Sass Read online

  Grasping her roughly by the neck, I pull her lips back to mine as her legs encircle my waist.

  Kissing someone has never been this all-consuming before. The two of us could explode at any minute with the sparks going between us. It’s electricity without the static, the fire without the bomb. It’s hot and passionate. Scary and volatile, like we can light up the midnight sky. I can’t tell if it’s the fact that maybe something has been brewing between the two of us since we started this charade or if it’s the fact we’ve both had bad days. Part of me doesn’t want to think about it and what it may mean for my friendship not only with her but with Justin as well.

  She pulls her lips from mine, and we both breathe heavily, sharing the space in between our lips. “Do something to me,” she begs, arching her body towards mine.

  It’s as if I’ve been in a slumber and those words awaken me. She’s offering herself up on a platter, and I’d be a dumbass not to act. I push my hands down her back to where the bikini top is tied at the middle. I’ve never been this nervous when it comes to this part of a physical relationship, but I notice my hands are shaking, my fingers are clumsy. It’s almost embarrassing how much I want her right now. It’s a foreign feeling to me, because I have never had this mad dash, this all-consuming feeling before.

  “I’m normally much smoother than this,” I whisper against her lips, apologizing for my less than stellar performance on getting this top untied.

  She throws her head back and laughs. It hits me right in the gut again—this is why I’m so enthralled by this woman. She lives life at a hundred miles an hour and appreciates everything it brings her. She loves the funny, appreciates the smart-ass, and lives for the sassy. There’s nothing this woman takes for granted—she loves it all.

  She reaches in, grabbing my lips with hers in a short kiss. “It’s okay, I’m kind of nervous too.”

  Hearing the admission makes me want to make this the best experience she’s ever had. I finally untangle the bikini strap and pull it down, exposing her chest to my eyes for the first time. Her tits are more than a handful and lie almost against her chest. She’s blessed. Her nipples are tight against the coolness of the pool and the breeze of the night.

  I harden, even in the cold water. Of its own mind, my mouth leans down and captures one of those taut nipples in my mouth, worrying the nub between my teeth. Her feet and fingers dig roughly into my body. Her fingers into my shoulders, her feet into my ass, shoving my erection against the cradle she’s made of her pussy. Those fingers walk up the tendons of my neck and tangle in the strands of my hair. She shoves herself further into my mouth by arching her back and offering herself to me. It’s the hottest thing she’s ever done. I’ve never seen Sass like this before; I’ve always tried to keep her and thoughts of sex separate. This is more than I can handle.

  Trailing my hands down her body, I grip the sides of her bottoms, untying them. “Push my swim trunks down and take my cock out.” The words are a command I won’t take back. Regardless of the fact I’m worried about what this means when I’m in her hand. I’m already hanging on by a thread, but I have to feel her.

  She exhales sharply before reaching down, her small hand snaking into the waistband of my trunks and pushing them below my balls, taking my cock into her palm. I breathe deeply and throw my head back as she wraps her hands around me tightly, jacking it up and down without me even having to ask her.

  “Reed.” She sighs, resting her forehead in the curve of my shoulder.

  “I know.” The emotion clogs my throat and makes it hard to speak; it’s never meant this much, it’s a scary thought. Moving her thighs wider apart, I let her hand continue stroking me for a few minutes. “Put me inside you,” I grind out, my lips tight against my teeth.

  “I’m on birth control.” She breathes out as she envelopes my length, moaning when I push myself home.

  Fuck, I hadn’t even asked, didn’t even care, but now I want to know why. Has she had a lot of men? Female issues? All of a sudden, it’s important to me. Am I up against an extensive list? “Because you’re very active?”

  “What?” She pulls back slightly. “No, because it keeps me regular.” She laughs. “Trust me, I haven’t been with a lot of men, but I’m hoping to be a lot more active with you.”

  I’m gone as her tight heat grips my length. It’s a superhuman effort for me to withdraw and then push back in.

  “Ah,” she whines, grinding herself back against me.

  This is everything I hoped it would be but never thought I’d find. Gripping her ass in my fingers, I push her harshly back towards me, sliding inside again.

  We move in an unyielding rhythm. The only sound is our breath gusting out at one another and the lapping of the water from the pool. My abdomen tightens, and I know this isn’t going to last much longer, I know I’m almost done for, and I want her to come with me.

  Taking one of my hands, I move it down to the middle of her body and use my thumb to work her clit roughly. “What will get you there?” I ask, because I don’t know all the nuances of her body yet. This is our first time, and I’m going to love learning. I’ll dedicate my life to fucking learning.

  “Your mouth, on my nipples, and don’t go easy either.” She pushes me towards them.

  With pleasure. She likes it a little rough? I can give it to her a little rough. Using my tongue and my teeth, I do just that, pressing my cock deeply into her, crowding her against the side of the pool, thrusting into her deeply as I spread her legs even further with my body. She grinds against me, and it’s like we have this symphony going with no music playing. I thrust, she grinds, I press against her clit, she nips my shoulder, I bite her nipple, and she sighs. It’s everything I’ve never had before, a wild rush to a finish line I wasn’t even sure we were racing towards. Then it hits me out of nowhere. An orgasm that has me groaning and gritting my teeth, hoping like hell I don’t pass out from the pleasure.

  “Fuck, Cassandra,” I call her by her given name for the first time in years. In this emotionally charged moment she deserves it.

  “I know.” Her body detonates too.

  I hold her tightly so she doesn’t accidentally drown as she flails, riding out the waves of pleasure, when suddenly she slows and offers me a lazy smile. It hits me square in the chest, and I struggle to swallow against the feeling it gives me.

  Who fucking knew the two of us would be like this together? I sure didn’t, and it scares the absolute fuck outta me.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Sass

  My face flames as I sit on the edge of Reed’s bed, towel-drying my hair. After the pool, he suggested we move ourselves to the house and wash off the chlorine. At first I hadn’t wanted to because it felt too much like he was inviting me to spend the night, and when he confirmed he was, I almost panicked. Then, I realized I better grab hold of this opportunity and take it—who knows how many more I’ll have?

  “Why are you blushing?” Reed chuckles at my embarrassment as he walks from the bathroom into the bedroom.

  I wrinkle my nose up and offer him an indulgent smile of my own. “Because you’re so damn hot. Like, can you bounce a quarter off those abs? It’s nice.” I giggle, and I can’t believe I fucking giggled.

  Now he’s blushing, and I can’t help but enjoy the smile on his face. It reminds me of when he was younger and didn’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders. He looks carefree, and right now, we both kind of are. It’s different between us than I assumed it would be.

  Reaching forward, I grab his towel and pull him closer to my body bringing his crotch eye-level with me. Using my fingers, I move the towel down so his cock can escape. Taking it into my hand, I slide my palm up and down, against the softness of the skin. I shiver as he takes my towel off too, exposing my bare skin to the cool air.

  “Fuck, Sass.” He groans as he buries his fingers in my hair.

  I lean forward, attempting to take his length in my mouth, but he yanks up firmly on my hair, forcing my ey
es to meet his. There’s something there I’m not sure about; it’s dark, and it’s almost as if he’s fighting against memories.

  “Don’t.” He shakes his head. “That’s how I found her.”

  And suddenly I understand. This has everything to do with Lacey and nothing to do with me. That’s fine, I’ll let him run the show this time, but I want him inside my mouth, and I’ll help him get over this phobia he appears to have. I won’t force it, but I will make sure he knows this is what I want later.

  He tilts my chin up with his hand and leans down, capturing my lips with his. If there’s one thing Reed is good at, it’s kissing. This one starts out lazy and slow, his tongue coaxing my mouth open as he slowly explores everything that is me. I wrap my arms around his waist, lightly scoring the tattoo he has on his ribcage with my fingers. The coolness of the necklace he wears—the St. Christopher medal—and he’s had since I’ve known him trails against my chest. I know he’s not devout, but I’ve never seen him take it off. For some reason, I feel as if it protects me too.

  Pushing me back against the bed, he climbs over top of me, using his knees for leverage as he spreads my legs and lowers himself between them. He’s hard at my center, pressing against me, but I don’t want this to happen the same way it happened in the pool. Instead, I hook my foot around his leg and use my muscles to try to flip him over. We laugh as it halfway works.

  “You want me on my back, sweetheart?” he asks, the endearment going straight to my chest.

  I nod my head yes, because somewhere I’ve lost the ability to speak. I think it was the endearment. He chuckles as he moves himself up the bed and situates his back against the pillows. Laying his hands out to the side, he spreads his legs and shoots me a wink. “Come and get me.”

  In seconds, I’m on my knees, crawling up his body. I realize he doesn’t want my mouth anywhere near his crotch, but I make a show of running my tongue up his abdomen, straight to his nipple, taking the taut flesh into my mouth and circling my tongue around it the same way he did with me earlier. His fingers hook around my ass, pulling me up so I sit against his length.

  “What do you want, Reed?” I ask, because I want to know, I need to know. Does he see this as sex, or does he see it as me giving it to him? I’m all ears, and what’s sad is I know the answer won’t change anything about how I feel. No matter what he wants or how he feels, I know exactly how I do, and right now, this is what I want.

  “You, Sass.” He runs his hands up my stomach, using his thumbs to tease my nipples. “You,” he breathes out. “I didn’t know it, and I didn’t realize how much I would want you, but I do.”

  I can tell by the way he’s letting the words free of his throat he hadn’t counted on this. He never meant to make our relationship physical, and right now I don’t care. I wonder if tomorrow I’ll wake up freaking out, but as he lifts me against his cock, I press down onto him, moaning. Whatever feelings I have in the morning I’ll deal with. Living in the here and now is all I want; taking these chances and opportunities being presented to me is all I can wrap my head around.

  Balancing on my knees, I lift up and back down; setting a rhythm between us that is slow but fast at the same time. I put my hands on his chest and use it to help my leverage. I’m moving back and forth against him, making sure my clit gets hit, because if there’s something I’ve learned in the few sexual experiences I’ve had, it’s that I want to take my own pleasure. I’ve never been able to hand it over to a man and hope to get mine. I think Reed, though, he would make sure I was taken care of, but right now—I want to take care of him.

  His hands grip my ass and shove me down hard on top of him, so hard that I have to hook an arm up around his broad shoulders. Taking the upper hand, he flips me over so that I’m on my back.

  “I let you play, baby, but now it’s my turn.”

  My legs anchor around his waist, and I reach up, wrapping my hand around the wood of the headboard, using it to anchor my body as he pounds into me. Reed is stronger than I’ve given him credit for. There’s sweat dripping off his face, but he’s in a full pushup position over me, and he’s swinging his hips wildly into me. His hands fist the sheets, and I wonder how long he can hold on. I wonder how long I can hold on as he moves one hand under my ass so he can push me closer to his body. I’m feeling every ridge of his muscles as I thrust up into him. The friction is there as I add a little grind to my thrust. Using the headboard, I arch my back and tilt my head, giving over every piece of myself to him. I’m wound tight as I seek my release, as I hold my breath and hope it comes sooner rather than later. His mouth latches onto my neck, and it’s then I start to tighten and he does too.

  “C’mon, Sass,” he encourages me.

  Letting go of the headboard with one hand, I move it down to where our bodies are joined and take my own pleasure, Reed following.

  As we lay there, both catching our breaths, I wonder how in the world this is going to change our situation. It’s the last thing on my mind as exhaustion pulls me under.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Sass

  Something is off as I awake from the best sleep I’ve had in what feels like years. I’m pressed up against a warmth that isn’t the same as my mattress. The sounds are different too, they aren’t the sounds of my apartment. I don’t hear the window air unit or the loud-ass noise my fridge makes. Instead it’s peaceful, except for the low hum of someone snoring almost in my ear.

  Then it hits me. I’m not at home. I push my eyelids open, and sure enough, Reed is lying next to me. His arm is wrapped around my waist, his face buried in my hair. I turn over slowly, trying not to dislodge him so I can look at him. In sleep his face is much more relaxed than it is in everyday living. I can’t get over the difference in the harsh lines that usually rest there. It amazes me how much those lines age him, but in sleep, he looks almost like a teenager.

  Immediately I’m in a panic, because I remember what we did last night. Once in the pool, and then once we got back here to his bedroom. We laughed and we moaned, and it was the best experience I’ve ever had in my life. I remember what it meant to me, and I have a sneaking suspicion it meant nothing like that to him. The thought is enough to kill me, and my imagination is already running wild; it’s making up scenarios in my head and freaking me the fuck out. My heart pounds as I realize what we’ve done, and I want to smack myself upside the head for letting my body rule instead of my head.

  I have to get out of here. I can’t let him wake up and see me here. He’ll be able to look at my face and realize exactly what my feelings are, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for honesty like that yet. Scratch that, I know I’m not ready for it.

  Quietly, I slip out of the bed, hoping I don’t wake him up, and go around the room gathering up my clothing and putting on something appropriate for me to drive home in.

  Ignoring the ache between my legs is difficult because it feels so delicious. I haven’t been with many men, and none of them have consumed me the way Reed did last night, none of them. It frightens me how much he consumed me, how much he gave me exactly what I wanted. How he knew exactly what I needed with the answer to the only question he asked me. I wonder if it’s like that with all his women; I wonder if he had it with Lacey, but as I’ve proven, I’m way too much of a chicken shit to sit around and find out. Facing him this morning is too hard; it will bring forth feelings I don’t want to talk about. Not right now, not when I’m as raw emotionally as I am right now. I’m still trying to get over Justin yelling at me.

  I quickly put clothes on and make my way out of his house, locking up. I feel like shit, sneaking out the way I am, but I can’t face him this morning. I can’t open myself up that way and let him see what’s inside my heart. It’s too soon. I’m running because I’m scared of how intense it was, and I’m trying to convince myself the connection I know was there–wasn’t.

  My only concern is getting to my car and getting the hell out of Dodge. It’s self-preservation, and I’m feeling it big tim
e. As I pull onto the highway, I grab my cell phone and dial the only good girlfriend I have. Morgan and I don’t talk about private things often, usually because I’m scared she’s going to tell Justin what I have going on in my private life, but she’s always been there for me. The fact that she’ll soon be my sister-in-law, because Justin finally pulled his head out of his ass, doesn’t change how much I need her. I only hope she can keep my confidence, if even for a little while. When I need to bitch like a woman, she’s always got my back, and right now I need a woman’s perspective in a bad way.

  “Hey, chick,” she answers on the first ring. “What’s goin’ on?”

  I can’t even get the words out before the sob escapes my chest. It’s so unexpected I pull off the road and park my car, letting the emotion overtake me. It feels good to let it out because it’s so overwhelming.

  “Sass, what’s wrong?” she asks, concern in her voice. “Do I need to come get you? You’re scaring me.”

  “I’m sorry.” I sniffle. “I don’t even know where this is coming from.” I’m fighting embarrassment at the way I’m acting.

  Her voice is soft. “Why don’t you tell me what happened? It’s the best place to start,” she nudges me gently.

  It’s always been this way with her. She’s always known me better than I know myself, and it’s refreshing to have someone like that in my life when Justin presses all the time. She directs and genuinely cares about my feelings.