Untimely You (11 page)

She snorts. “Relax, it’s just a dance. Not a kiss. And we’re not naked.”

Images of her dark messy hair spilled all over the pillow while she sleeps, baring her naked breasts to me, fucks with my head. My cock hardens at the reminder of seeing her that way not long ago.

I
cannot
dance with her.

Before I can argue, she’s tugged from the stool and into Eric’s waiting arms. He hungrily slips his hands to her ass and starts moving to the music. I can’t take my eyes away from the way her body easily sways with the beat. How fucking amazing she looks in her dress. They dance their way into the living room with the others and my eyes never leave her moving body. She appears to be having fun, but I don’t miss the way her gaze meets mine every so often. It makes me crazy with jealousy to see him touching her when I wish it could be me instead.

She mouths the word
wacko
at me and laughs. I can’t hear the beautiful sound but it has me rising from my seat and stalking over to them.

“I’ll take this dance,” I tell Eric in a clipped tone.

He seems amused, which surprises me, and hands her off to me. The second my palms find her hips, I’m hypnotized. She slips her hands up my chest and threads them behind my neck. Together, we dance slowly to a song that has a fast beat. I just want to stare at her while I touch her.

She leans forward and stands on her toes to access my ear. Her breathy voice sends a thrill all the way down to my already eager dick. “You’re a terrible dancer. We aren’t even moving to the beat.”

I nearly frown when she pulls her lips away from my ear. Not wanting to lose the connection, I dip down to hers. “I wasn’t dancing. I was just holding you. If you want dancing, I’ll show you dancing.”

Before she can respond, I twist her in my arms and pull her to me. With her back flush against my chest, I begin moving us in time to the quicker rhythm. My erection presses into her back with each movement. Her body melts against mine and she lifts her arms above her head. I crave to touch her everywhere but instead, I keep my hands on her hips. She threads her fingers into her hair and lifts it off her shoulders giving me a whiff of her delicious shampoo—vanilla and cherries. My mouth waters to taste her neck near her hairline and see if she truly is as sweet as she smells tonight.

I hadn’t meant to dance with her but here I am and I’m enjoying the fuck out of it. Her body is like a live wire in my hands and all I want to do is get zapped by her. I like the way she ignites something within me that hasn’t shown life in some time. She brings blood rushing to parts of me that haven’t been used in forever.

I want her so badly I can’t see straight.

I want to drag her into Eric’s guest bedroom and fuck her against the dresser.

I want to hear my name on her lips as she comes wildly from my touch.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

This is wrong.

As if on cue, Eric steals her away. I love my best friend, but tonight he’s pissing me off. His hands roam her belly and hips, whereas mine had stayed put. He whispers things to her that make her blush. I’m sure he’s planning to fuck her tonight.

Well, not on my watch, buddy.

I
had a plan.

Come to the party and have a good time.

And don’t touch Adrian.

His glare is glued to me as I dance with Eric, causing me to tremble with desire. Eric is a nice guy, and I like him, but he doesn’t drive me wild like Adrian does. One look is all it takes for me to want to throw myself into Adrian’s arms and beg him to make love to me.

But that can’t happen.

We’ve been down that road once before, and it didn’t work out so well for either of us. We need to stay clear of each other.

Then why is it so hard?

I see the restraint in his eyes. The firm set of his jaw. The way his nostrils flare with each deep breath. He wants me too. Just like that night. And neither of us will act on it.

Eric thrusts into me and his dick pokes me. His cock is nothing like Adrian’s. Sure, it would do in the sack, especially if he knows how to use it, but I’m not interested. My gaze swings to the window where I notice snow falling for the first time this winter.

“Come on,” Eric says with excitement as he drags me toward the back of the house. He whispers to a few people along the way, and they follow us. When we reach his bedroom, he releases me to stride over to the French doors in his room that lead outside. “It’s snowing. If you haven’t been in the hot tub when it snows, you haven’t fully experienced life.”

I laugh when Eric and four other people start shedding their clothes. “I’m not skinny dipping.”

“You don’t have to get fully naked. Just get in,” he says with a chuckle.

With a sigh, I peel off my clothes and follow them. Before I get out the door, a hot hand snatches my bicep.

“What the hell are you doing?”

I turn and lock eyes with the dark, furious ones of Adrian as I twist my hair into a messy up-do.

“Getting in the hot tub.”

His eyes skim over my nude-colored lacey bra and matching panties. “They’ll all see you,” he hisses. “They’ll want to touch you.”

I grab onto his belt buckle and raise a brow in challenge. “Maybe you should come protect me.”

His hesitation is brief, and I’m shocked when he starts yanking off clothes. A flutter of excitement dances around in my belly. He strips down to his fitted black boxer briefs, which do nothing to hide his erect cock. I push away the urge to throw myself into his arms.

“What now?” My eyes drag over the ridges of his chest and up to his mouth before meeting his gaze.

He scowls. “Stand behind me.”

Turns out, everyone is cackling as Eric tells a funny story when we open the door. A gust of frigid air swirls around me and I shriek. We both hurry to the hot tub to escape the cold air. I earn appreciative glances from Eric and two of the men when we join them in the warm water. The two women in the hot tub enjoyed checking out Adrian as he took the lead.

A gust of wind sends snowflakes whirling around me and I drop to my chin in the water. Adrian’s head is turned and he watches my every move. The chlorine burns my eyes and nose, but I love the hot steam in contrast to the freezing air.

“Are you okay?” Adrian’s voice is nothing but a grumbled whisper that sends a shock of vibrations to my core.

I shiver. “Yeah. You?”

His brows furrow together and his hand touches my ribs on one side. “I’m fine. You’re cold, though. Come here.”

A gasp rushes from me when his fingers dig into my sides, and he hauls me closer. He wraps an arm around me and holds me up against his side.

“So, what do you think?” Eric asks as he comes to sit on the other side of me.

“This is pretty awesome.” The snow thickens, coming down hard and fast. Tomorrow, we’ll be blanketed if it keeps up.

A hand slides over my thigh, and I jerk my gaze over to Eric. I try to chuckle good-naturedly but push his hand from my leg. He frowns, flicks his gaze over to Adrian, and then moves away to sit by one of the other women. They’re all chatting animatedly about politics and other serious issues that I’m not in the mood for right now. Meanwhile, I sit close to the man who makes me weak.

“Are you warm now?” he questions softly.

I turn to meet his gaze, which was a stupid move because my mouth is now only inches from his. His dark eyes wash over me filled with an unspoken desire to devour me. Snowflakes dust his dark hair, and I decide he’s never looked hotter.

“I’m warm now.”

His lips quirk up into a half grin that makes me want to throw my panties at him. “Good.” This time, it’s
his
hand that touches my thigh. It’s done in such an innocent, friendly manner that I wonder what it is about the gesture that has me about to combust from the inside out. Only moments before, Eric had done the same thing, and it had a completely different effect on me.

I don’t push his hand away, but instead lean my head back to stare up at the sky.

“I’ll be right back,” Eric calls out. “Ah, fuck it’s cold!”

We all laugh and I sit up in time to see him darting to the back door.

“Do you like him?”

His fierce whispered question causes a ripple of excitement to run down my spine.

“Eric? He’s okay.”

“Just okay?”

I nod and squeeze his thigh. “Just okay,” I reply with conviction.

His eyes are on my mouth as I say the words and it makes me crazy. I want to kiss him. I want to straddle his hips and taste his tongue. To feel his palms on my ass as he squeezes me to him.

“Found some liquor. And some friends.” Eric trots over to the hot tub holding an armful of the liquor bottles with a few more half naked people following behind him. The water sloshes all around as they climb in and we quickly become crowded. I somehow end up with one leg between Adrian’s and my back against his chest. His erection is ever present against my butt cheek.

“I’ll take one of those,” Adrian hollers to his friend. Eric winks at him and passes him a bottle of tequila. He drinks from it and then hands it to me. His hands find my hips and I wish he’d slide them to parts of me that tingle and burn with need.

I sip the liquor and hand it back to him.

“You make me crazy, Neesy. I’m so fucked in the head,” he murmurs near my ear.

The hot tub may be crowded, but we’re in our own little world. I slip an arm around his neck and turn to face him. “For the record, I don’t think properly around you, either.”

“Jesus, Adrian,” Eric calls out from across the steamy water. “If you’re going to steal the chick I’m into, at least put the moves on her already.”

Adrian grumbles, “Leave us alone.”

“You’re so grumpy,” I say and dust some snowflakes from his hair. “Why do I want you?”

His fingers dig into my hips and he hauls me around so I’m straddling him. Our eyes lock the moment his cock, through his boxers, presses against my scrap of panties. My body throbs for relief only he can give me.

“You can want me all you want,” he says with a growl, “but I can’t want you.”

My heart aches at his words. His situation fucking sucks. For two months I’ve sat with his wife. She’s not his wife, though. Despite his claims that she can hear him and make voluntary movements, she doesn’t. I chatted the ear off of one of the nurses named Denise. She explained that Chrissy’s condition isn’t one she’ll recover from. Once, I thought I saw her finger move and screamed for Denise. She swatted at me and told me not to ever get Adrian’s hopes up. It was a muscle reflex and nothing more. I’d tried and tried ever since to get her to move or to respond to me in some way, but have only been met with silence.

His wife died twelve years ago. But her body remains.

“I’m selfish and wish you wanted me back.” The words are out of my mouth before I even realize it. Avoiding his heated gaze, I sip the liquor and hand it to him.

I remain still in his lap, with my eyes fixed on his, while we take turns sipping the liquor until I start to feel dizzy. He takes the bottle from me and sets it on the ledge before wrapping his arms around me. A slight whimper escapes me when he pulls me into an embrace. His mouth finds my ear and he whispers hot breath into it.

“Neesy, that’s why I’m fucked. I
do
want you.”

Lifting up, I look into his dark eyes that pulsate with mutual need. If we weren’t surrounded by so many people, I’d probably beg him to take me right now.

“What are we going to do about it?” I ask with a shiver.

He slides a hand into my hair and hauls my forehead to his. “Nothing.”

My heart catches in my throat as disappointment surges through me. “Oh,” is all I can manage.

“You have no fucking idea how badly it sucks to have to do nothing when all I want to do is
everything
. The things I want to do…” He trails off and his palm slides to my ass. “They’re dark and sinful. I want to spend days fucking you. Days, Neesy.”

His mouth is so close to mine, and his words—God, his words drive me out of my mind. I want to feel his tongue again.

“You can’t just say stuff like that to me,” I murmur, my mouth drawing closer to his with every ragged breath I take. “It’s not fair.”