Chapter 14
KENSEY
The limo turned north on PCH but I barely registered it. My lips were still tingling from that kiss. Thinking in general was difficult. Fireworks kept popping in my brain. After years of being just friends, Drew and I had crossed a line we’d never even tiptoed around.
Tension thrummed in the air like lightning was about to strike, and we were both feeling it.
Now we were heading to Drew’s home, and I was trying not to think about what would happen once we got there.
We were treading completely new ground, and excitement warred with nervousness inside me.
No matter how the rest of the night played out, this would be an evening to remember.
The driver slowed and turned off onto a private drive. I pressed closer to the window. Even in the dark I could see the scale of Drew’s house, which sat right on the beach. It was modern and angular, all clean lines and glass, and massive.
“This is my house,” Drew said.
“And you live here all alone?” I asked, shaking my head. “That’s a lot of space for just one man.”
“It is, but I’m not alone tonight.”
The driver pulled up to the front and stopped.
Drew got out and extended his hand to me.
I took it and stepped out barefoot onto the smooth stone of the drive because I was absolutely not putting those heels back on.
Drew keyed in the code at the front door and pushed it open. We walked in and I stopped.
The entry opened directly into the main living space, and the first thing that hit me was the windows.
Floor to ceiling, wall to wall, the entire back of the house was glass.
And beyond the glass was the ocean, dark and enormous.
The view was so overwhelming that for a moment I forgot everything else.
“Wow.”
“Right?” He laughed and walked to a screen on the wall, tapping it a few times. The room was flooded with warm light.
I walked forward slowly, drawn toward the view.
The living room was open and spare. A low sectional sofa in a warm cream, a coffee table with dark contrasting chairs on the other side.
There were built-in shelves along one wall that were mostly empty.
A fireplace in pale stone that ran nearly to the ceiling. But all of that could wait.
I pressed my hand flat against the glass and looked out. The deck ran the full width of the back of the house and then dropped away to the bluff’s edge, where a glass railing stood between the wood decking and the open air. Below that, somewhere in the dark, was the water.
“Can we go out there?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” he said, his voice deep and warm. “Let me get some drinks for us.”
He crossed to the kitchen, which was open to the living space, separated only by a long island in pale marble.
The kitchen was extraordinary, with professional-grade appliances.
The countertops were more white marble that made everything look so much bigger and brighter.
There was a wine fridge built into the lower cabinets and a bar cart tucked against the wall that held more bottles than most people owned.
“What do you want?” he asked, opening a cabinet.
“Whatever you’re having.”
He reached for a bottle of something amber. “Red wine okay?”
“Perfect.”
He poured two glasses and handed one to me. I took a sip. It was good wine. Warm going down, not too dry.
“Come on,” he said.
We went out to the patio, which had a ridiculous infinity pool. A long U-shaped couch wrapped around a firepit in the center, although it wasn’t on. We took a seat and I looked out over the water.
I took a few sips of my wine and then looked over at Drew. His eyes were already on me, gazing at me like I was something precious he couldn’t look away from. He set his glass down and took mine. I inhaled sharply. I knew it was coming. I wanted it.
So when he leaned in, I closed my eyes and gave myself to the kiss. His hand slid from my jaw into my hair, deepening the kiss. I tasted the wine and decided I liked it on his tongue more than I liked it straight from the glass.
His hand fisted in my hair and I felt the tug all the way down my spine. I swung my leg over and settled into his lap, straddling him. The dress hiked up around my thighs. His hands moved to my hips and gripped like he would never let go.
I leaned down and took his bottom lip between mine. His grip on my hips tightened. I rocked forward against him and he groaned.
“Damn, Kensey.” Drew was hard as steel beneath me, erasing any doubts about what he might be feeling in that moment. He wanted this as much as I did.
Heat pooled low in my stomach, spurring me on.
His hands slid from my hips to my thighs, pushing the hem of my dress up even higher.
His palms were warm against my skin. His thumbs traced the insides of my thighs.
I shifted in his lap and kissed him harder to cover the small helpless noise that threatened to come out.
Our tongues dueled, slashing against each other.
My mouth opened wider, welcoming him in.
I had always wondered what kind of kisser he would be.
Amazing was the word that came to mind. He was fierce and tender at the same time.
His hands slid up my sides, cupping my breasts and rubbing his thumbs across my nipples.
He dropped his right hand back to my thigh. He slid higher. His thumb pressed against me through the thin fabric of my panties. I sucked in a breath, my mouth pulling away. He did it again, slower, watching my face before sitting forward and kissing me again.
His fingers slipped beneath the edge of my panties without hesitation, finding the slick heat between my thighs.
I gasped against his mouth as one thick finger caressed my folds, circling my clit with slow, deliberate pressure that made my hips jerk forward.
He swallowed the sound, deepening the kiss, his tongue stroking mine, and he pushed one finger inside me, then two, curling them just right.
My inner walls clenched around him, a helpless moan escaping as he pumped them, his thumb never leaving that sensitive bundle of nerves above.
I rocked against his hand, chasing the building tension, my hands tangling in his hair. I pulled him against me. His free hand pulled the front of my dress down, exposing my breasts. Then his mouth was pulling one nipple into his mouth, his teeth scraping and tugging.
The pleasure coiled tighter with every stroke, every press, until it snapped.
My orgasm crashed over me in waves, my body shuddering, thighs trembling around his hand as I cried out into his mouth.
He worked me through it, slowing only when my spasms eased, his fingers still buried deep as I panted against his lips.
“Damn woman,” he murmured against my mouth. “So wet.”
I was dizzy and still wanting more. I kissed him again and then slid my body back over his powerful thighs.
I dropped to my knees between his spread thighs.
My hands trembled as I reached for his belt, unfastening it quickly.
I had thought about this for far too long.
I ran my palm over the erection straining against his pants.
I quickly freed him, wrapping my fingers around his thick, hard length. He was velvet over steel, hot and pulsing in my grip. I looked up at him once, seeing the raw hunger in his eyes. My closed fist stroked down his length, mentally measuring the length. He was big. I knew he would be.
“Kensey,” he groaned, his head dropping back. “Just like that.”
I leaned in and ran my tongue over the slit, tasting the salty flavor before sliding down his length.
“Oh fuck,” he grunted, his hips jerking. “Shit. That feels so good.”
I closed my mouth over the top and took him in.
He groaned, low and deep, his hand settling gently on the back of my head as I swirled my tongue around the head, tasting the salt of him.
I took him deeper, hollowing my cheeks, one hand stroking the base in time with my suction.
His hips flexed slightly, controlled, but I could feel the tension in his thighs as I worked him, bobbing my head, letting him slide over my tongue again and again.
His breathing turned ragged. Loud gasps and grunts.
His fingers tightened in my hair. I took him deeper, sucking harder, my hand working in tandem until his thighs locked and he came with a guttural curse, pulsing hot against my tongue.
I swallowed everything, easing off only when he shuddered and loosened his grip on my hair.
When I looked up, his eyes were dark, unfocused, and the sight of him—tie undone, shirt half-open, completely undone because of me—sent a fresh wave of heat through me that quickly cooled into something sharper. The fog lifted. This was Drew. My best friend.
We’d just crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed. And it was the hottest fucking night of my life. So why was I suddenly panicking?
He reached for me, pulling me up and into his arms, but the kiss that followed was slower, gentler. It was sweet but now that my passions had cooled, anxiety blared in my head like alarm bells.
We broke apart at the same time. Drew looked at me with concern. “Hey, don’t shut down on me, Kensey. Talk to me.”
I shook my head like that would clear it. “I’m not shutting down.”
“Are you okay with this?” he asked. “I thought you wanted it too.”
“I did,” I said quickly, hating the broken-hearted expression on his face. “It’s just huge.”
Drew cracked a slight smile. “Thanks.”
“No, not that.” I rolled my eyes. “Well, also that. But no, I mean—”
Drew held up a hand. “I know what you mean. We’ve never done anything like that before. It’s a big deal. But I need to know you’re okay right now. That was amazing. Better than I could have dreamed of. But not if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
“I’m okay,” I said, frowning. “But I think it’s best if we call it a night.”
“Don’t run, Kensey.”
“Relax, Drew,” I said gently. “We’ll talk tomorrow. I just need to sleep and sort through all these crazy thoughts in my head. It’s been a hell of a night. You’ve been an exceptional prom date.”
A smile brightened his face. “It was an honor. Totally worth waiting a decade to get it right.”
“Thank you, Drew.”
He nodded. “Well, if you’re leaving, at least take the limo home.”
“He’s still out there?” I asked.
Drew shrugged. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, so I asked him to stick around. Trust me, he doesn’t mind. He’s getting crazy overtime for this.”
I nodded and excused myself to the bathroom to straighten up. Then Drew walked me through the quiet house to the front drive, hugged me goodbye, and helped me into the back seat with the same careful politeness we’d always used with each other. The door closed. The limo pulled away.
The ride back was a blur. My body still hummed from everything we’d done, from the taste of him, and the way he’d touched me like he’d been waiting years. My mind raced ahead, tripping over every possible outcome.
Could we ever look at each other the same way? I didn’t want to think what it meant. I couldn’t stand the idea I’d just lost the one person I couldn’t afford to lose.