Ricochet (7 page)

“What the fuck? What’s wrong?” I mimicked her actions, searching for what was going on behind me. Why the hell was she, by all accounts, acting
like a fucking spaz? All I saw was the regular sea of dancing bodies.

“Are you OK?”

She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as some guy approached.

“Happy birthday, babe.”

Babe
?

“Justin.” Noelle nodded and then snaked her arms around my waist.

Too focused on being a fucking creep, he didn’t catch how annoyed she sounded. His expectancy irked me.

I wrapped my arm low around Noelle’s waist and brought her closer
. Now he noticed me.
Justin
looked me over from head to toe. I saw the exact moment my challenge registered with him, because he was quick to snap his gaze to Noelle instead of stepping to me.

“Who’s this asshole?”

“What?” I took a step forward. Noelle pulled me right back.

“Justin, stop it before you get your ass kicked.”

“By whom?” He chuckled at Noelle and ignored my hard stare. “May I speak with you for a minute?”

“Absolutely not,” she answered quickly.

His nostrils flared and he nodded. “I see. So is he the reason you haven’t been answering my calls all week?”

“It’s been more than a week. And you
know
why I haven’t been answering your calls.”

Justin’s face fell. His expression took on that of a wounded-puppy, but the bitch ass wouldn’t let it go. “Does he know you were in my bed less than a month ago?”

When Noelle tensed, I was done.

“Listen—” Before I had a chance to say or do anything, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. I turned around and came face-to-face with a guy who was almost the same massive size as Corey.

From his glare, I thought he was about to start some shit with me, but he was focused on Justin.

He stepped up and said something to Justin, but I couldn’t hear what. Whatever was said, though, caused some of the color to drain from Justin’s already pale face. For a moment, I liked this new guy.

Noelle released her hold on me and went to stand next to the two men. She said something that made the new dude’s shoulders relax. It was clear from his indiscreet glances Noelle was talking about me. Just as quickly, I decided I didn’t like him much anymore.

Annoyed, I headed to the bar. I never did get that drink. Once there, I ran smack dab into one of Warren’s exes. And by ex I mean somebody he fucked a couple of times.

“Michael!” She threw her arms around me as if we were old friends.

Resisting a shudder, I pushed her off.

“Sorry.” She giggled, too drunk to be offended. “How have you been?”

“Fine.” I didn’t feel the need to point out she fucked up my name.

“Is Warren with you?”

“No.” Had I been in a better mood, I would’ve been more polite. But my focus was on Noelle, those guys,
and how annoyed I was because of it.
Not to mention, this chick smelled of smoke and sweat combined with cheap perfume, which didn’t endear her to me.

I waved the bartender over and ordered a drink for Noelle and a beer for me.

“Eww! Guinness is disgusting.”

“Good thing you’re not the one drinking it, huh?”

The girl pursed her lips and nodded. “So, you wanna dance?”

“God no!”

“You here with someone?” She placed her hand on my bicep. I looked at her sloppy ass and then at her hand and then at her face.

This broad didn’t respect the concept of personal space.

“Please, don’t touch me.”

I looked toward Noelle and her friends.

“That your girl or something? She looks like a bitch. You can do so much better.”

Jesus fucking Christ!
“Listen!” I put a hand up to stop her from stepping any closer than she already was. “I’m gonna need you to have a seat, m’kay? You were my boy’s sidepiece. That doesn’t make us friends.” I gestured between us. “And you got one more time to call my girl a bitch.”

“Or what?” Her posture tensed as if she were daring me to do something. “What are you
gonna do, hit me?”

This bitch. I didn’t like her nasty ass when she was messing with Warren. I sure didn’t have to pretend to like her. “Right now, I wish I could.”

“He might not be able to, but I can.” Noelle stood there with a look so lethal I was surprised the other girl didn’t evaporate in a puff of smoke.

Meanwhile, all it made me
want to do was bend Noelle over the bar. She was hot when she was mad. They had an eye-voodoo moment before Warren’s sloppy jumpoff stomped away, tossing her hair over her shoulder. I coughed, almost choking on the lingering scent of smoke and ratchet skank.

“I normally wouldn’t have stepped in,” Noelle shouted in my ear. “But you looked like you needed to be saved.”

“Thanks.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

We were silent for a second before the bartender came with our drinks. I handed her the glass and took a long chug of my beer.

“Guinness?”

I nodded when I saw her smile,
then tipped
the mouth of the bottle to her in offering.

“No thanks, I can’t drink that shit. My dad loves it, though.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah, umm … ”

I took another swig of my beer and stared at her, expectantly.

“Miles, listen, I want you to know I didn’t invite Justin. He’s Teresa’s cousin, and when she told him we were coming here he decided to crash.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation.” I shrugged, trying to hide how annoyed I was.

“You’re right, I don’t. But I wanted to make it clear I’m not one for drama. That it wasn’t like I invited you out with me knowing my ex was going to be around.”

Noelle was so cool and easy going. She got along with everyone. The thought of her being into drama hadn’t crossed my mind. I told her as much
.

If her smile was any indication, she was happy to hear that. “Good. Now come on. You didn’t get a chance to meet everyone before you stormed off.”

I spluttered on my drink, embarrassed as hell she caught that. I would deny that shit to the death. “I didn’t storm off. I went to get you a drink.”

“Conveniently after shooting my brother dirty looks.” She had that wide-eyed, sexy, and victorious smug-as-shit look, again.

I neither confirmed nor denied said dirty looks and let her lead me to the table.

When we got back to where everyone was hanging out and dancing, I met the rest of her friends and her stepbrother, Sean. He was cool as fuck and my source of entertainment whenever Noelle was off with her girls.

“So how do you know Noelle?”
Justin plopped down next to me
.

I was ready to give him a dick-headed answer but stopped when I saw the look in his eyes. I had worn that same look a few months ago when I got dropped like a bad habit. He was devastated but trying to keep up his bravado.

“You should ask her that.” I nodded in the direction of the dance floor and took a pull from my beer.

“I did. She says you’re her new boyfriend.”

My drink went down the wrong pipe.

“She’s lying.” He laughed over the sound of my coughing. Fucking asshole. “I’m not surprised, but it’s whatever. I’ll let her play her games for now and give her the space she asked for. She’ll be back. They always come back.”

My empathy evaporated into thin air.

He was right; she
was
lying, but that didn’t mean I was OK with him calling her out on it. I sure as fuck didn’t appreciate his cocky attitude, either. Pissed and determined, I chugged the rest of my drink and strode to the dance floor.

Noelle must have had her reasons to lie to this guy, and it wasn’t my place to question her. Regardless, her goal was crystal clear, and the plan was simple. She wanted to keep Justin away. So, as her date tonight—if that’s what I was—it was my job to help her accomplish that.

I risked life and limb to get in the middle of the dancing girls.
Thankfully, they let me into the pack.

“You having fun?” I pulled Noelle to me when the song ended and the other girls moved on.

She nodded, pulling my ear to her mouth. She didn’t quite reach, though, and I shivered when her lips brushed against the side of my neck. “Yeah, thanks for coming.”

“Do you come here a lot? You’re pretty popular.”

She laughed and nodded again. “Corey spins here a lot, so we always come out.”

“Ah, OK.”

At some point, the music changed to a slower tempo. Noelle and I were practically fucking on the dance floor. Her right leg was hitched over my hip, our foreheads glued together, and our bodies moved in tandem to the music.

The thumping bass matched the beat of my heart. It took a lot of restraint not to suggest going into the bathroom or a dark corner.

Because my hard-on was raging and Noelle was moving against me as though she were trying to make me come in my pants, I warned her, “Keep grinding on me like that, and we’ll have a problem.”

“It’s after midnight!”

“OK?” What did that have to do with her grinding on me?

“Technically, it’s not my birthday anymore. Let’s get out of here.”

I hesitated for a moment. “What about your friends?” There had to be some code against ditching them two nights in a row.

“Yeah,” she said with a snort. “Take a look around.”

I did. Sure enough, a few of her friends were dancing near us in the same position as Noelle and me. Some were even raunchier and that was a feat! I wasn’t into that voyeur-type shit—watching people fuck publicly—but I couldn’t deny some of it got me hot. My voice was thick, husky when I said, “I’m down to leave if you are.”

“
Lemme say bye to Sean.”

Hand-in-hand, we walked to the table where Justin sat fuming.
That’s right, motherfucker. Tonight she’s mine.
Unable to resist, I winked at him before Noelle and I walked out of the club.

We were a few steps into the parking garage when Noelle stopped us. “Where’s your car?”

I clicked the alarm. The headlights flashed.

“
That’s
your car?” She rushed to the Jag with a disbelieving and awe-filled look. “I … Do you know what kind of car this is?” She rambled on, listing the precise make and model and even commenting on my custom paint job.

I smiled, proud of my baby. “Yes, ma’am. I got her a few months ago for my birthday.”

When she rubbed her thighs together, I grinned.

“Into cars?”

Her smile was shy, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Just a little bit. Before I decided my dream was to be a dancer, I used to want to be a mechanic. Silly, I know.”

“No, it’s not. Actually, it’s kind of hot.” I wasn’t into cars myself and didn’t know any girls who were. I bought my baby because of the name she carried and how sleek she looked. “Maybe if you’re good.” I pulled Noelle into my arms. “I’ll let you drive her one day.”

I laid her against the hood. She grinned but didn’t say anything
.

“Did I tell you how fucking sexy you looked tonight?” I bowed my head and pulled her earlobe into my mouth.

“No.” She whimpered. “Y-you didn’t.”

Humming, I nipped the side of her neck. “You did. You do.”

She shivered while I spread wet kisses across her collarbone and to her other ear, grazing her skin with my teeth along the way.

“I lost count of how many times I thought about taking you in the bathroom,” I whispered.

“You did? Wh-what were you thinking about?”

“This,”
I hissed, cupping her pussy
and then pushing her panties aside. “I’ve been thinking about this all day.” My fingers trailed down her slit. “Tasting you, feeling you around my dick again. All fucking day. That’s all I’ve thought about.”

Unable to hold back, I plunged my fingers inside her and pumped them in and out while
rubbing my thumb against her clit.

She responded instantly, rocking against my hand. I smiled, loving how fucking wet she was. It took everything in me not to whip my dick out and fuck her right there.

She fisted my collar, muffling her cries and whimpers into the crook of my neck.

Nearby, a car alarm went off. She tensed, but I let out a strained laugh. “We’re always getting interrupted.” I pulled my fingers out of her, stuck them in my mouth,
and held in my whimper. She tasted so good.
She did whimper, though, probably because I didn’t get to finish what I started.

“We can pick this up later,” I said.

We were quiet as we got on I-95, but it wasn’t like earlier in the day when the silence made me want to jump out of my skin. When we passed the exit that would lead us to her loft, Noelle shoulders relaxed, and her lips curled up in a soft smile.

“We’re going to my place. Is that cool?”

“Definitely.”

And we were quiet again because I realized what I’d said. We were going to
my house
.

The silence and my thoughts about what bringing Noelle home symbolized lasted our whole ride, only ending when we got inside my place and I offered her something to drink.

I leaned against the counter and rested my head against the cabinet above.
My heart slammed in my chest. The importance of having
Noelle in my house—in my kitchen—drinking from glasses I bought after my ex left me and took all her things
with her
, along with some of my confidence,
was momentous.

I felt good—happy despite my nerves. In one night, Noelle threw
me and my plans off kilter. The guys were right; she had me by the balls. My only desire was to get out of my head and enjoy every minute of our limited time together.

I opened my eyes and found her watching me over the top of her glass. A small smile played on her juicy lips, and she had that look—she knew what she did to me.

“This wine is good.” She licked her lips. “Wanna taste?”

I nodded slowly. I was glad she was comfortable, was bold enough to make the first move tonight. Whatever happened wouldn’t be just her going along with my advances.

She pressed her lips against mine. Eager,
I sucked her tongue into my mouth, pulled her body close, and walked us
backward into the living room. We fell onto the couch in a tangle of arms and legs.

“Take this off.” She yanked at my shirt but stopped me before I could undo the buttons. “Let me,” she spoke softly, pushing me back by my shoulders.
She straddled my lap and slowly peeled off
each layer of my clothes.

It was torture. By the time I was down to my boxers, I was ready to die. I felt pleasure hit me everywhere—head to toe. My dick was hurting, heart galloping.

“Noelle.” My voice was foreign. I begged—
begged
—this girl to touch me.

“Impatient?”

Laughing softly, I nodded. “Very.”

She slipped down to sit on my thighs, taking my boxers with her
. I lifted my hips so she could ease them down, then sighed in fucking relief.

“Oh, God.” This thing she did, first licking the tip of my dick and
then swirling her tongue around before flicking the slit. I wanted to watch, focus on how into it she was. Focus on the very thing that made my abs ache, ass clench, and my skin overheat. But if I watched, it would be over too quickly. I let my head fall against the couch with a moan. When she wrapped her entire mouth around me, I didn’t try to stifle my response.

Setting a fast rhythm, her head bobbed up and down with her hands trailing after. I bucked my
hips against the warmth and wetness. Her hands gripped my thighs, anchoring her against my thrusts. Moaning, she took all of me in. The vibration was almost too much, but I refused to lose it just yet.

“Let up a little,” I whispered, moving her head back. She frowned, and I rushed to reassure her.

“I wanna be inside you when I come, Noelle.” I cupped the back of her neck and brought her mouth roughly to mine. “But first, I want the crown back on.”

After she humored me and placed the crown on her head, I relaxed against the couch as she placed a condom on me. Noelle then turned and slowly lowered herself onto my dick. Fuck if it didn’t feel better than I remembered.

A strangled “goddammit” was all I managed as I wrapped my arm tightly around her waist.

“Fuck!” She stiffened when I impaled her with a series of quick, deep thrusts and rubbed at her clit.

“
Shhh.” I kissed and nipped her back. “I’m sorry. I just need it harder.” I slid us off the couch.
The hardwood killed my knees, but she felt amazing. No way in hell was I going to stop and change positions again.

Between the sounds of our skin slapping together and her chants of “Oh, God. Oh God” and “fuck me, Miles, fuck me”, it wasn’t long before my heart was racing and the tension was building in my stomach. “Fuck, I’m
gonna come.”

“No.” Noelle growled before thrusting her ass back harder than before.

That was all I could take. I roared her name and gasped for air as my mouth went dry. I lost the ability to speak. My entire body tensed and curled inward as I slammed into Noelle. When she came, her cries were loud enough for the both of us.

Struggling to catch my breath, I flopped onto the floor and brought her with me. It was uncomfortable as hell. I might as well have been lying on a cement slab, but with Noelle in my arms, it was easy to endure.

My eyes drooped in exhaustion but popped open when I felt her sit up. I had a feeling she was about to try and pull some shit, but I wasn’t ready to let her go yet or say good-bye. I grabbed her hands to stop her. “Stay.”

Noelle rubbing her ass against me woke me early in the morning. At first, I thought she was sleeping, but then she started tracing the tips of her fingers against my arm.

I grunted out a good morning. She turned in my arms and threw her thigh over my hip. With a quick peck on the lips, she moved down my chin to my throat. Craning my neck to the side, I gave her better access to the skin right above my Adam’s apple and grabbed ahold of her ass. At the same time, she trailed her hand down my stomach.

When she slid her fingers under the waistband of my boxers and slowly fingered the trail of hair there, I fucking giggled. I couldn’t help it.

Noelle froze.

“Did you just
giggle
?”

I snorted as though it were the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard. “Of course not.”

“Bullshit.” Her posture perked up along with the tenor of her voice. “Yes you did. Let’s see if you’ll do it again.”

She tried to slide her hand down my pants again,
but I grabbed her wrists, flipped her onto the mattress, and pinned her hands above her head.

When I saw the look on her face, I laughed
.

Not one to accept defeat, Noelle wiggled under me, trying to free her thighs, which were also trapped between my legs.
I dipped my head and rubbed my stubbled face against her cheeks and neck.
She squealed, and thrashed her head from side to side.

“Say you’re sorry for trying to tickle me, and I’ll stop.” I continued rubbing the side of my face against her cheek. I was so into this moment—getting to be carefree, being a little playful without being told I was acting immature.

“Never.”

I whispered in her ear, “Say ‘I’m sorry,’ and I’ll let you up.”

She shivered. “Nuh-uh.”

“So, you're not sorry?” I licked the shell of her ear.

She jerked a little but managed to shake her head.

“You’re not?” I said in a singsong tone then nipped at her chin. “How ’bout now?” I lowered my head to her chest and nosed aside the sheet. I swirled my tongue around her nipple before sucking as much of her breast into my mouth as I could.
I let go of her wrists, grabbed her other breast, and gave it attention
. She squirmed underneath me. Slowly, I licked down her chest and stomach and bit around her belly button.

“Still not sorry?”

“Nope.”

I looked up to find her reclining on her elbows, with hooded eyes and a sexy smile. I was hard as a rock, aching and grinding against the bed to alleviate some of the tension. Her look and smelling her so close had me tempted to stop teasing her. I wanted inside of her. But I didn’t want this moment to end.

“One last time, Noelle. Are you sure you’re not sorry?”

She tapped her lips with a finger. “I’ll go with no.”

I grabbed ahold of her thighs and urged her legs open. I slid one finger from the bottom of her belly button all the way to the bottom of her pussy and then back to the top and pressed the tip of my finger against her clit.

Then I waited. “Last chance.”

When she shook her head again, I pushed my fingers inside of her.

Gasping, she threw her head back and brought her hands up to cup her tits and pinch and
pull her nipples. I stopped fingering her and took a second to enjoy the fact
I
had turned her on like this. I wanted to forget about my game. I wanted my dick—hard and aching for her—to replace my fingers. I managed to refocus and teased the insides of her folds with the tip of my tongue. Licking one side and then the other and then along the crease of her inner thigh, I ignored her engorged clit.

“More,” she whispered.

I didn’t relent.

“Miles.”

I didn’t relent.

“Please.”

I smirked but still didn’t relent.

I continued tasting her flesh while pumping my fingers, but I stayed away from where she wanted me.

Finally, when I could tell she was teetering on the edge but unable to fall without that last bit of stimulation, I pressed my flattened tongue against her clit. Once, twice, three times before her pussy clamped around my fingers. Her body twitched as she came.