Lipstick Kisses : A Sexy, Standalone Contemporary Romance (20 page)

Justin

When I got to Sloane’s apartment tonight and she answered the door braless, I just about died. I wanted to ravage her right then and there. It was all I could do to resist the temptation that is Sloane Hart.

She was stubborn and wouldn’t listen to reason. She still wants to go out with Connor, and I was so desperate to stop her that I asked her out. She turned me down. She said I’d had my chance, and she was right on that one.

Why am I such a jerk around her? Why have I become so fucking possessive of her? What’s up with that? I suppose it’s because I’ve known her for so long and she’s Kylie’s friend. A little bit of a big brother thing going on . . . that’s it, right?

Stop fooling yourself, Justin. You don’t like her like a big brother, and you know it, as evidenced by your freaking hard on every time she’s near. Yet, I left her feeling undesirable, and she is anything but undesirable.

I’m pissed at myself, because now I’m the reason she has become determined to give it up to the next guy who comes along. I won’t let that happen, but honestly, how can I stop it, as hard as I might try? All I’m doing is banging my head against the wall.

“Hey, Kylie,” I say after she picks up her phone.

“Hey, Justin. Why are you calling? You never call me,” Kylie says in greeting.

“Can’t a big brother call to check on how his little sister is doing?” I reply.

“Cut to the chase—what’s up?”

“Alright, how’s your friend, Sloane, doing?” I dare to ask.

“Fine, why?”

“Oh, no reason. Is she going out with my friend, Connor, this weekend?”

“I don’t know. She did say she was going to call him if he didn’t call her. That’s so out of character for her, to chase after a guy. Usually, they’re the one’s doing the chasing. Chasing after her. Why do you care?” Kylie asks, full of sass for me.

“No reason,” I reply.

“Bullshit. Are you interested in her after all these years? She used to have the biggest crush on you. You knew that, right?”

The operative words there are
used to
. “Yeah, I had a feeling. She looks pretty amazing now, I must admit.”

“Hey, Justin, leave her alone. I’m warning you, I don’t want you hurting her. She’s still pretty innocent, one of those girls who’s saving herself for what she deems to be true love. She’s really picky about the guys she’ll give the time of day to, so you’d better watch it.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.”

“Don’t you dare go there with her,” Kylie scolds.

I know she’s right on all counts. I need to go and take a cold shower and peruse my phone app for a girl to keep me company this weekend.

Unfortunately, the only girl I’m in the mood for is off-limits.

My fingers dial Sloane’s number.

“Go out with me on Saturday,” I ask Sloane, who is on the other end of the line.

“Who is this?” she asks.

“Justin.”

“Hmmm, maybe if you asked me rather than told me what to do, I would consider saying yes,” she replies, and I can hear the smile behind her voice.

“Would you like to go out with me on Saturday night?”

“What did you have in mind?” she asks, not making this easy for me. She may be a virgin, but she knows how to play the dating game and tease the hell out of me. She’s making me work for it now.

“Dinner, maybe hit a club afterward. If I recall correctly, you like to dance.”

“Yes, I love going to clubs any chance I get, which hasn’t been that often as of late.”

“So, is that a yes?”

“I suppose.”

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” I say in my deadpan voice. She laughs.

“Alright, Justin, I would love to go out with you on Saturday. What time are you picking me up?”

“How does six sound?”

“Perfect.”

“See you then.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Damn, what am I getting myself into?

Hopefully, I will be getting myself into Sloane Hart.

All I know is I’m torturing myself and doing something I know is wrong—wrong for her and wrong for me—but I just can’t stop myself.

***

“You can just drop me off,” Sloane says as I pull up in front of her building. Dinner and the club were a good time, but now I’m going to get what I came for, the whole reason I wined and dined her.

“No, a true gentleman walks his date to the door,” I say, pulling up along the curb, where I kill the engine and open my door.

“A true gentleman takes what he’s offered,” she says with a hint of sarcasm.

Ouch, that hit below the belt.

“And besides, this is not a date,” Sloane comments.

“How do you know? What makes you say it isn’t?” I ask.

“Trust me. I know you’re no longer interested in me, so this is not a date. You don’t have to worry. I won’t be crushing on you anymore. I got your message loud and clear last weekend.”

As I follow her up the stairs to her apartment, she looks enticing in her skintight short skirt, which clings to her every sinful curve. She wore it for my benefit, no doubt, to tease the hell out of me. The way she sways her hips has me hypnotized. Once we stop outside her front door, it gets awkward.

“Well, goodnight, Justin. Thanks for dinner,” she says softly.

I go in for a kiss, almost out of habit.

She backs off a little, not letting our lips make contact.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Trying to kiss you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Out of habit, I guess,” I reply, and instantly, I know I just put my foot in my mouth.

“Justin, you’re a player, aren’t you?” she asks.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.” Why am I such an idiot around her?

“You were right on the beach when you said I should be thanking you. Thank you for not taking me up on my offer last weekend. You knew best after all,” she says.

“To save you from me?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Well, I changed my mind,” I reply, leaning into her and whispering in her ear. My lips brush against her neck. “Let me come in.”

I can sense her body responding to me. I want inside after all.

“Maybe I’ve changed my mind now,” she says, not sounding very convincing.

“I’ll make it worth your while if you let me come in.”

I press my lips against her neck, right below her ear, and then suck her earlobe into my mouth. She lets out a soft gasp.

I know I’m making her wet. I want to venture up her skirt with my fingers and check for myself, but I know I need to go slow with this one.

“Justin, I can’t take your mixed signals.”

“Am I sending mixed signals now? I think you get my message, don’t you?” I say, pressing my body against hers as her back presses against her door. “Are you going to let me come in?”

Sloane closes her eyes, trying to refuse me.

But no girl ever refuses me.

My hand rests on her thigh, and I inch it up slowly until my palm reaches her bare cheek. She’s either wearing a thong or no panties at all.

“Justin,” she breathes out, and I know for a fact that she wants me. She looks up at me with her big brown eyes and I melt. She is so fucking gorgeous, and those lips of hers are parted, begging to be kissed.

“What’s it going to be, Sloane? Are you going to let me in?”

We both understand my double entendre.

“Are you sure you want in?” she asks way more suggestively than any virgin should.

“Yes,” I reply firmly.

“Sorry. Goodnight, Justin.”

She turns and unlocks her door, walks into her apartment alone, and closes the door.

Shot down Harlow.

When was the last time that ever happened?

Sloane is a smart girl, not letting me in.

Sloane

“Hello?”

“Hi, Sloane.”

“Oh, hey, Kylie.”

“Do you want to come with my family to Carmel for Car Week?

“When is it?”

“In a couple of weeks, mid-August. We are going to head up on Wednesday, the fifteenth.”

“Sure, that sounds like a fun time.”

“My parents are renting a house in Carmel. We’ll have our own room.”

“Cool,” I reply, wondering if Justin is going, but I don’t dare ask Kylie. She has warned me off her brother time and time again.

She knows he wouldn’t be good for me.

“Justin is coming and bringing one of his hot friends,” Kylie says.

“Who, Connor?” I ask, although if he knows I’m going, I doubt he would bring Connor.

“No, his friend, Scott, from college. He’s definitely swoon-worthy, let me tell you.”

“I will have to see for myself.”

“Trust me on this one.” Kylie laughs.

“We’re going to ride up with my brother and Scott. We’ll swing by and pick you up that Wednesday morning.

“Okay, great,” I say, trying to sound enthusiastic.

I have my reservations about being in a car with Justin for six hours and sharing a house with him for five days, but I don’t share that with Kylie.

***

They come and pick me up on Wednesday morning, and when I get outside to the car, Justin is standing at the back of his car with the trunk open.

Even though he has his mirrored aviator sunglasses on, I feel him eye me from head to toe. I’m wearing a short crop top and tight white denim shorts for him to feast his eyes on.

“Hey, beautiful,” Mr. Charming says in greeting.

“Hey, yourself,” I reply. I’m so tempted to give him a peck, but I think better of it. He takes my duffle bag from me and tosses it in the trunk. Being the gentleman that he is, he opens the car door for me to sit behind him and next to Kylie in the back seat.

“Hi, Sloane. This is Scott Morris, Justin’s friend from college,” Kylie says, greeting me and introducing me to Mr. Swoon-worthy. He’s pretty cute, in a boyish sort of way.

“Hi, Scott,” I say, and he returns the hello.

“I like what you have on. Is it new?” Kylie comments on my outfit.

“Thanks. Not really,” I reply as I sense Justin looking at me in the rearview mirror.

I still want him, of course. I will always want him, but I realize the real Justin is unattainable. I have had a glimpse of some parts of him, but he seems unwilling to give himself fully to any girl. For some reason, he holds back. He has told me he doesn’t do long-term relationships and that he tires of girls quickly, so I can’t ever give my heart to him. For me, it’s a lot easier said then done. That’s why we won’t take it any further. We can’t.

Resisting the temptation that’s sitting in the driver’s seat and taking me to Carmel this weekend will be difficult. This will be a tough five days.

Kylie has no idea that Justin and I went out a couple of times. I would never hear the end of it if she knew. She is so against us ever being together.

Our drive along the coast is breathtaking. We stop along the cliffs overlooking the water to take pictures like tourists. Kylie and I take selfies with the view behind us, and I can feel Justin taking me in as the wind whips through my hair.

Likewise, I find myself admiring his delicious backside as we walk back to the car. Oh, how I want to grab his buns in his just-tight-enough jeans, but I don’t dare. Kylie walks ahead and is doing her best at flirting with Scott, and he looks like he’s enjoying it.

Justin and I hang back a few paces from them.

“Those are pretty short shorts you’ve got on, Miss Sloane,” he says huskily.

“I wore them for your benefit.”

He takes me by surprise and wraps his arm around my waist. His hand lands across the bare skin under my crop top. He delicately lets his thumb skim my breast through my lacy bra. “Hey, Mr. Harlow, keep your hands to yourself.” I whisper so Kylie doesn’t overhear.

“This is going to be a tough five days,” he says close to my ear.

“My thoughts exactly. I should’ve never agreed to come.”

“I, for one, am glad you did,” he says with a smile that shows off his dimples.

We all get back in the car for another couple of hours up to Carmel. I drift off to sleep and dream of Justin. Long car rides always lull me to sleep.

“Wake up, Sloane,” Kylie says as she gently rubs my arm.

We are driving up a long, winding driveway, and then the charming Carmel Highlands home they’re renting comes into view. The house is an enchanting old world stone home, and once you go through the front door, you immediately get swept away by the spectacular ocean view from the huge bay windows in the living room. It’s a private and secluded retreat.

Kylie’s parents have already been here a couple of days.

“Hi, kids, how was the drive up?” Mrs. Harlow comes to greet us. Justin and Kylie have the nicest parents. I love them, and they treat me like a daughter.

“Sloane, dear, it’s good to see you.” Mrs. Harlow gives me a warm hug.

“Hi, Mrs. Harlow. This house is amazing. Something smells good,” I say.

“Dad is grilling some steaks, and I have scalloped potatoes baking. We thought you kids would be hungry.”

“Famished, Mom,” Justin answers for all of us.

“Come on, Sloane. Let’s put our stuff in what will be our room,” Kylie says.

“Yes, come on, girls. Let me show you to your room upstairs,” Mrs. Harlow says, and we follow her through the sprawling four-bedroom home.

Once we put our things down, we head out to the deck in the backyard and admire the awe-inspiring view of the Pacific Ocean.

“The view here is spectacular, Mr. Harlow,” I say as I walk up to Kylie’s dad, who is manning the grill.

“Hi, Sloane. Glad you could join us.”

We all sit down at the large table on the deck, and Mr. and Mrs. Harlow have a fabulous dinner prepared for us. Justin sits next to me, and I feel his presence throughout the entire meal.

After dinner, we help clear the dishes. Kylie wants to watch a movie upstairs in the family room, and I see Scott follow her upstairs.

“Let’s go back outside on the deck, Sloane,” Justin leans in and whispers to me before he walks away, expecting me to follow him.

Mr. and Mrs. Harlow are busy in the kitchen and don’t seem to notice us slip outside again.

“God, Sloane, now that I’ve had a taste of you, I can’t stop thinking about you. I still want you. I crave you—your scent, your taste.”

Damn, he’s a naughty charmer, isn’t he? His words alone turn me on beyond belief. He pulls me into his hard body, then dips his head down and nuzzles his nose into my neck.

“Your scent is intoxicating, Sloane. Don’t fight it anymore. I want you.”

“Oh, but I thought it wasn’t a good idea. I thought you never wanted to touch me again,” I taunt seductively. I want to bring the player to his knees. Make him beg for me. I love tantalizing him. I will never forget his “Get off me” comment. Payback time for how low he made me feel that night.

“Kylie will be looking for me. I need to get back inside.”

“No, stay out here with me a little longer. Let’s go in the Jacuzzi.”

“You can’t be serious. It’s too cold!” I shudder.

“Oh, but I’m serious. I want to see your nipples get hard from the cold air blowing on them.”

“Don’t tempt me,” I reply, blushing from his comment.

“Why not? You tempt me all the time,” he says, trailing his fingertips along my arm and sending twinges to my girl parts below my waist.

“Sloane!” I hear Kylie calling out for me.

“I’m going in now,” I say as I start to walk away.

Justin’s hand grabs my wrist. “I will have you,” he says with a look of determination.

“Is that a promise, Justin Harlow?” I reply through narrowed eyes.

“Most definitely,” he replies, releasing my wrist.

“There you are. Let’s go to sleep. I’m tired,” Kylie says when I walk into the bonus room. She’s lounging on the couch and Scott is sitting close by.

We head to our room, and I catch a glimpse of Justin as he watches us walk down the hall to our room.

“Isn’t Scott a dream?” Kylie gushes once we’re tucked in for the night.

“He’s not bad,” I reply.

I only have eyes for Justin.

“He’s so nice and so funny. I love hanging out with him, but I’m afraid he only sees me as Justin’s little sister.”

I know the feeling. For the longest time, I felt that Justin only saw me as his little sister’s friend.

“You need to vamp it up.”

“Look whose talking, virgin girl.”

“Hey, I still know how to be sexy . . . I think.”

“Yeah, you do. I’m just teasing you. Help me then. Let’s go shopping in town tomorrow,” Kylie says.

“Sounds like a plan.”

We are at the mercy of Justin driving us into town this morning, but he obliges us.

Carmel by the Sea is the most charming seaside village. Many shops line the main street, Ocean Blvd.

“I love it up here. It’s so quaint, isn’t it?” I say as we stroll by the many shops.

Kylie agrees as we roam into a store that displays cute summer dresses and accessories in the front window. As we peruse the racks of clothing, I drape a few dresses over my arm and we head back into the dressing rooms.

“Here, try these on,” I say, shoving a few dresses at Kylie.

“What do you think?” Kylie asks, pulling the curtain open so I can see her.

“I like that on you. It shows off your curves in a casual way. Get it in both colors, the turquoise and the red.”

“What do you think of this halter dress on me? Is it too much? I can’t wear a bra with it.”

“No, I like the black on you. It screams sexy and sophisticated.”

The sales girl talks us into some cute earrings to go with our dresses, and we waltz out with a shopping bag each.

“Did you buy the whole store?” Justin teases.

“Let’s have lunch somewhere in town. Let’s go to the Inn at Spanish Bay for lunch,” Kylie suggests.

“Lead the way. I’m getting hungry.”