“I only have this.” He tossed an envelope onto the table at Tate’s place.
Returning to her seat, Tate glanced at the envelope curiously. “Please tell me it isn’t a gift card for the adult toy superstore.”
“Of course it isn’t,” Lawson scoffed. Then he flung a thumb in Laney’s direction. “I saved that for the dirty girl over there.”
“Hey!”
Lawson met her gaze with a raised eyebrow. “Really? Like you wouldn’t like that?”
“Well, it isn’t my fault no one can make a durable vibrator that won’t burn out every six months!”
Lawson stared at her. “You need help. It’s okay to ask for it.”
Her brother leaned away from her, staring, face wrinkled in disgust. “I did not need to hear that.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever. You forget that you used what was left on my gift card last year to spend it on something for your latest little DW.”
“DW?” Lawson was confused.
“Dirty whore,” Tate supplied without hesitation.
“Ahhh.” Lawson nodded. “Catchy. I like it. Very useful.” Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Speaking of useful, we could almost say someone used a certain someone else like a DW recently.”
That fucker
.
Her eyes narrowed on him in irritation. “I think we should get back to exchanging gifts,” she told him through clenched teeth.
She felt her brother’s curious gaze on her but ignored it as she and Lawson had a little stare down, which really consisted of her glaring at him and him giving her a cheeky grin in return.
Tate noisily ripped open her envelope from Lawson and instantly threw her head back in a laugh. “Thanks, Lawson,” she said. “For the gift card to the Namaste store so I can get, and I quote, ‘more yoga workout clothes and shit’.”
“Nice, dude,” Foster chuckled.
“You’re up, Laney.” Lawson pointed to the pile of gifts in front of her she still had to open.
She picked up the first small, rectangular box from the pile. She smiled as she read the tag aloud, “From Tate.” Opening the box with the bow stuck on the top, inside she saw a beautiful, shiny, teal blue colored cellphone cover. It had tiny hand-painted dolphins on it.
With a gasp, she turned to her friend. “Tate, it’s beautiful!” Looking down at the case again, she said, “It’s almost too pretty to use.”
“Oh, please. I bought it for you to use,” Tate said.
After thanking her best friend, she opened the rest of her gifts. Lawson had given her a gift card to—wait for it—the adult toy superstore, her brother had given her a tiny dolphin key chain since they would exchange the bulk of their gifts with their mother on Christmas day. And, shocker, Zach had given her a small gift bag with diarrhea medicine, travel deodorant, and a small travel pack of tampons.
Same old douche move. Every year it was the same theme: she stunk, was shitty, and menstruating. So why was she disappointed?
Brushing off the feeling, she forced a smile. “Thanks, Zach,” came her curt reply. He merely nodded in her direction, still avoiding eye contact.
* * *
Zach couldn’t look at her, couldn’t let her see that he felt like an ass for giving her that gift bag after all that had transpired between them.
“But, wait a minute,” Lawson spoke up, sounding confused, his gaze landing on Zach. “I thought there was more?”
Laney let out what sounded like a forced laugh before gesturing to the gifts from Zach. “I think this is quite enough, Laws.”
Zach met his friend’s gaze imploringly, begging him not to say anything. Lawson looked at him oddly before turning to Foster.
“Hey, Fos. Do you know what Zach’s favorite flower is?”
Puzzled, Foster spoke slowly. “Uh, I didn’t realize he was into flowers.”
Lawson ignored Zach’s icy stare. “Yeah, man. His favorite flower is a pansy.” Lawson’s eyes met his on the last word.
“O-kay.” Tate stood, her blue eyes bouncing from Zach to Lawson and back again. “This just got weird, so I’m going to thank you all and head on home.”
Laney rose to hug her friend. As Zach turned from watching Tate head toward the door, he and the others rose and pushed in their chairs, each grabbing their small bag of gifts.
“Later, gorgeous.” Lawson enfolded Laney in a hug, mumbling a “thank you” into her hair before releasing her.
Foster hooked an arm around her neck. “Thanks, Laney McBrainy.” Loosening his hold on her, her brother gave her a quick kiss on the temple.
Laney’s eyes met his for the first time that night and offered him a weak smile of thanks. He simply nodded. The four of them walked out together, splitting up as they each went in the direction of their cars parked in various locations in the downtown area.
Just as Zach saw the others disappear from sight, he went after Laney, pulling her gift from where it had been sitting at the bottom of his bag. Seeing her car lights flash as she pressed the key fob to unlock it, he called out her name. She turned in his direction, her cautious gaze on him as he approached with the small white box in his hand. Once he got within a foot of her, he thrust the box at her.
“Here. Just … take it.” Hearing the harshness in his tone, Zach softened his voice. “Please.”
Wordlessly, she took the box from him and he turned around abruptly, walking off to his car. It was done. He had given it to her.
Merry fucking Christmas
.
C
HAPTER
S
IXTEEN
A
S IF IN A DAZE
, Laney got into her car, fastened her seatbelt, and sat staring down at the box in her lap. She wasn’t sure how long she remained there, almost afraid to see what the box held.
“It’s not like he’d give you a bomb, Laney,” she mumbled to herself. Still, with caution, she opened the lid of the box and—
“Oh, my gosh,” she breathed the words out in wonder. Wonder that Zachariah Mayson had given her some sort of exquisite snow—or water—globe of sorts with a lone dolphin jumping inside. She had never seen anything like it. Tipping it, she watched as the blue water flowed over the dolphin in waves.
Zach had given this to her for Christmas. But why?
Because he likes you, dumbass
.
The thought was jarring and she quickly stifled it. Laney placed the globe back into the box, setting it safely on the passenger seat before starting her car and putting it into gear.
No way, buddy
, she thought to herself. He didn’t get to just give her a gift—an amazing gift—and just leave it at that.
She ended up in Zach’s driveway, yet again. She was bombarded by the feeling of déjà vu as she recalled her nervousness the last time she had pulled her car up to his house. This time was much different, however. Because, she had a bone to pick with Zachariah Mayson.
She wanted answers and she wanted them now.
* * *
Zach had practically torn off his shirt upon arriving home, tossing it into the laundry bin. He had been in the process of unbuttoning his jeans when he heard the pounding on his door.
What the hell? Who would be at his door at nearly ten o’clock at night on a Sunday?
“I’m coming!” he yelled at the incessant pounding as he padded down the hallway. Jesus. They needed to tone it down. Not caring that his pants were unbuttoned around his hips and he was shirtless, he flung open the door angrily, ready to give hell to the person on the other side.
“What the hell do you—” He stopped mid-rant as his eyes fell on who was standing on his doorstep.
Laney looked mad as hell … and never more beautiful. With anger flashing in her hazel eyes and lips pressed thin, red and kissable. And that dress she wore? Oh, hell. It had taunted him the entire time they had been at The Turtle. Just for the simple fact that it accentuated the curves on the body he’d had his hands on, mouth on, lips on just a few days prior.
“What the hell do I want, you ask?” she snarled at him as she shoved past him to enter the house, pushing the door shut behind her with a loud thunk. “Oh, I’m so glad you asked. I want to know what the hell was with that gift. The one you shoved at me.” Her volume increased, her words forceful, demanding. “Why did you give me that gift?”
She was upset because he gave her a nice gift? Fuck that.
“
Because it made me think of you
!” he practically screamed. He watched Laney’s eyes go wide, lips parting in shock or disbelief, he wasn’t sure which. They stood there, staring at each other, fiery gazes clashing.
He wasn’t sure who moved first, but one minute they were having their angry standoff and the next, their bodies collided, lips meeting in a kiss filled with a fierceness, tongues warring. Knocking into the wall before he righted them as they pulled off articles of clothing, they made their way down the hallway to his room. Leaving a trail of her flip flops, sweater, dress, panties, bra, and his pants in their wake, they made it to his bedroom.
Zach pulled his lips from hers. “Just one night, again, Kavanaugh?” He heard the slight bite in his tone.
Her eyes searching his, she quietly answered, “Just one night. Again.”
Hearing her repeat the words, he felt like there was a massive weight on his chest, making it difficult to breath.
Oh, he would give her one night, all right.
His mouth slammed down on hers, devouring her, tasting her deeply. Having her curves pressed against him made him nearly weak in the knees at how right it felt to have her in his arms.
It’s only for one more night
.
Those words haunted him and he slid his fingers into her hair, tugging her head back to tilt it, moving his lips to her throat. As if he were trying to punish her, he lightly bit the side of her neck, soothing it afterward with his tongue. Hearing her moan when he tightened the fingers threaded in her hair, realizing it turned her on, he closed his teeth over her earlobe, tugging gently.
“Zach.” His name was uttered in a breathless groan. “Please. Touch me.”
“You want me to touch you?” His words came out sounding cold and he knew exactly why. This was not her show. She didn’t get to make requests. The person who just wanted to scratch the itch once more didn’t get to make demands.
“Please.”
“Well, you’ll have to do something for me first, Kavanaugh,” he told her as he sat on his bed and before grasping his cock, stroking the hardness from root to tip.
Zach couldn’t quite decipher Laney’s expression as she stood before him, eyes first meeting his before they traveled down over his chest and farther, stopping at the sight of him touching himself. Her lips parted and her breathing became ragged as she watched him.
“You going to just stand there and watch me, or are you going to put your mouth on me, Kavanaugh?” Her eyes flew up to meet his, irritation evident at hearing him refer to her by her last name. Like she knew what he was trying to do.
He wasn’t going into this blind like last time. He was doing the whole self-preservation thing. And maybe it was stupid, but by calling her Kavanaugh and not Laney, he managed to keep that wall up. To prevent her from hurting him. Again.
“Get on your knees,” he gritted out the command. Stroking himself to the sight of her, naked and luscious before him was nearly his undoing. But when he watched her drop to her knees in front of him, her eyes seeming at war with his own, almost a battle of wills, he felt the breath catch in his throat.
Laney didn’t break eye contact with him as she leaned toward his cock, slowly, and licked a path from the base all the way to the tip, swirling it around the end. Zach inhaled sharply and saw the look of satisfaction that came over her at eliciting that response.
“Come on, Kavanaugh,” he bit out, almost angrily. “Just go ahead and—” His last words were cut off as she slid her mouth down over him and sucked. Hard. And when she hollowed out her cheeks, taking him deep, he felt as though his eyes were going to roll back in his head.
Sweet mother of God
. He fisted a hand in her hair, relishing the feel of the silky strands, the fact that it was Laney’s hair in his fist. That it was Laney’s hot, wet mouth sucking his hard cock deep, working him with her tongue. When he felt himself tighten up, just beneath the base of his cock, the hand fisted in her hair pulled her off him.
“Get on the bed.”
He watched as her curvy ass crawled onto it, lying on her back, eyes watching him intently.
“Spread your legs for me.”
Zach crawled between her legs, lifting them over his shoulders, his gray eyes locking onto her hazel ones before lowering his mouth to her. He feasted on her—that’s the only way he could put it—tasting her, sliding his tongue deep inside of her wet center before sucking on her clit while working two fingers deep inside of her, hooking them to find her sweet spot. Her hips rose off the bed, thrusting against him as she rode out her orgasm, crying out one word.
One word, spoken in such a soft, breathless tone that it made his walls come down.
Zach.
C
HAPTER
S
EVENTEEN
L
ANEY WOKE IN THE MORNING
with a smile and a lingering soreness between her thighs yet again. Rolling over, she found the bed empty, the sheets all askew. She laid there, in Zach’s bed, detecting the scent of brewing coffee in the air and let the feeling of déjà vu wash over her.
Last night had started off angry, as something rough and almost punishing. She knew what he had been doing when he’d continued to call her by her last name. It had been his way of pushing her back.
But once he had brought her to orgasm and she had cried out his name, it was like a switch had been flipped inside of him. From that point, it had turned softer, gentler. Tender. The roughness of his touch had given in to a more reverent one.
Maybe they could do this … this thing. It was totally hot sex. The hottest she’d ever had, not that she would ever admit it to Zach, of course. And he was far nicer and easier to be around when he wasn’t being his usual obnoxious self. She really liked the kinder, sexier version of Zach Mayson. That version of him was seriously hot. Like, the kind of hot that made her immediately want to bend over and grab her ankles.