Page 5 of Last First Time
“Oh,” I murmur. I’d already poured two glasses half full of my favorite whiskey. So, I down the first one as fast as I can. “Guess I’m drinking alone then.”
“I’m not going to let you be alone tonight, sweetheart.” His body is so close to mine that I can feel the heat from him against my back. Then I lean back into him and find that he’s hard.
“Kar—” he hisses out. “I’m sorry.”
I turn to him. “But I’m not.” I slide my hands from his chest down to his waist, tug him closer again.
“Oh God,” he mutters. Reed’s eyes are closed, and his hands are clenched into fists. He’s shaking. And I’m the one who did this to him. The feeling is thrilling. Even better than when I dance.
“Tell me again, Reed. Tell me what you want.” My hand grips his hardness, a too-gentle touch meant to drive him crazy.
He moans, an anguished sound. “K.T., I’m trying to do the right thing here. But you’re making it so fucking hard.”
I laugh, a low and delighted sound. “You’re damn right I am, Rich Boy. I’m definitely making it hard.” My fingers move slower and slower to prove the point to him. I own him right now.
“I want you.” His eyes flick open, searing into me.
I shiver at the heat burning there. Then I press myself against him and fix my mouth against his. He freezes, not even breathing as I slick my tongue against his lips. “Reed,” I murmur against his mouth. “Kiss me now, Reed. Please.”
And then he takes control of our kiss, and we crash together in a tangle of teeth and tongues that has been years in the making. I melt against him, soft places against all of his hard ones. He feels so perfect that I can’t believe we waited this long to kiss for the first time.
My hands are all over his sharp body. I love the shape of him, all the pieces that I’ve never given myself permission to appreciate until today. Even his back is muscular, tapering into his waist like a statue come to life under my touch. We kiss until I become breathless.
He runs his lips across my neck. “I want you so badly, Karisma. Please tell me you want me too.”
I pull back from him for a moment to stop the runaway train of hormones that are threatening to pull me under. “I do. I really do want you, but—”
He stops still. “But?” he asks carefully. I can hear the hurt in his voice, because I’m always the one who pushes him away, keeping him at a safe distance since the very beginning of us. Back when I was still Karisma, the flower child, and he was Kade, the pedigreed son from a family with a goddamned building named after them at our university.
“I can’t be in a relationship with you, Reed. It’s the wrong time for that right now, with all this drama at Riddles and your reelection campaign.” I run my fingers across his chest, feeling him take a deep breath.
“Besides, you know I’m not a relationship type. I work too much and we are way too different from one another.” I stop my wandering touch. “When we do this, it’s going to have to be very, very casual. Strictly friends with benefits. No catching feelings.”
He’s looking about as serious as he ever has, my usually mischievous friend. “Kar, I know that Jeffrey hurt you. He was the kind of guy who always put business first, and you were always going to come in second to making money. But I’m not him.”
I’m already shaking my head. “You don’t get it. I completely understand why Jeffrey would put work and making money first. I’ve always put work and making money first in my life too. I’m never going to struggle again the way my parents always did. The way they still do.”
His brow furrows. “You’re not your parents, Karisma. Any more than I am mine.”
“I know you’re not your parents, Reed. But you’re as guilty as I am of always putting your job first.”
His jaw clenches, and I can practically hear his teeth grinding. “I’m putting public welfare first. Before everything. It’s not about money with me.”
I bark out a laugh. “You’ve already got money. Of course it’s not about the money with you.”
He pulls away from my questing hands. “K.T., don’t do this right now. It’s not my fault that I have money.”
“Blood money,” I snip out.
“K.T.” He huffs. “Maybe I should go. I’m definitely not here to talk about our ugly family finances.”
Shit. I was going to ruin this thing with him, and he was going to stop being my best friend because I couldn’t control my fucking smart mouth. And then I would be alone again with Grimace and all fifteen of his battery-operated friends. Absolutely not.
“No, no. I’m sorry. You know you’re not your father. You’ve spent your entire life being the exact opposite of your evil empire father.” I have to touch him again, so I hug him close to me. “I’m a fucking jerk and you know it.”
“You’re not a jerk. But that was uncalled for.” He sighs, and then his arms are around me again and everything in the entire world slides into place.
“You’re the one who brought up Jeffrey like I’m some kind of damaged goods now.” He winces, and I shrug. “But I am sorry. Your dad is a terrible human being, and you are definitely not a terrible human being.”
