Just This Once (The Kings)

Listening to the rain and thunder in the bed of Whip’s truck was surreal. My body hummed with the kind of satisfaction that came only from incredibly good sex. At least, that was what I could imagine given I had never, ever had sex like that before.

Well . . . before Whip at least.

My body ached in the most delicious way, and despite the throb between my legs, I already itched for another round. Sex with Whip was making me delirious, especially given the fact I was somehow considering him a friend of sorts.

The musical patter of rain on the metal roof was soothing. My feet bounced to the faint rhythm. “So you’re a . . . firefighter.”

Whip chuckled at the way the word firefighter dripped with derision.noveldrama

He glanced at me, unamused. “Glad you’re able to keep up.”

His gentle ribbing caused a giggle to bubble up inside me. I nudged him. “No, I know you’re a firefighter. Obviously. But . . . why?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

My face twisted as I studied him. “Well, it’s dangerous, for one. Plus, the hours are weird.”

He nodded. “We’re a small community, so we double up—firefighters and EMTs. That keeps things interesting.” He shrugged. “I kind of just fell into it. And in a small town it’s not as dangerous as you think. The weird hours give me time to do something else.”

“Like making furniture?” I asked.

“Exactly.” Whip stared into the darkness. It was obvious he didn’t often talk about himself.

I tilted my head, genuinely curious. “Which do you like better—being a firefighter or an EMT?”

He scoffed lightly. “I guess no one ever asked.”

I shrugged. “Well, I’m asking. Is it because you love the adrenaline of battling a blaze, or is it something else?”

Whip eyed me carefully as if he was measuring his words. Our relationship had been contentious at best, and I was his boss’s daughter, directly asking him about his work.

Finally, he answered. “I wanted to become an EMT.”

When I looked at him with hopeful eyes, urging him to continue, he crossed his bare feet and settled in. “I was on this snowboarding trip my senior year of college when I split from the group to try a side of the mountain I’d never boarded. It was risky, going alone, but I didn’t care.”

Whip’s eyes stared into the rain as if he was lost in thought, recalling that day. “It was an epic run. The snow was fresh and deep in the backcountry. I was cruising through these narrow clumps of trees when something caught my eye. I stopped and looked back, and my stomach dropped when I realized it was the blue tip of a snowboard peeking out from the snow.”

“Holy shit.” My eyes were wide as I inched forward, entranced by his story.

“Yeah. It was bad. I knew in my gut someone was likely buried in the snow, but I had no idea how long they’d been there. I was pretty convinced I was about to uncover a dead body. My heart was pounding. I had a hard time moving through the deep snow, but I went as fast as I could, using my board to pull me forward. When I got to him, I just started digging.”

My fingers pressed to my lips. “Was he dead?”

He shook his head. “Shockingly, no. I cleared snow from his mouth and nose, and he was conscious. Alive and alert. His friends had been radioing him on a walkie-talkie, but his arms were pinned by the snow. He’d fallen into a tree well, and the more he moved, the harder the snow packed around him.”

“You saved his life.” An ache in my chest bloomed. Whip really is a hero.

“Yeah, I did. But he saved mine, too, in a way. After we got him down off the mountain and my pulse went back to normal, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I finished business school just to have the degree and appease my father, but then I turned around and figured out how to become an EMT.”

I shook my head and smiled softly at my lap.

“What’s funny?”

I shifted to look at him. Something was changing between us, and while I didn’t know exactly what to do about it, I liked it. “It’s just a great story. Full of danger and adventure and a really happy ending.”

I sighed, closed my eyes, and rested against the back window of the truck. I could still feel his eyes studying my face, so I peeked at him from under one lash before closing it again. “My life is not dangerous or adventurous, and based on how things have been going? I’m not sure if I will eventually get that happy ending.” Embarrassed that I’d phrased things that way, I turned my head and smiled at him.

He lifted a shoulder. “The night’s still young.” A smile eased across his face. “Maybe after another orgasm or two, you’ll think differently about it.”

He leaned in, crowding my space. His lips were surprisingly soft and gentle as he peppered kisses at the corners of my mouth. My body hummed to life.

I pressed my hand against his chest. “What are we doing, Whip?”

His eyes searched mine, and he frowned. “Is this the What are we? talk?”

“No.” I playfully pushed him. “Yes? Not really. It’s the How do we keep doing this without ruining both our lives? talk.”

He bit back a grin. “So you want to keep doing this?”

I shot him a plain look and then filled my lungs before putting on an air of nonchalance. “I mean . . . you’re not terrible in bed.” I shrugged. “I guess we could keep doing it.”

He grinned and inched closer. “Oh, I’m not terrible? Is that right?”

I pressed my back into the cab of the truck, easing away. “I’ve had worse.” Laughter threatened to spill out of me, but I reined it in.

His brows shot up. “You’ve had worse?” His fingers pressed into my sides, tickling me as he pulled me closer. A delighted shriek burst out of me, and I crumpled to the truck bed in a fit of giggles.

“Stop! No tickling! That’s cheating!” I could barely breathe, I was giggling so hard.

His teasing laughter folded over me, wrapping me in warmth as his body covered mine. “Say it.” His fingers danced over my ribs. “Say you think my dick is pretty.”

The ridiculousness of his request sent me over the edge into a full-blown fit of raucous laughter. Tears pricked my eyes as I lost it. Trying to regain composure, I squirmed beneath him, feeling his cock thicken between us.

“Fine!” I shouted into the air. “You’re better than average.”

Whip maneuvered me under him, pinning me down with his hips. “You’re a brat.”

I rolled my lips together, defiance flashing in my eyes. When he motioned to tickle me again, I held up my hands. “I love your dick!”

With a satisfied smile, Whip sat back on his heels. He cupped a hand by his ear. “I’m sorry. What was that? I didn’t catch that last part.”

I propped myself up on my elbows but didn’t move away. My hips pressed against him, and my thighs draped over his. We were both breathless and laughing. “I said, ‘I love your dick.’ Happy?”

Whip’s grin was wide and white. “Very.” He pulled my hips impossibly closer as his hands slipped up my top and settled on my ribs. “I think everything about you is perfect.”

His eyes roamed over me. Tingling flooded my system. How many times had I been told by Craig that I didn’t quite measure up? How many times did I nearly break to be the best student, the best teacher, the best everything just to feel good enough?

After a lifetime of not belonging, Whip had an effortless way of making me feel seen. It was unnerving. Addicting. He was the kind of man I was certain could destroy me, but there was something about him that I couldn’t stay away from.

The rational, overachieving part of my brain couldn’t out-logic the hope that bloomed inside me whenever we locked eyes. I was always the woman who got shit done—the good girl who followed the rules. But for once I wanted to break every rule I’d ever put into place. The only good girl I wanted to be was his.

Emotions rolled through me, but I tried to play it off as casually as I could. “Let’s just keep this between us, okay?”

A wicked grin spread across Whip’s face. “I can do that.”

I planted my hands on his shoulders. “We can’t tell anyone—and I mean, no one.”

Dark desire swirled in his eyes. “I’m good with that. Besides, a public spectacle isn’t really my thing.”

I cocked an eyebrow, hoping to hammer home my point. “So you agree, then? Friends?”

“I’d say friends is a stretch after what I just did to you but . . . yeah. Something like that.” His words washed over me, sending tingles from my toes to my scalp. Then he growled as he hiked my hip higher and pinned me to the bed of his truck with a kiss.