Beautiful Illusions (9 page)

She turns briefly before spinning around.

“Hey, what are you doing?” She gives one of her signature grins, and my gut pinches. “I thought you were supposed to be paddling us around? You’re my paddle boy for the afternoon, remember?” She thumps her foot over my leg.

“Your paddle boy is slacking off. I’m too busy enjoying the view.”

“Funny—that’s exactly what I’m about to do.” She scoots in close, placing her thighs over mine until she’s just about sitting on my lap. A groan works its way up in my throat, but I won’t give it.

“So what happened last night?” I brush my thumb over her soft cheek, her pillowy lips. “I heard Warren took a hit to the boys. Rumor has it the blow might have been delivered by someone I know.” I had to go there. I’m dying to hear if she broke things off with him for good. I’ve sort of declared the boathouse a Warren-free zone, so I didn’t bother bringing it up last night. Not that I want to discuss their relationship, but a part of me demands to know.

“Gavin told you.” She shrugs as if she doesn’t really care. “And, yes, the not-so fatal blow was delivered by yours truly.” A twinge of pride glimmers in her eye, but there’s a sadness layered just beneath. “Warren followed me up to my room and tried to ‘tuck me in.’” She looks down and runs her finger through the water.

“And you kicked him in the nads?” I tweak her ribs, playfully. “Remind me to never attempt to ‘tuck you in.’”

“No, actually”—her expression dims as she gazes out at the forest just beyond the boulders—“he grew into this monster. Before I knew it, his tongue was down my throat, and his hand flew into my pants. It was a disaster sponsored by malt liquor. Anyway, I kicked his ass all the way out of my room.” She shudders reliving the memory. Her dark hair falls like a sheet, hiding her face from me.

Fuck. My blood boils faster than I can catch my next breath, and I fight the urge to swim back and kick his ass all the way back to Yeats.

I pull her in and tighten my arms around her cool waist. “I’m going to kill him.” It comes from me controlled, almost tongue-in-cheek, but it’s the furthest thing from it.

“Relax.” Reese presses her chest to mine, and the sweet scent of sugar expels from her. “He’s not worth the felony. Besides, I can take care of myself.” She takes up my hand, gliding it over her stomach, all the way to her perfect round tit and keeps it there. Her eyes meet with mine, and the smile slides off her face. “The only person on the planet I want touching me is you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I whisper as if she just gave an order, and our lips find one another. For the next ten solid minutes, she pours a fire into my mouth with a passion I have never felt before. Reese lashes her tongue over mine like she’s trying to teach me a lesson. Her top twists in ten different directions as my fingers indulge in how fucking soft she is in my hand. I roll her nipples over my fingers until they’re rock hard and pull back to take her in like this.

“Ace,” she trembles my name from her lips, and I lock eyes with her, forcing her to look at me.

“I’m going to run my tongue all over your body tonight,” I say it plain like a fact—like it wasn’t killing me on the inside to show this much restraint to tell her how I really feel instead. “I’m going to kiss you in places you’ve only dreamed about.” I twist my thumbs over her nipples, so she knows precisely where. The truth is, I want to push Reese to the limit—make her squirm, uncomfortable even, to see if she’ll back out of our deal. “I’m going to put parts of you in my mouth that are guaranteed to make you insane.” I give a brief smile, but she doesn’t seem to flinch. Instead, her eyes flutter briefly as if she’s already about to lose it. My heart thumps wild at the thought of Reese wanting this. I won’t deny there is definitely something strange about this whole thing, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was glad it was me she chose to have a special summer with.

She gives a quick nod. “We can start right now—that is, if you want to.” She tries to sound calm, as if it were no big deal, but the heavy wobble in her voice lets me know she’d more than like to speed up the process.

“Tell me something”—I lean in and whisper just over her lips—“have you ever had an orgasm?” This is it. If she doesn’t flinch, I’ll know she’s serious. I can’t imagine anything more uncomfortable than contemplating orgasms in the middle of the afternoon.

Her chest palpitates. Her breathing grows erratic. Reese takes in a heated breath as if she’s about to have one now.

“Not with anyone else in the room.” She bats her lashes at me.

Shit. She knows she got me going with that one.

I try to hang onto my poker face as long as I can. “I might like to see you in action some time. If you ever feel the need to reenact the deed, I won’t stop you.”

“Why would I pleasure myself when I have you to do that for me?” Her hands float over my shoulders as she pulls me in by the neck.

“You got me there.” I push out a breath. It looks like she wants this. Tonight will be the real test. “Prepare to be pleasured.”

Reese wraps her arms around me, and her lips expand in a toothy grin. Reese has the face of an angel, and she knows it.

“What the hell are we doing?” I shake my head. “You deserve everything, Reese.”

“Then give me everything you’ve got.” Her eyes widen at what exactly that might be.

“I will.”

I’ve already given her my heart.

She just doesn’t know it.

The Build Up

Reese

The sky darkens a shade, wrapping itself with a blanket of white flannel clouds, thick and soft. I head home after my paddle boarding session with Ace, and I can’t wipe the silly grin off my face.

Brylee waves at me from the porch with a towel draped over her shoulders. She’s still dripping wet from the lake, but I don’t care. I race up the steps and take her by the hand all the way to my bedroom, laughing as if it were junior high and the cutest boy in school just asked me to the dance—which he sort of did. A very erotic, sexually pleasurable dance for two, usually performed horizontally, or, until tonight, only in my dreams.

“What?” Brylee shuts the door behind us. “Did you set a bag of crap on fire outside Neva’s door?” She gets that gleam in her eye as if she just gave birth to a very wicked idea. The three of us used to be inseparable. After Neva kicked me out of her life, Brylee decided not to take sides. Somehow she still manages to maintain a genuine friendship with the both of us.

“
No
,” I correct. “But her brother took me out on the lake and set
me
on fire. I’m damn lucky my bathing suit didn’t melt right off.” I glance down to verify the fact it’s still firmly in place. It’s wet in all the right places, and I think that in and of itself is a testament to Ace.

“Really? Right on the lake?” She glances out the window in disbelief. “God—Ace Waterman is an animal. Warren is
so
going to kick his ass when he finds out.” Her brows rise and fall as if this were all some amusing prank I’m pulling.

“He’s not going to find out.” But if I had it my way, I’d want the world to know. “Me and Ace are keeping things low key since it’s just a summer thing.” I pick up my brush and rake it through my hair. “Ace wants to stay friends.” I stare at my reflection in the mirror and wonder if deep down maybe that’s what I want, too. Having Ace in my life would rearrange things for my dad more than it would me, not to mention there’s a sour feeling in my gut when I think of breaking the news to him. I push the thought out of my mind. For sure this is nothing I have to worry about right now. If my father thinks I’m with Warren for the summer. So what? My mind just wants to turn this thing with Ace into something it’s not, so does my heart.

Brylee presses her lips together until they’re white as paper and reverts her eyes to the ceiling.

“I saw that.” I spin around. “You’re not buying it, are you?”

“Are you buying it?” Her powder blue eyes blink at me as if I’d be an idiot to think Ace and I could get away with still being friends after the fact. “He’s too nice of a guy to do you a favor like that. Don’t you think he might be genuinely interested?”

“The thought crossed my mind. Or, more to the point I was hoping.” I plop on my bed, and she follows. “But he hasn’t expressed any feelings to me outside of the friend zone. If he doesn’t give me those kinds of signals, I’ll have to gauge our relationship by the one’s he does give me. And, for now, that would be friends.” I pull the brush through my hair again, smooth, like running it through satin. “Best of friends, by the way. He pushed you right off the pedestal.”

Brylee knocks into my shoulder to protest the idea.

“You only like him better because he’s got a power line hanging between his legs.”

“Power line?” I suppose this is the part where I tell her I can’t wait for him to electrocute me, but I hold back. “You’re right.” I lie back on my pillow and think about what tonight is going to be like. “He said we’re going to take it slow.”

“As in?” She glides up beside me.

“We’ve been kissing.” I shrug. “Tonight, he says he’s moving his mouth to more interesting places.” I press my lips together tight. “He promised me a happy ending.”

“Get the hell out.” She sticks her face in my pillow and laughs up a storm before emerging.

“Swear to God if you pee in my bed, you’re boiling the sheets.”

Brylee hacks out an air laugh before coming to. “Too late,” she whispers, wiping her eyes with my comforter.

“So…is there anything I should know, or do in preparation for the big event?” I’m only asking because Brylee’s had her fair share of earth-shattering moments. Brylee has never been too shy in the kiss and tell department.

She nods, considering this for a moment. “Shave everything from the neck down.”

“What?” I balk at her razor-sharp advice. “Oh wait, the only thing I don’t shave is my—”

“Exactly. Boys are more likely to explore the fun zone if it looks less like a jungle they might need a roadmap to get out of alive.”

“Oh really,” I say it curt. “Do you think he’s going to shave his
fun zone
using the same brand of logic? I think not. It’s totally sexist to suggest I lose the bush. By the way, nary a sharpened blade will get near my sweet spot.”

“Suit yourself.” She slaps her thighs as she sits up. “But when he pulls out a weed whacker to maneuver his way around your not-so-fun zone, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Anything else you feel the need to warn me about?” I sit up beside her. “Any other hair styling solutions my man might find pleasing and navigationally friendly?”

Brylee pushes her shoulder into mine. “You just called him your man.”

I take a breath at the thought. “I did, didn’t I?” I can feel my cheeks filling in with heat. “Hey, Bry—what do you think my dad would say if he knew Ace and I were dating?”

“I don’t know. He’s sort of gunning for Warren, I think we both know that.”

“True story.” And it breaks my heart.

“You know who else is gunning for Warren?” She slips a blonde curl behind her ear.

“Who?” My cheek rises on one side disapprovingly. “If you say it’s you, I’ll hurl all over your feet. I have higher standards for you.”

“
Warren
.” She taps my foot with hers. “He talked on and on this morning about how he felt like an ass and wanted to make it up to you.”

“Did he tell you what he did?” God, if he’s blabbing about our mattress mishap to anyone who’ll listen, I’ll die. It’s bad enough I confessed to Ace what happened.

“He mentioned something about coming on too strong. And, before you freak out it was just Neva and me.”

“Lovely.” I don’t like the thought of Warren letting Neva and Brylee in on what happened last night. “Did you guys have a pillow fight afterward? I mean, that’s what besties do, right?”

Brylee shakes her head at me. “Just go shape your hairy sweet spot into a heart, would you?” She hops off the bed. “I’ll be back in the morning for the dirty deets.” She heads out the door and pauses. “Oh, and happy endings!”

After what felt like hours of plucking, and shaving, and shaping—my entire body is hygienically clean enough to eat a meal off. Of course, I’m hoping to be the meal. My insides throb at the idea of what Ace and I might be doing later. I have a feeling it won’t take long to achieve that happy ending. I’m just hoping I can hold out long enough to make it worth his while.