Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
TATE
You.
All my rational thoughts burned up in the fire of my kiss with Josie while I tried to cling to the thinnest thread of reason.
Josie was my friend, and we shared a betrayal.
I was over it and believed she was too, but I knew gossip could burn like a wildfire in our small town.
I also had my daughter to consider. Who slept literally like the dead and whose bedroom was downstairs, away from mine. I tried to kick those worries away.
Maybe I could barely think over the fierce need inside, but I couldn’t fuck this up. This was Josie.
Her eyes flashed as she shifted restlessly on her feet. She lifted her chin, the dare contained in her gaze like the lash of a whip cracking between us. “I. Want. You.”
Reluctantly, and with my body shouting out in protest, I forced myself to step back. I could feel the throb of my pulse in my cock.
“I want you,” I said flatly as I grabbed another slender thread of control. “But I don’t want to mess things up. You’re my friend. Are you going to freak out if this happens with us?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
So much of this was beyond my control. Even though we hadn’t gone further yet, I knew if I buried myself inside Josie, there would be no turning back.
I’d known her for as long as I could remember and trusted her completely.
For years, she’d been off-limits in my mind.
There hadn’t been any spark there, or so I’d thought.
But seeing her a decade later—older, wiser, and a little more vulnerable—I desired to take care of her. I wanted to make her forget everything but me. I knew it could be really good between us, even if I didn’t know how that would play out.
“I want you. Maybe I should play it cool and pretend it’s just physical, but I know you too well. I know us too well. I’m not crazy. I’m not promising you forever this very second, but I think we could have something really good. Maybe we should see what happens.”
She was silent for long enough that I started to regret being so direct. But then, she startled me when she nodded. “I think you might have a point.”
“What does that mean?”
When another silence stretched between us, I added, “If you want to stop this right now and think about it, that’s totally fine. You can have my bedroom, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Josie shook her head before I even finished talking. “Why are you shaking your head?”
“Because I don’t need to think.”
We stared at each other for several long seconds, and an inexplicable smile slowly stretched across my face when her lips curled up at the corners.
“Is this crazy?” she whispered.
“I don’t think so. It’s not like we don’t know each other well.”
“I don’t usually do this. In fact, I haven’t dated or anything for…” Her lips pinched at the corners before she let out a sharp sigh. “Over three years. It’s really hard to have a relationship when I’m so busy with training, and trust is kind of a problem for me.”
My heart twisted at the flash of pain and cynicism in her gaze. “Do you trust me?” I asked.
Her eyes held mine as she nodded. “Of course I trust you. What if it gets weird?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
She caught the bottom corner of her lip and worried it.
“If you’re not sure…” I began.
She took a step to close the distance between us and placed her palm on my chest. “I’m not sure about a lot of things, but I’m sure about this.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss under my jawline. My pulse lunged and blood shot straight to my already throbbing cock.
I slid my hand through her silky hair, lightly cupping her nape as I studied her eyes. She had a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were wide and dark with passion. I wanted her. All of her.
I finally gave in to the urge to kiss her. I loved the way her mouth opened for me, the way she was so ready, the way she didn’t hesitate. Her tongue tangled with mine, and she made these tiny little sounds in her throat that drove me fucking wild.
Once again, I had to scramble for control and managed to lift my head. “We’re not doing this in the kitchen.”
“What’s wrong with the kitchen? I’ve never done it in the kitchen. I think we should,” she said, her eyes teasing but her tone completely serious.
“Not the first time,” I rasped.
When Josie giggled, I realized this comfort and familiarity could be a good thing. I took another step back, my hand sliding out of her hair to catch hers as I walked into the living room area and led her up the stairs into the small sitting area.
“Where are we going?” she whispered.
I sat down on the couch, giving her hand a light tug. “Here.”
Josie didn’t miss a beat, eagerly straddling me as she giggled again before rocking her hips playfully over mine.
“Easy now,” I murmured, clenching my teeth.
She stilled, her gaze sobering. “Are we really doing this?”
“I hope so.”
The moment suddenly felt serious and weighted with more than just desire.
She blinked before leaning forward, cupping my cheek for a moment before her hand slid down to the side of my neck and her thumb traced along the stubbled edge of my jawline.
“I hope so too,” she said against my lips.
I told myself to take it slow and make this perfect. But, holy hell, that was impossible. Josie was delectable, sultry, and teasing in a way that revved my body.
I’d had good sex before, but not like this. There were a few fumbles, like when Josie shifted back to undo the buttons on my fly and almost kneed me in the balls. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth when I jerked back abruptly. “I’m so sorry!”
“Could’ve been worse.” I chuckled.
She stared at me, shimmying back farther to where she was balanced just over my knees. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”
Along the way, I’d unbuttoned her shirt, and her bra hung open. Her nipples were rosy pink and puckered, her breasts more than a handful. I cupped one, teasing my thumb over her nipple.
Her breath hissed sharply. “Tate…”
“It’s my turn to make you crazy.” I lightly pinched her nipple before leaning forward to suck the other nipple in, grazing it with my teeth.
She let out a gasp and a whimper before I leaned back against the sofa, watching her through heavy-lidded eyes. She unbuttoned my jeans and shoved them down around my hips, freeing my cock. She lifted her eyes to mine when she knelt in front of me. “Are you ready?”
A drop of cum rolled out the tip. “You tell me,” I gasped.
Josie’s lips curled in a sultry smile, and I thought my heart might crack my ribs. I was lightheaded from the intensity of need rushing through me.
“I think you are,” she said before leaning forward.
The seconds stretched as she slowly placed an open kiss over my crown. I could feel the vibration of her hum before she took me fully into her mouth.
It felt as if I were tumbling, my control lost in the force of the fall as she proceeded to tease me to distraction.
She sucked me deeply, curling her hand around my shaft and stroking up and down.
At one point, she released me with a little pop before dragging her tongue in a slow stroke from the base to the tip.
My release threatened, striking like lightning inside until she sucked me in once more.
I distantly heard my guttural cry as one hand fisted in her hair and the other gripped the couch.
The force of my release was intense, and the sheer relief from it was beyond anything I’d ever experienced.
My brain was pure static, barely anything more than electrical impulses flickering.
I felt her move and dragged my eyes open to see her standing.
She shimmied out of her jeans and tossed her shirt to the floor behind her.
She stood before me in nothing but a pair of polka-dotted socks and panties to match.
I must’ve grinned. It felt like my entire body lit up, a sense of raw happiness with her and how this all felt rolled through me.
“What?” she asked, her voice teasing.
“Your socks match your underwear,” I managed to say, my voice almost hoarse.
She gave me a saucy grin. “Sometimes I match.”
I was too tired to laugh, but I managed to smile. It was beyond endearing. “I love that,” I finally said.
She waggled her brows. “It all started when I won my first downhill race. It was a joke on the team that we always had to have matching socks and underwear. I still have plenty of matching sets.”
“Come ’ere.” I gestured for her to come closer.