by Claire Adams
“Why aren't you dating anyone?” I blurted out, unable to stop myself.
Josh looked surprised that I'd asked, but he shrugged. “I've dated quite a few women since college,” he pointed out.
“But right now?” I pressed.
“Right now, I've been busy,” Josh said, running a hand back through his hair. “I'm starting to get shrewder when it comes to investing my money, but that means I need to do more research. And I'm investing in more companies at once than ever before. I'm still learning how to balance all of that. I don't have enough time to devote to a girlfriend, and it wouldn't be fair to put someone in that situation right now.”
I hummed, thinking that through. “That makes sense,” I agreed. “You have plenty of time.”
“So do you,” Josh reminded me. “I'm not worried about it.”
“Neither am I,” I said, even though that wasn't wholly true. I knew, objectively, that I had plenty of time to settle down in a relationship, but I felt like part of the reason why I kept ending up in loveless relationships with guys like Andrew was that I was so desperate to be in a relationship.
“I've been thinking a lot about what a relationship means, lately,” I admitted. “Obviously there's the idea of committing your life to that other person, even if it's just for a short-term relationship. It's saying that the other person can count on you. But I wonder if the commitment is really the most important part. I think a lot of relationships are more about knowing that you're wanted.”
“I'm not sure what I think,” Josh admitted. “To be honest, I've never really been able to commit myself to a woman before. That's why most of my relationships are rather short-lived.”
“Really?” I asked, frowning as I thought back over his relationships since college. He was right. They were all relatively short-term. “Why is that?”
Josh looked uncomfortable. “I just haven't found the right person yet, I guess,” he said.
“Me neither,” I sighed. I stared down at my hands, thinking about the relationship that I'd had with Andrew. Thinking about all the reasons why I hadn't been able to get engaged to the man. Thinking about that fight that we'd had and about the things that Andrew had alleged.
Finally, I looked up at Josh. “Do you think that maybe we could use each other as backups?”
Josh stared blankly at me. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Make a pact to get married to one another if we're not married by 50, that sort of thing?”
“No!” I cried, ears reddening. “More like, as long as we're both not in relationships, we could have more of a friends with benefits setup between us.”
Josh continued to stare at me. “Are you drunk?” he finally asked.
“No,” I said. “You know I'm not. I quit drinking after the champagne in the hot tub, and that was hours ago now.” I paused and then took a deep breath, resolving to be brave. “I've always thought you were attractive, Josh.”
Josh looked as though I'd smacked him in the head with a board. “Oh really?” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, you know you're attractive,” I said. “Don't play dumb.”
“You're not so bad-looking, yourself,” Josh said, sounding strangled.
“Is that a yes?” I asked.
“Friends with benefits,” Josh mulled. “What about Mandy?”
It was my turn to be taken aback. “Are you suggesting a threesome?” I asked.
Josh laughed, dissolving some of the tension in the room. “Of course not,” he said. “That would be weird. I'm just saying, do we tell her about this? Is she going to feel like she's our third wheel?”
“We'll have to talk about that,” I agreed.
Josh stared at me for a long moment. “But right now, what you're saying is, neither of us are in a relationship, and you so conveniently happen to be in my bed.”
We were kissing before I had even processed that we were moving. Josh's hands came up to frame my face, and sparks of pleasure shot through me, even at such a simple touch. I sighed and relaxed against him, wondering why it had taken us so long to do this. He was a good kisser, using just the right amount of pressure, tracking his lips firmly across mine and then tonguing inside my mouth, drawing soft whimpers from me.
He laid me back on the bed and crawled on top of me, beginning to unbutton my flannel pajama top. He groaned when he got down to my bra. “God, in the hot tub earlier, I couldn't take my eyes off you,” he admitted, causing me to flush with pleasure.
“I was looking at you, too,” I admitted. “I couldn't help it.”
“I couldn't, either,” Josh said, his voice gone husky.
He kissed his way down my skin until he reached my breasts. Slowly, he pulled my bra off and traced his lips along my soft, exposed skin. I shivered in anticipation, rocking my hips up towards him.
Josh pulled back to look at my face, his expression as serious as I'd ever seen it. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly.
I appreciated that he asked. This had the potential to change our friendship in so many ways. But I knew that I could never regret this. His gentle touches, the reverence in his eyes and his gestures, and the caring in that question told me all that I needed to know about how Josh would treat this. I didn't think that he would regret this, either.
A slow smile broke out over my face, and I tugged at his shoulders, pulling him into another searing kiss. I slid my hands up his naked torso, feeling goosebumps break out on his skin as I did so. He pushed his hips down against mine, and I could feel his erection through the thin fabric of his pajama bottoms. I was suddenly desperate to touch him there.
I slid my hand down the front of his pants, pleasantly surprised to find that he had decided to forego boxers. I wrapped my fingers around his velvety cock, giving him a few hard tugs, feeling pre-cum already pooling copiously at the tip of his length.
Josh nipped at my earlobe, sending a sharp bolt of lust through my body, and I gasped. Suddenly, the layers of clothing between us were too much, and I started wriggling out of my flannel pants and my panties. Josh laughed at my impatience, but he stripped as well until we were lying there naked on the bed, skin sliding against skin.
I gasped again as his fingers teased their way between my legs, plying the velvety folds there. He spared a moment to play with my clit, rubbing it with curious fingers, making me writhe desperately with pleasure. Then, he slid his fingers inside of me, pressing at my walls and gliding through the slickness there. He worked me over with a steady rhythm, twisting his digits inside of me and dragging at my walls, stimulating passion that surged through my core.
As good as it felt to be filled with his fingers, though, I needed more. Josh was only too ready to give it to me. He withdrew his fingers, smiling as I choked out a sob, feeling the loss. But then, he was lining himself up against me.
He pushed slowly into me, and I forgot all about the perfect feeling of his fingers. This was far more perfect, an acute stretch that only served to emphasize how right we were for one another, utterly compatible.
His thrusts started out slow, and I couldn't tell if he was testing my readiness or teasing me. But he soon picked up pace, his fingers tightly gripping my hips and pulling me down onto his length. I could barely breathe with the strength of his movements and the strength of my desire, but Josh was unwavering.
He rocked his hips upward on each thrust, stimulating something deep inside of me. My whole body was taut with desire, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I could only try, with half-desperate movements, to match his thrusts and drive him ever deeper inside of me, until it felt like I might split open on his throbbing member.
It was intense, in a way that sex had never been before. I knew Josh. We had never done this before, but we'd been best friends for a decade now, and those feelings combined with all these new sensory feelings to build something deep inside of me.
I cried out, toes curling and fingers clenching momentarily into fists against the sheets. Then suddenly, I was coming, I was flying, I was lost in
a sea of white, coming with wave after wave of pleasure. I shivered through the aftermath of it, feeling Josh reached his own climax and pulsed inside of me.
He grinned down at me as we both drifted back to consciousness. Then, he rolled to the side, keeping one arm draped across my stomach. He lightly kissed my shoulder, and I couldn't help smiling back at him. But I couldn't maintain my consciousness for long. Something inside my head had finally settled, and I drifted off into a deep sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
Josh
I woke up slowly, surprised to feel sunlight streaming warmly across my face. I never slept in this late back home. But then, I thought sardonically, looking over at still-slumbering Kylie, I've never had sex as intense as what we shared last night.
Still, I wasn't sure about this. I had no regrets, but I couldn't help thinking that this friends with benefits situation was more like a twist on our friendship than that nebulous “something more” that I actually wanted. From the way that Kylie had said it, how we would only do things like this as long as neither of us was already in a relationship, she had made it clear that she would still be looking for a relationship outside of us.
I didn't like that, but I figured, one step at a time. For now, I definitely didn't mind waking up next to a peacefully sleeping Kylie. The rest could come later.
Kylie stirred and stretched, cutely scrunching up her face as she yawned. She blinked open her eyes and smiled lazily over at me.
I couldn't help but lean in and kiss her, even though I was still wondering just what was allowed in this relationship of ours. We needed to define the parameters of it before one of us overstepped and did something that would hurt our friendship.
Kylie was all too willing to give herself over into the kiss, however, and we traded lazy touches for a while.
“How are you feeling?” I finally asked, in between kisses.
Kylie smiled. “Really great,” she said honestly. “Better than I've felt in a long time.”
I smiled back at her and then rubbed the back of my neck, laughing somewhat awkwardly. “This is kind of strange,” I said.
Kylie laughed as well. “Yeah,” she admitted. “It's great, though, isn't it? Friends with benefits, no real strings attached.”
“Just scratching each other's back when it's needed?” I said, raising an eyebrow at her. I hated to think of it that way, but that's what it really was. At the heart of this, we were still just friends. Even if we were friends who had great sex.
“Exactly,” Kylie said. She frowned. “But what are we going to say to Mandy?”
I shrugged. “Mandy's a grown woman,” I pointed out. “She's had sex before. She's had one-night stands, I imagine. And it's not like we're doing something crazy. Plenty of people have a friends with benefits setup with someone.”
“I guess so,” Kylie said slowly, clearly thinking it over.
“I think the best thing to do is be totally honest with her,” I continued. “If we try to beat around the bush or lie about it, I think we're only going to end up tripping ourselves up, and then she'll feel bad thinking that we didn't want to tell her the truth.”
“You're right,” Kylie said, nodding slowly.
We stared at one another for a moment. God, she was beautiful like this. We were close enough that I could see all the flecks of color in those green eyes of hers, and all the cute freckles that dotted her nose. I leaned in to kiss that nose of hers. Of course, one thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I had her pinned beneath me again as I kissed her deeply.
I could feel my dick harden, ready for another round, but I didn't want her to think I was taking advantage of our new relationship. Anyway, Mandy was probably waiting for us to get up. It was already nearly noon.
I can't remember the last time I slept this late! I must have been more tired than I had thought, the previous night. Kylie as well.
“We should probably get up,” I said regretfully.
“Yeah,” Kylie said breathlessly, a hint of regret in her eyes as well.
We both hauled ourselves out of bed and pulled on the soft robes that the hotel had left for us. When we got out to the living room, I was surprised to see that Mandy's suitcase stood next to where she sat on the couch.
She looked up from her phone when we walked in, giving us a mild look. “Sounded like you guys had a fun night,” she commented.
I glanced over at Kylie, remembering that we hadn't exactly tried to keep the noise down the night before. Mandy must have heard everything.
We both turned red, but Mandy laughed. “Honestly, it's about time. I thought you guys were going to get down to that a long time ago. The tension between the two of you was tangible.”
I rolled my eyes. “It is possible to be best friends with someone of the opposite sex without having sex with them,” I said.
“Sure,” Mandy said easily. “Look at the two of us. But you and Kylie have always had eyes for one another. Don't try to deny it.”
“You make it sound like we're soulmates or something,” I said, starting to get annoyed. I knew it wasn't Mandy's fault that she was making it sound much more serious than it actually was, but I was worried that she was going to scare off Kylie, who apparently wanted this to just be “friends with benefits” at the moment.
“I'm just happy for you guys, that's all,” Mandy said.
“It's just friends with benefits,” I said, glancing over at Kylie.
I was glad to see that Kylie didn't seem fazed by any of this, but I wondered what she was thinking. She was staying quiet, letting me explain everything to Mandy.
“Friends with benefits?” Mandy echoed, looking almost disgusted.
“Yes,” I ground out. “As long as neither of us is seeing someone else, there's no reason not to have a little fun and take care of needs.”
“And that's all this is, taking care of needs?” Mandy asked.
“Not that it's really any of your business, but yes,” I told her.
There were a dozen things that I'd like to say to her about this, some which I would only feel comfortable saying to her alone, when we weren't around Kylie. From the way she was reacting to this news, I could tell that she had suspected that I had feelings for Kylie, if the thumbs-up from the night at the bar hadn't already hinted at that. Maybe I should tell her about my crush on Kylie if it was already obvious anyway. Maybe she'd have some insight for me.
But I didn't want to have that conversation now. I didn't want to make a big deal of this. I definitely didn't want to scare Kylie into thinking that this was a bad decision.
Mandy stared at me for a minute and then shrugged with careful nonchalance. “Well, whatever it is that the two of you are doing, I've decided to head back home. I was able to find a cheap flight for today.”
Kylie and I both stared at her. “What do you mean, you're going to fly home?” Kylie asked, sounding hurt.
“I won $100,000 last night,” Mandy reminded us. “And I don't feel like spending the rest of the trip third-wheeling you guys. So, I was thinking that maybe I'd head on a beach holiday over Christmas. There are some great last-minute deals that I could still book for myself. I just have to pick one. You guys can enjoy the rest of your road trip, plus everything that comes along with this new arrangement of yours.”
“You wouldn't be third-wheeling us,” Kylie said, and I thought I heard a hint of desperation in her voice. She really didn't want to be left alone with me, did she?
I shook my head at that thought. Of course, that wasn't it. She just didn't want her friendship with Mandy to be compromised because of this new thing between us. I had to admit; I didn't want to mess up what I had with Mandy, either.
But I wasn't about to protest Mandy's sudden desire to leave. Her going off on her own, leaving the road trip to Kylie and me, would give the two of us more time to explore this relationship, and maybe build it from friends with benefits into an actual relationship. I welcomed the idea.
Kylie looked like
she might cry, though.
“I wanted this Christmas to be just like old times,” she said softly. “A road trip, just the three of us. We didn't even get to have a fun night together in Vegas.”
“You two are going to have plenty of fun,” Mandy chided. “And this'll just give you another reason to get out and visit your parents again in the spring, so that you can take me with you. I really do love your parents, you know.”
Kylie couldn't help but laugh at that one.
Mandy sighed. “Kylie, you know there's no going back to who we were before. We've all grown up. Circumstances have changed. We're always going to be friends, I promise. But this road trip should be about now, rather than about trying to recreate something that we already did. You guys should explore your friends with benefits thing. Explore the changes in your relationship. I'll be waiting back in LA to hear all about it.”
Kylie frowned, thinking that over. I actually thought Mandy had made a very good point. “But do you really want to spend Christmas alone?” Kylie asked quietly.
Mandy laughed. “Don't worry, the places that I'm looking at going, I'm not going to be spending my Christmas alone,” she said. “We're talking sexy beach resorts. Maybe I'll land myself a friends with benefits arrangement with a billionaire, too.” She winked at us, and we had to laugh.
Kylie hugged Mandy. “I really wish you were coming with us, and I'm sorry if I've ruined the trip,” she said.
“Of course, you haven't ruined the trip,” Mandy said. “Kylie, I won $100,000 last night. That, in itself, was worth it.”
Kylie laughed again, and it was my turn to give Mandy a hug. “Let us know where you end up going,” I told her. I winked at her. “Who knows, I might know some handsome billionaire down there that I could send in your direction.”
Mandy giggled. “I've been trying to get you to hook me up with a billionaire for years,” she said. “Why do you think I'm still going to your horrible Fourth of July parties?”
I raised an eyebrow at Kylie. “I'm starting to think I'll be happier once she's gone,” I said jokingly. “The insults are getting to be a bit too much.”
