Balanced in Love (Written in the Stars Book 9) Read online

“No, I,” she looks down at her feet. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

  “Can I?” I nod to the room behind her and she opens the door wider to let me in.

  She turns on a small lamp on the dresser and gestures to a chair across from the bed. I take a seat, and she sits on the edge of the bed.

  I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. “What you said earlier, about us always being friends.” I bring my gaze to hers. “Is that what you want?”

  Her brows furrow. “What do you mean? We’ve always been friends, haven’t we?”

  I stand and step closer to her. I move my fingers to her jaw and tip her chin up so she’s looking right at me. “Except when we’ve been more.”

  “We can’t do that again.” The words come out as a low whisper.

  “We can, and I think we both want to.”

  I can hear each ragged breath as it escapes. Her lips part as if she’s going to reply, but her words never come.

  Suddenly she stands. I think she’s going to throw me out, but instead, she links her palms behind my neck. I slide my hands around her waist and even as I pull her closer, she doesn’t stop me.

  “If anyone found out…” Worry paints her gorgeous face. I slide my palms up and down, urging her closer.

  “It’s in the vault.”

  She stares straight ahead for a moment, nodding, then she meets my eye. I feel her moving closer, giving in to this thing between us.

  I dip my head and she leans up. My whole body sizzles with anticipation, with desire. As my lips find hers, another sensation washes over me. Relief. Fuck, I’ve needed this. I’ve wanted it every day since the last time I had held her in my arms.

  Her soft lips meet mine. It’s nearly impossible to control myself. Kissing her is the most natural thing in the world, and I can’t get enough. As our lips knead and tug at one another, a warm sensation burns in my chest. This isn’t weird. It isn’t wrong. It feels completely right, being with her like this. Like she was always mine, I just didn’t know it.

  Chapter Six

  Taylor

  I was going to be so cool. I thought I could just hang out with my friends for the week, and forget all about Ethan’s stupid gorgeous face, and his stupid perfect body, and I’d be just fine. No such luck.

  It would have been so much easier if he hadn’t been so sweet, so much fun to be around.

  So, here we are making out in my bed, trying to be quiet like a couple of horny teenagers.

  He pulls his lips away from mine and meets my eye and the look on his face is absolutely sin incarnate. His lids are heavy, his eyes dark with desire. His lips are swollen and wet from ravenous kisses.

  “Tay,” his voice is low and gravelly and so damn sexy.

  I arch a brow.

  “I want you so fucking bad.”

  Hearing that from a guy you’re into is a turn-on, for sure. Hearing it from Ethan practically makes my ovaries explode.

  “I want you, too.”

  “Can we move this party into my room?” He gives me a lopsided grin as he rubs the back of his neck with his palm. “I brought protection. Not that I expected anything, but, well, nothing wrong with a guy holding out hope, is there?”

  And my heart melts a little more.

  “Okay. Your room.”

  He stands, taking my hand, and leads me through the bathroom and into his room. I walk over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it while he locks the bedroom door, and the door to the bathroom. He turns back to look at me. “Just in case.”

  I nod.

  He rifles around in the duffle bag on the floor. I him unzip a compartment, and a moment later, he holds up a condom packet. I grin and scoot back on the bed. He walks over and tosses the packet beside me on the bed, then peels off his t-shirt, exposing that perfect, rock-hard body of his, and kneels on the floor in front of me.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I had a little appetizer in mind, if that works for you.”

  He presses his hands to the inside of my knees, sliding them apart, and deposits a soft kiss high on the inside of my thigh. I shudder, my core clenching.

  “Hmm, so you like the idea too?” The smug smirk on his face tells me, if I didn’t know already, I’m an open book to this man. He knows me too well. Even if I wanted to hide how much I want him, I don’t think I could.

  He stands and takes my hands, pulling my arms up, then grabs the hem of my tank, tugging it off. “Lay back, beautiful.”

  My eyes locked on his, I’m helpless to do anything but comply.

  He leans over me, kissing me with those soft, commanding lips of his, then peppers kisses down my neck, down my chest, before circling my nipple with his tongue and taking it into his mouth.

  I slide my fingers through this thick, black hair. Mm.

  “You like that?” He moves from one breast to the other.

  “I do.” I sigh my response.

  His kisses move to my belly as he hooks his fingers into the sides of my shorts, pulling them off. He kneels again, pulling me to the edge of the bed and positioning the back of my thighs on his shoulders. When his fingers connect with my seam, I light up, hungry for more of his touch.

  “God, you’re beautiful. Head to toe, every inch of you.” He uses two fingers to glide up and down my seam, pinching my clit between them in a way that’s both teasing and full of promise. He lowers his head and covers me with his mouth, setting me on fire. His tongue makes its way up and down my seam, and I feel the tension begin to build. His fingers move inside me, and when he pulls my clit between his lips, I explode. My hips buck, my legs shake, and I let out a long, low groan as I fall over the edge.

  He climbs on top of me, quieting me with his mouth. “We have to be quiet if you don’t want the whole house up here.”

  “I know,” I nibble at his lips. “I just couldn’t help it. That was crazy intense.”

  And there’s that smug grin, again. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Get on your knees for me.”

  I muster the strength to get my gelatinous legs to move again, and crawl up toward the top of the bed on all fours. I hear him rip open the wrapper, and a moment later, he’s behind me, one hand on my hip as he places himself with the other. He moves, in and back out, then pushes, hard, filling me to the hilt. It’s so overwhelming, so complete that I suck in a gasp.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” I pant. “Definitely good.”

  He holds my hips to support me, his cock still buried deep inside. “Put your palms up on the wall for me.”

  I follow his lead, leaning to put my palms against the wall. He puts hand against the wall above mine, and keeps the other on my hip as he slides in and out. From this angle, he’s hitting all the right spots. He moves one hand to my breast, squeezing as his throaty whisper tickles my ear. “Are you going to come for me, beautiful?”

  “I’m close. So close.”

  His hand slides down my belly, his fingertip circling the spot at the top of my sex that’s like his own, personal on button for my body.

  “Yes,” I groan out, pressing my eyes shut so hard I see stars behind them. My channel clenches, my muscles tighten, and my voice grows louder. “Ethan.”

  “Fuck,” he presses his hand over my lips to quiet me, and I feel him tremble, emptying himself as I tighten around him.

  I collapse to the bed, my muscles still trembling. He walks to the bathroom door, unlocking it, and steps out, returning a moment later with a hand towel.

  He sits beside me, leaning down to kiss my forehead and hands me the towel. “I wasn’t sure if you might want this.”

  Giver of mind-blowing orgasms, and he’s thoughtful, too.

  “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

  I clean myself up and come back to find him under the covers, leaning against the headboard. When I walk toward the bed, he pulls the sheet back and opens his arms. Who could resist an offer like that? I crawl in beside him and settle into the crook of his arm.

  “So, y
ou’re a screamer, huh?” He asks the question with his lips pressed to the side of my head, then deposits a kiss there. I can feel the smile on his lips.

  “Well, I’m not typically so vocal, no.”

  “Really?” He arches up a brow. “So, I’m just that talented. Good to know.”

  I quirk my lips to the side as I look up at him. “I really do not need to feed your ego.”

  “Who are you kidding, Taylor? Being with you is feeding my ego.” He slides the hand he has wrapped around me up and down my shoulder. “You’re one of the best people I know, and you’re sexy as fuck.” I feel my cheeks heat when he says it. “I mean it.” He lifts my jaw with his finger and presses a kiss to my lips.

  Looking up into those deep, dark eyes of his, I feel my heart squeeze in my chest.

  I haven’t told Gabi about Ethan and me. Ethan and me. Is that even a thing? I mean, we’ve hooked up a couple of times now. And, if I’m being honest, him holding me like this, telling me he wants me to stay here, in his bed, in his arms, feels like a lot more than just a hookup.

  But even I don’t need my sage friend’s advice to know I’m in trouble.

  I’m falling for Ethan. If I let this happen, it’ll be the end of his friendship with Brody, their partnership, and for that matter, his connection to my whole family.

  But if I let him go, I’m afraid my heart will go with him.

  Chapter Seven

  Ethan

  I wake up with my flagpole already at half-mast. My hand lands on smooth, soft skin, and I feel a perky little ass wriggle against my cock.

  Mm. Taylor’s still here.

  I pull her closer and nuzzle against the side of her neck, kissing the back of her shoulder. “Morning, gorgeous.”

  She raises one arm above her head and stretches. The sheet shifts, exposing one breast. I lean over and give her nipple a gentle tug with my teeth.

  “Hmm. Morning. Somebody’s awake awfully early.” She gives me a playful smile.

  I press my now fully erect dick against her ass. “Definitely awake and raring to go.”

  She reaches over and grabs a condom packet from the side table, holding it up between her fingers to show me. “Let’s not put all that morning energy to waste, then.”

  I roll the condom down over my cock and lay back on my side, behind her. She raises her leg and drops it behind me so I can access her from behind. When I sink inside her, I wrap my arm around her, pulling her close as I kiss her neck and shoulder. She practically purrs as we rock back and forth together. This feels different than how we were last night. This feels… close. I feel close to her, and I like it, probably too much.

  A few minutes later, we hear something in the hall outside my room, and we both freeze. There’s a knock at Taylor’s bedroom door. We hear a muffled voice calling her name. It’s definitely one of the other girls, though I can’t make out who.

  There’s another knock, a louder one, and our eyes meet. We realize it’s someone knocking on the door from Taylor’s room to the bathroom. My hand is still in the middle of Tay’s chest, and I can feel her heart racing. When I hear the door to the bathroom swing open, mine pounds just as fast. The footsteps get quieter, then move to the hallway. The next knock is louder, and Taylor gasps. I cover her mouth with my palm. The knock is on my door, this time.

  “Ethan?” My name is muffled, but clear enough for me to recognize it’s Felicia.

  “Just a sec,” I call back.

  I put one finger up to my lips, letting Taylor know to be quiet. As much as it pains me, I pull out, not having finished what we started this morning. I get out of the bed, and take Taylor’s hand, having her stand behind the door. Pulling the comforter from the bed, I wrap it around my waist, run a hand through my hair, and crack open the door.

  “Hey. What’s up?”

  Felicia looks me up and down, her eyes lingering on my abs before returning to my face. She cocks her head to the side. “Well good morning to you, too. Have you seen Taylor this morning?”

  “I just got out of bed to come answer the door. She’s not in her room?” Okay, that last part is a statement of fact I know for certain, not a question. The first part isn’t a lie, either. I did just get out of bed. It just so happens that Taylor just got out of bed with me, but Felicia doesn’t need to know that part.

  She peers around me and looks at the bed. Then looks me up and down again. “I see.” She crosses her arms and her eyes go to the floor. She grins, then looks back up at me. “Well, I’ll let you get back to whoever you were doing. If you see Taylor, tell her I was looking for her. We’re going to go shopping later this morning.”

  “If I see her, I’ll definitely let her know.” I give her a smile. “Have fun shopping.”

  She runs her eyes up and down my frame again before she turns to leave. “Not as much fun as you’re having this morning, I bet.”

  I close and lock the door.

  “She knows!” Taylor whisper-screams. “She knows I’m in here and she’s going to tell everyone.”

  “She doesn’t.”

  “She does!” She makes a wide sweeping gesture toward the door with her hand. “She’s going to tell everyone we spent the night together.”

  I take her by the hand and lead her back to the bed. “She’s not. She doesn’t know you were in here.” I brush a kiss across her lips. “You just need make a reappearance.” I brush her hair back behind her shoulders as she sits down. “You can tell them you walked down the beach or over to the market and just got back. It’ll be fine.” My lips move to her neck.

  “You think they’ll buy that?”

  “I do. But you probably need to get going.” I tug on her earlobe with my teeth. “So, do you want to finish up in the shower?”

  She draws her head back a little. “What? You think that’s a good idea?”

  I look down at my very frustrated dick. “I think it’s a fucking fantastic idea.” I press my fingertips to her shoulder, and she leans back onto the bed. I straddle her and she scoots back so I can move to kneel between her legs.

  I lean down and hover over her, staring into those gorgeous blue eyes. “She thinks I’m a player. She may think I have someone in here, but I promise she has no idea it’s you.”

  She presses her palm to my chest. “Are you? A player?”

  Fuck. Way to go, dumbass. That’s just what a girl wants to hear in the middle of sex.

  “You know better than that. You know me, Taylor. I’m not that guy anymore. Not since college.”

  She gives me a soft smile and nods. “So, you’re not seeing anyone else?”

  Trying not to be frustrated, I shut my eyes and blow out a short breath. “Taylor,” I move to my elbows to hold myself up, and press my palms to the sides of her face. “I’m trying to see you, but you keep finding reasons for it to not to work.”

  “Oh.” She looks thoughtful for a moment, examining my face. “It’s just that my brother…”

  “Look beautiful, I’m gonna have to cut you off right there. You talking about your brother is not at all conducive to what we’re trying to do here.” I cock my head to the side.

  She smiles, wide, her whole demeanor relaxing. “Sorry! What if I talk about something else?”

  “Such as?”

  “What if I talk about your magical dick?”

  “Magical, you say? I’m listening.”

  “Large, magical, bringer of orgasms. What if I talk about how much I want it inside me right now?”

  “Mm, now you’re talking in. What else?” I lean down and kiss her neck.

  “What if I say that last week, after, ya know, that night, I thought about it. At night. In bed.”

  “Yeah? I like that. What did you think about?” I reach down and squeeze the ring of the condom where it sits near the base of my cock, and move forward, slipping inside of her.

  She lets out a little sigh. “I thought about when you kissed me, and seeing you naked for the first time.”

  “Yeah? Did tha
t make you wet?”

  “It did,” I push harder, and she sighs. “So wet.”

  “What did you do about it?”

  “I…” Her eyes flutter closed as I move harder, deeper. “I touched myself.”

  “You imagined it was me touching you, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.” Her words are breathy, her breathing getting faster.

  “I’m here now. Is this what you thought about?”

  She pulls her bottom lip against her teeth and nods. My heart rattles in my chest. The way she’s looking at me right now, fuck, it’s everything. I kiss her, hard, and she moves her legs up higher onto my back. She makes a little sound, and I press my thumb to her lips.

  “Careful, sweetheart.”

  “Okay, I just… I…” She pulls her lips together between her teeth, and before she can finish the words, we’re both there, soaring together.

  Afterwards, I begrudgingly let her go get showered and meet the rest of the girls to head downtown.

  When she’s gone, and I’m alone in the shower, I think about our time together last night. I think about being with her this morning, and how different it was than the times before. Different than any time before, really.

  She never finished what she started to say. She didn’t have to. I could see it all over her face. I should know, after all, what she was thinking. I’ve thought it myself over the past week.

  I just hope I’m right. That’s what I’m banking on, because if we have any chance of making this work, I’m going to need someone to help me make Brody understand.

  I didn’t realize what I was doing when we got together last weekend. I didn’t even realize it when I went home the next morning. I skulked around all day Sunday, and by Tuesday, when I hadn’t been able to sleep since I’d left her bed, it hit me like a tidal wave.

  It’s always been her, I just never realized it before.

  Chapter Eight

  Taylor

  “Where were you this morning?” Gabi looks me up and down as she, Felicia, Elle, and I all climb into her car.