Never Say Never (Haven Harbor #3)

Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

DO YOU WANT TO TASTE IT?

D aisy

My chest aches the entire drive home.

I stare blankly out the window while Briar drives the quiet street that curves along the shore. The beach is mostly empty now, the reflection of the moon shimmering on the dark waves. It was Briar who insisted we go to the hotel bar tonight. She said she was worried about me, that I was too tense, and I needed to let loose. She was probably right. I’ve spent the last 22 days trying to figure out what is happening between Tucker and me. First, he kisses me, and then he just… disappears. Not a phone call. Not even a text.

I couldn’t make sense of any of it. We went from barely being able to stand one another to making out in his dad’s office. I’m still not over the way his lips controlled mine, the way time stopped. It was just… us. Then Tuck left on his road trip, and it felt like he pushed me away all over again. I have whiplash from the mixed signals and the back and forth of it all. It’s practically all I’ve been able to think about. I keep reminding myself that this pact Tucker came up with is just about sex for him—I’m sure he hasn’t been losing sleep over it, so why should I? So, when Briar suggested a night out, I reluctantly agreed.

The last person I expected to see there was Tucker.

Tonight left me feeling even more confused. I had to stop my jaw from hitting the floor when he admitted that he never stopped thinking about the kiss all those years ago. I assumed it meant nothing to him, so to find out that I was wrong about that made my heart expand in my chest.

But then why did he push me away?

What did Tucker mean tonight when he said that he didn’t have a choice? Was it because he needed to focus on football? Or that he didn’t want a girlfriend tying him down in high school? I’ve been wracking my brain all night and those are the only explanations I have been able to come up with. What else could it be? My entire body needs to know– but going back to that time in my life feels like pouring salt on an open wound. But for us to be able to move forward– relationship or not– we need to face our past.

“So, tell me what happened tonight.” Briar finally breaks the silence in the car.

“With Tucker?”

“Obviously. I saw him drag you outside. What is going on with you two?”

I stare out at the streetlights instead of at my best friend because it feels easier. Briar has always been able to read me like a book. There’s no point in lying to her, she’ll be able to see right through me.

I exhale deeply, still avoiding eye contact. “We… have a pact.”

I’m quiet for a full 20 seconds before I’m able to glance in her direction, and when I do, the smirk on Briar’s face is enough to make me drop my head into my hands.

“What kind of pact?”

I tell Briar everything, just like I’ve always done since we became best friends in college. I tell her about my past with Tucker, about how we used to sneak out at night when we were kids, about the kiss in his living room, and everything that has happened since he came up with our friends-with-benefits pact.

When I’m done explaining my pact to have sex with my god-brother, I turn in my seat to face her. We’ve just pulled up to our apartment and Briar puts the car into park, then looks at me with wide eyes.

“That’s all of it,” I tell her, shaking my head at how crazy it sounds saying it out loud.

“Woah. That is a lot for even me to unpack.”

“I know.”

“Daisy, are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

I laugh, my head falling back against the headrest. “If I did, do you think I would have said yes?”

“You two have always been incredibly close.”

I nod, then look down at my hands in my lap. “Tucker has always been in my life. When I think back to every big moment, he was there next to me. It really broke me when our friendship fell apart, Bri.”

“It sounds like you’re happy to have him back in your life.”

“I am. But I just can’t stop wondering what happened to make him push me away back then.”

“You’re going to have to ask him. Only he knows the answer to that.”

I nod, knowing she is right, but with the semi-finals coming up, it will have to wait. Suddenly, headlights shine through the back window of Briar’s car. When the lights turn off, we both look over our shoulders in unison to see Tucker parked behind us.

I whip my head back around. “What is he doing here?” I whisper to Briar.

“Probably wants to get started on your pact.” She smirks.

I swat at her arm. “ Not helping! What do I do?”

“Deep breaths,” she says calmly. “He’s still in his truck. You have time to gather your thoughts, but you better make it quick. And Daisy… follow your heart. It’s never let you down before. It won’t now.”

I nod, then follow her advice and take a couple of long, slow breaths, trying not to freak the fuck out. Briar shuts off the engine and we both slip out of the car. “I’m going inside. I won’t wait up. Call me if you need anything.”

Then Tucker is by my side under the glow of a streetlamp. Fuck , he is beautiful. In the dim, golden light, I notice the turquoise ring around his irises, the coarse layer of scruff covering his jaw, the Roman curve of his nose.

He rakes his hand through his thick, chestnut hair, pushing a few strands back off his forehead. “Hey,” he says, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Tucker, what are you doing here?”

He rocks back on his heels and there’s a gleam in his eyes. “There’s somewhere I want to take you.”

“It’s almost midnight. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“No,” he responds, his lips quirking up in a smile. “Do you have to be at work tomorrow morning?”

“No, but where on earth do you want to take me at this time of the night?”

“Do you trust me?” The tone in his voice is soft. When I don’t respond, his head tilts to one side. “Daisy?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Then one hour, Dais. That’s all I’m asking for. I promise you’ll like it.”

A few minutes later, I’m sitting next to Tucker in his truck with the scent of his cologne obliterating my senses and a Sam Hunt song floating softly through the speakers. I recognize the route he’s taking, heading toward the street we grew up on and our childhood homes. Considering how our relationship has changed over the last few weeks, it feels a little strange.

When he pulls his truck down the long stone driveway of his parents’ place and cuts the engine, I glance at him and notice the smirk on his face.

“What are we doing here?”

“It’s been a long time since you swam in the dark. I thought we should change that.”

The pool. That’s all it takes for my heart to riot against my chest. It has been 10 years since I last snuck out of the house to meet Tucker here. We were just kids then.

“We don’t have swimsuits,” I point out, my mouth as dry as cotton.

His smile widens and even in the darkness, his expression pins me in place. My stomach does a belly flop. I’ve known this man all my life and he has always had this effect on me.

“We don’t need them. Come on, Dais.” He slips out of the truck, rounds the front of it and extends a hand for me once he’s opened my door.

I bite my bottom lip as I place my hand in his. He tugs me out of the truck, closing the door behind me, then he’s walking us through the gate at the side of his parents’ house to the backyard. That’s when I realize my aunt and uncle are probably asleep inside.

“Tuck!” I say suddenly, careful to keep my voice down. “I’m not skinny dipping with your parents 20 feet away. What do we do if they wake up?”

“No need to whisper, rebel. They’re not here, so you don’t have to worry… they won’t be home until late tomorrow.”

My heart races in my chest, but I keep my hand in his as I follow him to the backyard where he turns on the outdoor heat lamps. A million memories flood my mind of all the hours Tucker and I spent in this same swimming pool under this same midnight sky.

I stop breathing when Tucker drops my hand and lifts his T-shirt over his head, dropping it onto a lounge chair. His runners go next along with his socks, and he’s standing bare-chested in front of me in nothing but a pair of jeans. Even in the darkness, I can see how much he’s changed since we were kids. His shoulders are broad, pecs defined with a fine dusting of chest hair that ends at his ribs then begins again above the waist of his jeans. My eyes unabashedly roam his muscular chest, his inked arms, the grooves of his sculpted abs.

Tucker Collins is literal perfection.

“Are you coming in?” His fingers move to the button on his jeans, and it feels like I might combust right here on the pool deck. He shoves his jeans down his legs and steps out of them, leaving him in just his dark navy briefs.

My brain short circuits at how good he looks. And it’s impossible for him to hide what he’s packing behind the thin fabric of his boxer briefs that hug the imprint of his thick cock.

“Daisy. Are you coming?”

My nerves kick up, but somehow my answer is sure. “Yes.”

“In your dress?”

My heart thumps inside my chest. I’ve gone skinny dipping plenty of times before, but never with Tuck. In all the years we’ve known each other, he’s never seen me undressed before. I take a deep breath as I toe out of my shoes, then reach for the zipper of my dress with trembling hands. As I slip the straps from my shoulders, I glance at Tucker to find his eyes are glued to me. I let the straps of my dress fall slowly down my arms. My dress slides over my hips and thighs to land in a puddle at my feet, leaving me standing in front of Tucker in nothing but a strapless bra and matching lace thong. My skin pebbles as the cool night air blows over me.

“Jesus, Dais.” His eyes roam greedily over my body.

And then his fingers hook into the waistband of his briefs, tugging them down his thighs until he’s completely naked.

Lord, help me.

His cock is thick and heavy, proudly on display for me with neatly groomed dark hair and tight balls. I shouldn’t be staring, but I can’t look away. A pulse throbs between my legs when I notice his dick twitch.

“Do you want me to close my eyes?” His gaze tips to my chest.

My shaking hands reach around to my back where I find the two hooks on my bra.

“Good girl.” His eyes are pinned on mine. “Go slow for me, Dais.”

That’s all it takes for the apex of my thighs to react in arousal. I swallow thickly and with an exhale, I unclasp my bra, the garment falling from my chest onto the deck. Tucker’s gaze dips to my chest, his Adam’s Apple bobbing in his throat. He makes no attempt to hide the fact that he’s staring at me, and I try not to blush. When his eyes drag up my torso to meet mine, his lips are parted.

“Fucking perfect.”

The pulse between my legs begins to throb at his praise. The look of pure appreciation in Tucker’s eyes is all I need to find the courage to hook my fingers into the lace at my hips and shimmy my thong down to my ankles.

Then we’re both bare for one another, our eyes exploring every inch of one another as if we’re seeing each other for the first time. Because we are. As intimately as I’ve known Tucker, we have never seen one another without clothes.

I’m surprised that I’m not covering myself with my hands or taking off for the pool. I like the way it feels, having his eyes take in every part of me. His arousal is evident when his length begins to harden even more.

“I have never seen anything more beautiful,” he says quietly, and my skin heats all over at the compliment. The rasp in his voice has my heart pumping. I have the sudden urge to run my fingertips slowly over every muscle of his torso, his inked arms, his thighs.

“I mean it, Dais. You are perfect. Come on, just like old times.” Then he’s turning for the pool, diving into the clear water, coming up for air in the deep end. When he surfaces, he floats on his back for a few seconds like he doesn’t have a care in the world before he starts to tread water, dragging his hands through his wet hair.

“Get in here, Daisy. The water is perfect.”

Walking to the shallow end of the rectangular pool, I take the three steps down, sucking in a breath when the cool water hits my stomach. Then I push off the bottom of the pool, slicing my body through the water, holding my breath for as long as the air in my lungs will take me. It feels exhilarating to be naked in the turquoise water under a vast inky sky. My muscles relax and when I break the surface, the nerves that were fluttering in my belly earlier are gone and things between Tucker and I feel like they did when we were young.

“I forgot how warm your parents keep their pool,” I say, my mouth barely above the surface.

“Do you remember when I used to swim underneath you and grab your feet?” He’s treading water a few feet away, his eyes on me. “You used to scream, and I’d have to pull you under so you wouldn’t wake up my parents.”

“It blows my mind that we never woke them up,” I say, laughing at the memory. “We must have snuck out here 50 times, but we never got caught.”

Tuck shrugs his shoulders. “Heavy sleepers,” he says, before a mischievous smile takes over his face. Then he’s diving under the water and swimming directly to me. I shriek when I feel his hand take hold of my foot.

“Tucker Collins—” I manage before he pulls me under with him.

We’re laughing when we both come up for air, then he’s wrapping one arm around my middle and pulling my body into his. My legs instinctively wrap around his hips while my arms snake around his neck. His free hand grips my ass to hoist me higher in his arms while my breasts press firmly into his hard pecs. We stop laughing when the hard length of his erection presses into the V of my thighs.

Arousal flares in my core at the feeling, intensifying as the tip of him bobs between my legs where I’m spread open while he treads water to keep us afloat.

“Jesus,” he growls.

Then his mouth descends on mine, lips crushing together in a searing kiss.

And it is the single hottest moment of my life.

My core pulses with need. My hands hold on tight to his neck. My mind is drunk with lust as my thighs squeeze his waist like I’ll never let him go.

The kiss is soul-deep, his mouth devouring mine. The feeling of his erection nudging my entrance with nothing between us is incredibly arousing. The energy between us feels like it’s hit a boiling point.

As his tongue glides against mine, his legs work to get us to the shallow end, and when his feet hit the bottom of the pool, he breaks the kiss, eyebrows pulled together like he’s not quite sure this is real. It feels surreal to me too.

“Tonight, you’re mine, Dais,” he growls before leaning in to kiss me again. “Unless you tell me to stop then we stop. Do you understand?”

I understand. Tucker is mine for tonight, but he’ll never be mine to keep. And if this is all I will ever get, I can be fine with that.

“I’m yours tonight, Tuck. Do whatever you want with me.”

His blues eyes turn green before his hand cups my jaw, then he presses a soft kiss to my lips. Will I ever get used to his mouth on mine? Whether it’s a quick peck or the kind of kiss that lingers, every single time Tucker kisses me, heat rushes down my spine.

He breaks the kiss and lazily floats to the edge of the pool with a smirk on his face. I stay where I am in the crystal-clear water, staring at him.

Tuck stands so I have a view of his torso, and I greedily take in his bronzed skin and his rigid muscles. “Come here, Daisy.”

I follow his command, moving closer until I’m standing in front of him. He grabs me by the hips and lifts me up onto the edge of the pool. His eyes lock on mine, pinning me in place as water drips down my body. His big hands grip my thighs, spreading me wide. My cheeks burn, hyper-aware that I’m spread open for him, and as vulnerable as it feels, I force my legs to remain that way, never breaking eye contact. Then he runs his tongue over my seam, slow and eager, and I groan, arching my back, letting my head fall back in ecstasy.

“Is this okay?” He suddenly stops. “If it’s too much, I’ll stop.”

I shake my head like he’s crazy. “Your tongue is fucking perfect. Stop and I might die.”

He chuckles at me before lowering his mouth back where I want him. “You taste so good, rebel, I could come just by eating you.”

He devours me until my legs shake. One hand pinches my nipple while he sucks on my clit and when he adds a finger inside of me, I’m seconds away from falling apart.

A moan slips from my lips as I watch him pull my hips closer to his mouth. “Keep going,” I murmur, watching him explore me with his tongue.

I hold on, as long as I can, until his finger inside of me curls, finding that sensitive spot inside of me. His tongue circles my clit, and that’s all it takes. My orgasm crashes over me in waves and I’m screaming his name. I come hard. Tucker keeps going, doesn’t stop, as pleasure rips through me until I’m sitting up and dragging his face to mine.

Our mouths take their time exploring one another as my hands cling to his shoulders. A weird emotion scratches my throat as were holding one another. This feels safe. Touching Tucker and being intimate with him feels comfortable.

“You look so hot when you come.” I kiss him and he kisses me back. “I’ve never tasted anything better.”

He kisses me again, wrapping my thighs around his waist, lifting my sated body back into the pool. One of his hands tangles in my hair while the other palms my ass, squeezing my cheek as his length pushes at my center. His lips devour me as he walks us out of the pool, his possessive hold on me lighting a fire in my soul.

He stops in front of a pool lounger and lowers me down to my tip toes, refusing to break the kiss.

Tucker pulls back suddenly, his eyes searching mine. “Still okay, Dais? I don’t want to move too fast.”

The concern etched on his face is touching. The Tucker I know has always been a little cocky, a little arrogant. I’m surprised to see a different side of him.

“It’s perfect,” I tell him. What I really want to say is, you’re perfect, I can’t get enough. Because I want more. I want tonight to never end. I want him to own me. I want him to destroy me then put me back together one piece at a time.

I take his erection in my hand, stroking the length of his smooth, velvety skin slowly but firmly. The motion has him groaning as he somehow grows even harder in my hand. A jolt of lust knocking me square in the chest.

I can’t stop stroking him. I’m mesmerized by the way he feels in my hand. Velvety. Smooth. Tucker groans and his eyes squeeze shut. I’ve never seen anything sexier in my life.

For years, I’ve fantasized about touching him. Just thinking about it was enough to turn me on and oh, how it has. But nothing compares to this moment. With my eyes fastened on his, I sink to my knees.

I look up at him, my hands resting on my thighs, watching his throat flex as he swallows.

“Fucking hell, Dais. I’m going to come any second like some inexperienced teenager if you don’t touch it.”

I smile back at him watching his entire body shutter when I wrap my hand around his thick shaft and press a kiss to the tip.

Tucker sucks in a deep breath, every muscle in his body tightening when I begin to stroke him from base to crown.

“Feel good?”

“You know it feels good,” he groans, pushing a lock of my hair behind my ear. “I’m harder than fucking granite for you and I know you can feel it.”

I chuckle, not able to help that I want this to be just as good for him as it already has been for me. “Tell me what else you like. What else makes you feel good?”

“Do you want to taste it?”

His perfect lips curve up, his eyes glazed, and I realize I’m about to cross another fantasy off my list.

“I don’t need you to,” he says. “Your hand feels pretty fucking perfect, but I bet your mouth would feel like heaven too.”

My answer is an easy one. I want to taste him. I want to know what Tucker’s cock feels like in my mouth, because I have no idea how long we can keep this arrangement going.

So, I nod my head, lick my bottom lip and remind myself this is just a pact.