Kiss Is a Four-Letter Word (4 page)

A stab of alarm shot through him and Eli actually took a step back before he remembered he was a big strong man. She didn't scare him. Also, his dick was probably on display like this, dammit. He shuffled forward again to hide his stupid erection in his stupid, tight jeans. Simon, his finger still trapped in Eli's fist, moved back and forth with him. The idiot. Eli let go and sent him a warning glance.
Don't poke me again, fucker.
Damn Simon for wearing those loose cargo shorts. He probably had a hard-on too, but no one could tell. He could hide a freaking jumbo jet in those ridiculously large pockets and no one would ever know.

"An idea? What kind of idea?" he asked Sherry, suspicious.

She smiled wider, somehow looking even more evil than she had just a few seconds ago. "You probably wouldn't go for it."

Eli narrowed his eyes. "How can we decide if you don't tell us what your idea
is
?"

Sherry sighed and tapped her finger on her lips. Her full, pink, luscious lips. Eli nearly groaned aloud. Why the hell was he so attracted to this woman? This wasn't like him. Maybe it was pheromones. She ran the finger down her neck and played with the top of her halter. Eli stared. Simon shifted uncomfortably next to him and Eli knew his friend was just as mesmerized as he was. Thank God no one else was in the kissing booth line right now.

"What? Just tell us," Simon broke the silence first, leaning forward. Eli glanced over and noticed that he'd stuffed his hands in his pockets. Yup. Simon was suffering from erection asphyxia too.

Sherry pursed her lips. Jesus. She was hot. Eli blushed for the first time since he was thirteen years old. Lust was making him lose his mind.

"I'm going to kiss both of you once. Then I want you to kiss each other."

Eli coughed. What? Was she crazy?

"What?" Simon asked. His voice cracked and Eli's gut clenched in sympathy. Or horror. He wasn't sure which.

"You heard me. I already paid for the kisses. Or rather, my mother did. It's only fair that you honor my request." Sherry grinned mischievously. Her eyes sparkled.

Shit. She was serious.

"Um, the kissing booth is so the ladies can come kiss us, not for us to put on a show," Eli said. He didn't hold out much hope that she would buy his explanation.

"Oh come on, are you telling me that not one man came up to the kissing booth and paid for a kiss? Please." Sherry aimed a mock frown their way.

Eli's wished he could stab himself in the head. Maybe it would wake him up and he'd realize that this was just a dream. He glanced at Simon. Yeah. No such luck. Simon had paled.

"Um," Eli said, intelligently.

Sherry laughed. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Eli took a deep breath and manned-up. "Yeah, all right––one guy stopped by with his partner and bought a kiss. But it was a joke. His partner dared him."

"And you believe that?" Sherry crossed her arms and tilted her chin up slightly, not saying a word. Her forearms pushed her amazing, delicious boobs up and out. Another trickle of sweat surfed down between Eli's shoulder blades.

"Oh come on! He was gay. It was no big deal." Eli knew he sounded like a whiny ten-year-old but he couldn't stop himself. Clearly there was no end to this day's humiliation. "And Simon isn't." Simon poked him again but Eli was too cranky to retaliate.

"If you don't do it, I'll just have to take my mother's money back. No kisses, such a shame." Sherry tapped her foot in the dust as if impatient. She was a ruthless, cruel woman. Eli was somehow not surprised.

Simon cleared his throat. "I don't mind." Eli threw his friend the glare of death. Was he insane?

Simon rolled his eyes. "It's no big deal. I don't have cooties, you know." He jerked his head toward Sherry as if to say:
Look. Boobs. You are crazy if you let her escape.

Eli swallowed. He knew when he was defeated. He shoved the tiny, evil part of his libido that had always wondered what it would be like to kiss Simon down into a deep hole and slammed a lid on it. Now was not the time to indulge in fantasies about his best friend. Eli would peck Simon on the lips and that would be it. No lingering over what was probably the most intriguing set of lips he'd ever seen on a man. No touching Simon's smooth skin.
Shit
. He strangled those thoughts without mercy. Eli wished he could slap himself without looking like a complete nutjob.

"And I don't want to see just a quick peck. I want to watch a real kiss." Sherry's clear voice penetrated Eli's stupor. Was she psychic? How the hell did she know what he was thinking?

"Okay, okay," Simon said in that too-smooth tone of his. "No quick peck. A real kiss. Is it a deal?"

Eli hated his friend. Hated him.

"Yup. But I want my kisses first." Sherry moved closer to the center of the booth. "You guys can work out who goes first amongst yourselves."

Eli swallowed. He tried to wrap his head around the idea that Simon was probably going to be able to feel his fucking hard-on when they kissed. Oh, sweet Jesus. Simon cocked his head at him and Eli nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Whatever. He'd let Simon pick which one of them got to kiss Sherry first. Simon shrugged then leaned over the wood towards Sherry.

"I'm going first."

Sherry smiled and leaned in closer. Eli watched as Simon reached out and steadied her with a hand on her cheek. His friend brought their lips together and a stab of arousal made Eli's already hard cock ache even more. What the hell? He couldn't tear his eyes away. This was worse than the kiss on the mountain. This time he already knew how she tasted. How her mouth opened beneath his. How Simon growled low in his throat when he was aroused. Wait. Shit. Eli tried to make himself stop looking, stop listening, but he couldn't do it. Simon kissing Sherry was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen.

Simon kissed her openmouthed, and Sherry enthusiastically surrendered to his skill. She slid her hands into Simon's hair and was holding him with two small fists clenched in the soft strands. Eli tried to adjust his cock but nothing he did helped. He was so aroused he could feel pre-come leaking from the tip. He shifted from foot to foot, trying to talk himself down from the edge but then Simon licked over Sherry's lips and sucked on her tongue. Eli's cock leaped against his palm. He hurriedly shoved back against the wooden counter, wincing at the sharp pain that stabbed through him. His balls were killing him. Eli tried to tell his dick that nothing more than a kiss was happening here. It didn't listen. Eli tried to tell his libido that watching Simon kiss a girl wasn't hot, amazing, or fucking incredible. His libido gave him the finger. Hell. Thankfully, Simon finally pulled back.

"Your turn," Simon turned to Eli. His voice was raspy.

Eli closed his eyes and prayed for control. Since when did his best friend's voice make him randy?

"Eli? You with me here?"

He opened his eyes and found Sherry grinning up at him. Her lips were wet. Plump. She looked like she'd just been thoroughly kissed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm here. I'm ready." Boy, was he ever ready. He leaned closer to her and wasn't the least bit surprised when she grabbed his head, running her fingers over his short hair.

"Mmmm," she said, her voice sultry. "I wondered if it was as soft as it looked."

"Is it?" Eli managed to ask.

"Mmmm-hmmm," she said then pulled him down and pressed her lips to his. He gasped and she slipped inside, circling his tongue with hers. He slid his hands into her curls and let her control the kiss. Hell. She knew what she was doing. When he felt her start to pull away, he stopped her with a gentle hand on the back of her head. He tilted her face and dove back in. Her mouth opened wider and he pressed his advantage, enjoying the slick warmth of her. She tasted like vanilla. After an eternity, he forced himself to end the kiss. He sucked on the sweet curve of her upper lip and stepped back. His cock hurt. One quick stroke and he'd be shooting in his jeans.

"Wow," Sherry said, touching her fingers to her lips. She smiled, devastatingly beautiful.

Eli sighed over the delicate arch of her eyebrows and had to give himself a mental punch in the head. Jesus. Was he turning into a chick now? Sighing over eyebrows?

"The two of you sure know how to kiss a woman." Sherry licked her lips and her eyes went hot. "I can't wait to see you kiss each other."

Eli's mouth went dry. He looked around the fair, avoiding Simon's gaze. Still no line at the kissing booth. There seemed to be something exciting happening over at the dunk tank, so at least they wouldn't have an audience for this. Eli didn't know how he felt about kissing a dude in public. Sure, it was a kissing booth. And sure, he'd done it before when that gay guy had come by, but this was different somehow. More personal. He jumped when Simon touched a finger to his arm. Eli looked down. Of course. Of course Simon was playing with the dragon.

"You ready?" Simon asked.

It was now or never. Eli tossed his misgivings aside and smiled. "I should make you kiss the dragon after how much you've abused her today." Simon smirked and Eli knew his friend's thoughts had gone straight into the gutter. He rolled his eyes but Simon didn't look the least bit contrite.

"Oh no…no kissing of arms, no matter how pretty that dragon is. I want to see your lips lock," Sherry interjected. Eli could tell she was trying not to laugh. His smile faded as Simon swayed closer.

"Yeah, okay. Let's do this." Eli was
not
a coward. He met Simon halfway. Their hips collided awkwardly. Eli's erection bumped against Simon's zipper, then slid up against something long and hard. Holy shit. Simon was definitely aroused. Eli had suspected his friend had an erection, but he didn't really know for sure until just now.
And damn, why do I find that so fucking hot?

"You ready?" Simon whispered against Eli's lips. Eli didn't reply with words. Instead, he angled his head and pressed his mouth firmly against his friend's. To his surprise, Simon's lips were soft. Warm. Inviting. Simon opened his lips slightly, and instinctively Eli licked inside. Simon opened up, and suddenly the two of them were kissing. Deeply. Holy fuck.

Eli put a hand behind Simon's neck to hold him steady and slid another around his waist. Simon gripped Eli's arms and his fingers dug in as the kiss grew more heated. Wild. Eli was astonished to find that the hint of stubble on Simon's cheeks felt wonderful instead of strange. Sexy. If the low sounds coming from Simon's throat were any indication, he felt the same way about Eli. Simon pulled him closer and Eli groaned as their cocks ground into each other. It felt so good that when Simon jerked away, Eli followed him, kissing down his jaw and then settling back over his mouth. He coaxed Simon out of his shock, using his lips to reassure his friend.

"It's just a kiss. Relax," Eli murmured.

Simon panted and opened up again, his tongue meeting Eli's as they dueled for control. Eli's cock felt like it was going to rip right out of his jeans and with a jolt he realized he was about to come in his pants.

"Fuck," he said, pulling away to stare into Simon's eyes. They were dark, the blue almost completely swallowed up by black. Eli stared, trying to keep his hips from twitching closer. No such luck. His hand clenched in the back of Simon's shorts as he rubbed shamelessly against Simon's groin. Simon's eyes shut and he moaned, dropping his head to Eli's shoulder.

"If you don't stop that, Eli, I'm going to either punch you or come in my shorts," Simon muttered. Eli stilled. What the hell was he doing?

"Shit. I'm sorry," Eli said, trying to force himself to step away. He couldn't. All he could manage was to angle his hips so that they no longer ground into each other. He reminded himself that they were in public. Sherry was watching them. His cock throbbed at the thought. Jesus. Fuck. That didn't help at all. Apparently he had an exhibitionist streak he hadn’t known about.

"Whoa."

Sherry's low exclamation finally penetrated the haze of lust that trapped Eli. He swallowed and forced his hands to let go of Simon's shorts. Simon didn't move.

"I think that was the hottest thing I've ever seen," Sherry said.

Simon blinked and his fingers tightened on Eli's arms before he let go and stepped back. He and Eli stared at each other for a moment longer. What just happened?

"Hey––you guys okay?"

Eli mentally shook himself. "Uh, yeah, we're fine." He made himself smile, faking nonchalance. "So, does that satisfy your pervy desire to see me kiss my best friend?" He waggled his eyebrows, startling a laugh out of her.
Please, Sherry, take the bait.
This was nothing more than an amusing joke. He willed himself to believe that. And promptly failed.

"Yeah, you two did good," Sherry replied, a thread of amusement in her voice. "It was everything I expected." She paused and her smile dropped away as a hint of something wild and sexy passed over her face. "And more."

Eli heard Simon clear his throat. "Well, that's what a kissing booth is for. We aim to please." Clearly, Simon was going for nonchalant too. Eli hoped to God his friend wouldn't insist on talking about this. He wanted to forget all about it as soon as possible.

Eli forced a grin back onto his face. Luckily, before he could say anything stupid, two older women came up to the booth. The one in the front slapped four one-dollar bills down on the rough wood surface.