Page 51 of Pleading Innocence

“Mmm.” I smiled.

“You should go in now before they start looking for you,” he said with a chuckle as I leaned forward for more kisses, not even close to being ready to leave his warm, toned, sexy swimmers’ body.

Chapter 32

Jared

She’dputaspellon me, and it had me smiling like a Cheshire cat as I completed a backstroke in the pool. The morning had never felt so crisp or smelled so fresh even though it was just minutes after five and the sun hadn’t come up yet. Work didn’t start until eight which was just as well because I was cruising in the warmth of this water, stretching my limbs languidly and making soft splashes. It felt like I was dancing, and I grinned at how graceful I was.

Mmm, being with Tiffany was like a treat that I couldn’t help but overindulge in, and she left me feeling like I could do anything after. In fact, after this swim, the only thing that could make this morning better would be a dip in her ocean. After completing one final breaststroke to the other end, I used my arms to launch my body out of the pool. My biceps and triceps felt kissed by the action as my bones and muscles relaxed with ease. My mostly gray hair was plastered on my forehead, and I smoothed it out of my face, walking to the locker to grab my towel and dry off. While I was there, I thought it best to grab my phone as well so that I could send Tiffany a message. It was only fair since I couldn’t get her off my mind.

‘Good morning beautiful, can’t stop thinking about you,’I typed on my way to the showers.

I didn’t expect to get a response right away and my pulse raced ridiculously when I did.‘I know. I’m pretty unforgettable,’she said.

I grinned.‘You’re up?’I asked, getting an idea.‘Are you in a rush this morning or do you have some time?’

‘Time for what?’she responded.

‘Guess,’I said.

She sent a voice message back, laughing.‘Come over.’Followed by a text message with her entire address.

I almost jumped and kicked my heels. I was a fool for her and I was done fighting it. I didn’t know what I was thinking before.

Lies.

I knew what I was thinking.

Chris. And how much it would make me a bad friend to go behind his back and sleep with his twenty-one-year-old sister who was sixteen years younger than all of us. How I needed to resist her and in trying to resist her I forced myself to continue resenting her even though my resentment pretty much faded that day she stormed in here and stood by the pool with those smooth legs over my head, taunting me.

But I couldn’t keep lying to myself anymore and I couldn’t keep lying to her. It would be nice if I didn’t have to lie to Chris either, but it would be better if he didn’t know. He wouldn’t take kindly to it.

And although I knew, I didn’t want to have to think about what kind of friend that made me anymore. I didn’t want to keep sneaking around behind his back, but I had to because I didn’t want to lose him and I didn’t want to lose her.

It didn’t make me a great person either, treating Tiffany like shit when I felt the opposite for her. People gave me this reputation for being an asshole and maybe I was sometimes because I was afraid of feeling and letting my guard down. With Tiffany, I didn’t want to be afraid anymore. Too much time had been spent restraining myself and driving myself absolutely insane with the thought of her. So I was being selfish and disloyal, but I was also being true to myself and my real feelings for her. She filled me with a craving that almost felt addictive, and I wasn’t going to keep holding myself back from what I wanted—from what she and I both wanted.

‘Be there in ten,’I said, dropping my phone in my pouch that held my sleek, travel-size bottles of aftershave, deodorant, cologne, lotion, and body wash along with my electric beard trimmer. A clean-shaven face was not a fan favorite since I couldn’t work out if it made me look younger or older. So I liked going in for a trim—a shorter, cleaner look. Plus the beard helped to accentuate my jaw line and I had a pretty good jawline. Leaving that shower, I smelled great, and I was hoping I smelled good enough to consume.

In the morning after a swim and after a shower, I usually changed into sweatpants and a sweater that I wore upstairs to grab my suit out of my office and used the upstairs bathroom to don my work attire. So I had an extra pair of sweatpants and sweater that were clean and hadn’t been worn yet. Grabbing those, I wished they were gray, but I didn’t keep gray sweatpants at work. They were black. Couldn’t go wrong with black or navy blue at work. A silver watch and sneakers were my accessories. I blow-dried my short hair until it was mostly dry and checked myself out a few times before I was out the door. I wanted to look and smell good for her. It felt like going over to her place was a next step for us. It made me feel honored to be let into her space.

It was after six in the morning when I showed up at her door which meant I had a good solid hour with her, but when she opened the door wearing nothing but an open silk robe, I didn’t want to waste any time.

“Hey,” she started, but before she could even complete her words, I was scooping her up and wrapping her legs around my waist. Mostly because I couldn’t wait to grab hold of her naked body but partly because I was worried someone was going to step through their door and see her standing there, all boobs, smooth skin, and glorious red pubic hair. Which was why I glanced around quickly before I picked her up. That made her giggle. But as soon as the door was closed, her laugh quietened and was replaced with soft moans as she kissed me.

Lowering her to the carpet, I raised myself up to get just as naked as her, which was easy since I didn’t wear any underwear. She gasped as soon as I sprung free, and I hardened instantly at the look of desire in her eyes.

We’d never been completely naked together—at least one of us had always been clothed. And even when she got naked, I didn’t get a good look at her. So I feasted my eyes upon her now, taking the time to drink her in as she laid on her back with her knees facing the ceiling. Her legs were splayed and her labia beneath her tuft was blushing. In the bright light of her living room I could see everything.

Her reddish-orange nipples were erect and her skin was silky smooth. Groaning, I couldn’t help but reach out and rub my callous palms over her soft thighs and her trembling belly before cupping her modest breasts.

“You’re beautiful,” I breathed, lowering myself over her to press my body against her, feeling her naked body against all of me for the first time. She wrapped her arms around my back and pulled me even closer into the warmth of her skin, sighing and moaning as she ran her hands up and down my body. She stroked my hair and gazed up into my eyes while she wrapped her legs around my hips.

“You smell delicious,” she said, and I didn’t know why I blushed when I’d made the decision to smell delicious, but it felt nice to know that I’d accomplished just that.

“So do you,” I said. “You smell divine,” I whispered against her lips before kissing her. She smelled like her natural scent and vanilla. She panted with each separation of our lips and moaned the deeper our kisses grew, moving her hips below me, trying to find my tip. I grinned. “You don’t even want to wait, do you?” I asked.

“I’ve been waiting too long,” she gasped.