully, “this is what you wanted, right?”
The bed creaks slightly as I stand and walk over to my pile of clothes, picking them up off the floor.
“Yeah. I wanted fun,” I say. “And it was fun.”
He exhales, pulling his boxers back on and then crosses the room to his dresser, pulling out an oversized hoodie and walking over to me.
I instinctively close my eyes as he pulls the hoodie over my head—the fabric stopping at just about my knee—and when I open my eyes again he’s smiling at me faintly.
“Don’t read into anything I said,” he says, ruffling my hair. “It was just a heat of the moment thing.”
I search his face. “Are you sure?”
“Scouts honour,” he says as he raises a hand solemnly, before ruining it with a grin.
I snort and shove his shoulder. “I’m going to bed.”
“Boo,” he says, dragging the word out. “I made you come and now you’re running off on me. So not fair.”
I can tell he’s not being serious, but I decide to play along with him anyway.
“Don’t worry,” I say, booping his nose as I smirk. “As a thank you for making me come, I’m happy to tell people you’re a six minute man instead.”
“Kairi,” he says in a warning tone.
“Okay, okay,” I laugh as I back up toward his door, smiling despite myself. “Seven minutes, but that’s the highest number I’m willing to lie for you.”
“Lie?”
He sounds genuinely offended as he stalks toward me, and I cackle as I tug the door open, but before I can slip through, his palm lands against it and pushes it shut.
I can feel the heat from his body radiating against my back, and my breath catches as he brushes my hair over one shoulder and gently kisses my neck once.
“I can go at least twenty minutes, Kairi,” he murmurs near my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “And that’s only because it’s been a while. On a better day, I could go all night.”
“You’re delusional,” I say breathily. “I need to buy you a watch.”
“If there ever comes a day that we do have sex again, let’s set a timer,” he says as his hand settles at my hip and he turns me to face him. “We’ll see how long it says I lasted for at the end.”
That is a terrible idea—not the part where we set a timer, but the part where we have sex.
I just proved to myself that I can’t do anything close to casual sex because I hear meaning in everything he says, and feel too much in everything he does. That’s not what someone who’s just having sex for fun does.
But then again, the things he said…those aren’t things you say to someone that you’re just having fun with either. Especially not someone who’s supposed to be your friend, right?
I should say no.
I fully intend to say no.
“Deal,” I say instead.
His eyes darken, becoming lust-filled, and I know if I don’t leave now we just might end up having sex.
“Goodnight, Colton,” I whisper.
“Goodnight, Kairi,” he whispers back, watching as I turn and open his door.
I walk out without a second look, afraid I’ll change my mind and run back in. Whatever happened tonight, can’t happen again, because I can’t be feeling these things for Colton. Not while we’re meant to be friends, and definitely not while I’m still set on being with Zale.