Page 20 of Betting on her Best Friend
Chapter Six
Dylan woke with the sun streaming across his face. Squeezing his eyes shut, he rolled away from the sadistic ball of fire that had pierced through one of the best dreams he’d ever had. One where he’d finally made love to Alyssa for hours, worshipping her in every way he knew how, until utter exhaustion eventually claimed them both.
Settling on his side, his arm brushed something warm and soft, and all at once the memories of the day before—hopping a plane to Vegas, donning a Tarzan costume, and carrying Alyssa to her room—rushed through the morning fog like an early morning train.
His eyes snapped open to find her still asleep next to him, on her stomach with the side of her face smashed into her pillow that her arms had in a decent chokehold. Her long blond hair had apparently staged a coup while she slept, taking advantage of her unconscious state to rebel from her usual no-strand-out-of-place style. It lay in every direction, even trailing a thin web across her smushed face.
Grinning like a fool, Dylan carefully brushed the insubordinate hair back where it belonged. He loved that she wasn’t one of those women who slept like mannequins, unmoving and silent with their fake lashes still in place and hair pulled neatly over one shoulder. That she was messy, and oblivious, and snored on every third breath was refreshing and oddly sexy.
After propping his head in his hand, he slowly pulled the sheet down until he exposed every inch of her above her thighs. Creamy skin practically glowed under the sun’s rays as he drank in every curve of her body.
When looking became inadequate, he used his fingertips to trace down her spine and the shallow dip of her lower back, over the rounded globe of one cheek and back up the other side. Across the slight flare of her hip and into the slope of her waist on his way up her side. His mouth went dry and his cock stirred when his thumb lightly traced circles on the side swell of her breast as he remembered how sensitive they’d been beneath his tongue.
“Mmm…” Alyssa stretched on her belly, her arms reaching overhead and her back arching as she raised her hips off the bed briefly. Relaxing once again, she opened her eyes and gave him an impish grin. “Good morning.”
“Something tells me I’d enjoy watching you do your morning yoga routine.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, except I read that clothes actually inhibit your full range of motion. Turns out naked yoga is the best kind.”
She laughed, her morning voice sounding raspy and sexy as all get-out. “Considering the workouts you put me through for several hours last night, I think I’ll skip my usual yoga routine today.” Sitting up, she winced and hissed in a quick breath. “Whoa. I’ll be lucky if I can walk without difficulty.”
Dylan sat up and cupped her face with one hand. “You sore?” A pale pink flushed her cheeks. “Damn, I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“It’s okay,” she said, glancing up beneath dark lashes. “It’s the good kind of sore.”
A primal sense of pride, caveman though it might be, filled his chest and satisfied him more than getting hard-earned praise from his father on a job well done. It was then Dylan realized he couldn’t care less what the rest of the world thought of him as long as this woman continued to look at him like he hung the moon.
“I’m going to run you a bath with some bath salts I saw in there earlier. It’ll help with your soreness. Then when you’re done, how about we go grab some breakfast and see what there is to do in this crazy town?”
A twinkle sparkled in her eyes and her wide smile melted his insides. “That sounds fantastic.”
“I’ll be right back.”
With a yawn she said, “And I’ll be right here.”
He chuckled and forced himself to leave the warmth of the bed and head to the bathroom. It took about ten minutes to fill the large garden tub with warm water and sprinkle in the lavender bath salts. And all ten minutes Dylan grinned like a damn fool. He couldn’t remember a time when he felt so content and happy.
Leaning on the doorjamb, he crossed his arms over his chest and one foot over the other to stare at the amazing woman asleep again in the bed. Last night had been so much more than he ever thought possible. If he’d known how it could be between them, he’d have solved both their problems and tried getting her into bed a helluva long time ago.
This could work.He didn’t see how it wouldn’t. Adding mind-blowing sex to their already awesome relationship gave them both what they wanted. All the benefits of a relationship without the weight of their fears ruining it. He wouldn’t have to worry about hurting her because she didn’t want more than he could give, and she wouldn’t have to worry about him breaking her heart because, as she pointed out last night, she didn’t feel that way about him.
A twinge in his chest caused Dylan to frown and rub at the area. That shouldn’t bother him. Whenever another woman even mentioned having feelings for him, he instantly started to pull away. Must be an ego thing. Because there was no way he actually wanted Alyssa to be in love with him. That would ruin everything they had together. He might even lose her for good over it.
Pushing off with his shoulder, he stood rigid, his fists clenched at his sides. He imagined what life would be like without her living next door, without their weekly reality-TV nights, without getting to see her brilliant smile on a daily basis. A possessive pang reverberated in his bones, and he knew right then he’d do whatever necessary to keep that from happening. Losing Alyssa was not an option. Ever.
He’d give them the rest of the weekend to explore this new facet of their friendship. Let it really sink in how great they are together. Then he’d propose the arrangement as something long-term when they got home.
As she stirred and opened her eyes, Dylan crossed the room to stand by the bed. “Your bath is ready, m’lady,” he said with a slight bow for fun.
“And just how am I supposed to focus on my bath when I have access to something as wonderful as that?”
He followed her pointed gaze to his semihard cock, which was now growing under her attention. She bit her lip and looked up at him through sleep-heavy eyes that told him she had anything but sleep in mind. He growled and cradled her in his arms to pick her up. “Look who woke up a wicked little minx,” he teased, walking back toward the bathroom. “Tell you what. I’ll let you wash mine if I can wash yours.”
“I agree to those terms.” Alyssa used her arms around his neck to pull herself up to whisper into his ear. “As long as ‘wash’ is code for ‘lick.’”
Dylan wanted to come back with a sexy retort, but he could only laugh. He was amazed at how she could still surprise him after eighteen years. Just another plus in the friends-with-benefits plan. Life was looking pretty damn perfect right about now.
