With Strings Attached (24 page)

“Don’t worry, she’ll be okay. She just lets herself get…used. She’s so sensitive about her brother, and there are some kids that don’t get it, and she just wants to be accepted…oh, hell.”

He didn’t know Amanda very well, but he knew Corey cared a lot about her and he hated to see Corey upset. “I’m sorry.”

“Teenagers can be so cruel,” she said, and he knew she was speaking from experience. “But at least she has people in her life she can count on. Mostly.” Matt knew sometimes Amanda’s parents weren’t there for her because of dealing with her brother, even though it wasn’t intentional on their part. They just had a lot of shit going on.

“Just don’t…” He paused. He worried that Corey might encourage Amanda to be a little too independent.

“What?” She looked at him and sipped her wine again.

“She has you,” he said. “She needs to know that she can count on people.”

She gave him a long look.

“It’s true, Corey. Needing someone isn’t a weakness.”

She sighed.

“Surprised to see you drinking wine,” Dylan put in.

She raised her glass and gave a determined smile to both of them. “This is a classy event. Look at me.” She waved a hand. “Does this look like a beer drinking outfit?”

“Hell no.” Matt leaned closer. “It looks like a strip-me-out-of-this-dress-and-do-me-now kind of outfit.”

Her cheeks got pink again and she glanced at Dylan.

“It does,” he affirmed, nodding. He too leaned closer. “I can’t wait till later.”

She bit her lip and looked back and forth between them. “Later?”

“Later,” Dylan repeated.

Matt smiled. “You’re making us both hot, Corey, in that sexy dress and those killer heels.”

Her eyes darkened, but her eyebrows slanted down. “Uh…”

“Hey, Matt!”

Matt turned to see his mother. And Corwin. He erased the frown that overtook his face and forced a smile. “Hi, Mom.” He gave her a hug. “Corwin.” They shook hands. He turned to Corey and Dylan. “Mom, you remember Corey. And Dylan.”

“Of course. Hi, Corey.” His mom smiled warmly at her, then she turned to Dylan and held out her arms. “Dylan, so good to see you.”

They hugged and Dylan smiled down at her. “You haven’t changed a bit,” he said. His mom smiled and lowered her eyelashes and patted Dylan’s chest. Matt shook his head. Dylan could even charm the older ladies. More introductions were made and some small talk and then someone Corey knew came up and she started talking to him, and Mom and Corwin moved off to go taste Corey’s chocolates.

“You’ll love them,” Mom said to Corwin, holding his arm and leaning into him. “They’re incredible.”

Corey smiled and Matt frowned. “What?” she said. “You’re still weirded out by your mom dating him? He seems very nice.”

“I’m fine with it. I’m only concerned about her.”

Corey slipped her arm into his and hugged it. “She’s fine, Matt.”

Her hanging on his arm like that, looking up at him with big green eyes all smoky with makeup and shiny lips made blood rush to his groin. Their eyes met and a connection sizzled between them.

The evening passed quickly, with lots of food and drink, seeing old friends and acquaintances and meeting new people. Then it was time for the prizes to be drawn.

“I have to make sure Amanda’s parents are here to pick her up,” Corey said. “Here are my tickets. If I win something, can you get it for me?”

“Sure.”

She and Amanda disappeared out of the ballroom, and the drawing of the prizes commenced. By the time Corey returned she hadn’t won anything, and at the end of it, all three of them were empty-handed.

“Ah well,” Dylan said. “I was really hoping for that golf membership.”

“What would you do with a golf membership here?” Corey asked. “You’re leaving soon.”

He grinned and shrugged.

“I was really hoping for the spa package,” Corey pouted. “With the manicure, pedicure, facial, massage and skin polishing.”

“What the hell is skin polishing?” Matt asked as they walked through the lobby.

“I’m not actually sure.” She carried her shoes in her hand, as predicted, padding across the marble floor in bare feet. “I think it’s some kind of exfoliation.”

“Your entire body?” Dylan asked.

“I guess so.”

“Whoa.”

Matt could tell Dylan’s mind was where his was—Corey stretched out naked being rubbed and massaged. “You’re coming home with us,” he told her.

She set a hand on Matt’s arm to steady herself as she put her shoes back on. “I am?”

“You are.”

“I don’t have any say in this?”

“Nope.”

Her lips pursed. “Well, there’s something you should know.”

His dick was throbbing, his mind having raced ahead to Corey stretched out naked in his bed, him and Dylan double-teaming her again. “What?”

She went up on tiptoes to whisper to him. “I have my period.”

He heard Dylan’s faint groan. Apparently her words had reached him even though she whispered.

“Oh,” he said. He sucked in a breath, disappointment sliding over him. “Well, then.” He looked down at her. “You feel okay?” Sometimes she got bad cramps the first day of her period.

“It’s just starting.” She pressed her abdomen. “Feeling a little achy.” She paused. “You can just take me home.”

Hell.

But she did go home with them.

Matt didn’t even ask, which should have annoyed her, but didn’t. In his house, he went straight to the kitchen, poured a glass of water and handed it to her along with two ibuprofen tablets. By that point, her lower back and abdomen were really hurting. Standing all evening hadn’t helped. Some months weren’t so bad, but apparently this was going to be one of the bad ones, and she already felt like someone was trying to pull her insides out. She accepted the painkillers and washed them down with water while Matt put a hot pack in the microwave to heat.

Damn him. Did he really know her that well?

“Well, uh…hope you…feel better,” Dylan stammered from the kitchen doorway. “I mean, not that you’re sick, but you know…whatever. Good night.” And he disappeared.

Corey could only shake her head at his discomfort at the idea of her menstruating. She and Matt exchanged a look of amusement.

“I grew up in a family of women,” he said. “It was lots of fun when they all had their periods at the same time.”

She laughed.

“Go get into bed,” he said. “You can wear one of my T-shirts. I’ll be there in a minute.”

She stopped in the bathroom to wash the makeup off her face. She looked into the mirror after toweling off to see her clean face—freckles and light eyelashes and pale lips. She shrugged. Makeup wasn’t her thing, but she had to admit she’d liked the way she’d looked tonight. She’d felt very feminine and sexy, and the way the two guys had been drooling over her and paying attention, maybe it would be worthwhile to take a little more trouble with her appearance once in a while.

Though they seemed pretty hot for her even when she didn’t. She smiled. This was kind of crazy, whatever was happening with the three of them. Crazy, but super hot and super fun.

She rubbed her aching tummy and walked into Matt’s room. She stripped out of the skin-tight dress and strapless bra, and found one of Matt’s T-shirts. She held it to her nose and inhaled before putting it on, drawing the scent of him into her lungs. She loved that smell, so masculine, spicy and herbal-fresh.

After sliding the huge soft shirt over her head, she climbed between the sheets. They were cold. She needed a warm body. Matt came in a moment later, carrying the hot pack.

“Here you go, candy girl,” he said. She took it and pressed it to her stomach. The heat seeped into her and it felt so good. She felt herself relaxing, although as she watched Matt undress, hanging up his suit and crisp white dress shirt, the ache in her pelvis changed slightly and became need.

“Did I tell you how good you looked tonight?” she asked him. He glanced at her over his shoulder, standing in his boxer briefs in front of his closet. His bare back gleamed in the lamplight, wide and heavily muscled at his shoulders, tapering down to narrow hips, the ridge of muscles running down either side of his spine to the twin dimples at the base. His ass was pretty nice, too, cupped in the soft cotton briefs.

“No.” He shot her a grin. “I don’t believe you did.”

“How remiss of me,” she murmured. “You look really hot in a suit, Matt.”

He closed the closet door, turned and walked toward her and the bulge in his briefs immediately drew her eyes. Cripes.

“You know,” she said, letting her gaze travel up from there, over ridges of abdominal muscles and slabs of pectoral muscles. “An orgasm is supposed to be good for menstrual cramps.”

He paused, then flicked out the light and slid into bed beside her. His heat immediately radiated beneath the covers, drawing her closer like she was a heat-seeking missile. She snuggled in. “Really,” he said, sliding his arms around her.

“Mmmhmm. We could…um…take turns.”

He made a small noise, almost a choking sound, and his erection swelled against her hip. “That’s okay.”

“No, really.”

“But you…”

“I want to.”

She wriggled her way down his body, pushing the covers back as she went, kissing her way down all those sleek muscles. She hooked her fingers into his underwear and tugged it over his thighs, and then he used his feet to push it all the way off. She buried her face in the crease of his groin, breathed in the musky male scent of him, found his thick hardness with her hands. “Mmm,” she said. “You feel nice. So hot. So hard.”

He groaned and his fingers slid into her hair. She loved that, loved his fingers playing with her hair. It sent tingles skittering over her whole body. She nuzzled his hardness, took a little lick, and he twitched. She shifted her position so she was comfortable between his legs, eased his big thighs a little farther apart, letting her fingernails scrape over the sensitive flesh there. He trembled.

Pleasure swamped her as she opened her mouth over the head of him and sucked. She loved the way he moved, the noises he made, the way his fingers tightened in her hair. She loved that she could make him feel so good. The ridge of his cock caught on her lips and she paused, then let it slide free. Licked around the head, tasted his pre-come. Licked lower and lower, getting him nice and wet and slippery.

“Corey, fuck, Corey,” he moaned, hands on her head.

Once again she closed her lips over him, flattened her tongue on the underside and took him deep. As deep as she could.

“Holy shit,” he groaned. “Corey. I love your mouth on me like that.”

“Mmmhmmm.” He jolted as her agreement vibrated through him. She let his cock slide out of her mouth, lifted it up and out of the way and kissed his balls, traced the seam on the tight sac with her tongue, then licked all over.

“Oh fuck!” His body almost lifted off the bed. “Oh yeah, that’s so good.”

She teased with her tongue, licked her way back up his shaft, and then took him deep again, making a tight ring with her lips and increasing the pace. His balls were tight, drawn up against his body, and as his hips started lifting and his thighs clenched, she knew he was ready.

“Suck me,” he cried hoarsely, and his hands tugged sharply at her hair. She looked up his body at him, at his contorted face, head back, eyes closed, mouth open and she sucked hard on him as he came in her mouth in explosive bursts. She loved the taste of him, the sharp male taste that lingered on her tongue, loved doing this for him.

As he went still, she slowly licked him all over, his soft groans of appreciation so gratifying to her. Then she climbed up his body and stretched out over him and kissed his mouth. He gathered up her hair in his fists and held her there for long, deep kisses.

“Shit, Cor, you kill me,” he mumbled long moments later.

She smiled and rolled to her back. “Now it’s my turn.”

He choked out a laugh and rolled away from her, returning seconds later with a bottle of lube in his hands. She smiled at him with gratitude.

He held the bottle up and drizzled liquid onto her stomach, lots of it, snapped the lid shut and tossed the bottle aside. Then he started rubbing, massaging her lower belly where she ached, although now it was hard to tell the difference between the cramps and the lust she felt. But it felt so, so good. She moaned.

He used slippery hands to caress her breasts, tugging at tender nipples, so gently, which was good because she was a little sore there. Then he moved back down, under her panties and between her legs, fingers slippery with lube. He didn’t probe too low, just circled her clit, swollen and quivering now, making her entire body jump with pleasure. She licked her lips and fisted her hands into the sheets.

“Okay?” he asked, settling his fingertips over her clit.

“Almost…” He moved his fingers a little. “Oh yeah, right there, right there… oh God.”

She closed her eyes and gave herself up to it, the building sensation, the tightening coil low in her already tight abdomen. He rubbed in small circles, right where she needed it, and a humming started low inside her, a delicious warm slide of pleasure through her body, building up, higher, higher until with a strained cry she burst, sparks flying, tingles sliding through her veins, leaving her limp and pulsing.