Page 14

ARES

T he dessert I had in mind was Brielle, but I threaded our fingers together and took her out for frozen yogurt rather than back to my place. That came later—after her chocolate yogurt dripped onto her shirt—with no help from me.

“I’m sensing a theme here.” I laughed as I traced one of the splotches of chocolate on her chest.

“This is a mistake.” Brielle pressed her back against the door to my condo, arching into my touch. “I don’t even like you.”

An electric current buzzed in the air between us.

I couldn’t get enough of her. “We don’t have to like each other for a mutually beneficial experience.

” It was more than that. It was explosive, an attraction that hummed like a live wire.

All I wanted to do was touch her and experience the intensity of being together again.

She worried her full bottom lip with pearly-white teeth before slowly releasing it. “We need some ground rules.”

I took a step closer. “Rules are meant to be broken.”

She scowled, just like I knew she would. I didn’t want to admit that I rarely skirted the lines myself, but when it came to her, I would throw caution to the wind every time .

“One”—she ticked her points off on her fingers—“this is not a relationship.”

“We never said it was.”

I advanced slowly, and she held her hand higher between us, continuing to go through her list of reasons for our not being together that night.

Like that would keep it from happening. I was down with the no-strings part.

The last thing I wanted was a relationship.

I didn’t have much time, and giving what was left after football, school, and family to some girl wasn’t likely.

“Two, if we do this again, you can’t sleep with someone else, which still doesn’t mean we’re in a relationship.”

“Same goes for you.” My gaze dropped to her lips. I was ten seconds from covering them with mine, stopping her nervous chatter.

“Right.” She nodded, her eyes dilating the closer I came. “If either of us wants to be with someone else, we inform the other person, and whatever this is between us ends, no questions asked.”

“I don’t see a problem. Are you done?” I wanted to taste her. Badly.

“And, ah… three, if one of us needs the other to continue with the fake relationship for whatever reason, we do it.”

I almost laughed but managed to contain my amusement.

She’d rethought the mean-girl’s wedding.

If she showed up without me, the vultures would attack.

Or I assumed they would. “I’ll go to the wedding with you, assuming it doesn’t interfere with a game.

” Family, which included my roommates, and football still came first.

“Four, no videos.”

Anger ripped through me. She’d swatted a hornet’s nest with that comment. “I should be saying that to you and your kind.”

Her head jerked back, thumping against the wood behind her. Eyes filled with indignation, they narrowed to slits as her anger spiked. “Excuse me? My kind ? ”

I crowded her against the door, caging her in as she bristled. A pretty flush spread over her cheeks, and my need for her only increased, despite her offensive rule. “Opportunists, among other things.”

“Who do you think you are to call me an opportunist?” She took a step back, her mouth twisting with disgust. “Read the room, baller. I don’t want anything from you. Nothing permanent or public anyway.”

I swallowed my anger enough to realize my misstep. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Knee-jerk reaction, but it still wasn’t okay to say. Forgive me?”

We may not know or like each other well, but I wanted her, and nothing, not even a stupid insult, would deter me.

Her plump lips parted, and I took advantage by swooping down and slanting my mouth over hers.

The way her body melted against mine told me she was equally ensnared by whatever was between us.

She wrenched herself from me. “You’re still a jerk.”

“Noted.”

I picked her up and carried her through my bedroom to my bathroom.

Setting her down, I turned on the shower, testing the heat before focusing on her.

I gave one tug on the hem of her shirt, and she took the hint, pulling it over her head and flinging it away.

I caught it. After plugging the sink, I twisted the knob, and cold water filled the basin.

I dunked her stained tee in it. We would deal with it later.

I had more pressing things I wanted to put my hands all over.

“Condom?”

I froze. I’d forgotten to grab one. I never did that.

She grinned at my panic. “I’m on the pill and clean.”

“I am too.”

Her brows rose, and she laughed. “You’re on the pill?”

“Ha, funny. I’ve never had sex without a condom before.” I wanted to with her. Badly .

She nodded, and I took that as consent.

When she pointed at my shirt, I grabbed the back, pulled it off, and tossed it to the floor. Her fingers skimmed over my chest, exploring and causing my body to tighten from her featherlight touch. She drove me crazy.

“Is this okay? We can stop if you want.” Please don’t tell me to stop.

On her toes, her body pressed against mine, she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Shut up, and kiss me.”

That was all the permission I needed. The rest of our clothing landed in a pile, and we met in the middle of a frantic mess of hands and lips. Her skin was so soft, and the little mewling sounds she made drove me wild.

I lifted her and dipped under the spray of water.

Then I turned so her back was against the shower wall, lined up, and pushed deep inside.

Her body gripped mine tightly as I moved in and out.

The glass surrounding us fogged. Our pace was slow and unhurried as we luxuriated in each other.

Every caress and moan from her sweet body excited me, until I couldn’t take much more.

I reached between our bodies and swirled my finger over her tight nub.

She exploded in my arms, and I quickly followed her with a shout of my own.

My forehead fell against hers as the water pounded on my back, creating a cloud of steam around us.

I grinned, and she laughed. The sound was so full of joy that my heart clenched.

I wanted to stay buried in her forever. I was already getting hard again.

Addictive. That was Brielle. One taste would never be enough.

“Uncle Ares?”

The muffled voice sent a jolt of alarm through me, and Brielle’s face drained of color.

Her legs slid down my body. “Is that Preston?” she whisper-shouted .

I couldn’t remember if I’d kicked the door to my bedroom shut or not. “Just a sec, P. Wait there.”

I twisted the knobs, and the water shut off.

We separated, and I shivered at the loss of her heat surrounding me.

I wanted back inside her badly, but it wasn’t the time.

One foot on the floor mat, I stretched to grab two towels.

I gave her one and quickly dried myself with the other.

Then I jammed my legs in my boxers and shorts, not bothering with a shirt.

I turned to Brielle and whispered, “Stay here. I’ll be a minute.”

The door to my room was shut, which was the one good thing going into the fucked-up situation. I slipped out with care so as not to allow a damning glimpse into my room or of Brielle. Preston stood in the kitchen, shoving chips into his mouth and making an unholy mess.

“Uncle Ares.” He slurred around a mouthful of Doritos. “S-cool that I crash here?”

“You’ve been drinking.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. It wasn’t uncommon, and I wasn’t overly surprised, but I thought we’d ironed out a few things the last time we’d talked.

“Yeah, but s-no big deal.” He grinned, his eyes glazed.

“It’s a big fucking deal, P. I thought you were going to do better.”

He shrugged and almost lost his balance but grabbed onto the island at the last minute. “I am. I came here ’nstead of going home. Less worry.”

“Who were you with tonight?”

“Davis and Cody. Cody’s brother’s older, and we got into his sweet stash.”

“Here’s the deal.” I leaned forward and got in his face.

“You can stay here, and I won’t say anything about it to your nana, but this won’t happen again.

Davis and Cody are a thing of the past. You’ll hang with your old friends—the ones who don’t get drunk on a Monday night and cut up in class. You got me?”

“Eh. Whatever. Hey.” A chip fell unnoticed from his mouth. “I heard about your sex tape—super cool, man. Davis tried to find it but couldn’t. I wasn’t going to watch, ’cause—you know—it’s you, and that’d be weird.”

So fucking weird. My stomach clenched, and I wanted to slap a hand over my nephew’s mouth. He was talking so loudly that I had no doubt Brielle could hear. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” It was entirely possible my drunk-off-his-ass nephew wouldn’t remember a thing in the morning.

I ushered him to the couch after getting him some aspirin and water.

Turning the TV on quiet, I hoped it would be enough of a distraction that he wouldn’t try to find me again.

I stayed in the kitchen while he got comfortable, his bloodshot eyes fixating on the sitcom I’d found.

I texted Mom that Preston was crashing with me and not to worry.

I would send him home before school so he could get ready.

When I was confident Preston would remain where I’d left him, I returned to my room and locked the door behind me. Brielle shot out of the bathroom, dressed but missing her shirt, as it was soaking wet.

“Is he gone?” Panic pulled her eyes wide.

“No, but he’ll be asleep soon.”

“God, Ares. What the hell will I do?” She paced before me, one hand clutching the towel, the other jammed into her wild honey-blond hair.

“If he finds out about me and you, I’ll never live it down.

I thought it was bad before. What if the headmaster or the other teachers hear about me sleeping with a student’s family member? I need this job. I’m screwed.”

I pulled her into my arms, and she went willingly, clinging to me as if I were her lifeline. I hated to admit it, but I liked how it made me feel .

I rubbed small circles on her back. “It’ll be okay. We’ll crash here tonight and get up crazy-early tomorrow, sneak out, and I’ll drive you home.”

“But he’ll wake up.”

“Nah, he won’t. Waking up at the crack of dawn is like teenage kryptonite, especially for Preston. We’ll be fine, promise.”

When she lifted her head and met my gaze with her trusting ice-blue eyes, my heart stuttered in my chest, and I fought the urge to rub it.

“We can’t go out there right now, so we might as well get some sleep.”

She dropped her arms and stepped out of my embrace. “I need something to wear.”

“You don’t.” I laughed softly at her fierce frown then went to grab her one of my T-shirts.

She shimmied into it, and we took turns getting ready for bed.

After the lights were off, I lay on my back, staring at a softly lit ceiling thanks to the open blinds that allowed the silvery glow from the moon to paint the room.

The bed barely dipped as Brielle climbed in, her light floral scent wrapping around me.

I wanted to turn and burrow my head in the crook of her neck, to feel the press of her body against mine.

But I didn’t. We were strictly a no-strings deal—one that seemed beneficial to both of us.

As her breathing steadied, I heard the faint sound of the front door opening and the hushed voices of my roommates as they returned home. It didn’t take long for me to drift off after that.

It wasn’t until much later, when I woke during the night, that her pied piper’s scent lured me to wrap my arms around her, tucking her slight form securely against mine.

It wasn’t the first time I’d done it, and for the life of me, I couldn’t tear myself away and return to my side of the bed, because I liked it.

That realization alone should have been enough to catapult me out of bed and demand she leave.

Instead, I pulled her impossibly closer and succumbed to the bliss of having her in my arms for the remainder of the night.