In a Lifetime

by Ariadne Wayne

  Sam laughed. “Sorry, man. It should have been a better night for you. At least one of us got laid. Multiple times, too.” He waggled his eyebrows to a disinterested Matt. The other man buried his nose in his coffee, and Sam turned toward the counter. Steam rose from the kettle. At least he wouldn’t have to wait to make coffee. After his marathon sex session with Ella, coffee was top of the list.

  Shit.

  He hadn’t asked Ella how she took her coffee. Picking up two slices of bread, he dropped them in the toaster. Black. He’d make black coffee with no sugar, and she could do what she wanted with it. Like she’d done what she wanted with him. His lips twisted into a smile at the thought of her—those beautiful breasts, the curvy hips, the sweet smell of her skin. He’d never been with anyone like her.

  And she’d kept up. He’d partied with girls all night only for them to fall asleep after having sex. Ella wanted more, wanted him. They’d both been exhausted when they’d fallen asleep, and yet when they woke, he still couldn’t get enough.

  “Is that coffee ready?” Her soft voice came from behind him, and he turned to see her, back in that dress he’d wanted to tear off her last night. She’d been made up immaculately; now her brown hair fell naturally in soft curls around her shoulders. She’d transformed from a vamp to the kind of girl you want to take home to Mum and Dad, sweet and sexy.

  “Sure is. Take a seat, and I’ll bring it all to the table. Oh. Ella, this is Matt. Matt, this is Ella.”

  Matt grunted, opening his laptop, blocking them both out. He must have still been pissed not to score while Sam had the delectable Ella. She sat opposite Matt, flicking glances between him and Sam, smiling nervously.

  She was perfect.

  All he knew was that he didn’t want her to leave.

  3

  MATT

  A week later, we were parked in front of the television, getting ready to watch a game of rugby. Ella had stayed overnight every night since the party. Sam and I had the whole day with only the two of us. It’d be good to have a boys’ night.

  Sam grinned, stretching his legs out and reaching for the popcorn bowl. He picked up the remote control, flicking through the channels until he found the rugby game he was after and sighed contentedly.

  “I’m gonna marry that girl,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. I’d heard that before, but something told me this time it was different. “Dude, it’s been a week.”

  “I’m serious. Ella is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. She’s beautiful and intelligent, and she screws like no one’s business. I mean it; she’s insatiable.”

  Yeah, I want to hear that.

  “We can find one for you next. Someone with big tits who likes to ride the Matty train.”

  I buried my face in my hands. No matter how close we were, I could never bring myself to be that crude. At least, not out loud.

  “So you have to talk like that?” My hands muffled the words, and Sam laughed loudly.

  “Sorry, man. I am so happy that this girl not only adores me, she wants to spend every available second hanging off my cock. How perfect is that?”

  It’d be even more perfect if you’d shut the hell up.

  “I know we’re friends, but I don’t need to know about your sex life. Or anything else to do with your cock.” I reached into the popcorn bowl, but the conversation had put me off touching anything Sam had, and I dropped my hand to my side, focusing on the game instead.

  Let’s watch this in peace and have a quiet evening.

  No sooner had the game kicked off than there was a tap at the door.

  “That’ll be Ella. I told her to come around if she wanted to.”

  I groaned as Sam rose to answer the knock, the sound hidden by the crowd roaring onscreen. Somewhere deep inside, I had hoped that this would fizzle out, that Sam would forget about Ella and move onto the next thing.

  No such luck.

  She sat in the centre of the couch beside me, Sam sitting beside her. She smelled like honey, and I placed my hand on my lap in case someone had ideas of misbehaving.

  “Hey, Matt,” she said, as sweet as her aroma.

  “Ella.” I knew my tone was short, clipped. Anything more and I would have said something I regretted. I love you, Ella. Urgh, what am I thinking?

  “You’re right on time, babe. The game started a minute ago. Want some popcorn?” Sam picked up the bowl, offering it to her, and she reached into the white Tupperware container with those perfectly manicured red nails.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” she said, snuggling up to Sam, nibbling at the popcorn while Sam shoved entire handfuls in his mouth.

  “You never need an invitation,” he murmured, nuzzling her cheek before returning to the food.

  She met my eyes with a frown. “I didn’t want to interrupt your TV viewing.”

  I turned back to the television, blanking her.

  “Don’t worry about that. You’re welcome here anytime. Isn’t she, Matt?”

  “Sure.” My gaze fell back on Ella. She pleaded with her eyes, and it took everything in my power not to smile and tell her everything was alright. Because it wasn’t. I wanted my best friend’s girl. And nothing was making that go away.

  I forced a smile and went back to watching the screen.

  Don’t look at her. Don’t look at her.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bury her face in Sam’s neck. Concentrating on the television was difficult with the smell of her honey perfume so near. All I wanted to do was to close my eyes and breathe in that scent.

  Something hit my leg. A stiletto had fallen by my feet, and I cocked an eyebrow, tilting my head slightly toward Ella to see what on earth she was doing without making it obvious.

  I needn’t have bothered. Sam had her pinned to the back of the couch, his tongue pretty far down her throat from the looks of things. Her legs were tucked up under her, and she’d kicked off her shoes as she curled up with him. Neither of them noticed me looking.

  It was creepy. I didn’t want to share the couch with them while they were making out, but this was the best vantage point for the television. I could excuse myself and head off to my room, but this was my house, too. Besides, the television in the lounge was bigger than the one in my room.

  My decision was made easier about five seconds later, when Sam stood, pulling Ella to her feet. She giggled as he led her toward his bedroom, disappearing without a backward glance. I had the television, the game, the popcorn, and myself to spend the evening with. So much for boys’ night.

  I lay down on the couch, resting my head on one arm, extending my legs. I picked up the popcorn and leaned over to put it on the table before lying back down. At least I could watch the TV in peace.

  As the game went on, my eyes grew heavy, and I woke being nudged to move. Ella stood over me, smiling as I pulled myself into a seated position, and sat beside me.

  I licked my lips, unsure of how long I’d been asleep.

  Last thing I remember … oh, forget it.

  “You two are as bad as one another.” Dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth as she grinned.

  I shook my head, yawning, still trying to wake up. “What?”

  “Sam fell asleep on me. I mean, not literally on me, but we were cuddled up and next minute, he started snoring. I came out here to get away from the noise to find you fast asleep.”

  “Was I snoring?” I scratched my head, yawning again.

  “No. Maybe I should have stayed out here with you.” She laughed. “I’m going to get a drink and watch the rest of the game. Do you want one, too?”

  “Sounds good. The popcorn’s cold, but if you want it, go for it.”

  As she walked away, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The way those jeans fitted around her hips …

  Stop it.

  She returned with two beers, holding one out for me. “I’m sorry if I interrupted your boys’ night. Sam didn’t say anything until we were in there.”

  “He’s
hopeless sometimes.” I picked up my key ring from the coffee table, ripping the beer cap off with my bottle opener and holding it up to do the same for her.

  Ella shrugged. “We have to get used to one another.”

  I leaned back. “How well do you think this is going to go?”

  Her eyebrows dipped in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “Sam and Ella.” I paused as her brows crept back up. “Salmonella. You two are poison. Says a lot.”

  She tilted her head, twisting her mouth, and I grinned at her obvious struggle to come up with something smart to say. “Oh ha ha.”

  I shook my head. “Is that the best retort you can come up with?”

  Ella shrugged. “Maybe it’s not worth a response.”

  “Oh, come on. That was pretty good.”

  “Maybe, by your standards.” Now she grinned, and my heart flipped as those ruby red lips raised at the corners for me.

  “Ouch.” I held my hand over my heart.

  Ella rolled her eyes.

  “I’ve been holding that one in all week.” I held up my beer to clink with hers, and she shook her head as the bottles gently collided.

  “It was better in.” She leaned back, focusing on the television. I turned my head to watch the rugby.

  We sat quietly, with only the sound of the television in the background, and I didn’t care.

  Having her there was nice. Too nice.

  4

  MATT

  By the end of the following week, Ella was all but moved in with us. And when I say ‘us’, I mean she took over the house. The stockings she wore every day under the vintage dresses she favoured hung on the towel rail in the bathroom. I’d open the hot water cupboard to find her underwear staring back at me.

  On the upside, the house was spotless, and she cooked dinner nearly every night for all of us. There wasn’t much left of the year, and we’d soon be graduated and headed into the job market.

  I struggled with my attraction to her. It was at least as strong as it had been that first night I saw her, made worse by her constant presence. Seeing her happy and carefree, the smallest of dimples appearing in her cheeks when she grinned, filled me with joy. Seeing her entangled with Sam on the couch did not.

  In response to that, I tried my best to pay no attention to her, or to them. I went into protection mode. If I ignored what went on around me, it didn’t exist. It wasn’t always so easy.

  I’d always been active, and running had always helped me take my mind off the tough stuff. When I was younger, it had helped when Mum and Dad went through a rough patch. I’d run, and keep running, with no thought of turning back and going home. Dad usually came looking for me. There was only one road out of the coastal town I lived in, and he was guaranteed to find me somewhere along the way.

  Now I did the same thing, pounding the pavement to drive distraction from my mind. I stopped to stretch along the way, giving girls running in the opposite direction a flirty smile. Anything to avoid being home with them.

  I ran into the house and straight into the bathroom. Opening the cupboard to get a towel, I spotted Ella’s bra hanging over the shelf above it. Sighing, I pulled out the towel, flicking the shower on and stripping off, throwing my clothes in the washing basket in the corner.

  The hot water felt good on my tired muscles. Tomorrow was crunches at the gym. Since any job I might get out of my computer science degree was likely to be deskbound, now was the time to make a routine to keep fit.

  I closed my eyes, standing with my head under the water, washing away the sweat and soothing my soul. For the millionth time, I wished we had a bathtub.

  I’d better not use all of the water.

  Grabbing the bath gel, I lathered up and washed myself off. Exercising made me feel alive, invigorated. Although, after all that, I’d end up veging out on the couch in front of the television or the computer. Maybe even have a nap.

  After washing my hair and a final rinse of my body, I turned the water off, stepping out of the shower.

  The door flew open, and I grinned at the sight of Ella, her jaw dropping as she fixed eyes on me. She’d been holed up in Sam’s room, and with her earbuds in, clearly hadn’t heard the shower running.

  “I … I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

  She pulled the plugs from her ears as she dropped her gaze, her cheeks blazing red. I tilted my head, watching her. Despite her best intentions, her line of sight was right where it really shouldn’t have been.

  Thank god I wasn’t jerking off.

  “I’m nearly finished. I have to get dressed.” Her eyes shot up to my face. Oh, this was funny, and cute as she struggled to stop looking.

  “Thanks. Um. I mean, okay.” She turned on her heel, closing the door behind her. I laughed, shaking my head as I grabbed the towel, drying myself off and wrapping it around my waist.

  I opened the bathroom door. Ella sat on the couch, her face buried in her hands. Even with her face hidden, I could see the blush on her skin.

  “Ella. We good?”

  Her head jerked up, her embarrassment still plain to see. She nodded as Sam walked out from the kitchen. He eyed me suspiciously as I stood there, clad only in a towel, gazes locked with his girlfriend.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked, sitting on the couch beside Ella. He flung his arm around her shoulder protectively, cocking one eyebrow at me.

  “Ella didn’t look too happy. I wanted to make sure she was okay,” I said. No point embarrassing her further if she didn’t want to tell him.

  “Can you do that with a few more clothes on? I doubt my girl wants to see you half naked.” He laughed, kissing the top of her head as she snuggled in against him.

  “Sure.” I headed off toward the bedroom to get some clean clothes on, turning as I got to the door. Sam was already engrossed in the television, but Ella had turned her head, tracking my movements, a small smile on her face.

  I winked at her, grinning at the blush returning, and pushed open the door, closing it quietly behind me. Maybe she’d gotten a fright at catching me like that, but she wasn’t too prudish to keep looking.

  I liked that far too much.

  My clean shirt and jeans were on the end of the bed where I left them, and I pulled them on over underwear before running my fingers through my hair. Sam was bound to be eating crap and drinking beer. It was a waste of a workout if I joined him, but at the same time, I kinda liked the idea of watching Ella squirm. Not because I wanted to torment her, but the thought of her liking what she saw took up so much space in my mind right now. Might as well go out and live the fantasy.

  They were still cuddled up on the couch when I came back out, and I flopped on a nearby chair, crossing my feet as I sat back.

  “What’s on?” I asked.

  “League. Warriors are playing the Panthers. It’s just started.”

  I nodded. It wasn’t my favourite sport, but it was entertaining to watch.

  Ella stood, walking to the kitchen. I watched as she moved, appreciating the sway in her hips. She returned with three beers and a smile on her lips as she handed me one. Her eyes told me it was a peace offering.

  “Thanks, babe,” Sam said as she returned to the couch, handing him the second bottle.

  “You’re welcome.” She leaned her head on his shoulder.

  “Don’t I have the perfect girl, Matt?” Sam had that shit-eating grin on his face, and for a few seconds I wanted to tell him to eat shit. I didn’t need the reminder that she was his.

  “Someone’s punching above their weight.” I grinned at Sam, and he rolled his eyes in response. Not Ella. She gaped at me, clapping her hand across her mouth and running for the bedroom.

  “Damn it.” He growled, glaring at me.

  “What? What did I say?”

  “She thinks you mean her, numb nuts.”

  I stood, my heart pounding in my ears at my screw-up. “I’ll go and talk to her.”

  “Yeah, you’d better. She’s
a good one, Matt. I want this to work.”

  I held up my palms. “I’m going to apologise now. You know that’s not what I was saying.”

  “I know. Give me all the shit you want, but she’s really sensitive. You have to make it clear it’s me you’re hassling and not her.”

  Nodding, I turned, heading for Sam’s room. I tapped on the door, turned the handle and pushed.

  Ella sat on the bed, her head in her hands, but not because of any embarrassment this time. She cried softly, and seemed completely oblivious to my presence.

  “Ella.” I took a step toward her, and she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

  She dropped her hands, her eyes filled with tears, her lips downturned. “You don’t like me … do you?” Her voice was soft, pained, and she stabbed me in the chest with her tone.

  “I like you fine.”

  “So why are you so mean to me? I didn’t mean to walk in on you in the bathroom, and then you go and say something nasty.”

  I sighed, closing the distance to the bed and sitting to face her. “I know you didn’t, and I’m not trying to be mean. I never meant to hurt you. I meant Sam was punching above his weight being with you.”

  Her nose twitched, and I had this sudden urge to plant a kiss on it. This was getting ridiculous. The more time I spent around her, the more I wanted her. Despite who her boyfriend was.

  “Are you sure? I mean, you don’t laugh and joke with me like you do with Sam. You go all quiet and moody. I adore Sam, Matt, and you’re his best friend, so it’s really important to me that we’re friends, too.”

  I grasped her arms, steadying her as she shook. She seemed nervous, but determined for me to get the message. Her eyes were so blue and deep, I got lost in them for a moment before waking myself up. Her lips were so close, and more than ever I wanted to taste them, run my tongue along her lower lip and not only kiss her, but also possess her.

  Instead, I swallowed.

  “If I made you feel I don’t like you, I apologise. Sam and I have known one another forever, and neither of us have had a long-term serious relationship yet. You being around is taking some getting used to.”