Page 37 of Reckless Storm (San Francisco End Game #3)

Hayley

R eed chooses one of the few country songs I know, and I suck my lips into my mouth, stifling a smile when he hooks his thumbs into the waistband of his dress pants, shuffling toward me. Like he’s boot scooting. At least, I think that’s what he’s doing. I’ve only really seen it in the movies.

We playfully dance for a while, making fools of ourselves while nobody’s watching, working up a sweat to whatever song comes on. And by the time a slow song begins, I welcome the change. I need it.

Leaning back against Reed’s chest, I lift my arms and reach behind me, wrapping them around his neck, letting my eyes drift shut as I sway my body to the rhythm, allowing myself a moment to just be.

I’m lost in the sound of the waves when Reed’s palms circle around my waist, pulling me into him as my tee—or rather his tee—lifts, exposing my ass in the process.

His light touch caresses my stomach and goose bumps coat my skin, a shiver running through me.

We stay like that for a beat in comfortable silence, moving in sync with my back to his front, gently brushing against each other until Reed curses, letting me go.

“Fuck, Hayley. What are you doing?”

Huh? I spin around, finding Reed’s pained expression boring into mine. “What do you mean?”

“I need air.” He shakes his head and steps back, running his hands down his face.

“We’re outside.”

“Space, then. I need space.”

He presses a chaste kiss to my temple and forces a smile, turning and walking away, but he only gets a few metres or feet—whatever they say here—and stops.

The moon lights his hands as he clenches them by his side, lifting his fists to his face, digging his knuckles into his temples.

He’s clearly a mess, but I don’t get time to process it because no more than a few seconds pass before he pivots to face me and stalks back, blowing out a breath when he reaches me. “I’m sorry. I’m good.”

“What happened?” My heart races as a panic takes over me.

“You’re playing dirty and you don’t even know it.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m hard as a rock, Hayls.” He chuckles to himself. “You’re a fucking dream in my tee, and you’re rubbing your half-naked ass against me. It’s been months and I’m abstaining.”

I can’t stop the giggle that bursts out of me until Reed’s agonised groan fills the air. “Sorry.” I cover my mouth with my hand. “Why are you abstaining?”

He stares at me deadpan.

“I mean, what’s wrong with your hand?”

“It’s on strike.”

Laughter escapes me until Reed frowns my way and I stop. Again. “I’m sorry. But wait. Are you telling me, you’ve been in love with Bria for years and—”

“I never said I loved Bria, Hayls,” he cuts me off, his face scrunching. “That’s all you .”

“And Luke. And Amelia. And Dylan. And Easton. And Paige.”

“Christ, Hayls.”

“Oh, and I forgot, Bria. I bet if I asked her, she’d tell me you love her.”

“Don’t ask her.” He raises a hand between us. “That would be weird coming from my girlfriend .”

“Very true. But back to the abstaining because you’ve got me intrigued… What other options would you normally have, if not your hand? Do you have a regular call list that I’m blocking you from? Or are you always sexually frustrated?”

“The fuck? No,” he huffs out. Something tells me he doesn’t usually talk about his sex life. “I’m not talking about back then. I’m talking about now .”

“Two truths and a lie,” I throw out, hoping to get answers but also to lighten him up a bit.

“Fine.” He glances away, seemingly in thought, before nodding and turning back to face me. “One, I love riding mechanical bulls. Two, I gag on avocados—I can’t stand the texture. And three, two of my cousins got married. To each other. But technically one was adopted.”

I pout at his response, my arms folded over my chest. “Now who’s playing dirty? None of those have anything to do with the information I’m seeking.”

“Didn’t they?” He raises an eyebrow and stares at me while I frown in confusion. What? He loves riding a mech— Oh my God. I snort, slapping his chest.

“Shut up. You do not get off by riding mechanical bulls.”

“Maybe I was referring to avocados.” He shrugs and I slap him again, jokingly, of course.

“I’m kidding. But you never said it had to be about that.”

“Dammit, Reed.”

“Why do you want to know so badly? It’s my issue.” He blows out a breath and I shrug. Because while I have no idea why I need to know, I'm fascinated by the inner workings of my man, fake or otherwise.

“Call it curiosity. We are dating after all.”

“Fine. I don’t have a call list, but I did sleep with other women while I had feelings for Bria. You knew that already. And it’s been a while.”

“Presumably that would mean you use your hand quite regularly. Why is it only now going on strike?”

“Let’s just say I’ve needed it a little more often lately. Some hot blonde keeps rubbing up against me .” With his teeth clenched, he groans.

“I told you you’d fall in love with me.” I smirk when he scoffs.

“That’s not love, Sweetheart. It’s attraction. And we both know you’re equally as attracted to me…if not more so.”

“Guilty.” I bite my lip as I fake a grimace. “But that was never in question.”

“What’s the question then?”

I pause, thinking about how I want to play this. Reed shakes his head and stares out at the water, giving me the chance to watch him, and when his throat bobs, I’m done for.

“Do you really want to stop dancing?” I ask, my eyes wide as I draw his attention, my heart beating uncontrollably in my chest.

Reed eyes me curiously, his gaze dropping to my half-naked legs before subtly moving to the bulge in his dress pants.

“Do you?” he counters, his voice deep and rusty.

I let out a rushed breath as my thoughts run rampant. Do I want to stop dancing? Yes. But I don’t think we’re talking about dancing, and the gentle throbbing between my legs answers for me. “I was just getting started.”

Reed nods but hesitates, and I don’t blame him. This could change everything. But I am not going to be the one that stops it.

Running back to Reed’s phone, I change the song to something fun and start dancing around him, smiling while he laughs at my craziness, giving him a chance to warm up again.

But just when I think it’s not working, he grabs my wrist, pulling me against his firm chest. Wasting no time, he glides one palm to my back, while the other curls into my fingers, lifting my hand in the air.

The music doesn’t call for it but we dance slowly, our bodies in perfect rhythm, gliding against each other, silently drifting toward the invisible line we drew in the sand. The one we promised never to cross.

My mind swirls with possibility as a spark ignites inside me, and before I know what I’m doing, I spin around, resting my back against Reed’s chest, my head settling against his collarbone, a sigh on my lips.

It’s a beat before his fingers curl around my hip, but when he does, I draw in a breath, resting my palm on top of his hand and gliding it slowly down my body until we reach the hem of his tee.

His calloused fingers brush against my already sensitive skin, setting me on fire before he seemingly understands what I’m doing, snaking his hand under the loose material and brushing his fingers up the outside of my thigh.

I still as his touch heats me within, sending a wave of excitement to my core. While my eyes flutter closed, I focus on his painstakingly slow movement, my heart beating out of my chest.

Reed passes over the string of my thong, releasing a strangled groan from the back of his throat, pulling me out of my daze.

“Fuck, Hayls.” He sucks in a breath as his palm flexes. “What am I doing?” He tries to pull back, but I anticipate his move and stop him, locking my hand on his, holding him in place.

“I need you to touch me, Reed.” My voice is soft but desperate. I’m needy and not afraid to admit it.

“We can’t.”

Somewhere, on some level, I know he’s right, that we shouldn’t be doing this. But I have never wanted anyone to touch me more than I do right now, and I’m willing to suffer the consequences. “Please.”

“No.”

“But—”

Reed spins me around, cutting me off as he effortlessly lifts me into his arms, holding me close until I wrap my legs around his hips. I grab his shoulders, and his palms settle on my ass, his fingers biting into the flesh.

At first, he refuses to meet my stare, but when he finally glances up at me, my breath hitches as his name rushes from my lips. “ Reed .”

His dark eyes bore into mine with an intensity I haven’t seen before, a blaze that burns through all my reservations and ignites my soul, setting me alight.

Considering there’s a strong fire burning between us, we’re both frozen for a second until Reed rocks his hips, squeezing my ass beneath his strong hands, pulling me into him, grinding me against his cock.

The move has me moaning without permission, the friction against my pussy shocking the sound right out of me.

It doesn’t take long before I feel Reed’s hardening cock twitching against me, and I want nothing more than to reach between us and rub my hand over his bulge, working him until he comes. But I know better than that—he’d stop me before he ever let that happen.

My legs start to slip from his waist and I boost myself higher in his arms, changing the angle of our connection, eliciting a guttural groan from Reed as his body jolts.

With his trance broken, I expect him to stop, but he surprises me, closing his eyes as his head falls back, his grip on me tightening.

I’m so worked up that the drenched silk of my thong sinks beneath my folds, working my clit like his fingers would and I cry out as my legs clench. “God, Reed. Yes.”

He clears his throat and readjusts our position, grinding harder, faster, his thick erection pressing against my covered pussy, begging for entry. Entry I’d be more than willing to grant him.

His body quivers and the pressure builds low in my belly, the tension pulsing between my legs.

I rock my hips and Reed jolts again, slamming into me as he shudders. “We shouldn’t—”

“Don’t stop,” I cut him off. “Please. You can’t stop.”

“I’m not stopping,” he grates, his voice strained. “But…fuck. I’m going to come in my pants.”

“Do you want more? Do you—”

“No. Keep going… Ah, fuck.” His grip on me tightens before he takes a few steps backward and lowers to the ground, lying down as he settles me on top of him.

My knees dig into the sand, and the second I’ve got traction, I roll my hips, riding him in this new position, feeling the burn as his hard length grinds against me.

“Oh, God. Oh, God.” Arousal pools at my center and my orgasm builds, my release lingering just out of reach. “I’m close. God, I’m close.”

Reed grabs my hips, guiding my movements, sending a spark of electricity to my core.

We move in sync until he releases his hold, curling his hand around my neck possessively, turning my head so he can whisper in my ear.

“Give it to me, Hayls. I want it all. I want to hear you scream my name as you come for me.”

“Oh. God.” His deep controlling voice catches me off guard and my body spasms. Doing as he asked, I scream his name, his words on repeat as I pulse against him.

“That’s it, Baby,” he continues, driving me wild. “You’re doing good. But I need more and I know you’ve got it in you.” He doesn’t stop rocking his hips, grinding into me, his movements erratic as my body shudders against him.

When I cry out again, he moves a couple more times before an unrestrained growl rips from within him, his body jolting as he curses under his breath.

Watching him come apart makes me come so hard my vision blurs and I fall onto his chest, shaking. “God, Reed,” I whisper, struggling to catch my breath as we both slow our movements. “What the fuck did you do to me?”

Reeds grunts, but it’s something between a laugh and a groan, making me smile against his skin.

“What did I do?” he grates. “I came in my goddamn pants, Hayls. I should be asking you the same.”