"I've thought about this, too."

My lips drag along the edge of her jaw, her body arching into me, impatiently urging me to do something more. I can't believe I get her like this—laid out in that pretty pink sheer bra, tiny hearts scattered across the fabric, and those goddamn matching panties. Christ. But I want her naked. I want to strip her down until she's nothing but soft, silky, bare skin beneath me.

I press at her hip, and she tilts her knees, opening herself to me a little more. My thumb skims just below her belly button, tracing a teasing line that dips toward the heat between her legs, delighting in the way goosebumps break out across her skin.

"Thought about what?" she hums, eyes fluttering closed.

"Putting my mouth on you," I murmur, dropping a kiss on her neck. "I wanted to get my hands on you in that dressing room." I kiss the spot between her breasts, and she threads her fingers into my hair. "Wanted so badly to drop to my knees, spread your legs, and make you forget everything else that day." I trail lower, my lips brushing just above her belly button. "I wanted you in the middle of the night in that hotel room, when you kept trying to snuggle your way over to my side of the bed."

She scoffs breathlessly. "I was not trying to snuggle you."

"You were," I counter, a smirk tugging at the corners of my lips. "I wanted you so bad that night."

I wanted her so badly I was practically vibrating with it. I had to fist my hand around myself in that hotel bathroom while she sat on the other side of the wall. I pictured Maisie exactly like this—me tucked between her legs, her cheeks flushed, hair wild, lips kiss-bitten and swollen. One of my favorite fantasies.

I press a wet kiss just below her belly button, letting my tongue dart out to trace a slow line down to the edge of her sheer pink panties. But when I press a kiss on one of the tiny red heart's right at the corner of her thong, her body suddenly goes rigid beneath me.

I pause, pulling back. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she squeaks, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She's stuck in her head, spiraling over something—I can see it in the tilt of her lips. I squeeze her thigh gently, just enough to pull her attention back to me.

She peeks down at me, swallowing hard. "It's just... well, contrary to what people might say about me, I don't do this often."

"Don't do what? Sleep with your best friend?" I tease.

She hums out a nervous laugh, her fingers fidgeting against my yellow gingham blanket. "The, um... the sex. It's been a while since I've been with anyone."

"You don't have to tell me that."

"No, but I feel like I do," she insists, her words rushing out. "Because the media always makes it seem different. Like, I, um... get around a lot just because I don't have long relationships. And then with all the paparazzi pictures online and in magazines... I know how it seems, and I don't want you to think that I—"

"I don't pay attention to what they say about you."

Her brow ticks up, giving me a look that says, I'm not buying that.

"Okay, fine. I might glance at a few of the pictures when I'm in line at the grocery store, but I never actually read them. And even if I had, it wouldn't change anything. I'd still want you just as much. I do want you."

Her eyes soften, a flash of relief breaking through as the tension in her body eases. It's an answer that seems to satisfy her, but God knows it's the truth. I'd want Maisie no matter what anyone said about her, because I know who she is beneath all that noise.

"Okay," she breathes.

"Okay?"

"Okay, you can have me."

I smile as I drag my lips back down the valley between her breasts, my fingers working beneath her to unclasp her bra. When I have it undone, I fling it behind me. My breath stutters as I cup her in my hands. I brush my thumbs over her nipples once, and her head tilts back into the pillow. I do it again, pinching lightly, and she lets out the sweetest little gasp, arching into my touch.

Fuck. I could yank my briefs down right now and touch myself to just this—her, messy and undone. It wouldn't take long, thirty seconds at most. I wonder what she'd think about that.

I press open-mouthed kisses over her dusty-pink, pebbled nipples, swirling my tongue around her. My palm slides between us to the front of her underwear, and when I peek up at her, I catch the moment her arm slips back over her head, twisting into her hair, her smile tilting into the pillow.

"Oh." The moan slips from her, almost like she didn't mean to, and she quickly adds, "That's, um, that's very good."

"I'm gathering that."

"Yeah?" She blinks down at me. "And what tipped you off?"

I smirk against her skin, the curve of my lips brushing over her as I shift lower, adding kisses until my lips press against her underwear. She tilts her hips up with a sigh, and my fingers hook around the waistband, tugging them down inch by inch until all I see is smooth, bare skin. Her legs are tipped open, spread out against the sheets, that dip between her waist and hip.

My mouth goes bone-dry, the pressure between my legs becoming unbearable.

"You have to stop looking at me like that," Maisie whispers.

My eyes move up to her, my throat working as I swallow. "My imagination does not do you justice, Maisie girl."

I drag a finger down the center of her, feeling just how wet she already is for me, how warm. I groan and do it again, slower this time, her breath catching. And lust rushes through me.

"Tell me," I murmur, leaning down between her open legs to brush a kiss against the inside of her knee. "Is this how you imagined me touching you?"

"Something like that," she breathes out, her thigh twitching under my lips.

"Did you imagine this?" I murmur, trailing my mouth higher, teasing her with a featherlight kiss against the inside of her upper thigh, just below where I know she wants me. Her skin is impossibly soft, so deliciously sweet that I have to squeeze my eyes shut for a moment just to keep myself together.

Maisie gives me a garbled sound in response.

"How about this?" I hum against her, finally curling one hand around her thigh while the other slides to her stomach, holding her steady. Then I press my mouth to the core of her—a long, drawn-out lick that has a groan rumbling deep from my chest.

"August," she gasps, her hand clenching tight in my hair.

I stroke my tongue against her clit, back and forth, finding a rhythm she likes. She tastes sweeter than the McFlurry I left melting on my kitchen table, sweeter than anything I've ever had. This is better than all I've ever dreamed of—Maisie flushed and panting, falling apart because of me.

"You gonna come for me, Maisie girl?" I murmur, pulling away just enough to rest the side of my forehead against her thigh, just enough to slip two fingers inside her.

"I'm—Yeah," she gasps, my eyes locked on the way my fingers keep disappearing inside her, her legs shifting against me with each small thrust. "Yeah, I think I'm—oh."

I'm rewarded with that sound she made before in the studio—something caught between a moan and a gasp. And I'm fucking desperate to hear it again. I thrust my fingers into her again, rough and messy, until she's rocking against me until she's choking out my name.

When I put my mouth back on her clit, I suck, and her whole body trembles. Her grip on my hair tightens, her thighs squeezing around my ears, muffling the sound of her moans. I close my eyes, feeling the way she starts to unravel under my tongue, her entire body giving way to release.

She comes with a whimper of my name, her face turning into the pillow, legs scrambling against the sheets as her heels dig into the mattress, trying to ground herself.

God, maybe she's right—maybe I am obsessed with her voice. Because if I could, I'd spend the rest of my life chasing that sound.

"Now," she demands. She hasn't even come down yet—her legs still trembling with tiny aftershocks, her chest heaving from her orgasm—but her eyes find mine, wild, pleading. "Right now, please. I need you."

It's the I need you that has me nodding frantically, fumbling in my rush to get my pants off. I nearly topple off the bed when they get stuck around my ankles. She sits up, trying to help, but then her hands shift, and suddenly, they're sliding into my boxer briefs instead. Her fingers wrap around my cock, and my breath stumbles into a groan as I drop my forehead to her collarbone.

"Fuck, Maisie girl..."

"You're not the only one with wants, August." Her hand moves with just enough pressure to make my hips jerk into her touch. Twenty seconds—maybe less—and it already feels like too much. When her thumb swipes over the head of my cock, I twitch in her hand, and a low, broken sound escapes me—an embarrassing sound.

I feel the tips of my ears heat as my eyes lock back with Maisie's. Her tongue is caught between her teeth, doing a terrible job of hiding the smirk pulling at the edges of her lips. She looks far too pleased with herself.

"Jesus. Okay, alright. Um... hold on." I practically stumble off the bed. I'm a complete wreck, a hairpin away from completely losing it, spilling myself all over her.

I kick my way out of my pants and slip out of my briefs as I desperately attempt to regain some control. A laugh sputters out from under my breath as I remind myself that as much as this is Maisie Rhodes, she's also my Maisie. My best friend and I don't need to be fucking embarrassed about anything.

When I turn back around, she's watching me, perched on the bed with her feet tucked beneath her. Her buttery blonde hair spills forward, nearly concealing her peaked nipples. Her blue eyes hold me where I stand, taking their time before they finally crawl back up to meet mine.

She bites the corner of her lip, and everything kind of settles in me when she finally says, "I like you like this."

"What, naked?"

"No." She rolls her eyes like, yes, duh, of course, naked. "All sugared up with McFlurry."

I shake my head, smiling as I lean into her. My hands press into the mattress, a whisper away from her lips. "I'm trying to hold myself together right now, and you're making it difficult."

"Good," she whispers, curling her fingers around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. "'Cause I kind of want to watch you come apart."

When my lips meet hers, she moans, the sound vibrating between us. Her tongue slips against mine, tasting herself on me, and it might be the hottest thing I've ever experienced. It sends a jolt straight to my gut, unraveling what little restraint I have left. My hands find her hips, gripping them firmly as I lift her and guide her further up the bed until her head sinks into my pillow, her body lying beneath mine.

"You feel so good," I rasp out as every inch of bare skin presses against hers. She shifts her legs wider, opening herself to me until I'm nestled between her thighs. My cock, thick and heavy, presses against the heat of her—soft and warm everywhere I'm hard.

I rock my hips, letting myself glide through her, the length of me brushing over her clit. She chokes out a moan, and I'm undone. Consumed. Senseless from the way she feels, the way she tastes, the way she's unmaking me piece by piece.

I do it again, thrusting slowly against Maisie, and her head tips back into the pillow with a sharp gasp.

I'm not even inside her, and this is already the most incredible sex I think I've ever had.

I thrust my hips again, and this time, the head of my cock notches at her entrance. I freeze, a deep, garbled groan slipping from both of us in unison. My head falls into the crook of her neck as I try to gather myself.

I should've grabbed a condom. I know exactly where they are—tucked under the sink by my mouthwash and the extra bars of soap in the bathroom. I should stop, climb off her, and go get one. But, Christ, it's so good. Better than anything I could have fantasized. And I just don't want to let go of her.

"Please don't go," Maisie whispers, like she's plucked the thought straight from my head.

"They're in the bathroom," I manage, my voice ragged and uneven. Bracing myself on my forearm, lifting up just enough to look at her. I want to burn this moment into my brain—Maisie, eyes heavy-lidded, a strand of hair stuck to the damp skin of her neck, cheeks pink.

She rolls her hips, pressing herself another half inch closer, and I groan, the image of Maisie swaying her hips in that washing-machine motion she did during her dress fitting flashing through my mind. It takes every ounce of restraint not to push fully into her. My chest heaves, my fingertips biting into her skin hard enough that I'm sure they'll leave marks, silently begging her to stay still.

"I have an IUD," she blurts out. "And I'm clean."

I nod, my throat working as I squeeze my eyes closed. "I am, too," I manage. "I got checked a few months ago, and I'm—" The rest of my answer disintegrates into a groan as she shifts, rocking her hips, taking me another inch. "Jesus, Maisie."

"August, please," she whimpers, and something inside me splinters.

"Okay, yeah, I know," I groan. I squeeze her thigh, steadying us both, before I press into her—slow, slow, slow—until I'm buried to the hilt. Until I can lean forward, letting a deep, garbled sound of appreciation against her neck. Until I can just hold myself there, overwhelmed by her—by all of it.

Maisie hiccups a moan, body shivering beneath mine. Her fingertips dig into my shoulder blades, carving half-moons into my skin before sliding down to curl around my biceps. She squeezes, her breath coming in soft, whispered little gasps.

"Maisie," I murmur somewhere against her skin. My body feels like a wave of electricity rippling through me—buzzing in the hollow of my knees, surging low between my thighs, and sparking at the base of my spine. She feels incredible. "Fuck, Maisie."

I catch her mouth with mine when I start to move, slow, gentle little thrusts that somehow wind me up tighter than I thought possible. My hips push into hers, and she meets me with a smooth, rolling grind—a rhythm that builds and builds.

"How is this so good?" she mumbles. "Feels so good."

Relief washes through me because, thank fuck, I'm not the only one losing it. "You feel incredible, Maisie. I'm losing my goddamn mind over you."

"Oh, good," she gasps, her head tipping to the side as a soft, satisfied little sigh spills from her lips. It's the prettiest sound I've ever heard, and it nearly pushes me over the edge. "I was worried it was just me."

"No, Maisie girl," I huff out a breathless laugh, thrusting my hips into hers. "You're not the only one thinking it."

I drop a kiss on her breasts, my mouth lingering on the soft curve of her skin. Her gasps grow louder as my lips trail over her nipple, and I grind into her in a fluid, unrelenting rhythm. Her back arches beneath me, hands tangling in my hair, pulling me closer, harder. I shift my angle, reaching for her knee to bend it, sinking myself deeper, drawing a shuddering cry from her lips.

"God, August," she whines, her voice cracking at the edges. "I think I'm going to come again."

Just the thought of it has everything clenching tighter, my hip rocking deeper.

"Let me help you." I shift onto my knees, needing to see everything—the way my body moves with hers, the light sheen of sweat glistening on her skin, the way her chest bounces with every thrust of my hips. My eyes lock on hers as I reach between us, stroking my thumb over her.

I move against her until I can feel it—the deliciously perfect little flutters clenching around me, the way her body tightens. Everything feels alive, electric, like the world is glowing in prismatic hues, lights blooming at the edges of my vision.

"You gonna come for me again, Maisie girl?" I grit out.

She nods frantically, her breath hitching, and I lean in, my hand wedged between us as I work her harder, faster. The tremble starts in her legs, rolling upward in a wave that takes her over completely. Her nose presses into my cheek, her mouth falling open against my jaw as her hands curl into fists against my shoulders.

I feel her clench tight around me, her release pulling mine right after in four uneven, unstoppable thrusts. I tumble into her with a rush, golden and blinding, everything spinning out of my control.

After I've wrung out every last bit of pleasure from Maisie, I collapse against her in a boneless heap, my face tucked into the curve of her neck. Her fingers slip through my damp hair, brushing it back gently.

"I think I died," I say, my voice muffled against her skin. I want to stay here forever, my lips pressed to her pulse, feeling it flutter away. "I'm dead. You killed me. It's the only explanation."

"Here lies August Reid Williams," she says, her voice still breathless, one hand lifting as though envisioning the words etched on a tombstone above us. "Beloved son, brother, and proud president of the Maisie Rhodes Fan Club."

I snort a laugh into her neck, pressing three kisses on the column of her throat before leaning up onto my forearms to meet her eyes.

"Shame, really," she murmurs, twirling a strand of buttery blonde hair around her finger. "Think of all you'll miss. I haven't even shown you the cover they chose for Vogue yet."

"It's the one with the cherry between your teeth, isn't it?"

Her lips pull into a wry little smile as she stares up at the ceiling. "You won't even get to see the chair dance routine at the concert."

I groan, dropping my forehead against her chest. "A chair dance routine?"

"It's very sensual," she teases.

"Fuck." My hips jerk into her, completely on their own accord.

"Seductive, even," she adds, and then, almost like she suddenly remembers, "Oh, and the bodysuit—"

"Okay, alright," I groan, settling my chin against her chest so I can look at her. "Let's not kill me off just yet, okay?"

She shrugs, rolling her eyes. "Fine by me."

I smile at her, then move to drop a quick kiss on her lips before pushing out of the tangled sheets.

"Wait," she says, her face falling just a fraction as she pulls the comforter to cover herself. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get you cleaned up, and then," I say, standing, searching the floor for my boxer briefs. I'm not sure where they ended up. "I need sustenance. Because we're going to be doing that again."

tysm for reading, commenting, and voting ❤️