Authors: Elizabeth Hayley
He took my hand in his warm palm and looked me up and down.
“Nicely done, little brother. I approve.”
“Oh good, I’m glad I have your approval.”
“Well, I better get out there,” Ben said, gesturing to Henry, who was standing on the deck railing with an empty flowerpot on his head. “Those little spawns of Satan are gonna tear the place apart.”
“Sorry,” Shane said when Ben left, “he’s . . . well, I really don’t know what he is.
I didn’t tell him you were my girlfriend or anything. I just told him some women he hadn’t met were coming because I didn’t want him to be a complete ass. Clearly, he forgot most of the details of that conversation.”
“It’s fine, really.”
“I guess you met Ben?” A sweet, calming voice wafted through the air. I turned to see a beautiful woman who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She had long silky, black hair, warm dark eyes, high cheekbones, and full pink lips. Her smooth skin was the color of creamy cappuccino. “I’m Talia,” she said with an accent I couldn’t place. She extended a soft hand to me. “Don’t mind my husband.” Then she turned to Shane. “Pasta salad,” she said, holding up a bowl and putting it on the counter. She put her arms around Shane and kissed him on the cheek. “I better get outside and keep an eye on Ben and Henry. Come get me if I can help at all, Shane.”
“Was
that the brother whose birthday was the other day?”
“Yup.
That’s him.”
“Huh.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I just figured it would be a brother who was a lot younger than you for some reason.
He doesn’t strike me as the type to have a family party. He seems a little, uh . . . old for that.”
“We’re four years apart.
He just turned thirty-four. The kids like seeing me, especially Kenzie. And I know Talia has her hands full with the three of them,” he laughed.
“She seems really sweet.
Not to mention beautiful. I wish I had an exotic look like that. What ethnicity is she?”
“French and Portuguese mostly, I think.
Her
accent is
actually real,”
he laughed. “Though you definitely gave her some competition last week at the pool hall.”
I was eager to avoid talking about that night altogether.
“How did Ben get
her
?”
Shane laughed out loud.
“Sorry, that came out wrong.”
“It’s fine. They aren’t the typical couple, I know. It’s amazing what having money does for you, though. I’m not saying that’s why Talia’s with him, but it definitely made it easier for Ben to get her, I’m sure.” Anticipating my next question, Shane explained that Ben was a marketing executive at a major firm in Philadelphia. “He
is
really a good guy. He’s just a little . . . brash at times.”
***
An hour later, a few of Shane’s friends had arrived. I recognized one of the other guys as another CrossFit trainer named Jesse, but I didn’t actually know him because he worked mainly in the morning. He’d come with his fiancée Jen. They both seemed friendly, but I still felt slightly out of place until Kyle and Kate arrived.
“There’s my girl,” Kyle said with a smile as he threw his arm around me.
Instantly, his eyes swung over to Kate as the realization of his slip-up struck him.
Kate stiffened slightly, but relaxed when Kyle moved toward her, wrapping her in his strong arms and placing a sincere kiss on her temple.
Shane manned the grill with Ben by his side, as the rest of us fell into easy conversation on his back deck.
When the food was ready, I found myself next to Kyle again, as he handed me a piece of chicken from the large platter on Shane’s countertop. “Smooth move earlier, ace,” I whispered.
“Shut up,” he said, piling his plate with two burgers, a hot dog, and baked beans.
“Old habits die hard.” He shook his head with a laugh and handed me a beer from the cooler before heading out to the deck to return to Kate.
Of course, Shane ate a piece of grilled fish and a salad with no dressing.
Again. Though he didn’t comment on my third helping of pasta salad, I felt the need to justify it by saying that carbs were important for training.
Shane let out a soft laugh.
“Oh, and so is strawberry shortcake,” I added quickly in anticipation of dessert.
After everyone had eaten, Kate and I challenged Kyle and Shane to a game of ladder ball.
“I seriously don’t think I’ve played this since college when Lily and I went to her parents’ lake house one year. I love this game,” I said.
“Me too.
You’re not gonna hustle me again though, are you?” Shane asked as we positioned ourselves at one end of the yard across from Kate and Kyle.
“No, don’t worry.
I think you’re safe. I totally suck at this game.”
Over the next half hour, I managed to lose two games for us, and once I got one of the bola
s wrapped around a tree about twenty feet in the air, I had officially forfeited the game. “It’s starting to get dark anyway,” I said.
“Yeah, that’s why we’re done playing,” Shane said sarcastically as he tipped his head back to study the rope that had wrapped around the branch above his head.
By 8:30 most of the people had gone. Ben’s family left when Kenzie started getting tired, and Shane’s friend Dave and his wife Jill had to leave to stop by an engagement party about a half hour away. At about 9:00, I saw Kyle whisper something in Kate’s ear. She stood up immediately to announce their abrupt departure. I could only imagine what Kyle had said. It could have been anything.
Knowing that Kyle and Kate were probably going to have great sex only made my sexual frustration that much worse.
After the kiss with Shane and my night with Hot Rod, I was on edge. I would definitely have to find a way to relieve some of this sexual tension I was feeling soon. I briefly contemplated calling Zach, but thought better of it.
Christ, I really must be horny if I’m considering Zach as a viable option.
Before I knew it, it was just me and Shane again.
I didn’t want to leave him with a mess, so I stuck around for a bit to help him clean up. “So, is that all of your family who lives around here?” I asked. “I’m surprised your parents didn’t come. I mean I was actually looking forward to meeting the person who can give birth to two demons and live to tell about it.”
Shane let out a small laugh as he wrapped up some of the leftover food. “I invited my mom.
But she saw us both earlier in the week. She said to have a good time with people our own age. I’ll see her tomorrow night when I go over there for dinner.”
“Oh, what’s tomorrow?”
“Sunday.”
“I
know, smartass. I meant why are you going over there. What’s special about tomorrow?”
“Nothing.
I cook dinner for her
every
Sunday.”
I had the sudden urge to question him further.
Don’t you think it’s weird that you’re thirty and you go on a date with your mom once a week? Are you her nutritionist?
The question I wanted to ask was,
Where’s your dad?
But since he hadn’t mentioned him, I decided not to ask. “So . . . this was a great idea,” I said as I put a bowl into Shane’s dishwasher.
“Yeah, I always have this cookout.
It’s a tradition. I call it “Sayonara Summer.” I like to do all the things you can’t do when it gets colder: grilling, horseshoes, ladder ball, swimming.”
“It’s a great idea.
I loved it.
I wish I knew you had a pool, though. I would’ve brought my bathing suit.”
“You can still go in if you want.
A bathing suit’s basically like a bra and underwear anyway,” he said with a shrug. “I’ll finish cleaning up in here. There are a few clean towels out on the deck still. I’ll put the pool lights on for you.”
“Really?”
I said before realizing that I had worn a lace thong and strapless bra.
Not
exactly
like my bathing suits.
“
Yeah. I’ll come out in a few minutes. Enjoy yourself.”
This could definitely be a horrible idea.
In a pool. In my bra and underwear. With Shane Reed.
On second thought, it might be pretty freakin’ fun
. At the very least, I would get to swim (which I loved), and I’d get to see Shane with his shirt off again. The second realization was enough to convince me. “Okay. I’ll see you out there in a bit then.”
I grabbed a towel on my way out the door and looked around to see how private the pool was.
Though one home was in close proximity to Shane’s, there was a privacy fence around the pool, and once I was in no one would be able to see me.
Well, except for Shane, who would be out any minute
.
I quickly stripped off my dress and jumped in.
The cool water was a shock to my system initially, but I adjusted quickly. The air was still humid, so it was refreshing. I dunked myself under for as long as I could stand, enjoying the cool water sweeping across my flesh. When I came up for air and wiped the water from my eyes, Shane was standing at the edge of the pool about five feet from me. He wore only his cargo shorts, his bare chest reflecting the soft lights that surrounded the pool. His eyes locked on mine, and despite my desperate need for air, I found it difficult to breathe.
Standing above me, Shane appeared even more powerful.
He tossed his towel to the lounge chair and slid down his shorts, revealing his muscular thighs. My breath hitched as my eyes worked their way up to his short, tight dark red boxer briefs. I had no idea how Shane managed to remain unaroused. Just the sight of him made my insides clench with heated desire.
Without warning, Shane dove in within inches of me.
When he emerged, I retaliated by splashing him back.
“What?” he said like he didn’t do it intentionally.
“You’re already wet.”
Oh, if he only knew how right he was.
“Yeah, but no one likes to get splashed,” I said as I pulled my arm back getting ready to skim it across the surface of the water toward him.
“Oh, no you don’t,” he laughed as he wrapped his arms around me, pinning my own to my sides for a moment before letting them go and sliding his hands
down to my waist. Those lips that I remembered so well from a few weeks ago were only inches from my own. They seemed to beg me to kiss them. Or was it me who was begging?
Shane’s
breath faltered. And when I felt the tip of his erection against my pelvis, I took pleasure in knowing that he wasn’t impervious to the effect I had on him. He stood, his feet firmly planted on the bottom of the pool, while I floated weightlessly in his arms, not able to touch the ground. I had to fight with my legs—which seemed to have a mind of their own—as I struggled to keep them from wrapping around Shane’s waist and completely jumping him right there. I felt helpless and protected at the same time.
His blue stare seemed to show the same tentative restraint, waiting for me to make the first move.
I had been the one to stop us last time. My body absolutely wanted this, but my mind warned me of why I had said no the last time.
Fuck it
.
My mind
won
last
time.
My hands found the back of Shane’s neck as my lips pressed against his cool soft mouth.
In an instant we had picked up where we left off in my apartment. Our hands exploring the other’s body with the rushed speed that we had lacked the last time. We both knew we needed this. Whatever
this
was. Shane unclasped my strapless bra
and tossed it on the pavement. His large hands clasped my thighs roughly, urging my legs around his waist.
God, I want this.
Swiftly, he spun us, pressing my back against the concrete edge of the pool as his hips maintained a deliberately slow, teasing grind against my sensitive clit.
“Are you sure?” Shane asked, pulling back slightly to regain his composure.
I shut my eyes and inhaled softly. “God yes,” was my only response.
“Let me get a condom.
”
I watched as Shane climbed the steps gracefully.
His masculine physique rising from the water slowly. His erection strained against his soaked boxers. My eyes didn’t leave him as he reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled a condom from his wallet. He bent slightly to strip completely, allowing me an uncensored view of his long, thick cock. He took it in his hand as he rolled the condom on. God, I wanted to be that condom, sheathing him tightly, feeling his hardness inside me.
I was lost in the sight of him as he returned to me, seductively making his way into the pool until he positioned himself against me again.
I was conscious of how much I had missed him for the few moments he was gone. Then he took himself in one hand, teasing soft circles with his tip while his other hand removed my thong. That last bit of fabric was all that stood between us, and once it had been removed, our urgent need could not be alleviated until we had our fill of one another. Shane positioned his arm next to my head as he gripped the side of the pool for resistance before my opening found him and pulled him inside. With one sudden movement, he thrust all of himself inside me. I couldn’t get enough of him, despite how large he was. My nails dug into his ass, pleading with him to go faster, harder.