by Tara Wyatt
He snapped his mouth shut, his chest a tangled mess of knots.
“We both wanted it, and it was amazing. But I also know that one night of sex isn’t a promise. It’s not a commitment. It’s something that happened, but it’s one thing in the face of ten years of friendship.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding as cautious relief started to trickle through him. “Right. Yeah.”
She smiled at him, her thumb tracing over the backs of his knuckles. “So here’s what I’m thinking. Let’s stay friends. I’m not asking you to date me or make me any promises because I know that’s not your jam. But I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t want back in your bed.” She scooted closer and then leaned forward, her breath tickling his skin as she whispered in his ear, “I can’t stop thinking about how good you feel inside me.”
Arousal and need jolted through him, and acting purely on instinct, he turned his head and kissed her. She let out a soft whimpering sound before parting her lips and letting him in. He lifted his free hand and laid it on her neck, his thumb moving restlessly over her jaw. He couldn’t deny that kissing her felt so incredibly right. So perfect and amazing and like he was going to jump out of his skin with how much he wanted her.
The kiss was slow and leisurely, heat building in his gut at the sensation of Lauren’s tongue unhurriedly caressing his. She wound her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He let out a soft groan and tangled his hand in her hair, pinning her in place as he gave and took. Blood surged to his cock, and his incision started to ache. But that ache was nothing compared to the one right in the center of his chest. The one fueled by the knowledge that this wasn’t something he could keep.
Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, his heart catching at the way Lauren leaned forward, chasing his mouth with hers.
“So what are you thinking, Lo?” he asked, his voice coming out as a low rasp. He wound a strand of her hair around his finger. He wanted her too much to stop touching her.
“I’m thinking that you don’t need to make me any promises, Theo. I’m thinking that we keep doing this…” She traced her fingers over his lips, then crawled them down his chest. “And just see where it goes. No labels. No pressure. We’re still just Theo and Lauren. But now with orgasms.”
Hope speared through him, so bright and sharp it almost hurt. “Wait, what?”
She blinked at him. “Theo, I know you. I’ve been one of your closest friends for a decade. I know how your brain works and most of the time, I have a pretty good idea of what you’re thinking. And for the past day, you’ve been trying to figure out how to tell me that you can’t commit. So I’m telling you that you don’t need to. We don’t need to label this, or whatever. We can just take our time and explore. You need time, and I can give that to you.”
“I don’t know what to say.” He shook his head, hope warring with doubt, making his stomach tight. “There has to be a catch.”
And yet, the way Lauren laid it out, she made it sound so simple. No labels. No pressure. No expectations. Just two friends casually exploring a sexual relationship. It seemed too good to be true, but he wanted what she was offering so badly that he wasn’t going to question it, even though a part of him knew he should.
She shook her head, her cheeks still pink. “There’s no catch. I want to see where this goes, and I want to give you what you need.”
He frowned, taking her hand again. “And what if it doesn’t go where you want?” An icy lump sat in his stomach as he said the words. Because even if they did this, and even if it was great, what if he was never able to give her what she wanted? He realized right then and there that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be in a relationship with her. He just didn’t know how to be in one and not royally fuck it up. He didn’t know how to prevent the inevitable.
She squeezed his hand. “You’re my best friend. If we call the sex part off, we call it off. We’ll be okay. We have ten years of history to lean on, right?”
He felt his mouth start to stretch into a smile. “Right.” He wanted so badly to fully believe it could be that simple. So, so badly. But the doubts were still there, loud and insistent, and in an effort to drown them out, he leaned forward and kissed her. She melted into him almost instantly, satisfaction curling through him. He lifted his hands and cupped her face, and having Lauren pressed against him, her mouth sweet and warm beneath his, felt so right—so fucking perfect—that doubts or not, he knew he couldn’t hit the brakes.
A part of him was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but the rest of him was totally on board with Theo and Lauren: Now with Orgasms.
And he had to admit, the fact that he could just make out with her here on his couch felt pretty freaking amazing. Like something he’d been desperately missing and hadn’t even known it.
She broke away, her breath coming in harsh little pants. “The doctor said no strenuous activity for five days. So, I guess four more days to go.”
His hand still on her face, he traced her cheekbone with his thumb. “I know. I just want to kiss you.” And it was true. He’d wanted to kiss her for so long that now that he could—and could do it without worrying about leading her on—he couldn’t get enough. He pressed his forehead to hers. “Thank you. For understanding. For giving me some space to…to process it all.”
She smiled and kissed him once, a slow, lingering kiss. “I just want to give you what you need.” She kissed him again, and as her tongue slid against his, he moaned and pulled her closer. She hadn’t meant it in a dirty way, but her words had all kinds of deliciously filthy images flashing through Theo’s overheated brain. Getting her naked and eating her gorgeous, pink pussy until she begged him to stop, right here on his couch. Dragging her into the shower and taking her against the wall. Lauren on her knees, her lips wrapped around his cock as he slowly fucked her pretty mouth. Teasing her clit with his fingers until she exploded on his hand. Waking her up with his face between her legs.
And then there were the full-blown fantasies. Like fucking her someplace semi-public, where the threat of getting caught was a little real. Like binding her wrists and blindfolding her while he tasted her everywhere, taking his time. Like taking her to a fancy hotel room and spending an entire weekend naked. They were fantasies he’d been harboring for a long time now—for years—and the fact that he could entertain them guilt-free was almost like an adrenaline rush.
His dick was now rock hard, throbbing and begging for attention. Fuck, could they really do this? Could they make this work? Explore the sexual chemistry between them without the messiness and complication of a relationship?
He guided her hand to his cock, his hips shifting a little as she teased him over top of his sweatpants. His abdomen started to throb and he ground his teeth, knowing that they were going to have to cool down.
“You turn me on so much, sweetheart. You feel how hard you make me?”
“I don’t know how I’m going to last four days,” she whispered, then tugged on his earlobe with her teeth. “All I want to do right now is suck you until you come.” She gave his throbbing dick a squeeze and he could’ve sworn he saw stars. God, it was so good between the two of them. He’d always suspected it might be, but suspecting it and experiencing it were two very, very different things.
There was no way in hell he was going to last four more days without getting inside Lo. No. Freaking. Way.
But for now, his incision and the muscles in his abdomen were starting to ache in a way that he knew meant fun time was over. For now. He reluctantly pulled her talented hand from his lap and kissed her fingers. “Soon. We’ll add it to the list.”
She leaned back and arched an eyebrow at him. “The list?”
He grinned. “The list of things I’ve always wanted to do with you.”
Her face lit up, her cheeks going a deeper shade of pink. “Oh! I have a list, too.”
“You do?” He leaned in and started kissing her neck, unable to help himself. God, he was in so much trouble with L
auren, wasn’t he? He’d never felt like this before with anyone—like he was going to fucking starve if he couldn’t have her, over and over again. Like he wanted to spend hours and hours talking and laughing and hanging out, and then spend hours and hours giving each other intense orgasms. It was an incredibly dangerous combination, but they’d agreed they could handle it.
And they could. He knew they could. He had to believe they could.
He trailed his lips over the soft skin of her neck. “And what’s on your list?”
She tilted her head back and made a soft purring noise that had him wanting to tear her clothes off. “I want to have sex in every single room of your apartment. On every surface. On the floor. Against the wall. Everywhere.”
He mentally filed that one away for T-minus ninety-six hours from now. “And what else?” He sucked the spot just below her ear that he’d quickly learned she liked.
She whimpered, letting out a shaky breath. “I want you to tie me up and do whatever you want with me. I want to watch you get yourself off. I want you to—”
Just then, a knock at Theo’s door had Lauren bounding up off the couch and he let out a groan, adjusting himself beneath the duvet as she crossed to the entryway. She rose up onto her tiptoes and peered through the peephole, then opened the door. Theo groaned when he saw three sets of broad shoulders appear in the doorway. Sebastian, Max, and Lucian all stepped inside, and Lauren shot him an apologetic smile as she closed the door. Thankfully for the situation in his sweatpants, the sight of his brothers was an immediate mood killer.
“Sorry, I thought they should know,” she said with a little shrug.
“Lauren, lovely to see you, as always,” said Lucian smoothly, leaning in and giving her a peck on the cheek. “How is our patient?”
She grinned. “Oh, I think he’ll live.”
“You feeling okay?” asked Sebastian, plunking himself down on the couch beside Theo.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little sore. Why do you keep showing up at my place with black eyes?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at his brother.
Sebastian ignored the question, picked up the remote and turned the TV to the Giants game. They were currently losing 26-16 against the Steelers in the third quarter. “Fuck. I have $500 on this game.”
“Of course you do,” said Lucian drily, shaking his head. “I hope you didn’t place that bet with Fat Joey.”
Again, Sebastian ignored the question.
“Fat Joey? What kind of name is Fat Joey?” asked Lauren.
“An accurate one. His name is Joseph, and he’s obese. He also happens to be a bookie with a very short fuse.” Lucian shrugged. “And now I have a feeling I’ll be seeing him very soon.” He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, glaring at Sebastian. “You know, if you’d stop self-destructing for two seconds, I could actually help you.”
“Touchdown!” Sebastian leaped to his feet, his arms in the air. “Sorry, what?”
Lucian sighed and said nothing, but Theo could feel the frustration coming off of him, probably because he felt it, too. Sebastian seemed hell-bent on wrecking himself. Granted, they all had their issues. Hell, Theo was trying to manage his feelings for Lauren because he was scared of commitment, scared of repeating the mistakes he’d witnessed as a kid, mistakes he witnessed every day in his office. Bastian’s issues were just so much more obvious than the others.
“Wait,” said Theo, noticing Lucian’s bruised knuckles. “Did you punch Bastian?”
Lucian smirked. “Not this time.”
“Seriously, do you need anything?” Max asked, turning his attention to Theo, who shook his head. “Well, here. I brought you this.” He shoved a paper bag into Theo’s hands. He frowned and started pulling stuff out of the bag. Tea, chocolate, a bottle of whiskey, a book of crossword puzzles, some fancy jerky. He glanced up at his grumpy brother. “Is this a care package? Max, that’s so sweet,” he said, teasing and sincere at the same time.
“Shut up and eat your jerky.”
“So you’re okay?” asked Sebastian now that the football game had gone to commercial.
“I’m fine. Really, it was totally routine. Didn’t burst, I only spent one night in the hospital. I’m good. I’ll probably work from home for a few days.”
“Does anyone want anything to drink? Water, soda? I think I’m going to make myself a cup of tea before I have to head out,” said Lauren from the kitchen. “And Theo, I think it’s time for your pain meds.”
“You have to leave?” he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder. He was surprised at the disappointment tugging at him.
“Yeah, I have rehearsal. Fiddle of Nowhere has a gig in a few days and Aiden and I need to make sure we’ve gone through the new arrangements.” She smiled, her eyes bright. “We’ve got a killer new arrangement of ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ that we need to work on.”
“Oh. Right. Uh, maybe a bottle of water?” She met his eyes and winked, and he felt it right in the center of his chest, like someone had just poured hot water over him. She nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
“So what’s the story here?” asked Lucian quietly, tipping his head in the direction of the kitchen, the sounds of Lauren filling the kettle and rummaging through cupboards echoing through the apartment.
“What do you mean?” he asked, knowing exactly what Lucian meant but not wanting to have this conversation with Lauren in the next room. Lucian said nothing, just cut his dark eyes between Theo and the kitchen. Lauren reappeared and handed Theo a bottle of water and his pills, giving his shoulder a squeeze.
Lucian shot Theo a look as Lauren retreated back to the kitchen. Theo just shook his head. “You don’t need to meddle in my life. Everything is fine.”
Lucian’s eyes softened. “I’m not meddling.” He leaned in closer, dropping his voice even further. “But she’s a good woman, Theo. I’d hate to see her get hurt.”
Theo clenched his jaw as guilt seesawed through him, tugging at his insides. “I’m feeling tired. Do you mind?” All of his earlier doubts came roaring back thanks to Lucian’s words.
Lucian blinked and then backed off. “Glad you’re okay, little brother. Call if you need anything.”
“Don’t need anyone whacked right now, but I’ll keep you posted.”
“Please do.”
Max followed Lucian to the door, then doubled back to tug Sebastian off the couch and away from the TV.
“Oh, hey!” said Sebastian, snapping his fingers and pointing at Theo as Max dragged him toward the door. “You should bring Lauren to Aerin’s wedding.” Lauren reappeared at the sound of her name, a mug of tea cradled between her hands. Bastian smiled grimly at Lauren. “If you come, you’ll get to meet our parents. It’ll be great.” Theo swore he felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn’t talked to either of his parents in months. He hadn’t seen his father in over a year. And given how precarious everything with Lauren felt, he wasn’t sure bringing her to a Prescott family event was the best idea.
But Lauren just smiled, shrugged, and took a small sip of her tea. “Sure, why not?”
His brothers said their goodbyes, and the door closed behind them, the apartment feeling much quieter in the aftermath of the Prescott brothers circus.
“I’ve never actually met your parents,” said Lauren softly, sitting back down on the couch beside him. He looped his arm over her shoulder.
“I know. That was on purpose.”
“Oh. Well. Um, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Or, I could just not go, if you don’t want—”
But that was just it. He did want. He wanted very much. The idea of facing his parents and their toxicity with Lauren at his side was so much more palatable than going alone. Yeah, his brothers would be there, but they’d all be engaging in their usual avoidance tactics. Lucian would find a pretty young thing to seduce, Sebastian would have way too much to drink, and Max would just glower his way through it all. They weren’t exactly allies when it came to situations involving Adelaide Thorne-Pre
scott (although she’d gone back to just Thorne after the divorce) and Quentin Prescott.
He pulled her in for a quick kiss, already aware of just how blurry their boundaries were and not seeming to be able to do a damn thing about it. “No, I do. I definitely do.”
13
Lauren couldn’t believe that her plan had worked.
That was what she kept thinking when she returned to Theo’s after her rehearsal and they’d snuggled on the couch and ordered Chinese food. She kept thinking it when they fell into bed together that night, her head on his warm chest. Kept thinking it as she woke up in his arms on Monday morning, his chest warm and firm at her back, his hand heavy and possessive on her hip.
Now, as she walked the three blocks from the library back to his place, her guitar bumping against her right leg, her overnight bag jostling against her left hip, she still couldn’t quite believe that it had worked. She wasn’t trying to manipulate him in any insidious way—although she did feel a twinge of guilt over not telling him what he’d said while still under the effects of the anesthesia. She knew he loved her, and she knew how she felt about him. All she was doing was giving him the space he needed to process his own feelings and work through some of his baggage. Once he saw that being with her wasn’t the most terrifying thing in the world, he’d realize what they could have. She’d show him what they could have. It was the only move she had, honestly, and she had to believe it would work. Yes, she knew he didn’t have a winning track record when it came to relationships and she knew that his parents’ nasty divorce had left scars, but this was different. This was founded on ten years of friendship, and she believed that that would make the difference. After all, he’d been the one to point out that Rachel and Joey’s relationship had worked because it was based on friendship.
Rachel and Joey didn’t end up together, her brain chimed in helpfully, and she pushed the thought away.
Because if it didn’t? She’d not only lose her potential boyfriend, but she’d probably lose her best friend in the process. All she could do was hope that the reward outweighed the risk she was taking. She was doing her best to lean in to that hope, but the doubts and the anxiety were still there, under the surface.
