AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Way to scare her, dickhead,” Bryce grumbled.
Cole snapped his head up and pinned Bryce with a glare. “I was teasing her.” When Bryce’s eyebrows hit his hairline and he choked out a shocked laugh, Cole huffed, “I fucking hate people.”
“No, you don’t. Not all the time. But you need to be… I dunno. Less intimidating?”
“I’m not intimidating,” he protested indignantly.
Bryce stepped up to him so that they were chest to chest and stared him down, raising an eyebrow at Cole when he narrowed his eyes. Bryce growled, the noise a deep rumble in the back of his throat as he leaned in close and snapped his jaw closed. He really did want to bite the man. Take a big old chunk of his bubble butt and leave a nice round mark on it. Instead, he inhaled his spicy scent and held it in his lungs, getting drunk on him. But Bryce also needed to remind Cole of just what he’d done to Ava.
“No, you just growled at her,” he muttered, his voice deeper and raspier than it normally was. Cole’s eyelids fluttered closed, and his breath hitched. God, Bryce was so tempted to reach out and caress all that olive skin and taste those tattoos, but he’d forbidden himself. He couldn’t go there. Not now, not when his career was only starting.
One taste, one kiss would be his undoing. There was no way he’d be able to give it up if he did. Bryce tapped Cole’s nose, taking the only touch he’d allow himself. “Make sure she’s not scared of you.”
Even that touch was enough to get his heart racing and his dick twitching in his shorts. Bryce needed to get away from him, to put some distance between them.
He spun on his heel and headed to his bag before he did something stupid. Like give into desire. He didn’t even know how Cole would react, but from the prickly pear reception he’d gotten most of the day, he could just as likely end up in a fist fight with the man as on his knees for him.
Bryce sank to one knee, clenching his jaw and refusing to look at Cole. Why did he have to find two people that ticked every one of his boxes for attraction to do an impromptu road trip with. Frustrated with himself, he pulled the first pieces of clothing out of his bag he touched—a white tee and pair of tan chinos. It was what he’d packed for Christmas lunch, but it didn’t matter. He could wash them.
Unable to resist the temptation any further, he cast a glance over his shoulder, wanting a glimpse of the man. Cole hadn’t moved, except to lower his head and clench and unclench his fists. His shoulders relaxed and Cole visibly blew out a breath before grasping the neck of his shirt and pulling it up.
Bryce was awestruck. Paralyzed with desire pulsing through him. He groaned quietly, the ripped body Cole revealed inch by inch as he lifted his shirt, a work of art. More of those dark tattoos curled around his stomach, dipping below the waistband of his low-slung faded cutoff jeans. The same jean shorts that cupped his perfect arse and those sexy-as-sin legs right down to his knees.
Bryce drew his eyes up, captivated by the dark images that contrasted against the paler skin of his abs. The ridges and valleys of a perfect six-pack had Bryce mesmerized. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from them.
The door behind him opened and Bryce startled, tearing his gaze away from Cole. But by doing that, he came face to face with Ava. She was wearing a white mini dress that hugged every curve of her supple body. The straps were as thin as spaghetti, and they only made him want to tug on them until they snapped so he could peel her out of it. Bryce ground his teeth, his dick rock-hard and pulsing with the need for relief. If he didn’t get some distance, he was going to embarrass himself. Pressing the clothes against his groin, he stood and dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door closed before he went off like a bottle rocket.
This wasn’t the time to jack off, not with the two hotties immediately outside the door. They’d hear every stroke, every…. No, Bryce, shake out of it. He shoved his shorts down to his ankles and pinched the head of his dick hard enough that he whimpered. Like a deflating balloon, his cock retreated, trying to put as much distance between itself and his fingers as possible. He showered quickly, the water freezing cold, then dressed and swore at himself for not taking his toiletries in with him.
He wasn’t sure what he’d find when he exited the room, but Cole’s hands at Ava’s waist wasn’t it. His fingers lingered as he tied the bow at the small of her back, those shoestring straps crisscrossing over the smooth planes of her back. She shot a flirty look over her shoulder, her lips turned up in a cute-as-fuck smile aimed squarely at Cole. She blushed and Cole brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder before clearing his throat.
“Right, yeah,” he mumbled, his gaze colliding with Bryce’s.
Ava bent, giving them an eyeful of her sweetheart arse, and from the corner of his eye, he spied Cole adjusting himself. At least he wasn’t the only one with a problem.
Bryce threw on his Vans as Cole ducked into the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later, showered and wearing white pants that showed just enough ankle to be sexy, one side of his dark shirt tucked in. Damn. They both knew how to wear a set of clothes.
“Boozy lunch?” Ava asked.
They headed downstairs, beelining for the tables set out on the grassy slope leading down to the beach. Shaded by the giant poincianas, their low-hanging branches created intimate spaces for each set of tables under their canopy. Bryce relaxed into his seat, sighing happily. Cocktails, an antipasto platter, and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean only a stone’s throw away made for a perfect afternoon. This was the life.
Ava tipped her head back, the broad brim of her straw hat brushing her shoulders and exposing her throat. That desire to bite came back, except this time, it was accompanied with the visual of a whole lot of kissing and sucking.
The band played a mix of new and old-school rock, and Bryce grinned, pleased with the playlist. He hummed along, occasionally singing a few lines.
“You’ve got a good voice,” Cole remarked, only to go still, tensing as he froze. Bryce smiled when he saw Cole’s flush and the scowl return. He couldn’t help but laugh. Cole was too easy. He wanted to wall himself off, to be feared so no one would mess with him or even talk to him. But Bryce wanted to get a deeper glimpse of what lay beyond the spikey exterior.
Ava agreed and Bryce’s grin turned sheepish as he reached out, gently lifting Ava’s strap back up to her shoulder. Her breath caught and she slow blinked. Bryce was tempted to tug it down again just so he could repeat the action. But Cole moved faster, resting his arm along the back of her chair. Bryce watched as he trailed his fingertips along her arm and her breath left her in a rush. Goosebumps erupted over her body and her nipples hardened, the little nubs peaking under her dress. He wanted to push. In fact, he wanted to fall to his knees, push hers open and find out just how she tasted.
Instead, Bryce downed the remainder of his drink and motioned to the waiter, who nodded at his unspoken request for another round.
More cocktails were delivered to their table and Cole ordered a platter of hot food. Seafood, barbecued wings, and sliced beef was delivered and the three of them feasted as Ava grilled him on growing up on the Goldie, his family, and the crazy things he and his older brothers got up to. When he added in his cousin, Levi, and Connor, his best friend, there was a football team’s worth of boys hanging around.
Now Levi, Connor and their girlfriend, Katy, truly were inseparable. The three of them had been together only a few months, but with the benefit of hindsight, Bryce could see that it had been a long time coming. Levi loved Katy with his whole heart, and he was completely besotted with Connor, finally being able to show the friend he’d grown up with exactly what he meant to them.
Bryce so desperately wanted that—a love for all the ages—but just like his cousin, there would be life-altering consequences if he reached out to grasp it.
It wasn’t never; it was just not now.
