I think I have him right where I want him when my phone rattles against the vanity with a message from him. When I open it, I find a picture of Cruz in bed shirtless with the camera held low against his thighs, giving me a view of his hard cock covered only by a pair of tight black boxer briefs. I saw him like this the other night, but we were still toeing the line of our friendship and I didn’t soak it in the way I am now.
Trepidation washes over me and I’m split between hoping it’s the angle of the camera creating an optical illusion and hoping that things are exactly as they appear. Everything about the morning after theAvengersmovie night is a little hazy. That’s bound to happen when you wake up with your best friend’s impressive morning wood knocking on your backdoor. I swallow, but it doesn’t help. When I speak, the words come out huskier than I expected.
“Mikey is opening tomorrow, and Willa is taking care of all the baking. So, I won’t turn into a pumpkin at nine o’clock tonight.”
“That’s good, because I wasn’t planning on getting much sleep tonight. You’re staying over tonight, right?” His tone slips back from commanding to uncertain with his question.
“Mhmmm. But first I need to shower the smell of coffee and sticky buns off me,” I tell him, hoping to refocus on my plan.
Sliding my matching underwear down my legs, I drop them on the top of the rest of my clothes and send that picture.
“Don’t even think about touching yourself in that shower. That pussy is mine tonight.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, but Cruz, I’m already soaked for you,” I tell him as I turn the water on and strategically prop the phone up on the ledge in the shower. I click the timer button one last time and duck under the water. Getting creative with the angle, I run my hands up my body, so my fingers are threaded through the hair at the base of my neck, which covers my chest while leaving my ass on display for him. “Good luck with that hard on. I’ll be waiting for you after the game.” I disconnect and send the last picture before resting my head against the tile, letting it cool my heated skin.
My whole body is tingling with anticipation and probably a little adrenaline. I have never been that bold with anyone, but Cruz has always made me feel like the best version of myself. Beyond that, he makes me feel safe in a way that doesn’t compare to anything else I have ever felt. The way he speaks to me and looks at me fuels my confidence and makes me feel sexy.
And do I ever feel it now. Never has a shower called for a little sexual self-care more than this one does. If I gave in, I know it would be his name on my lips, his face starring in my fantasies, his hands stroking my skin. I’m flushed with heat from head to toe as I grab the shampoo and turn the water temperature down, allowing it to cool me.
As I wash my hair, even the beat of the water against my skin is overstimulating and not at all the touch that I need right now. How the hell am I going to sit through a game like this with Poppy? She’s going to pick up on this right away and she’s never been shy about saying what’s on her mind.
I groan aloud while I rinse the suds from my hair and move on to conditioning. While the conditioner sits in my hair, I quickly use my body wash, being careful to avoid any areas that are just going to push me closer to the edge. Thankfully, my fine blonde hair means shaving this morning will hold me over because I need to get out of this shower before I do something I’ll regret.
By the time I’m done rinsing my hair out, the thought of a towel touching my skin is almost unbearable. I wrap the towel loosely around me and pat myself dry quickly.
I haven’t looked at my phone again, fearing that any response from him will make me crack. As good as that sounds right now, there’s no denying the payoff will be better if I play the game. By the time I get him alone tonight, my body will be begging for him and I’m certain that he will feel better than anything I can give myself right now.
Once I’m dry, I grab a pair of frayed gray denim jean shorts and my black and teal Bandits jersey with Tellez spelled out across the back. That was the easy part. Shifting through my drawer of lingerie is a bit more challenging. I run my fingers over the mesh fabric of a teal bralette and the matching underwear. I try to picture Cruz’s face when he sees me in them, the way his dark eyes widen and how he might run his hand over his jaw as he takes me in.
Grabbing them, I slip them on before I dry my hair. Once that’s done, I apply a little makeup and retrieve my phone from the bathroom. I frown when I grab it and see only a text message from Poppy.
Poppy:
I have a lot of things to tell you.
See you at Buns & Roses.
Chapter 22
Under the Lights
Present
When I push out the door onto the sidewalk, my phone vibrates from my pocket. Pulling it out, there’s a text from Cruz.
Cruz:
Do you know how uncomfortable it is to wear
a cup when you’ve been hard half the day?
It’s not great, Hermosa.
That makes me snort out loud. I should probably have a bit more sympathy for his predicament, but I feel giddy that I did that to him after wrestling with self-doubt. Typing while I walk toward the coffee shop to meet Poppy, I feel the lightness from earlier return chasing away all the anxieties that I wasn’t enough.
Delilah:
I can’t say I know that specific feeling,
