Page 40 of Betting on her Best Friend
Epilogue I
Six months later…
Alyssa couldn’t hide her amusement as she listened to Dylan and his sister Maddie banter like they were still twelve.
“It’s called serial dating, sis. I should know; I’m a recovered offender.”
Maddie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please. My dating life is nothing like yours was, junior. You didn’t have dates with women. You had scheduled appointments for—”
“Maddie,” he barked, shifting his eyes to where Alyssa sat next to him on their couch. Alyssa placed her fingers over her mouth to hold in her laughter. Dylan hated that she knew so much about his past dalliances and liked to pretend they never happened. He was fond of telling Alyssa that from the moment he kissed her, all memories of other women vanished. And to be honest, she was fond of hearing it.
It’d been six months since they’d returned from Vegas a happily married couple. Dylan wasted no time in putting the townhouses up on the market so he and Alyssa could buy a house together. It had been a harrowing few months of selling, searching, closing, and moving, but they were finally settled into their new home, and Alyssa couldn’t be happier.
They’d invited Maddie over for dinner, and now they sat in the living room, drinking coffee—though Maddie had opted for wine—and talking while they waited for dessert to be ready.
Maddie huffed out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, but you know what I’m talking about. I’m not dating to sow my wild oats or get them sowed into me or whatever the hell that metaphor would be for a girl. I’m interested in finding a partner I can share my life with, someone decent and honest and good. But all I find are crazies, liars, and assholes.”
Dylan narrowed his eyes and his jaw muscles flexed. “I don’t like you using those dating websites, Madison. You could be meeting up with psychos for all you know.”
“Don’t go all He-Man on me, little brother. The same thing is true if I were to meet guys at a bar or the grocery store, and in this day and age, if you want to connect with people, you do it online.”
Alyssa placed her hand on Dylan’s arm when she felt him tense in preparation for an argument. “Easy, Cujo.” When he relaxed enough to sit back, she turned to Maddie. “Maybe you should stop looking for a while. Give yourself a break. Love has a way of finding you when you least expect it.”
Dylan gave her thigh a squeeze, telling her he knew exactly what she meant. Though they’d both secretly wanted to be together for years, neither could have predicted the intensity of the love they’d find in one another. It was as though years and years of love had built up between them, contained only by the boundary of their friendship. And as soon as they crossed that line, everything slammed into them all at once. There’d been no easing into anything, no feelings that needed time to develop and grow. No, they’d gone straight from the best of friends to the best of lovers, which is why getting married twenty-four hours after their first kiss was anything but strange to them.
“Look, you two,” Maddie said, “I know you’re both in the disgustingly adorable honeymoon phase right now, but try to remember what it’s like in the real world.” She sat forward on the loveseat and drilled her forefinger on the coffee table to punctuate her points. “I’m twenty-six. Even if I find a great guy tomorrow, there’s the getting-to-know-you phase, followed by the awkward maybe-I-should-keep-a-toothbrush-at-your-place period, then finally the big-scary-let’s-move-in-together step. All of that could take up to several years before there’s even mention of a proposal, assuming everything is still great. Then let’s assume he wants a long engagement. This puts me at getting married in my mid- to late-thirties! And don’t even get me started on my odds of having children before I’m considered high-risk due to age.”
She tipped her head back and drained the rest of her wine. Alyssa had never seen Maddie so lost before. After all, she’d known Maddie just as long as Dylan. But as kids, they’d fought constantly and preferred not hanging out with each other, so Alyssa had never been close with her like she was with Dylan.
“My point is,” Maddie continued as she poured herself another glass of wine, “the perfect guy isn’t going to just randomly show up at my door, and he’s definitely not someone I’ve known my whole life like in your case. And that is why I date so much. He’s out there, and I’ll find him eventually. I just wish I didn’t have to date so many damn frogs first.”
As her sister-in-law took another fortifying sip, Alyssa glanced at the clock over the mantle. “Oh, excuse me; it’s time to put the finishing touches on dessert. I’ll be right back.”
* * *
“I’ll go with you.I need some more coffee.” Dylan stood and handed his sister the TV remote. “Feel free to channel surf.”
“Gee, thanks,” she mumbled.
Dylan ignored her sarcasm and stalked his wife as she made her way to the kitchen. After dinner she’d changed out of her work clothes into loungewear. God bless the inventor of yoga pants. The light pink material hugged her ass like a second skin and watching her walk made his mouth water and his groin ache. It didn’t matter where he was or what time of the day, he always seemed to have Aly—more specifically, a naked Aly—on his mind. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.
“Should we be worried about Maddie?” she asked, picking up the small kitchen torch on the counter.
Dylan moved in behind her and wrapped his arms around her small waist. “I don’t want to talk about my sister. Despite her little episode back there, she’s still a ballbuster who can take care of herself.” He moved her hair aside with his chin to nuzzle her neck and placed kisses behind her ear and his hands traveled up to cup her breasts over her tank top.
“Dylan.”
His name left her lips on a breathy moan that made his cock twitch behind his zipper. “Hmmm?” he asked absently, his mouth moving down the cord in her neck.
“I’m about to operate a mini-flamethrower. Perhaps you should let me concentrate.” He answered with a firm squeeze to her tits that made her breath catch, but still she managed to gain control enough to sound indifferent. “Unless of course you’d rather not bother with the crème brûlée…”
He froze and quickly weighed his options. He could say “screw it” and continue the path he was on, but then the desserts she’d put thought and effort into would be ruined. Or he could suck it up, throw a temporary restraining order on his dick, and enjoy his favorite dessert despite the extra workout he’d need tomorrow.
Growling in frustration, he took a reluctant step back. “Damn it, woman, you play dirty.”
She chuckled and motioned for him to stand on the other side of the counter before she began. She was right not to trust him until they had a large barrier between them. He had a hard time keeping his hands off her under normal circumstances, much less once he’d already lit the fuse.
Alyssa reached into the sugar bowl, pinched some sugar between her fingers, and slowly sprinkled it over the first dessert. She repeated the process for each of the six ramekins, purposely avoiding his molten gaze and most definitely taking her sweet-ass time. Finally, she finished and glanced up at him through her lashes as she sucked the bits of remaining sugar from her fingertips.
