Seductive in Stilettos 3: New Adult Romance Page 2

  Rookie fucking mistake. When they touched, the charge of electricity had him thinking about her under him, in his bed. But not that tiny twin in his dorm, the king sized one he had at home. Where he could lay her out and feast on her slick folds for hours.

  She met his gaze, levelly. "Rematch?"

  TRIS BEAMED up at him and for a second it felt like they were the only two people in the world. She couldn’t believe she’d lost. But if she was going to lose to anyone, it might as well be Shane. Especially if he kept laughing like that.

  When he laughed, it made him look younger. Certainly more carefree. It seemed like he was always serious. Always a little bit separate. Her heart broke for him.

  He still hadn't said anything about her note yet, but then, they hadn't really been alone. Earlier, Xia and Sydney had been within hearing distance, and on the bus ride over, he’d sat far in the front even though she’d left an empty space for him in case he might want to talk.

  Since they’d been here, he hadn’t spoken to her once. Like he was deliberately avoiding her or any direct personal contact.

  For several moments, they stared at each other as if they were the only two people around. But with someone’s loud laugh to the left, the spell was broken, and he blinked rapidly before sliding his glance away and taking a deliberate step back.

  A pang of disappointment sliced through her. Yes, they were in public and they needed to be careful, but she had a feeling his movement went deeper than that.

  Travis came running over with a wide smile, further breaking the spell. “Hey, Tris! That was fantastic. I can’t believe how you can drive like that. You’re amazing.”

  She smiled up at him. He really was handsome. With café au lait skin and bright, twinkling brown eyes. He was lovely, and nice…and not Shane. “Thanks.”

  “Where’d you learn to drive like that?”

  She deliberately shrugged off the question. She didn’t need everyone knowing about her past. “I’ve always loved Go-Carts.”

  “Well, it shows. Maybe you can show me how to drive like that sometime.”

  Did he just—oh shit, he’d just asked her out? What was she supposed to say? Over Travis’s shoulder, she caught Shane staring at her intently. “Uhm, yeah. Sometime.” Idiot. That sounded so lame.

  His smile wavered a bit, but he pressed her. “Maybe Saturday. We can come out here, then maybe grab dinner or something.”

  “I—uh…” Her voice trailed. Oh, God. Sweat trickled down her back, and she licked her lips nervously. “I promised Xia I’d help her with an event, but maybe I can get back to you?” Yes, when in doubt. Lie your ass off. She’d have to come up with something with Xia to cover her ass.

  “Okay. Yeah, no problem.”

  Why did she feel like she’d just kicked a puppy? When she glanced back over at Shane, he’d turned his back and was talking to someone else. Before she could think about making dates, the two of them needed to have an honest conversation. And soon.

  CHAPTER 2

  Shane resolutely kept his eyes forward, even though he could hear Travis talking to Tris. Even though he could hear her laughing. Even though he could feel her gaze on the back of his head. It was solid torture. Sooner or later, he'd crack under the pressure and just take what he wanted, but he knew he couldn't. She might not know it, but he was there to do a job and it wasn't to screw her.

  As soon as they returned to campus, she headed off with her friends. The first thing he did was check with Caleb and made sure the guys were on Tris, then he checked in with the temp Caleb had put into the mail room. The students couldn't make it to that point without an ID, so he was a final fail safe before anyone could make it upstairs to Tris.

  Once back in his temporary room, he fell back on his bed and checked his emails. Damn, he missed his place. He'd only had a few nights there before taking the assignment, but it had already started to feel like home. Mostly, he missed his bed. How he'd managed to fit onto this thing with Tris was beyond him.

  He groaned and sat up. Shit, just the thought of her was enough to wake the sleeping soldier. His phone pinged with an incoming message. Just as his computer alerted him that Tris's phone was in use. Think of the devil, and he shall appear. She was sending him a text. Shane held his breath, dragging in a deep breath before viewing the message.

  Want to help me lick my wounds?

  Fuck. Shane dropped his head back against the wall and banged it twice. A cold shower. That's what he needed. Since his dick and his brain were still of two minds about what to do, he didn't reply right away. He didn't want to be that asshole of a guy who didn't talk to her.

  He would talk it out with her, later. Somewhere public. A little later when he could cool his blood and not wonder how good she tasted in other places. But he certainly couldn't talk to her now. Not with the taste of her strawberry lip-gloss still lingering in the air and his brain full of memories about her touching him. Rotating her hips into him, licking into his mouth.

  He dragged his clothes off as he strode into the shower. Cold, icy water was what he needed. He turned on the water and forced himself to stay under the spray until his teeth chattered. He only let himself turn the water hot when the fleeting thought of her didn't stir his cock again.

  But with the hot water, he relaxed and let the heat wash away some of the tension. Unfortunately, relaxing also meant his brain relaxed and took its favorite vacation. Tris, arching her back, clutching his head to her breasts as he sucked on her.

  His erection kicked against his thigh, and he groaned. Wrapping a hand around his cock, he muttered, "I can see you're going to be a problem."

  He pumped in a steady rhythm, unable to clear the fantasy image of Tris that his brain conjured. Her standing in front of him, soapy, wet, and slick, touching him. Maybe the key was to not fight it so hard. This was a fantasy. It was safe.

  Dream Tris wrapped her delicate, soft hands around him, and he held his breath as she tentatively explored his soapy flesh. The suds acted like lube as her hand slid over his erection. Wrapping a hand around hers, he showed her how he liked to be touched. Lighter grips as she slid toward the tip. Harder, more firm on the down-stroke toward the base. Dream Tris took liberties and smoothed her thumb over the head of his cock, spreading a drop of pre come, teasing the underside of his dick, making him shake.

  Slow, easy glide, then harder more controlled grip. Tris determined to make him come. To make him hers. She sank to her knees, the water sluicing over her back washing suds down the arch, over her gorgeous ass. When she wrapped her full lips over him he squeezed his eyes shut. The orgasm coiling in the base of his spine, tingling, teasing, threatening.

  He forced his eyes open, and instead of his own hands, he pictured Tris's cinnamon skin working his flesh, sucking him deep into the back of her mouth. Making him desperate to come. But it wasn’t until she pulled back, teasing the tip of him with a hint of a graze of her teeth, did he explode into his hands.

  His body jerked, and his knees shook. The edge of his vision greyed as his orgasm rolled through his body. If just dreaming about her could make him this crazy, then what would the real thing to do him. Would she even leave him standing? Or would he happily crawl after her?

  Damn it. He had to find a way to get his feelings for her under control, otherwise, he wouldn't last another week.

  TRIS STARED at her phone for the hundredth time. Shane still hadn't responded. Had she read things wrong? She'd gotten it wrong, hadn't she?

  "Oh, for the love of God, call him or go over there, but stop staring at your phone like it's divination or something." Xia slammed her laptop down.

  Tris's head snapped up. "Wh-what?"

  Sydney tugged out her earbuds. "Xia is right. If you're gonna go over, just go over and get it over with, but you've been preoccupied all night. If he's not paying attention, make him pay attention."

  How did they know? She hadn't said a word to them when she'd come back last night. "I don’t know what you're talking about."

  Syd rolled her eyes and hopped off her bunk. "Oh, please. You were covered in hot-make-out-session glow last night. And you forget the walls are paper thin."

  Mortified, she flushed then dragged a pillow over her head.

  Xia laughed. "It's not nice to tease her, Syd. Relax, we didn't know a thing until you confirmed just now with that red face of yours." She shrugged. "Besides, you had a glow about you when you came back. We sort of hoped to live vicariously through you."

  "Why the hell didn't you guys say anything?"

  Xia tossed a stuffed giraffe at her. "Because we want you to tell us yourself, silly. It's not as fun when we have to torture you for information."

  A laugh burst of out her. "Yeah, thanks for that. But I don't know, I think he regrets it. I sent him a text; he hasn't responded. Shit, I'm really no good at this. This is what my dad's over-protection has done to me."

  "That's stupid," said Xia. "Didn't you see the way he was watching you all afternoon? I mean, that man never takes his eyes off you. Even when he's not watching you, he's aware of where you are."

  Tris shook her head. "I don't think so."

  "As much as I like Xia to be wrong about things, she's right about this. You're on his radar. Give the guy a chance. He might be busy right now."

  "Well, even if he was watching me all afternoon, he's certainly not watching me now, or paying attention to my texts. I scared him off. Came on too strong."

  Xia scoffed. "Nonsense.”

  Sydney rubbed her chin. "What did your text say?"

  Her skin flushed. Her attempt as sexting didn't seem so great now. "I asked him if he wanted to help me lick my wounds. Since he beat me on the track."

  Xia folded her arms, and her brows rose. "Solid sext. You surprise me every d
ay, Munroe."

  "Yeah, well, solid or not, he didn't reply, so that's not a good sign."

  Xia and Sydney exchanged a glance, but it was Xia who spoke. "Okay, here's the thing. We knew it would be complicated. He might be freaking out because he's not supposed to have you. He's not supposed to want you. It's probably fucking with his head."

  Sydney snorted. "I would have hoped he'd handle it better. But the best way to get a guy off his ass is to get a new one on your ass. Someone a little easier to get to know."

  "No. Don’t listen to Syd. At least not to her come-get-some methodology. But she has a point. Shane is not a starter man, he's a man, man. A senior. We might need to try out skills on a smaller, prey guy first."

  Tris sighed. "So what you guys are saying is, aim lower."

  Xia put her hand up. "Hell, no. That man is yours. We just need to soften him up a little, and in the meantime, we work on your skills. When you learn to swim, you start in the shallow end. Same for dating. Shane is the fucking ocean. Let's start at the kiddie pool."

  "Travis is a great kiddie pool," Sydney said. "He's cute and sweet and infatuated with you. So we try him out. And added bonus, you said you wanted to experience normal. He's normal. Shane is out of this world."

  Tris bit her lip. Travis was nice, but he didn't make her feel a tenth of what Shane did. "What is wrong with me? I have a perfectly nice guy who went out of his way to flirt with me today. And instead, I'm obsessing over the guy who won’t sext me back. I need help."

  Xia nodded. "Yes. Yes, you do. But luckily for you, you have us. Besides, all women do this. We're biologically programmed to want the best specimen."

  Tris laughed even as she dove to answer her ringing phone. She swallowed her disappointment when she saw it was Ricca. "Hey, Ree."

  "Hey, cuz, just returning your earlier call. Loud and clear with no giving your dad your new number."

  "Thank you. I'm still keeping the other phone, but I don't put it past him not to put a tracker in it or something." Not the real reason, but her cousin didn't need all the details.

  "How's it going? You finding time to have some fun?"

  "Not bad, actually. We had a team builder with the floor today, and I wiped the floor with my new friends, so it's making me real popular."

  Ricca laughed. "Well, at least you’re making friends. Listen, I have a question for you."

  "Sure, what's up?"

  Ricca paused. "Well, I was calling to see if you were still looking for a job?"

  Tris sat up. "Yes, do you know anyone hiring?" After the phone store, she'd filled out three applications but wasn't holding her breath. She'd already applied at several of the places on campus, and so far nothing. No one wanted to hire someone with no work experience.

  "Actually, I am. At Fantasies Inc."

  "You're shitting me." Her cousin's company planned high-end fantasy adventures for people wanting the ultimate luxury adventure, whether it be a wedding, a proposal, a birthday, or just an adrenaline adventure.

  "I shit you not. It's an internship, so you might be able to get some credit, and I know you're undecided on your major, but it'll work on your project management, operations, and admin skills. What do you think?"

  "Yes, please, I want."

  Ricca laughed. "Okay, great. How is next Wednesday afternoon for you to come on by the office? We'll show you around and have you meet the team. And I can show you some of the stuff I need help with."

  "I'm so there." When she hung up, her friends looked up expectantly. "That was Ricca offering me a job."

  Xia whooped, and Sydney grinned. This was what freedom felt like. She could get used to it. Maybe she should give Travis a chance, too. They were right. Shane was like swimming in the ocean. The kiddie pool would work just fine for her.

  CHAPTER 3

  "Are you sure about this? I mean it seems a little drastic."

  Shane ignored War's voice in his earpiece. He knew what he was doing. He'd slipped up last week, and he needed to get back on an even keel. Even if it made his job more difficult. Even if it made his stomach curl. His natural inclination was not to hurt Tris. But he had to do that now or things were going to get way out of hand. "Yeah, I'm sure. What are you, my mother now?"

  His friend's chuckle was low. "All I'm saying is it's kind of drastic. And you don't have to do it. It's not like Caleb ever expressly said you couldn't get with this girl."

  Shane was careful not to move his lips too much when he spoke. "Are you even listening to yourself right now?"

  "What?"

  "Repeat what you just said in your head."

  War sighed. "I know, man, but all I'm saying is he'd understand. It's not like he didn't fall for Micha the same way. I've heard the stories."

  So had Shane, but that was rationalizing. "I've heard the same stories, but I think different rules apply to Tris. He made it clear she’s like family. Gave me the speech about how sheltered she was and how I needed to look after her."

  War muttered something under his breath. "Have it your way, but there might be no coming back from this."

  "You let me worry about that, will you?"

  "Suit yourself." There was a beat of silence, then he said, "Incoming on your two o'clock."

  He didn't need War to tell him that Tris was coming toward him in the student center. He was so attuned to her, he felt it. Like the full force of the sun's gravitational pull, his body was drawn to her orbit.

  Dressed in tight, but breathable, spandex running pants and a running shirt that barely reached her belly button, she looked like a woman on a mission. She was deadly serious about training for this marathon. He knew she'd been out on one run this morning already. He'd followed her from a distance. It hadn’t been pretty. She’d looked like she might keel over after every half mile or so, but after a breather, she picked up and kept going. He had no choice but to admire her determination.

  When their gazes locked, she smiled up at him tentatively. "Oh, hey, Shane."

  He immediately darted his gaze around, hoping he wasn't overselling the looking nonchalant angle. "Hi, Tris. You heading on a run?"

  "Yeah, I use the treadmills in the gym for when I up my distance for the week." She frowned. "Did you change your schedule? I feel like I've never seen you over here at this time."

  He could still drop this plan, just tell her he was playing hooky. He didn't need to hurt her. Yes, you do. Otherwise, she'd go about thinking he was good for her, and he needed to shatter that illusion. She was sweet, sheltered, innocent. The abuse he’d endured from the old man had cracked something inside him. He wasn't exactly boyfriend material. He had no idea how to deal with his own emotions, let alone someone else’s. She deserved to be with someone whole, who could love her.

  "Yeah, I uh, I'm meeting someone." That's right, keep it nice and vague.

  "Oh." She rocked back on her heels as she grabbed the handle of her bag. "So, uhm, about the other night, we should maybe—"

  "Hey, you. I've been waiting for you in the other lounge for ten minutes."

  He knew to expect the toned brunette. War never disappointed. The girl was stacked, with flawless skin, a sunny smile, and wide, blue eyes. But despite that he knew what was happening, and he knew why he had to do it, he hadn’t prepared himself enough for the stark look of hurt that flashed across Tris's expression before she masked it.

  "Hey, Livy. I'd like you to meet one of my students, Tristia."

  Liv performed perfectly. She stuck out her hand and gave Tris a bright smile. "Hey, nice to meet you. Are you one of the ones who keeps Shane hopping? I swear, I rarely see him these days. But we're gonna fix that."

  God, Tris was strong. He had nothing but respect for her as she woodenly held out her hand and plastered a smile onto her face. "Nice to meet you."

  "You too." Liv turned her attention to him. "We should go; I'm starved."

  She didn’t meet his gaze. "And I need to get running. So see you around."

  It was official. He. Was. An. Asshole. "See you, Tris."

  The plan was not to shut her down completely. He still needed her to think of him as a friend of sorts. But he had to play into her insecurity a little. Make it seem like he was at least interested in someone else without officially putting him into slime ball category. Either way, he felt like shit. But that's what he had to do because there was no way he could let himself get close to her again. He wanted her too damn bad.