Page 33 of My Best Friend's Bully

This was not part of the plan. I was going to sit them both down, get it all out, and then run back home. “Tea sounds good.” My nerves are already shot, and caffeine might not be a good idea, for a change.

I head into the living room and sit on the couch, tucking my feet under me. The fire warms the entire room, crackling behind the grate. It’s cozy and so familiar it feels like home to me.

“Here you go,” Tyson says, handing me a steaming mug.

I take the mug by the handle and breathe in the soothing peppermint aroma. He sits down next to me and puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.

“Do you know when Cole will be home? He never answered my text.”

Ty’s face tightens. Even now, any mention of Cole seems to twist something inside him, locking away the easy, gentle smile I’ve gotten so used to.

“He didn’t say, but he’s taken a few double shifts lately.” Tyson shrugs. “So, It’s just us for now.”

Great.This isnotwhat I want right now. Still, it feels so nice to be pressed against him again, feeling the heat of his body and breathing in the scent of his musky cologne. I love the way it lingers on me after I’m next to him, like I get to keep a piece of him for myself.

“Overworking himself again,” I grumble.

“Maybe,” Tyson replies, taking a long drink from his mug. He doesn’t want to talk about Cole. “I didn’t think I’d see you today.”

“I know, I wasn’t planning on it but things came up and it just seemed like the right time.”

“Well, since you’re here,” he stands up and holds out a hand for me, drawing me to my feet when I take it. “It was supposed to be a surprise. I was going to drop it off at your place.”

“What is it?” I think back to the evening he gifted me that amazing dress and hope he knows I don’t expect that sort of thing, or even want it.

“Close your eyes.” He waits until I do, then takes me by both hands and leads me toward the smells that hit me when I first walked in.

He stops and comes around behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist so he can whisper in my ear. “Open them.”

A tray of fresh baked goodies sits on the counter in front of me. There’s a variety of brownies and cookies neatly laid out in a spiral, wrapped in pink cellophane. The smell of sugar and chocolate fills the room.

“That’s why I was in the shower,” he says with a laugh. “Some of it ended up on me. But I think I got all your favorites. See, there’s a pistachio thumbprint right there, and I stuffed the brownies full of chocolate chips. That’s my mom’s recipe. Honestly, there’s a month’s worth of sugar on that plate but—“

I twist around in his arms, unable to resist–and I kiss him. His hands slide up my back and tangle in my hair as I open my mouth for his tongue. There’s nothing I want more in this moment than to feel his body pressed against mine, and even this kiss isn’t close enough. My fingers find the bottom of his shirt and push it upward as I explore the skin that covers his tight abs. He drops one of his hands to my neck, caressing the skin there and tilting my jaw upward to press his lips against my throat. I gasp as he sucks gently on my tender skin. White hot desire floods my veins and all I can think about is having his hands on me, his mouth all over every inch of my body.

“Jordan,” he whispers into my shoulder as he traces kiss after kiss along it, sliding my shirt to the side to make room for his lips.

I respond with a breathy moan. Impatient, I pull away enough to tug his shirt over his head then close the space between us again, letting my hands move up his muscled back.

His fingers trace the gap between my shirt and my pants. “Jordan,” he says again with his heavy breath when I reach for his belt.

His hand catches mine, and he waits until I look up at him. “I thought you weren’t ready.”

The attraction I feel for Tyson is uncontrollable. His magnetism won’t let me go, and no matter how much I know it’s wrong, there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

“I’m ready now.” I stand on my toes and stretch upward to kiss him again. In an instant, his arms are around me and he lifts me off the ground as I wrap my legs around his waist and kiss his jaw, his neck, his ear, anything I can reach.

He carries me up the stairs while I keep kissing him everywhere, his chest, his neck, his jaw. When we reach the top of the stairs, he continues to his bedroom, nudging the door open with his foot, and lays me down on the bed. The bed dips as he climbs on top of me, holding himself up on his arms as he gazes into my eyes from above.

“God, you are a spectacular woman.” His gentle fingers brush a stray lock of hair from in front of my eyes.

I arch up to kiss him, unable to make our bodies close enough to fill my desire. He slowly breaks the kiss and pushes me back onto the bed, bending down to kiss me on the neck. The touch of his fingertips on my breast sends a shudder through my body as he nibbles at the top button of my blouse. The button releases and he tugs at the fabric, exposing my chest to the chilly air.

My heartbeat races and my breath becomes heavy as he slides his hand under the bottom of my blouse, cupping my breast with gentle but firm pressure. He traces the tip of his tongue along my collarbone, and downward to the fringe of my bra as he gently massages my breast in the cup of his hand.

He kisses my chest, nuzzling his lips beneath the edge of my bra before taking the second button of my blouse between his lips. More deftly this time, he quickly releases the button with his teeth and takes my other breast in his mouth and massages my erect nipple with his lips. Flicking my nipple with his tongue through the fabric of my bra, he continues massaging my other breast with his fingers.

Barely able to breathe, I moan and arch myself upward to press myself into his mouth as I reach between us and fumble until I find his belt. My fingers find the buckle, and I tug on the loop of leather, threading it clumsily through the buckle.

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