Under Pressure Read online

  He puts his mouth to my ear, his hands caressing my bare skin. “How do you feel?”

  “Good,” I say, even though my emotions are a chaotic mess.

  “Just good?” His voice is playful as he grips my rib cage, his index fingers brushing my breasts. They swell beneath the rough pads of his thumbs and I moan, my body aching for something far more intimate. “Better?”

  Playing along, I say. “Maybe just a bit.”

  “Oh, is that right.” He splays his fingers and slides his hand down over my stomach. He cups my mound and squeezes, and I lean forward slightly to rub my ass against his cock, a vicious little tease.

  “How do you feel?” I ask in return.

  “You tell me.” He grips his cock, and from behind slides it between my thighs.

  “Hard,” I say, and he laughs.

  “Yeah.” He widens my sex lips and runs his finger over me, circling my clit, but never touching. My temperature rises, and my pulse kicks up a notch. “Still just ‘good’?”

  “Still just good,” I lie, and undulate my hips to massage his erection and try to force his fingers inside me.

  “Let’s see what I can do about that.” He lightly strokes my clit and I whimper.

  “Yesss,” I hiss.

  He takes his hands away, his breath hot on my ear. “That sounds like it’s better than just good.”

  “Cole,” I say and move against him. “More.”

  “More of this?” he asks and strokes my clit.

  “Yes, more of this,” I say and shake with sexual need.

  “It’s good, huh?”

  “Really good.”

  His hand slides lower and he inserts a finger. I practically come the instant he touches me. He pushes inside, strokes me deep, and rubs my clit with the top of his palm. His mouth goes to my neck, and he presses his hot lips to my wet skin. Sparks shoot through me, and I want to move, turn around and take his cock into my hands, but he seems to have other ideas.

  Commanding yet soft, he grips the back of my neck and urges me forward, bending me at the waist as he walks me to the tiled wall opposite the hot spray. “Hands right here,” he growls, his voice deeper, rougher. He captures my wrists and flattens my palms on the wall, then nudges my feet with his to adjust my stance. “Don’t move,” he says, his breath playing down my spine. My entire body quivers as I offer myself up to him this way. He rubs my ass then gives it a little slap.

  As a tremble moves through me, I hear the door sliding open and look at him over my shoulder. I whimper as he disappears from the stall. What the hell is he doing? I wait for a second as he hovers near the bathroom counter, and when I see him coming back, sliding a rubber over his hard cock, a surge of excitement races through me.

  He steps back up to me, and he grips my hips. “Let’s see if I can make you feel really good,” he says, the heat in his voice exciting me even more. He positions his cock between my legs, rubs it over my clit until I’m near delirious, then probes my entrance. In one quick thrust, he drives into me. Oh, yes! I brace my hands on the wall as my legs go weak.

  “I got you,” he murmurs, his arm circling my waist to hold me.

  He inches out of me, then slides in, seating himself inside. “Feels so good,” I cry out.

  “How does this feel?” His hips power forward, penetrating me deeper than ever before.

  I claw at the wall. “Yes,” I groan. “More.”

  He pulls out only to slam back in again. I can feel the tension rising in him as he pounds into me, reaching a fevered pitch that sends me soaring. My entire body quivers uncontrollably.

  I’m a hot, trembling mess as my muscles spasm and suck him in deeper. Sex with your best friend might be wrong, but holy hell, it feels so right. Dizzy, wild, feverish with need, I rear back and meet each thrust. He reaches between my legs and applies pressure to my clit, teasing and tormenting an orgasm right out of me. Pressure builds, reaches dangerous proportions, and I moan and buck, wanting more…wanting everything.

  “That’s it,” Cole says as an explosion tears through me.

  “Cole,” I cry out, my entire body vibrating around his hard cock.

  “You feel so good,” he murmurs, his voice falling over me. He grips my hips and holds tight as he releases high inside me. His pleasure resonates through me and brings on another hot flow of release. After depleting himself, he leans over me and dusts light kisses over my shoulder as I ride out the waves.

  I gasp, but can’t seem to fill my lungs. “Breathe, Reese,” he says as he pulls out of me and puts his hands on my shoulders to spin me around. He pushes my hair from my shoulders and breathes with me. His gaze never leaves mine as he holds me until I’m no longer gasping. My heart pinches at the way he’s always taking care of me, making me feel special, important to him.

  He dispenses with the condom, then reaches for me. “Come here.”

  He turns us and walks backward until I’m under the hot spray. He grabs the soap, runs it over my body, then uses it on himself. All I can seem to do is stand there, lost in the haze of euphoric sex, and watch him.

  After rinsing us both down, he turns off the spray, and I hear a knock on the door. I tense. Cripes, could it be the neighbors complaining at the noise level in room 201?

  “Who could that be?” I ask quietly

  “Room service.”

  What a nice surprise. “When did you order that?”

  “Before joining you in here.” He opens the steamy sliding door, reaches behind him to capture one of my hands, and guides me out. I wring out my wet hair quickly and follow him. Cole grabs a big fluffy towel and throws it around my shoulders. His thumb goes to my chin, and he lifts my head until my lips are poised open.

  He dips his head and gives me a kiss so full of emotion and tenderness that I grow needy for him again. My heart clenches, everything I feel for this man right there on the surface, threatening to bring tears. Honest to God, I’ve never experienced such a deep level of intimacy with anyone before. Is it because this is Cole, my best friend, or is there more going on between us?

  I slide my arms around his waist and hold him so I don’t sink to the floor in a heap of quivering need. Looking for a distraction—something, anything to get my mind off the riot of emotions coursing through me—I glance at the torn foil on the counter.

  “How lucky that you just happened to find a condom on the counter,” I say.

  He inches back. “Yeah, I know, right?”

  “If you ask me, I think you put it there on purpose. That you had every intention of climbing in here and having your way with me.”

  His grin is crooked and adorable. “Then I won’t ask,” he says. He reaches around me to give my ass a fast slap. “Stay in here. I’ll get the door and let you know when the coast is clear.”

  “I can come with you.”

  He knots a towel around his waist. “No, don’t. You’re only in a towel.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “I do.”

  At first I think he’s kidding, then I notice there is no amusement in his voice. “It covers more than my bathing suit, Cole.”

  His jaw clenches. “Yeah, and you look as sexy as hell in both, and I don’t want the delivery guy gawking at you, okay?”

  I look as sexy as hell in both?

  I let loose an exaggerated breath and fight valiantly to suppress the things I’m feeling for this man. “Okay, fine,” I say, deciding to stay in the bathroom to chew on that as Cole goes to let in room service.

  I wait behind the door, and when I hear Cole give the guy a tip and shut and lock the main door, I step into the room. When I see the kitchen has delivered all my favorite breakfast foods, my heart goes a little wobbly. Would Jared have even known all my favorites? Was it possible that I had been trying to change him into someone like…oh, shit.

  I am in so much trouble here. Cole is the man I was trying to turn Jared into. The man I’ve always wanted to be with. But he’s not a guy to commit, and his life is in Color
ado. If I ask him to stay—and there’s no saying he’d want that, anyway—I’d be trying to change him, too, and that would lead to resentment and heartache.

  Maybe I need to put a stop to this affair right now.

  “Cole—”

  “Come on, I’m starved,” Cole says, and drops his towel like getting naked in front of me is now the most natural thing in the world. I stare as he tugs on a pair of jeans and zips them up.

  With my thoughts running a million miles an hour, I let my towel fall to the floor. I glance around for something to wear, but since I came to his room last night dressed only in a bathing suit and white knit cover-up, it’s all I have to wear this morning. I grab the see-through dress and slip into it. It does little to hide my body, and I adjust it when one of my nipples pokes through.

  Cole sets the plates out on the small table. I sit in one of the chairs, and Cole fixes my coffee with cream and one sugar. I take a much-needed sip.

  “Mm, heaven,” I whisper, wanting to talk to him but not knowing how to start or what to say. The truth is part of me knows I need to stop this madness, but there is another part of me that wants to finish out this weekend with him.

  He dishes up the hotcakes, bacon, fruit, and maple syrup. “Eat. You’re going to need your energy for a long day.”

  I reach for my fork. “If I eat all this, I’m going to need a nap.”

  “You can nap on the bus.”

  I groan. “I’m not looking forward to a five-hour bus ride.”

  “I know, but it will be worth it. This adventure is right up your alley.”

  “I guess I am kind of looking forward to seeing the endangered species in their home. I’m glad they’re being taken care of properly.”

  Cole takes a sip of black coffee, his face going serious as he chews on a piece of bacon. “Remember when we were kids, and you always talked about opening your own shelter for rescue dogs?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You don’t talk about that anymore.”

  I shrug. “Work is busy, and there just aren’t enough hours in the day for me to find a place or get things in order.”

  “So, you’d still like to do that.”

  I nod. “Yeah, I would.”

  “What was it you wanted to call it? Bed and Barkfest?”

  I laugh. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

  His bare foot touches mine beneath the table. “I remember everything, Reese.”

  So, do I.

  “Tell me about your job in Colorado,” I say, remembering the times he talked about opening his own adventure camp. Is that something he still thinks about?

  His face lights with a smile, and it’s clear he loves what he does. No surprise there. Unlike me, Cole always was an adrenaline junkie who needed adventure to thrive.

  “I love it.” He gives a slow shake of his head. “The rapids, the scenery, the steep stretches, and the whitewater.” He opens his hands wide. “It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. For most people, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and I get to do it every week. How lucky am I, right?”

  “Very,” I say, unease moving through me. I keep telling myself I’m a big girl and don’t need Cole, but it’s going to kill me when he leaves again.

  “One of the trips includes camping and visiting a cattle ranch. You should come visit. I’ll take you out.”

  “No, thanks,” I say quickly.

  “One of the rafting trips includes horseback riding. You’d love that.”

  “Can I skip the rafting and just do the horseback riding?”

  He pops a piece of bacon into his mouth and grins. “Yeah, you can do that, Reesey Piecey. But come on, you went shark diving. It’s all anticlimactic after that.”

  As if on cue, my nipple pops out again, and Cole clears his throat. “Speaking of climactic,” he says, and I readjust myself to hide my turgid nipple.

  As much as I like where his mind is going, I point at his breakfast. “Hurry up and eat. We have a bus to catch in thirty minutes.”

  “I’ll be fast,” he says.

  “Cole,” I warn.

  He laughs and takes a swig of coffee. “Hey, can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  No, I can’t. He’s a guy and guys think about sex. All. The. Time. Even if this was more than that for him, which it’s not, our lives are in two different places. Mine, New York. His, Colorado. I would never ask him to give that up, or try to change him.

  Chapter Six

  Cole

  After a long bus ride through the awesome scenery of the plains and cliffs of desert-like Klein Karoo, we arrive at our destination in the Western Cape. As we all climb off and stretch out our legs, we’re greeted by our guide and led to our hotel room to get ourselves settled before the tour of the endangered species ranch.

  My room is next to Reese’s. I can’t help but think it’s a waste of money. We could have spared whoever sponsored this trip the cost of two rooms and just shared one. We’ve done that numerous times, even when we weren’t sleeping together.

  I splash some water on my face and change into a clean shirt and shorts. Twenty minutes later, I knock on Reese’s door, and when it swings open, it takes every ounce of strength I have not to push inside, lock the door behind us, and spend the next two days in her bed.

  “Are you ready?” she asks, her eyes wide with excitement.

  I back up and wave for her to move past me. As much as I like my idea of staying in, she’s been talking nonstop about visiting the Cango Wildlife Ranch and seeing all the endangered species. Will she be brave enough to get her picture taken with a cheetah, or will she climb into my arms again, frightened half to death? As I mull that over, I do wonder why the friend who drew her name is putting her in situations that might frighten her. We all know she doesn’t like to step out of her comfort zone. Could that be why they wanted me here with her? Or was there another reason entirely. Hell, maybe they thought we were meant to be together, and this was their way of trying to make it happen. Nah, couldn’t be that. Right?

  Reese closes her door and breezes past me into the hall, and I catch the fresh scent of her shampoo. Makeup free, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she’s the quintessential girl-next-door, and I’ve never seen her look more stunning.

  We take the two flights of stairs to the main level and find a few others milling about, waiting for the jeep to pick us up and take us the short distance to the ranch. I flip through a brochure, then glance around and take in the eclectic mix of people as Reese speaks to a middle-aged woman about the trip. They’re discussing the animal encounters and which species they’d like to meet up close and personal.

  Grinning, I glance outside, but when I see some douchebag looking at Reese, I feel a possessive tug in my gut. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I’d like nothing more than to punch the guy in the face, but Christ, what right do I have to take down every guy who looks at her the wrong way. Or the right way. Or any fucking way at all.

  Just then, a horn sounds, and we all make our way outside. Reese and I climb into the back of an open-air jeep that has been modified to seat nine people. During the short jaunt to the ranch, the driver gives us an educational briefing, discussing the conservation and breeding programs, and how they use interaction with certain ambassador animals to raise awareness, and that guests who have an encounter are more likely to react positively toward conservation issues. As the driver continues to talk, I pull out my phone and take a picture of Reese.

  She blinks and whacks me. “What did you do that for?”

  “Wanted to capture the moment.”

  “Save your space, and take pictures of the scenery and animals, not me.”

  I think about the shark diving video we’ve yet to see and turn my attention to the brochure. I hold it up and point to the crocodile cage diving. “Want to do that?” She gives a slow shake of her head.

  “I think I’ve done enough cage diving for a lifetime,” she says.


  I laugh, and the jeep comes to a stop at the ranch. I hop from the backseat, put my arms around Reese’s waist, and help her out. The staff tells us we’ll have a guided tour and then two hours to explore on our own. Within seconds, the tour guide Angela, dressed in a brown uniform with Cango emblazed on the T-shirt, arrives and leads us through a huge set of alligator teeth, aka the door to the park.

  Reese pauses before the entrance. “If this is a sign of things to come…” she whispers.

  “Don’t worry—”

  “I know,” she says. “You won’t let anything happen to me.”

  “Right. Come on.” I capture her hand and give a little tug to set her into motion. We follow the guide, and she leads us through the Valley of Ancients to view a variety of animals and reptiles. Then we cross a catwalk over a large natural enclosure, home to cheetahs, lions, leopards, and rare snow-white tigers.

  Every time I glance at Reese, I grin and snap a few more pictures without her knowledge. I should be documenting the animals for her so she can enjoy them later, but I can’t keep my eyes off her. She is so totally in her element, and I love being here to capture the moment.

  Little Reesey Piecey has wanted to be a vet since we were kids, and she talked forever about opening her very own rescue shelter. That’s probably why this conservation is so fascinating to her. Shit, maybe her dream could have come true if I’d stayed home to help her instead of fucking off to Colorado.

  “Now what everyone is waiting for,” Angela says, folding her hands in front of her chest. “Up close and personal interaction with the animals.” Angela turns and says, “Follow me.”

  Reese makes a nervous sound, and I’m about to pull her to me when the mouth-breather who’d been watching her earlier steps up to her.