Page 24 of The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco

There was a long pause, followed by a deep sigh. “I’m in.”

Nik grinned. Then he hoofed it.

The ball arced through the air so beautifully, he almost came. Christ, that was a perfect feeling. But not as perfect as the laughter that ripped from him when the ball smacked Shenker squarely in the back the head.

Shenker staggered, caught his balance, clutched his head, and spun. “What the fuck?” he bellowed.

“Sorry, man,” Nik shouted. “Thought you’d catch it.” Beside him, Varo dissolved into peals of laughter.

And so, did Aria, metres away, her hand slapped over her mouth and her eyes bright.

* * *

The boys messed around with that football for hours—long enough that Aria should’ve been bored or irritated by the afternoon sun. But when her mind wandered from the contents of her sketchbook it found plenty of entertainment in watching Nik. He was shirtless and barefoot, running around the grass with a focus that was somehow turning her on. When beads of sweat slid down her spine, she imagined the same moisture caressing Nik’s skin. When they rolled between her breasts, she imagined his tongue licking them off.

Fuck. She felt like she’d been permanently wet for the past two days. Aria was surprised she hadn’t started walking funny, her clit felt so swollen and sensitive. If she didn’t do something about this, she’d end up losing her head. She could barely think straight.

Which was concerning, really. After all, she was at work. Concentration seemed vital in her position. Which made it her professional duty to handle the throbbing pulse of desire that had taken over her body. Right?

Right.

Aria stood, picking up her sketchbook. “Sorry, guys, but I’m going to head upstairs. I think I’ve had too much sun.”

“Oh, no, babe.” Georgia leapt up and pressed a hand to Aria’s brow, even though she practically had to jump to reach. “Are you alright? Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, no! I’m fine. I’m just going to rest.”

“Shall I tell Nik?”

“God, no. Honestly, I’m fine. I’ll just have a little sleep before we head out.”

“Alright then, love,” Georgia allowed, with one last worried look.

“Au revoir,” Laurie murmured airily, calm and catlike as ever.

Aria hurried off into the house.

She climbed the first flight of stairs steadily. On the second flight, her steps became a slight jog, and by the third and final one, she was practically running. She rushed into the bedroom and shut the door behind her, shivering and feverish all at once. Electric anticipation rolled through her as she hauled her suitcase out of the wardrobe and pulled out the sleek black box where she’d stored anything sex-related ever since her awkward teenage years.

The sox’s contents had changed a little since then. There were condoms, lube, the usual—but now she had an impressive collection of toys, too. And since she’d been purposefully, painfully celibate for months now—since November—those were the stars of her show. She put the sox down at the foot of the bed and studied its treasures, the sweet-sharp ache between her thighs worsening which each second. Finally, she pulled out a purple Rampant Rabbit, tracing a finger over the long curve of the dildo, then the ‘ears’ attached to its shaft, designed to vibrate against her clit.

She was already wet, but she rifled through the box for some lube anyway; there was no such thing as too wet, after all. She caught sight of a little bottle lurking under her butt plugs.

Then the bedroom door opened.

Shit, shit, shit.

The vibrator landed back in its box with an ominous thunk as shock loosened Aria’s fingers.

Nik stood in the doorway, looking pretty fucking surprised himself. “Georgia said you…” He frowned, stepping into the room, shutting the door behind him. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing!” she said brightly, looking around for the sox’s lid. Where the fuck had she put that thing?

“Aria.” Nik’s tone was calm and steady as he came closer. “What is that?”

Well, there was really nothing for it. Slapping a smile on her face, Aria turned around and sat on the box of toys. She just… sat. There was a hideous creak, and she felt the poor thing give under her enormous arse, but she kept her smile firmly in place. “What’s what?”

Nik’s lips twitched with the effort of holding back his laughter. “The thing you just sat on.”

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