The Billionaire Next Door (Billionaire Bad Boys #2)(30)

Bree meant relationship territory, which admittedly had Rachel skittish in a myriad of ways. Once she’d trusted him implicitly and he’d tossed her aside. With Tag, there was a safety net built in because he struck her as a guy who often tossed women aside. Maybe going in with eyes wide open was the key to getting some of her power back.

“And look at Tag,” Bree continued, hovering over Rachel like her own personal life coach. “You know he’s good in bed. The kiss…tell me about it.” Her features softened. “Tell me what it was like.”

“I already told you.”

“No you didn’t. You said you didn’t kiss him back; you wanted him to kiss you again, but you didn’t tell me what the kiss was like.” Bree crossed her arms. “This is the part where you prove you’re not afraid of sex. Describe it to me.”

“It was…” Rachel’s tongue refused to push the words from her mouth.

It was sexy as hell. The feel of his broad palms on her body. The way his beard was soft on her skin. Firm lips. Hot tongue.

“Really nice,” she finished lamely, feeling her face heat.

“Uh-huh.” Bree grinned. “You’re not a dirty talker, are you?”

“No.” Shaun had requested she talk dirty in bed once, but she’d clammed up. Shut down. She’d felt ridiculous doing the things he asked, knowing he was her worst critic. “Do I need to be?”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Rach. But I hear you saying you want to push your own boundaries, and there was a perfect candidate literally at your front door. It’s my job as your friend to tell you to go for it. You’re already spending time with him.”

Rachel found herself nodding in agreement, as Bree made a very good point. Rachel did want Tag. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to do more than kiss him. But fear was holding her back. Fear he’d be disappointed. Once he uncovered her unsexiness, he’d stop pursuing her altogether.

Rejection.

Maybe that was her big fear.

And maybe it was time to overcome it.

*



Tag and Lucas bypassed the weight room and hit the indoor courts. Basketball wasn’t something either of them was great at, but it gave them something to do while they shot the shit.

Luc wasn’t available for beers tonight since he was taking care of putting the kids down so Gena could go out with her friends. For that reason, they were here before six, and Luc was on the clock.

“Game,” Tag announced, sinking his next throw.

“Shit. What are we up to, forty bucks?”

“Naw.” Tag dribbled the ball as they walked across the court. “I owed you for pool.”

“Right. I left without my money so you could hit on the honey.” Lucas darted forward, stole the ball, and dribbled it over to the rack, where he rested it next to a line of orange balls. He followed Tag to the bench and sat next to their stuff. Water, towel, and, for Tag, a gym bag with a change of clothes. He’d planned on lifting tonight anyway, Lucas or no.

“How’d that go?” Luc asked.

They hadn’t talked about Rachel yet. Tag hadn’t brought her up for a very good reason, but Luc had asked, so the question running in his brain like a tireless hamster in a wheel tumbled out of his mouth.

“Have you ever kissed a girl and she didn’t kiss you back?”

“What?” Lucas’s face screwed into a horrified look.

Frustrated, Tag stood and crammed a towel into his bag. “Nothing.”

“You kissed her and she dodged?” he asked, using their old lingo. Dodged was a term for when a girl didn’t go for whatever attempt was made. And whenever either of them were dodged, Tag and Lucas had moved on. Moving on was key. There were plenty of women who wanted to be pursued, so why waste time on the ones who didn’t?

At least, that used to be the rule. Tag had been out of his element lately.

“She didn’t dodge. I think I surprised her.” Tag frowned. Because that sounded like bullshit.

“Then what did you do?” Lucas was amused. He was still sitting on the bench, leaning his head against the wall, water bottle in his hands. “Come on. Don’t run away from your feelings.” He grinned bigger. The *.

“I hate that you’re married,” Tag grumbled, dropping the bag and settling on the bench again. Looking straight ahead, he answered his friend. “She invited me in, we had a beer, and talked about the plans for the Crane Makai pool bar.”

“Sexy.”

He glared over at Lucas, who sat up and quickly lost his smile.

“Okay, I’m done. But honestly, she didn’t react at all?”

“She didn’t slap me. But she sure as hell didn’t react like I thought she would.” He thought she’d climb him like a tree. Though hoped might be a better word. He’d imagined Rachel’s legs wrapped around his hips a few times.

“But you’re not done with her.” Lucas’s tone was cautious.

“Not yet,” Tag answered honestly.

“Huh.”

“It’s not a big deal.” He felt like ants were skittering over his skull. He pushed a hand into his hair.

“What’s keeping you from rolling out?”

The ultimate question. What was keeping Tag from rolling out? After a few seconds of fruitless deliberation, he answered, “I have no idea.”