Part 8 (1/2)

A bitter, possibly self-loathing sigh tears out of her lips.

”Like I said, I was young. He was my first real boyfriend, so it's not like I knew any better. I was going to college and had just started my own business in my apartment that Billy helped me get. He kept telling me Dyllan was bad news, but I thought he was just being overprotective.

”After we had s.e.x the first time, I asked him to stay the night. He said he wanted to, but couldn't because he had an early meeting. He was six years older than me, had a job outside of Sterling Sh.o.r.e, and he claimed to work late hours, so I didn't question it. I went out after he left to sort of celebrate my moment of deflowering with Billy - though I didn't tell him that.

”While we were at the bar, I saw Dyllan walking in with a woman on his arm. She was blond, pale, elegant... everything I wasn't. I stared in shock, and then I saw the ring on his finger along with the two rings on hers. From there, I remember throwing up, Billy carrying me out, and Dyllan chasing behind us as he promised to leave his wife.

”I'll never forget the heartbroken tears that fell from her eyes as she stared in as much shock as I was in. Before I hyperventilated to the point of pa.s.sing out, I remember Billy punching Dyllan in the face and leaving him in the street like the piece of s.h.i.+t he was.”

I honestly don't know if I've ever had a conversation this deep with anyone, and from the tears in her eyes, I'm a.s.suming this isn't something she normally shares. It makes me want to find this guy and beat the h.e.l.l out of him.

”I'm sorry,” I murmur while slipping my arm around her waist and pulling her to me.

She shrugs, never letting the first tear fall, and then she sits up, trying to look composed and unscathed by her truth.

”Name the most scared you've ever been in your life,” she says, changing the subject.

”When I thought I was going to be a father,” I say through a nervous chuckle, and she frowns a little, realizing she just wasted a turn.

”What about you?” I ask while brus.h.i.+ng her hair from her face.

”I was afraid you were going to ask that,” she sighs. ”Um, it actually happened a few months ago. I kept having someone call me from a blocked number, threatening me, watching me. They knew everything I was doing at all times of the day. I thought it was Evan - my last boyfriend - so Billy went over to his house and started a fight.

”Unfortunately, Billy got his a.s.s kicked, then got arrested, and while he was there, I got another call proving it wasn't Evan. I bailed Billy out, changed my number, and changed my apartment as well. Evan dropped the charges against Billy when he found out what was going on. He even offered to help me find out who it was.

”The calls stopped, though, and so did all the weird flower deliveries, notes, and other creepy things. I suppose whoever it was grew bored.”

”That's a little f.u.c.ked up. Are you sure it's over?”

She shrugs, hiding her true anxiety. ”I hope so. My turn again. What's the best date you've ever had?”

I have to think about that. I can't remember having an actual date in the traditional sense, but I don't want to tell her that.

I stand up, smiling, and my shorts fall to the ground to bring a devilish grin to her face.

”That's sort of cheating, since you're not actually showing any new skin.”

She's cute when she's irritated.

”My turn,” I say while sitting back down. ”What's the most intense o.r.g.a.s.m you've ever had?” I ask, knowing she'll shy away from the question now that I've learned about her a little more.

She blushes, just as I knew she would, and she stands up to turn her back on me as she pulls the strings to loosen her bikini top. She looks over her shoulder to give me a taunting gaze, and then she drops the top to the ground before walking over to the pool and diving in.

As.h.i.+ara I could have answered that, but I want to f.u.c.k him at this point. This game was supposed to end our flirtation and help me distance myself from the superficial guy I've been so inexplicably drawn to. Instead, I want him more now than ever.

”Nice,” he says with an excited grin before standing up and diving in beside me.

I smile as drops of water splash me in the face, and I watch his slow ascent. He shakes his head to free his brow from his hair before running his hand through the wet strands.

”I think it's my turn now,” I murmur with a sweet grin, feigning innocence.

”Only if I get a kiss first. You're hiding the good stuff under the water, disrupting the view. I think it's only fair I get at least a kiss.”

Take more than a kiss.

”No kissing until you win the game,” I murmur through a shaky breath, and he smiles as he takes a step toward me, his body looking just as perfectly clear through the water as it did on land.

He can see my chest just fine.

”Fine, next question,” he says with mock frustration.

”Why did you want to spend so much time here?”

He sighs hard, and then his eyes fall back down to my chest. He looks torn at first, but then determination comes to life in his eyes as he takes another step towards me.

”My mom ran off when I was still in diapers, my dad is a drunken a.s.shole, and Melanie was my savior. Dad's favorite thing to do when I was younger was get drunk, invite his friends over, and jam out until the early hours of the morning. So, I would put myself to bed, block out the drunken music with my pillow, and then wake up on my own to get ready for school.

”With Melanie, she cooked me supper, laid my clothes out for me, and woke me up for school in the mornings. She even combed my hair for me when I was really young. Breakfast was always waiting. She'd help me with my homework. She even taught me how to drive. If it hadn't been for her, my life would have gone a lot differently.”

My heart sinks to the ground as I wade over to be closer to him. Without thinking, I pull him down to meet my lips, and he responds by gripping me tightly around the waist, pulling at the strings on my bottoms.

”I'm sorry,” I murmur against his lips while moving back.

His breath is shaky, but he lets me withdraw without protest.

”My turn. Tell me how you really feel about me,” he murmurs while tugging me back to him in a rough motion.

How do I feel? Like I want to spend the rest of the weekend repeating the same mistakes.

Without letting my mind work, I pull the strings on my bikini bottoms and pull it to the surface to throw it over the side of the pool.

A daring, triumphant grin spreads over his face, and his lips crush mine as my legs wrap around his waist. For right now, I'm his to do with as he pleases.

Tag Her breath is hot, her grip is needy, and she's finally mine. I know she wants me now, and she's had her fun. Now it's my turn to f.u.c.k with her, make her have to have me, and take away her power so I can get back to being me instead of this pile of mush she has turned me into.

”Turn around,” I command, and she does as I say. ”Put your hands on the side of the pool.”

She does it, and her tiptoes hold her in place as she grips the edge. She's going along with this almost too well, and my hard-as-f.u.c.k c.o.c.k is begging me to reconsider what I'm about to do.

”Whatever you do, don't move,” I murmur while taking a breath and going under the water to pull her legs around my neck, putting myself between her body and the wall of the pool.

I press my lips to her most sensitive spot, and then I flick my tongue over her hardened little nub, making her tremble. I work faster, making harder strokes, and alternating between sucking, nibbling and licking as the chlorine takes away the taste I'm sure would be delicious.