Cold Hearted Bachelor by Logan Chance
Fifteen
Paisley
My mind is spinningand drunk off Vaughn’s closeness. Like I just can’t get enough of it. And the way he’s staring at me right now, I know he wants to kiss me. And god, I want to kiss him too. So badly.
But I’m stronger than that. I’m stronger than letting Vaughn kiss me and then have it all end tomorrow when he realizes I’m just his best friend's baby sister. We grew up together. His attraction is because of that. Because I’m familiar.
Vaughn blinks, debating and I hold my breath. “Pea, I want nothing more than to kiss you right now. Like I really want to fucking kiss you.”
“Then do it.”
He debates a second longer before staring out at the sunset. “If I start I won’t be able to stop. We need to slam the brakes here.”
I try to suck in all the air, but the air is so thin up here. “Right, ok.” I fidget around, wondering if I should stand and walk back to the truck.
He’s once again rejected me, and my anger builds the longer I sit here.
“Don’t leave.” He grabs my arm. “I won’t let you leave me like this.”
I’m upset, and I know he knows I am. “I’m fine,” I lie.
He wraps his arms around me. “Pea.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m getting used to you rejecting me.”
His eyes bore into mine. “You think that’s what this is?” He shovels a hand through his jet-black hair. “You think I’m rejecting you.”
I stand, unable to be close to him any longer. I make my way back to his truck. When I reach it, I turn, crossing my arms over my chest. “Open the door.”
“No.” He shoves his keys into his pocket.
“Vaughn, open the door.”
“Not until you talk to me.” He crosses his arms over his chest. So sexy. “Do you think I’m rejecting you?”
I shrug, not answering.
“Pea, answer me.”
I raise my chin further into the air. “Yes. But, it’s ok. We shouldn’t be kissing anyway.”
“Pea,” he grabs my arms, lowering his head to where we’re eye level. “I’m not the guy you think I am.”
I’m rendered speechless.
“You’re right. You’re not the man I thought you were.” I try to open the truck door again, even though I know it’s locked.
Vaughn grabs his keys from his pocket.
Before he unlocks the door, my phone trills in my back pocket. I dig for it and glance at the screen, blocked number, and I wonder if it can possibly be a client.
I hold up a finger. “Let me just take this.” I swipe the phone. “Hello.” There’s no answer and I say, “Hello.” into the phone again.
I’m about to hang up before a garbled voice says, “You’re a slut.”
“Excuse me?”
“Slut. Slut. Slut,” the caller says.
“Hello.”
The line disconnects.
“Who was that?” Vaughn asks, complete worry written all over his handsome face.
“I don’t know.” There’s a shake to my voice as I glance at the screen again.
Vaughn takes a step closer. “What did they say?”
I recall the phone conversation for Vaughn, and when I’m finished he’s pacing the small area of the overlook.
“I don’t like this, Pea.”
“Should I call the cops?”
He shakes his head. “Well, there’s really nothing they can do. You’re staying with me again.”
“That’s really sweet of you, but I can’t stay with you for the rest of my life.”
He crosses his arms over his broad chest. “Why not?”
“Vaughn.”
“Ok, maybe not for the rest of your life, but at least until this sick fuck has been taken care of.”
I know he’s right. He is. I can’t let anything bad happen to my parents. If this crazy person thinks I’m at their house, then who knows what he’ll do. And I won’t put my family in danger. I just can’t.
“Ok. What should we do about my car?”
“We’ll pick up your car and then I can follow you home. I have a guarded parking area at my building.”
“Thank you, Vaughn. I really mean it.”
He wraps me into a hug. “Of course. I’ll always take care of you. Always.”
A few hours later, my car is parked at his building and we ride the elevator up to his condo. I was able to convince him to let me run home to pack a few things, and now once again, I’m nervous about staying here with him.
I told my parents I’m staying at Gwen’s for a few days, just so they don’t bombard me with questions. I step inside his condo, and drop my bag on the floor by his door. “I guess I’ll get ready for bed.”
Vaughn laughs. “It’s not even nine yet. Do you normally go to bed this early?”
“No, not usually. But, I don’t want to get in your way. Just pretend I’m not here.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” he mumbles under his breath. “Are you hungry?”
My appetite is gone since I received the phone call, even though it’s been a few hours since we ate. “I’m good.”
Vaughn rolls his neck to the side. “Ok, I’m gonna change into something more comfortable.”
“Do your shoulders hurt?” I ask him.
“Yeah, it’s nothing. Just work and stress.” He rotates his arm, kneading his fist into his shoulder.
“Sit down.” I grab his hand. “It’s the least I can do.” I tug him over to the couch and push him down.
“What are you doing?”
I sit behind him so I can massage his shoulders. The moment I make contact with his sore muscles, he groans.
“Fuck, Pea. Maybe you shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Stop being silly. Let me do this for you. After everything you’ve done for me, this is nothing.”
He’s quiet while I work his muscles through my fingers, applying enough pressure to work out the kinks. “This feels so good.”
A sense of pride floods through me at his words that I’m the one making him feel this good, and I keep going, wanting to make him feel even better. “You have a lot of knots,” I tell him as I massage the base of his neck. “It would be easier without your shirt on.”
I want to press my thighs together to push away the pressure building, but sitting in this position it’s impossible. Just touching him this way turns me on.
He tugs the back of his collar at the neck and pulls the shirt over his head, tossing it onto the chair. “There.”
It takes me a moment before I return to the massage because I can’t stop studying the muscles of his back. Like a work of art, they’re gorgeous, and I don’t think I’ve ever been this up close and personal with these kinds of muscles before. I want to lick them.
I continue massaging his shoulders, my mouth drawing closer to his heated skin. What if I dotted a kiss right there, at the base of his neck? Would he even notice?
My mouth waters, wanting nothing more than to taste his skin. He moans a little more, dropping his head forward, and I seize the opportunity to peck the tiniest of kisses on his neck.
“Fuck, Pea,” he says on a husky growl.
He felt it. But, I no longer care, because I can’t stop. I want another kiss. A greedier one. I lean closer, opening my mouth to run my teeth over his skin. And now my hands have a mind of their own, racing down his back, running my nails down his sides.
He groans out, turning around. “What are you doing to me?” he asks me as he cups my face in his hands.
“I just wanted to taste you.”
He studies me for a long moment. Like a full minute, or even two, passes before he leans closer. “What are you doing to me?”
“I don’t know. I know we shouldn’t be doing this, but I can’t help myself.”
His eyes bounce between mine. He licks his lips, and I mirror the action. “Neither can I.” He brings his mouth down over mine and the next thing I know we’re kissing.
And oh how my knees go weak.
He starts light, his mouth just a whisper over mine and then the kiss grows hungrier, needier. Like he can’t get enough of me.
It turns me on.
He leans back, and picks me up to straddle his lap. “Christ, what are we doing?”
I gaze into his light-blue eyes, wondering the same thing. What are we doing? This man I’ve known most of my life. The man I never thought I’d ever have a chance with. What is he doing to me? “I don’t know,” I tell him, because honestly I don’t.
He tugs me closer, our lips connecting and he kisses me all over again. Only this time there’s a hint of more with it. So much more.
And I want so much more with him.
I can’t believe this is really happening, but my body heats up, the ache between my legs intensifying. “Vaughn,” I moan out, my hands roaming over his six-pack.
“Tell me what you want.”
“You.” I rock into him, feeling his hardness through his jeans.
There’s too many clothes between us, and I reach down to unzip his zipper.
He gazes at me, pushing me off his lap so I’m standing in front of him. He reaches for my jeans button. “Are you sure about this?” The way he asks me, so desperate, sets me on fire.
Like if I say no he may just combust into a pile of ashes.
“Yes.”
He slides my jeans and panties down my legs and I step out of them. He pulls me forward, kissing my stomach as his hands dig into the flesh of my ass.
He stares at me as he slides a finger over my wetness. “You’re so ready for me. That turns me on so much knowing that I make you so goddamn wet.”
“You do.” God, he makes me so, so wet.
He lets go of me to unzip his jeans and move them down his legs. His cock springs free, and wow.
I lick my lips.
He pumps his fist around it. “The way you stare at my cock could make me come in a heartbeat.” He strokes his hand up and down it.
I feel like dropping to my knees, worshipping his dick between my lips. I actually don’t know what to do, and I just stand here, until Vaughn reaches for me and brings me down on his lap.
“If you don’t want me, Paisley, tell me right now.”
“I want you,” I breathe out.
He reaches down to pull a condom out of his jeans pocket and he stops before opening it. “I never in a million years thought I’d ever be this lucky.”
His words. They do something to me. It almost feels like it should be me saying these things to him. Because I’m the one who’s fantasized about this, not the other way around.
He glides the condom down his length after ripping the packet open with his teeth.
I toss off my shirt and he hisses underneath his breath.
“Damn, you’re so fucking pretty.”
