“You’re my best friend,” he replied.
“You know what I mean.”
Any humor he had in his expression faded. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
There was the dark cloud hovering over him again. I knew he wasn’t okay, and he wasn’t going to be if he didn’t deal with it. Matt took care of other people, but he rarely took care of himself.
“Do you realize you and I visit each other most of the time when our lives are in turmoil?” It just occurred to me. The last time I saw him was right before I made the move to Mexico. Before that, Matt had gotten out of his one, and only, relationship. It had been serious, and he needed a friend. We hung out and got drunk and that was when I watched him hit on a few women with lust burning in his eyes. At the time, I didn’t feel jealous, but I didn’t like watching him throw himself at a bunch of women.
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
I quickly listed off the times we’d gotten together that had just fluttered through my mind.
“Huh, I guess you’re right. But we never really talked about what part of our life was falling apart.”
“Oh yes, we did. It’s just a little blurry because of all the tequila.”
“Okay, so you might have a point. But I’ve been here for mere hours. I just…I don’t want to talk about it.”
I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. “M’kay, then do you want to tell me why you kissed me?”
Matt’s blue eyes focused on me. “Why I kissed you?”
“Yes. It’s not something we do.”
His lips curved. “You’re freaking out over a kiss but not that we had sex a couple of days ago.”
He said it out loud and my stomach caved in on itself. “I’m not.”
“You can’t even sit still. It begs the question, are you freaking out because you liked it or because you hated it? And judging by the way you kissed me back…not to mention the other thing…like three times…”
I interrupted, “You caught me off guard.”
“And turned you on?”
My mouth opened and closed like a fish. I didn’t know what to say. Or what he was talking about. His directness sent my body all kinds of confusing signals.
Matt’s smile grew.
I wanted to punch him.
“Look…”
“I’m teasing, Hayles, chill out. It was the adrenaline. I’m sorry if it bothered you.” There was still the hint of a smirk on his smug face.
Was he sorry? Or did he want to be kissing me? Why was this so hard and confusing? “I’m not bothered. It’s just not something we do.” And I was starting to wonder why we didn’t.
“I won’t do it again.”
It shouldn’t have been disappointment flooding through my turned-on body. But it was. I needed to go to sleep. Clearly, I’d gotten too much sun and not enough water.
Or maybe it was just too much Matt.
“I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Hey, Hayles,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for taking me in.”
I smiled. “Any time, Matthew, any time.”
11
Matt
I thought for sure once Hayley put on real clothes, I would stop drooling over her. Seeing her at the boat, she’d been in nothing but a bikini top and a wet suit draped around her waist. I thought it was the shock of seeing her after all this time, but I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off her. And it was doing nothing to keep my libido in check. I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to get her into bed again and see if I’d just imagined how great it was between us.
I quickly decided to ignore my pervy mind. I was here for fun, relaxation, and good friendship.
Then again, friendship wasn’t what I had in mind at all. I came here to clear my head and spend more time with Hayley to figure out just what was between us. But it seemed to make everything fuzzier.
When I lay down with all the lights off and stared at the ceiling, listening to the ocean waves crash against the shore, all I could think about was kissing Hayley again. Stripping her naked. My imagination decided to take things further. As we kissed, my fingers slid under the hem of her tank top, grazing her silky, sun-kissed skin. And like a drug, I was completely hooked.
In my fantasy, I pushed her back against the wall and my hand slid up to cup her breast. It was heavy as it filled my hand, her nipple hard. She arched into me and moaned as my tongue fucked her mouth.
My cock was hard, and I couldn’t seem to turn off my imagination. I slid my hand into my shorts, slowly stroking myself as I pictured her clothes dropping to the floor. I shoved her up against the wall as I thrust into her roughly and she begged me to fuck her harder.
God, I wanted her. It didn’t take long before I came hard. It was the first time I’d jacked off thinking about Hayley and I knew at that moment I wouldn’t be able to think of anyone else.
I got up to go to the bathroom to clean up. Passing by Hayley’s room, I thought I heard something. I paused in the hallway and listened. And there it was, a moan. I squeezed my eyes shut and begged myself to move. But another moan came.
Stop being a creeper, I told myself.
And then she cried out and I knew she’d just finished herself off. It took everything I had to go into the bathroom instead of her room for us both to have round two.
After I cleaned up and went back to the couch, I wondered what the fuck I was doing. Hayley lived in Mexico for fuck’s sake. What would we do? I couldn’t ask her to give up her life here, but my career was in L.A. If I wasn’t a sports agent, I didn’t know what I would be.
What the fuck was I doing here?
Derrick’s voice echoed in my head. “Stop and smell the roses. That’s what’s going on. Go and have an adventure. Go and find Hayley and make love to her on the beach, get sand in places you’d never dreamed of, and enjoy your fucking life. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
What was the fucking point?
After a crappy night’s sleep, I got up and put on a pot of coffee. I checked Hayley’s fridge to find ingredients for French toast, her favorite.
By the time the egg-soaked bread hit the skillet, Hayley wandered out. Her brown wavy hair was sticking up in random places. She stumbled into the kitchen and sat at the bar. I set a cup of coffee in front of her.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
She grunted and took a sip of coffee. “You’re awfully productive this morning.”
“I thought I would make us breakfast. What?”
She smiled. “Nothing, it’s sweet. And I’m grateful. I don’t remember the last time I had French toast.”
“Sweet, huh?”
She avoided my gaze. “Well it’s something,” she muttered.
“Hayles?”
“Hmmm?
“Stop avoiding me.”
“I’m not avoiding you.”
I put my hands on the bar counter and leaned forward. She kept her gaze fixed on her cup.
“Hayley?”
Her honey-brown eyes flickered up to mine. “Yes, Matthew?”
“Don’t let it be weird. We’re friends. We’re good.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Okay.”
I gave her a stiff nod and went back to cooking French toast. I should’ve never kissed her or pulled her into my bedroom that night. I was left with this ache. I wanted to kiss her again, touch her, watch her beneath me, which just made everything worse.
Fucking hell. Why did I let Derrick get into my head? Clearly, he was out of his for so many reasons.
I flipped the toast, managing to flip one right onto the stove instead of back in the skillet. “Son of an asshole!”
I saw Hayley flinch from the corner of my eye. I took a steadying breath and dished the half-cooked bread into the pan again, making note of which one it was so I’d eat it instead of Hayley.
After a few minutes of silence, Hayley spoke up slowly. “I was thinking about what we co
uld do today.”
“Do you have to work?”
“Nah, Bryssa said she would work out of the surf shop for the next couple of weeks. If she gets a lot of requests for the shark tour, she can get our backup, Hector. He’s a pro, and Bryssa’s beau.”
“And if I want a private shake dive?”
She shook her head. “You came here for distraction. We should do something distracting that doesn’t include you coming into contact with a shark.”
Her tone was almost cold. I’d struck a nerve. I met her gaze. “I’m sorry. I’ll stop being an ass.”
She gave me a curt nod and then the tension rolled away, letting her shoulders sag again. “There are some ruins not far from here. I thought we could go hiking. Or for a long drive. This is a really amazing area. I would love to show it off. We could hit the beach. We can do pretty much whatever you want.”
“Let’s go to the ruins. I don’t think I’ve actually done any sightseeing in Mexico.”
“Just drinking, partying, and women?”
I gave her a sideways glance. “Something like that.”
I set a plate of French toast in front of her, quickly followed by butter and a small dish of cinnamon sugar. She didn’t like maple syrup. She doctored them up quickly, cut off a big bite, and shoved it in her mouth. She smiled around her mouthful.
“These are amazing,” she said. Though it was muffled and came out more like, “Eese mar mazin’.”
I chuckled. “I’m glad you like.” I ate slower, enjoying her eating like she was five years old. She was trying to make me laugh and it worked.
Hayley cleaned up, barking angrily at me when I tried to help. I admired her curvy figure as she danced around the kitchen. She was blasting some of her favorite chick rock, singing and bouncing around.
I poured myself another cup of coffee and headed out to her patio. The morning was in full bloom. The water sparkled, the sand glowed, and the breeze was still cool. The heat of the day hadn’t brewed long enough yet.
For a moment, there was peace inside me. I felt I was in the right place, even if I wasn’t.
A few minutes later, Hayley bounced out to the terrace with me, bringing me back to the moment at hand.
“We should pack some stuff,” she said. “Extra clothes and shoes. It’s probably going to rain today.”
“What makes you think that?” I asked. “There’s not a cloud in the sky.”
“You’re from Colorado where the weather turns on a dime. I’ve seen it firsthand. It’s like witches live there. And you’re questioning a cloudless sky.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “But I’m so much more of a California guy.”
Rolling her eyes, she headed back inside without waiting to see if I’d follow.
We moved around her bungalow, packing up items. She had sunscreen, towels, and a bag of spare clothes and shoes. I mimicked her packing. As I was loading my car, a very loud yellow sports car worth more than Hayley’s house pulled up.
Spencer. The trust fund yuppy had a sweater around his shoulders. He checked his hair in the rearview mirror. The douche looked like he was ready to go sailing, meaning his crew would do the sailing and he would sit at the helm like he didn’t have something better to do than hold his dick.
I shoved the bags into the back seat of the Jeep and then promptly blocked the douchebag’s approach.
“She doesn’t want to see you.”
“How do you know what she wants?” he growled.
“Because she opened her mouth and said so. And unlike you, I listened.”
He scoffed, “Whatever, man,” and tried to move around me.
My hand shot up and grabbed his shoulder. “Back off and get out of here.”
“Spencer, what are you doing here?” Hayley said as she came out of the house.
Spencer shoved me off and I let him this time, only because Hayley had addressed him. I had no other choice. I wasn’t, no matter how badly I wanted to, going to punch this guy unless Hayley gave me the “okay.”
I’d hit a guy once on Hayley’s behalf and she didn’t speak to me for a week. I’d learned from that and I knew better now.
Right?
“Hayley, we need to talk,” Spencer said.
“About what? I don’t want to marry you. I don’t want to be with you anymore.”
“Why are you running scared?”
I tried not to roll my eyes, but he was just too pathetic. Hayley caught me, though, and gave me a stern glance. I crossed my arms over my chest and tried not to make any more faces. I mostly failed.
“I’m not scared. I don’t want to marry you. I’m not in love with you.”
“That’s bullshit,” Spencer said. “Before I proposed to you, you were fully in love with me. You certainly fucked me like you loved me.”
This time Hayley rolled her eyes. “We fucked. I like sex. That is not some revelation about how I cared about you. Yes, I liked hanging out and having sex with you. This might be difficult to understand because the movies tell you when a woman has sex, she’s in love. But it’s not always true. In fact, I bet it’s not true a lot.”
If someone said “sex” or “fuck” one more time, I was going to lose my shit. I knew Spencer started that line of conversation to get under my skin. Whether he knew there was something between us or not, he saw me as a threat, and he wanted to mark his territory. He had slept with Hayley and she’d liked it.
What could I say? It was working. He was getting under my skin and I wanted nothing more than to beat the guy to a bloody pulp, drive a boat out into the middle of the ocean, throw him in, and hope a hungry shark swam by. Maybe the tiger shark who got a taste of me would prefer douchebag better.
“We were fuck buddies. Nothing more, Spencer. I’m sorry if being rejected is hurting your fragile ego but that’s not my problem. I told you this would never be more than fun. And it’s not fun anymore.”
He didn’t like that answer. He jerked forward, grabbed Hayley by the arm and yanked her against him, wrapping his other arm around her to trap her.
I was done playing nice.
I grabbed his shoulder, pried them apart, and stepped between him and Hayley. “You don’t get to touch her.”
Spencer’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. His fists clenched and unclenched. He was calculating what his chances were with Hayley if he hit me now. My own fist clenched in response.
Hayley put her hand on my back and then she moved around to stand in front of me. She knew I was going to hit the guy.
Spencer took a step back.
“Spencer, go back to your yacht. Go to another port and find another girl. Find one younger and stupid. She’ll be so happy to be with a guy like you. You’re a catch, just not for me.”
“I want you, Hayley.”
“I’m not available.”
Spencer snorted. “We’ll see about that.” He turned and stormed back to his car. He kicked up a bunch of dust and spun his tires, hitting the gas hard and fast. Once his car disappeared on the horizon, Hayley’s shoulders slumped.
“Wow, what an ass,” I grumbled. “You should’ve let me hit him.”
“And let him sue the pants off you?” she said.
“I’d like to see him try. My father has the best lawyer on the east coast. And I have the best lawyer on the west coast. And my sister is the ADA in Denver.”
“You’re rich,” she said. “He’s old money. Oil money. You can’t touch him.”
I didn’t like that she was making him out to be a heavyweight champion and me a lightweight, but she was doing it with good reason.
“He would drown you in court just because he could,” she said.
“Fine. I won’t hit the guy. But can we stop acting like he’s scary? He’s a ponce.”
Hayley smiled.
“What?”
“I love when you get really mad. You start insulting your opponent like you’re your British father.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned over to grab
the bags Hayley had set down on the porch. “Lock your house and let’s get out of here.”
Hayley laughed.
12
Matt
The ride through the Mexican countryside was quiet at first. It was beautiful. The jungle sprang up around us as we drove through the Yucatan. Hayley was behind the wheel, giving me time to watch her without her noticing.
She loved the freedom of her life. It suited her. She let her hair flap around her face in the wind without care. She drove with a foot up on the dashboard and she belted out every song that played from her speakers.
She glanced over at me. “What are you staring at?”
“You.”
I could see the pink in her cheeks wasn’t from the sun. “What about me?”
“You look good. This life suits you. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“It’s been a day, Matthew.”
“Yeah, where we were dealing with harsh reality crap. We weren’t just…doing this.” I glanced over at her again. “It’s nice to see you so happy.”
“Why do you sound so depressed by that?”
“I’m not. I just realized how unhappy I am in my own life.”
“You love your life.”
“I did, but not lately. I mean, my life isn’t exactly what I thought it would be. And damn it if it wasn’t one of the last things Derrick pointed out to me before he died.”
“You didn’t know he was sick, did you?” she asked.
I shook my head and looked out the window. I didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally, I turned back to her. “He told me to get my head out of my ass and find whatever makes me happy.”
“You love your job.”
“I do. But I’ve always wanted more than that.”
“Wife? Kids? A yoga instructor? What do you want, Matthew?”
You.
It was the first thought in my head. I kept my eyes on the road while I shoved the thought back down where it belonged. I couldn’t say something like that to her. She wouldn’t understand and she would shut down harder on me than she would on Spencer. Of that, I was sure. She ran after our night together. Flight already booked or not, she would’ve left. Was she running from Spencer? Me? Commitment? Hayley never wanted to be her mother, but did that mean our night together didn’t mean anything to her?
Seducing My Best Friend (The Wrights Book 2) Page 8
