by Jess Dee
“C’mon, Dan. You know how uncomfortable I get. Put the camera down and let’s have lunch.”
“Morgan,” he said, addressing her by her last name as he always did, “your face was made for a camera. Don’t you think it’s time you accepted I’m never going to stop?”
“I think you take advantage of the fact I’m your best friend and as such won’t scream at you.”
He laughed even as his lips itched to taste her full-mouthed pout. “Yeah, right. You never scream, or lecture, or tell me when I’m doing something you don’t like.”
“Okay, so maybe I scream at you every now and again, but it’s not as if you listen anyway.”
A waitress delivered their food, interrupting their conversation. “Hope you don’t mind,” he told Amy, “but you said you were in a hurry, so I ordered for us.”
The waitress leaned over, offering Daniel an impressive view of her cleavage and a suggestive grin. He merely smiled and directed his attention back to his friend. Once upon a time, he would have accepted the invitation. Not now.
“Thanks,” Amy answered as she watched the waitress strut off. She looked at him with a bemused smile. “I still get a kick out of watching women try to pick you up.”
“What can I say? I’m a good-looking guy. Everyone wants a piece of me.” He chuckled. Everyone except you.
She bit into her bruschetta and a look of ecstasy flitted across her face. “Mmm…my favorite.”
For a full five seconds, he was winded. She’d worn that exact look in his dream last night. He tucked into his own meal, hoping the bread and soup would satisfy the hunger gnawing away at him. His cock was so hard it hurt.
He cleared his throat. “Do me a favor?”
“Name it.”
He lifted his camera. “Stand there against the railing and watch the surfers for a couple of minutes.” He was taking a chance, but it was worth it if he could get a shot of her from behind. She had a great ass—round and tight.
“You’re impossible.”
“You’ll do it anyway?” He flashed a smile, one he knew she couldn’t say no to.
Instead of complying, however, she ignored him and sipped her latte. “How was the last day of your shoot at the hospital?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“Your lunch is getting cold. And your dimples don’t work on me, so lose the smile. Besides, I have to be back at the office in forty-five minutes, so it doesn’t give us much time.”
Daniel put his camera away, sighing.
“So how did your last day go?”
He thought for a minute. “Bittersweet. I’m glad the shoot’s over and I can focus on developing the prints. But, shit.” Emotion clawed at his gut. “It was hard to say good-bye to some of the kids.”
“You’ll go back and visit them, won’t you?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m just not sure which of them will be there next time I go.”
Amy nodded empathically. “This project’s been hard on you.”
“Very.” She understood why. After so many years of friendship, there were no secrets between them. Well, almost no secrets. Apart from the one tiny fact that he was wildly in love with her, Amy knew everything about him.
“It’s been rewarding, too. I learned an amazing amount from the kids. Stuff that changed my way of thinking.” The last three months had brought back his past, and in doing so, reshaped his future. He was a different person from the man he’d been twelve weeks ago.
“Tell me about it.”
Daniel thought about the shoot and how much to tell her. He’d spent the last three months in the pediatric oncology and hematology ward—POWS, as the staff called it—at Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs Hospital, capturing the children, their families, and the staff members on film. His photos would be displayed in an exhibition that his sister Lexi, a social worker on the ward, had organized. The funds raised from the exhibition would be used to upgrade and refurbish the ward.
It was no coincidence that Daniel and Lexi had chosen this particular project. The siblings had a special interest in children with cancer. When they were kids themselves, their sister, Sarah, had been diagnosed with leukemia. It had been a year of hell, but Sarah had beaten the odds and been cancer-free ever since.
It wasn’t the assignment Daniel was reluctant to discuss. It was the consequences of the time he’d spent there. The lessons he’d learned and the terrifying moments of clarity that were so hard to share.
How could he describe his reaction to watching a family spend their last precious hours with their son and brother? How could he share everything he’d discovered about himself while sitting beside the desperately ill young Vicky?
He reached for his bag and removed an envelope of photos he’d printed that morning. Flipping through them, he found one he was looking for and handed it to his friend.
The black-and-white print was appropriate for the subject—a young, bald girl with dark eyes. The lack of color in the picture could not detract from the pasty shade of her skin.
“Her name’s Vicky Campen. She’s ten and has leukemia. She tried to smile for my camera, but a bout of nausea knocked her flat.” His hand had been shaking when he took the shot. “She reminded me so much of Sarah. I…we got pretty close. I spent a lot of time with her, hanging out, talking, reading books. Then one day, we had a chat about her illness and the possibility she might die.” The child had stared at him through adult eyes. “She wants a little more time to appreciate her family and the other people she loves. She’s fighting her cancer so she can spend time with them. She’s learned she can’t take anyone for granted.” He took a deep breath. “It got me thinking…I do that a lot. Take my life and the people in it for granted.”
Amy’s expression was gentle. “I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must have been. How many memories it must have brought back. But what you’re saying isn’t true. I’ve never seen you take your friends or family for granted. And I think I speak from experience.”
“See, that’s the thing. I also never used to think that about myself. But Vicky forced me to look at my life and my behavior. The truth is, I’m not happy with where I am right now.”
Concern radiated from her. “What aren’t you happy with? Where would you rather be?”
He smiled. “You okay with me saying I’m not ready to speak about it?” Not yet. Not until he’d put his plan into action.
Amy pushed her sunglasses up to rest above her forehead. Brilliant green eyes appraised him. “I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”
She was beautiful and empathetic enough to vanquish his worries and gloom with one caring look. That expression reinforced every reason he had for loving her.
He grinned, suddenly feeling horny as hell. Christ, he wanted to get her into bed, wanted to see those green eyes glazed with passion. “You’d be a pretty useless counselor if you weren’t.”
“Forget my job, we’re talking about yours. Or about your life, anyway. So come on. Where would you rather be?”
She should only know where he wanted to be right now. Buried deep inside her slick, hot folds. Riding high on the wave of yet another orgasm. Locked away in a place where he could ravish her body at will.
Amy had zoned in on the wrong question. It wasn’t about where he’d rather be, it was more about what he’d rather be. And the answer was easy. He wanted to be together with Amy for the rest of their lives.
“Dan? You’ve got a funny look on your face. You okay?”
Oh, to come right out and tell her how he felt. But she’d bolt if he did. Instead he chose to appeal to her understanding, nurturing side. “I need time with this one. I have to sort it out in my head first.” He drummed his fingers on the table again. “When the time’s right, we’ll talk about it. Today, let’s enjoy lunch.”
Her face softened before she shot him a suspicious look. “In other words, you want to see how much of my food I’ll eat and if there’ll be any left over for you.”
&n
bsp; “You don’t think I’m here to enjoy your company?”
“I think you’re here to enjoy my bruschetta. I don’t understand why you don’t order two meals for yourself. You always end up eating half of mine anyway.”
He smiled at her good-natured griping. “Ah, Morgan,” he said. “It’s nice to spend quality time with you.”
“It would be nicer if you told me your secrets.” She bit into her lunch.
A comfortable warmth settled over him. “I promise I’ll tell you my secrets—” When making love with me will be your first priority. When the only thing you can think about is me. When your sweet body is sated by my mouth and my hands and my cock. When resistance to me is a foreign concept.
He looked her dead in the eye. “When the time’s right.”
…
Amy stared thoughtfully at her friend. He was hot. Handsome, charming, and sexier than a pinup model. She’d watched women drool over his honey-blond curls and sky-blue eyes. His devilish grin and impish dimples only added to his rakish appeal. Sometimes when she saw him, her breath would catch or her stomach would flip-flop for no reason.
It hadn’t happened in years, yet for a fleeting moment, she had an unexpected urge to kick her chair aside, stride over to the other end of the table, and perch her butt on his muscular lap. Press against him and feel his erection grow and lengthen with every sweep of her hips.
She was pretty sure she could get him to reveal his secrets then.
Amy felt a sweet pull between her legs and licked her suddenly dry lips, rejecting the thought immediately.
Seducing one’s friend was a bad idea. There was no quicker way to destroy a friendship. It would change the dynamics of their relationship irrevocably, making it impossible to go back to being mates after.
She crossed her knees, rested her cheek on her hand, and worked hard at suppressing the heat that crept across her face.
Her philosophy was simple. She’d learned from experience. Friends were always around. Lovers left—first her father had left her mother, and then Simon, the man Amy’d given her heart to, lived with for a year, and trusted with every fiber of her being, left her. Daniel was a friend. He’d always be around. Unless he became her lover.
Daniel had a definite pattern of behavior around women. He had an uncanny knack of leaving his lovers. He simply didn’t have the capacity to sustain a long-term relationship. In the entire time she’d known him, she’d witnessed him loving and leaving plenty of women. None of them had been around for longer than six months—at most.
She wanted Daniel to stay in her life forever. The only way to ensure he hung around was to keep him as a friend. Period.
She relented. “Okay. I’ll let it rest. You can tell me your secrets in your own good time.” She tactfully changed the subject. “How’s Laura?”
He rolled his eyes. “Her name’s Lauren. I haven’t seen Laura in months.”
“Laura, Lauren. Same difference. In the last few years, you’ve had so many girlfriends, I can’t keep up. I stopped trying ages ago.” She enjoyed ragging him.
“It’s over. I ended it a few nights ago.”
Unsurprised, Amy clucked in sympathy. Another broken heart. “How’d she take it?”
He grimaced. “I tried to be gentle, but there was a lot of crying involved.”
“She never saw it coming?”
“What can I say? She wasn’t the right one for me. Besides, I told her from the start it wouldn’t go anywhere.”
“Ah, Danny.” She smiled at him. “Have you ever told a woman it would go anywhere?”
For the briefest second, his eyes darkened, turning the shade of a stormy-gray sky. But then they cleared again, and he grinned. “Not yet.”
“You really are a hopeless case, aren’t you?” A surge of affection rose in her chest. She adored the man. There was no way on earth she’d ever sleep with him. If she did, she’d be hit with a double whammy. First, she’d lose her lover, and then she’d lose her friend.
The lover part she could deal with—maybe. Losing her best friend was unthinkable.
Chapter Three
It was late Friday afternoon, and as had become routine over the last five years of working together, Amy and Maggie McGill sat companionably on the couches in Amy’s office. Amy was a counselor at the Sydney Fertility Clinic, and Maggie one of the nursing co-coordinators.
“I saw an interesting case today,” Maggie said. “A gay couple that want to have a baby.”
“Men or women?”
“Women. They want the facts right now. They’re not ready to make any decisions. One of them will contact us if they need our assistance.”
“Sounds interesting. Count me in for counseling if they come back.”
“I will.” Maggie changed the subject. “Up to anything exciting tonight?”
“It’s Daniel’s sister’s thirtieth. She’s throwing a party at Bronte Beach.” Amy checked her watch. “Dan should be here any minute to collect me.”
“Brilliant.” Maggie beamed. “I can get a look at that incredible ass. You know”—she looked thoughtful—“it still beats me why you haven’t slept with him. If I had such a sexy friend, I’d want to spend all day shagging him.”
Amy shrugged. “The opportunity hasn’t arisen.”
“It’s not opportunity you want to arise. It’s his—”
Amy cut her off with a laugh. “I tell you this all the time. We’re friends. Period. Sex would kill our friendship, and I’m not willing to sacrifice Daniel for a night between the sheets.”
“He must be a stallion between the sheets.” Maggie’s eyes turned dreamy. “C’mon, admit there’ve been times you’ve wondered what it would be like.”
Amy shrugged. She’d thought about it more than she was willing to admit. “Sleeping with Daniel would screw up our friendship.”
“How?”
“You know him. He’s commitment phobic. He’d make a lousy boyfriend. He’s slept with more women in the last year than I’ve slept with men in my entire life. I won’t risk Daniel’s friendship for a quick fling. I’ve already lost one man I loved. It’s enough.”
“Getting rid of Simon was no loss. It was the best thing you could have done.”
Pain sliced through Amy, just like it did every time Simon’s name was mentioned.
His betrayal had been an agony she’d rather forget. Five months after finding him in bed with another woman, she still couldn’t think about him without her ribs tightening and her vision turning red.
She would never allow herself to be hurt like that again. Never. She’d watched her mother attempt to find love over and over after being similarly betrayed. Seen her slowly lose her faith in herself as her confidence was slammed time and again by men refusing to commit or remain faithful. Amy wouldn’t open herself up to the same kind of torment. She didn’t need a man to make her happy. She was perfectly content to be alone.
“It was.” Amy let out a shaky breath. “I don’t regret the breakup for one second. Even so, talking about him still gets to me. Right…here.” She patted her chest, eternally aware of the emptiness in a heart that had once been filled with trust and faith.
“It gets to you because Simon’s an asshole. He wasn’t worthy of your love.”
“I agree,” someone said from the doorway. “Simon’s an asshole.”
Amy’s heart lurched. She didn’t need to look up to know Daniel was in her office. Not only did she recognize his voice, she knew what he thought about Simon. Calling him an asshole was about the nicest thing he’d said about her ex.
She prayed Daniel hadn’t heard any of the preceding conversation, but when she looked up to read his face, she gasped and forgot her concerns. “Your hair!”
He’d cut it off. All his glorious golden curls…gone. Replaced by a short, dark blond layer of hair.
He looked rueful as he ran a hand over his head. “It was time for a change. What do you think?”
He looked so different, so unfamiliar
. “I…it’s…fashionable.”
“That’s the best you can do?”
“I’m sorry. You look good.” He did. Quite yummy, in fact. The short length suited his face, accentuating his good looks. It highlighted his cheekbones and straight nose and turned his eyes a shade darker than a clear, blue pool. And his dimples seemed to have doubled in size. “You just don’t look like you.”
Maggie grabbed her files and muttered under her breath so only Amy could hear, “Yeah, but I bet he’s still a stallion in bed.” Then a little louder she said, “Gotta go. Cool cut, Danno. ’Bye, Amy.” She danced out of the office, turned around, and ogled Daniel’s butt. “Great ass,” she mouthed before closing the door behind her.
Amy smiled at the nurse’s antics and walked up to Daniel. She needed to get a feel of his new hairstyle. Stepping up close, she combed her fingers through his silky hair.
Her breast brushed against his muscular chest as she raised her arm, and she was shocked to feel her nipple tighten in instant awareness.
Daniel’s sharp intake of breath also stunned her.
She yanked her hand away, breaking contact, and then made the mistake of looking into his eyes.
They’d turned a stormy gray again, and she was damned if she didn’t see naked desire burning in his face. His nostrils were flared and his eyes hooded.
What the…?
Amy and Daniel had an unspoken understanding that they’d never sleep with each other. So why was he looking at her like that?
Moreover, why could she feel the demanding tug of arousal between her legs?
She shifted restlessly.
“It takes getting used to.” His voice was an octave lower than usual.
“It sure does.” She wasn’t at all familiar with wanting to sleep with her friend so much she ached. How would he feel, hard and aroused and embedded deep inside her body?
“It’s shorter than usual.”
She doubted that. She’d seen Daniel in his boxers, and size was definitely not his problem.
“But at least it doesn’t get in my eyes.”
