WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR: a nostalgic romantic comedy (Boston Classics Book 1)

by Karen Grey

  “Are you kidding? I want to know what he’s doing here, too. Wait. Is that his motorcycle parked in front of your place? You didn’t tell me he had the whole bad-boy thing going on.”

  “Oh my god, would you calm down? It’s just a form of transportation.”

  “You’re kidding, right? Have you ever ridden behind a guy on a bike like that? Let me tell you, it gets all your parts humming.”

  Before I can confess that I actually know this from recent experience, Will stands, his smile sheepish. “Surprise.”

  “I thought you had rehearsal.” Alice pinches my arm and I bite back a yelp. “I mean, what a nice surprise.”

  “Massive food poisoning incident. Took out the Countess of Rousillon, the Widow, Diana and Helena. So I’m free all day.”

  “Wow, I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but I think it means it’s time for me to go home,” Alice whispers theatrically.

  I give her a look that I hope communicates You. Stay. And behave.

  He steps forward to shake Alice’s hand. “Hey, I’m Will.”

  She unabashedly checks him out. “I’m Alice. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  He grins at her. “Hopefully not all bad.”

  She nods slowly. “Yeah, some bad. But the good kind of bad.”

  “Alice!” I’m rethinking keeping her here. “Don’t you have to go?”

  Her face is all innocence. “I thought you wanted me to stay.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  “I’ll just get my bag and get out of the way, then.” She sighs, a hand to her brow. “I know when I’m not welcome.”

  “Will, I think I have a new actress for your company.”

  “I’m leaving. But I expect a full report, Kate.”

  “Alice!” I’m going to kill her. She hasn’t moved, so I tromp up the steps, unlock the door, reach inside my apartment for her bag, and then whip back around to toss it to her. “Here’s your bag; where’s your hurry?”

  “Talk to you later, beautiful,” she says meaningfully. “Bye, Will. Be nice to her. Or I’ll find you and… hmm.” She looks him up and down. “Have somebody else work you over.”

  She’s halfway to her car before I find my voice. “She is so embarrassing.”

  “As you’ve seen, my friends are worse.” He picks up two grocery bags. “So… surprise. I brought breakfast.”

  He’s blushing. It’s adorable.

  I peek inside a bag. Seeing what’s on top, I go on tiptoe to give him a little kiss. “Muffins are always a good surprise.”

  His arms reach around me to deepen the kiss, but I skitter back.

  “I’m gross! No touching until after I shower!” Giving him a wide berth, I head inside.

  He follows, grumbling. “All right.”

  I look over my shoulder, relieved to see the smile on his face, and point down the hall. “Kitchen’s that way!” I run for my room. “I’m gonna take a quick shower, and I’ll be out in a jiff!”

  “Let me know if you need help,” is the last thing I hear as I shut the bedroom door behind me.

  WILL

  Fifteen minutes later, Kate emerges from her bedroom in clean shorts and a tee, hair dripping onto her shoulders, feet bare. No makeup on her face, just a devilish grin.

  Taking over her kitchen was awkward at first, but I’ve managed to get omelet ingredients prepped. She looks hungry, so I pick up a muffin. “Want some?”

  Interestingly, her eyes track back and forth between the muffin and my mouth. “Hm. Some of what?”

  I like where this is going, so I play along. “How about a little bit of everything?”

  She steps closer. “I could go for a smorgasbord right now.”

  “I’ll trade you a kiss for a bite of this muffin.”

  “Yes, please.”

  I hold it up high. “Kiss first.”

  “I gotta have half of that thing before I fall over,” she whines. “My blood sugar’s dropping.”

  As slowly as possible, I peel the wrapper off. “If it’s a medical emergency.”

  “It definitely is.” She takes a huge bite and moans as she chews and swallows. “I might need something else to make me feel completely well.”

  “I’m not a doctor, but I’ve played one on stage. Maybe I can help.”

  She makes quick work of the muffin, then points at her mouth, whimpering.

  “Hmmm. Sounds like a bad case of man withdrawal. Let me see what I can do.” I pin her against the counter and give her lovely lower lip a gentle kiss. “Better?”

  She shakes her head and points at her top lip where I dutifully apply my medicine. With further finger pointing, she directs me: her ear, her neck, her clavicle, her belly button. The whimpering devolves into moans. I haul her up; she circles her legs around my waist and points directions until I find the bedroom. Where there’s a cat in the middle of the bed.

  She sweeps her arm toward it, waving toward the door. “Frankie! You have to go now!” He flattens his ears at us before slinking out of the room. “Thank you, Frankie!”

  I close the door behind him. “Sorry, Frankie.”

  Spinning back around, I toss Kate onto the bed. She bounces, laughing. When I crawl over her, strong legs circle my lower back. They tug me in so urgently that I lose my balance, toppling on top of her. When I try to ease up so I won’t squash her, her thighs keep me in place. Her eyes spark with humor, a sharp contrast to the hesitancy I saw in them Monday night.

  Giggling, she grasps the back of my head and pulls my mouth to hers. As our lips touch, need sweeps through me and I dive in, a wave of desire erasing all caution. Spreading my fingers across her temple, caressing a cheekbone with my thumb, kissing my way to an ear, I rasp, “I need to feel more of your skin.”

  “I know, me too.” She puts a hand on my chest, concern clouding her expression. “But what about your lucky vest?”

  “Think I’ll get lucky without it?”

  She taps her chin like she’s seriously considering the question until I take her other index finger and drag it across my lips. Her eyes widen when I slowly take it into my mouth. Moments later she’s wiggling all over. “Yes, yes, lose the vest!”

  I reach back to get rid of it and my shirt, groaning as her hand trails across newly exposed skin. Straddling her hips with my thighs, I ease my fingertips under her tee, loving the quiver that greets my touch. Slowly drawing it up to reveal more satiny skin, I kiss my way across her writhing belly until she cries out in frustration, wriggles out of her shirt and tosses it away.

  All four of our hands move at once. When my mouth explores her breasts through the thin white cotton of her bra, her whole body shudders. Man, she’s sensitive. I move to the other breast and she palms the front of my shorts.

  Hanging onto control by a thread, I ask, “Can I assume you’re saying that you want to go further?”

  Her pouty lips purse and a tiny line appears between her eyebrows.

  “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to. I still don’t know what we’re doing here. I mean, I like you… a lot.” I gulp when her hand squeezes what’s now the absolute hardest part of me. “Obviously. And I’m not seeing anybody else.”

  She shakes her head. “Me neither. I don’t know where this is going.” The light brown of her irises is eclipsed by her dilated pupils. “But I do know that I want you inside me.” Her hands begin to unbutton my shorts and shove them out of her way.

  I’m about to shove off my boxers when I realize I’m missing something. Something very important. “Fuck.”

  She giggles. “That’s the plan.”

  “No, I mean⁠—” I flop onto my back with a grunt. “I brought everything I needed to make you breakfast, but I didn’t plan for this, so I,” covering my face with my hands, I growl, “don’t have any condoms.”

  “Oh, is that all?” She shoves my shoulder. “I gotcha covered.” Crawling over me toward the nightstand, she looks over her shoulder with a grin. “No pun intended.” She opens a draw
er. “Look!”

  I have to lean awkwardly over her butt to see what she’s pointing at. Colorful, shiny packages fill the drawer. To the brim. And it’s a pretty big drawer.

  My jaw about hits the floor. I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far that seemingly straitlaced Kate is so responsive. But I’ve never seen a condom stash quite like this one. “Um. Why?”

  Kate looks back and forth from the drawer to me. “Huh. I guess this does send a certain message.” She waves a hand in the air. “But don’t worry. I’m not a nympho or anything. In fact, the reason I have so many is that this bed hasn’t seen much action lately.”

  She wriggles to sit facing me. On top of me. I have to make my hands sit still because the way her thighs are gripping mine is driving me insane with need.

  “See, one of my many cousins is a gynecologist. She does some work for Planned Parenthood, so she gets lots of samples. When I turned eighteen, I started getting monthly packages in the mail, as did all my other cousins, apparently—male and female, I might add—with little inspirational notes that said things like, ‘Condoms are the only way to prevent the spread of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.’”

  “Not exactly words that inspire passion.”

  She nods her head slowly. “Yeah, she’s a real romantic. When the AIDS thing kicked in, she started sending them twice as often. With reminders to throw out the expired ones.” She leans over again and stirs the contents of the drawer. “So… weird, I guess, but at least you have your choice of protection.”

  She scoops up a handful of condoms. “Let’s see what’s on the menu. Fun Flavors? Ribbed for Her Pleasure? Latex-free for Sensitive Skin?”

  “Come ’ere, you,” I growl, pulling her butt in close so that she’s pressed up against me, making me crazy in the best possible way. “You are the funniest person I’ve ever met. And I know a lot of funny people.”

  She half-grimaces. “That’s a good thing, right?”

  I sit partway up to kiss her. “That’s a very good thing. At least I think so.” Grabbing a few condoms, I fan them out across my chest. “Hmmm, what shall we start with? ’Cause I’m thinking we’re going to have to try them all.”

  A little wave of panic crosses her face. “Right now?”

  “Well, maybe not all of them before breakfast. We do have all day.” I look over at the lineup, then brush away all but the one labeled XL and hold it up. “This one will do.”

  She gulps. “For real?”

  I nod, working hard to keep a straight face.

  She gives me a sly look. “In that case, we’re going to need to see what’s behind curtain number two.” Lunging to open another drawer, she pulls out sample packages of lubricant. Her eyebrows waggle. “My cousin thinks of everything.”

  Tucking a packet between her teeth, she spreads her hands over my pecs. “Where were we now?”

  I run my hands over every sleek inch of her, enjoying the sexy sounds she makes. “Right here.” Slipping the package of lubricant from her mouth, I sit up to give her a quick kiss before opening it. “Let’s put your cousin’s gifts to some good use.”

  She reaches around to unhook her bra and tosses it over her shoulder. “Good plan.”

  Dropping the lubricant, I push her over to her back, removing the last bit of clothing hugging her hips before stepping out of my boxers. Eager to explore, I lean over her, but her whole body tenses.

  I hesitate, remembering how quickly she shut down the other night. “Still okay?”

  She turns her head to the side, squeezing her eyes shut. I hold my breath. I’m not going to force her to do anything, but I really hope she doesn’t stop things this time. After a few long moments, she faces me again, blinking. Then she shakes her head, her expression serious. “I want to be on top.”

  I nod and roll to my back. “Works for me.”

  “And I want you inside me.”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Shortly thereafter, tab A successfully finds—and has a most excellent time exploring—slot B. Once I’m sure she’s found release, I let go, too. When I return from the stratospheres, she’s collapsed on top of me, and I’ve become one with both her and the mattress.

  I’m halfway to sleep when she shifts slightly. Eyes fluttering open, I’m wondering which door leads to the bathroom, when she starts shaking on top of me. I crane my neck, trying to see her face. Is she crying? It’s hard to tell until she sits up and a panting laugh quickly turns hysterical as she falls to her side.

  “You okay?”

  It takes a few, but she eventually gets herself under control and then meets my confused gaze, grinning widely. “That,” she pants. “Was. Unbelievable. Sorry I’m laughing.” She shakes her head. “I just… never felt anything quite like that before.”

  I have to agree. It was like I’d somehow felt sensations running through her body as well as my own.

  She leans over, her lips hovering over mine. “Wonder what it’d be like if we did it again.”

  I pull her hips in so she can feel that I’m ready to go.

  She sits up. “But I gotta have breakfast fir⁠—”

  Before she can finish the sentence, I grab a new condom and dangle it in the air between us. “Round two? Then breakfast?”

  Throwing her arms up over her head in surrender, she flops onto her back. “Oh, all right. Have at it. Round two,” she says on a sigh, her breasts rising to tempt me.

  “‘Eternity was in our lips and eyes, bliss in our brows' bent; none our parts so poor but was a race of heaven.’ Antony and⁠—”

  She stops my mouth with a kiss and then growls, “I don’t care who said it. Make my parts happy again.”

  KATE

  Several hours later, after breakfast, more sex, a snack and even more sex, Will is sound asleep. Frankie’s sprawled on his other side, snoring. Me? I’m wide awake. A smile curves Will’s tempting mouth. It takes all of my considerable willpower to leave those lips alone and relax into his shoulder, where my head seems to fit perfectly.

  If only I could take naps. It’s even hard for me to be still for very long when it’s light out. Right now, though, my body is feeling well and truly used, every corner of it exercised. As well as exorcized of a certain demon whose name begins with the letter “J.”

  Will was so nice when I had another little freakout this morning. Being on top helped. Like I was in control. After the first time, things were okay. Well, better than okay. Way better. In all sorts of positions. In fact I was even what Cosmo might call “bold” in our adventures, surprising myself. Alice would be so proud. Thanks to the variety of lubricants in my drawer, I’m not even sore, and Will mentioned that he’d like to meet my gynecologist cousin so he could thank her personally.

  Speaking of cousins, I could write a not-so-feminist fairy tale involving the wedding of a different cousin. In it, Will’s smile creates a force field around us that repels all nosy relatives. With him at my side, the looks I catch are envious rather than piteous. The two of us wow the crowd as he twirls and dips me on the dance floor. Even as the daydream plays out, my frontal lobe keeps the idea firmly in the long-shot column. I just met the guy. Even thinking about inviting him to a family gathering is ridiculous.

  My fingers are getting twitchy. Also my toes.

  Will’s still asleep.

  I squeeze my eyes closed. Breathe in and out.

  Still not tired.

  Why can’t I enjoy just lying here next to him? I mean, it’s not earnings season, where every waking moment is spent analyzing quarterly reports, so it’s possible to take a weekend off. Might there be a benefit to focusing on something other than the market for a change? Kind of like a spring cleaning for the brain? Perhaps a balance sheet exists where I enjoy a two-person sex life along with my workload. That might be more fun than living vicariously through Alice all the time.

  Even if my brain would shut down, however, something’s digging into my hip and keeping me from relaxing fully. Moving carefully, so as
not to wake Will or the cat, I slide my hand under the sheets. Having excavated a foil wrapper, I have to stifle a giggle. I remember Will suggesting that we need to write a letter praising the work of the manufacturer of the Choco Mint A-Go-Go flavored lubricant. I’m wiggling again just thinking about it.

  That’s it. I can’t lie still anymore. Moving as smoothly as I can, I ease away from Will’s heat.

  A possessive palm grips my hip and hauls my butt back in. Fingers lightly stroke the skin of my belly, and instantly I’m swimming in a heady hormonal cocktail.

  Facing him, I run a hand over his chest, my fingers exploring the many textures. Smooth skin, hard muscle and just the right sprinkling of curls.

  He rolls to his back, yawning and stretching under my hand. His movement wakes Frankie, who yowls before jumping off the bed. Will grabs my roving hand, kisses my knuckles and then my nose. “What time is it?” he asks over a second yawn.

  I twist to check the clock on the bedside table. “One thirty. Wow.” I flutter my eyelashes. “Where did the time go?”

  “Man. I gotta get some work done.” He kisses my hand again, but quickly releases it to sit up and scrub his hands over his face.

  I pull the sheet up to my armpits. “Yeah, I should probably get to work too.” If only I was a good enough actress to cover my disappointment.

  His yummy lips form a pout. “Really? I was hoping you’d help me.”

  “Uh, I don’t how I can. But sure, I’ll try.”

  “Great! I’ll be back in a sec.” He hops out of bed and disappears into the other room for a few moments. When he crawls back into bed, I can’t help but respond to his kiss.

  Too soon, he pulls back. “Work first, play later.” He dangles a paperback in front of my nose. “Well, this play now, play with you later. I promise.”

  I sigh dramatically. “All right.” I accept the slim book. “All’s Well That Ends Well. This is the play you’re doing now?”

  “Yeah.” He rolls onto his back. “I have to be off book by tomorrow.”

  “Off book?” I flip through the pages.

  “It means I have to know all my lines.” He walks a hand across my chest. “So, will you help me?”