His Unlikely Lover

by Natasha Anders

  She had looked up at the man standing in her doorway, so uncharacteristically disheveled, with messy hair, skewed tie, and wrinkled clothing, and had fallen hopelessly in love with him. From one breath to the next he had transitioned from platonic friend and trusted confidante to the single most important person in her life, and she had wanted him with a fierceness that still shocked her to this day.

  They would have to take things slowly. The transition from being friends into a couple would be strange for them as well as their family and friends, who would be blindsided by the match and possibly uncomfortable with it too.

  “We’ll sort it out,” she assured him, linking her hands with his and squeezing encouragingly. She smiled and kissed him, happy that she was free to do so. He tasted faintly of whiskey and cigars. Delicious.

  He returned the kiss, running his tongue over her lips and then sucking her lower lip gently into his mouth.

  “Hmmm,” he groaned, the sound a masculine rumble that she felt against her chest. He dragged his mouth away from hers with obvious reluctance. “I’ve been wanting to suck on that juicy lip for a while now.” He ran a rough thumb over her lip and she caught it in her mouth, nipping wickedly at the pad.

  “Come on, Bobbi,” he growled. “Time enough for this later. We need to talk.”

  “Fine.” She rolled her eyes. He clearly needed to get this out of his system. “I’m all ears.”

  “This is awkward because this isn’t a scenario I ever imagined,” he said. “The women I . . . the ones before, they knew the score. But you and I, that’s complicated.”

  “What’s complicated about it?” she asked, a sinking sensation forming in the pit of her stomach. There was nothing complicated about this, they were attracted to each other and now that they had both acknowledged that attraction they were free to be together. Simple.

  “We’re friends, good friends, when this ends—when we eventually get this thing between us out of our systems—what happens to our friendship? If there’s any danger of losing you, Bobbi, it just wouldn’t be worth it for a few encounters of meaningless sex.”

  Meaningless sex? That’s all he wanted?

  Bobbi almost laughed but she managed to bite back the impulse, knowing that the sound that emerged from her throat would be filled with disappointment.

  Of course that’s what he wanted! She was such a dolt.

  Be careful what you wish for. That was how the saying went and it had never been truer than at this very moment. Bobbi had always wished for him to want her as much as she wanted him, to look at her with desire in his eyes and that wish had been more than granted. There was so much heat in his regard that she felt scorched by it and his zipper was fighting a losing battle against the hard physical proof of his lust. She had what she had hungered for day after day for years but she wanted more than that.

  All those years of wishing for him to want her, it had never occurred to her to ask that he love her too. Why would she wish for something she already had? Gabe loved her, he always had—but he wasn’t in love with her.

  “So what do you suggest?” she asked, her voice sounding hollow even to her own ears, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “I was thinking we could come to an understanding. We keep this affair and our friendship separate . . .”

  What? She didn’t understand what that meant. “I don’t understand.”

  “It would be better if nobody else knew about it. If we kept it between us,” he said, keeping his face averted. She was thankful for that because she didn’t want him to see the pain in her eyes. “That way it would be easier for us to go back to being friends afterward. No unpleasant and intrusive questions from family and friends, you know?” She nodded absently in response to the question, feeling a piece of her heart wither and die with every word he spoke.

  How stupid of her to think that he would want a proper relationship with someone like her and that she could show the world how she felt about him. How foolish of her to fantasize about actually staking a claim on him and keeping all those annoying blondes at bay by right of possession.

  Her fantasies were completely laughable in light of that fact that Gabe wanted to hide the attraction he felt for her in a dark and moldy place where it would be unable to flourish. Instead it would shrivel and eventually die and they would walk away and carry on as if it had never existed.

  Their family and friends would remain completely oblivious while Gabe slept with her in secret as if what he felt for her was something to be ashamed.

  Gabe watched Bobbi closely but her expression revealed nothing—it was as if a porcelain mask had slid over her face—her features perfectly frozen. He was desperate for her to accept this agreement. He didn’t know what he would do if she refused—she simply couldn’t refuse.

  “We could have everything, Bobbi,” he insisted. “The sex and our friendship. Nothing has to change; we just have to keep it under wraps. It’s the only way to keep things normal. Once other people get involved, they’ll start placing their own expectations on us. That wouldn’t be fair on either of us. This is our business not theirs. It’s the only way I can think of to protect you.” And he really wanted to protect her. He didn’t want her friends forcing their opinions on her, didn’t want her brothers or his to make her feel like she was doing something wrong by being with him, and, yes, he was protecting himself too. God knew, her brothers, her father, and his mother—everybody would be horrified. They would insist he “do the right thing” and when he refused it could cause a rift between their families. He was on very shaky ground here and needed to tread carefully.

  “So how would it work?” she asked, and he exhaled shakily, relieved that she had broken her silence. “Will we have some kind of secret password or handshake when we want to sleep together?”

  He laughed uncertainly, not sure of her mood. Her words had been sarcastic but her eyes looked . . . sad. He swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat. He didn’t want to hurt her, he was suggesting this arrangement so that he could avoid hurting her—full disclosure was essential, that way she wouldn’t form any unreasonable expectations.

  “You’d come round to my place as you normally would and we’ll see where the mood takes us.”

  “So we won’t have to set up some kind of schedule then? Sex tonight, darts at the pub tomorrow . . . that kind of thing? I mean, I’ve never had a friend with benefits before, I don’t know how it works.”

  “This is new to me too, Bobbi.” He wasn’t deaf to the cynicism in her voice but was unsure how to respond to it.

  She pushed herself up and off him, rearranging her clothing to the best of her ability. He felt the loss keenly and leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees—staring at her intently, not sure what to expect next. Her face still had a dewy, post-orgasmic glow to it and her lips were swollen from his earlier attentions. She was so damned sexy—he wanted her back on his lap, wanted to feel her tightness close around him as he pushed himself into her, but he needed her to agree to his terms before he could have her and waiting for her answer was excruciating.

  “Well how does it usually work with your blondes?” she asked pointedly, sitting down on the chair opposite his—the one her father had occupied earlier.

  He usually took his other female companions out to dinner, dancing . . . some kind of event. Followed by a night of sex at their homes—which insured a quick and easy getaway afterward. Bobbi wouldn’t be getting the fancy dinners; he acknowledged guiltily but then appeased himself with the reminder that it wasn’t her scene anyway.

  “Our arrangement will be different,” he muttered.

  “Oh yes, of course . . .” She snapped her fingers as if just remembering. “We won’t be seen together.”

  “Bobbi,” he chastised miserably, hating her unpredictable mood. She clearly wasn’t receptive to his idea. “What do you want then?”

  The question shut her up and she peered at him mutely before shrugging.

  “Fine, le
t’s do this.” She held her right hand over her chest and the left hand up as if she was about to swear an oath. “I, Roberta Rebecca Richmond, hereby do solemnly swear to expect nothing more than sex from one Gabriel Andrew Braddock. I promise to not disclose details of our affair to any third parties, promise to not behave inappropriately toward him in public places and, once our affair has run its course, I promise to never speak of it again and to go back to being Gabriel Andrew Braddock’s bestest buddy. So help me God.”

  “Bobbi, you’re making it seem . . .”

  “Cold?” she finished, her voice so icy it nearly froze him on the spot and he nodded. “Cynical? Clinical? Maybe because that’s what it is.”

  “Then tell me what you want.” He repeated his previous demand, not bothering to keep the exasperation out of his voice.

  “Nothing more or less than you’re willing to offer.” She shrugged before sending him a seductive look that—despite his tension—immediately grabbed his attention.

  She got up and walked to the door, and his eyes remained riveted on the deliberate swing of her tight behind. She threw him a look over her shoulder and combined it with a sultry smile.

  “Come on, Gabe . . . I’ll walk you home.”

  Bobbi didn’t know what the hell she was doing. This was going to end in heartbreak and she knew it . . . but she didn’t want to go through her entire life without being with him. She couldn’t force him to love her the way she loved him so she would take whatever meager substitute he was offering her, and when it ended she would try damned hard to keep her end of the bargain and go back to being his friend. She felt weak and stupid and while her brain screamed at her not to be foolish, her heart urged her to accept his sordid little arrangement and be grateful for it.

  In the end her heart had won the fierce battle and so here she was, holding his hand in hers as she dragged him across the lawn toward the fence between their homes. There was a security gate between the two properties that their parents had had installed when the Braddock and Richmond children had still been small—it had been put there to stop the kids from creating shortcuts by climbing the trees that bordered their yards and jumping over the high fences, especially after Chase broke his arm. Once Bobbi had led Gabe through the gate and was safely out of view of her house and numerous security guards, Gabe stopped moving. Bobbi glanced back impatiently but all she could see in the darkness were the whites of his eyes before he tugged on her hand and dragged her into his arms.

  She was enveloped in his scent, by his warmth, and then before she could brace herself, completely devoured by his hungry mouth. She moaned and gave herself over to him. There was no finesse to the kiss, it was a meeting of lips, tongue, and teeth, and it made Bobbi feel wanton, wild, and starved for more.

  “God, sweetheart, you drive me crazy.” His voice sounded feral in the dark as he forced the words out between gasps. “Come on.”

  This time he led the way as he tugged her to his house, up the porch steps, and into the foyer. His hands were all over her body as he led her into one of the rooms closest to the front entrance. A quick glance around confirmed that they were in his study and she had no time for any other observation before he sat her down on a large sofa and knelt between her legs.

  “Gabe, I think . . .”

  He held a finger up to her lips.

  “Ssh, sweetheart, no more talk,” he begged gently. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to do all evening.” Bobbi grabbed his finger between her lips and sucked the tip hungrily, watching his face tighten as he moaned shakily. It was amazing how such a simple gesture was able to render a strong man like Gabe as weak as a kitten.

  “Oh?” she asked huskily, after running her tongue up and down the length of his index finger before releasing his hand to fall limply to his side. “What could that be?”

  “You’re killing me, Bobbi.” He laughed unsteadily. His trembling hands went to the hem of her top and dragged it up and off before she even had time to blink, and then he sat back on his heels and just studied the skin that lay bared to his gaze. She fought the urge to cover her breasts, battling her instinctive shyness and kept her arms down, enjoying the appreciative look in his eyes as they studied the slight curves of her body.

  “I love these.” She drew in a sharp breath as he bent over to plant a reverent kiss on one pointed tip and then the other. “They’re absolutely perfect . . .”

  “Small,” she lamented, and he glared up at her.

  “Perfect,” he maintained before he lavished each tip with even more attention until she fell back onto the sofa and writhed beneath him, lost in the sensation of his mouth and hands tormenting the overly sensitive peaks. After what seemed like hours, he raised his head to study the wet, rosy crests in satisfaction.

  “My turn.” Bobbi could barely get the two words out but he understood her well enough and his head jerked up, while his eyes narrowed in anticipation. She sat up and tugged his shirttails from his trousers before burrowing her questing hands beneath the expensive fabric to find the velvety warmth beneath. She unbuttoned his shirt leisurely, kissing each wedge of skin as it was revealed, marveling at how hard, muscled flesh could be so satiny to the touch. When she’d unfastened the last button, she parted the two sides and scrutinized his muscular chest in purely feminine appreciation.

  He was gorgeous: all bronzed flesh, hard muscles, and downy cinnamon hair. Her slightly work-roughened hands entangled themselves in the sprinkling of hair on his chest before making their fluttering way to his flat male nipples. When she found the rigid nubs, she thumbed them experimentally and smiled in delight when Gabe sucked in a harsh breath.

  “You like that?” she asked huskily, glancing up to meet his burning eyes. No answer was required . . . he seemed to have relished it! “Great, then you’re probably going to love this!” She dipped her head and drew one of the stiff crests deeply into her mouth. Gabe made a strangled sound and jerked violently before grabbing her head between his hands and trying to drag her away from her task. Bobbi ignored him and continued to lick and suck seductively, relishing the musky taste of him.

  She shifted her attention to the other peak and nipped at it sharply, before licking away the sting. Gabe’s breath was coming in harsh pants and when he once again tried to drag her away, she complied and latched onto his mouth almost aggressively, relishing this new role of seductress. Gabe’s helpless groan was muffled against her mouth and he allowed her to take the initiative, his tongue playing court to hers.

  Eventually he began to dominate their love play, as she bowed to his experience. His fingers initially fumbled with the button fly of her shorts before he found a rhythm and seductively undid one after the other. He tugged at the waist once he had them all unfastened and Bobbi raised her hips allowing him to wrestle off the tight scrap of material. After he had tossed the shorts aside he leaned back to admire what he’d revealed. He shook his head in wonder as his scrutinizing look traveled down her slender torso to her concave stomach, her tiny waist, and the delicate flare of her hips.

  “Dear God, Bobbi, you’re . . . ravishing.” He breathed.

  Damn him, she adored him. She wished she didn’t but it was hard not to when he was staring at her with such reverence in his eyes.

  Gabe smiled at the sight of the plain white cotton bikini panties she was wearing. Bobbi probably had nothing that could be labeled lingerie in her underwear drawer. His Bobbi was a cotton-panties girl through and through. Lingerie was not for the practical mechanic, but he figured she would look pretty damned sexy in silk and lace too and vowed there and then to buy her some lingerie. It would definitely drive him wild to see her in overalls and fantasize about what sexy confections she might be wearing beneath them!

  The very thought now had him so revved up that it was difficult not to rip the aforementioned panties off and bury himself so completely within her that he would be lost forever. He was irresistibly drawn back to her breasts, bending to tug one of her raspberry pink tips in
to his mouth. She gasped and arched back, offering herself up to him. He maneuvered her until she was lying down on the sofa and he was on top of her with his hips cradled between the welcoming warmth of her thighs. Not once during the move had he lifted his head from her tormented breast and she was groaning and pleading with him to let up on his exquisite torture. He eventually did, but only to create havoc with the other, neglected nipple.

  Despite her pleas for him to stop tormenting her, Bobbi was contradictorily arching her back and thrusting her chest closer to his mouth. He laughed triumphantly and claimed her lips for yet another hungry kiss. The kiss was torrid enough to leave her limp and breathless, and she watched languidly as he got up to divest himself of his already unbuttoned shirt, then his shoes, and lastly his trousers and socks. Soon he wore only his black briefs, which did absolutely nothing to conceal his fierce erection from her. Her hungry eyes were riveted to the straining bulge between his thickly muscled thighs, and she was trembling uncontrollably when he settled back down between her spread legs. He smiled down at her before, without a word, lifting one of her legs and resting the slender ankle on his broad shoulder.

  “Gabe . . . what are you doing?” she asked in confusion, but he merely smiled down at her, before kissing her inner ankle. His warm, large hands circled the ankle, then traveled slowly down the length of her leg purposely allowing the back of his hand to lightly brush against the warm wetness between her legs, his knuckles grazing the moist material of her panties, before his hand stroked its way sensuously back up to her ankle. He then repeated the whole agonizing process with her other leg, this time allowing his hand to linger longer at her sensitive core.

  He grinned down at her and he should have looked ridiculous with his face framed by her feet but instead he looked absolutely wicked and oh-so-sexy. He winked mischievously before hooking his thumbs in the sides of her panties and sliding them up over her hips with tormenting slowness. Bobbi was arching her hips impatiently and he bent to kiss her lips gently.