Tease (6 page)

I listened to her ramble on about her work, taking the chance to look at her without being creepy. Her eyes widened every time she spoke about something exciting, and she did this thing with the corner of her mouth, turning it up when she was annoyed. I could’ve sat there all day taking in her different expressions.

It wouldn’t take much for this girl to crawl under my skin, just as she had ten years ago.

Mia and I stayed up again after the others had gone to bed.

“Me staying at your place…I won’t be offended if you say no. I promise,” she said, embarrassed.

I stretched out on the sofa, my knee touching hers, which again caused my body to react.

“It’s fine, Mia. I’m sorry if it seemed like you weren’t welcome, I’m just used to my own space.” She opened her mouth, and I cut her off. “It makes sense. Why should you spend two hours a day driving when I’m literally four blocks from the hospital? You’re staying and that’s final.”

Part of the reason I’d been against having her there was because I was just as attracted to her now as I had been back then. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair that curled at the ends; those stunning green eyes, which sparkled constantly.
And that body.

Fuck me.

She nodded, resting her elbow on the top of the sofa and her head on her palm.

“I have to admit, I like the idea of being just around the corner on my early shifts. I’m so not a morning person.” She screwed her nose up as I laughed.

“You’re not alone there,” I chuckled. “Which is why my job suits me. I deal with international clients so my hours are all over the place.” I wanted to pat myself on the back. Slipping that in right there was genius.

“Do you want a hot cocoa?” I asked. She glanced at me, surprised.

“Yeah, sure. I might jump in the shower while you’re making it. I think I stepped in something funky before. I smell shocking.” She screwed up her nose again.

“I didn’t want to say anything…” I began. I laughed as she reached over and hit me in the arm.

“You haven’t changed, Coop. You’re still an ass.”

“Yeah? Well I’ll forever think of you as the girl who slipped and fell face-first into a pile of horse shit when we were ten.”

Her eyes grew wide as she burst out laughing. “Oh my god, I’d totally forgotten about that! And I wouldn’t have slipped if you hadn’t have pushed me,” she accused, dissolving into giggles.

“I did no such thing,” I protested, stepping in front of her. “I was all the way over on the other side. You tripped over your own damn feet, you clumsy girl.”

She looked up at me, her eyes dancing with amusement. “You didn’t seem to have a problem putting that image out of your head the day before I left, down behind the shed,” she said lightly, raising her eyebrows.

My lips curved into a grin as I wondered where she was going with this.

“See, what I think is when you think of me, you imagine me sucking on your cock.”

My mouth dropped open as she reached down, her fingers brushing past my now very erect cock.

“That’s what I thought,” she whispered, leaning toward me.

Pulling her toward me until her body pressed up against mine, I took her face in my hands, my fingers taking in her soft skin as my mouth explored hers. Kissing those lips was everything I’d dreamed they would be: soft, sexy, and so smooth. I could have stood there
tasting
her lips all night.

I ran my fingers down her neck, my grip tightening around her shirt. I yanked it roughly, the material ripping apart at the seams, buttons flying everywhere. Sliding my arms around her back, I leaned over and kissed her neck while unclasping her bra, my hands relishing on the feel of the curve of her back against my skin. Her breasts tumbled out as though they were crying for my touch. I groaned as I placed my mouth over her nipple, sucking furiously.

“Oh yeah,” she gasped.

“Come with me.” I grabbed her hand and led her into my bedroom. Shutting the door, I turned back to her and eased the sleeves of her top down her arms. Then I lowered the straps of her bra until they fell away, leaving her breasts completely exposed.

“You’re so beautiful,” I mumbled, tilting her neck so I could run my tongue down the length of it. I kissed her again as I tried to comprehend how crazy this girl was driving me. She kissed me back with just as much passion and urgency before finally pulling away from me.

“Not here, Coop. I want to…but not yet,” she whispered. She closed her eyes as if it had taken all her strength to pull away from me just then.

I nodded, my fingers cradling her jaw. “It’s probably for the best,” I mumbled, leaning in to kiss her again. “I mean, you and I, it’s probably a bad idea…” Our lips connected in another long kiss, her tongue wrestling mine in such a way that I could only wonder how amazing it would feel circling its way around my cock.

She sighed, resting her head against mine as her eyes met mine. She reached for her shirt and slipped it back on, not bothering to button it back up. She reached her hand up to smooth out her hair.

“I better go, Coop.” She hesitated before kissing me softly.

I watched as she stood up and left the room without looking back.

Fuck. That could have gone a little better.

I walked to the bedroom, annoyed with myself for not showing more control. Talk about making things awkward—I’d pretty much just mauled her in the living room only to be shot down. My pride was hurt, but not only that, seeing Mia this weekend had brought to surface all the unresolved feelings I’d shoved deep inside of me when she’d left twelve years ago.

Stripping off my clothes, I climbed into bed, confused by my feelings. I hadn’t seen the girl for so long that she should not have been having this—or any—effect on me. But she did. The thing was, I was feeling all this for a teenage girl I’d once had a crush on, not the sexy, beautiful brunette I’d been kissing tonight. Twenty-six-year-old Mia I knew nothing about. People change. I’d changed. I was far from the shy boy I was back then—though you wouldn’t know it, seeing me around her.

I closed my eyes and imagined she was standing in front of me.
That face…that body
…my hand moved down my stomach until it gripped my girth. Slowly, I began to work my fist as obscene thoughts of what I wanted to do to her began filtering through my mind.

I imagined her
lying
on the bed beside me, naked, her flawless skin up against mine. God, I could almost smell the musky scent of her perfume. I remembered how sweet her lips had tasted. Kissing her had been every bit as amazing as I’d imagined it would be.

Slowly, I’d trace my fingers up her thigh, enjoying watching her squirm at my touch. Her head would tilt toward mine as I leaned over to kiss her. Our lips would meet with
an urgency
and a passion unlike anything I’d ever felt. My finger would slowly move over the outside of her pussy, the softest touch providing her with so much pleasure. She’d gasp, her mouth forming a perfect O as I brought her to the very edge of
orgasming
.

My hand moved rapidly over the length of my dick as I imagined my finger sliding inside of her, feeling her. Her body would tense, gripping my finger, her hips thrusting forward.

I gasped as I released, the sticky warm substance trickling over my fingers and rolling down my wrist. I breathed heavily as I reached for some tissues to clean myself up. I rolled over, my breathing still rapid, her still on my mind. It had been so long since I had gotten myself off that I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

I got up early the next morning and left Nic a note saying I had to get back for work. It wasn’t a complete lie—I did have to work, but that wasn’t the reason I was leaving at seven in the morning. It had a lot to do with a certain brown-haired beauty that I’d almost fucked the night before.

Why I felt the need to avoid her, I wasn’t entirely certain. Sure, things had gotten awkward fast last night after that kiss, but by leaving, wasn’t I just postponing the inevitable? I mean, she was moving in with me any day. Maybe I should’ve just sucked it up and dealt with the problem then and there, instead of letting it stew for a few days.

Too late now.

I stopped for fuel at a gas station shortly past the cabin. I checked my messages and saw one from Mia. I rubbed my lips together and clicked on the message. I felt oddly nervous about hearing from her. Running away like an embarrassed schoolgirl hadn’t done much for my
self esteem
, nor did it paint me in the picture of the mature, levelheaded adult I considered myself to be.

I hope I didn’t scare you off. I really enjoyed spending time with
you,
I just want to move things slowly. Mia xx

I chuckled and texted back.

No you didn’t scare me off. Headed back early to catch up with some work. Hope to see you later?

It surprised me how much better I felt after hearing from her. What shocked me even more was how much I was looking forward to seeing her again.

I unlocked the front door and threw my bag down in the hallway. The drive from the cabin had taken a good few hours, and now I felt like I needed a break to get over the last few days. A vacation from my vacation—that’s great.

Glancing at my phone, I saw it was just after one in the afternoon. I was meeting a client at four. That gave me enough time for a shower and an hour or so to relax.

Stripping off my clothes, I made my way down to the bathroom. I turned on the water, stepping under the stream once it had reached temperature. I sighed as the hot water ran down my face. Sleeping with Mia last night would have been a big mistake, and I was glad we didn’t let it get that far—but leaving this morning without talking to her about it was an even bigger one.

Way to make things more awkward. She was going to be there in a few days for god knew how long. Living under the same roof as a woman I was insanely attracted to
was
just asking for trouble.

I closed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. Kissing her had been so amazing. The feel of her skin
on mine, the way she touched me, and the way
her hands had brushed past my erection. I glanced down and saw that I was at full mast. If I didn’t have to service a client in two hours, I’d have been yanking that thing like there was no tomorrow.

See? There
were
downsides to my job.

I turned off the water and got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist. I used another towel to roughly dry my arms and chest. Turning off the fan and the light, I made my way down to the living room. Grabbing the remote, I slumped down on the sofa and yawned.

After I switched on the TV, I ran aimlessly through the channels, disgusted with the viewing options for a Monday afternoon. I sighed and turned it off, deciding that nothing was the better option. I picked up my phone again, feeling like hormone-driven teenager.

Almost done with work, and now I’m sitting in front of the TV considering watching
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
. I think I need to get out more. Or shoot myself. Not sure which yet.

She texted back right away.

Are you suggesting people who watch TSLOTAT don’t have a life? Before you answer, consider that you’re referring to one of my favorite shows, and us fans are a rabid bunch.

I laughed. Of course she shortened it.

This new information surprises me. I thought you were better than that. Honestly? I’m a little disappointed and considering retracting my offer of accommodation.

I chuckled to myself as I switched the TV back on. Now I felt obliged to at least give the show a go before I gave her shit about it. My phone beeped.

Oh, so now you offered? The last I checked, you were kind of roped into it by your sister. Either way, maybe I should retract my acceptance on the basis of your shitty taste in TV shows.

I roared with laughter. Now I
had
to watch the damn show, if only to give me more ammunition to use against her.

Shut up you idiot. I’ll see you later.

Putting the phone aside, I flicked it onto TSLOTAT—god, now I was doing it.

It didn’t take long for me to be fully immersed in the story, and on the verge of driving down to Target to buy the full four seasons. The only thing stopping me was the shit I’d get if my stash were ever discovered. If that got out, I’d lose all respect as a male escort—hell, I’d lose all respect as a
man
.

After three back-to-back episodes, I forced myself to turn the TV off. That shit was like crack, and Betty’s mispronunciation of the word ‘coincidence’ was getting on my nerves.

Fuck, I really did need a life. All I did was work and sleep. Maybe I needed to take a course or something. Things were serious when you found yourself getting sucked into shows intended for fourteen-year-old girls.

Lying back on the sofa, I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling really tired. I couldn’t fall asleep—I had less that an hour to get to my appointment with Delaney, but I
could
daydream.

My mind wandered directly to Mia. I wanted to text her again, but I didn’t want to be that guy—you know, the male equivalent to the clingy girl who keeps texting and texting after sex. I threw the phone onto the armchair on the other side of the room and went back to thinking about her.

What I found most appealing was I could still see the girl I used to know in her.
That crazy sense of humor.
She was someone who would try anything, and if it fucked up, laugh about it. Everything I’d fallen in love with back then was still there, and more. And the crazy thing was, I couldn’t wait to get to know her again.