Page 9 of Flynn (Foxy’s Rent-A-Date #4)

I watched the sky change from pale gray to a crystal blue through the small opening in the drapes.

I’d been up for close to an hour now, but that was nothing new.

Since leaving home at eighteen, I’d been forced to be an early riser, and I’d never let the habit go.

I liked to run in the mornings and get some exercise, but this morning that was proving to be impossible.

But I could hardly complain. I glanced down again at Ara and the way she’d wrapped herself around me like…

well, like Sofia had described. She was like a baby racoon clinging to its mother.

A grin pulled at my lips as I studied her face pressed to the middle of my bare torso, her right arm wrapped tightly around me, her right leg thrown over mine and locked tight.

How did her muscles not hurt in the morning after remaining so tightly wound for so long?

I woke up around one in the morning to feel her rolling into me, and less than ten minutes later, she’d latched on.

At first, I’d tried to do as she asked and attempted to roll her over, but the harder I tried, the tighter she held on.

I’d had to smother my laugh when her face creased in displeasure and she made several unhappy sounds in her sleep, like she was arguing with me about being moved.

Eventually, I gave up and hugged her to me.

And I fell asleep almost instantly. Now I was just enjoying the feeling of her in my arms, the warmth and softness of her body pressed against mine.

The long length of her legs was bare, her shorts having ridden up just enough that the bottom of her ass cheek was visible.

It was an effort unlike anything else not to reach down and palm it.

I gave up trying not to let my body react to the feel of her, the scent of her conditioner teasing my senses further.

The evidence of what she did to me was firmly trapped beneath the waistband of my boxers and the heat of her inner thigh.

It was torture not to grind my hips against it and find some relief.

I turned my gaze back to her face, softened in sleep, and let my eyes trace her delicate features.

She really was beautiful, but not in a way society generally associated with the word.

She had an interesting face, features that kept the eyes intrigued.

Honestly, she was artwork, and I wanted to stare at her for hours.

Her long dark hair had been braided loosely but now came loose in strands around her face and neck.

Her cheeks were rosy with sleep, her lips parted slightly, and the thick lashes of her eyes were fanned out, creating dark crescents on pale skin.

She shifted slightly in her sleep, rolling her hips against me, thigh tightening, and I bit back a groan.

My cock throbbed between us, desperate for release.

I pulled in a deep breath, trying to put the feel of her from my mind.

I needed a distraction. Smiling when I caught sight of my phone, I carefully reached for it and flipped open the camera app.

These would work great for selling our relationship a little more too.

I raised my arm as high as it would go and lined the phone up so that it caught the way she sprawled over me and snapped a photo.

I took one closer of the two of us, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and closing my eyes.

Opening my gallery, I put a softer filter over the close-up photo of the two of us and uploaded it to social media with a caption.

“Heaven is waking up to my Angel in my arms.” As I was putting my phone back on the bedside table, Ara shifted and I felt it the moment she woke up.

Her entire body stiffened, and her breath caught.

“Morning, Angel.” Her head snapped up, gaze finding mine, and I grinned at her, loving the way sleep still clung to her.

“Flynn… it wasn’t a dream,” she whispered as if to herself.

“If you want to call waking up in my arms a dream, then who am I to stop you?” I said with a cocky wink.

Her face warmed at my words, but her lips pressed together firmly as she tried not to grin.

“You have a very healthy ego, Flynn.” “What I have is an incredibly beautiful woman in my arms, so I have nothing to complain about.” Except maybe the throbbing hard-on that threatened to break free of my boxers.

“I tried to tell you I’m a snuggle person.

You should have rolled me away,” she said, scrubbing a hand over her face as she started to roll away.

The thought of letting her go right now forced my hand, and I found myself wrapping my arms tighter around her and rolling with her.

“Flynn!” “I’m just showing you what it was like trying to pry your sleeping form from me last night,” I joked.

She laughed and tried to push me away, but I cuddled in deeper, relishing in the feel of her soft body pinned beneath me.

“I wasn’t that bad,” she protested, trying to free her arms. “Oh, you so were, ” I argued.

“I would have needed a bottle of baby oil and a stick to pry you off me. Any time I tried to roll you over, you held on tighter and made angry noises at me.” She laughed.

“Angry noises?” I raised my head to look at her and grinned.

“It was kind of cute, actually. Your face got all pinched and angry, and your lips all pouty.” She rolled her eyes.

“Okay, now I know you’re lying. I don’t pout.

” “Oh, you so do. I’ll take a photo next time to prove it.

” Her breath stuttered at the mention of there being a next time, and I wondered if she felt the same thrill I did at knowing we’d be sharing a bed again tonight.

At that moment, my dick began throbbing again, and I knew the moment her lips parted and eyes widened that she was suddenly aware of the way it pressed into her stomach.

I froze, not wanting to move, ensnared by the way her every thought ran across her face.

Was I an ass to admit I was ecstatic to see how much she wanted me too?

Slowly, I reached down to brush away a few strands of hair, my eyes locked with hers.

“You’re beautiful, especially first thing in the morning.

” She licked her lips and swallowed hard, and my gaze fell to the shine on her full pink lips.

I ached to close the gap between us, to press my lips to hers and really taste her.

She wanted me; I could see it there as if it were written.

She wanted me, and I wanted her. No, sex wasn’t a part of the job, but a part of me now wondered how much of this wedding weekend was even about the job anymore, and how much of it was about being around Chiara as much as possible.

Fuck, how was this real? Being with Ara after all these years was like pressing play on a movie that we’d paused over a decade ago.

We were picking up right where we left off, only we were more intense.

Even though we were fake, it felt like things were moving at warp speed and I was desperate to explore what I’d been missing.

I leaned closer to her, aching for another taste.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I hesitated, my gaze flicking to hers before I began lowering my head again.

“Practicing,” I said before brushing my lips with hers.

Her breath stuttered, and I took advantage of her parted lips and deepened the kiss.

She didn’t even hesitate to kiss me back, and inside, I roared with victory.

I needed this. I kissed her long and deep, her lips so fucking soft.

Her fingers were gentle against my bare chest, and I slid the hand that had been on her hip slowly upward, taking the hem of her shirt with it.

We were both breathing unevenly now, but neither of us stopped.

I kissed her again and again, my hand sliding up her shirt inch by inch until my thumb brushed the underside of her breast. She shifted beneath me, unintentionally grinding herself against me and I couldn’t bite back the groan that escaped me.

I pulled back an inch, her gray eyes practically molten silver with heat as they stared up at me, wide and surprised.

Taking one of her hands, I tested her responses and pressed it into the mattress by her head.

Her eyes widened, and when her breath hitched, I knew it was because I was pressed firmly between her legs, her heat scorching and my cock throbbing.

Fuck. We were on dangerous ground. Move, Flynn.

Roll away. This isn’t what she paid for.

It isn’t what she asked for. Yeah, but her eyes were practically begging me.

I tried not to notice, but her nipples had pebbled beneath her thin tank top as if aching for my touch.

The pulse in her neck was fluttering wildly, and her breathing was no longer even and calm.

“Flynn, I—” Chiara’s words were cut off when her phone started to ring.

I shot away from her as if I’d been burned and rolled out of bed, hurrying to yank on my jeans despite my poor, protesting cock.

You’re not good for her! “H-hello?” Ara said, answering the phone, her voice frazzled.

“No, I’m fine, you didn’t interrupt anything.

” Well, that wasn’t true, but it was probably for the best. I moved to the bathroom as she spoke on the phone and took care of my business.

When I got to the sink, I washed my hands and splashed water on my face before spreading it around the back of my neck.

I needed to cool off before heading back out there.

Glancing up at myself in the mirror, I shook my head.

Fucking hell… what was I doing? I wanted her, yes.

There was nothing wrong with admitting it, and lying to myself was not a habit I would let myself fall back into.

But this was a business transaction… at least for her.

I didn’t want to make things more complicated by seducing her, not if she’d regret it later.

Besides, from what little experience I had in getting close to her, Chiara wasn’t likely to like sex the way I needed it.

Vanilla was off the table to me now. It had been for a very long time.

I couldn’t imagine her letting me wrap my hand around her throat while I fucked her or letting me blindfold her or tie her up.

I couldn’t imagine her letting me fuck her in a public place.

I’d have her sitting on my lap, a skirt fanned out around us and my cock buried so deep inside her— “Fuck,” I hissed adjusting the hard on I’d just managed to get down.

Okay, so I could imagine all those things, but I didn’t think reality would line up with the fantasy.

Ara was a good girl, and while a strong part of me wanted to turn her bad, I didn’t think it was fair to do.

Not when I would leave. I wanted to finish what we’d started out there, but then what?

I’d go back to my home, and she would go back to hers.

We weren’t a real couple, and continuing down this path was only guaranteed to leave one of us hurting.

The thought of hurting Ara that way stung.

Through the bathroom door, I heard her say Sofia’s name and another bout of regret hit me.

I’d called Sofia last night after Ara had gone to bed.

I felt bad about what went down at dinner, and it wasn’t fair to her that Ellis and I had a pissing match that went on since the beginning of our relationship.

This was her wedding. Even though I had serious reservations about her choice in groom, she looked happy.

Thankfully, she seemed to accept my apology and assurances that I wouldn’t let it happen again.

When I offered to leave, she shut it down at once.

“You’re my friend, Flynn. I want you at my wedding.

” Hearing those words had gone a long way to soothing my guilty conscience, and I promised myself I’d do better staying in touch with her from now on.

I glowered at the idea of her marrying Ellis and him ruining her happiness.

I didn’t like my cousin for good reason, and I didn’t trust him to look after her at all.

He was selfish and always had been. His needs would always come first, and he compromised for no one.

But my personal feelings aside, I needed to do better when it came to my reactions to Ellis.

I had been in literal war zones and been trained extensively in situations that tested every one of my limits.

I couldn’t let Ellis have any power over me or my reactions.

I’d gone up against men a hell of a lot worse than him.

Ellis was nothing in comparison. I could do better than this, and I would.

“Flynn?” I wiped my face with a cloth and moved to the door only to find Ara on the other side, her phone in hand.

“Do you want to explain?” I frowned. “Explain what?” She sighed and showed me the photo I’d posted this morning, and I grinned.

“What? We’re in love, remember? I’d want to show my woman off if this were real,” I defended, moving farther into the room.

“A heads up would have been nice!” She cried and pressed her hands onto her waist, her tone scolding.

“I have bed hair in that photo.” I couldn’t have stopped the grin that split over my face had I tried.

She rolled her eyes and turned away, but not before I saw the smile tug at her lips.

“You look beautiful, like always. Besides, how many comments and reactions are on there already?” She frowned and at first, I thought she wasn’t going to answer.

“Fine, there’s a lot. But can we just..

.lean away from photos that seem so..

.private?” I nodded. “Sorry. I thought it was a good photo.” She kept her eyes averted, but I heard her quiet words as she turned away.

“It is.” Swallowing another smile, I set about getting a fresh change of clothes and checking out what we had on the schedule for today.

My mind kept tracking back to our kiss in bed, and I bit back a groan.

Apparently, we weren’t going to talk about what happened this morning, and honestly, I was a little relieved.

I had no idea how to explain myself in a way that didn’t make me come off as a completely insensitive asshole.

I wanted it to happen again, and I knew if given the chance, I’d likely to try to find a way to orchestrate another moment together.

I knew I was no good for her, that this was all for show, but I couldn’t keep my mind on the task and my hands to myself.

If she’d just push me away and tell me it wasn’t going to happen, it would help so fucking much.

Because I knew I’d back off then. But she didn’t, and every time we did something that crossed a line, and she didn’t put me in my place, my need for her grew.

Fuck, this could get messy. Shaking my head, I continued to get ready and took a moment to look over the itinerary for today.

We were supposed to be meeting with the resort event coordinator who had put together some activities for the wedding party, but I’d already been informed that I was also expected to join in.

While I didn’t relish the idea of being in Ellis’s company for the day, the idea of being with Ara helped ease any discomfort.

When Ara stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, I almost swallowed my tongue.

She was wearing a pair of yoga pants that might as well have been painted on, a pair of slip-on flats, and a shirt with sleeves that rested off her shoulders and did everything to bring out her every fine asset.

She had a lot of fine assets. Her hair was pulled back, the top half twisted back in a tie while the rest flowed freely down her back.

She was dressed casually, I knew that, but she still managed to leave me tongue-tied.

Yup. This was already messy, and was bound to be a goddamn clusterfuck by the end of the weekend.

“Flynn?” “Hmm?” “Can I ask what happened between you and Ellis?” It was like a record scratched everything to a halt, and I was thrown out of my fantasies of kissing my way along the side of her neck to her shoulder where I’d bite gently.

“Why?” I asked, clearing my throat and turning away.

She sighed and picked up her small handbag by the bed and rifled through it.

“I just think it would help me understand you better and maybe find ways to navigate the next few days with us all here.” I considered telling her.

I really did, but there was a reason I didn’t say anything back then.

Was there really any point in telling her now?

They were no longer together. They hadn’t been for about ten years.

“Flynn?” Ara prompted, her voice closer than before.

I shook my head and let out a cleansing breath.

“There’s nothing to tell. It’s not relevant anymore.

” “You’re not going to tell me?” I shook my head.

“There’s no point in dredging up ancient history, and I’ve already promised you I’ll be on my best behavior from here on out.

” She frowned, obviously not through with asking questions.

“Did it have something to do with your dyslexia?” I blinked in surprise at her and she gave me an apologetic look.

“I overheard an argument once between Trevor and Ellis when we were kids. He was telling Ellis off for teasing you about it.” My lips quirked upwards, and I shook my head.

I’d kept that secret from almost everyone in my life.

I’d been determined to overcome it, to work with the doctors to find ways around it.

I managed it enough to pass the aptitude test required to be let into the Army, so it wasn’t worth bringing up to anyone else.

“No, although I’m sure that contributed to my dislike of my cousin.

I’ve had a lot of help with my dyslexia, so it’s still a problem but not what it used to be.

Ellis liked to find any flaw of mine to bring to light and reveal to others.

” “I noticed that,” Ara said softly with a grimace.

“So, you really won’t tell me?” I leaned back against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest and studied her.

“Will you tell me why you and Ellis broke up?” She hesitated and backed up until she sat on the edge of the bed.

“I didn’t love him.” I nodded slowly. “I know that.” She raised an eyebrow.

“You do?” “Yeah,” I said and shrugged. “You felt obligated to date him. Like you said at that party before I left, everyone was always telling the two of you that you’d be good together, that you were meant to be.

You cared for him as a friend, and maybe you hoped you’d fall in love with him in time.

I know I wasn’t there to see it, but I never got the sense that you were in love with him.

” She gave me a half-hearted smile. “I felt awful for breaking up with him, but it seemed worse to stay with him when I didn’t feel that for him.

” I searched her face, looking for signs of any other reason for their breakup.

Her eyes were averted, her head tilted down, so it was hard for me to tell.

How likely would it be that she’d tell me if there was another reason anyway?

“So, will you tell me now?” she asked, looking back at me expectantly.

I hesitated, but after a moment I forced a grin and shook my head.

“It’s not one thing in particular. We already had a shaky relationship when I came to live with them, and I think he resented sharing his space, sharing his parents.

Then it was just little things that built up over time.

” She studied me with knowing gray eyes.

“And what happened after your first deployment? You guys got into a pretty big fight. According to Ellis, you attacked him. You didn’t hang around long enough for me to get your side.

” The opportunity was there for me to tell her now.

She was asking, and since a good part of the reason included her, she had some right to know.

But what good would it do her to dredge up old things, especially on the weekend of her best friend’s wedding?

A woman who was now marrying Ellis? “Same shit, different day. Only this time I was still raw from where I’d been and didn’t take the time to ease myself back into normal civilian life.

It’s not worth talking about,” I decided and pushed away from the wall.

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the whole story, either.

She sighed as I searched through my bag for my cap, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

Thankfully, she let it drop. We were in the elevator twenty minutes later, and I wondered how today would go.

Would Kate keep her word and help us keep our secret?

I’d be lying if I said everything she said last night hadn’t been playing in a loop in my head.

She seemed to think that Chiara and I were meant for one another, and she’d picked up on our chemistry.

It was true, our energy with each other was more than anything I’d experienced with someone else, so I knew we had something.

But it couldn’t go anywhere, could it? I was itching to get outside and do something active.

Skipping my morning run had left me feeling a little off-kilter, or maybe that was the woman I’d woken up with wrapped around me.

Probably both. Another flash of memory, the way it felt to have her beneath me, the taste of her kiss, the feel of her lips…

Fuck. Shaking away the memories, I tried to focus on what was coming next.

Everyone was meeting in the lobby with the event coordinator to join in on today’s activities.

I was determined to be on my best behavior today for Sofia and Ara.

I couldn’t let Ellis get to me. We made it to the lobby, but we appeared to be the first there.

“Should we check at the desk to see if the coordinator is here?” Ara asked.

“Sure,” I said with a shrug. We asked the man at the desk for the coordinator, and he left to go find her.

He’d just left when I heard voices coming from near the elevator.

The giant plant at reception partially blocked us, but I knew that voice.

“I just don’t see it,” Ellis said. “You seriously think they’re faking?

You saw them at dinner last night, and you saw their photo this morning,” Sofia whispered in disbelief and annoyance.

My gaze met Ara’s wide eyes. I felt his doubt had less to do with disbelief, and more to do with a refusal to accept that I was with Ara when he hadn’t been enough for her.

“That’s exactly what I think. It’s all fake.

Flynn has convinced her to go along with this to piss me off, and for whatever reason, Chiara is doing it.

” Ara’s hand gripped my forearm as their voices grew closer, and I knew we had to do something.

“You’re wrong, Ellis. They’re real,” Sofia defended.

Ellis scoffed. “We’ll see.” Their voices were louder now, and I glanced back at Ara and tugged her against me.

“Don’t pull away.” Then before she could protest, I did what I’d been dying to do again since we climbed out of bed this morning.

I kissed her. I didn’t just kiss her. No.

The moment my lips touched hers, I was ravenous for more.

I pulled her hard against me, one hand on her lower back, the other cupping her face, tilting her chin back ever so slightly to deepen the kiss.

The sigh she released against my lips made me want to cheer, but not as much as the way she kissed me back.

She pressed into me, hands sliding up my chest to clench my shirt in her fists, her body sinking against mine.

I knew I was done for when the world around us ceased to exist. There was no hotel, no reception, there were no people or anything else but this woman and her lips.

I gentled the kiss slightly, turning it into an exploration, memorizing the feel of her lips, the taste of her and the way her breath left in shaky little pants.

Fuck, I’d wanted this for so long, I was desperate for more.

I moved us carefully, slowly pushing her back against the counter to box her in.

My hand on her face slid to the silky strands of her hair and I wrapped my fist around it, tugging gently.

The quiet moan that escaped her lips damn near sent me over the edge.

It wasn’t until someone politely cleared their throat that reality began to filter through once more, and I lifted my head from hers.

Her eyes were glassy and lips swollen, and I found myself feeling rather smug that I’d put that look on her face.

“Your coordinator will be out in a moment.” At the sound of the receptionist’s voice, I glanced up to find him fighting an awkward smile while looking at the two of us.

“Oh, right. Thank you,” I said, stepping back from Ara a little.

“Thank you,” Ara murmured, her gaze lowered and cheeks bright red with embarrassment.

I chuckled under my breath but refused to give her any more space.

“Stop it,” she hissed with a laugh, slapping me in the chest. I tugged her against me again and grinned at her.

“I can’t help it. You’re adorable when you’re flustered.

” “Yeah, because being caught making out like a teenager is definitely not fluster-worthy,” she deadpanned.

“Can’t help but feel like a teenager when I’m with you.

My woman makes every day feel new and exciting,” I said.

Her pupils expanded, and she took a shaky breath.

Oh yeah, she liked it when I referred to her as my woman.

I had to admit, I kinda did too. That knowledge should have been enough to push me away from her, but it wasn’t.

Someone shuffled to our side, and I looked up to see Uncle Trevor and Aunt Carol standing there, both with shit-eating grins on their faces.

Yup, definitely felt like a teenager again.

“Oh, hi,” Ara greeted, her cheeks flaming.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Glad to see you two up and about,” Carol said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at us.

“I missed my run this morning, so I’m keen to get this day started.

Do you know what we’re doing first?” I asked, trying to save Ara from further scrutiny.

“I’m sure you were otherwise occupied,” Trevor muttered.

Carol slapped him in the chest and Ara ducked her head.

I chuckled and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, letting her lean into me and hide her face.

Fuck me, it felt good to touch her, to hold her close, to lay claim to her in front of everyone.

“Who else are we waiting for?” I asked, looking around.

Ellis was glaring at me from a few feet away, but Sofia was talking to a woman with a clipboard and a stack of paperwork.

Kate and her boyfriend—one of the groomsmen—and Sofia’s parents were there as well, ready to head out.

“I think we’re all here. The first of the guests start arriving late this afternoon, so dinner tonight will be a bigger gathering,” Carol answered.

“Alright, whose ready for today’s activities?

” Sofia asked excitedly, bounding up beside us.

“Hey there, love birds,” I greeted, giving Sophe a quick side hug.

“Hey, yourselves. If anyone looks like lovebirds this morning…” she began, waggling her eyebrows.

Ara made a sound of embarrassment, and I hugged her tighter, grinning like the arrogant fuck I was that she was mine.

Even if it wasn’t real. That last thought slid in before I could stop it, and I tried not to let my smile slip.

We were real… at least for the rest of this trip.

My gaze met Kate’s across the group, and the look on her face told me she knew exactly what I was thinking, and was waiting for me to do something about it.

Christ . “Hello, everyone. My name is Julie, and I’m going to be with you all today for your activities,” a the tall woman with the clipboard said.

She was five-nine if I had to guess, but she was willowy and slim.

Her soft blonde hair was cropped short, but the beachy waves suited her face.

“To start with, I am going to need you all to take a few minutes to fill out this questionnaire. I need everyone to be as honest as possible as these questions and answers will come into play later in the day and used to win a prize between couples. As soon as you’re done and the forms are back to me, we’ll get started with our first activity,” she continued as she started handing out paper and pen.

I handed one of each to Chiara as she pulled away from me, and I hated the distance between us at once.

Looking down at the questionnaire, I raised an eyebrow.

Okay, this was going to be an interesting day.