Kissing My Best Friend: A Friends to Lovers Romance

by Sullivan, Piper

  “Ouch!” He smacked my thigh in return and I ignored the shiver and pulse that flowed through my blood. And other parts. “Most people would just say you’re welcome, you know that, don’t you?”

  He set me on my feet and stepped back slowly. Carefully as if I were a bomb that might detonate at any moment. I felt kind of like one but not the way he was thinking. “I’m not most people because I have two working legs and I’m not lazy and…and.” My legs swayed and then wobbled and I felt my body fall to the ground, but I didn’t hit.

  “Whoa, you okay?”

  I nodded even though I felt a little dizzy and as soon as I felt normal again, I smacked him. “When you turn a person upside down all the blood rushes to their head, genius.”

  “Shit. Sorry.”

  I was about to tell him to shove his apology when I saw a better form of torture. “Hey, isn’t that Big Mama sitting at the overlook?”

  Jase turned with his arm in mid-air prepared to greet the town’s favorite cook when he saw what I had in store for him. Big Mama and her new beau, going at each other like teenagers on the bench in plain view of anyone who dared hike this or any of the other dozen or so trails in the area. “Thanks for that,” he groaned and glared at me.

  “You’re welcome. Now we’re even.”

  “I don’t think so,” he said ominous and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the path that led to the parking lot. “I’ll let you know when we’re even, Mahoney.”

  I opened my mouth just as a clap of thunder sounded above. “If we don’t make it home before the rain lands, you owe me lunch.”

  “Does this count as how I’m returning the favor,” he asked cheekily.

  “I’ll let you know when it counts,” I told him, throwing his words back at him.

  “Damn, set myself up for that one, didn’t I?” His ability to laugh at himself was another of his most endearing qualities. Guys who looked like Jase and were living, breathing heroes to boot, didn’t tend to have a good sense of humor, but he did.

  “You did,” I told him when more thunder sounded followed quickly by lightning. “Let’s get moving.”

  “Whatever you say, honeybuns.”

  I didn’t have to time to glare at him because the sky was darkening quick and a horn sounded behind us. “You kids better hurry, a storm’s coming in fast.” Big Mama and her pink cast hung out the window, shaking one admonishing finger at us. “Need a ride?”

  That was the moment the sky chose to open up and drop a few hundred gallons of rain right on top of our heads and Big Mama’s arm. “No point now, but thanks. You two get on home before you end up on the town’s Facebook page.” I wagged my finger at her and her male companion’s laughter boomed over the sound of the rain as they took off.

  Leaving us alone.

  “I guess we’re getting delivery,” Jase added as we finally made it down to the parking lot.

  “Just feed me and you’re safe. Sugar britches.” Yeah, that was a pet name I could get behind.

  Jase

  Not so safe after all, it turns out, because after we got back to her cabin, Bo jumped in the shower without a word, leaving me standing in her living room. Alone and dripping.

  I preferred that to the hell I was enduring at the moment. Bo stood less than a foot from me with wet hair curling down her back and the tiniest robe in existence. It was short and covered in flowers, and short. This time I took a long, appreciative look at all the legs on display, the swell of cleavage present where the robe opened just a little. That little freckle on her collarbone teased me. Dammit.

  “Earth to Jase.”

  “What?” I blinked until the image before me was my best friend Bo, not an accumulation of sexy as hell body parts that belonged in my fantasies, not my time with Bo. “Sorry, what did you say?”

  Bo growled and shoved two towels my way. “Stop acting weird Jase, they’re just boobs. Use my bathroom and I’ll put your clothes in the dryer.”

  They weren’t just boobs. They were spectacular boobs and thanks to the chill in the air, her nipples were starting to pebble. “Dryer. Right. That rain came out of nowhere, we’re lucky it wasn’t a flash flood.” It wasn’t but a few months ago that a flash flood came through.

  “We’re not in the clear yet. Weather said the rain should last for hours so I’ll go make coffee while you warm up in the shower.”

  A shower sounded perfect as long as I didn’t have too many thoughts of Bo in that same space, naked and wet. “All right weather girl, I’m going.” I darted up to her room and took the quickest shower I could, keeping the water scalding hot and ignoring the fact that I was slathering myself in Bo’s scent. I jumped out of the shower like it was out to get me, wrapping a towel around my waist and escaping into the soothing purple tones of her bedroom.

  Instead of my gaze landing on a purple and lavender comforter, they landed on flesh. Miles and miles of feminine flesh, tanned and toned, and only covered by black silk. Her underwear was sexy but simple, allowing her lean, muscled frame to be the star of the show. “Eyes up here, Callahan. Why do I feel like I’m saying that to you a lot lately?”

  At that question I did look up at her, eventually because the journey was damn well worth the risk, and wondered if she was feeling what I was. “Because you’re wearing a lot less clothes than you normally do?” I knew that question was risking injury so I hurried to ask the other, more pertinent question. “What are you doing in here?”

  She shrugged like it was no big deal. “I didn’t want to cook in just my underwear so I came up here to change. I didn’t realize you took Army showers.” She glared at me again as if she didn’t recognize me. “Why are you staring?”

  I knew I had to play it cool. “Who knew you were so hot underneath your uniform.”

  “Thanks,” she rolled her eyes but I didn’t miss the pink that blossomed on her cheeks, not even when she turned into her closet to hide her reaction from me. Instead of her pink cheeks, I was met with the sight of her heart shaped ass and those long legs that were, honestly, starting to make me feel like a creep. Thankfully she found what she was looking for, slip into another pair of cutoffs, the black pair slightly shorter than the others, and a plain white t-shirt that had been washed at least a dozen times too many. She turned and scowled at me, but before I could apologize for ogling her, again, she pointed at me. “I was promised food.”

  “Hard to do anything without any clothes.”

  Her lips twitched and a dark brown eyebrow arched teasingly. “Good to know. I’ll spread the word.”

  “You wouldn’t dare. What do you want to eat?” The options were limited with the storm outside still pummeling down, but Bo knew better than most that capitalism stopped for no one, not man, woman or act of God.

  “Whatever will deliver so probably pizza. Lots of meat, lots of veggies and,”

  “Lots of cheese,” I finished for her.

  “Exactly. I’ll go get my phone and see if you can rustle me up some clothes little lady.” Bo glared at me again, pulling a laugh from me and almost making me forget I was two feet from my best friend and only a towel was keeping my cock from revealing all.

  “Black lace or purple silk? I think the purple would really bring out your eyes.”

  Why, oh why, did she have to put those thoughts in my head? And why couldn’t I keep my damn mouth closed? “Me too, especially since the black silk looks so good on you.” I could tell that I’d shocked her but Bo hid it well behind a shrug.

  “In fairness, I did buy them for me. Your shoulders and chest are a little broader than mine.”

  From where I was standing her chest looked just fine to me, which of course, sent my gaze right there. “Then maybe leave your fancy underwear alone and find me something else?”

  “Ugh, fine. Party pooper.” She rolled her eyes and disappeared to another room down the hall, while I went downstairs to find my phone. And a cup of coffee.

  Bo loved coffee, she splurged on the good stuff and made it n
ice and strong, just how I preferred it. I sipped the hot liquid and picked up my phone, placing an order for two large pizzas, garlic bread and spicy chicken chunks since it looked like we might be here for some time. While I waited for food and clothes, I stared at the view of the lake, or where the lake would be if the rain and the fog didn’t wash away everything and turn it gray. Normally the view was spectacular but today it was as confused as I felt, particularly about the strange, mostly sexual, thoughts about Bo lately.

  It was disconcerting. It was starting to worry me. If I couldn’t be normal around Bo our friendship was doomed, and that was the last thing I wanted. But that was a thought for another time because the bell rang and I was sure enough time passed that some pimple faced teenager had our food.

  Next time I would make use of the damn peephole, the same way I constantly yell at Bo to use it. “Well, well. It looks as though I interrupted a little afternoon delight!” Helen Landon stood on Bo’s doorstep with a gleam in her eye for being the one to catch this juicy big of gossip.

  “Nothing as fun as all that, Ms. Landon.” If she gave my body any closer scrutiny we’d be bonded for life so I took a step back and motioned for her to step in. “How’d you get our food?”

  “Boy, you’re in nothing but terrycloth, call me Helen.” She looked me up and down one last time, a definite gleam in her eyes before she brushed past me like a child who lost interest in a toy. “The poor delivery kid couldn’t get his scooter up here with all this rain and mud, so I offered to come on my way to get Big Mama and Earl. They’re car got stuck.”

  “What? They were already headed out just as the rain started.” Shit, was I too wrapped up in Bo to realize the old folks weren’t equipped to drive in this weather?

  “Settle down, they pulled over to wait out the rain and started fogging up the windows if you get my drift.” Just in case I didn’t, she wiggled her eyebrows. “Rocked themselves into a nice little groove. They’ll keep for a bit. Where’s Bo?”

  I blinked at how fast she changed topics, still talking as she put down the boxes. “She should be down in a second.”

  “She’s right here,” Bo said, holding an armful of clothes and wearing a professional caliber scowl. “You have so many clothes here I might have to start charging you rent.” I wasn’t sure if she said that for Helen’s benefit until she froze and her skin went pale. “Helen, what are you doing here?” The question was directed at her visitor but those blue eyes wanted to know why I hadn’t warned her.

  I shrugged and glanced down at my naked torso, just in case she forgot. Wait a minute, did Bo just lick her lips while looking me over. “Helen was helping out the delivery kid.”

  “I need that part for my garbage disposal. Bless his heart, but Will didn’t do a great job of fixing it.” She looked away guiltily and I wondered what I was missing.

  “Probably shouldn’t have shoved that rag so deep in there, probably killed the motor. I’ll order the piece today, Helen.”

  “Thanks, honey.” She leaned over the food and inhaled deeply as a smile crossed her face. “Here’s a little advice Bo. The best way to charge a man rent is to let him move him. Just some food for thought, now go enjoy your naked pizza.” The gleam in her eyes was enough to set me on edge, but the growling bear inside my stomach made himself a priority.

  “That was weird, right?” Bo’s thumb was pointed at the door where Helen had beat a hasty retreat after dropping that little bomb, confusion dipped her chocolate brows into a deep vee.

  I shrugged. It was weird as hell and I was pretty sure I knew what she was up to, what they were all up to, but if I thought about it too much I might go a little crazy. “Aren’t all the women in this town crazy?”

  “Crazy would be tossing your clothes out in the rain,” she said with a challenge in her voice. “So am I crazy or am I not?” She faced me but her eyes slid to the clothes on the other end of the counter and at the same time we ran to the pile. “Crazy or not,” she said and took a step back, the pile of clothes safely in her arms.

  “That’s a hard question to answer with you clutching those clothes like you stole them from Thor’s dressing room.” She took a step towards the patio door, a grin making her lips twitch at the corners.

  “That sounds like the wrong answer.” She was so smug, so sure and in that moment I knew how to beat her this time.

  “I stand by my statement,” I told her and walked back to the boxes, carrying them into the room with the big ass wall mounted TV, flipping open the boxes and laying out the disposable flatware and napkins in front. “The women in this town are crazy.” I waited until she was in the doorway, watching, before I removed my towel and folded it, placing it on the sofa so I could sit on it. When I reached for the napkin to cover myself from falling bits of steaming hot pizza, she growled.

  Damn, riling her up was so much fun.

  Bo

  “So, is it true?” Rafe slid into the seat on the other side of the blue and white checkerboard booth wearing a wide, expectant grin.

  I shook my head at the mountain of junk food in the bags he bought form me earlier and gave him a playful glare. “Rafe Montgomery don’t you have better things to do than stand around gossiping?” Of course he didn’t, the men in this town were just as bad as the women where gossip was concerned, and the firefighters were the worst of the bunch with the police coming in a close second.

  He shrugged. “As a leader in this community,” he began, sending me a narrow eyed gaze when I snorted out a laugh, “I’m just keeping myself involved with the goings on in town.”

  “The goings on? I think maybe you inhaled too many fire fumes, Captain. Besides, don’t you know you shouldn’t believe everything you read?” And that went double for the Hometown Heroes Facebook page for crying out loud. “Since when is that a reliable source of news? Did the Tulip Gazette go under and no one told me about it?”

  I spoke too soon as part-time waitress and part-time journalist, Ginger strolled into Reese’s Famous BBQ, the pad and pen in her hand and the distinct lack of apron telling me she wasn’t here to take my order. She stopped at the table and towered over me as she leaned in. “So Bo, is it true? Are you and Jase about to succumb to the luck of the Hometown Heroes and move in together?”

  The curse of the what? “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  She blinked, surprised as if she honestly expected me to just spill all my secrets to the girl who never remembered to put ice in my soda. “You know how each of the previous Hometown Heroes have fallen in love and now the Heroes page says you two are moving in together. Is it true?”

  I stared at her for a long time, counting to ten and then to twenty when that didn’t work. At forty-five I stopped counting. “If one more damn person asks me about moving in with Jase, I’m packing my crap up and moving to Hawaii! For good.”

  Rafe choked out a laugh and I glared at the sight he made, leaning on his elbows and munching on a bag of popcorn from his bag like this was a damn matinee. “Hawaii is beautiful this time of year,” he added with a smirk. “Well any time of year, or so I hear.”

  “Shut up, Rafe.” I turned back to Ginger, as calmly as I could. “No, we’re not moving in together.”

  “You sure?” Her brows arched like I might be the source of misinformation and not the bit of gossip she read online.

  “I am,” I assured here, trying hard not to get annoyed since she was a young woman in a tough field.

  “You are what,” Betty Kemp stop and asked instead of heading to the front to be seated.

  “I am sure, Betty, just in case anybody else asks, that Jase and I are not moving in together. Got it?”

  “Yes, but the page dedicated to the heroes said that you were.” She looked genuinely shocked to learn that her infallible source of gossip might have a flaw.

  “I know that, but the page isn’t’ an oracle, Betty.” I softened my tone but held firm. “We just went public with dating, don’t you think moving in is a bit prematu
re.” She was a practical woman, surely she’d understand that.

  But no, Betty shook her head. Insistently. “Not with as long as you two have known each other. Been sniffing around each other for ears, you two should be headed down the aisle by Christmas.”

  I choked on the food that hadn’t yet arrived and thankfully Jase hadn’t either. “Are you crazy, woman? It’s already summer.”

  “Exactly,” she said through pursed lips, eyes dripping in disappointment like I was some on the shelf spinster who couldn’t find a man. Thankfully she walked away before I forgot my manners.

  “Whatever,” I grumbled but my bad mood didn’t last long as the waiter headed my way with plates of steaming barbecue and loads of sides. With more food than I could handle and a moment of complete and total silence since Rafe had slipped away during the dual interrogation, I just ate. I didn’t think about anything or anyone, or any ideas.

  Nothing but barbecue sauce. Not even Jase, whose fault this was that I had to endure this invasion into my privacy and random street interrogations. Hell, Trixie had stopped me on the street to tell me about how to please Jase in bed. Thank goodness no one had a cucumber, banana or other phallus for her intended demonstration.

  And his punishment for all of that, was that I wouldn’t wait for him. I started eating without him and he could hope that I was kind enough to leave a few scraps for him to eat. If he ever showed up.

  “Mmm, barbecue kisses. My favorite.” Jase’s were louder than they needed to be, but the kiss he pressed on my lips caught me off guard. It was quick and light, barely even a kiss so much as a greeting but still, my lips tingled. I tried not to lean into the kiss, into him, but his lips were soft and firm and I was half drunk on Reese’s bourbon barbecue sauce. At least that’s what I was telling myself.

  “Hey babe. Have you heard? We’re moving in together.” I tried for a smile but the shock on his face said it was probably a mixture of a grimace and a horror movie villain.