Combust (The Wellingtons #1) (30 page)

Her logic actually makes sense, but I’m saved by the doorbell before I have to actually process them. “I’m not in love with him, Reese,” I tell her as I rise from my stool and start to walk out of the room.

I hear her snort behind me, and I’m almost out of earshot when I hear her response. “Maybe not yet, but I know it won’t take long!”

Shaking my head and tuning her out, I head down the hall way, smoothing out my dress right before I get to the front of the house. With one final deep breath, I open the door and practically melt at the sight of Cohen before me. I don’t miss the way his gaze slowly roams my body, and I check him out just as shamelessly. He’s wearing dark, stone-washed jeans with a black, slim fit, button-up shirt. Perfecting the look, he’s rocking a light-green tie that brings out the color of his eyes, and when I look up and see a heated gaze on his face, I am practically giddy with delight. It’s apparent that he likes what he sees, and I could kiss Reese right now for talking me into buying this form-fitting little black dress and the push-up bra that perfectly shows off my breasts. From the way he’s looking at me, I have a feeling that Cohen would kiss her, too, and desire begins to curl in my belly. I’m about to throw myself into his arms and beg him to take me back to his place when he clears his throat.

“Wow, Ruby,” he says, his voice husky. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

“And you, Cohen, look absolutely ravishing,” I tell him, trying to sound seductive—and thanks to the wine, I think I’m actually pulling it off. Stepping closer to him, I take hold of his tie and pull him closer to me. “Lucky for you, I’m starving.”

His head lowers and he presses a firm kiss against my lips. Slipping my arms around his neck, I try to deepen it, but his hands come to my waist as he pulls away.

“Then I guess I’d better feed you,” he replies, and I don’t miss the sound of regret in his voice.

I grab my purse off the table in the entryway and hear a throat clear behind me. I turn to see Reese giving me a thumbs-up and a wink. Shooting her a smile, I look back at Cohen just in time to see him checking out my ass. Oh, yes. It appears as if I’m not the only one who’s hungry, and if I have my way, we’re both going to be more than satisfied by the end of the night.

ANDI KANE is going to be the death of me. Or at least the death of my dick.

When I was younger, Knox once told me that if you went too long without jacking off, your dick would become so hard it would just snap off without a moment’s notice. Twelve-year-old me was smart enough to know that he was just fucking with me. (Okay, I may have checked Google just to make sure.) But now that I’ve spent all night with seductive-vixen Andi, fully clothed and barely touching, I’m not so sure he was making it up.

After Andi left me on the couch earlier, I had no choice but to get myself off, and for the first time, I didn’t need my laptop or a magazine. No, all I had to do was lay my head back against the couch, pull my dick out of my pants, and imagine her sweet, plump lips wrapped around it. It wasn’t long before I was coming with Andi’s name on my lips. I told myself at the time it’s what I’d needed to get through this night, but in the end, it made me want her even more.

When I climbed the steps to her house, I kept repeating my mantra in my head—“Slow and steady wins the race. Slow and steady wins the girl.” But the moment she opened the door and I saw her standing there, my eyes honed in on her ample breasts and slow and steady flew right out the window.

She was wearing a tight, black dress that gave new meaning to the ‘little’ 'part of the term. Her legs looked long in her sexy-as-shit heels, which were screaming for me to back her up and fuck her against the wall right there. Until then, I’d never understood it when I heard the phrase ‘fuck-me heels,’ but dammit, I was now a believer. Her long, red hair was lying in soft curls, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her lips. They were luscious and full, a pale-pink gloss covering them, and if I had anything to say about it, she’d have to reapply it before we even got to the restaurant—which, incidentally, she did.

Now that we’re at dinner, I swear Andi’s been toying with me. If it isn’t her foot rubbing against my leg, she’s driving me wild by sucking her straw expertly, and I’ve found myself staring at her lips more than once as my brain wanders to thoughts of her doing the same to my dick. She isn’t making this easy on me, but what she doesn’t know is that I’ve already decided to move things forward tonight. Instead of telling her so she could stop messing with me, I let her stew, pretending that what she’s doing isn’t affecting me in the least bit. I can tell she’s getting frustrated, and it only makes her try harder. As rock solid as my dick is, I find it completely endearing, and I know I’m not going to be able to keep my cool for long, so I clear my throat and change the subject.

“Favorite 80s hair band?” I ask, and she looks taken aback at my question, but then sits back in her chair and mulls it over, tapping her fingers on the table.

“Whitesnake. No! Wait, Def Leppard. Yeah, definitely Def Leppard. But then again, I can’t forget Bon Jovi. Livin’ on a Prayer is one of my favorites. Wow. That’s a damn hard question,” she admits, looking defeated. I laugh, and shake my head.

“Whitesnake? Really? No Guns ‘N Roses or Scorpion? Or what about Poison?” I tease, and she simply shrugs her shoulders.

“Hey, it’s not my fault I can’t remember all the bands from the 80s. I wasn’t even born then! You know what? I’m definitely going with Bon Jovi. He still looks as good as he did back then. Maybe even better,” she says. “How about you? Who’s your heart throb pre-1990?”

“Andi, men don’t have heart throbs. But I did have one killer crush growing up, thanks to Mom always playing her music.”

I pause as she leans forward. “Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky lady?”

With a deep sigh of affection, I answer her. “Reba. Talk about still looking as good as she did back then. That woman, I swear, is like the finest wine. She only gets better with age.”

“Oh god, you’re so cheesy. Hmm. Reba? Interesting. And to think, you once told me you’re not into red heads,” she reminds me, cocking up one eyebrow.

“Dammit, baby, you caught me. I guess I’ve been in denial this entire time. Apparently, I am into red heads and I just didn’t know it.”

Toying with the stem of her wine glass, she grins at me. “Okay, Cohen. This is important,” she says, and I wait for her to continue. “Favorite Reba song?”

Chuckling, I finish my wine and think about it. “Nope, can’t do it. Reba’s my Elton. If I name one, I’ll feel like I’m betraying all the other hits. Not gonna do it,” I tell her.

“Okay, fine. I can understand that.” She leans forward and beckons me closer, and I comply. “Just so you know, my mom could be Reba’s twin,” she tells me in an exaggerated drawl, trying to sound like Reba.

I look around and find the waiter, signaling for the check. “Woman, you’ve been toying with me all night, and that’s the sexiest thing you could’ve said. We’re getting the hell out of here before I embarrass myself.”

She throws her head back and laughs. “If I had known she was such an aphrodisiac, I’d have been playing her songs all along. In fact, I’m starting a special Reba playlist just for you.”

Once we leave the restaurant, I’m not surprised when Andi hooks up her phone and Reba McEntire’s duet with Justin Timberlake, The Only Promise That Remains. I give her a look, and she smiles.

“Hey, if you get to listen to your leading lady Reba, I get a little bit of JT. It’s only fair.”

Shaking my head, I know I can’t argue with that, and a comfortable silence settles in the car as I drive the short distance to my apartment. Her eyes widen with surprise when she sees where we are. I know she expected me to take her back to her place—like every other night this week—and when she turns to me, both desire and eagerness flash in her eyes.

“Teddy may have mentioned he had a date tonight, so I figured we could hang out here tonight so he—and we—could have some privacy. And I may have swiped Pitch Perfect from Reese the other day when you weren’t paying attention. Wanna come up?” I ask nonchalantly, as if there’s any chance she’d even say no.

“Dinner AND a movie? Wow, Cohen. When you said you were going to woo me, you weren’t kidding,” she teases me, and I give her a faux frown as I put the car in reverse under the pretense of taking her home.

“Okay, fine. I can always woo you in the comfort of your own home, with Teddy and his date making out in the corner.”

Her hand covers mine on the gear shift. “If you take me back to that house, I will hurt you, Cohen Wellington. Park your car, take me inside, and let’s get our a cappella on.”

Putting the car back in park, I lean over and press a kiss to her lips. “I figured you’d see it my way.”

When we get inside, I hand the movie to Andi so she can put it in while I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. Then we settle onto the couch and Andi slips off her heels before curling up against me. Her hand comes down to rest on my chest, and all throughout the movie, she drives me insane with her light touches. Every so often, she brushes against my cock, which is now straining in my jeans, and as much as I want to grab her wrist and move her away, I let her continue, even though I know it’s dangerous to do so.

The way she’s lying against me gives me the perfect view down her dress, and as much as I try to focus on the movie, I can’t help the way my eyes keep wandering to her chest. All too soon, the movie’s over, and the room goes black when it turns off. Andi chooses that moment to lift up, and I shiver when I feel her hot breath on my ear.

“I think you’ve made me wait long enough, Cohen. I’m ready for my reward now.” Her voice is sensual and seductive, and before I can respond, she’s rising from the couch.

I’m frozen in place as I watch her disappear down the hall towards my bedroom. This will be the first night I’ve let Andi in there, and I make a promise to myself that, even if we don’t go all the way, I’m going to make it more than worth her while. As promised, I owe her her reward, and far be it from me not to uphold my part of our deal, especially when she’s been a more than stellar student. Tonight, it’s my turn to be schooled, and I vow to become a subject-matter expert on all that is Andi Kane.

I drain my wine and stand up, laughing at myself when I see the bulge in my jeans. It’s practically pointing towards my bedroom, and I realize that I’m torturing him just as much as I’ve been torturing Andi. Once I set my glass on the coffee table, I follow her down the hall and stop in my tracks at the doorway.

Standing in the middle of the room is Andi. In my hesitation, she’s taken the time to remove her dress, and she’s left in nothing but a dark-green lace bra that pushes her breasts up until they’re almost spilling out of the material and a tiny, matching green pair of panties that I could bet is a thong. Her creamy, white skin is on full display for me, and images of running my hands all over her flash through my mind as I let my tongue make my own constellations on her skin with her errant freckles.

Leaning against the door frame, I drink in the sight of her, committing every single inch to memory—the way I should’ve done before. Apparently, I’m taking too long for her liking, because she crosses the room until she’s standing directly in front of me. I’m frozen in my spot, unable to take my eyes off her, almost as if I’m in a trance.

It’s not until she grabs my tie and pulls me into the room where she begins undressing me. Part of me wants to stop her since I didn’t get the pleasure of undressing her myself, but as soon as her hands are on me, I lose all of my resolve and let her continue. She loosens my tie and then surprises me when her hands grip the lapels of my shirt before she rips it open. I grin down at her as buttons fly everywhere, and she cocks her head at me, unapologetic and looking sexy as hell with her tiny hands still fisting my shirt.

“Collateral damage. I’ve been waiting far too long to see you naked, and I’m not letting anything stand in my way.”

Desire rushes to my groin, and I know I need to take control of the situation or else she’s going to be flat on her back with my cock inside her before I can stop myself. Pushing her hands away, I quickly remove my T-shirt before undoing my jeans and stepping out of them. Her hand comes out to touch my chest, and her eyes fill with hunger at the sight.