Best Friends Forever (22 page)

Three

Reece gets out of the car and leans against the trunk. He’s parked several feet ahead of me, so I walk up to him.

“What, you want to rub it in?” I ask, more pissed at myself than anyone else.

“Not at all. I came to see if you’re alright,” he admits, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m just peachy,” I lie, putting on a fake smile.

“Don’t you lie to me, Cheyanne.” His voice is so serious, I’m actually floored by his tone.

“How am I supposed to be, then?”

“Most girls would be crying about the fact that they were just dumped by my brother,” he says.

“I’m not most girls,” I explain.

“Ain’t that the fucking truth,” he mutters.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I demand to know.

“You’re something special,” he says quietly.

“I’m nobody, Reece. So stop trying to make me feel better. I got bested by that asshole, and now I just need to get over it.”

“Isn’t there a phrase out there … Something about the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else?”

My blood pressure spikes. “Is that an invitation?”

His eyes bulge. “No! I mean, fuck, Chey, you’re my brother’s girlfriend.”

At first, I believe him, but as I stare into his eyes, I see the desire there and realize he’s into me. As much as I want to believe it, I’m still wary, afraid that he actually has the power to hurt me.

“I was his girlfriend.”

I suck in a breath as he steps forward, bringing our faces within inches of each other. Reece’s eyes flick down to my lips for half a second and then he’s staring at me with those killer blue eyes, eyes so bright they outshine the clearest South Carolina sky. Eyes that cut to my soul, drawing me in without even trying.

Seconds before his lips descend on mine, fear cripples me, leaves me wondering how in the hell my dreams are actually coming true. I lick my lips, a quick motion that draws Reece’s eye again. This time, he keeps them there, his face growing ever closer to mine. His left hand comes up to cup the back of my head.

He pauses less than an inch away. “I’ve wanted this for so long.” His whispered admission makes my heart soar.

And then it explodes.

His lips touch mine and it’s not awkward or tense. It’s just Reece. I feel his right hand come around my waist, pulling me tight against him. His body is different than Roman’s, more muscled and firm. As much as I know I shouldn’t compare the brothers, I can’t help myself. Reece is gentle, loving even, where Roman was aggressive and demanding.

My chest is heaving when he slips his tongue past my lips, fully tasting me. I open my mouth for him easily, willing him not to stop. My eyes, which have closed with pleasure, flutter open for just a second to find him staring at me. It’s a weird sensation, so I keep my eyes open and, after a moment, Reece pulls away, but only enough to place sweet kisses along my jawline. He makes his way to my ear, tugging on the tender flesh with his teeth and it’s so erotic, so sensual, my knees actually buckle.

With a soft chuckle, Reece holds me up, wrapping both arms around me and lifting me up on the trunk. I spread my legs for him and he steps up to me. I lock my ankles behind him, loving the contact he makes.

“Kiss me again,” I say, leaning forward to press a kiss against his throat.

“Cheyanne … We can’t.”

What? “We can. We are. Just love me, Reece.” It’s a plea and a demand, all in one.

He leans away. “I want to, Chey. Oh God, how I want to. But you are my brother’s girlfriend.”

He runs a hand over his face, closing his eyes. “I know we both want it, babe. But Roman is still my brother. And you’re his girl.”

“Was,” I say again. “I was his girl, Reece. He gave me up.” As much as I don’t want to admit it, my throat closes, feeling Reece’s rejection deep in my gut. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want Reece right now. Even with his imminent refusal to pursue me, I know I won’t change my mind about how I feel about him.

“It doesn’t matter. You know that.”

“Fine,” I say, unhooking my ankles and dropping my feet down to the bumper. I wait for him to move away from me so I can get down off the car. I don’t move yet, feeling the tears building, but I refuse to let them fall, holding them in as best I can, at least until I get home.

“Let me give you a ride home,” he suggests. When I shake my head no, he groans. “Dammit, Chey! Don’t lock me out.” He uses that phrase and it annoys me. My teeth clench as he continues. “You might be able to pull that shit with Roman, but I know you better. You’re pissed off at me, I can tell. That tic in your cheek is proof enough, and if it wasn’t, the daggers in your eyes would tip me off. Say it, Chey. Don’t close down on me.”

I jump off the trunk. “You want me to let it out? Fine. You’re as much of a dick as your dumbass brother. You think I’m fickle and don’t know what the hell I want, but the truth is, it’s you I’ve wanted for the last four years, and dating Rome was just so I could get closer to you. I’ve been in love with you, like full-on, in love with you, for the last year, Reece. And you treat me like I’m your kid sister, like even looking at me with any hint of passion would cause both of us to go to Hell. Well fuck that! I want you.”

I draw a deep breath and watch the emotions play over Reece’s face. Shock and awe, along with several other feelings, wash over him, but the final look he gives me is hot. He wants me as much as I want him. Although, I can’t tell if he’s going to make a move or not.

He steps forward but then backs away. “Get in the car. I’ll give you a ride home.”

With that, he turns and gets into the driver’s seat of his car, leaving me alone in the dark. After my little tirade, my chest is heaving, my breathing erratic. Not to mention I just spilled my heart out to him and he rejected me. Again. I might flip the fuck out on him.

Instead, I walk to the passenger side, yank open the door, and slide inside. Reece looks at me, waiting for me to put my seatbelt on. I refuse, crossing my arms over my chest. Even though I had a fit about Zach not wearing his, I’m doing this to prove a point.

Before long, Reece does exactly what I know he’ll do, and reaches over to buckle me in himself. As he leans in, I put my mouth on his, tugging on his too-long hair. With a sound that’s half moan, half groan, Reece doesn’t put up much resistance. His tongue is in my mouth and his hands are on my waist, creeping higher.

After ten minutes of serious making out, he pulls away. “Am I really sitting in my fucking car, feeling up my kid brother’s girlfriend?”

I smack his arm. “Stop calling me that. I am not Roman’s girlfriend anymore.”

“He’s being a dick, but he really does like you, Chey.”

“And what about you? How do you feel about me?” I decided then and there that this is a deciding moment. Either he’ll be honest with me, or he’s going to lie, but whatever he says, I’m going to take him seriously and not pursue him anymore.

He leans back on his side of the car, running a hand through his hair. “I like you, Cheyanne. And I’m not saying the big ‘L’ word because I don’t say it unless I mean it, but it’s something close to that. I’ve liked you for a long time, too, but Roman has been into you for a long time, too. I love my brother, and I won’t hurt him this way.”

I’ve got my answer. He wants me, but he feels guilty. Now I just have to get him to move on from the guilt. “Well, then I guess I’ll call him and see if he will get back together with me.” I pull my phone out of the small pocket in my top and press a button to light up the screen.

He grabs the phone out of my hands. “You just fucking said that you loved me, Cheyanne. Are you really so shallow that you can just go back and forth between brothers?” He glares at me.

“I’m interested in someone who wants to be with me. Someone who isn’t afraid to be with me.”

He drops his chin to his chest, closing his eyes in frustration. Knowing that it’s make it or break it time, I take my biggest risk yet.

I push him back, climbing over the center console so I can straddle him.

His eyes pop open. “What the fuck?”

I cup his face in my hands once I settle my knees on either side of him. “Whether you like it or not, Reece, I love you. And nothing is going to change my mind about that.”

He smiles at me. “You’re so young, babe … So naïve.”

“There’s nothing naïve about love. It’s either real or it’s not. And trust me, babe, this is it,” I say.

We stare at each other for a full minute before he pulls me to him. “I’ve never told a girl I love her, Cheyanne. Never ever. But fuck, I love you so much, I feel like my heart might burst into a thousand pieces. And I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that your love will put it back together, because as long as you’re in my life, I’ll be whole.”

His words shock me, paralyze me. I can’t speak, can’t even fathom the amazingness that are his words. I already believed he was amazing, but his poetry just proves that we’re meant to be. I love him so much, it nearly hurts. I can’t answer him, so I do the next best thing: I kiss him.

His hands are all over my body as his tongue explores my mouth again, stirring something I’ve never really felt before. I know that this night will be one of the best nights of my life, but I never imagine it will forever change my life.

Four

My emotions are deep, my senses on fire; I can barely contain my excitement. In the space of half an hour, Reece and I have gone from making out to heavy petting. We’re both in the back seat of his Camaro, the front seats pushed all the way forward and both of us stark naked.

Currently, he has two fingers pressing deep, applying pressure on my g-spot, a place I was previously convinced didn’t exist. But his thumb moves against my clit at the same time, circling the nub with confidence while his mouth nips playfully at my hardened nipples. Before I can think about it, I’m coming on his fingers. I arch my back, pushing my pelvis even harder against his hand and scream my pleasure. Reece’s lips move up to my neck, suckling the tender skin of my throat as I ride it out.

When I finally come back down, Reece is grinning at me like he knows I haven’t come from someone other than myself in a long time, which is true.

“God, you’re hot when you come,” he whispers.

“Mmm … I feel pretty hot when I come.”

He laughs, pulling his fingers away from my body and sucking them both into his mouth. It’s so erotic, I quickly realize that if his fingers can cause that much pleasure, I certainly want to know how much more pleasure I can get from his mouth and dick. There’s little about him I don’t absolutely love, and this moment is just another checkmark for the good.

“I want you to make love to me,” I admit, my cheeks burning.

“Cheyanne, I want to. You have no idea how much. But I don’t have a condom,” he replied, his eyes saddened by the thought of not being able to have sex with me.

“I’m on the pill. I never even told Roman I was on it. I just always made him wear condoms. I want you so bad, Reece.”

“Fuck.” He says it like a curse and an endearment.

Without another word, he pulls me over him, so I’m straddling his legs again, only this time, his dick is rubbing softly against me, drawing even more wetness from me, if it’s possible. I moan at the sensations he evokes. With a wiggle of his hips, he’s pressing at me, his hardness fully ready to invade my softness.

It’s all too much and I can’t stop myself from slipping him inside, filling me already with just the tip. The pleasure is so intense, I drop down on him. Hard. Without even thrusting, I come again, filled to absolute completion by him. He moans, enjoying himself as well, and I can tell this won’t last too long for him, either. Even as I think it, I wish it’s not true. I want him inside me forever.

As I slow down from the overwhelming ripples of pleasure, Reece grips my hips, pulling me down and lifting me up at his own pace. With each thrust, I moan, loving the texture of him, the way he makes me feel everything, and the fact that there’s no place I can escape to. I’ve never been as emotionally involved during sex as I am right now. The electrical charge he sends through me is almost overwhelming, and before I get a chance to really catch my breath from my last orgasm, I’m coming again. I fall onto him, unable to continue as I shatter, my muscles squeezing him so tightly, he groans.

“Fuck,” he mutters. “Cheyanne, I’m going to come.”

In the height of my own climax, I whisper to him. “Yes. Come, Reece.”

Another groan escapes his lips and then he stills beneath me. He pulls my face to his and his lips glide across mine in a sweet kiss that melts my heart and warms my soul. It’s as if his soul calls to mine, completing me in ways I never even imagined possible.

Breathless minutes later, we’re hot and sweaty, the windows are fogged up, and all I can picture in my head is the scene in Titanic, when Rose and Jack have sex. A giggle escapes me before I can keep a lid on it.

“Something funny?” he murmurs, sounding sleepy.

“Yeah, I’m thinking about Titanic,” I answer.

His chest rumbles with laughter. “You’re insane. But yeah, that’s kind of what it looks like in here.”

We pull apart reluctantly, both of us realizing that if we keep touching each other, what just happened is bound to happen again. As much as I know I want that, I think we both need a little time to process everything.

I manage to get my clothes back on, and admittedly, it feels weird dressing in front of Reece. He’s been my crush for a long time, but now that we’re actually here, I wonder if what we did was a mistake.

“Rome is my brother,” Reece announces. I glance over at him and he’s got his pants on, but his bare chest is very distracting.

“Reece –” I begin.

“No, let me finish. He’s my brother, Cheyanne, and that means no matter how right and perfect what just happened felt, I need to talk to him, explain a few things. He’s still a kid, but he’ll understand.”

“You can’t seriously be considering telling him,” I gasp.

“That’s exactly what I intend to do. I have four younger brothers, all of them looking at me to set an example of how to be a good man. Hell, my father isn’t anyone any of us want to be like. So I want to always be honest with my brothers. Always.”

“You’re insane. He’ll kill you,” I mutter. “Can you at least sleep on it? Promise me you won’t say anything tonight when you get home. Just give yourself a few hours to process and then you can tell him tomorrow.”

He considers my words for a moment. “The guilt might fucking kill me, but I’ll do it. He’ll understand, Chey. I promise he will. But I will wait until tomorrow. I’ll get him alone and we’ll talk about you and what happened here. And don’t you think, for even one second, that I regret this.”

It’s as if he’s reading my mind. “I don’t either, but I thought you might.”

“Never, babe. Let’s get you home.”

The drive is mostly silent, and since my house is on the outskirts of town, we take back roads instead of the highway. At some point during the ride, Reece’s hand reaches over to take mine, our fingers twining together. The contact causes my heart to speed up, my love for him to grow.

He pulls in my driveway several minutes later and we just kind of stare at one another. “I’ll walk you to the door,” he says.

We both get out of his sleek car and he walks me up to the front porch.

“Are your parents going to freak if I kiss you out here?”

“Are you kidding? They’re in Jacksonville at their condo,” I explain.

“What about Zach? I want to set a good example for him, too, even though he’s not technically my brother.”

“I let him take my car tonight. I bet he’s at some party, enjoying the freedom of not having to sleep on a ratty couch, since he can take my car home later. Do you want to come in?”

“I want to. But I know I won’t be able to keep my hands off you if no one’s home,” he mutters.

“I don’t want you to keep your hands off me,” I murmur, going up on my tiptoes to kiss him chastely and then falling back on my heels.

“What the fuck was that?” he growls.

“A kiss,” I whisper and then turn toward the door, unlocking and swinging it open.

Before I can step inside, a true growl escapes Reece’s throat and suddenly I’m inside, the door is closed, and I’m pressed up against it. Reece towers over me, his face inches from mine, my entire body trapped inside his arms, palms placed on either side of my shoulders.

“That wasn’t a fucking kiss and you know it. This,” he says, dropping his gaze to my lips and moving closer, “is a kiss.”

With that, he closes the small distance between us and his lips touch mine. Time stops.