“Fuck the risk. She’s a monster.” Her nails dug into me for a second before she removed her touch. I liked having her on my side, seeing her claws come out. ”So, to answer your question, those are none of the reasons why I get nervous.”
“Explain them to me. See if I can ease your mind.”
She blushed, and I would’ve paid millions to know what was going through her head. She pressed her lips together and twirled one piece of her vibrant long hair between her fingers. “It’s embarrassing to say out loud.”
“Lexi, you’ve clogged the toilet at our house, and you’ve seen me throw up on myself. Twice. There’s no reason for either one of us to feel embarrassed around each other.” I softened my voice and knew it was the right thing to do when her shy smile blossomed into a full-blown Lexi grin. “There she is. God, you have the best smile.”
“Charmer,” she fired back, her grin stretching even wider. “You’re right. Okay, I’m…nervous because if I try to talk to a guy, what if he laughs at me? What if he takes one look at me and says hard pass? I’m not the smallest or anywhere near the prettiest here.” Her gaze moved to the ground, and her eyes lost the playful glint. Seeing her vulnerable and sad caused an uncomfortable pang in my chest that I hated.
“Lexi,” I scolded, making her suck in a breath. “If a guy laughs at any woman, he’s the scum of the earth. You’re fucking beautiful exactly the way you are.”
“I don’t know,” she said, looking around the club and playing with the tiny strap of her dress. Each movement caused her tits to bounce, and my mouth watered, imagining how they would feel in my hands. She was so damn curvy it was distracting. “It’s terrifying to put yourself out there and to give someone the power to hurt you.”
“I understand that.”
“I’m sure you do,” she said softly, playing with that strap even more. “It’s been so long since I’ve gotten naked with someone. What if I forgot how things work?”
Fuck me. My body went rigid. Her naked…my mind flashed to her body in the swimsuit and all the smooth skin that teased me the whole damn day. My thoughts officially crossed inappropriate, to the point I was about to lose control. “Lexi.” My voice came out scratchy and hoarse. “You didn’t.”
“You can’t possibly know that.” She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. “I need another shot to even think about trying this.”
“Practice with me,” I said, unable to stop the words from leaving my mouth. Maybe it was the way her skin looked so damn enticing in the dim light, or the way her lips taunted me with their curve, or perhaps it was because of the one thousand percent trust we had between us, but I couldn’t help myself. “I mean it.”
“Practice…getting naked… with you?” she said oh so slowly.
“Yes.” I grinned, loving the hell out of the plan. “It’s a win-win, Lex. I’ve always wanted to see your gorgeous body. This gives me the perfect excuse. We know each other real well, so what’s the harm? I would never laugh at you, and you would never take pictures of me. Tell me why this isn’t a good idea?”
She opened her mouth as Charley returned with three tall purple drinks, handing one to each of us. “Next round is on you, brother. Now, it’s party time!”
Chapter Three
Lexi
Practice with me. Practice getting naked with me.
The words flashed across my mind like the Vegas lights on the strip. Heat spread to my core, and I had to press my thighs together at the thought of seeing him naked. Unless he didn’t mean it two ways. That practicing would involve me stripping for him, which…maybe that would be best?
I swayed my hips side to side, mirroring Charley’s moves on the dance floor. The club music thudded so loud the vibrations made my body shake, and I sucked down the drink, hoping it would ease my nerves. The fruit cocktail was all rum with a dash of some OJ, and the overwhelming sweetness burned my tongue. It was like drinking juice, and I gulped more of the cocktail, unsure if I needed the liquid to cool down or for the courage.
Get naked with Will Slate. My childhood crush turned fantasy.
We weren’t each other’s type, so it wasn’t like there was a worry this would be more than a vacation naked practice. Our lives were too intertwined to make a relationship worth it. Just thinking about stripping for him made my heart ramp up like I did a three-hour kickboxing class. Nerves exploded in my stomach thinking about how it would go. Would I do more than strip? Would I have music? Would hetouchme?
Oh my god. Get a grip.
A hot guy started dancing with Charley, and she wiggled her eyebrows at me before she bent lower, grinding on him. She always loved dancing, with friends, strangers, anyone really. It wasn’t my cup of tea, and I made a move to leave the floor when a large, hard body pressed against my back.
“Don’t think I’m not obsessing over your lack of answer, Lex.”
Will.
My breath caught in my lungs as he slid his hands over my sides, over my hips, gripping me and pulling me flush against him. His defined chest rested against my back, and he moved back and forth, guiding us to the music.
We had danced before at some family wedding, so the concept wasn’t totally weird. Yet the fact that he ground against me and slid one hand onto my thigh was. My legs weren’t toned or full of muscle. They jiggled when I danced, but Will didn’t seem to care. He touched my bare skin, sending a ripple of electricity to every cell in my body. This was almost too much—his hard body on mine. I’d envisioned this happening so many times, and my panties dampened when he tightened his grip on my waist.Holy shit.Will was touching me, like really touching me. I liked his hands on me a whole lot, even though my mind tried to rationalize it. He was being nice. A good friend. That was all.
My core pounded with lust as his spicy cologne washed over me with each movement. I would save this moment for my spank bank for years.
