Avoiding Temptation (61 page)

Bryna started to walk toward him, seductively placing one foot directly in front of the other. Her hips swayed in time with her steps, and she knew her breasts bounced just enough to draw attention. She tilted her chin down and eyed him thoughtfully. His eyes didn’t even register the motion.

“You’re right. I’m just teasing,” she said.

She stretched her body out next to him on the bed and curled into his side. Staring up at the scene of a woman now plunging a dildo in and out of another woman, Bryna realized how horny she really was. Lesbian porn never turned her on, but it had been so long that she couldn’t even stop herself. Her lower half began to pulse.

“Dear Lord, you’re overcharging,” Eric said, placing his hand on her abdomen.

“I know. I’m horny as fuck,” she murmured. She hid her face in his neck and smelled the faint touch of sex still on his skin. Bryna trembled and breathed deeper. It smelled like fucking heaven. “I might call up Rohde.”

Eric groaned, pulling away from her, at the mention of his fellow fraternity brother’s name. It was a bit ironic that they were in the same frat, and no one—let alone Rohde, who Eric hated—knew that Eric was gay. Very, very few were privy to that information.

“Really? Are you still letting that douche fuck you? I can’t possibly comprehend what you see in him. He’s a chronic, alcoholic, asshole, womanizer. He’s not worth a second of your time, Bri.”

“First, I’m not into him for anything but to satisfy a certain need that you refuse to quench,” she argued.

She always had to defend Rohde. He wasn’t a total creep to her, but she knew he had his moments.

“Second, just because he’s a binge-drinking frat boy doesn’t make him an alcoholic or an asshole.
You
should know!” She pointed her finger into his tanned chest, trying to punch in the last words.

“Yes, but I’m different. No one knows I’m gay. I have a reason to act like a moron frat boy. Rohde’s just a moron,” he quipped.

“Regardless, he’s some of the best sex I’ve had, and I’m not about to give that up without a really good fucking reason. And since I have to keep up appearances with everyone else, I think it’s all right for me to fuck a moron who treats me like a queen without any pretense.”

Another half-truth. Rohde treated her like a queen in bed, which she supposed was where it mattered. Once he came, he treated her about like everyone else.

“You choose your life, darling,” he said unsympathetically. “Speaking of, how is Mr.—or is he a doctor? I can’t keep them straight.”

“Doctor,” she cooed, extending her arm to show him the beautiful tennis bracelet sitting on her wrist.

Eric gasped, straightening and grasping her arm to examine the unbelievable piece of jewelry.

As he shifted, his penis fell against her leg, and she groaned.

“Eric, please.” Bryna pointed downward at him. She was trying desperately not to respond.

“God, Bryna, it’s not like you haven’t seen one before,” he sighed dramatically, shifting again to remove it from her leg.

She clenched her open hand into a fist and blew out. She really needed to rein in her sexual drive.

Eric still had a hold of her wrist, and he whistled slowly. “Damn girl, this thing had to have cost a fortune. Is it Tiffany’s?”

Bryna nodded proudly, remembering the powder blue box the doctor had pulled out of his suit coat pocket and then handed to her at lunch.

“When do you see him next? He better be getting hot pussy for this.”

“Nope,” she cried enthusiastically. “I broke up with him after he gave it to me.” It was always a treat, not to have to sleep with the guys to get what she wanted. Sometimes, it was better to use her powers of seduction without having to cross the line. It made the highs even better.

Eric gasped a second time. “Naughty girl. I love it! Your escapades astound me.”

“I know, right?” she said, admiring the cut of the diamonds strung on the chain. “You should have seen his face. He never saw it coming.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” he said. He fingered the diamond bracelet with envy.

“It’s a gift,” she breathed triumphantly. “Anyway, I’m taking the night off. Let’s party!”

“Girl, I’m spent,” he said, lying back and lifting his arms over his head.

He closed his eyes and seemed to be returning to the state of peace she had found him in when she burst through the door. He looked like fucking Adonis, and she wanted to eat him alive. Bryna shifted her weight to straddle him, and his eyes snapped open at the movement. Now, she had his attention.

“Bri,” he warned.

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. He rolled his hazel eyes at her but complied nonetheless. Bryna wiggled her hips a bit on top of him and felt him stiffen under her weight. Reaching forward, she snatched the remote from the nightstand. He eyed her curiously, clearly waiting for her to shut off the television, but he didn’t comment. He just waited and let her do what she wanted. She liked when he got like that. Finding the volume button, Bryna turned up the sound louder until the room was filled with pants, grunts, moans, and cries of elation as the women pleasured each other on the screen. Eric arched an eyebrow at her, but he couldn’t deny that it was sexy.

Tossing the remote onto the table, she let it clatter until it hit the lamp and stopped.

In imitation of what was going on behind her, Bryna began softly stroking her own body. She already had a heightened sexual appetite and incredibly sensitive skin, so even the faintest touches caused her to gasp. Her hands pushed down from her collarbones to cup her breasts, barely hidden under her red dress, which was already hiked up to the top of her thighs. She massaged her breasts in circles, tossing her head back dramatically, while purring in delight. Tugging lightly on the straps of her dress, she let the top fall to her stomach, displaying a white lace bra, and hidden underneath were her perky, large breasts. Her smile was devilishly playful when she next looked at Eric. He was just staring at her, unmoving, but he wasn’t completely uninterested. Her hands returned to the soft contours of her breasts. She touched them and prodded them for his display. After unsnapping the clasp at the back of her bra, she threw it across the room and let her breasts fall gloriously out of their enclosure. Proud of her naturally incredible rack, she let him stare for a few seconds. She didn’t give him much more time to stare than to get a full view of them before she went back to work on them. She pinched the nipples until they hardened, savoring the buildup she was creating for her own body.

Slowly, one of her hands traveled south along his hard abdomen. She let it rest where the hem of his boxers would have been if he were wearing any, and she lightly trailed along the spot with her fingers. He eyed her suspiciously as she traveled farther south and lifted her tiny skirt over her hips, so just her thong separated their bodies. Her hand was so close to him, and just when it appeared he might protest, she moved her hand to her matching white lace underwear.

Her fingers gently swirled around herself until she was near gasping for air. Orgasm was just out of reach, and she was dying to hit that peak. Eric’s eyes were intent on her face as it began to match the looks of pleasure playing above her head. Getting overzealous as she pleasured herself before him, her hand came out and stroked the length of him. Eric shuddered beneath her. The shudder caused a tremor to move through her body, and she felt herself getting ready to climax. She groaned and stroked him again.

He reached up unexpectedly and grabbed Bryna by the shoulders. She humphed at the interruption, but he seemed not to have noticed. Using all of his weight, he flipped her over and crushed her back against the bed. Bryna lay there motionless against his chiseled chest, panting, breathless, and aching.

“Are you finished?” he asked emotionlessly, arching one manicured eyebrow. His voice was even and alert.

“I was close,” she teased. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to.”

“Well, I do mind. So, go call your moron and have him finish you off. I need a shower,” he muttered, standing and walking to the bathroom.

The door slammed behind him, and soon, she heard the water running.

Bryna sighed in frustration. She so desperately wanted to finish, but he had completely cooled her fire. Him on top of her, pressing on her—fuck, she could have come right then and there. Now, she was left wanting again, and she didn’t even have it in her to do it herself. She would have to visit Rohde after all.

She took another second to compose herself, and then she quickly stripped off her remaining clothing. She sauntered into the bathroom and confidently pushed open the glass door to the stand-up shower, walking inside and joining Eric as if she had been given an invitation.

“Bryna, I’m not in the mood,” Eric said before walking forward into the stream of steaming hot water.

“I was just playing, E. No need to have a hissy fit…unless you enjoyed it.” She poked him playfully in the ribs.

“Stop that,” he said, jumping away from her.

“Well, share the water then,” she said, walking into the line of water. She changed the subject easily back to where they had been before she had tried to get him to fuck her for the umpteenth time. “Let’s go out tonight. I think Trihn and Stacia will be up for it.”

“Those two girls are always up for it,” Eric said. “Are you going to see Rohde first?”

“Unclear. I haven’t talked to him,” she admitted.

“But you’re going to?” he asked, leaning his head against the tiled wall.

“I usually do when I get home after a long day of work,” she said, giggling.

Eric couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Darling, if you even knew what work was.”

“I work hard for my money. So hard for my money,” she singsonged into his face as he pushed her out of the water.

Writing the conclusion to the Avoiding series has sent me through a wide range of emotions that I’m sure is reflected back to the readers. At times I was happy, sad, heartbroken, depressed, ecstatic, jumping up and down, wanting to throw my computer, clutching my chest, and so much more. These characters brought so much joy and anguish to my life, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of so many people.

First of all, I would like to thank the readers! You are the ones who let me continue to write, who yell passionately about the characters, and encourage me to keep going. I always appreciate my girls in the Bekah Haters Club who know that every problem is all Bekah’s fault, and stuck by me for over a year to make this happen. Thank you Dawn, who assisted with research in New York City, and Richelle for “not having friends like that.” As always, I am eternally grateful to my FictionPress readers who have been with me from the beginning back when the books were free and no one had ever heard of me.

Several people helped with brainstorming, reminded me that my vision for this series was the right route, read early copies of the manuscript. So thank you—Jessica Carnes, Bridget Peoples, Rebecca Kimmerling, Lori Francis, and Katie Miller. Thank you S.C. Stephens and Taryn Cellucci for listening to me cry and freak out about what I wanted to do, for getting on the phone with me in early stages and freaking out with me about my choices. Also for the use of the D-Bags, Kellan Kyle, and Sienna Sexton! They helped shape the final product. Also, thank you Amy Telep for the help, guidance, and support with the book and the book world that brought this to life.

I worked with several authors who read and loved the series, and I can’t thank them enough for their kind words and understanding the power of redemption—A.
L. Jackson, Madeline Sheehan, Claribel Contreras, K.A. Robinson, J. Sterling, Rebecca Donovan, Samantha Towle, and Gail McHugh.

Special thank you to Toski Covey Photography for the incredible cover photo and Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations for bringing the cover to life. Thank you Jovana Shirley at Unforeseen Editing for polishing my manuscript before sending it out into the world. I love the running commentary throughout, and I’m glad that I found someone to work with who
gets
me.

I’d like to thank my family for supporting me while writing and raising me to be the kind of person who loves reading and writing. And for all the crazy nights, brainstorming, hectic schedules, insane ideas, heartbreaking lines, book boyfriend obsessions, and much much more, thank you Joel for being there through it all. You make all the madness worthwhile. Also, Goose and Hippo for being my late night writing buddies.