Styled (Travesty Book 4) Read online

  I’d never been needed by someone before. Never thought I wanted to be. But when the girl was Jordan, the girl who’d die before admitting she needed anyone?

  It was fucking addictive.

  Because I needed something from her too. I needed to give her everything I was.

  And I hoped to hell it was enough.

  Her fingers trailed down my chest, finding the waistband of my jeans. I stripped my shirt over my head, dropping it and the T-shirt beneath on the floor.

  I pulled her after me into the bedroom. Lay on my back and coaxed her on top.

  She straightened and the low light from the other room lit her long curves, her shining skin. The tips of her shoulders, the sides of her breasts. The flat stomach that flared into hips.

  “Ethan, what’re you doing?” she murmured.

  “I want to see you.”

  “See me what?”

  “Eat Cheerios. Do your taxes. Brush your teeth. I don’t fucking care,” I whispered. My finger stroked her stomach, her hip. Her breath caught as I skimmed over the skin right above where I knew she would be wet for me, detouring to her thigh at the last minute.

  Her lips parted and she looked down at me, eyelids at half mast as my hands caressed her legs.

  “If you’re…” I couldn’t bring myself to say leaving, “…I need to see you. Every second.”

  Fire shot down my spine, or up it, as her hand wrapped around me. I didn’t have time to process because my head fell back on a groan, every thought driven from my head except for the feel of her cool fingers stroking me.

  I forced my eyes open as she bent over me, her mouth skimming my chest, my abs. Everywhere it brushed made me shake a little more. I needed her like I’d never needed anything. It’d stopped being terrifying, because it just was.

  “Ethan, can you touch me?”

  Her simple request had me coming out of my skin. I wanted nothing more than to comply but my hand stilled on her hip.

  “Show me how you want me to.” My voice was low, the rumble of thunder threatening on the horizon. “Please,” I added at her reluctance.

  Jordan’s hesitation was as sexy as the moment her hand slid down her stomach, eyes flickering on mine, then going hazy, her fingers finding her clit.

  I groaned. I’d spent way too much time dictating to her. This was her turn. Any chance she’d give me from here on in would be her turn.

  “That’s right,” I murmured. “We’re going to take this slow.” Like we should’ve before.

  I wanted to build her up. Build this up. Until she was surrounded by me. My body, my arms, my protection.

  I knew she’d never done this with anyone, which made her that much more mine.

  Mine.

  “Pretend it’s me touching you, Jordan.”

  She nodded, slowly, her eyes falling shut.

  I couldn’t speak or breathe. Just watch her, touching herself and thinking of me, her face full of desire and pleasure.

  “Ethan, I need you.”

  The air squeezed from my lungs. “You have me,” I told her. Jordan had no idea how fucking true it was. If she could’ve seen through my skin at that moment, she’d have found my heart beating just for her.

  “It’s not enough. I need you inside me.”

  My half-baked plan for slow and deliberate cracked at the sound of her words. But it was the touch of her fingers, her thumb sliding over the head of my cock while she touched herself with her other hand, that broke me.

  “I need that too.” I took her hips, shifting her forward and pulling her down on me with a groan.

  She moaned, arching back as she took me inside her. I could smell the sweat and the sex and I rose up, needing to taste her. My lips found her neck, kissing and sucking right below her jaw.

  Her nails raked over my back and I tightened my grip on her body, flexing my hips as I thrust inside her.

  Slow.

  Deep.

  Now that I knew I was the only guy who’d been here, it made me possessive. Protective.

  I was glad she was inexperienced, because maybe she wouldn’t see the truth of it. Every want and need and feeling I’d never wanted to let out was laid bare to her. For us.

  Her hips lifted, then lowered on mine as she found a rhythm. The girl who hated conformity couldn’t deny this, and she was as helpless as me against the feelings overtaking us.

  “You’re perfect,” I whispered hoarsely.

  Her parted lips curved at the corners. “I’m not even close to perfect.”

  “Are you close to something else?” My meaning changed as I grabbed her ass in my hand, squeezing hard.

  She made a little noise in her throat. “Yeah. Ethan I missed you.”

  “Shit, Jordan, I missed you too.” I buried my face in her neck, breathing her in. “I’m so sorry. I can’t take it anymore. I need you so fucking badly.”

  I flipped her over and thrust into her again. My mouth claimed hers with deep, bruising kisses. My elbows braced me over her, my fingers cradling her head, tilting her up to me. She kissed me back and this time it wasn’t me telling her, me forcing her. It was both of us, wild together.

  With every stroke I became less me and more a part of her.

  I felt her tense, her breath shorten, until it was coming in shallow gasps. Her fingers clenching my back.

  The only way I could hold myself off was the promise of savoring the sweet moment before she came, when she looked up at me, those eyes wild with wonder and need and, fuck, I wanted to believe there was something more than both.

  Then the sounds of her climax propelled me over the edge and I lost myself, drunk and high on the feel of her, my face buried in her neck as I whispered her name.

  30

  Jordan

  I opened my eyes to strange surroundings.

  Gray, chrome. A charcoal bedspread so dark it was nearly black.

  Light teased me from the other side of the drapes as my gaze worked over the tidy bedroom.

  Ethan. My gaze stopped on him. His back was partly visible from the doorway of the closet. Broad shoulders were covered in a dress shirt the color of African violets. He didn’t have on any pants, just socks.

  Most guys would look ridiculous.

  Not Ethan. He looked hot and masculine and how had I ever thought waffles were more appealing first thing in the morning than that man?

  His hair had grown out. It seemed strange I’d known him long enough for that to happen.

  Still, in some ways it felt like I’d known him forever.

  Which was crazy.

  Ethan emerged from the walk-in closet, his hands deftly fastening the buttons as he stopped in front of me. Ice blue eyes found mine and my heart melted into a puddle.

  “Morning.”

  Because it was. Somehow I’d spent the whole night there.

  “You always put on pants last?”

  Ethan shrugged. “It’s a debate I have with myself each day. Whether I’ll wear them or not.”

  “It is Friday.”

  A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, and I couldn’t stop the answering pull at mine.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like there’s a hole in my stomach. But it’s better. Thanks to you,” I said under my breath.

  Better was the wrong word for how I felt. Last night with Ethan had been unlike anything I’d ever experienced. If I’d thought sex with him was exciting, I’d been completely unprepared for the onslaught of feelings yesterday brought.

  No one had ever made me feel special the way that Ethan did. It wasn’t with his hands, or his body, or his words. It was all of it. Every breath. Every look.

  I sat up, pulling the bedspread up to cover my bare chest. His eyes followed my movement.

  “You have no idea how much I want to join you right now,” he said under his breath.

  “Is it the bedhead or the red face?”

  Ethan’s low groan had other parts of me waking up as he shifted onto the bed over me. “I
t’s the sarcasm. Sarcasm makes my dick twitch.”

  I angled my face up to better meet his gaze. “What time is your presentation?”

  “Three. Why? You need me for something?”

  A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t have let on that I cared. But something had changed.

  He had blown off something clearly important, for me. I tried not to read too much into it, but it made my heart beat funny. And made the thought of leaving the following week almost unbearable.

  Ethan’s gaze warmed like he could read my mind. My body heated.

  “Need is a strong word.”

  “Then want.” His mouth dropped to mine and it was so familiar it made my heart ache. My hands went around his neck, like it was where they were made to be. “Do you want something from me, Jordan?”

  His low voice stroked across my skin. I shivered, from that and the cool air that kissed me as he pushed down the blankets between us. His slow touch, running down my bare side like he owned me, had me arching against him on a moan.

  Ethan’s tongue slipped between my lips as he kissed me harder.

  His hand trailed down my stomach, his wicked fingers finding the spot between my legs.

  “Fuck, you’re wet,” he murmured against my mouth. He stroked where I ached, and even that careless touch had me bucking off the bed. “You love it when I touch you.”

  I couldn’t answer.

  “I bet you’d like my mouth there even more.”

  My eyes squeezed shut because, yeah, that was exactly what I’d been thinking.

  “Did you and Dickwad ever—”

  “Ethan, don’t…” I reached for him. But he pulled back, pinning my wrists to the bed. The intensity on his face might have been intimidating if it wasn’t for the emotion underneath it.

  “Tell me and I’ll never ask you again. Did he go down on you?”

  “Sometimes,” I admitted.

  His jaw tightened. “Did you come?”

  “No.” I’d pretended, more than once.

  “Good. You’ll come for me.”

  The purely male satisfaction in his voice made me shiver.

  “Probably,” I breathed. Not because I was anywhere near relaxed enough to imagine getting off, but because there was no way in hell I’d bet against him when it came to making me feel things I didn’t know were in me.

  Ethan started down my body, his gaze dropping as he pulled back the sheet. His hands found my thighs and tugged them apart. Gentle but insistent.

  My muscles tensed instinctively as he settled between my legs, pressing my ankles against the bed. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?” he murmured. “I’m going to love feeling you come apart on my tongue.”

  The way he said it, like there was nothing in the world he wanted more, had me shaking with need. Even before he pressed his lips to the inside of my thigh.

  Once.

  Again.

  I squirmed. “Don’t tease me.”

  He did it to the other thigh, dragging his mouth higher. My hips arched.

  “Dammit, Ethan.”

  His blue eyes found mine again, full of heat and intent. “I like teasing you. I like knowing I have what you need.”

  I felt his breath on my sensitive skin. Every muscle in my body tightened in anticipation, his touch affecting me as much as his words.

  Then his tongue licked a slow path up my slit.

  I cried out. My body bent up off the bed like I was trying to escape, the feeling like an electric current coursing through me.

  Which was crazy, because there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I could die like this a thousand times, under Ethan’s mouth with those strong hands holding me down. Keeping me from floating away.

  He licked me like candy, stroked me like I was precious. Then changed it up, tilting my world on its axis again.

  Nothing had ever felt this good.

  Ever.

  There was pleasure—insane amounts of pleasure—but behind it, under it, was a storm of need. Ethan wove the feelings together with his fingers, his tongue, and pulled them straight from the center of me.

  I decided his mouth was so exquisite because he was hard, wet and deliberate. Then he pulled back a little, playing. And that was a whole other kind of good that had me twisting in his grip.

  “I think she likes it,” he murmured, his gaze meeting mine.

  I’d always thought a guy going down on you was the highest form of embarrassment. But this wasn’t embarrassing, not when Ethan’s hot look said he was as into this as I was.

  He added two fingers and I squirmed. The sudden fullness added to my pleasure and my frustration.

  “What do you like more, my fingers or my tongue?” he muttered.

  “All of it,” I gasped.

  I was liquid. My body had no boundaries. I couldn’t control my noises but neither could he. His groan vibrated against my skin, sending me shuddering again.

  He had me flying like a kite, but he held my strings. I’d never felt freer or safer than I did with him. I should’ve known Ethan’s wicked mouth would have other talents than talking.

  And the way he sent me higher with each stroke of his tongue, each slide of his fingers, had me ready to scream.

  I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

  “Ethan, please,” I moaned.

  “Please what.”

  I forced my eyes open enough to meet his dark gaze. The way he looked down at me, aggressive, turned on, was the hottest thing ever.

  I knew how much he liked me asking him for things. And there was no arguing with him because right now he held my pleasure.

  He was my pleasure.

  “Please let me come.”

  The cobalt of his eyes glittered darkly, and as he groaned, I knew I’d said the right thing.

  His mouth returned, along with his fingers. And it felt like he was touching me everywhere, licking me everywhere.

  Every muscle in me was strung tight enough to break, from my shoulders to my toes.

  Then he sucked my clit between his lips and my world exploded.

  My fingers dug into his head, holding his mouth against me as my other hand fisted in the sheets. I cried out his name as my back arched off the bed.

  The waves rolled through me. One after another, each one bigger than the last until I collapsed, panting, my eyes shut.

  I felt Ethan move up my body. It took a minute to pry my eyes open enough to see him staring down at me. The satisfaction might’ve been permanently etched on his face.

  “Jordan?” All I could do was nod. “I’m glad I’m the only guy.”

  Warmth flooded my body.

  It had nothing to do with sex.

  After showering, I threw on Ethan’s T-shirt over my denim shorts and padded out of the bedroom.

  The house was beautiful, white stucco on the outside and rich earthy colors on the inside. Ethan made coffee, and I watched him work in the kitchen. I was shocked to see so much actual fresh food there. Vegetables, fruits. A vat of protein powder that looked big enough to feed an army.

  “You want something to eat?” he asked.

  “Coffee’s good.”

  We took our coffees outside. He pulled his notebook computer out and shifted into one of the chairs of his bistro set.

  “So what’s the damage from missing this meet and greet? Will it hurt your chances at the presentation this afternoon?” I asked.

  “Maybe.”

  A sudden determination arose from nowhere. “You’re not losing out on this because of me. You’re good at your job, Ethan. What if you could find a way to show them how good?”

  “At selling?”

  “Show them you understand what they want better than they do.”

  “What’s on your mind?”

  I bit my lip, thumbing through the brochure on the table. “The biggest attraction of these places is the view. But there’s also the environmental aspect, right? It’s easy to lose sight of it, but people will want the places because they can tell th
eir friends how environmentally responsible they are.”

  “In theory. But you get how LA works now. People see the next shiny thing and they’re on it.”

  “OK. Well, maybe there’s the best of both worlds. You know, sell the steak and the sizzle. Just because the people buying these places don’t have to worry about money doesn’t mean they don’t have hearts. Brains. And, do it in the style they’re used to.”

  “Which is?”

  “Throw a huge ass party.”

  It felt good to work on someone else’s problem, especially Ethan’s. I wanted to help. I needed to help, after everything he’d done.

  We talked through possibilities and that had me feeling better than anything all week.

  “You’re a fucking genius,” he murmured after I’d laid out a plan. I flushed under the weight of his compliment. “But what are we going to do about Evergreen?”

  I sighed. “I’m not sure this one’s fixable. It didn’t happen overnight. I should’ve known something was wrong two years ago but I didn’t have the experience. There wasn’t growth but then this company’s been around thirty years in an established industry. It’s hard to grow for that long. They’re not selling sports cars, or sexy condos, or celebrity stories.”

  “Show me.”

  I did.

  “It’s great furniture.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  I reached up to rub the back of my neck. “Everyone’s really good and they work hard, from the designers to the people working on the factory floor. But the luxury furnishing market isn’t exactly a hotbed of innovation. You buy wood. Textiles. Designs. Mash them together. Designs might change, but the rest stays the same.”

  “Jordan, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that nothing stays the same.”

  I thought about it. “I know they could figure it out. But they need something to tide them over until they do.”

  “Time’s a bitch.”

  I wondered if he was talking about Evergreen or the fact that I was going home in another week.

  “Yeah. It is.”

  31

  Ethan