Society Girls: Waverly (6 page)

W
averly

Another week has gone by of me shadowing Knox, reading his messages, and finding nothing to bring us any closer to who might want to kill him. Add in the tabloids who posted my body—with my face covered, thankfully—along with all kinds of commentary, and nights spent alone, and I’m ready for it to be over. All of it.

On a positive note, many of the comments on my pictures were positive, although there was the obligatory fat shaming I was expecting, and not surprised by. Some people posted really nice things, and it made me happy. I really am happy with myself and my body, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to feelings of inadequacy from time to time. Hearing men say my curves are “hot” and “sexy” isn’t bad for my ego. At all.

The biggest negative for the week is that no late night make-out sessions in the cage daybed took place. I was the one who insisted we keep things professional in order to protect my heart, but my lips have been protesting all week. Those traitors want Knox’s kisses, just like my hands want his when we’re walking near each other. It’s taken a lot of self-control to keep me from reaching for him on the few occasions we’ve found ourselves alone together at the house. Sometimes I think he wants to reach for me, too, but I try not to think about that. I told him what I needed, and he couldn’t give it to me. End of story. Time to move on.

It’s Saturday, which means another party is about to start. After another talk with Isa, plus a call with Matisse, I’m breaking out a bikini today. I know I look good, and anyone who doesn’t agree can just look the other way.

“Holy Amazon, Wave. I mean, damn!” Cohen yells when I walk downstairs.

“Um, thanks. I think.”

“If there’s a God, there’s got to be a costume shop around here somewhere and you have to agree to dress up as Wonder Woman for me. Please, Wave. Just a look. That’s all I need.”

“You need to get a grip. I’m the same person you’ve been with all week. I just have a bathing suit on today.”

“That is not ‘just a bathing suit’ and if you haven’t been hit on by every man outside before the party is over, I’ll sleep alone tonight.”

“Wow. You really think I look good. And no, I’m not taking you up on that bet. I want you to have fun.”

“It’s a bet I’d have won, and you look even more spectacular than usual. If I didn’t know you like I do, I’d try to unwrap you. But since I’d like to keep my junk intact, I’ll just kiss your cheek.”

“Think of all the girls who might want to kiss your junk better if I punch it,” I tease as I turn my cheek for his kiss.

“I never have a problem with that,” he teases back after giving me that kiss. “In all seriousness, you are one of the hottest women here today.”

“Thanks, Coh,” I tell him, leaning over to kiss
his
cheek now. His words give me the extra boost I need to show off what I’ve got.

My lime green bikini has cups that push my breasts up and on display. Fabric crosses over my ribs to attach together in back. The bottoms have a patch of fabric along my stomach and then more fabric crossing over, leaving my hips bare. I’ve got a sheer, floral cover-up open over it, and wedged sandals on my feet. No make-up and just some oil in my hair complete my party look. And like I said, I know I look good.

As soon as we clear the door, I spot the “present” my friend Rose emailed to tell me she was sending. She gave me no further clues, but as soon as I see race car star Ares Dixon, surrounded by more women and men than Knox, I know he’s here for me. That’s confirmed by the wide smile he gets as he walks away from his group and saunters my way.

“You look good enough to eat,” he says, and I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes.

The man is walking sex on legs, and he’s got more swagger than pretty much anyone I know, but that’s the problem right there. I
know
Ares, and I also know I’m not the Society recruit he wants. That’s Rose all the way.

“You look pretty nice yourself, Mr. Dixon.”

He puts his hand on my bare hip, and starts to move his thumb back and forth. Even though it’s all pretend, I should probably feel something…anything…but I don’t. I can play along, though, so I place my hand on his forearm as we smile at each other.

“Ares, excuse me, Ares,” a woman says, coming up and trying to wedge herself between us. Ares holds on tight to me, and pulls me into his side, letting her know we’re together. For the moment, at least.

“Yes, darlin’?”

“You’re not with her, are you? I mean, she’s…”

“Hotter than the sun during a Texas summer? Yeah, she definitely is. You’re hot too, baby, but just not what I’m looking for tonight. Maybe some other time if I stay in town for a while.”

“Oh. Well, okay.”

She walks away, and Ares pulls me behind the outdoor sofa to an area where we can sway to the music playing on the outdoor sound system. “You meant what you said to her.” It’s a statement, not a question, but I can’t keep the wonder out of my voice.

“I did.”

“You don’t have a specific type?”

“Sure I do. Female.” I snort, and he continues. “I have nothing against my gay friends, but guys don’t do it for me. Women do.”

“I’m sure they do,” I say, snorting again. “But really, there’s no specific body type you prefer? Other than Rose’s, of course.”

“It wouldn’t matter what body type Rose was, I’d want her regardless. Every woman has something about her that makes her hot and sexy. It’s just the way you’re all made. God made your bodies to carry babies, and he made them lush and beautiful enough for a man to want to put one in there.”

“You want to put a baby in every woman you meet?” I ask with a smile, and he knows I got what he meant, so he smiles back.

“Brat. Anyway, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I never know who I’m going home with when I go out. Sometimes I end up with a woman who is lean and flexible. I love spinning a woman on my dick or bending her in ways she didn’t know she could go. Other times, I want tits that will overflow in my hands, or hips that are strong enough to hold onto as I fuck hard all night, or both.”

He pulls my hips into his, and I feel the ridge of his erection. “That better not be for me,” I warn, placing my hands on his chest, and trying to push him back a little without causing a scene.

“I’m a guy, and you’re a hot woman in a sexy as sin bathing suit. Yeah, it’s for you.”

I pull back, not enough for it to look like I’m rejecting him, but enough that he knows not to push his luck any further. “What about the brilliant mechanic you flew here to impress?”

“She’s giving me a date for this, but she still doesn’t trust that I’m interested in more than her body, so she’s not giving
that
to me. I’m only human, Wave. I could probably live without sex, but I have serious doubts that I’ll ever get her to trust me, no matter what.”

“Sleeping around isn’t going to earn you that trust.”

“Since I spend more time than not being the unofficial Society ‘plus one’, I get less action than you’d think. Enough, but not what the press reports.”

“Why do I get the feeling you play it up hoping she’ll get jealous.”

“I cannot confirm or deny that allegation. And just so you know, I came here for you as well as her. The exercises you gave me when I dislocated my shoulder in that crash really helped me.”

“I’m glad to be of service, but I’m not servicing you, so put that thing away.”

“I’ll think about the drag queen who grabbed my junk on my last date with Rose, and that should do the trick.”

We’re both still laughing about that when Knox approaches. He taps Ares on the shoulder. “May I cut in?”

Ares raises an eyebrow at me, and I nod. “I’ll catch you later, Gorgeous,” he tells me as he kisses me lightly on the mouth. He turns to salute Knox, who just growls at him. This should be fun.

K
nox

I thought Ares Dixon showing up at my party would be a good thing. Until he zeroed in on Waverly in the scraps of fabric she’s got on. Technically her bikini has more fabric than a few of the other ones here put together, but it doesn’t make her look any less sexy. If anything, imagining what’s under that fabric has been driving me
more
crazy for the last few minutes than any of the asses prominently on display around us.

“Are you going to fuck him?” I growl the question at her, because I haven’t been able to do anything but that since he kissed her.

“None of your business, Knox.”

“You’re working for me.”

She turns, and looks around us. “So are quite a few of the guys here. Are they not allowed to fuck the party people, either? Because you should probably stop those two heading to the hot tub if that’s the case.”

“They’re not
mine
.”

“Neither am I.”

Her eyes are flashing, and her chest is heaving, and yeah, I can’t help myself. I pull her to me, and take her mouth in a kiss that’s harder than any I’ve given her until now. I want the memory of Dixon’s mouth gone from her, and I want every man here to know he better not try and put his mouth on her, either.

She lets me devour her for a few minutes, but doesn’t kiss me back. Instead, she pulls back and starts to pull away. That is not about to happen. “Your room or mine?”

“None of the above. Let me go.”

“Your. Room. Or. Mine.” I enunciate every word, and leave no room for argument.

Which means I’m not prepared for what comes next. I’m underwater before I even realize she flipped me into the pool. I should be grateful, because we’d been on the hard deck just moments before, but all I am is pissed off. At myself, because I know I brought us to this point by acting like a damn caveman. I spooked her, and she just did what she thought she had to.

When I break the surface, I whip around to apologize, but she’s gone. I spin in a circle, ignoring everyone whispering around me, but I still don’t see her.

“She went inside,” Cohen tells me as he looms over me from the pool deck. “You fucked up again.”

“No, really?”

I push up out of the pool, and walk towards the house, stopping to glare at Ares. He’s with the girl I saw approach him earlier, and I’m pissed on Waverly’s behalf. He stares at me with the hint of a smile on his lips. “Got something to say, Edwards?”

“You moved on fast.”

“If Waverly had a problem with it, I would’ve been in the pool with you.”

He’s right, and that just makes me angrier. How does he know what she’d do? “You don’t know that.”

“Since I’ve known her longer than you have, I’d say I do indeed know it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we were just about to get out of here.”

“How do you know her?”

“You’ll have to ask her that. Thanks for an entertaining event. I have a feeling you won’t be asking me back anytime soon, but I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

I want to tell him Hell will freeze over before I willingly hang out with him again, but why even bother? I have more important things to do, like finding Waverly, and giving her the apology she deserves.

W
averly

Stupid. That’s the only word I can describe for what’s going on right now. I’m stupid, Knox is stupid, it was stupid of Ares to come all the way here, and this whole situation is just, well,
stupid
. We’re intelligent people, and yet, here we are.

The knock on my door doesn’t totally surprise me, but I’m not sure which one of them came after me. I square my shoulders and walk over to open it.

“I’m sorry,” a dripping wet Knox says as he leans against the wall opposite my door.

He’s adopted a non-threatening pose, slouching back like he’s just hanging out. “I’m not afraid of you, Knox. You can stand up straight.”

“I didn’t want you to think I was going to try to rush in or something. I won’t come in unless you ask me to, and I’m sorry.”

“I heard you the first time.” I’m being a little bitchy, but I’m tired of this off and on we have going on.

“You didn’t respond, so I thought I should say it again.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“A lot. Can I come in and tell you? I’m feeling a little exposed out here in the hall.”

I move aside. “Come in. I’ll grab you some towels.” It’s the least I can do after I sent him into the pool.

“Thanks.” He looks around before settling on the only chair in the room.

I grab him some towels from my bathroom and toss them at him as I go to sit on the edge of my bed. Watching him dry off never gets old. The way he rubs his dark hair until it’s sticking up everywhere…the way his muscles flex as he runs the fabric over them…the sexiness of it is all unconscious, which makes it even more potent. It’s just what he does.

“I shouldn’t have flipped you into the pool in front of your guests.”

“Yeah, you should’ve. I was being an ass. Again.”

“Why did you act that way?”

“You let Ares Dixon put his hands on you, kiss you even. It made me crazy.”

“We were dancing, and it was just a little peck. If he’d tried anything else, he’d have ended up where you did.”

“He said something like that to me when I saw him with the girl who approached the two of you.”

“He left with her?” I ask, shaking my head because I’m not surprised. “Such an idiot.”

“From where I’m sitting he is. He had you in his arms, and gave that up.”

“Ares knows I wouldn’t sleep with him, even if I wasn’t interested in someone else.”

“How do you know him?”

I don’t hesitate to tell him the truth, because I have nothing to hide where Ares is concerned, and I’m not going to play games with Knox. “He’s a friend of the Society. He helps us out sometimes when one of us needs a date. I also helped him rehab his shoulder last year.”

“So he came here on purpose today.”

“Yes,” I admit. “My friend promised him a date if he came to the party. I didn’t know about it until he was here.”

“Must be a special girl if he flew all the way here for her.”

“She is, although I bet he tied in some promotional appearance with his trip. He won’t want her to realize just how much he’s at her beck and call.”

I sound a little wistful, which makes me hang my head so he doesn’t see my blush. Honestly, though, who doesn’t want to know a guy would fly across the world because she asked him to? Romance is alive and well…for some people.

All of a sudden, Knox is kneeling in front of me, and lifting my chin with his fingers. “Do you want me to fly somewhere for you, Wave? For you, I would.”

His eyes are searching mine, and my chest is tight. That’s the only excuse I have for why I blurt out some truth to him. “I just want you to like me the way I am.”

“I do. I so do. I completely do.”

“A week ago you didn’t.”

“Yeah, actually, I did. I was trying to figure out how to say things exactly like I wanted to, and I waited too long. Then, I just wanted to blurt things out, but I thought you might not believe me.”

“I might not have,” I admit. “I’m a generally confident person, and I usually like the way I look, but I’m only human, so sometimes I feel insecure.”

“My heart stops when I see you for the first time every day. Sometimes more than once a day. That’s the truth, Wave. You are so gorgeous and sexy. If I had less self-control, I’d be swimming with a hard-on every day. As it is, I have to recite stats in my head, and think of some of the hairy asses I’ve seen in the locker room before I get in the pool. Otherwise I’d be useless during training.”

I can’t stop my smile from taking over my face, but what he said makes me a little worried. “I’m not supposed to be a distraction. I should be blending in to the background while I’m at the pool. Is there something different I should wear?”

I normally wear professional dresses, since I’m supposed to be a research expert he’s hired to analyze him and his competition. Maybe I should switch to jeans, or even baggy sweats. Or caftans.

“It doesn’t matter what you wear, Wave. You are sexy as…well, I don’t even know what word I could use to give justice to how hot you are. Besides, I’ll be thinking about you in this bikini for years to come.”

“Years of coming?” I joke, and then cover my mouth with both hands as my eyes widen in horror.

“The answer to that is a resounding ‘yes’ so don’t be embarrassed,” he tells me, removing my hands from my mouth. “I mean it, though. I love your curves, and how you’re both soft and strong at the same time. I watch you every day while you run the track above the weight room, and I’m just awed by how you can be so sexy while you’re doing something so mundane.”

“What do you want, Knox? From me…us?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I know I want to be with you. I just can’t promise anything. I have training, and you guys haven’t figured out who sent me the threats. There haven’t been more, but you wouldn’t be here if Reina thought I was perfectly safe.”

“Can you promise that while we’re doing whatever we’re going to do, you will only be with me?”

“That’s not even a question. I haven’t been with a woman since we met—well, not including those awesome make-out sessions on the cage daybed with you—and there’s no one else I want.”

“So, what is it we’re going to do?” I ask, knowing what I think I want, but nervous, because I’ve never had it before.

“Well, what I’d like,” he says, taking one hand from my face to hold mine, “is to take you on dates as often as my training allows, go back to snuggling and kissing you every night, having you by my side at every party, and going to bed with you every night. If you want that part.”

“I think I want it.”

“That’s not too re-assuring, babe.”

I-I know. It’s just…I mean…well…I’ve never done
that
before.”

K
nox

She can’t mean what I think she means. “You haven’t spent the night with a guy?”

“Do I have to say it?”

Yes, please. “No,” I say instead, holding tight to her hand when she tries to pull it away, and rubbing her cheek. I don’t want her to know how shocked I am.

“You’re freaked out.”

Yep. Without a doubt. But again, I say something else because I know she needs to hear it. “Just confused. You’re gorgeous, confident, and sexy as hell. Guys had to have tried to…you know.”

She smiles at me, and turns to kiss my hand before answering. “Thank you. Yes, there were guys who were interested in more than a kiss on the cheek. I wasn’t.”

“But you think you are now?”

She nods. “I do. I’m very attracted to you, Knox.”

“The feeling’s obviously mutual,” I tell her, gesturing down to where my swim trunks are tented so tight it’s bordering on painful.

She licks her lips in response, and if she hadn’t just told me she’s a virgin, I’d be pushing her back on her bed, and pounding into her. As things stand, I’m going to have to be gentle the first time with her, and it may just kill me. I’ll die happy, for sure, but I don’t usually operate that way. I’m more the “in, out, and let me show you to the door” type of guy. Things are already different with Waverly, but what’s going to eventually happen between us will mean getting involved with someone in a way I vowed to never to do again. Not since Gwen.

“I want my hands and mouth on you, Knox. Can we do that first? Is that okay?”

Saint Knox has a nice ring to it. My self-control is a lot stronger than I ever thought it was as I force myself to sound calm when answering her. “That’s perfect. Can I climb on the bed with you?”

She nods and moves to the center, tucking her legs underneath her. It should make her look sweet, and yeah, she is, but she’s also so damn sexy. The fact that she doesn’t even realize it makes her even hotter. I climb up and kneel in front of her.

“This shouldn’t be weird. We’ve kissed and touched a little outside. Do you think it’s the bed that’s making it
different
?”

I shake my head. “No. I think it’s the anticipation. When we were in the daybed, we knew we’d be kissing, but we got used to it. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to being able to touch and taste you.”

“I like that. What you said. I…like it.”

She reaches out and tentatively runs her hand over my biceps, shoulders, and then my pecs. I stay still, further cementing that sainthood of mine, as I let her explore my chest. When her hands move over my ribs, and then lower, to trace the ridges of my abs, I have to fist my hands in the comforter to keep from grabbing her. Even saints have limits, apparently.

“Waverly,” I say on a groan, as she lightly scratches my abs, over and over again.

She immediately pulls her hands back, her eyes going wide. She starts to move back, but I grab her, and pull her close. “I’m sorry. Was that wrong?”

“No,” I promise her, leaning my forehead on hers. “That, my beautiful girl, was perfect.”

“You were enjoying it.”

She says it like she’s figured out some great secret, and it makes me wonder about her past even more. She’s a secret spy, and normally more confident than any woman I’ve ever met, but sex is a foreign concept to her. I’m happy to teach her everything I know, but I’ll admit it’s a little daunting knowing I’ll be her first. At more than just sex, it seems like.

“I want you to lie down on your back for me. I’m going to make you feel good. I promise.”

“What about you?”

“We’ll get to me later. Right now I want to suck your nipples, and lick your pussy until you scream my name. Then I want to do it again, and again. Will you let me?”

“Y-yes.”

She does as I ask, and I follow her, bracing myself on my forearms. I have to take a moment to get my bearings as I look at her. I see the trust in her eyes, and the flush of her bare skin, letting me know she’s excited. I can smell her arousal in the air, and I know when I make it between her thighs, she’ll be wet and ready for my mouth and fingers. Not my cock, not yet, but I won’t push for that. I know she’s not quite ready, no matter what she says. Soon, but not tonight.

That’s the last coherent thought I have as I place little kisses on her face, from forehead to jaw before taking her mouth. Kissing Waverly is like kissing the sun—too much, but not enough at the same time. I didn’t realize I was going through withdrawal, but now I know I’m addicted.