Sealed: A Travesty Novella Read online

  What the two-bedroom lacked in space it made up for elsewhere. The floor-to-ceiling living room windows showed Central Park, nestled in a circle of skyscrapers that stretched as far as the eye could see.

  Would we live here next year?

  The thought hadn’t occurred to me, but the reality was, we’d have to live somewhere. And the options were completely different than anything I was used to.

  Sometimes, though, you have to make a change to move forward.

  I’d made a change when I got a scholarship to Penn, letting my parents off the hook for tuition fees they couldn’t afford after sending my sister to school for fashion design.

  I’d made a change when I decided to forgive my dad for punishing me for hanging out with the wrong crowd in high school and then needing me to cover for his own problems.

  But the biggest change of all had come two years ago, when I’d transferred back from Penn to San Diego—and traded in my single status for the girl I’d always wanted.

  See, every nineteen-year-old guy has a fantasy. It’s not a fantasy about money, or success, or fame.

  It’s about a girl.

  Mine had been about Lex Caine, my older sister’s best friend with the sweet smile and low voice and mile long legs. (Hey, I never said it was a PG fantasy.)

  I’d reconciled myself to the idea that the girl of my dreams would never do more than a cameo in my real life. At least until we made out at her twenty-first birthday party, courtesy of her ex boyfriend, rum, and former President Andrew Jackson.

  Each of whom I’ve been grateful to every day of the two years since.

  My roommates had thought I was crazy to get into a serious relationship as a soph. They didn’t get that it was impossible to be around Lex and not get serious. Not because she wanted it, or expected it.

  Because I never wanted to stop feeling as alive as I did when I was with her.

  It was almost six-thirty when Lex walked in the door, keys in one hand, takeout containers in the other, and a folder under her arm.

  I crossed to her, grinning, and took the Styrofoam out of her hand. “Honey, you cooked.”

  “Sorry I’m late; it was a crazy day. This boutique accidentally doubled their order and we had to recall it. Then we ended up with a whole line of tops cut in this weird polka dot fabric. It was three pompom buttons short of a slutty clown costume. How was yours?”

  Lex stepped out of high heels that made her long legs even longer, and I took the chance to look at her. Despite the heat, she was wearing some kind of red blazer over a top the same color. The skirt that hit partway down her thighs was professional, but the way my mind was fast-tracking toward dark things, it might as well have been non-existent.

  Part of what I loved about the whole boss woman thing she had going on?

  It made me want to mess her up.

  I took the few steps to the kitchen and set the containers on the island. “Nate was a big help. I’ve got a couple of meetings lined up for tomorrow.”

  “Meetings?” Her gaze found mine as she crossed to me, but there was a hint of distraction in it.

  She’d changed since moving here. I’d thought that getting what she’d wanted for years, this company, would make her unwind a little. If anything, she was even more tightly strung now that they’d launched.

  “Yeah,” I prodded. “Interviews.”

  “Right.” She rolled her eyes and flashed the smile I loved more than anything.

  The light coming in the kitchen window played over the freckles the summer always exposed. Even Manhattan couldn’t change that.

  I didn’t want to talk about interviews. Chalk it up to some hot librarian fantasy, but I wanted to suck on Lex’s neck just below that bun while my fingers did gymnastics under that skirt until all she could think about was me. Until the only thing she could vocalize was “yes” and “more” and, my personal favorite, this breathy “ohmygodDylan” that always went straight to my dick.

  “I brought something too.” Ignoring the way my body tightened, I forced myself to reach into the fridge. After meeting Nate, I’d tried to prepare for my interviews. I wasn’t nervous. I knew what I was doing, was in the top five percent of my class, and had co-op experience. In a way, this felt like a celebration.

  Lex pulled the bottle out of the bag I handed her and read the label. “Pad thai and pinot. We’re so civilized.”

  I reached for her hips. Her hands clutched the wine and she couldn’t stop me from pulling her closer. Her gaze flicked over mine, her lips parting as she swallowed. “I guess we need glasses.”

  I didn’t stop her as she put the wine down and turned to reach up to the shelf. When she set two glasses carefully on the counter, I pinned her against the cabinets with my hips.

  “Wine is overrated.” My finger found the hem of her skirt, traced a line up the back of her thigh.

  I’m a patient guy, but today, taking my time cost me. Especially when I heard her breath hitch.

  I wanted to draw it out, make her beg. Almost as much as I wanted to feel her clench around me.

  I buried my face in her hair, soaking in the smell of her that had my body aching. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too, Dylan.” Lex’s voice trembled as my finger reached the curve of her ass. Over her shoulder I could see her profile, her closed eyes as she absorbed the feeling of my touch. My cock pressed impatiently against her.

  Lex twisted in my arms, and her heart-shaped face peered up at mine, eyes heavy with need. “Jordan usually gets home around now, but we’re safe. She’s staying at her dad’s. She didn’t think she’d get any sleep here tonight.”

  “You won’t get any sleep here tonight,” I promised, my hands gripping her thighs as I lifted her onto the counter. Gold flecks sparkled deep in Lex’s eyes, and her lips parted in anticipation as she gripped my arms. That skirt I was starting to love to hate rode up her legs as I pressed myself between them.

  Every time I saw this girl, we were making up for lost time. Sure, we hadn’t had a chance to catch up since I’d gotten here, but that could come later. This need inside me refused to wait.

  It wasn’t all about sex with us. But I’d be lying if I said that since the first time we hooked up in my bedroom at school, I didn’t think about it every damn day.

  The need to have her, to take her, to show her the dozen new ideas I’d had in the weeks since I’d seen her. The frustration of lying awake at night and aching for her touch, knowing nothing I could do would come close. Being hard on the damn plane that felt like it was crawling, not hurtling, toward New York. All of it compounded to drive me into a state of near desperation.

  I reached up to jerk Lex’s hair out of its bun, and a wave of copper fell down her back. Her fingers dug into my biceps.

  “What's wrong,” I muttered. “Did you want to talk first?”

  “Maybe.”

  I wrapped a fistful of hair around my hand and pulled, lightly. Her lips parted. “Fine. You start.”

  Lex watched through cloudy eyes as I skimmed my fingers under her skirt, inching up her thighs. She swallowed. “Well. Travesty’s going better than we could’ve imagined since we opened the store. Just last week—”

  I brushed between her legs and froze. “Stop. No panties?”

  “I thought I’d surprise you.” Her half smile was a dangerous tease.

  “I’m surprised. I just don’t like the idea of you surprising anyone else.” I pictured her deciding to show up bare like this, imagined the lace already wet before she stripped it down her legs, thinking of me.

  “You’re jealous.”

  “Hell, yes. I’m jealous of Jordan, getting to see your bedhead and make coffee with you every morning. I’m jealous of my sister, getting to work with you every day.” My finger brushed idly over her damp skin, finding a steady rhythm as I murmured against her mouth. “I’m jealous of every guy who sees you on the street and thinks he might have a chance with you.”

  Her eyes dropped to half-mast,
her little sounds of pleasure coming in time with my fingers.

  I’m not a possessive guy, but with Lex I can’t help it. I want everyone to know she’s off the market, permanently.

  “I like that you’re jealous,” she murmured, her voice full of need. “But I’m yours. Only yours.”

  Fuck talking.

  I shoved Lex’s skirt up to her waist and buried my face between her legs. My greedy mouth found her skin, and the first brush of my tongue over her tight clit had her moaning.

  Lex was mine. Her body. Her heart. Her sweet honey taste. I knew it, and so did she. That didn’t stop me from needing to prove it.

  My lips teased her, pausing to suck harder when I wanted to shove her toward that edge. Her fingers dug into my scalp as she gasped, her thighs tensing around my head like she’d been shocked.

  I’d have her every way I wanted before we were done. And even though she might tease me, in the end we both knew she’d let me do anything.

  I glanced up to find Lex’s eyes closed and her lips parted, one hand gripping the cupboard behind her for support. She was more than ready for everything I had in mind, and I could’ve made her come in a heartbeat.

  But I didn't want to. This was too easy.

  My hand twisted in the ends of her silky hair, tightening until she was forced to arch right into my tongue.

  “OhmygodDylan…”

  Right on cue.

  No amount of phone sex came close to how it felt to have her here in surround sound, her skin starting to sweat against the cool marble countertop and her taste on my tongue.

  I pulled back to take in her dazed expression. Those silver eyes cloudy with pleasure, her lips parted. The flush showing the freckles her makeup usually hid.

  This girl was fucking it for me.

  The fact that I’ve only ever done most of this with Lex only makes it better.

  You don’t need to try every instrument in the orchestra to know which one’s for you. Lex is my violin, and I can play her like Vivaldi.

  “You have too many clothes on.” I pushed the jacket off Lex’s shoulders. Her top was next. I dropped both on the floor and groaned at the sight.

  The lace bra Lex wore was my favorite kind. Her small, perfect breasts were just covered, her nipples teasing me through bright purple lace.

  I’d been picturing this girl naked since I was old enough to get it up, but reality was so much better. Her body was lean with long, slow curves outlining her breasts, her waist, her hips, her ass, her legs. I could touch her all day and never want for anything.

  I reached for the door of the freezer next to us. When I brought my hand back, excitement sparked in Lex’s expression.

  “Lean back,” I murmured. She did, bracing her hands behind her and watching with nerves and anticipation as I ran an ice cube over one lace-covered breast. Her teeth sank into her lip as the ice left a wet trail across her bra and the skin peeking through. My dick got even harder as I watched a drop of water slide down over her nipple.

  When she let out a frustrated little sigh, I had to remind myself to be patient.

  “Damn, that’s cold,” she panted as I ran the ice over the hard peak of her nipple, rubbing a little circle, before moving the ice to her other breast.

  Her string of curses made the restraint worth it. Almost.

  I ran a finger up her slit to remind her of everything that was still to come. She was so wet, from her arousal and my mouth. I stroked Lex with my fingers and the ice. Her skin might have been shivering, but watching was hot as fuck. The feeling of the ice in one hand contrasting with the wet warmth of her pussy. From the way her flat stomach shook just a little, to her panting breaths, I knew she was getting off on this as much as I was.

  Time to bring this home.

  Relishing what was about to happen, I slipped two fingers into her heat and dropped my mouth to her breast, sucking on her skin through the lace.

  Lex cried out, her body clenching around my fingers as the feeling crashed into her. Her hips bucked as she rode it out.

  Satisfaction roared through me. There was nothing in the world like seeing her explode in my hands, under my mouth. Hearing her cries of pleasure and knowing they were all for me.

  But this was nowhere near over, and she knew it too.

  I dropped the ice cube on the counter and shoved my jeans down. Her greedy hands reached to pull my cock out of my shorts. I hissed out a breath as her fingers ran over me, across the tip where I was already leaking.

  I’d meant to be patient, but Lex’s touch snapped my resolve. I tugged her leg up over my shoulder, my fingers squeezing her bare legs as I positioned myself between her thighs.

  The weight of her needy gaze on mine was the best thing I’d felt all day.

  Until I sank inside her.

  Lex’s nails dug into my shoulders, tearing a groan from me. The feel of her body squeezing me was unreal. I was a hair trigger from losing myself, from thrusting into her hard and fast, chasing the sweet release only this girl could give me.

  The angle gave me a killer view of where we were joined. I pulled nearly all the way out, then pressed back in. Her gasping breath told me it was every bit as good for her.

  I held out, delaying the inevitable for both of us.

  “Tell me you need me,” I muttered against her mouth.

  “Yes,” she panted, her eyes closed.

  “Tell me you love me.”

  Lex blinked her eyes open, her hand finding the back of my neck. Stroking where the sweat was starting to bead.

  “More than anything,” she whispered, and my heart turned over.

  I pressed a rough kiss to her mouth while our bodies came together over and over. A rhythm we’d written ourselves, in a key no one else could hear.

  I built her up the way I knew she liked, speeding up and slowing down without needing her to tell me.

  “Dylan, I’m so close.”

  “I know.” She was slick and tight around me, and I knew she’d go off any second. It wasn’t enough. I needed her to remember that this was special. That no matter how she touched herself when I was gone, it was nothing compared to how I could make her feel.

  I retrieved the ice cube from where it had landed on the counter and pressed down on her clit. She bucked violently against me, my name erupting from her lips.

  When Lex’s fingers dug into my ass, my control slipped.

  When her teeth sunk into my shoulder, her body gripping mine, that control shattered.

  “Lex…” I groaned into her hair. “Shit, I can’t wait.”

  My hands dug into her hips, hard enough to leave marks. I held her in place while my hips thrust fast and mindless. Chasing the tightness, the friction, the feeling.

  It started at the base of my spine. Like the first tremors of an earthquake, it built up speed and resolve as it rocketed through my body. It ripped through me like a storm, pulling my muscles away from my bones as I released deep inside her.

  The first sensations I noticed were the smells. Sex, and satisfaction, and Lex. Then her breathing, rough but feminine, and mine, still haggard.

  I dropped Lex’s leg carefully, feeling the muscles in my shoulders and back complain. She leaned forward, bracing herself on my shoulders like she was too wrecked to sit up.

  I knew the feeling.

  She looked up at me through sated eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said softly.

  “Me too.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  I heard the sadness in her voice already and hated that I was as responsible for that as I was for her pleasure a moment ago.

  “My flight’s Friday morning.”

  She seemed to understand what I was thinking. I glanced around, finally aware of our surroundings again.

  “I guess the takeout’s cold.”

  Lex laughed into my chest, the tension easing and the vibration warming my heart as much as the sex had warmed my body. Her legs wrapped around my hips. “I don’t think I can g
o out again. My legs might collapse.”

  “Mmm. I don’t think I can let you out, looking like that.” I breathed against her neck. “You know the only thing that’s better than cold takeout?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Cold takeout in bed.”

  Chapter 5

  Lex

  The sound of the phone gradually shook me out of my sleep. I reached over the side of the bed to retrieve my cell from the table, wincing as my muscles complained.

  Side effect of dating a twenty-one-year-old guy who’s determined to make up for lost time.

  I couldn’t help smiling a little as I answered. “Hello?”

  “Lex, it’s me.”

  “Oh. Hey, Kirsten.” I dropped back onto the bed. Dylan—who was sound asleep next to me, snoring a little like he did when he was extra tired—had kept me up long after the takeout was gone. The talking we’d done was confined to things like “faster,” “slower,” and “harder.”

  Just remembering it had me flushing.

  “Did I wake you?”

  “No. It’s all good.”

  “Thanks again for making those bags. I had a chance to talk to Elle about the arrangement you and I came up with, and good news—she likes the idea. She’s waiting to talk to you more at the show.”

  The post-sex haze receded, replaced by nerves in my stomach. Kirsten’s words echoed in my head, and it took a moment for me to form a response.

  “Really? That’s … amazing.”

  I was painfully aware of Dylan next to me, even though he slept like the dead. I tried to slip out of bed, suddenly feeling the need to have this conversation in private.

  I rolled onto my side and shifted my body toward the edge of the mattress. Before I got there, a muscled arm banded around me and hauled me back to the center of the bed. I tried to pry free, but my restraints tightened, forcing me against a sleeping, naked, and apparently very interested man at my back.

  “Um. Kirsten, can I call you back?”