Chapter 14 - The Bet

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height


A week later I'm in desperate need again and tiptoe my way across the second floor. I know he's not asleep yet, judging from the light pouring under the door. I knock lightly and wait.

"Come in!" Landon calls and I slip in quickly, making sure the door locks behind me. Landon is sitting on his bed reading some boring-looking book about car mechanics. He raises his head from the book and takes in my clothes; tiny high-waisted shorts and a nude bandeau.

"What's up?" he puts down the book.

I bite my bottom lip and make my way to him, slowly, and sit on his lap astride. I put my hands around his neck and press my lips against his. His hands go around my waist and his lips move against mine, gently and leisurely. I push him backwards on the bed and lean over him, kissing and nibbling his neck. He lets out a throaty sound, his hold on my waist tightening. He then flips us over, his body pressing down on me. He kisses my jawline.

"Go out with me," he breathes out, holding my eyes. My heart plummets.

"What?" I gasp. Please don't ruin this, I beg him silently.

"Go out on a date with me, Avery," he says, his thumb stroking my cheek. I push him off me and roll over to the floor. I get up and back away from him as he sits up on the bed, looking at me expectantly.

"Why can't we just do what we've been doing?" I ask desperately. "Just have sex without the complications of a relationship. We're good at sex, not at dating, so let's just be good at this," I beg.

He gets up and comes to stand in front of me. "I want more."

"Why?" I ask, feeling like a deer in headlights.

"Because I like you," he says as it's obvious.

"But we fight all the time. You find me annoying as hell."

"I used to," he admits, taking my hand gently as if afraid I'm going to bolt. He's not far off. "But now I find you mesmerizing."

"And what happens when we start dating and we'll crash and burn? Because it will happen," I say hardly, making him flinch. "What happens then? We live together, you're my brother's best friend, for goodness' sake! We can't get away from each other when things go bad. And they will."

"You're such a pessimist," he sighs, obviously frustrated. "We could work."

I'm about to open my mouth to protest but he cuts me off.

"I would never hurt you," he promises, confirmation glinting in his eyes. I feel something get stuck in my throat and try to swallow it down. I have to look away.

"And what happens when something better comes along, huh?" I challenge him. "When some hot chick comes to hit on you at some bar? Did you forget I know you? You don't do relationships." He's never had a meaningful relationship, only one night stands. A lot of them.

"I've changed," he claims. "I want you. You alone."

"But I don't want you," I close my eyes, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes.

"That's a lie."

I open my eyes. He looks so confident. "I'm not ready to date," I try. "I just want sex."

"And I don't want sex only. Not anymore."

I bring my fingers through my hair, exasperated. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to want more. It's Landon, he's supposed to fuck me sore, not ask me on dates. "I guess we're at a stalemate, then."

"I guess so," he agrees. We stand there looking at each other, waiting for the other to crack. I don't want things to get serious, but I don't want to lose this, either. This is the best sex I've ever had, he's the best I've ever had.

"What if we make a bet?" he asks after the silence becomes unbearable, a thought crossing his mind. "And whoever wins gets to dictate the terms of our... relationship."

I raise my brow carefully. "And what exactly are we betting on?"

He grins devilishly. "No sex."

I open my mouth but he holds up his hand, stopping me. "No sex, no kissing. The first one who can't resist the other, loses."

I ponder it for a second. I don't know how long I can go, but if I want to win, I need to last longer than him. I can work with that, my mind already thinking of ways to make him crack.

"If you win, which I doubt," he says and I glower at him,"I will stop talking about dating and we can continue being... whatever the hell we are. With benefits."

Sounds too good to be true. "And if you win?" Unlikely as that is.

He smiles. "Then you'll have to go on a date with me. A real date. With an open mind."

I scan his face for a moment, making sure he's serious. "Fine," I agree. I'm used to winning and I don't think for a second I'm not winning this, as well.

"It's a deal," he says and we shake on it. "Good luck resisting this," he indicates his hard body. "You won't last a week."

I scoff. "Yeah right. It's going to be you who can't keep his hands off."

He gives me a smug smile, which falters when I say, "In a week we'll be in Barbados, sipping cocktails and laying by the pool. I've got a few very sexy swimsuits I've been waiting to wear." I grin and skip out of his room. He's going to lose it in the Caribbean, if not earlier. Piece of cake.

---

It hasn't been a piece of cake. A week has passed since we made the bet and I've seen hot dreams about him every single night. It hasn't helped that he's been strutting around in sweats only, his upper body always bare, making me drool profusely. I haven't made things easy for him either; I've been using all my little lace and silk pajamas at home and just a sports bra and tight shorts to the gym. I once even danced by his open bedroom wearing only lace underwear that didn't leave much for imagination. I caught his eyes darken before he shut the door, growling.

I'm going to make him regret he ever came up with the bet.

"Oh my god," Stella gasps as we pile out of the two cars we rented for the week.

"Nice, huh?" I grin and start pulling my enormous purple suitcase to the front doors of the enormous villa in front of us. It's a beautiful two-story building with white wooden walls and beige brick foundation. A balcony circles the second floor, looking over a long white beach. In the back there's a huge pool-area with sun chairs and a tiki bar wholly stocked up.

"Booyah!" I unlock the door and let everyone in. The foyer is spacious, the floor sienna tile, the walls white with many paintings and vines hanging from it. The kitchen is spacious and stocked with modern appliances, and the dining room holds a table for twelve.

"Okay, keys," I hold out the five keys on the palm of my hand. Since there's nine of us, we divide them in a way that each pair of roommates has one; one for me, Nate, Miranda, Riley and Landon.

"Let's check out the rooms, shall we?" I grin, heading upstairs where the room I always stay at is. It has double doors opening to the balcony, connecting the three bedrooms upstairs. I throw my purse on the king-sized bed. "Dips," I show my tongue at the others, who just shake their heads and continue examining the house. Landon and Mike end up taking the room next to mine, and Stella and Riley pick the third one. That leaves Nate, Sophie, Miranda and Brett the two bedrooms downstairs.

"Some of us should probably go to the grocery store" Landon says after we've all gathered in the kitchen. "There's nothing to eat here."

"We'll go" Nate points to Sophie and himself.

"We'll join you" Miranda offers, her hand on Brett's. "You can't carry everything with just the two of you."

"That leaves the rest of us with chilling by the pool" Stella grins, already heading upstairs to change.

"Wait up!" Riley and I run after her. I open my suitcase and lay down my swimsuits. I decide on a tan bikini with white lace covering the entire thing, considering it shows most skin and leaves the least tan lines. I put them on and pull on a white see-through cover up and a sun hat before heading to the girls' room.

"The pool awaits!" I chirp, leading the way outside. We all grab white towels from a cabinet and spread them on own lounge chairs before laying down. I take off my cover up and lay on my back, bathing in the sun.

SPLASH! water sprinkles down on us, making us jump. Landon stands in the water, laughing at us. SPLASH! Mike bombs into the pool, spreading even more water around.

"You're going to pay for that!" Stella jumps up and puts down her now wet book. She jumps into the pool, starting a wrestling match with Mike, who is twice his size. I can't help but laugh at the sight.

"Get him!" I yell, giggling. I'm so entertained by the match that I don't remember to keep track of Landon. A big mistake. A tall shadow falls on me, blocking the sun.

"What are you laughing at," he grins, and picks me up. I scream and thrash in his arms, trying to kick myself free. "Happy swimming," he smirks and throws me into the pool.

I sink down. When my feet touch the bottom, I kick myself back to the surface. Landon stands on the edge, laughing his ass off. I narrow my eyes at him, only amusing him more.

"Come on, help me up," I offer him my hand. He looks at it suspiciously.

"Nah, I'm good," he says, guessing my plan correctly. I scowl but then catch something in the corner of my eye and quickly swim to the side. He opens his mouth to ask what I'm doing just as Riley appears behind him and pushes him in the water.

"What were you saying?" I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh when he comes to the surface, shaking his head like a dog. I give a quick thumbs up to Riley, who goes back to sunbathing, and swim away from the hands reaching out to me. I'm a fast swimmer, but Landon is stronger and he catches me in no time, his arms going around my waist.

"No fair," I mutter, trying to free myself but failing as his arms are like steel bars, hard and unyielding.

"Life is," he says in my ear, sending a shiver down my back. I haven't been this close to him in a week, and my body yearns for his.

"Hey Avery!" Stella shouts, swimming toward us with Mike in tow. "What do you say to a little wrestling match?"

"I say bring it on," I grin. Landon lifts me onto his shoulders, making me yelp in surprise. "Not what she meant, you doofus!"

"I know," he winks. Mike laughs and lets Stella climb onto his shoulders and we face off. It's a tight match, both of us gunning for the win and both the boys good at holding onto our legs, keeping us balanced. Finally I manage to knock her far enough backwards that even Mike can't save her.

"Yes!" I pump my fist in the air, cheering.

"Re-match!" Stella shouts, climbing back on Mike's back. I can't help but notice he seems to be enjoying it. Huh, interesting, I smile to myself, but brace as she lunges for me. This time she manages to push me sideways into the water, winning the round.

"Best out of three?" I ask, my competitive strike showing.

"Deal" Stella says smugly. It doesn't last for long.

"Booyah!" I yell as her blonde bob disappears under the water again. Landon helps me down and we high-five.

We swim for an hour, even Riley getting in eventually. Miranda walks outside, smiling at our shenanigans.

"We're making tacos," she says. "You all might want to get out of the pool and dry yourselves before dinner."

The sun dries us fairly fast, and we put on our cover ups before heading inside, following the delicious smell of mixed spices. The others have got everything ready and we all grab plates and dig in.

"Who wants to go hiking tomorrow morning?" I ask. "There's this beautiful trail not far from here."

"I'm in" Mike says between bites. Stella glances at him and says she's coming too. I look at her questioningly, knowing she doesn't really like walking, and she just shrugs her shoulders. I give her a look that says we'll talk about this later, and she nods almost imperceptibly.

"Yeah, sounds good" Landon says, his eyes on me.

"I'm good" Riley shudders, not much of an athlete.

"Yeah, I think we'll skip as well" Brett says and Miranda nods.

"Brother dearest?" I ask in a sugary voice.

"Sophie and I were thinking off sleeping late," he laughs. "Not waking up early in the morning on a vacation."

"Wait," Stella stops mid-bite, "how early are we talking about?"

I grin.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, what do you think about the bet? Who do you think is going to win, Avery or Landon? ;)

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net