Page 6

CHAPTER 5

SCARLETT

I wake to soft lips and a scratchy beaded against my neck. The strong hand splayed across my stomach pulls me closer until my back is flush against a hard chest.

What time is it? Where am I?

My eyes flutter open. 3:14 a.m.

Who is in my bed?

Russ. The hot-as-fuck goalie. Who made me come so hard I passed out.

Calisse!

His thick— sadly unpierced —cock is pressed against my ass. Maybe he’ll touch me again, or slip it inside me?

No! We can’t do this.

Just. Friends.

Friends who kiss and stay the night together… but just friends. Why did I think this would be a good idea?

“Mornin’, Red,” he murmurs against my skin, and the vibration against my back making my nipples peak.

I turn in his arms, needing a little distance. If I’m not careful, I’ll develop a little crush on this beautiful stranger. “Good morning. Sorry I fell asleep last night.”

“Why? I’m not. Now I can proudly say my tongue is so talented it made a woman black out in pleasure. Next time I stay the night, I’ll wake you up the same way you fell asleep. In fact…” In one swift motion, he rolls me onto my back, making me squeak in surprise. “I didn’t get a good morning kiss.”

Russ slides down my body and I suck in a breath— where are my panties? The room is dark, only the glow from the alarm clock illuminating the space, and I can’t make out any of his features. I jolt as I feel his teeth graze against the inside of my thigh. He draws the soft skin into his mouth as he marks me, and I can’t help crying out at the light sting. As he lifts my legs over his shoulders, he places a pillow under my ass, and I can’t help feeling a little self-conscious, even with the lights out.

I can count on one hand how many men have made me come with their mouth, and Russ is definitely at the top of that list. Still, I feel obligated to return the favor. We could have sex, then we’d both come—except it would complicate things further. My mental gymnastics come to a screeching halt as he teases my entrance and slips two fingers inside me with ease.

“Oh, fuck, that feels good,” I moan, gripping the sheets. He licks firm circles around my clit, matching the rhythm of his fingers curling inside me. It takes mere minutes of his talented tongue before I’m dizzy with bliss, inches from release. “Right there, don’t stop.”

He chuckles darkly and spreads my legs wide, forcing a moan from me. As he adds a third finger, continuing his perfect pace, I shatter, soaking the pillow, the sheets, his face and… Oh, fuck, please tell me I didn’t blind him with cum!

“Another,” he growls against me, and I can hardly catch my breath. He doesn’t let up, lapping at me as he coaxes a second orgasm out of me. How the hell am I supposed to be friends with this man if he’s turning me into a damn puddle?

As I come down from the high, he slowly pulls his fingers from me, and there’s a dip in the bed on either side of me. When my vision clears, Russ is above me, and I can’t help myself—I take his face in my hands and kiss him. My whole body is buzzing, but I need more. As I reach between us to feel him, he grips my wrist and pins it above my head.

“I have to get going, but next time I’ll kiss you goodbye with my cock deep inside you.”

“There won’t be a next time… and we’re just friends.”

He presses a soft kiss to my forehead. “Sure, Red, just friends.” Lifting off me, he turns on the lamp and asks, “Where’s your phone?”

I squint to adjust to the light. “Still in my purse.”

Once he retrieves it for me, I pull out my phone and hand it to him. He types for a moment, and no words pass between us as he gets dressed. With a final kiss to my lips, he’s gone. It all feels like a dream. Did I imagine it? A moment later, my phone buzzes with an incoming text.

Russ “Bestie” Campbell

Get some sleep. If you’re still there when I’m done with my workout, I’m having you for breakfast.

Who is this guy? The most selfless man in existence? I never got to touch him, feel the weight of him in my hand, the taste of him on my tongue… and he’s threatening me with another tongue-lashing?

Russ Campbell is trouble with a capital T. I change the name in my phone to just “Bestie” in case someone were to read over my shoulder while in public, then send off a quick text, needing to nip this in the bud.

Hope you have a good workout. Tell my brother I said hi.

The reminder should be enough to keep his flirting to a minimum—or at least I hope it will. There is a missed text from Rachel, and I click over to the conversation.

Rachel

Hey, bitch! I’m starting my walk of shame. Should be at the hotel in twenty.

I check the timestamp—it was sent ten minutes ago. My legs are jelly, but I’ve never hopped out of bed so fast in my life. My underwear is nowhere to be found, and I rummage in my luggage for another pair.

The sheets!

Fuck!

There is no way in hell I’ll be able to explain it as anything other than what it is—evidence of what that beautiful man did to me. It’s Rach, she’ll understand.

Two minutes later, the door opens, and in walks a very drunk Rachel with a bag of… beef jerky?

“Why does it smell like sex in here?” she asks, popping a piece in her mouth.

“I didn’t have sex,” I rush out.

She peers around me to the bed. “Well, at the very least, you had sex by yourself. Damn, girl, that is impressive! I didn’t take you as a squirter, but I thought for sure you’d hook up with your boyfriend last night. Come on, let’s get an early breakfast.”

I gesture to her beef jerky. “Pre-breakfast snack?”

“Yeah, I was already missing meat in my mouth.”

I cough out a laugh. “Seriously, Rach?”

“What? That man filled all of my holes. I can still taste him, and his cum is leaking out of my?—”

“Rach! It’s four in the morning. Can we table the play-by-play until after I’ve had coffee?”

“Fine,” she groans. “Put on some pants, we’re going out. I worked up an appetite and need to hydrate. Then you’re going to tell me what happened with Campbell after I left.”

The memory of his face between my legs skates across my mind, making my thighs clench. If he’s true to his word, he’ll come by after his workout, and any hope of remaining friends with him will be thrown out the window. I quickly dress and pack my bag, needing to be as far away from the crime scene as possible. With a final glance at the soaked sheets, I follow Rachel out of the room that I’ll never forget, no matter how hard I try. Admittedly, I’m jealous of Rach. My only regret from last night is I never touched him. It’s for the best. I’m sure if he had done to me what her hockey boy did to her, I’d be ruined for life.

We make our way to a small, twenty-four hour diner. There are six booths and four small square tables, but only two of the booths are occupied. As soon as we’re seated, Rach begins recounting how she was twisted like a pretzel and fucked for hours. She pulls her hair to the side, revealing a dark purple bruise on her neck that definitely wasn’t there yesterday.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” I ask curiously.

She smirks and sips her coffee. “A little, but he’s a biter, and I was into it.”

“Shit, Rach, he bit you?”

“Sure. But don’t worry, I left my own marks. Poor guy is going to have some explaining to do in the locker room when he looks like a cat attacked his back. So, what happened with Campbell.”

“Nothing happened. He stayed the night but had to be up early.”

“Bullshit. He stayed with you, and you didn’t take him for a test drive? Not even a mustache ride?”

“No,” I laugh, shaking my head. “I didn’t ride his face.”

Not technically a lie…

Her eyes narrow. “You mean to tell me the only thing he ate last night was that burger?” I nod, not wanting to lie out loud. “Such a shame.”

“It’s fine. But maybe I should’ve had a mimosa instead of coffee for this conversation.”

“Sometimes you need a cocktail, and sometimes you need a bearded man’s face between your legs,” she says into her cup.

“Can I have both?” I tease.

My phone vibrates in my back pocket, but I ignore it. There’s exactly one person who would be messaging me this early, regardless of the timezone. It buzzes a second time, and Rachel asks, “Are you going to answer that?”

“Answer what?”

“Either you have a rogue sex toy in your back pocket, or someone is texting you.”

I take out my phone to find two messages from the one person I was afraid they’d be from.

“Bestie”

Your brother is an asshole and has me doing drills when I should be doing cardio. My knees are killing me.

I should make you do them with me. Naked. While you’re riding my face.

There will be no face riding, bestie.

“Oh, my sweet Scarlett has a crush,” Rachel coos.

“I do not. We’re just friends.”

“The stupid grin on your face says otherwise.”

Calisse , she’s right.