AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I can wait.”
“Excuse me,” Lainey’s voice cut through the murmur of the crowd. “Can you stop flirting with my boyfriend?”
I told her I didn’t need her help, but I flashed her a smile filled with appreciation. Even I knew when I was in over my head.
The brunette let out a loud bark of a laugh that carried across the large space. It wasn’t loud in the way Lainey’s laugh was loud. No. This was unkind. “Boyfriend?” she exclaimed. “There is no way.”
“Why the hell not?” I demanded, a sudden urge of protectiveness rising inside me.
Lanes wasn’t tall and thin like the woman in front of me, but she was just as beautiful, if not more. Her kindness was far above the norm. Genuine and real. She was good even when no one was watching.
Lainey, I’d give her credit, didn’t sink into herself. She stood and walked toward me. Her five-foot-one frame was dwarfed by the leggy brunette, but Lainey stopped in front of her and tilted her head a good six inches to meet her gaze head on. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders like a golden curtain.
“First of all, you haven’t mentioned a girlfriend in the two days I’ve been flirting with you and… look at her,” the brunette said, glaring at Lanes before waving a dismissive hand in her direction.
Anger burned a trail of heat through my neck to my ears. Say anything you wanted about me, but once anyone said anything about my family—and Lainey was family—all bets were off. I gained my composure and stepped out from the bar, stopping in front of Lanes. Her big blue eyes blinked up at me.
“I am looking at her,” I said and wrapped my hand around her waist, tugging her close to me. Lanes let out the slightest of gasps before I bent my head and captured her lips with my own.
It was supposed to be a simple kiss—a deterrent to get this beast of a woman to leave, but once my lips pressed to the softness of Lainey, every thought fled.
I moved my mouth, and Lainey’s body slowly unfroze. Her hands slid up my abs, resting on my chest and surrounding me in the scent of sweet vanilla. Her lips parted, creating an inviting path I was too eager to explore. I didn’t hesitate, dipping into her mouth, meeting her tongue with an excited vigor that rarely happened.
Kissing was all about mechanics, doing things to make the woman want to strip herself bare for you…
But not this kiss.
Lanes was following my lead, tongue sliding with mine, not waiting for me to guide her, but moving as one, a fluid dance that shot pleasure through my entire body.
My dick hardened beneath my pants, confirming a reality I never thought I’d face. I was kissing Lainey Burns, and I didn’t just like it.
I fucking loved it.
Fuck me.
Many nights I had dreamed of this exact moment. Well, not this exact moment. In my dreams there was no witch of a woman, trying to make me feel inferior because what I lacked in height I made up for in weight. But Nero taking me in his arms, devouring me with those luscious lips? I almost stopped kissing him to pinch myself, to assure myself this wasn’t a dream.
His hands pressed to either side of my face, and he drew away. His blue eyes, that were so dark they looked almost black, bore into mine. This wasn’t a dream, but it also wasn’t the reality I’d hoped for.
“She’s gone.”
He didn’t kiss me because he realized he’d been in love with me for years, or that he looked at me and finally saw a woman he couldn’t resist. Not even close. He kissed me because, once again, his dick got him in trouble. One of these days, I wasn’t going to be here to bail him out, and he’d need to start thinking with the right head.
I pulled away, refusing to get lost in the moment more than I already had. I needed space. I needed to forget how soft his lips were, how perfect our tongues slid against each other, and how we kissed with the same reckless abandon.
“Glad I could help.” I stepped out of his hold. The warmth of his hands dropped away, and a chill ran through my entire body. “Now I have to go.”
“But we’ve barely had a chance to catch up,” he said. “I wanted to hear about the wedding cake.”
I smiled. He was just trying to be sweet after using me. Nero had a reputation, and some of it was true, but for those who called him heartless, they had no idea who the real Nero was. I did, and that was why I’d been hopelessly in love with him for so long, despite the fact he’d slept with almost anyone with a tiny waist and perky boobs. Two things I did not have. My boobs were too big to be considered perky.
“Once again, your charm ruins the thing you really want.” I poked his stomach to show I was joking, then grabbed my bag and headed out. Outside, I inhaled the sweet September air. There was the slightest crispness to the night, a sign that fall was just around the corner.
The feel of Nero’s lips lingered on mine, and I fought the urge to scrub it off with my sleeve like a kid who was kissed on the cheek. But the part of me that wanted to pretend the kiss meant so much more won the battle to savor the memory for a little longer.
I made my way down the steps and almost made it to the car when my name floated across the parking lot. I spun with a smile. I was never not happy to see my best friend.
“Sherry!” I said, as if I didn’t see her every single day of my life. Her light brown hair was pulled out of her face, though some unsuspecting strands fell free. Her white shirt was tucked into a pair of black pants that hugged her petite frame. Unlike her obnoxiously tall brothers, she was only two inches taller than me; it was nice I didn’t have to crane my neck to talk to her.
