One Night: A Real Man Read online

  “What about your truck?” She stepped into the darkened house and turned to look at me, her face shrouded in shadows.

  She tipped her head back, the light from the porch showing how fucking beautiful she was. Although I didn’t need a light on her to see that. She was ingrained in my mind and body.

  Her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy-looking. She asked me this twice in the cab.

  “What about my car?” There was a little bit of panic in her expression, and I chuckled softly, shaking my head before shutting the front door, sealing us in.

  “Peanut, I already told you. I’ll just have Braxton take us to pick them up tomorrow.” My partner at the firm was more like a brother and always willing to help me out, seeing as he knew exactly what I felt for her. He was the only person I’d ever told about Leila, that I loved her… that she was it for me.

  I was surprised I used the endearment I’d given her when we were just kids. Peanut, because she was small, and although she had a tough exterior, she was pretty delicate on the inside. She either didn’t take notice that I called her the nickname, or she was too drunk to care, because she ended up rising up on her toes and kissing me on the cheek before turning and heading into the kitchen.

  I was frozen in place, feeling her lips on my skin even though she wasn’t in front of me any longer. I placed my hand on my cheek, closing my eyes for a second as I let the feeling of her lips on me be absorbed right down to my marrow.

  It was just a kiss. On my fucking cheek. But I felt it all the way down to my bones. Despite the fact that I was three sheets to the wind, my cock started to harden. No whiskey dick for me, not where Leila was concerned.

  A second later, the light in the kitchen went on, and I heard her cheer in happiness, mumbling how it shouldn’t have been as hard as it was to find the damn light switch.

  I grinned, more warmth moving through me as the alcohol seemed to intensify the longer I was conscious. I made my way into the kitchen and leaned against the frame of the entryway as I watched her rummage through the cabinets. She grabbed two glasses, filled them both with water, and walked over to me, handing one over.

  “I’d much rather have a beer, but as it is, I’m going to have a massive hangover in the morning, so water it is.” Her voice was slightly slurred, matching mine no doubt. She clinked her glass against mine, and then started drinking, watching me with her glassy eyes over the rim.

  I drank the water, unable to take my focus off her. She was gorgeous, with her cheeks rosy from the alcohol, her big, dark eyes slightly hooded from her intoxication. Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders, slightly curled at the ends. And she smelled incredible, like peaches. I fucking loved peaches.

  Once we finished off the water, I took her glass and set them both in the sink.

  “How drunk are you?” Leila asked with a smirk on her face.

  “Drunk enough, but not too drunk I don’t know we both need to sleep this off.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, same. Although—” She held up her hand in front of her face. “—I see two of these.”

  I laughed and didn’t stop myself from lifting my hand and pushing away a stray lock that brushed along her cheek. I swore she tensed, her cheeks getting redder. Was it from my touch or the alcohol?

  I cleared my throat and let my arm fall back to my side, curling my hand into a fist to keep from touching her again. “You can take my bed. I’ll crash on the couch.”

  She snorted and waved off my statement. “You sleep on the couch? Don’t be ridiculous.” She tipped slightly to the side but righted herself. “Come on, help me to bed, because as it is, I’m gonna end up falling and tripping over my own feet.” As if to emphasize her point, she spun on her heel, nearly losing her footing.

  I reached out and pulled her in close to me to keep her from falling. Her chest was pressed right up on mine, and the feeling of her breasts against my hardness, her softness against my masculinity, had my fucking dick getting even harder. I could’ve groaned at the feel of her. She had her hands on my pectoral muscles, and I didn’t miss how she curled her nails gently into my shirt. Electricity shot through my veins at that touch.

  I pulled away a little too quickly, and she stumbled, but I kept my arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her. I cleared my throat and lifted my free hand to rub it over the back of my neck. “Come on, let’s get you to bed before you pass out right on the kitchen floor.” I was doing everything in my power not to just stare at her, not to let all the emotions I had inside me for Leila just explode forth until it consumed both of us.

  We walked down the hallway, and I pushed open my bedroom door, turning on the light and leading her over to the mattress. She sat down on the edge unceremoniously, making a noise as if it were the best feeling in the world.

  I walked over to my dresser and pulled open the drawer, grabbing a white T-shirt and a pair of sweats. She’d be swimming in them, but it was better than the clothes she’d been wearing at the bar. I knew I just needed to crash, sleep this off, and wake up with a fresh head before I did something that would be crossing lines.

  Leila braced her hands on the edge of the mattress and stared at me, this little smile on her face. It had my heart jumping in my chest.

  “Peanut.” She giggled. “You haven’t called me that in a long time.”

  I gave her a wink and set the clothes on the edge of the bed beside her. She looked down at them as if confused then glanced at me before allowing herself to fall back, her arms stretched out above her, her shirt riding up slightly to show a swatch of her belly. I could see her navel, and my cock jerked. God, she looked good spread out like that on my bed. All kinds of obscene images slammed into my brain, and I beat them back.

  “I’ll get you some ibuprofen and a bottle of water. We’re gonna need it come morning.” I went to turn and leave, when she reached out and grabbed my hand, halting me. I was surprised how fast she managed the act.

  “Don’t go,” she said as she looked up at me, her hair slightly rumpled, this glow surrounding her.

  I had to go, because the temptation of her was way too fucking hard to resist.

  I ran my free hand over my jaw and shook my head. “I think we should both crash, Leila.”

  She nodded. “Just sleep here. I won’t bite.” She grinned.

  It wasn’t like I hadn’t slept beside her plenty of times, but that had been years ago when we’d still been kids.

  I didn’t know what was going on with me that I couldn’t keep my control under a lock and key. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was that my love for her was boiling over the top, and I couldn’t contain it anymore.

  What I did know for sure was that I had to leave this room, or I wouldn’t be able to control myself where Leila was concerned.

  4

  Leila

  I was drunk, but not so trashed that I didn’t feel the lust consuming me as I stared at Devon. He’d given me a change of clothes, saying I could take his bed while he took the couch. But we were both adults, had slept in the same bed plenty of times. Granted, we’d been young, but even then, my desire for him had been tangible.

  I patted the bed beside me right before I let myself fall back again and closed my eyes. It felt good lying down, but not nearly as good as the scent of Devon that surrounded me or the feel of his sheets right beneath me. The noise that came from me was all about how good I felt being here with Devon and amongst his things.

  I’d seen the hesitation on his face when I mentioned sharing the bed, when I told him to sit next to me. Surely he didn’t feel weird about it? Maybe he noticed how I stared at him, came to the conclusion I felt more than just being friends with him? But I felt the mattress give way a bit as he got on the bed beside me, and then he was lying down, both of us quiet.

  I should have just gone to sleep, let the alcohol take me away, but I was too strung out on the pleasure I felt for Devon, at the feel of his big, hard body right beside me, and of the feeling of his arm pressed against
mine.

  I rose up and braced my upper body with my elbows, looking over at him. His legs hung over the end of mattress, his right arm over the side. I breathed out heavily, trying to catch my breath, because Devon was a big guy, alpha and strong. He made me feel so very feminine.

  His chest rose and fell evenly, his eyes closed. I stared at his face, the way his dark hair was mussed. He’d been running his hands through it a lot tonight. I knew he’d been upset about why I’d lost my job. But he controlled himself and hadn’t brought it up again. Although I knew he wouldn’t let it go.

  God, I wanted Devon so much, and the fog, the blur of the liquor racing through my blood, had me reaching out and running my fingers along the center of his chest. Even though I only had a few fingers pressed to him, I felt his heat, the hardness of his muscles. My body was on fire, my pussy wet, my nipples hard. Every part of me tingled, so alive I didn’t know how to breathe in that moment.

  My love for him was so strong, so fierce, that it sucked the life out of me, had my stomach, my chest clenching so painfully I couldn’t wrap my mind around any of it. Bringing the tip of my index finger over his right pec, I felt his muscles jump underneath the digit. He was so masculine, so powerful. I trailed my finger up the opposite side and rested my palm over his heart, letting the strong, steady beat calm my own racing one. I closed my eyes and felt my breathing finally slow, but when I opened them and looked at Devon’s face, my breath hitched as I saw his eyes were open and he stared right at me.

  His focus was so clear, so level as he watched me.

  “Hey,” he said in a husky, serrated voice.

  I went to move my hand away, but his reflexes were fast, even in his buzzed state. His grip on my wrist was strong yet gentle, as if he didn’t want to let me go, refusing to give me the option, but making sure not to hurt me.

  Devon pushed himself up until he was propping his upper body with one of his elbows, his muscles so tense they bulged under the material of his shirt. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe as I stared into his eyes and felt something shift in the air. Maybe it was the alcohol; maybe it was the heat that suddenly seemed to fill the room, but I felt myself getting lost in his blue eyes.

  After a prolonged moment, Devon let go of my wrist, slid his hand up my arm, and cupped the side of my face. A gasp left me, the tingles racing along my arms and legs intensifying.

  “Leila,” he whispered as he leaned in. I was frozen in place as his mouth was now just inches from mine. “You’re so fucking pretty.”

  I closed my eyes, breathing out slowly, shakily. Everything inside me yearned for this, for Devon to want me in every way I wanted him, in every way friends weren’t supposed to explore. And although there was this powerful desire to give myself over to Devon, this little voice told me to stop, to not let this get too far. I didn’t want those lines to be blurred, for all the years we’d been best friends to be ruined all over one night of passion.

  But even though that very real reality slammed into me, I knew I couldn’t stop this.

  “Leila,” he groaned again, and then he had his mouth on mine.

  I was so stunned that he actually crossed that line. I figured if anyone was more level-headed it would be Devon.

  I should have pushed him away, stopped this. But I added pressure to his mouth, closed my eyes, and got lost in the sensation of finally kissing Devon in this way.

  Sparks shot from my mouth and went all the way through my body, settling in my clit, causing the bundle of nerves to throb. It was intense and potent, and we hadn’t done more than press our mouths together.

  And when the involuntary moan left me, Devon took that as his lead to go further. He moved his lips on mine, slow and easy, coaxing me. He pushed himself up farther, cupped the other side of my face, tilting my head with a little bit of pressure, deepening the kiss.

  God, this is… good. So good.

  His tongue slipped into my mouth, stroking the very tip of mine, almost innocent in his mannerism. He moaned when I reciprocated, stroking my tongue against his, adding more pressure. The taste of him was tangy from the alcohol, but sweet at the same time.

  “Fuck,” he murmured against my lips and had his hand on my shoulder then, gripping me, pulling me in closer. “I need you.” The way he said those words was broken, as if he barely held on. He pulled me closer even more, and I was now straddling my best friend.

  But I pulled away, because reason filled my head, pushing through the cloud of arousal. And as I stared into Devon’s face, all I saw was bone-deep clarity. “Maybe we shouldn’t—”

  “No, Leila. Don’t go there. Not here, not right now.” His tone brooked no argument. “This feels too right, doesn’t it?”

  I nodded instantly.

  He moved so his back rested against the headboard, shifting our bodies so I was still straddling him obscenely.

  He lifted his hips, and I swallowed the lump in my throat when I felt the very large, very pronounced bulge he sported. I leaned back slightly, trailing my gaze down his body to look at his zipper. I could see how his erection strained against his fly, demanding to be free. For me. It was all for me. I became even wetter, my panties soaked.

  “Baby.” Before I could stop this from going any further, Devon had his mouth slanted on mine, and he took my lips in a searing kiss. This wasn’t gentle, wasn’t coaxing. He was taking what he wanted, and it felt so damn good.

  The groan that spilled from him was loud, and I greedily swallowed it. I wanted more of that from him. With my legs spread wide over his body, my pussy was in direct contact with his raging hard-on. I shifted on top of him, moving along his cock. Despite the clothes that separated us, I felt every massive inch of him.

  “Fuck, baby.” He dragged his lips across my jaw and licked and nipped at my flesh. I closed my eyes, loving the scruff of his five o’clock shadow erotically abrading my skin.

  I couldn’t hold my head back anymore and closed my eyes, and I breathed out. I gripped his wide shoulders, curling my nails into his hardness, hearing him hiss in pleasure and pain.

  “You sure about this?” I whispered, not sure why I even said the words, because I sure as hell didn’t want to stop.

  “Oh yeah,” he murmured against the side of my throat. “I have never been more sure of anything in my life, baby.”

  Okay then. Here we were, breaking all the rules and not even caring.

  5

  Leila

  I was going to go over the edge and we still had our damn clothes on.

  He continued kissing my jaw and made his way down to my neck. The light feel of him sucking at my pulse point had me shifting atop him again. Devon groaned, his hands now on the mounds of my ass, his fingers digging into the flesh.

  And then he used the leverage he had on my body to start rocking me back and forth on his dick, letting me feel exactly how hard he was for me.

  He created an incredible friction that sent hard jolts of pleasure straight to the center of me. My inner muscles clenched as if trying to grasp something substantial.

  “Fuck, that’s it, Leila.”

  The fact that he was having just as hard a time as I was with all of this, having just as much difficulty keeping his self-control like me, turned me on even more.

  “Yeah, baby.” He started lifting his hips slightly, causing his cock to press impossibly harder against the center of me. “Damn, Leila. I can feel you, baby. I can feel how much you want me too.” Devon had his mouth back on mine, his kisses so hard and demanding that I couldn’t stop from moaning, from begging for more. “I’ve wanted you for so long. So fucking long.” He rocked me on him back and forth. Back and forth. He created a friction that had me trying to catch my breath, gripping him so hard I knew he had to feel pain from my nails.

  I could have had an orgasm from this, could have come for him because of the rocking alone.

  God, yes.

  I couldn’t understand what he was saying, the words blending together as the pleasure grew
stronger and higher in me.

  “I’ve wanted you for so damn long.” His tongue speared into my mouth, and he touched every part of me.

  But in my head, I was screaming, Yes, yes! God, Devon, yes.

  And before I knew what I was doing, I was trying to tear my shirt off. Devon grunted and was there helping me, peeling the material up and over my head before tossing it away. He was looking at my chest with so much raw hunger I felt it.

  I knew what he wanted without him even having to say the words.

  Reaching behind my body, I unhooked the bra and let the straps slip down my arms before falling to the mattress. I looked into his eyes, and surprisingly enough, he was staring into my eyes and not at my breasts. What would he say? How would he feel if he knew he’d been the only man to ever see me like this, to ever touch me like this?

  If I were smart, I’d stop this, tell him this would ruin our friendship. The logical part of my brain pushed me in that direction, and I opened my mouth maybe to say that, or maybe to tell him I needed more. But I didn’t utter a word, because he was speaking, stopping me from going on.

  “I need you so much, Leila. I need you like I need to breathe.” He held my stare even though my breasts were bare, but then he slowly let his eyes fall to my chest. His groan, the tightness of his jaw, and then the way he bit at his bottom lip had fire licking over my nipples and pussy.

  “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” He leaned forward and latched his mouth right on my nipple, ripping a cry from my lips. I speared my hands into his hair, grabbing chunks of the soft locks and holding his head to my chest, knowing I’d die if he moved, if he stopped this.

  “That’s it,” he whispered against my now wet flesh. “I knew you’d be like this, knew you’d taste like this. So sweet.” His words were muffled against my breast. The suckling of his mouth, sweep of his tongue, and stinging nip of his teeth were almost my undoing.