Page 73 of The Downside of Love
I kiss her back, my lips lingering longer. “My bed or yours?”
This time, she chuckles. “Mine.”
* * *
Hands behind my head, covers pulled up to my waist, I watch for Rory to appear out of the bathroom. Being the sweet girl that she is, she let me use the bathroom first, but now I wish she’d gone first, because the anticipation is killing me. I want to hold her again.
The door cracks open as the light turns off. Across the room, she’s a dark silhouette, approaching me, curvy and beautiful.
As she draws closer, I can see her eyes scanning my bare chest, appreciation in her gaze. It’s as if she’s finally giving herself permission to look. To admire. Towant.
“Tell me what side to be on.” I scoot up on the bed, ready to move when she goes to the other side.
“Don’t move. You’re perfect there.” Slipping under the sheets, she scoots in close and rests her head on one of the pillows, turning toward me.
Flipping to my side as well, I place my hand on her hip and my other hand under my pillow. I can’t stop the smile when I look into Rory’s eyes this intimately, this close.
“Are you okay?” I ask, hoping I didn’t hurt her healing scar.
“I’m perfect,” she murmurs, drawing a line across my chest with her finger.
I have so many questions, so many things running through my mind, but I don’t want to ask any. I want to enjoy this moment being close to her. I’m absolutely terrified that if I do or say the wrong thing, she’s going to tell me this was a mistake, and that’s one phrase I don’t think I could live through.
Drawing circles now, she says, “Can I ask you something?”
Swallowing hard, nervous what might come next, I say, “Anything.”
“What happened back there, did it change anything between us?”
I run my tongue along my teeth, trying to hide the worry blooming inside me. This is it. I can either fight for what I want, or I can step aside.Again.
When I look into her hopeful eyes, there is no way I’ll ever step aside, not after getting a taste of her, not after hearing her moan my name as her climax pummeled into her. No, I’m too desperate to experience the real thing, too needy to be a part of her life, to be the man she deserves.To take what should have been mine.
And there is no way I can go back to being just her friend from here. I can’t hide my feelings from her, pretend this was just a slip up, because it wasn’t. This was pent-up yearning finding its release. There is only one way to move forward from here, and it’s with her holding my hand, walking next to me down this complicated path.
Gliding my thumb over her hip bone, I gently say, “It changed everything, Rory.”
I put the words out there, holding my breath, waiting for her response, never expecting her to smile, but she does.
“Everything?” Her hand glides down the middle of my chest, sending a wave of arousal straight to my cock.
Nodding, I answer, “Everything.”
“Tell me what’s going to change.” Her index finger trails over my abs, playing in the divot between the muscles seductively.
Pushing her so she’s on her back, I move so my chest hovers over her, my elbow propping me up, my other hand going to her cheek where I caress her soft skin, taking in the way her eyes look up at me, completely relaxed and sated.
“For one, I’m not sleeping on that fucking blowup mattress anymore.” She chuckles, the sound so beautiful to my ears. “And these lips right here,” I pass the pad of my thumb over her plump mouth. “These are meant for me and I plan on claiming them every chance I get.” She practically purrs beneath me. “And instead of sitting back and admiring you from afar, I’m going to let it be known every time you knock me to my knees with your beauty, every time you take my breath away with your smile, and every time you steal my attention when you’re in the same room as me.”
Curving her hand around the back of my neck, her fingers float through the small strands at my hairline, bringing me closer to her mouth where she gently presses a sweet, sultry kiss across my lips.
Pulling away but staying close, I say, “But there are two things that won’t change.”
“What are those?”
“This bond we have, this friendship, will never go away. You will always be my best friend, Rory, and that title will remain untouched.”
She smiles, lighting up the dark room. “What’s the second thing?”
