Toeing the Line (The Complete Serial) Read online

  She winked before she took more pictures. “Something to keep in mind next time.” This was too easy with him, and she didn’t mind a bit.

  The evening light vanished, and they had to pull a lantern from the back of his truck, to keep working. That was fine with Riley. She used the new lighting to grab shadow effects that would make for fantastic references.

  A breeze swept over her, and she shivered. She glanced at her phone. “Holy shit. It’s after nine.”

  Zane climbed to his feet and stretched his arms above his head, elongating every muscle in his torso. “I think I owe you dinner.”

  She strolled toward the truck, saying over her shoulder, “You did me the favor. Doesn’t that make it my treat?”

  “Not sure I follow your logic.”

  “All right. Whatever.”

  He grabbed her wrists, and pulled her toward him. “You’re sure you got everything you need?” His breath brushed the outside of her ear.

  “Everything art-related,” she said. His warmth flooded her, his scent summoning the images that had taunted her off and on since he’d picked her up.

  He pressed his entire frame against hers, nudging her back a step but not letting go. “Promise me you’ll do something with it.”

  “Of course.”

  “Soon. Like actual soon. Not like a generic thing you keep putting off one more day.”

  “I promise.” She probably would have promised him anything just then, with the power in his grip and his genuine interest in her work. The heat between them called to a growing need between her legs.

  “Good girl.” He smirked and spun, twirling them both so her back was to the side of the truck.

  She squealed in surprise. Her laughter caught in her throat when she realized how serious his expression was.

  He dipped his head and ran his lips up her neck, barely brushing the skin. “Since you think you owe me something, can I call in a favor besides dinner, for being a good sport?”

  She sighed and tilted her head back, sinking into the feather-light kisses. “It was your idea.”

  “So you’re not grateful?” His hurt tone was disrupted by the tease running underneath.

  “I’m incredibly grateful.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, rubbing against him. “Name your price.”

  He let go of her wrists without warning, moving to tangle one hand in her hair. He tugged her head back and grazed his teeth over the sensitive skin of her throat.

  She whimpered at the hunger and aggression, digging her nails into his back, to keep her balance. He pulled her hair harder, pressing his mouth to hers and muffling her moan. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and danced it around hers.

  She caught his bottom lip between her teeth when he pulled away. Pressing against him, she rubbed her hip against his hard arousal. Going down on him the other night had been fun, but she wanted to know what it felt like to have him inside her.

  He dropped his hands to her hips, guided her to the back of the truck, and lifted her up to sit on the tailgate.

  “My price is steep.” He sucked and bit hard along the soft flesh of her neck. He pushed a knee between hers, forcing her legs apart and her skirt higher up her thighs.

  “It’s worth it.” Her response was breathy.

  He slid his fingers down the front of her shirt, undoing buttons as he went, and drew a wet trail with his mouth on the now exposed skin. She reached for the waistband of his jeans, and he grabbed her wrists again and pinned her hands to the bed of the truck.

  His growl echoed in her head, and his mouth grazed her ear. “Not yet.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Her pulse raced in response. Her sex grew slick.

  He pressed his lips against her chest, his chuckle rumbling through her skin. “I like the way that sounds.”

  So did she.

  He let go of one wrist, to glide his rough palm up her stomach, until his thumb brushed the bottom edge of her bra. She whimpered and arched her back, to get closer. They might be out of the main flow of traffic, but they were still in public. The realization notched her heartrate higher.

  He pushed up her bra, elastic scraping her skin. Cold air rushed in around the exposed region. Her whimpers blended into a gasp when he wrapped his lips around her hard nipple. Desire thrummed through her at the hunger in his movements. Each new suck, nibble, and flick of his tongue drove her senses wild.

  He moved his mouth to her other breast, licking and biting the tender flesh. She scooted her butt forward on the tailgate, her skirt sliding up to her hips when she wrapped her legs around the back of his knees and drew him closer.

  His laugh vanished into a groan when she pressed against him through his jeans. He kissed her hard, crushing his mouth against hers.

  Lost in the onslaught of sensations, she was only vaguely aware of him pulling a condom from his wallet, his mouth never leaving hers. Part of her wondered why he’d been prepared with protection, the rest of her didn’t care.

  His hand brushed her mound through her panties when he reached between them to undo his jeans. He held her in place while he rolled on the rubber, and swallowed her moans when he pushed her underwear out of the way with the head of his cock and nudged her slick opening.

  “I love how wet you get.” He bit into her shoulder, drawing another gasp, and then plunged inside her.

  She tightened her legs around him at the sudden penetration, and ran her nails sharply up his back. He dropped his hands to her waist and held her as he rocked against her slowly at first but steadily increasing his pace.

  Each time he moved inside her, he hit her G-spot. As the rhythm increased, her climax built. Her breath came out in short gasps as she drew closer. He pumped harder against her, pushing her over the edge. As her orgasm washed over her, she tightened her grip, milking his cock.

  His breaths became grunts, and she recognized the sound of him getting close. She kept pace with his thrusts, as he peaked and then slowed.

  He buried his forehead against the still-tender skin on her neck, and she gasped at the whisper of pleasure and pain.

  “I think I left a mark.” His chuckle was tired, his voice muffled.

  She leaned more of her weight on her hands, slowly unwinding from him. “I hope so.”

  He tangled his fingers in her hair again and pulled hard to press his lips to hers. When he let go, he didn’t move away. “Feel free to use me any time.”

  “For modeling,” she said.

  A heavy flush tinged his tanned cheeks from exertion and the chill of the creeping night. “Sure. Whatever you want to call it.”

  She wanted to stay wrapped up in him forever. The moment the thought passed through her mind, she regretted it. That wasn’t what this was about. There was no way she was falling for Zane. She’d promised herself. She’d promised him. This feeling was misplaced. She wasn’t making that mistake again, especially since another good friendship was at stake. It wasn’t love; it was incredible sex with a guy who understood what she wanted.

  Her phone buzzed, the vibration rolling through the truck bed and startling them both. She laughed, as much at her own response as to push away the downward spiral of her thoughts. “Completely forgot about the real world for a minute.”

  He tugged her skirt down. “Do you think it’s important?”

  She grabbed her phone from her purse. A hint of her euphoria evaporated when she read the text. “Archer.”

  Zane sighed and turned away, to strip off his protection and make himself decent. “And?”

  She looked between the message and him. The space between them was cavernous, and she wanted Zane back by her side. Wanted to bury her face in his chest again. She shook aside the longing. This was sport sex, and they were in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t like they were going to cuddle after. “He wants to know if you asked me and what I think. Asked me what?”

  He clenched his jaw.

  She didn’t like the reaction, but she wasn’t letting herself pretend they were
a couple. Another friend asked for her attention. “I can find out from him.”

  “He’s got midnight premier tickets tonight, for the new superhero movie. When I was on my way out, he asked if we wanted to go.”

  She’d been to all of those movies with Archer. She’d completely forgotten about this one. “Do you?”

  “You’ve seen all of them, and I know you weren’t just being polite.”

  “We’re all going, right?” She texted a reply to Archer as she spoke. They were acting normal. That meant she’d go.

  Zane pursed his lips, and then a smile forced its way out. “Of course.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Hot to friend in two-point-three seconds. Riley had filled the empty space with chatter since they left the clearing forty-five minutes ago. Every time Zane glanced at her, she was staring out the window. He gripped the steering wheel and kept his attention on the parking lot, scanning for a spot in the sea of cars. It was probably a good thing they decided there wasn’t enough time to stop for dinner. He was tempted to skip the movie and rediscover the moment they had up the clearing, but he knew Riley was looking forward to the film.

  She was out of the car the moment he parked, a skip in her step as they made their way to the theater. Except he saw the stutter to her gait, as if she was trying too hard.

  He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close and tell her whatever it took to calm her down. Except that wasn’t his role or his right. Spending time with her when she was diving straight into the world around her and laughing and living was respite for Zane. It chased away the dark shadows always lurking at the front of his mind, and made him think life went on.

  The way her mood shifted to awkward and unsure after they had sex, or when he pushed her too hard to pursue his dreams, made the demons and doubts race back. Not only because his mind was free to trip over the past again. Her change in behavior haunted him with a single question—Am I being selfish again? Nudging her toward discomfort just to distract himself?

  He shook the thoughts aside, though not as effectively as he had the last few times, and focused on Riley again.

  Her forced skip slowed when Archer came into view. She crossed the last few feet to him, already talking, a lilt to her voice. “I can’t believe you got tickets. You. Rule. Me.”

  Relief trickled through Zane when she didn’t throw her arms around Archer’s neck, but he still wished she wasn’t so on edge.

  Archer shoved his hands in his pockets, looking between the two of them sheepishly. “It didn’t make sense to ignore this one. I’d have been wounded if you couldn’t make it.” He fixed his gaze on Zane for a minute, eyes hardening, before turning back to Riley. “Tori’s holding our place in line. Did you already eat?”

  “I’m good. I don’t think I could stomach popcorn this late at night.” Riley spun so she faced them both, and reached for them but dropped her hands at the last minute. “Let’s go watch someone sexy and arrogant with as much brains as balls save the world.” She walked backward, talking and glancing over her shoulder occasionally to keep from running into something.

  “Did I miss something between you two?” Archer stepped closer to Zane, voice low.

  Great. Other people saw her tension too. “Nope.” He kept his expression neutral and his response quiet.

  Riley met Zane’s gaze one last time before turning away, uncertainty and something else hiding in her blue eyes. She made a straight line for a spot in the pockets of people stacked against one of the theater walls. Tori straightened as they approached. Her long hair was piled on her head and her glasses pushed up her nose, and she looked as friendly as when Zane first met her, two weeks ago, when she delivered Archer a themed dress she made for one of his customers.

  Riley bounced up next to her. “I’m so glad I won’t be drooling over the sexy guys alone.”

  Tori laughed. “I was worried you wouldn’t make it.”

  “Wouldn’t have missed it.”

  “For real,” Archer said to Zane. “What did you do? Sleep with her or something?”

  Zane bit back his growl. “I didn’t do anything.”

  Riley’s shoulders rose and fell when she sighed, and she turned back to face them.

  “First of all”—she turned an icy stare on Archer—“none of your god damned business. Second, I’m standing right here. I can hear you.”

  Archer at least had the grace to look sheepish. Tori refused to look at anyone. Zane wasn’t surprised there. She spent a lot of time with Archer, though Zane knew they weren’t dating, but she was the opposite of confrontational.

  Zane shoved his hands in his pockets, found a narrow slice of unoccupied wall, and clenched his jaw shut, determined not to say anything else until he could wrap his brain around his own feelings.

  * * * *

  “Be right back.” Tori’s whisper barely carried over the explosions on screen. They were in the center of the aisle, which meant Riley didn’t have to move, but everyone else down the aisle did.

  Riley gave her a half nod. With Tori on one side and Archer on the other, she felt too far from Zane. Which was good—or was it bad?—since she still regretted ending the earlier part of their night so abruptly. She was reading too much into things. The entire point of fooling around with Zane was to keep her from thinking she’d fallen for yet another guy.

  When someone dropped into the seat next to her, she glanced to see if it was Tori, or someone she should evict. When she saw Zane, her heart fluttered, and she turned her attention back to the screen. Despite her half-assed attempt to ignore him, the heat of his arm a few inches hers and the familiar scent of his cologne made it difficult.

  He set a box of Red Vines on her knee. His warm breath brushed her ear. “You should eat.”

  “Thanks.” She kept her gaze forward, hating her body for reacting to the contact.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him intertwine his fingers in his lap and slump lower in the seat. She tapped her toes inside her shoes. She wouldn’t make a big deal out of his gesture, even though he had brought her favorite candy, and it was reminding her she’d skipped dinner.

  She couldn’t help it. She tilted her head toward him and kept her voice low, so she wouldn’t disrupt anyone else. “How did you get Tori to switch seats with you?”

  He kept his mouth near her ear, the heat filling her with another pleasant rush she didn’t want to acknowledge. “Intercepted her in the hallway.”

  Warmth spread through her at the gesture that summoned memories of the afternoon in the mountains. She already had trouble focusing on the on-screen love interest, who would almost definitely be gone by the next film in the franchise. “We’re not a couple. We don’t have to sit together.” She loved that he did these things for her. The tiny acts without thought. But she didn’t want him to feel obligated. Didn’t like the voice asking if it was because they were screwing now, even though she knew it was something he’d always done.

  “I know.” The two words fell softly against her cheek. “But we would have before.”

  She tried to hide her smirk at the sound logic, and failed. “Touché.”

  He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Can I have some of your candy?”

  She sank into her seat, arm next to his on the rest. “I guess. Just this once.”

  As the movie tore on, her mood continued to lighten. The four of them cheered with the rest of the crowd and booed and dragged their feet, waiting for that one tiny glimpse of the next film, as the credits rolled.

  They stumbled into the night, and Riley paused outside, blinking while her eyes adjusted to the bright streetlights lining the parking lot.

  “So”—Tori’s exclamation was loud in the still night—“Mr. Rich-but-Arrogant in the costume. Absolutely hot.”

  “I could wear a costume.” Archer’s feigned hurt was exaggerated.

  “You would be just as irritating as he was,” Riley pointed out. “Ms. Sexy-Spy-Lady? I would love to be able to fight
like that.” She kicked into the air and promptly stumbled over a crack.

  Tori caught her and pushed her upright again. “Get Zane to teach you. He’s got the mad moves, right?”

  An unexpected flush coursed through Riley, along with images of some of the moves Zane had shown her so far. She ducked her head, hoping her thoughts didn’t show on her face. “I’m not nearly that coordinated.”

  “But”—Zane interjected—“you’d look a million times better in the black leather than she did.”

  “He’s right.” Tori turned to walk backward, studying Riley. “I could absolutely make you something like that. I bet Archer would pay you just to stand around the store in it. Can you imagine the draw?”

  “I can imagine cleaning the drool off the glass counters.” Archer didn’t sound bothered. “I’d still let you do it.”

  The attention drew Riley’s embarrassed flush out further. She was having too much fun to spoil the moment, but she wanted a subject that wasn’t her. “I can’t believe it’s after three. I am so tired and so wired. I won’t get anything done at work tomorrow. Or is that today?”

  “So call in sick,” Zane said. “I’ll forge you a doctor’s note.”

  Archer held up his hands. “I don’t want to hear anything about the two of you playing doctor.”

  Riley feigned an exhausted stumble, a bit for fun, and a bit to indicate the tiredness was sinking in. Warmth flooded her veins when Zane caught her. She pushed upright again. “Seriously. I need coffee. We should go to Denny’s. If I have to work in the morning anyway, why sleep?”

  “I can do Denny’s.” Archer pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’m with Zane, though. Call in sick. Stop by the shop and pick up the stack of manga I’ve been holding for you. Unless you’ve got something better to read.”

  Riley was about to agree, when Zane cut in. “I’m guessing reading someone else’s work isn’t the same, when you’ve got your own to focus on.”

  The warm fuzzies flitting through Riley beat a rapid escape but didn’t take her embarrassment with them. Please don’t let him do this. Her gut sank. “Denny’s?”