Life Rewired (Aspen Friends, Book 3) Read online

  “Pizza’s here.” She grabbed money from the counter and passed it off to the pizza guy when she opened the door. Seconds later, she was back sitting beside me. “Hungry or just sleepy?”

  “Didn’t mean to fall asleep, but damn your couch is comfy.” My hand rubbed the back cushion, the motion lulling me into a daze.

  “I know. I crash out here almost as much as I sleep in the bed.” She handed me a slice and gestured toward a beer she’d placed on the coffee table for me. She brought another slice up to her mouth and took a bite.

  My slice was gone in six bites. I didn’t realize how hungry or tired I was. I’d spent the day installing reclaimed wood floors in the upstairs of Vivian’s house. Natalie let me leave an hour early to get to my first game. I didn’t think I was taking advantage because she let Tyler leave an hour early every other day to coach his son’s soccer team, and the Sweeneys took a day off last week to meet with their ski team sponsor. The workday and expended energy worrying about playing softball for the first time in years had worn me down. I’d be lucky to finish another slice and drive home without falling asleep again.

  “Stay here tonight. You’re dead on your feet, lady.” Molly’s hand patted my thigh. “I had the day off. You were tired before we even started the game.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all.” She turned back to the screen and made a gesture at the TV when the Giants first baseman looped a line drive into center, scoring the go ahead run.

  I watched her annoyance with amusement. She didn’t feel the need to fill the silence between us with useless chatter. After being forced to listen to cellmates yammer on to abate their boredom, it was nice to find a friend that cherished the quiet when merited.

  An inning later, it was clear the Rockies were going to lose unless they had unprecedented scoring in the ninth. Molly clicked off the television and shook her head in disgust.

  “At least we won,” I reminded her of our softball victory. “It’s a good team you’ve got.”

  “Been playing with them a few years. The guys aren’t arrogant pricks, and they can play. The women are fun. Not as good as my Sunday squad, but now that you’re around we might win a few more.”

  “Thanks.” I wished I could be as free with compliments as Molly was. She had a way of making all her friends feel better with a simple positive observation. It was a skill I now coveted.

  She glanced at me. “You’re bushed. Get some sleep.”

  I would have protested if she weren’t right. I watched her get up and go over to the closet for extra sheets. We worked together to get a makeshift bed ready. I tucked in the bottom sheet as Molly ran back to her bedroom and grabbed a pillow.

  “Thanks, Mol.” I took the offered pillow, sitting back down. “I think I would have fallen asleep on the way home.”

  “You’re always welcome to crash.” She speared me with an intense stare to make sure I understood how genuine she was with her invitation. “Sleep well.”

  She leaned down for a hug. I was still getting used to the physical contact, having been so cautious over the past seven years. It felt good to drop the fear, and I looked forward to the hello and goodbye hugs from Molly.

  Pulling back, she said, “Goodnight, Falyn.”

  “’Night, Molly.”

  She swooped in for a peck. I expected to feel a flicker of softness, a hint of moistness, a fleeting pull of suction. That’s what hello and goodbye kisses were. That’s what kisses from friends felt like. That’s what a quick peck on the lips was supposed to be.

  What I got instead was a thunderbolt that went from my lips to my chest to my stomach to other points south. Holy smokes. That did not just happen.

  I was taking stock of my elevated pulse and audible breaths as I glanced up at Molly. Her dark brown eyes glittered, but I couldn’t tell if it was shock or alarm. It definitely wasn’t indifference.

  Before I could chalk up my reaction as something unexpected, Molly knelt onto the couch next to me. My heart rate kicked up as she reached forward and slid a hand along my jaw.

  Her lips parted, eyes searching mine. She cupped my face with her other hand. “Jesus, Falyn.”

  I barely registered her anguished tone before she listed toward me, bringing her mouth to mine again.

  12

  An entire lightning storm touched off inside me at the second press of her lips to mine. They glided across mine in slow motion, pulling here, pressing there. I grasped the back of her neck and tilted my head, wanting to wring every single sensation out of this.

  Her mouth coaxed mine open. My stomach took a plunge with the surge of her tongue inside. Mine was there to meet hers, teasing and taunting her need to lead. My smile was immediately swallowed by her roaming mouth and an unexpected moan. She stiffened at the sound, clearly shocked that she’d made it. I took advantage of her surprise and pushed against her, making her drop to her rump on the cushions.

  “What are we…?” She didn’t finish her thought before her hands were grabbing my face and bringing it to her mouth again.

  I couldn’t have answered the question had she finished it. She was my friend whom I’d never had one sexual thought about. She might as well have been a man for all the sexual interest I’d shown in her. But dammit she could kiss, and dammit again, my body didn’t seem to care that she wasn’t my type.

  She pulled me against her, wrapping her arms around me as her mouth made love to mine better than any full-on sex I’d had. My breasts molded to hers, thighs now interlocked. If my head was going to stop this, it had to act now. But my mouth and hands weren’t listening.

  I pushed again. She resisted my getting her horizontal. In the next second, she was pushing against me. I would have smiled if her tongue hadn’t just started this twirling thing with mine. It was distracting enough that she accomplished her goal of pushing me back. Her body leaned over mine. Her face pulled up and flashed a triumphant grin.

  I see how she thinks this will go. “Not so fast, hot stuff.”

  “What?” She swooped in for another kiss.

  “I know what you’re trying to do.”

  “Me?” she mumbled, dragging her mouth down the column of my throat.

  I arched up, all thought leaving me. What was I protesting? Oh yeah, she was trying to top me. Well, actions speak louder than words. I levered my hips and swung her up and over onto her back.

  She barked out a surprised laugh. “What are you trying?”

  “Same thing you were.” I leaned down and nipped her lower lip. “Looks like we’re going to be taking turns.”

  Her hands slid up and grasped my breasts. Her eyes twinkled as she squeezed. “Is that so?”

  My eyes slammed shut as her fingers flicked my nipples through my shirt. “Hmm?”

  “We could just do this my way.” Her fingers went to my waist and ducked under my shirt, drifting up until they crested over my breasts. She let out another moan that drowned out my hiss of pleasure.

  “Hmm?” I repeated, not sure what we’d been talking about. Something important enough for me to attempt a discussion when her hands and mouth had the potential to give me an orgasm without going anywhere near my pants.

  “Yeah, let’s just do this my way.”

  Oh, yes, her topping me. Nope, not going to happen. At least not all the time. “Turns, Molly. If we’re doing this, we’re taking turns.”

  She leaned back to look at me. Light glinted off her deep brown eyes. “Twist my arm.”

  I slid my hands under her shirt and up to take her nipples between my fingers. Her face tilted up, jaw clenching. I twisted the hard buds through her bra, laughing at the much louder moan I got from her this time. “Twisted enough?”

  She grinned again. “Twisted just enough.”

  I went to pull her shirt off. She perched on one arm and helped me get it over her head. Chiseled shoulders and arms blended into a contoured chest and countable abs. Her breasts were small and tucked into a sports bra that did noth
ing to deflate my excitement. I never thought I’d undress a woman who wore sports bras.

  She pulled at my shirt, and I sat up to help her. Her eyes roamed over my torso, hands skating everywhere her eyes went. She managed to release my bra with only two fingers, showing just how much game she had.

  “Falyn,” she whispered, her eyes taking in my stiff nipples.

  I leaned over and kissed her again. My hands stroked down her back, biting into the flesh. She pulled at her bra, taking it over her head, messing up her hair. I ran my fingers through the thick strands as my eyes zeroed in on her breasts. Small, firm, perfectly shaped with dark red nipples. My mouth started salivating with the single purpose of wanting those nipples. While she was still sitting up, I took advantage and locked my mouth around one of the luscious pebbles.

  She moaned and gripped my head as my tongue lashed at her. Her body tilted into me, seeking the pleasure my mouth was giving. I found myself drifting backward no longer caring who was on top. My hands clutched her waist, bringing her down to grind against me. My knees came up and pressed against her hips, shoving at her mesh shorts to bring them off. I added a hand to the mix, tearing at the waist to slide them down her legs. Her legs tried to help, but she ended up sitting and pushing them off. Her eyes landed on mine and with one tug, she had my sweats and panties off.

  I took in every silky inch of her naked skin. Her thighs were just as muscled as her arms. Her narrow waist and hips were almost as tantalizing as the rippled abs and beaded nipples. The dark brown hair at her apex was trimmed almost to the point of shaved. My fingers inched to drag through the trim to feel the addictive bristles.

  Her fingers slid down the center of my chest. She followed the path of her fingers with her mouth, smooching loudly. It both tickled and drove me wild.

  I stopped her mouth just before it could land home. I needed her up with me. I wanted to look into her eyes.

  “I was just getting to the really good part.” She surged forward and pressed her lips to my core for a fleeting kiss.

  I moaned and tugged on her shoulders. Based on that teasing touch, I knew she’d have me done in a minute if I let her continue. “Get to it later. C’mere.” I pulled her down on top of me.

  Her hips dragged up against me, drawing groans from both of us. She straddled my raised thigh and slid her hand down to cup me. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when she felt how wet she’d made me. Not one to let her have all the fun, I pulled her down onto my thigh. My smile wasn’t as subtle as hers when I discovered her excitement painting my leg.

  She stroked two fingers through my swollen lips. My hips bucked up against her hand. Her body rolled with my movement, but I wouldn’t let her lift her hips. It was amazing how easy it was to anticipate her actions because I used a lot of the same moves. She wanted me to come first. I’d always wanted the same with my partners. Wonder who would win this round.

  Her mouth wrapped around a nipple, sucking in and biting softly. Her fingers glided through my creases, working me into a snit when she wouldn’t hit the spot I needed them most. She looked up, pinning my gaze as her fingers finally grazed over my throbbing clit.

  I let out a small cry and watched that smile appear again. I pulled on her hips, dragging them down my thigh. She bit back her cry of pleasure as she skated back up my thigh and down again.

  Her gaze grew hazy when she rocked against me once more. She tilted forward to kiss me as her fingers pressed harder and dipped down. They circled, hovering, waiting. My pelvis jutted toward her. My fingers gripping her hips. Both should have been enough to let her know just how much I wanted this.

  “Inside?” she asked and I felt my heart trip at the question. She guessed that I wasn’t into penetration, which I wasn’t, but with her, apparently anything goes.

  I nodded because I would have embarrassed myself if I tried to say anything. Seconds later, her probing fingers pushed inside, stretching and filling, satisfying every need I had. I reached up to cup her breasts, pinching her nipples between my fingers. It seemed to take forever for her to seat fully inside me. I tried to split my attention between playing with her nipples and experiencing a fullness I’d always lacked in sexual intimacy before.

  “Mmm, you feel so good,” she said on a breathy moan. Her hips had taken over the rocking on my thigh. It became clear neither of us would last long. She added her thumb to my clit, tapping and twirling while keeping up a slow thrust inside.

  “You feel amazing.” My voice was raspy as I held on to the climax of a lifetime. I needed my hands on her first. I continued with the assault on one nipple while I slid my other hand under her thrusting hips. She felt engorged and slick and perfect. My thumb pressed against her clit as we lunged together.

  “Harder,” she coaxed.

  I applied more pressure and more when she told me again. I worried that I might be pressing against her swollen, tender flesh too hard but she pressed down even more, riding my hand and thigh. It was demanding and insistent and wonderful. I stopped worrying and just went with it.

  “Come, Falyn.”

  “You first,” I said through a clenched jaw, knowing it wouldn’t happen. “Ah, yes, Molly!”

  My orgasm smashed into me so hard I seized up every muscle, jerking and pulsing through the contractions. I pulled Molly down, gripping her to me as I heaved and shuddered beneath her.

  She sped up her thrusts on my thigh. My fingers tightened on instinct. Molly jolted to a stop and groaned my name, climaxing in a majestic display of tremors and twitches.

  I recovered seconds before she did. Her boneless form sprawled over me. I lightly kissed her neck and dragged my fingernails over her back. She shuddered and squirmed over me. It was almost as good as the sex she’d given me.

  “Like that?” I asked.

  “Hate it,” she said, squirming against my hands to recreate the fingernail drag.

  I nibbled on her ear and tried to keep up the afterglow. Before she’d kissed me goodnight, she was my friend and only ever going to be my friend. Now she was sprawled out naked over me, having delivered the best sex of my life.

  “Not tired anymore?” Her words breathed out over my chest where her head lay. I heard the teasing in her tone and rose to the challenge, dropping all concern about the change in our relationship for now.

  “Ready for round two.” I flipped her under me before she could protest. “My turn to be on top.”

  Her beautiful eyes flared and joined her smile. She was looking forward to round two as much as I was.

  Part II

  Molly

  13

  Not my best move pretending to be barely awake when she left. I’d hustled women out before. Sure there was a bit of the morning after awkwardness, but it was based on bedding a stranger and all the unknowns that go with that in the light of the day. This had been entirely different. Never, in all my years, had I slept with a friend. One I’d only ever thought of as a friend—well, a buddy, really, which was worse. Who sleeps with her buddy? A buddy that is not my type. A buddy that I don’t find attractive. Well, until last night.

  I had to give it to her, though. She could have crept out the door without saying anything to me this morning. She left for work earlier than I did. It was the perfect excuse. With our schedules this week, we could have avoided each other for days until the awkwardness faded. Instead, she’d gently woken me to say that she had to get to work and tell me she’d had a good time. Of course, she said she had a good time when we sat around watching baseball, too.

  This was seriously screwed up. I finally had a buddy in town who liked to do all the things I liked doing and had an open social schedule, and I might have blown it by sleeping with her.

  But damn, the sex had been amazing. Beyond compare, actually. Who knew sleeping with another non-femme would be so off-the-charts? I’d had good sex before, even wild sex, but this was like blasting for avalanches. I expected the explosion and cascade, but I might not be able to contain it.

&nb
sp; My phone rang as I was stretching out my overworked muscles. I silently prayed that it wasn’t Falyn, which was childish, but I really didn’t know where I wanted this to go yet. I had to figure that out before I could face my buddy. A buddy who had the cutest combination yip-moan when her right nipple was tweaked just so. I really shouldn’t know that about my buddy. Nor should I know that her breasts, a size larger than mine, were slightly upturned, permanently shaped to negate gravity.

  I reached for my cell and saw my boss’s name on the screen. “Hey, Ron, what’s up?”

  “I know you’re not scheduled till later, but we had a private booking and Wayne is nowhere to be found. Can you take it?”

  “What kind of tour?”

  “Fly fishing on Fryingpan.”

  Of course, the one activity we offered that I didn’t like doing. Although, if I wanted to prolong the childishness, it would give me an excuse to be out of cell range all day. “Fine. I’ll be in soon.”

  I went into my bathroom and looked for any signs that Falyn had stayed over last night. No extra towel, not discarded makeup sponge, perhaps she’d ducked out as soon as she woke up. Ah, but the shower stall was wet. That meant she’d used the shower and either dressed without drying or took the towel to my laundry room. The sheets on the sofa were probably in the washer already. She’d done that before.

  I flipped on the shower and tried not to remember how much her lean body had turned me on. I’d always liked some soft flesh on my women, voluptuous or curvy, but Falyn was lean, firm perfection. My height, too, which was also off for me. I liked leaning down to kiss my women and being able to maneuver them easily onto a bed. I liked women who liked me doing that to them. Falyn was as much a top as I was. Taking turns turned out to be as thrilling as being the aggressor at all times. More so, if I were being honest.

  I soaped up my torso, ducking my head under the spray. If I knew Ron, he already had the tour group in, selling them rods and full-length waders. I jerked back when my hand ventured lower. Damn, I was sore. Falyn’s concerned face floated into my vision as I remembered telling her that I needed her thigh and hand harder. I’d actually asked for it. Harder. I almost begged for it. I’d never pleaded for anything during sex in my life. She’d been concerned that she might hurt me. I’d been concerned that I wouldn’t climax, which happened too often with lovers. I must have been on some sort of mission because I wasn’t going to miss out on any she’d give. And she’d given four before we finally fell asleep in my bed. Hence the soreness.