Page 19 of The Best Friend Problem
Now he understood fire’s scorching, hungry need to devour, because every bit of him screamed out its need to consume Pru.
Pru was amazing, she was unexpected, she was…his best friend.
The thought hit him like a bucket of water. Not cold water. Nothing could chill the raging inferno she’d ignited in him, but it did make him pause and pull back. What the hell was going on? Where was all this passion coming from? As he released her lips, she made an adorable little whimpering sound.
Much as he hated to kill the moment, he had to know. “Pru, what are we doing?”
She gazed down at him, dark brown eyes clear and filled with a burning need. A need for him. And hell, if that didn’t make him feel ten feet tall.
She shook her head, gaze falling to his lips once more. “I have no idea.”
“Well…as long as we’re on the same page.”
And with that, her lips crashed down on his once more. They stayed that way for minutes, or it could have been hours. Lips caressing, hands exploring. When she finally rose, sitting up on his lap, pressing down in just the right way to make his eyes cross, Finn knew they had to talk before things went any further.
What are you doing, dumbass?
He told his inner high school horndog to shut up. He was a grown ass man and he could control his impulses enough to make sure they were both aware of what they were doing before they crossed a line that might irrevocably impair their friendship.
“Pru, hold on.” He grabbed her arms as she reached to take off her shirt.
She stopped, an impatient expression twisting her lips as she glanced up at him. “What?”
He tried to get the words past the giant lump of need in his throat. It was hard, but he managed. “How drunk are you?”
She paused a moment, considering his query before she shrugged. “Sober enough to know this is probably a dumb idea but drunk enough to want it anyway.”
About the same as him, then. Still… “Are you sure you want to do this? Why now?”
Her head tilted, the way it did when she worked through a really big problem in her brain. He’d seen that look a lot during their honors algebra class. Pru was the only reason he’d passed. He also knew without Pru’s instigation, he’d never be in the situation they were in now. Sure, he might have imagined it a time or twenty over the years, but he’d never have made a move. That always had to be her decision.
“I’m about to be celibate for eighteen years.”
He laughed. “Single moms can have sex. They’re called SMILFs.”
She landed a light smack to his shoulder. “Don’t be an ass.”
At that, he squeezed his hands, which were currently on her ass. “I’m just saying, you could get sex if you wanted to.”
She shook her head. “It’s not just about sex. It’s about trust. I trust you, Finn.”
His heart pounded so loud he was sure she could hear it.
“I know I seem like I have my entire life in control, planned out, and I do. I like it that way. When you have a plan, you can handle any obstacle thrown in your path—”
She was wrong. You couldn’t plan for everything. Some obstacles could never be handled.
“—but before I tie myself down with late night feedings and sleep schedules, I want to know.”
“Know what?” He held his breath.
“Know what it would be like. To lose myself, just for one night. To give myself over totally and completely to someone I trust. Someone I know will take care of me and give me everything I desire.”
He would. Nothing on this earth would be more important to him than this. This task. This gift she was giving him.
But he didn’t want her to wake up tomorrow and regret anything. It would kill him if, in a moment of weakened desire, they threw away years of friendship.
“I don’t want this to ruin us.” The fearful confession left his lips on a whisper.
