Crushing on My Billionaire Best Friend: A Hot Romantic Comedy

by Jolie Day

  I couldn’t let that slip through my fingers.

  Not just because of one fucking perfect night.

  21

  Laney

  My dad was as chipper as ever, whistling around the kitchen as he seasoned the pot of pasta sauce on the stovetop.

  I smiled up at him as I threw a handful of cherry tomatoes into the big bowl of salad in front of me. “Go on and spit it out, Dad. I see that look in your eyes, and I know you’re just bursting at the seams to say something.”

  He glanced at me over his shoulder with a sly smile. “Oh, nothing.” He shrugged. “It’s just, you and Oliver, eh?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Stop that,” I said.

  “Maybe this fire tragedy has a silver lining after all.”

  “I brought him here as my friend. Just like it’s been every other time before.”

  “I see the way he looks at you,” he argued. “It reminds me of the way your mother and I used to look at each other.”

  My eyes teared up instantly, like they usually did when my dad mentioned my mom. They’d had the perfect marriage full of love, and it was such a shame that their time together had been cut short. I felt the pain of growing up from age five without my mom, but I also felt my dad’s pain of losing the love of his life. He’d never seen anybody seriously since she passed.

  “Well, I’m here tonight so we can celebrate my career and this new PhD journey,” I said. “Not to gossip about boys.”

  “Can’t I dream about my girl having it all?” He gave me a wide smile. “The career, Mr. Right…and maybe a few grandchildren to follow?”

  Oh, my God. Am I having déjà vu? I have to get out of here. “No kids until after I finish my PhD program and get my dissertation published.” I filled my arms with the salad bowl and a stack of plates, preparing to cart it all out to the dining table. “Oh, and I’ll have to find a husband, too. Because, I hate to break this to you for the millionth time, it’s not going to be Oliver.”

  “What’s not going to be Oliver?” Oliver appeared suddenly.

  He startled me so much that I nearly dropped everything. My muscle memory had learned from the whole pan of eggs sent flying during my singing performance disaster. I managed to balance the load in my arms so the stack of plates didn’t shatter across the floor, and so we wouldn’t all be caught in a downpour of lettuce and veggies. But I wasn’t able to save a few of the small ripe tomatoes from sliding out of the bowl. They went flying off in every direction like little bouncy balls.

  “Oh, crap,” I said. “Let me go set this stuff down, and I’ll—”

  “No, here.” Oliver stepped closer. “I’ve got you.” He poised himself in front of me to transfer everything into his arms and then headed back out to the dining table.

  I tried to ignore the smug expression from my dad who thought any basic act of decency from Oliver was a sign that we were destined to be together.

  “Quit looking at me like that,” I said. “He’s used to dealing with my clumsiness. And anyway, if he wasn’t here, you would have stepped up to help me just the same. Anybody would have. It doesn’t make him some knight in shining armor.”

  I confidently spun on my heels only to feel something mushy under my foot. It sent my right leg sliding out from under me, and the next thing I knew, I was midair—dangerously close to falling flat on my ass. I winced in anticipation of hitting the floor, but suddenly my weight caught on a pair of strong arms.

  My gaze drifted up to find Oliver towering above me, gripping me tight.

  “Whoa, easy there.” He stared down at me with a chuckle.

  “See, I told you, Elaine,” my dad chimed in. “This guy is always around to save you and grant you any wish. What kind of father wouldn’t want that for his daughter?”

  I was suspended backward with his arms wrapped around my waist—just like we were gearing up for some kind of fairytale kiss. Just great. Like my dad needed even more encouragement.

  “Thanks.” I laughed nervously and pulled myself up to my feet before straightening my clothes. I didn’t need the encouragement, either. I’d agreed to bring Oliver along to help put the other night behind us so I could let go of all my ridiculous fantasies about our future once and for all. I certainly didn’t bring him along to make things worse.

  My dad gave us the happiest smile. “Well, let’s eat—shall we?”

  22

  Oliver

  I tossed and turned in my damp sheets—unsure if the temperature of my room was rising with the sun beating in through the windows, or if it was just my sleep-deprived sex-thirsty state.

  Probably the latter.

  Definitely the latter.

  It’d been a week now since Laney and I’d had sex, and I still hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. How pathetic. No woman to date had ever managed to work their way beneath my skin so deep. What the fuck was wrong with me? And more importantly, why the hell didn’t she crave any of it?

  I reached for my phone on the nightstand, noting the time. It was afternoon on a Saturday, and I was stretched out in my bed—apparently avoiding the outside world because: pathetic loser. Every night when I tried to go to sleep, I was plagued by the same memories.

  That one taste of her had left me wanting more, and nothing I did seemed to shake it. Maybe I stood a better chance at taking a nap, but that wasn’t proving to be any more of a success than the nights had been.

  Accepting defeat, I rolled out of bed and hopped into the shower. I needed something to get me out of this fog. As I lathered my body under the streaming hot water, I scanned my brain for all my go-to distractions. Banging another chick? Not even an option. I could go to the rock-climbing gym or maybe take the bike out for a spin. Anything to get my adrenaline pumping and push these thoughts of her out of my brain.

  Aside from the broken-film reel playing on repeat in my head, everything else had gone back to normal. The dinner at her dad’s house had worked as a sort of reset button for us. We’d had dinner a few times together in the evenings, and even had another movie night. Although she did sit as far away from me on the couch as possible, acting like I had the fucking plague. Even as she squirmed and flinched at the goriest parts of the movie, she resisted jumping into my arms for comfort. I supposed I could live with that as long as she was still talking to me and acting like my old friend. When I’d tried to talk to her about it, she’d insisted that we were just friends and stopped any further discussion. Fuck.

  I got dressed and braced myself to walk out of my room. Not only had I never been so thrown by a woman, but I’d certainly never lived with a woman who’d put me in that state. Who also happened to be the very person I’d turn to for advice about this kind of situation. Every time I went through the living room or kitchen, it was like walking through a minefield. I never knew when I might see her dancing in the kitchen, watching TV on the couch, or reading a book by the window.

  The only thing that jolted me more than running into her and having to pretend like everything was fine, was not seeing her and wondering where she was, or what she was doing. I wished I could just tell her the extent of how I felt without worrying it would ruin everything.

  Turning the door handle, I stepped out, and was met with an empty and silent apartment. I checked for a note. Nothing. Just warm coffee and a few homemade, wrapped-up muffins. Sighing with disappointment and relief at the same time, I headed out the door.

  I climbed into my Porsche and drove around aimlessly. After about twenty minutes, I found myself drifting to the same driving range I’d taken Laney to. Why had I been so insistent on forcing her to hang out with me? Did some part of me want us to eventually sleep together? Was I just trying to put those forces into motion?

  My restless mind dragged me out of my car. I walked along the edge of the field and thought back on that afternoon when we were there together. I remembered how sexy she’d looked that day, even though I hadn’t wanted to admit it. How excited she’d been when she got in a good swing
. The brief, awkward moment when we almost kissed.

  Even then, things seemed to be different between us. There had been a new kind of sexual tension that had built up—one I wasn’t ready to admit to yet. But looking back on it then, I could see how it was only a matter of time before things exploded.

  I was plagued with questions like—Why now? Why had I blocked her out for so long? After all this time, why was I only just now seeing her in this light? Or had some part of me always wanted her in that way? It seemed like the only way to find out was to have her again, but that was the exact thing she wanted to avoid.

  I practiced my swing for a while before heading home.

  The moment I opened my front door, I was hit with the floral, apple scent that drifted through the apartment. Laney was taking a shower. It inspired instant visuals of her naked body underneath the steaming-hot water—the water dripping down the curves of her skin. Her eyes closed with her head back, just as she’d been when I was inside her.

  My throat grew tight and dry as I tried to swallow it all down. The water had stopped. A figure caught in the corner of my eye. My head turned to see Laney sitting down on the window seat with her wet hair, but she didn’t seem to hear me come in.

  She was in nothing but a towel, and she leaned against the glass, staring out over the city with a dreamy look in her eyes. Her arms were crossed with her legs tucked underneath her. My gaze followed the curve of her knee, up her thigh, to the shadow just beneath the towel where I could see the hint of her cherry. I wanted to bite and kiss every inch of that glowing skin until she was squirming and moaning in my arms again.

  I stood there for a moment, studying her soft features as she stared at the view of the buildings below. I tried to stay firmly planted, resisting the urge to march right up to her and sweep her into my arms.

  If you touch her, if anything else happens, it’ll just put you both right back where you started. Every time you cross that line, you risk losing your best friend.

  It wasn’t just about sex. I mean, it was, but I also wanted to know what she was thinking about, how her day had been, what ideas she’d come up with. I wanted so many things right then—in that moment—that I could hardly breathe.

  She turned her head when she finally noticed me. The gentle smile that formed on her lips wasn’t helping matters, either. I wanted to kiss along that curve and feel those lips part as my tongue slid into her mouth.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she asked innocently, moving her hand to adjust the towel. Her brow furrowed as she noticed the strained expression on my face.

  I wanted to say something, but I came up empty. I didn’t have any words left, and the urges in my body were bubbling over to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew I needed to talk myself out of what I was about to do, but I was running out of strength.

  My feet started moving forward beyond my control. The magnetism between us was too strong to fight anymore. I let myself be pulled toward her until I was close enough to slide my hands under her legs and lift her up into my arms. I needed to be in her now, deep and hard.

  She kicked and giggled. “Oliver! What are you doing? Put me down! I’ll hurt you.”

  I froze in the middle of the floor and stared intently into her eyes. I should put her over my knees. “I can’t listen to you talk like that anymore, Laney. Do I have to fuck it out of you?”

  With that, I kicked open the door to my bedroom and tossed her down onto the comforter. I moved over her, supporting my weight on my elbows. “From this day on, you won’t say another word about your beautiful body.” I smoothed my hand along the length of her.

  With one tug, I removed her towel, her naked body in front of me. “You’re fucking perfect.”

  23

  Laney

  I stopped laughing when I looked into Oliver’s eyes and saw just how serious he was. His gaze was filled with a hunger that only solidified his words. He wasn’t just telling me my body was perfect. He truly believed it, and I believed what he’d said.

  His lips crashed against mine, parting them with his tongue. Within seconds of losing myself there, I felt the cool air of his bedroom drifting over my skin. The chill across my chest was quickly remedied by his hot mouth, sucking my nipples one at a time. He drew away, taking a step back to admire my body again.

  A slight smile curved the corner of his mouth, and I could see the evidence of his arousal standing firmly beneath his pants. “And I’m going to fuck this bullshit you keep telling yourself out of you—starting today.” His words came out as a growl.

  Yes, please, a tiny voice whispered in my mind. I could only nod and lick my lips.

  He lowered his body over mine again and kissed my face. My heart pounded as his hands spread across my shoulders. I relished his scent and the feeling of his palms sliding down my skin.

  It was slower and more intentional than the first time. My brain screamed that we needed to stop. This was a terrible idea. But all my reasoning rapidly flew out the window. I didn’t have the willpower to fight it when he was already so close, with our tongues tangled together in the perfect dance.

  I moaned with the feeling of him, rock hard and pulsing in my grip. I wrapped my hand around his girth to tease him, which sent his other hand clawing into the skin of my thigh. My head fell back against the pillow in surrender as he trailed kisses down to my center. His lips brushed against me, filling me with so much warmth and wetness I thought I might explode. I felt myself opening up for him, desperate to be filled with so much more.

  He nibbled along my inner thigh and stared up, his eyes burning into me. “You’re so fucking beautiful. I’m sorry if anybody ever made you doubt that—if I ever made you doubt it. God, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the last time.”

  Everything inside of me twisted and turned. I was all tied up with knotted nerves, bursting with so many thoughts and feelings. It was overwhelming. I wanted to know what he meant. And why is it any different now?

  His taste and his touch—I seemed to know what to do with that. But anything beyond that was terrifying. I knew what to do with his heart and feelings, too. I’d been waiting for the chance to prove it to him. It was my heart in his hands that I was far more concerned with.

  But I couldn’t think of that right now—I wouldn’t—only his touch, his mouth, his hands, his body.

  “Me, too,” was all I managed to say. I was breathless with anticipation.

  “Oh?” He had a devilish glint in his eyes, teasing one finger against my tingling skin that was dying to be touched. “In that case, I shouldn’t keep you waiting.”

  God, I loved when he talked dirty to me. Before I could get a single word out, he bent down and sucked me into his mouth. All my words and reservations melted with the feeling of his hot tongue spreading across my pulsing bundle of nerves.

  A whimper escaped my mouth as I clenched the sheets in my fists. My entire body was on fire, and the friction of his stubble only made it grow. I sank into the bed, at the mercy of his lips and tongue, until I was shaking and close to exploding.

  “Let me show you how perfect I think you are.”

  I moaned, biting my lip to contain my cries. His tongue continued its circling motion, bringing me closer and closer to the edge.

  “You’re delicious and perfect.” The vibrations of his voice sent a tremor roaring against my sex, hurtling me over the edge.

  Wave after wave, Oliver rode out my orgasm. He brought his head up, and I felt the warmth of his lips leaving me. My entire body was teeming with so much need that I knew it wouldn’t take long before I’d be lost in a sea of ecstasy, lost in him. He climbed his way up my body, drawing my face to his.

  Our lips collided in a reckless kiss. We were past the point of no return. He undressed in front of me—letting me take in the sight of his muscular, naked, and tattooed body again. It was still a shock to me. The defined planes of his chest and his hard length as it twitched against his stomach. I wanted him inside me. So badl
y.

  I reached for him, pulling him on top of me. He nibbled my bottom lip and darted his tongue in my mouth hungrily. He hovered over me with my arms wrapped around his neck, keeping his face close to mine. Our eyes locked. I was aching and wet, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was taking control. I rolled over, forcing him onto his back. Leaning to the side, I grabbed a condom from the nightstand, opened it, and rolled it down his perfect length.

  “Laney,” he murmured, reaching up to the ends of my hair hanging around my shoulders, over my breasts. I couldn’t escape his tenderness, no matter where I went.

  “Shhhh,” I whispered, pinning his hands above his head. “It’s my turn to pleasure you.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he groaned, arching his hips toward me.

  I gripped his swollen shaft in my hand and slid it inside of me. My core clenched around him tightly, and I felt my body swaying with light-headedness from the rush of him thrusting upward. His hands kneaded into my thighs as I rocked against him. He guided me in the perfect rhythm, angling himself inside me to hit all the right spots.

  “Oh, fuck,” he growled, shuttering inside of me.

  I tilted my head, running my fingers through my hair to keep it from sticking to the sweat forming on my face. He could see all of me—my curves, my breasts as they bounced with each movement, and the way I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming his name so loud that everybody in the city would hear.

  My body buzzed with the growing shockwaves of pleasure. I dragged his hands to my breasts, placing mine on his to squeeze them the way I wanted. I stole one hand to suck a finger into my mouth, causing his groans to grow weak and broken. I could feel him getting close, and it only pushed me further along as well.

  “You’re the most amazing woman in the world,” he hissed as I rode him harder, deeper, until we were both crying out in ecstasy. My body seized up—my hips suspended with the last few, slow thrusts between us. In that moment, everything felt so perfect. I wasn’t sure how we’d deprived ourselves of this for so long.