Stay With Me: A Best Friend’s Brother Small Town Romance (Sugarland Creek Book 2)

My panties are still drenched from our sexting FaceTime session on Sunday night, and not being able to see him until tonight has been torture. We talked and teased each other for two hours until he was close to falling asleep. I knew he had to get up early for work as did I, so we called it a night. Then we did the same thing last night, except he only made it an hour before his yawning took over and I told him to go to bed. Tripp works a lot, so that’s nothing new, but I’m finished with work by three or four since my targeted customers are early birds.

But tonight, I plan to stay glued to him for as long as he’ll let me.

I’ve waited long enough to get Tripp like this, and I’m not wasting time now that I have him.

Luckily, he’ll be off work earlier than last night, but I still have two hours until he picks me up so I can take my time getting ready. He won’t tell me what his plans are for our “first official date,” but I picked out a pair of jeans and a sweater since the weather’s cooling off.

Since it’s Tuesday, he stopped by for a coffee this morning, which gave me a chance to quickly kiss him. I feel bad not telling Noah, but the last thing I want to do is to outshine her special weekend by talking about Tripp and me. We’re only four days away from the wedding, and then she goes on her honeymoon. Once she’s back, I’ll tell her everything.

When my phone chimes with a text message, I smile in anticipation of seeing Tripp’s name, but once I tap my screen and see it’s from Travis, I frown.

TRAVIS

Maggie, baby. Come over tonight. I wanna see you.

My stomach turns at the thought of seeing him in person ever again.

MAGNOLIA

I thought I told you to lose my number.

TRAVIS

Don’t play hard to get. We had fun last time, so come over and we’ll have a repeat.

MAGNOLIA

For the last time, that was a MISTAKE. It’s never happening again, so stop texting me.

TRAVIS

That’s not what you were saying when I was fucking that slutty pussy of yours.

God, I hate him so much.

MAGNOLIA

I’m blocking you now.

And then I do what I should’ve done earlier and block his number.

Just the memory of his hands on me makes me want to claw it out of my brain.

When Tripp texts and says he’s on his way, I can hardly contain my excitement. Tonight’s the only night we can hang out this week since I’m booked with wedding stuff with Noah. I already told her I’d be at her beck and call, so Tripp and I will have to stick to texting and FaceTiming until we can be alone again.

A knock on the door has me fleeing across my apartment. As soon as I open it, Tripp scoops me up in his arms and crashes his mouth down on mine. I wrap my arms and legs around him as he steps inside and then kicks the door shut behind him. Then he spins us around and pushes me back into the wall.

“Fuck, I’ve missed you.” He presses harder into my body as he slides his tongue between my lips, and his erection poking into me confirms just how much he has.

“I can tell,” I taunt, arching my back against him. “You been walkin’ around with that weapon all day?”

With a laugh, he leans back and cups my cheek with one hand while the other palms my ass.

“That’s just from finally gettin’ to see you, Sunny.”

I lower my face to hide my blush. “Wow. That’s quite a talent.”

He tilts my chin and presses a tender kiss to my mouth. “Are you ready to go on our first date?”

“I still think you teachin’ me to drive stick shift was a date. I mean, there was a happy ending after all.”

“We’ll consider that the prequel to the real one because tonight you’re also gonna learn something new for the first time.”

When he lowers my feet to the floor, I pout. “You’re educatin’ me on another thing? Why do I feel like you’re gonna give me an exam by the end of the month?”

“Trust me. You’re gonna like it.”

“Mm-hmm. I’ll see about that.” I grab my bag, slide on my boots, and take his hand as he leads us out the door. “And if you did give me an exam, I’d pass it with flyin’ colors.”

“Because you’d be naked?” He lifts his brow with amusement on his face.

I nod once. “That’s right, cowboy.”

Tripp drives us out of town. Though I love Sugarland Creek for its charm and epic mountain views, there isn’t a ton of stuff to do. But when he parks in front of an unfamiliar place with a big picture of an axe on the window, it’s the last thing I expected.

“What’s this?” I ask when he helps me out of the passenger’s side.

“Axe throwing.”

“You think I have enough arm power to throw an axe?”

He threads his fingers through mine and walks toward the door.

“Not sure, but it’ll be fun watchin’ you try.” He winks as he motions for me to go inside.

“Tripp Chattanooga! You brought me here to embarrass myself.”

“I’ve seen plenty of your embarrassin’ moments. But this allows me to stand behind you and help you.”

“If you wanted to touch me from behind, all you had to do was ask,” I tease and enjoy the way his face turns red.

The place is packed, but he must’ve reserved a spot for us ahead of time because we’re shown right into an empty stall. We’re required to wear protective glasses, but he opts in for us wearing hard hats until he sees me throw one.

That earns him a glare.

There’s a bar at the other end, and I don’t know why it makes me laugh, but a place that is loaded with axes shouldn’t be anywhere near a place with alcohol.

“Alright, you ready to try?”

I exhale harshly. “I’m fairly confident I can throw it right in the center of his heart.”

There’s a wood target several feet away, and we had the option of a traditional bull’s-eye with point markers or a paper silhouette of a man. I asked for the paper because I like the visual, but also in my mind, it’s Travis’s body, and he’s going to finally get what he deserves.

Tripp chuckles, then hands me the axe. “Let’s see what ya got.”

I grip the handle with both hands, squint my eyes as I slowly aim it toward the chest, then stretch my arms behind my head.

“Do you want help with your aim?” Tripp asks.

“You better step back,” I warn him confidently.

I want to at least try on my own before I succumb to his help.

He chuckles, moving farther away. With as much force as possible, I whip the axe in front of me, and then we watch it fly. Even I’m surprised when the sound of it hitting the wood target reaches my ears.

“Ya nailed him!”

“Did I get his heart?” I ask eagerly.

“His neck.”

I bark out a laugh and give him a high five. “Even better.”

Tripp goes next and, to no one’s surprise, gets him right in the chest. “Bull’s-eye.”

“Imagine if I could get the crotch.”

His eyes widen as he adjusts himself. “Aim low.”

And so I do. Although there are only a few inches of wood beneath the photo where the cock would be, I focus as best as I can and throw it right at the groin.

“Goddamn!” Tripp cheers with an enthusiastic clap.

I cross my legs, wave out my arm, and bow. “Thank you, thank you.”

“I bet you’d love archery.”

I furrow my brows and grimace. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. My arm already feels like it’s gonna fall off.”

My dad didn’t teach me any outdoor activities, and a part of me wishes he had, but he was too busy trying to keep my mom alive and basically raise me as a single dad. My parents weren’t prepared for me at all. They weren’t exactly trying for kids either. My mom got pregnant with me in her forties, and by that time, she was already diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

She also suffers from depression, sleepwalking, and has had episodes of self-harming. I love my parents and never resented my upbringing, but as an only child, I spent most of my time at home, alone in my room.

Even though I’ve been best friends with Noah since we were kids and she lives on a ranch, I was never into riding horses and four-wheelers. I only got out of the house when Mrs. Hollis picked me up, and I slept over at the ranch on the weekends.

Noah and her brothers tried to get me to do outdoorsy stuff, but I couldn’t find it in me to try.

Part of me was too scared to get hurt so my dad didn’t have a second person to take care of on top of a full-time job.

Mom couldn’t work. She never left the house, so I hung out with her after school until Dad came home and made supper.

In the mornings before school, he’d make a pot of black coffee, and we’d sit at the table before Mom woke up and talk about anything and everything. It became our tradition even though I hated the taste.

When I was old enough, I found a job at a coffee house so I could learn to make coffee I liked. Once I saved up enough money, I bought an espresso maker and practiced making drinks at home. Dad always taste-tested them for me.

Every one I made for him got his thumbs-up of approval.

When I was working on my coffee menu, I decided to name a latte after him, Bless Your Black Heart. Although he’s the sweetest man you’ll ever meet, that was his favorite Southern saying anytime he talked about someone being cold or cruel.

“Hey, you okay?” Tripp asks, and I blink away the daze.

“Yeah, I’m good. Is it my turn?”

“Not yet. I’m thinkin’ of where to get him next.”

I glance at our half-mutilated silhouette.

“The eyes,” I tell him.

“Savage. I love it.” He laughs, then gets into position.

“Should we make it interesting?” I ask before he throws.

“Such as?”

“Whoever throws the most times in a row without missing gets something from the other.”

He arches a brow, licking his lower lip. My gaze traces his mouth as he contemplates my offer.

“Hardly seems favorable for you, but okay, I’m all ears.”

“Rude.” I smack his flexed bicep. “Whoever loses is at the mercy of the other person’s request.”

“And what would yours be?”

“Oh, that’s the best part. We don’t tell each other until there’s a winner.”

He shrugs as if he’s got this in the bag. “Alright, you’re on. But, Sunny?” He cups my chin, inching closer, but not quite touching. “Don’t think I’m gonna take it easy on ya.”

I reach between us and palm his dick over his jeans. He’s not hard but chubbed enough for me to feel the outline of his length.

“Good. Because I never said I played fair.”

Stepping back, he blocks my hand from touching him. “No way. I’ll end up with an axe in my foot if you distract me.”

“That wasn’t in the stipulations.”

He playfully glares. “I wasn’t aware I needed any.”

“Ah, well, better to remember for next time.” I lift my shoulder, then remove the gap between us and drag his mouth down until it reaches mine. I kiss him like my life depends on it, sliding my tongue between his lips and moaning as he squeezes my ass. My body grinds against his erection, and once he’s rock-hard, I pull back and pat his chest. “Best of luck to you, cowboy.”

“I’m callin’ a foul.”

“No such thing.”

“You’re ruthless, ya know that?” He adjusts himself as he groans at me.

“You’re up.” I hand him the axe with a sickly sweet smile.

Instead of giving him room to throw, I kneel in front of him, unbutton his jeans, and lower his zipper. Then I remove my glasses and hard hat.

“What’re you doing?” he whisper-hisses, glancing around us and removing his own hat.

“No one can see me down here.” I lower his boxers just enough to pull him out. Tripp’s hard and thick in my hand, with angry veins pulsating against my palm. It’s so much hotter in person than on a screen.

“Magnolia. We’re gonna get caught.”

I ignore his panicked tone and laugh to myself at how he thinks using my real name will stop me.

“Our stall is private, and I’m hidden under a wooden table. The only ones who could potentially see are the ones watching the surveillance cameras behind you. So if you don’t want them to see what I’m about to do to you, I suggest you stand still.” Then I give him a long, hot lick up his shaft.

“Jesus Christ.” His head falls back as he keeps his feet planted. “You’re in so much trouble.”

“Don’t forget your axe,” I tease before wrapping my tongue around his crown and then push him into my mouth.

He cups the back of my head with one hand and white-knuckles the edge of the table with his other. “I can’t throw with you gaggin’ on my dick, Sunny.”

His hushed voice has me smiling with pride.

I release him with a pop. “Told you payback’s a bitch.”

Then I deep-throat him as I stroke his length over and over. Saliva covers my fingers as I keep up with my pace. There’s no time to go slow or tease him, so I need to bring him to the edge as fast as I can.

“Holy fuck. I’m gonna come.” His fingers tighten against my skull as if he’s fighting back his moans. Between the music and people chatting in the other stalls, no one would hear him anyway.

When he bites his lip and holds his breath, I feel his body tense against me. A deep, guttural groan vibrates through him, and I know he’s close. I open wide, stick out my tongue, and hold his shaft as he unleashes in my mouth.

He finally exhales and his entire body relaxes.

“That was insane.” He smacks his tip against my tongue, and I laugh.

Once he puts himself back in his boxers and zips up, he whips off his glasses, grabs my hand, and helps me to my feet. I expect him to scold me or threaten punishment, but he lifts me up on the table, stands between my legs, and devours my mouth.

“That was the second fuckin’ hottest thing I’ve ever experienced,” he says against my lips. “And so damn risky.”

“I thought you were a risk-taker,” I muse, lifting a brow.

“Not usually in terms of public sex, but I’ll try anything once.” He smirks. “We should go before I eat your pussy right here for all those creepy security guards to watch.”

“Don’t haveta tell me twice.”

Tripp helps me down, but then I quickly grab his hand to stop him. “Wait. Does this mean I won?”

Closing the gap between us, he holds my chin and tenderly rubs the pad of his thumb along my jaw. But then a devilish smirk spreads across his face. “Who said we were done playin’?”

I’m left speechless as Tripp drags us out of the building, and when he opens the back door to his truck, he motions for me to climb in.

“Lie down, sweetheart. I’m about to take back the victory.”

Thank God for bench seats.

I do as he says while he closes the door, and then he rests one knee between my legs.

“Good thing it’s already pitch-black out because the thought of someone seein’ you spread out half-naked through the window would drive me crazy.” He grabs the button on my jeans and flicks it open before lowering my zipper.

“I like this possessive side of you.” I’m already panting as I help him drag my panties down.

“It’s always been there. I was just good at hidin’ it from you.” He leans down, spreads my legs open, and then brushes his nose along my slit.

The warmth of his breath has me lifting my hips, desperately seeking his touch.

“You want me to taste your pussy? Make you scream my name while you come?”

“No, I’m panting like a dog for funsies.”

He barks out a laugh, shaking his head at me. “Then say it, Sunny. Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

“Bury your face between my legs until I’m close to passin’ out from lack of oxygen. But don’t stop until I’m coming all over your lips.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he hisses, blinking up at me. “That goddamn dirty mouth of yours.”

I shamelessly lift a shoulder. “You shoulda known what you were gettin’ into.”

He stretches his body over mine and leans down until he’s half an inch from my mouth. “Hope you also know what you got yourself into, sweetheart. Because I’ve spent years fantasizin’ about tastin’ your sweet cunt, and I ain’t stoppin’ until every inch of you is shakin’ beneath me.”

A shiver runs down my spine at his promise. I’m already breathing hard, and he hasn’t even started yet.

Tripp repositions himself, lifts one leg up to rest on the back of the seat, and then finally covers my pussy with his hot mouth.

His tongue laps at me in between sucking my clit and thrusting his fingers inside me. The roughness of his facial hair scratches my bare skin and the sensation of it all drives me wild.

“Yes, right there. Oh my God.” I arch my back and squeeze around his digits when he slides back inside.

My hand finds the top of his head, and I pull at his hair while he tightly grips my hip. His movements drive me closer to the edge, which seems impossible because I never come this fast. Even when I do it myself, it takes more effort and time. But Tripp’s tongue lapping on my clit as he twists his wrist over and over is the perfect rhythm to set me off.

“Shit, I’m so close. Don’t stop,” I pant out in harsh breaths.

He slides his hand underneath my ass, lifts my hips, and then slams his fingers against my G-spot.

“Tripp! My…I’m—” The complete lack of oxygen makes my words come out inaudibly as a wave of pleasure hits me so damn hard, my eyes roll to the back of my head, and white stars take over my vision.

But then I feel it.

Wetness pools between my thighs as I squirt around his fingers that continue to thrust in and out of me.

My God. That’s never happened before.

“Holy shit, did I just…” I stammer out as I attempt to blink away the static in my eyes.

Tripp clamps his lips down on my clit again and the sensation is too intense to handle.

“I can’t…” I thrash my arms to grab his head, but he remains a statue as he pushes my thighs apart. “Tripp, it’s too much!”

He shakes his head, and my body caves into the second wave of pleasure that has me unraveling once again.

Harsh breathing resounds within his truck as he finally climbs up my body and brushes his hand over my cheek. “That’s now beat out first place for the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced. And I’m pretty sure I win now.”

I pant out a laugh. “I hate you.”

“Your pussy doesn’t.” He cups my chin and kisses my half-open mouth. “Next time, you’ll be bent over so I can eat you from behind and bury my face in your ass.”

Is it possible to squirt a second time from only his words?

Because I’m pretty sure I just did.