Tap (Lovibond #1) (17 page)

Wren slides away next. “I’ll help you clear the table and load the dishwasher.”

“No, honey. You should get an early start with Lucas. I have all day to clear this. You two get going.”

“Okay.” Wren hugs her mother and then turns to me. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Libby Thorn moves in for another hug. “Breakfast was delicious, especially the beignets.”

“So glad you enjoyed it.”

Neither of us say anything as we walk to Wren’s car. Her door barely shuts when she turns to face me, her eyes piercing mine. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“But he’s something to you.” And I hate that.

“We’ve gone out a couple of times since Birmingham.” She averts her eyes after that comment.
I should have contacted her. Shit.

“You didn’t hear from me. I get it. There’s no reason you shouldn’t have gone out with him. But I don’t have to be happy about it. And I’m not.” There. I said it.

“I canceled with him last night so I could be with you.”
So had I not been here she would have been with him.

She canceled but that only makes me feel like I won her for the night. He can have her back after I’m gone.

“Have you fucked him?” I’ll be sick if she says yes. At that she tears her eyes away from the windshield to look at me. By the sharp intake of breath and raise of her eyebrows, I can tell she isn’t happy I asked that, but I
have
to know. She doesn’t seem angry though. She tilts her head to the side as if to find a way to read my intention or something. Is she wondering the same about me for the month we’ve been apart?

“No.” Good. I want to keep it that way.

“It may be selfish and none of my business but that makes me happy.” I glide my fingers over and curl them so they’re wrapped around her hand. “And I really want to kiss the fuck out of you right now.” Might as well tell her how I feel about it if I’m to keep her out of his bed.

“I haven’t fucked him and I don’t plan to. So can we drop this?” This girl does not back down from challenges.

Her pledge satisfies me.
For now.
Her strength turns me on.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Any idea what you’d like to see in Savannah today?” Sure do.

“You in my bed naked.”

Wren shakes her head while giggling. “You’ve already seen that once today.”

“I could go for some more of it.” Like all day long. I’m growing hard thinking about it.

“You’ll get more of me tonight—the after-drinks me. That should be fun.”

“I like the before- and after-drinks you.” And the in-between.

Wren pulls onto the road. “I think we’ll skip The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. You’ve probably seen St. Louis Cathedral a bazillion times so it probably wouldn’t feel much different.”

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. Although it’s been a while.” I need to make a trip home to see my grandparents soon.
I’ve already lost one grandparent. Babette and Pops aren’t getting any younger.

“Would you be terribly upset if I cheated and took you on the historic on/off bus tour. I think it would be more fun than getting in and out of my car all day. And I’d like to enjoy sitting and talking with you rather than driving around the city squares.”

“Excellent idea.”

“We can hop off the bus if something interests you and get back on when we finish.”

I rub my thumb over the top of her hand. “I have the only attraction I need sitting next to me right now.”

“I believe you may be using your southern charm to woo me.”

“Is it working?”

“Definitely.”

Wren parks at the welcome center and we board a trolley bound for historic Savannah. “I’m surprised by how much it reminds me of New Orleans. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“New Orleans isn’t a whole lot older than Savannah. Maybe fifteen years or so but we don’t have the melting pot of cultures like you.”

“Which are still very much alive. Your belief in the effects of oils, herbs, and stones would be accepted there.”

“Being an oddity doesn’t bother me. I don’t need to be accepted by closed-minded people to be happy.”

No shit. “I gathered that.”

I reach for her hand and intertwine our fingers. “Where do things stand with your biological mother and the transplant?”

“I told her I wasn’t doing it. She called every day for a week begging me to go through with it. Things got heated so I had to stop answering the phone.”

“That’s harassment.”

“She doesn’t care if it kills my chances at having a baby one day. She told me I could adopt a kid if I wanted one.” Based on the things she’s told me about her mother, I’m not surprised.
I don’t like this woman at all.

She’s harassing and selfish. Doesn’t sound like much has changed since Wren was a child. “You need to take out a formal restraining order.”

“I’m considering it.”

Wren moves our clasped hands to her lap and places her other on top. “I’m not sure she’s actually dying. I don’t think someone who is as sick as she claims to be would have the strength to bother me as much as she does.”

“You think she’s okay?”

“I suspect she may want the transplant so she doesn’t have to keep going to dialysis. I think it’s a hassle for her, and she’s tired of messing with it.”

“You think she’d ask you to sacrifice that much so she’d no longer be inconvenienced?” That’s shitty.

“The more I’ve thought about it, I think she’d do that. I mean, I believe she’s in renal failure and a candidate for transplant but not knocking on death’s door like she says. I think that was all a guilt trip to make me agree to do it. She knows I live by the laws of attraction so she’s trying to use my beliefs to benefit herself.”

“Sounds like you’re listening to what your gut is saying.”

“Having her in my life again has triggered a lot of bad memories from my childhood. I just want her out.” I’m happy to see she’s changed her tune about considering the transplant.

The trolley comes to a halt. “This is your stop for Forsyth Park,” the driver announces over the speaker.

“Let’s get off here so you can see the fountain. It’s an iconic symbol of Savannah so it’d be a shame for you to miss it.”

Wren laces her fingers through mine after we exit the trolley. “I don’t really know a lot about you. Who is Lucas Broussard outside of the brewery?”

“I love the outdoors. I hunt, fish, go boating. Things you probably consider
manly
.” I’m not sure how Wren will feel about me hunting, considering she’s vegan.

“What kind of hunting?”

“Mostly deer.”

She crinkles her nose. “You eat those sweet creatures?”

“Yeah. Deer is delicious.”

She puts her hand over her heart. “You shoot them?”

“Sometimes. I use a rifle or bow depending on the season.”

“Ahh, poor Bambi.” She closes her eyes and shivers. “Let’s not talk about that anymore.”

“What do you like to do when you’re not at the shop?”

“I’m crafty so I enjoy making a lot of the items I sell: jewelry, dream catchers, refinish old furniture so it has purpose instead of a place at the dump.”

I notice the necklace, bracelet, and earrings she’s wearing. “Did you make these?”

She touches the stone hanging around her neck. “I did.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Peridot. I chose it for today because it restores new energy to the body. I needed it pretty badly after last night.” So, she knew as she packed last night she’d get little sleep. Like. That.

“I could a use a little energy restoration myself.” It was a long night. And early morning. But oh so good.

And I plan to do it again.

O
llie’s waiting
when Brou and I arrive at The Distillery. “Hey. How’d the tour go?”

“We did Forsyth, the squares, a quick visit to city market, and Leopold’s.” Those are most of my favorite things, specifically the ice cream parlor. I especially enjoyed watching Brou lick his cone while telling me he was practicing for tonight. Lucky, lucky ice cream. The look in his eyes . . . the movement of his tongue . . . made me quiver and become wet.
Just from licking an ice cream.
Because I know just how good that tongue is. Shit.
Not helping thinking about that in front of my brother.

“That’s good. You got a lot done.”

A waitress places a glass and bottle of beer in front of each of us. “Unpoured, as requested.”

Ollie displays a charming grin for the cute brunette. “Thank you, Casey.”

He pours each of us a sample and then begins the steps of evaluation.

“Gives good head?” I watch Brou for a reaction. A single brow lifts and one side of his mouth pulls upward as he tugs on his beard at the chin.
That mouth. That beard. Both were all over me last night. And this morning. I can’t wait until they are again.

“It’s decent at best,” Ollie answers before taking the first drink. “Personal preference, I’m not a fan. What do y’all think?”

I take a drink and wait for the aftertaste. I shake my head briskly when it hits. “Shit, that is hoppy.”

“Don’t care for it,” Brou says.

Ollie grabs the second bottle. “Moving on.”

We go through a dozen craft beers in an hour, which may not be much for them but it’s a lot for me. More than I’m accustomed to drinking.
I’m feeling no pain.

I’ve made two bathroom runs by the time Brou finally gives in and makes his first. I’m sort of glad. I want some alone time with Ollie so I can pick his brain.
I want to know if he would truly have a problem with me dating his business partner.

“So . . . Lucas. He’s a pretty nice guy, right?”

He nods and takes another drink of beer before scrunching his nose. “Whew, that’s skunky.” He pushes the glass away. “Yeah. He’s a good friend.”

“We had fun today.”

“I’m glad. I was a little afraid you might be pissed at me for asking you to show him around without talking to you first.”

“That was fine. I didn’t mind at all.”

He looks at me for a moment before saying, “He was behaved, I hope.”

“Yeah. But I guess he would be since you told him I was off limits.” Seems a good time to bring that up.

“I did that to protect you.”

I’m thirty-one years old. I do just fine on my own. “I don’t need my little brother protecting me.”

“Every woman needs protecting from Tap.”

I’m probably going to regret asking this question. “Where did that name come from?”

The corners of Ollie’s mouth curl. “It’s a double meaning. He loves beer on tap. But he loves tapping ass more.” I’m not the least bit surprised.
It’s just as I expected.

“Tell me what man doesn’t.” I know my brother is no saint. He need not pretend he is.

“Well, he likes it a little more than most.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Listen, sis. Tap is a great guy but he screws over a lot of women. He has an MO. Fuck a woman and then have nothing more to do with her. Happens all the time but it doesn’t always go over well. I’ve had to handle more than one scorned woman showing up at the brewery.” We’ve fucked and it seems like he wants a lot more to do with me.

I’m seriously about to send my brother into orbit but I need to know if a romance between Brou and me would be a problem in their business relationship. “I like him.”

“Don’t you dare even think about going there, Lawry.” Uh oh. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him that.

“Why not?”

“Because I’d have to kill him if he fucked you over. Which he would. Trust me, Lawry. No woman is safe with him.”

“He wouldn’t mistreat me.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that either. Makes me sound like an authority on the matter. “Because I wouldn’t let him.”

“I bet the other thousand women he’s fucked and dumped said the same thing.” Okay. Maybe Brou was right about Ollie’s feelings, regarding a relationship between us. It’s probably best to back off before I stir too much of a stink.

“I was just curious to see what you’d say. I’m not going to ask him out or anything.”

“Good. Lucas Broussard’s not for you.” I don’t want Brou to catch hell from Ollie over me so it’s best to keep this secret. I’m not a fan of that but I think it’s best under these conditions.
Who knows? This thing may not be going anywhere anyway.

I say nothing more because I see Brou on his way back to the table. “What’d I miss?”

“Horse piss. That’s what you’ve missed.” Ollie pours a sample of an IPA. “Tell me that’s not horrible.”

Brou lifts the glass of amber and gulps it in one drink. “Horse piss is being generous.”

This tasting has been for naught so far. “You’re trying to choose a brew for next winter?”

“Right.”

“People crave heavier, warmer, deeper flavors when it’s cold. Have you considered a chocolate stout or maybe some type of coffee beer?”

Ollie and Brou look at one another and grin. “Damn. That’s not a bad idea, sis.”

Brou punches me in the arm like I’m one of the guys. “Wren may be onto something.”

Ollie’s head spins in Brou’s direction. “Wren? When did you give my sister a nickname?”

“Well, umm,” Brou stutters.
He needs saving.

“It’s cute, right? Ava gave it to me. It was easier for her to say than Lawrence.”

Brou looks at me with wide eyes. “Yeah, I guess it stuck in my head.”

“Wren. I like it,” Ollie says.

He drops my nickname and we finish off the last of our sampler. “I’m going to talk this chocolate stout and coffee beer option over with Porter and let him weigh in. If he likes the idea as much as us, we might give it a go.”

I fist my hands and use my thumbs to point to myself. “It was my idea so I think you should name it after me.”

“We’ll see.” That sounds like a no.

We leave The Distillery and stand as a trio on the sidewalk. “I’m about tight so I’m leaving my truck here and getting a ride to Mom and Dad’s.”

I look up at the sky. “It’s a beautiful night. I think I’ll walk home.”

“Only if Tap goes with you. I don’t want you out alone this late.” Silly, Ollie. Brou isn’t leaving my side. He is
most definitely
walking me home . . . and more.

“I’m happy to walk her home. It’s the least I can do after the wonderful tour I got today.”

Ollie makes a V with his fingers and points to his eyes before using them to point at Brou.
As if I don’t know what that means.

“I know,” Brou whispers.

We wait on the corner for the car Ollie Ubered. “We’re doing Tybee tomorrow?”

“Planning to if you’re up for it.”

“My question would be are Ivy and Kelsey up for it?”

“Kelsey is coming but Ivy has to work.”

“Fuck, that’s too bad. I was hoping to see both of them. It’s been a while.” My brother has always liked both of my friends but I suspect he likes Ivy just a little bit more.

The last time we spoke about dating, he had a potential in mind. “What happened to Madeline, the counselor?”

“Madison.”

“Right. You were waiting for the right time to ask her out on a date.”

“That didn’t go anywhere.”

“Oh. Sorry to hear that.” He acted as though he really liked her.

A small foreign sedan pulls to a stop in front of us. “That’s my ride. See y’all tomorrow.”

Ollie does the
my eyes are on you
hand signal again before getting into the car.

Brou laughs as the car pulls away. “He’d shit his pants if he knew what we’d done.”

I wrap my arms around his shoulders and lean close. “And what we’re about to do again.”

“Shit, Wren. We have at least six blocks to walk and you’re giving me a hard-on.”

I kiss him quickly. “Sorry. I’ll make it up to you when we get in the room.”

We enter the boho hotel lobby and step into the elevator.
Dammit. Why’d these people have to get on here with us?

We’re enclosed with another couple in the small space for only a minute or so, but the radiating sexual tension is suffocating. I want him so badly, it hurts. I need to touch him, to feel his skin against mine.

The elevator pings and the doors open for our floor. “It’s too bad we had company on the ride up. I really wanted to be naughty in that elevator.”

Brou grabs me from behind and pushes my hair away from my neck. The touch of his lips against the skin there sends chills down my body where a tingle lands smack between my legs. “We can be naughty in the hallway.”

He passes the keycard to me over my shoulder so he can explore my body with his mouth and hands. I work to slide the card into the door but it’s a difficult task with what Brou is doing to me.

He shimmies my dress up my legs and slides his hand beneath it. He wastes no time pushing my panties aside so his fingers can dive into my slick center. “Fuck, yes. You’re already wet.”

I get the green light on the door but I’m unable to move while he finger-fucks me. “That feels so good.”

“I’ve got something for you that’s gonna feel a lot better.”

“I’m going to come before we get through the door if you don’t stop.”

He takes his fingers out of me and I suppress a whimper. “No. I wanna lick you ’til you come so I can taste your sweet climax.”
Yes, please, and thank you.

He leads me to the bed. “Sit.”

I take my messenger bag off my shoulder and toss it in the corner chair before taking the place he has chosen for me.

He drops to his knees and kneels between my legs before dragging my bottom so it hangs over the edge. He removes my flip-flops and places the soles of my feet on his chest. “Lift up.”

He reaches beneath my dress and drags my cotton hipster panties down my legs. He fists the garment and brings it to his nose to inhale deeply.
Note to self: buy sexy panties so you’ll be prepared if you ever get to see him again after this visit.

“You smell so fucking good. Now to taste you.” Oh, shit. That’s hot. All of it.

He drops my panties to the floor and grabs my thighs, pushing them back and apart. My upper body is propped on my elbows and I have no intention of changing that.
I’m watching this time.

Our eyes—different shades of blue—are locked when he places his tongue against my center and drags it in an upward sweep. Feeling it is one thing but feeling and seeing it happen is a double treat.
Lucky, lucky me.

He licks me a second time. Slow. Soft. So good I want to scream. “Like that?”

“Omigod, you have no idea how good you are at that.” Or maybe he does, according to my brother.
I don’t care. It’s just him and me right now.

He licks me with his flattened tongue and then changes his method, using the tip to circle the place where all my erotic nerve endings meet. He starts slow and gradually increases the speed of the circular motion.
Erotic massage.

He stops to suck my clitoris into his mouth and I nearly die. But then he glides two fingers inside me, palm side up.
Oh, shit. He’s rubbing that sensitive area hiding beneath the arch of my pelvic bone. It’s been waiting for a man like Brou.

The clit suck. The G-spot massage. The combination of the two send me into orbit.

My body innately jolts with the first contraction in my pelvis. My legs tense, my toes curl. Tingly warmth floods my face, neck, hands, and feet as I ride out my orgasm to its fullest extent.

Brou takes his fingers and mouth away when my body goes limp.
Ultimate sexual gratification has been achieved.

“You taste so good when you come.” He runs his fingertip down my neck and chest. “The orgasmic flush. Always a good sign.”

I fall back on the bed, my legs propped on Brou’s chest. They’re trembling so he places his hands on my knees to steady them. “That good, huh?”

“Unbelievable.”

He has been so generous with his oral gifts. I think I should return the favor.

I rise to a sitting position and go to work on unbuttoning his jeans. “You get your shirt while I work on these.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Shirt gone, jeans and boxer briefs pushed down his legs so he can kick out of them.
Time for me to get out of this dress.

I could shove him on the bed and crawl over him to suck him off but I think every guy loves the visual of a girl on her knees. So I’m going to give that to him.

I sink to the floor and look up at him. “I’m not sure you’ve ever been given a proper blow job. I think you need one.”

He laces his hand through the back of my hair. “Yes, ma’am.”

I start by licking his long, thick cock from base to tip. I grasp it in my hand and watch his eyes when I drag my tongue across the tip from side to side. I taste pre-cum.

I lick my lips and swallow before sucking him fully into my mouth, taking him in to the back of my throat.

“Oh, Wren. That feels amazing.”

He holds the back of my head and lightly thrusts each time I bring my mouth down to suck him in again. “I’m not going to last like this.”
Good. Because I need him inside me very soon. My skin tingles from the sensation of pleasuring him. Giving head hasn’t always been something I’ve liked doing, but with Brou, with his moans of satisfaction, I’m dripping. Dying to have him inside me.

I grasp his ass and hold him tightly as his hot stream hits the back of my throat. I swallow quickly and lick him one last time before he grabs my hands and helps me stand.

He leans down so we’re almost eye to eye when he grasps my face. “I can’t even tell you how incredible that was. You exceed every expectation I have.” I love hearing his praise, knowing I’m the one who’s pleased him. I
want
to please him. Me. Not the stick-skinny girl with breast implants wearing black lacy lingerie. And I want to do it more than this sex-filled weekend only.

I don’t normally feel insecure, but despite trying to rein the thoughts in, Ollie’s words have left a slight imprint.
I bet the other thousand women he’s fucked and dumped said the same thing.
Has he used these same words with other women? Am I simply another way to pass the time for him? Scratch his itch?