Friend and Lover

by Angela Benson

  Ida Mae cleared her throat again.

  “What is it, Ida Mae?”

  “Courting means more today than it did when we were young.”

  “Come on out with it, Ida Mae,” Willie Pearl said.

  “You know . . . sex.”

  Willie Pearl was quiet while she considered that statement. “Well, I see what you mean, Ida Mae. Do you really think that could be the problem?”

  “Think about you and Grady when you were courting.”

  “Grady and I never—you know, before we were married.”

  “Neither did Harry and I, but times have changed, Willie Pearl, and besides, they are engaged.”

  “I guess you’re right, Ida Mae. And that being the case, they’re going to have to stay frustrated, because I’m not going anywhere.”

  Eight

  He loomed above her and his gaze met hers. He was asking for permission. Her mouth couldn’t form any words, so she reached up and pulled his head down to hers. When his lips met hers, she knew she had made the right decision. This was right. They were right together.

  His tongue teasingly coaxed her lips apart and slipped into her mouth. The invasion, if you could call it that, was sweet. Her surrender was total.

  While he ravaged her mouth, her hands explored his body. He felt so good, so different from her. Where she was soft, he was hard. Except for his hair. It was soft, baby soft to touch. And that contrast to the feel of his hard body pressed against hers only made her want him closer.

  She lifted her arms to him, “Now, Reed,” she said, finally able to speak.

  Reed? The sound of her own voice woke Paige up. She was dreaming about Reed. Oh, my God!

  She looked in his direction, but she couldn’t see him in the dark. She hoped he was asleep and hadn’t heard her call his name. She hoped all she’d said aloud was his name. She’d be mortified if he knew about her dream.

  She held herself still for a good five minutes before releasing a sigh. Thank God, he slept through it, she said to herself.

  She turned on her side but was afraid to close her eyes. She didn’t know what picture she would see. Or maybe she knew which one she would see and she wasn’t ready to deal with it. She turned onto her back and stared up into the dark.

  “It’s hard, isn’t it?” came Reed’s voice in the dark. His words caressed her skin, as his hands had done in her dream.

  “Why aren’t you asleep?” she asked.

  “I think you know the answer to that, Paige.”

  Did that mean he’d heard her in her sleep? She hoped not. “We did have a long day,” she said.

  “How long are you going to deny what’s happening between us?” he asked. She heard the fabric of his blanket scrape against the carpet as he sat up.

  She pulled the covers closer around her, trying in vain to protect herself from the emotions lying very near the surface of her being. “It’s the close proximity and the role-playing. Things will get back to normal once your grandmother leaves.”

  She heard him get up from his pallet. He flicked on the light and sat down on the sofabed next to her. “That may be what it is for you, but it’s more than that with me.”

  She sat up. She felt too vulnerable in her reclining position with him looking down at her. “Reed—”

  His mouth against hers stopped her words. She knew she could break the kiss if she wanted to; she knew she should break it; but she couldn’t. Maybe if she hadn’t had the dream. But not after the dream. She wanted his kiss. And more . . . so much more.

  When Reed pulled away from her, her lips trembled. “Was that role-playing?” he asked.

  She looked down at her hands. “What are we doing, Reed?” He put his finger to her chin and lifted her face. “I’m falling in love with you. What are you doing?”

  Her heartbeat raced at his words. “We can’t.”

  “Can’t we?” He leaned in closer and captured her lips again. This time his hands joined in the action. He caressed her shoulders through the blue polka-dot granny gown she wore.

  “Reed, we can’t,” she said, without much conviction. She wanted this as much as he did.

  “Why can’t we?” he asked, between nips at her shoulder.

  She moaned. “Reed . . .”

  As Reed ran a stream of kisses down from her shoulder, Paige knew she had to stop them before they went too far. “Grandma Lewis,” Paige whispered. “She’s in the next room. What if she gets up?”

  Paige’s words slowly penetrated Reed’s mind and when they did, they were like a wet blanket on his desire. His grandmother was in the next room.

  Reed pulled his mouth from her shoulder and lowered his head to rest against her warm skin. She felt so good. And it felt so right to be with her like this. Like he had come home.

  The soft touch of her hands against his head, though nice, had to stop. “If you don’t stop rubbing my head like that, Big Momma is going to wake up to a surprise.”

  “Oh,” he heard her say, and the rubbing stopped.

  He smiled against her shoulder, gave it a final kiss, and lifted his head. “You’re going to have to wear this gown for me again, after Big Momma leaves. You’ve definitely come up with a new definition for sexy,” he teased, fiddling with the top two buttons of her granny gown.

  When she stopped the smile that threatened to spread across her face, every muscle in Reed’s body tightened. “What is it, sweetheart?” he said.

  “This shouldn’t have happened,” she said, in a voice so soft he almost didn’t hear her.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said, pulling her into his arms again. “I’m not going to let you regret what happened between us.”

  “But I’m an engaged woman, Reed.”

  He caressed her shoulders. “Maybe this means you’re engaged to the wrong man.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Paige didn’t want to get up for her run this morning. She wanted to stay in bed, cuddled up against Reed for as long as she could. There was something right about it. Something good.

  After their long discussion of their feelings last night, he’d gathered her in his arms and held her. There had been nothing sexual in his holding her, but those shared moments had been far more intimate than anything she’d ever experienced. She shook her head and smiled at herself. Did she have to analyze everything? Maybe Reed was right: she should listen to her heart and forget the rest.

  Yet she couldn’t do that. She’d made a commitment to Dexter and she owed him the time it took to decide what she really wanted. And it didn’t seem to her that making a quick decision to spend her life with Reed was the right thing to do.

  Maybe Reed was right and she was engaged to the wrong man, but she wasn’t going to end an engagement with one man and immediately go into an engagement with another one. She couldn’t do that. Could she?

  Whether she could or not, she wouldn’t. She was going to give it time, to see where her feelings for Reed took her.

  She snuggled back against him and he responded by tightening his arms around her. She smiled and went back to sleep.

  ~ ~ ~

  Reed woke up happy, happier than he’d ever been. He had the woman of his dreams in his arms, and he was in her bed. This was the best vacation he’d ever had.

  He turned his face into Paige’s neck and inhaled her sweet, clean, fresh scent. Now that Paige knew his feelings and shared them, he could wait for the inevitable consummation of those feelings.

  He knew Paige was unsure of herself, but that didn’t scare him. He’d had months to come to grips with his feelings for her; she’d had less than a week. And she was engaged to another man.

  He tightened his arms around her waist. He didn’t like thinking about Fine. He couldn’t wait for the day when Paige would give that guy his ring back. He smiled. She wasn’t wearing Fine’s anymore, anyway. She was wearing his ring. She even slept in it. He wondered if she knew she did, or if it was an unconscious move. It didn’t matter to him which one it was. He only knew it made
him happy to see the ring there, to see that she had become attached to it in such a short time.

  Reed knew he should get up and crawl back into his pallet, but he didn’t want to leave Paige. He wished she would wake up so he could tell her again how much he loved her. “I love you, Paige Thomas,” he whispered, needing to say the words even though she couldn’t hear them.

  The sound of the doorbell made Paige stir and caused Reed to hop out of bed. Who could be visiting at this hour of the morning? he wondered.

  He grabbed his robe and headed for the door, thinking only to keep the intruder from waking Paige and his grandmother. “Just a minute,” he whispered, when the bell rang again. He knew the intruder couldn’t hear him, but he said the words anyway.

  Reed unlocked the door and pulled it open.

  And he came face-to-face with Dexter Fine.

  Nine

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Fine’s loud voice filled the hallway. Reed looked back to make sure Paige was still asleep. She was.

  Reed didn’t know whether to laugh or slam the door in Fine’s face. He chose not to do either. Instead, he smirked. “Keep your voice down, Fine. You know what I’m doing here.”

  “Later for you, Lewis. Where’s Paige?” Fine asked, lifting on his toes to look past Reed’s shoulder. At that moment, Reed felt the psychological advantage his height gave him. And the fact that his wide build effectively prevented Fine from barging into the apartment did wonders for his ego.

  Reed really didn’t like the proprietary air that Fine had where Paige was concerned. Fine didn’t own her. Not her body, and definitely not her heart. No, her heart belonged to him—even if she didn’t know it yet. “Paige is asleep, Fine. Why don’t you come back later? She should be up in about an hour or so.”

  “Like hell. I’ve come to see my fiancée, and I will see her,” Fine challenged.

  “Dexter, is that you?” came Paige’s sleep-filled voice.

  Reed turned around to speak to her and Fine took advantage of that moment to slip past him and into the apartment.

  Fine stopped in his tracks when he saw Paige. “Paige?” Fine yelled.

  Paige reached for her robe, but it was too late. Fine had already seen the incriminating evidence. Reed didn’t know whether to feel sorry or glad that he’d so bungled the buttoning of her granny gown that she looked like she’d hurriedly tried to cover herself. From the fury in Fine’s eyes, he had put two and two together and come up with much more than what had happened between them last night.

  Unable to think of anything else to do, Reed moved to stand protectively in front of Paige. “Don’t yell at her. She’s not a child.”

  Paige pushed him out of the way and glared at him. “And I can speak for myself, Reed.” He was glad she had found her robe. He didn’t like the idea of Fine looking at her in her gown.

  “What’s going on here, Paige?” Fine asked. It was obvious to Reed that Fine was doing all he could to keep a rein on his temper.

  “Nothing,” Paige said, with no conviction. “I already explained that Reed and his grandmother were staying here for a few days.”

  Fine’s eyes moved deliberately from Paige to Reed, then back to Paige. His accusation was loud, though unspoken. “Where’s he sleeping?”

  Reed dropped down on the sofabed and Paige shot daggers at him with her eyes. “I really don’t appreciate your attitude, Dexter, and under other circumstances I wouldn’t answer that question. But I’ll be generous this morning,” She pointed to the sofabed. “I sleep here,” she said. “And Reed sleeps on the floor over there.” She pointed to the pallet with its rumpled covers.

  Reed leaned back on the sofabed. He caught Fine’s eye. No way was Fine buying Paige’s story, not with Reed leaning back on the sofa as though he owned it.

  “Reed,” Paige said, causing him to take his eyes from Fine. “Dexter and I need a few minutes alone.”

  Reed sat up straight. Was she asking him to leave the room? “You can say whatever you need to say to him in front of me.”

  Before Paige could respond, Fine started yelling again. “What the hell is that ring on your finger? Where’s your engagement ring?”

  Reed couldn’t help himself: he grinned. “Do you want me to explain that one to him, Paige?”

  She frowned at him. “No, I do not,” she said, punctuating each word.

  Reed thought if she continued to frown at him like that, her facial expression would probably be set that way for life. Fortunately, she still looked adorable. He was smart enough not to tell her, though. “Ex-cuse me,” he said, with mock hurt in his voice. He reclined back on the sofabed and crossed his legs.

  “You were telling me about the ring, Paige,” Fine said, as if he were speaking to some child who couldn’t understand complicated ideas. Reed was amused that Fine had fallen back into a super-calm mode. Personally, he thought the guy needed to show passion. He knew he would if he were in Fine’s shoes. Reed was convinced all over again that not only did Fine not deserve Paige, but he wouldn’t know what to do with her once she was his.

  Paige tightened the belt on her robe and crossed her arms in front of her. “I’m not answering any more questions.”

  “It’s about time you put this guy in his place,” Reed said.

  She glared again. “I’m disappointed in you, Reed. Why are you trying so hard to make Dexter believe the worst? I thought you were my friend.”

  Her words hurt. The pain in her voice hurt, too. He was her friend. He loved her. “Paige—”

  She lifted her hand. “Don’t even try it. You’re as selfish as Dexter, as my father. I thought you were different.”

  He was different, he screamed silently. “Paige—”

  She cut him off again. “I’m going to get dressed for my morning run. I hope that both of you will be gone when I come out of the shower. I know that won’t happen, but I want you both out of here when I come back from my run.” She turned on her heels and stormed into the bathroom.

  Reed looked at Fine. “What the hell are you grinning about?” he asked.

  “You can’t beat me, Lewis,” Fine said, his calm composure still in place. “You’re not even in my league.”

  Reed wanted to hit him, but he decided to play it his way. He could be calm, too. “Whose ring is she wearing?”

  Those words were meant to incite, and by the flash of anger that crossed Fine’s face, they did just that. Reed didn’t bother to hide his satisfaction.

  “She’s playing a role now, Lewis. But as soon as your grandmother leaves, she’ll come back to her senses.” Reed didn’t like the confidence in those words.

  “Maybe she has come to her senses. Maybe she was playing the role with you.”

  Fine laughed, and if Reed hadn’t been looking at him, he’d have believed something was funny. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  Reed didn’t answer. Why should he?

  Fine walked to the front door. “Let me give you a tip, Lewis, attorney to attorney. Look at the facts. Paige has known you for four years. Before this week, has she ever shown anything other than a friendly interest in you?”

  The answer to that was no, but Reed knew it was a complicated no. He and Paige had always been attracted to each other, but they had decided not to act on it.

  “No answer, huh?” Fine went on. “Think about it. And don’t think I’m doing this for you. I’m doing it for Paige. She wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

  “Get the hell out of here, Fine,” Reed said, tired of the guy’s philosophizing.

  Fine opened the door. “I’m leaving, but only out of respect for Paige. She asked me to go along with this charade for your grandmother and I’m going to do it, but don’t for one minute think I’m going to give Paige up. There’s no way she’s not going to be my wife.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Paige wondered how she’d ever allowed herself to become engaged to Dexter. It must have been a moment of weakness, because right now, she could slap him. “Y
ou’re not listening to me, Dexter,” she said for the fifth time. She had gone to his condo after freshening up after her run. Now, seated on the plush burgundy leather sofa in his living room with the engagement ring he’d given her on the antique table between them, she saw how different they really were.

  “I am listening,” Dexter said. He paced in front of her, hands in his pockets, as though he were lecturing to her. “You’re just not making sense.”

  “I think I make perfect sense. You don’t want to understand.” His pacing was driving her mad. “Sit down, Dexter. Your standing is not having the desired power effect.”

  Dexter stopped pacing and stared at her as though she had two heads, but he did sit down. Not next to her, but in the chair across from her. That was what Dexter always did. He never needed to be next to her. Physical closeness was not a necessity for him. That was only one of the ways he differed from Reed, but now was not the time for thinking about Reed.

  “So you want to end our engagement? Does this mean something happened between you and Lewis?”

  She shook her head. Dexter seemed more concerned with what had happened between her and Reed than he did about her feelings for him. “Not in the way you mean. I didn’t sleep with him, but I thought about it.”

  “You thought about sleeping with him? That doesn’t mean anything. You didn’t do it, that’s what counts.”

  How could she and Dexter be so different? she wondered. “It means something to me, Dexter. I can’t be engaged to one man and continually have thoughts about another. I can’t do it.”

  “Hell, Paige, everybody has thoughts, fantasies. I’m not threatened by those.” Dexter’s calm exterior was beginning to crumble.

  “But what if it’s more? What if what I feel for Reed is more than friendship?”

  Dexter stood again and resumed his pacing. “So, you think you’re in love with him? Three days and you think you’re in love with him? You’ve known him for four years, and in three days you think you’re in love with him. Get real, Paige!”