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“Oh, you will,” Dana said confidently. “I predict that after tonight, Dylan will be in your drawers every chance he gets. Seriously, though, don’t be nervous, go with what feels natural. Dylan is experienced, so he’ll make it good for you. I’d have a glass of wine before he gets there tonight to loosen up a bit and take care of the jitters.”
Zoe did a thumbs-up before adding, “I’ve already got that planned. And strangely enough, I’m not completely freaked out. I’m more excited than anything. Whatever the reason, he’s finally giving me the opening I’ve been looking for and I’m not going to miss the opportunity. If he wants to spank me, then I’m all for it.”
“Damn straight,” Dana boomed before saying, “Wait, do what? Spank you? Honey, he’s not going to go all Fifty Shades on you the first time, and you probably shouldn’t throw that out there as an option. I’m all for you letting it hang out, but hold off on the S and M until you’ve mastered good old-fashioned missionary. Dylan would probably swallow his tongue if you pulled some handcuffs and a belt out of your closet.”
“Calm down, Mom,” Zoe replied, giggling. “I was just using that for an example. I closed my eyes during that part of the movie, so it’s not likely I’m going to ask him to redden my cheeks.”
They were still laughing when they made it back to the coffee shop. Dana stepped behind the counter and began helping with the line that had formed. Even though it was hectic at times, customers equaled money, which was what every business owner needed to stay in the black. “There’s my baby girl,” a voice said from behind her.
Zoe whirled around, then grinned when she saw her mother standing there with her boyfriend, Marcus. “Hey, you two, I didn’t know you were coming by.” Friday nights were busy in the Oceanix restaurant and her mother normally chose to stay home and rest during the day before working the evening shift.
“I had some interviews for a new sous chef so Marcus came by to have coffee with me afterward. Great crowd in here,” she added, looking around. “I bet my pastries are beginning to run low by now. I’ll add some extra for tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Mom, that would be awesome. We can’t keep your special cinnamon rolls. I had a woman offer me her firstborn for a dozen yesterday.”
“It’s what keeps me hanging around,” Marcus joked, before dropping a kiss onto her mother’s forehead. Zoe had never known her father. He was a musician who had been passing through town back in her mother’s “hippie life” as she referred to it. She’d missed having two parents at times, but her mother had filled both roles as well as she could. And when they’d come to the Oceanix all those years ago and she’d met Dylan, she thought she’d gained a brother, until her feelings had changed and he’d become so much more to her.
As if reading her thoughts, her mother asked, “Where’s your shadow at?” Without waiting for a reply, she turned to Marcus, explaining, “You rarely see Zoe without Dylan. Those two have been inseparable since grade school. One day he’s going to get a clue and figure out that she’s the only one for him.”
“Mom!” Zoe gasped out. “Someone’s going to hear you.” Her mother had always been firmly Team Dylan and had been vocal about her wish for Zoe to end up with him. Zoe had always downplayed it, not wanting to admit how much she wanted the same thing. She certainly wasn’t going to tell her about the plan for tonight. Her mother would probably run out and buy her a case of condoms. She’d made her swear long ago not to say things to Dylan about hoping they’d become involved. She didn’t want him to be uncomfortable around either of them or, worse yet, think Zoe had put her mother up to saying something to him.
“Well, a little push wouldn’t hurt him,” her mother grumbled. “I think he’s sufficiently sowed his wild oats all over Pensacola.”
“Let it go,” Zoe scolded gently before giving her a hug. “I need to get back to work. Love you.” Marcus embraced her as well before she walked away to help Dana. It seemed as if the only person in her life who didn’t want her to end up with Dylan was the man himself. After tonight, she hoped they’d all be on the same page. She had hundreds of dollars of lingerie and a vague plan to help make that happen. If she had to go back to the drawing board afterward, she was afraid she’d throw in the towel and go back to her lonely way of life. Because Dylan was the only man who could bring color into her world, and without him, the most she could hope for were shades of khaki and stained polo shirts.
• • •
Dylan was uncharacteristically nervous as he stood outside Zoe’s door. Hell, he’d been pacing the hallway for five solid minutes and was now late. He wiped his damp palms on his shorts and took another deep breath. She’d turned him into a basket case in the last few days. He hadn’t been uptight about sleeping with a woman since he was a teenager. Now he was damn near having a panic attack at the thought of discussing it with his best friend. Stop acting like such a pussy. This is Zoe. Even as he tried to talk himself off a ledge, he couldn’t escape the reality that wanting to have sex with her was messing with his head—both of them apparently.
He’d been useless at work again today. In a weak moment he even told his brother Asher about the whole thing. After the bastard had stopped laughing, he’d said it only confirmed what he’d been saying for years. That Zoe was the one for him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t care that she was going to sleep with someone else. His brother just didn’t understand the dynamics of their relationship, though, and Ash would be the first to admit that very thing. He didn’t have women friends that he hadn’t slept with. He said that blurred too many lines. His brother Seth, who ran the Oceanix in Myrtle Beach and had recently gotten married to his girlfriend, Mia, was the only one who’d ever halfway agreed that you could be friends with a woman without it involving sex. Dylan should have talked to him this morning instead of the man-whore brother. Ash’s last words of wisdom were, “Get in and get out without putting a ring on it.” Dylan didn’t see himself married anytime soon, but he was fairly certain Ash would be a bachelor forever with his jaded views on relationships.
He was no closer to knocking on the door when the nearby elevator opened and the pizza delivery guy stepped out. Dylan recognized the kid and wasn’t surprised when he stopped a few feet away. “Um . . . hey, Mr. Jackson, Ms. Hart ordered some pizzas.” When Dylan made no move to open the door, the poor kid appeared at a loss for what to do. “Er . . . should I go ahead and knock? It’s going to get cold if I keep standing here and I don’t want to upset Ms. Hart.”
Dylan fought the urge to roll his eyes. The little shit probably had the hots for Zoe and was disappointed to find him standing here instead. He pulled his wallet from his pocket and peeled off some bills before taking the boxes from his hand. “Thanks,” he said abruptly, wanting the guy to go away before Zoe was alerted to his presence.
The kid’s eyes widened as he took in the amount of the tip that he’d received. “Wow, thanks, bro.” Dylan nodded, then inclined his head toward the elevator. Can you fucking leave now? Shit. Luckily, the kid got the hint and took off before Dylan put a foot on his ass and pushed him. Now what? he thought as he stood there with two large pizzas. This had gotten absurd. He needed to ring the bell and stop procrastinating. If Zoe seemed uncomfortable after their talk this morning, then he’d call the whole thing off. Tell her he was joking or something. Then he’d try his best to make sure she didn’t sleep with some other guy. They’d drink too much wine like they usually did and have a big laugh over it. Please let her be wearing the khakis, he silently prayed as he finally reached out to ring the bell. Was it his imagination or did the damn thing sound like a gong of doom now?
When Zoe swung the door open, he swallowed his tongue, choked on it, then repeated the process another ten times while she grinned at him. “Hey, you, I was wondering where you are. You’re never late. And why do you have pizza?” Looking past him, she added, “I’ve already ordered some.”
Not the tight Daisy Duke shorts.
Why, God, why would you do this to me? Fuck, she’s braless too. Dylan coughed, attempting to clear the tightness from his throat before he croaked out, “He . . . I saw him on the way up . . . so . . . yeah, this is it.” Her adorably confused expression told him that he wasn’t making any sense so instead of explaining further, he extended the boxes and she automatically reached for them.
He followed behind her, which he figured out was a very bad idea when he couldn’t remove his eyes from her ass. He missed plowing into her back by an inch when she stopped to set the food on the table. Why did she have to pick now to turn into a sexy little temptress? He’d be on blood pressure and anti-anxiety medication by the end of the month if she didn’t start wearing more clothes. He tried to keep his expression blank as she turned to study him for a moment. Then her hand came out and touched his forehead. “You’re all sweaty again, Dylan. I’m really getting worried about you. When was your last physical?”
He didn’t even understand why he was suddenly sweating like a pig every time she was near. He’d be concerned too if it was happening at other times. He’d never had a reaction like this to a woman before. He might damn well combust if she got naked. The whole thing had gotten rather embarrassing. She probably wasn’t interested in a man who couldn’t form a coherent sentence and had buckets of water running off his forehead. What a turn-on. Maybe he should suggest that she buy a mattress cover. “We live in Florida,” he joked, “have you noticed the humidity lately? Anyway, I’m starving, let’s eat.”
When he stepped around her and threw open one of the pizza boxes, she laughed. “Okay, think you can wait long enough for me to grab some plates?” Before she could get her question out, he had a piece stuffed in his mouth. “I guess not.” She shook her head.
He knew he looked like a fool, but it had effectively distracted her and that’s all he cared about. She went into the kitchen and came back with some plates, napkins, and a bottle of wine that appeared to be half empty. She pointed to her glass on the coffee table, saying, “I got started a little early, but there’s more if we need it.”
Dylan wished he’d thought of that. He could have caught a cab and had a few shots before leaving home instead of pacing her hallway like an idiot. No wonder she was so loose and relaxed. Sadly, that was a bad thing for him because he found her even more attractive now. Her cheeks were flushed and those full lips were ruby red. Her long, dark hair was casually tousled as if she’d run a hand through it countless times today. And those nipples, Jesus Christ, they were hard and pushing against the thin fabric of her white tank top. Where was she getting all of these form-fitting clothes? Damn, he missed the Sponge Bob lounge pants and the long Betty Boop T-shirt. “Let’s have a seat,” he mumbled around his pizza as he walked to the couch and lowered himself onto one end.
He almost jumped out of his skin when she sat down right beside him. There were barely a few inches separating their bodies. No, no! This is all wrong. She always takes the other end. If she moves any closer, I’m going to be forced to fake a bathroom trip. Luckily for him, they fell into their old routine of swapping funny stories from the coffee shop and the Oceanix. After three slices of pizza and two glasses of wine, he’d mellowed enough to relax. He’d also decided that he’d let a few days pass before bringing up his proposal from that morning. No use ruining the evening with any more tension. He had the television on and was flipping through the channels looking for a movie when she shocked the hell out of him by putting her hand on his leg. Everything ground to a halt as he zeroed in on her touch. It wasn’t as if she was cupping his dick, but Zoe didn’t sit this close when they hung out and she didn’t cop a feel. Don’t make a big deal about it. She doesn’t mean anything by it. His voice sounded unnaturally high to his ears when he squeaked out, “Do you . . . um, see anything you like so far?”
His eyes flew to hers when she squeezed his leg. “I do.” Then as if in slow motion, she licked her lips and his cock was in danger of becoming part of his zipper as it throbbed painfully.
This is all perfectly innocent. She’s talking about a movie. This is all in your head. “I—which one? I’ll flip back and you let me know when to stop.” When she leaned over and took the remote from his hand, he was relieved. Thank God, he was right. Then she clicked the button to switch the television off and he froze. Could have been an accident. You hit the wrong thing all the time on there. Don’t assume. “Do you not want to watch anything tonight? It has been a long week. I could probably use an early one myself.”
He was on the verge of standing when the hand on his leg slid farther, stopping a few inches from his very eager cock. “I think going to bed now is a very good idea,” she murmured.
If this was any other woman, he wouldn’t be second-guessing himself. All the signs were there and he’d have to be blind not to pick up on them. But she was a virgin. Did she know what she was doing? She’s never acted this way toward you before. Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. Fuck, he was a guy and thinking about shit like this wasn’t his strong suit. He either clicked with a woman and things progressed from there or they didn’t. It wasn’t something that required this much thought. “Zoe, what are you doing?” he asked quietly. He didn’t want to upset her, but he needed to know that they were on the same page here. He couldn’t risk hurting or scaring her.
Even though her actions confirmed it, he was still stunned when she answered without hesitation, “I want you, Dylan—now. I know I’m not very experienced with this, but surely you can see that.”
And there it was, his heaven and hell. Attempting to be the voice of reason, he said, “We should . . . talk about this first. You might want to write down some questions you have.” I did not just say that shit.
“You want me to take notes?” she asked in amazement. “Is that what people normally do, because they don’t show this part in porn movies.”
His mouth dropped open as he asked, “You watch porn? Since when?”
“You’re sweating again,” she pointed out. “Let me adjust the air conditioner.”
“I don’t give a shit about that,” he snapped, “just answer my question.”
Raising a brow in confusion, she said, “Well, of course I watch porn, doesn’t everyone? I don’t exactly have an active social life so I need something for, you know . . . inspiration. And even though I love reading romance books, the sex scenes in them don’t come with pictures. Sometimes you really want the visual.”
Dylan could only gape at her in disbelief. Who was this woman? They talked about everything, but she’d certainly never mentioned this before. Part of him was intrigued, but the other part wished she hadn’t brought it up now either because he couldn’t get it out of his head. He could so easily imagine her spread out naked on her bed touching herself while watching a dirty movie play out. I’m going to die right here on this sofa. She’s going to kill me saying stuff like that. He had no idea how it happened or who made the first move, but one moment his heart was beating out of his chest and the next she was straddling his lap and her lips were fused with his. He groaned when their tongues came together in perfect sync. They’d kissed on her sofa, but he’d been half asleep and hadn’t fully appreciated the sparks that sizzled when they touched. Hell, he’d thought he was dreaming when that happened and had freaked out and tossed her off him when he’d realized he wasn’t. No way he was doing that this time, though. No. Fucking. Way. “Zoe,” he growled as she dry-humped his lap. He’d never been this close to losing control before and they were still fully dressed.
His lips slid down her neck and onto the soft skin of her shoulder as his hands kneaded her incredible ass. “Mmm, feels so good,” she purred as his hard cock rubbed against her core. They both needed fewer clothes on, immediately. He got shakily to his feet, still holding on to her. As he weaved his way toward her bedroom, her tongue licked the corner of his mouth before her teeth tugged on his lower lip. His knees damn near locked and he s
tumbled into a wall with a muffled apology. Luckily, he took the brunt of the hit and she only giggled and continued torturing him with her mouth.
Dylan’s usual finesse in the bedroom seemed to be nonexistent as he loosened his grip for her to slide down his body. “Are you sure about this?” he asked one last time. He didn’t want her to have any regrets in the morning. This wasn’t quite the romantic evening he’d envisioned for her first time, but she certainly didn’t appear to mind. She was more responsive than he could have imagined, which might well be his undoing. God bless porn, he thought when she put her hands on his stomach and began moving them lower. He was forced to stop her downward descent at the last minute, though, because he was afraid he’d blow his load early if she touched him there. He was barely hanging on from the sofa grinding.
She took a step back from him, which was a relief in a way. It gave him time to take a couple of breaths and regain his composure. That is, until she gripped the end of her top and lifted it over her head. Holy. Fucking. Shit. She was actually wearing a bra, he noted in surprise. Well, if you could call the filmy black scrap that. The thing had only one job and it did it well. Her tits were pushed together and appeared to be more than a handful. Why had he never realized how magnificent they were before? When her hands went to the button of her shorts, she paused and gave him a mischievous grin. “Wait, didn’t you say something about taking notes?”
“Screw that,” Dylan growled. “I don’t think you need any additional help, woman.” With those words, he pounced. He’d like to say he was all smooth moves and experienced touches, but in truth they were both too eager to worry about skill. Instead, he peeled her shorts down, then sat back on his haunches to stare at her. Oh yeah, she had the matching panties on as well. Women didn’t realize how much men loved that. There was something about a lingerie set that did it for him. “Absolutely beautiful,” he hissed as he ran his finger up her calf.
