Friends with Benefits

by Amy Brent

  Until I passed by a jewelry store.

  The front of the store was advertising all the specials they had going on for the holidays. Winter had settled in the Malibu area, and the tourists had all gone home. There was a cool, crisp bite in the air that had scared us off the beach. Gone were the nights where we made love in the sand, and in its place were other risky outlets for our debauched pleasures.

  But as I stood at the window, looking at the beautiful display of rings, I realized what I was missing.

  I walked into the store and began to browse. Diamonds and stones of all colors, shapes, and sizes jumped out at me. Bands with different designs and stones with different settings twinkled in my eyes. Even with me loving all the sex we had, even with the sex being as risky and rewarding as it was, there was still something I wanted even more.

  Olivia’s presence in my life, her permanence.

  My heart hammered as I shooed all the store clerks away. I didn’t need their help with the latest fashions or designs. I didn’t need their advice on colors or engravings to go inside the band. I didn’t even need their help in figuring out whether this was something I wanted to do.

  I knew the moment I came across the store that this was what was missing. I knew the moment I laid eyes on those rings that I wanted to get one for Olivia.

  I knew the moment my eyes landed on that one ring that I would ask her to marry me.

  The band itself was gold. It sparkled, just like the fading tan of her sun-kissed skin. The yellow diamond twinkled like the sparkle in her eye, but it was the chocolate diamonds that peppered down both sides of the band that caught my eye. It reminded me of the thick, luscious tendrils my hair fisted every single night. It reminded me of the dark passion that burned behind her eyes. It reminded me of the dark place I had once been in until she came traipsing back into my life.

  Until she came traipsing into that cabana.

  I had no idea what her ring size was, but I didn’t care. I knew I could get it resized if it was too big or too small, so I went with the size that was one tick higher than I thought her size would be. I watched the jeweler put the ring in the velvet box, but I waved the bag away, opting to stick the ring in my pocket. I knew exactly how I was going to propose to my Olivia.

  And I was going to do it tonight.

  I purchased the ring and thanked the man for it before I rushed home to get ready. Olivia was going to be off work in two hours, and I wanted to make sure this was special. I hopped in the shower and washed myself down, grooming my hair before I dried off. For once, the sex wasn’t going to be the punctuation of my evening. For once, I wasn’t drooling over tasting the luscious silken fluids in between Olivia’s legs.

  Now, the only thing I could envision was one word dripping from her lips.

  I pulled a nice pair of slacks up my legs before I pulled on an undershirt. I draped a linen shirt over it, the sheer fabric brushing against my skin. Then, I set off for my car. I was going to pick Olivia up straight from work, no questions asked. I didn’t want to give her a second to step into our home and get tired. I didn’t want to risk her taking a nap halfway through her getting ready.

  I wanted to ask her while she still had the energy of the day coursing through her system.

  When I saw Olivia walk out of her building, I honked. Her eyes lit up at the surprise, and she ran across the road. As she approached the car, I rolled the window down. She thrust her lips upon mine, her fingers running through my hair, but as she pulled back, I could see the questions rolling behind her eyes.

  “Get in,” I said. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked. “I thought we weren’t celebrating our six-month anniversary until this weekend.”

  “Just sit back and relax.”

  I settled my hand onto her leg, but anxious energy jiggled her leg and gave her nervousness away. I tried to massage her muscles, getting her beautiful body to relax in the car, but she was too excited to calm down. I smiled, feeling her body wiggle underneath my fingertips, and I thought about playing with her pussy. I thought about what her body would be like, spread open for my own viewing pleasure while I was speeding us down the highway. That was one thing we had yet to do together, but I swallowed hard to try and rid my mind of the lustful images.

  There was something more important I wanted to do tonight.

  By the time we got to the place on the coast I wanted to be, the sun was already setting below the trees. The stars began to twinkle and dance above our heads, and Olivia was nodding off. I pulled the car to a stop as Olivia’s head shot up, and before she could say anything, I was out the door and trotting around over to her side.

  “Come with me,” I said as I offered my hand.

  I dragged her onto the beach where the waves lapped up on the shore. The ocean barreled out its cold symphony, washing over us a cool breeze you could only feel on the water. Olivia wrapped her hands around her chest and shivered with the coolness of the night, but she wasn’t shivering for long before her body locked up in shock.

  I pulled out the ring box and dipped to one knee. Immediately, Olivia’s jaw swung toward the ground.

  “Olivia Hart, the first time I laid eyes on you was when I was fifteen years old. I was a horny high school boy who thought I could do you a favor by getting into your pants, but in the process, you taught me a valuable lesson. You taught me I was capable of loving someone, even though I hadn’t felt loved. You showed me I had the ability to care for someone when I didn’t feel cared for. You exposed to me the raw truth I’d been hiding from, all my life up until that point. You exposed the fact that it was all right to be vulnerable, as long as it was with the right people.”

  Olivia’s hands slowly encased her mouth, and tears brewed behind her eyes. I had to swallow hard, choking back tears of my own, before I could continue with the speech I’d prepped in my head on the drive over.

  “And then, you barreled into that tent,” I said. “You came in there with your beautiful eyes and your naked smile, and in an instant, every single thing I thought I’d let go came crashing back down around me. You sucked me in, mind, body, and soul, and from that first night we were together, I knew I wouldn’t be able to kick you. In high school, you were a habit. A habit I had to get rid of. But now? You’re my life support. My breath. The thing that keeps me waking up in the morning. You’re the physical token of why I strive to be better every single day, and I can’t spend another second of my life thinking you might not be in it. I was empty. Hurt. Gasping for air until I met you. Until I re-met you. Olivia Hart, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, so I never have to choke on the stale air of my own destruction ever again?”

  I watched as tears flowed down Olivia’s cheeks. I knelt there in the cold sand, waiting for her to say something. My eyes pleaded with her while her watery gaze continued to leak tears over her skin, and then, her head moved in the direction I wanted it to move.

  Followed by the one word I wanted so desperately to hear.

  “Yes,” she said, nodding.

  “You will?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Yes. I will marry you, Wesley Fox.”

  I sprung up from my knee and wrapped my arms around her. I picked her up and swung her around in the sand, feeling her tears of joy trickle onto my skin. Setting her down, I took her trembling hand and eased the ring onto her finger.

  When I realized it fit perfectly, I smiled broadly before her free hand raised up to cup my cheek.

  “Wesley Fox, you were the first boy I ever loved. There was no one else in this world I was with who ever measured up. Every person, I left behind. I left because there was something about them that didn’t reflect something from you. Whether it was something they didn’t have or whether they had a bit too much, somehow it always linked back to you. Every decision I made with friends, boyfriends, and family were all made with you in mind. And I didn’t realize it until I saw you in that cabana. Until
I felt your skin against mine in that shack. Until I felt your emotions collide with mine the first time we made love on that beach. I will marry you, Wesley Fox, but know this. There is nothing in this world that could ever rip me from you again. Not even yourself.”

  My eyes lined with tears, and my arms slipped around her waist. I pulled her body close, feeling her tremble against me as my lips slowly lowered to hers. She ran her hands through my hair, feeling confident and sure of my love, and I could finally feel safe and secure in the arms of a woman who truly loved me. In her arms.

  Thank you for reading and for your support. Enjoy the sneak peek ahead!

  Knocked Up by Brother’s Best Friend (Sneak Peek)

  Knocked Up by Brother’s Best Friend (Sneak Peek)

  Prologue

  He picked me up in his arms and I held on tight to him, our mouths never separating as he laid me back down on a nearby patch of grass. I barely noticed the overgrown wildflowers surrounding us. Every atom in my body was only focused on him. There wasn’t room for anything else.

  I gasped as his hands danced down my sides and he took advantage, his tongue sweeping inside my mouth to tease mine. I drew the kiss even deeper, pulling him down on top of me but after a moment he was moving again.

  His mouth drew a teasing trail of soft kisses across my jaw and down my neck, making me writhe beneath him as a sweet languorous feeling filling my body until it felt like I was moving in warm honey.

  I blinked my eyes half open at the feel of his warmth leaving but the heavy-lidded look he shot me heated me back up again. He started at my feet, easing off my boots before sliding his callused palms back up my calves, the back of my knee, the sensitive skin of my thighs. He didn't stop until he reached the button of my shorts, unbuttoning them with an infuriating slowness before sliding them down my hips.

  Piece by piece he stripped me. His brows were furrowed in concentration and his dark eyes drank in the sight of every new inch of skin that was revealed as I lost my top, and then bra, and finally the little lace scrap of panties until I was completely nude beneath him.

  I reached out to return the favor but he stopped my hands.

  “Well, that’s not fair,” I pouted, “You get to see me naked. I should get to see you.”

  “Not yet, sunshine,” he said on a hoarse chuckle. He looked up at me, wicked and so handsome it hurt, “I’m dying for a taste of you.”

  I grew even wetter at his words, gasping as he bent down. He trailed kisses all over my body like I was the feast and he was starving. My shoulders, down across my chest. He paused to give special attention to my nipples, lathing them with his tongue until they were hard points before moving on.

  He didn’t leave any patch of skin untasted as he continued his kissing, adding hungry nips as he made his way further south. This time he didn’t stop until he was wedged between my thighs as I writhed beneath him.

  “Hell... You’re killing me.” My words were strained as I hitched my hips, begging silently for more.

  He shot me a sinful grin, “Not yet, sunshine.”

  His hands slipped underneath me, pulling me even closer to his waiting mouth and he didn’t give me a moment’s warning before his tongue swept over me, drinking me in. I threw my head back as the pleasure exploded over me.

  Instinctively, my hips moved, trying to get closer to him or pulling away, I couldn’t tell but he held me still as he lapped at my clit, every lick like an electric shock to my system. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, all the air in the world had evaporated and all that was left was him and his wicked mouth.

  I groaned, long and loud when he thrust one finger inside my quivering pussy. A moment later he added another, all the while his tongue was still torturing me with wet lashes against my most sensitive bundle of nerves.

  He pumped his fingers deep inside, just leaving them there as his mouth devoured me. The sudden lack of motion was driving me insane and I knew I couldn’t take another moment.

  In one quick movement, I had my hands at his shoulders, pushing him onto his back as I straddled him. No more teasing. I wanted him and damn it, I was going to have him. Now.

  Chapter 1

  Quinn

  I watched the cornflower blue sky roll by behind the pane of glass but I didn’t really see it. Fields of corn turned into fields of soy beans, and then golden wheat only to bloom back into corn again but I didn’t see that either. For a brief moment, my gaze clashed with its twin in the dirty window. Two green eyes staring back at me. Full of anger. Embarrassed. A failure.

  I flicked my stare back to the front of the bus just in time to catch the driver’s loud announcement.

  “Coral Springs!” His voice was hoarse from decades of cigarette smoke and god only knew what else, “Anyone getting off at Coral Springs, Iowa?

  The vehicle screeched to a painful stop. My eyes slid closed and I imagined staying there, glued to the cracked vinyl bench seat as the bus drove towards the horizon.

  And go where? I’m a college flunky with no job prospects, no home, and no money. The unwelcome reminder had the familiar flush of embarrassment burning my cheeks. There was nowhere else to go but back to the last place in the world I wanted to end up.

  “Coral Springs. This is the last call for Coral Springs!”

  "Damn it." Muttering the curse under my breath, I grabbed the strap of my tattered backpack and flung it over my shoulder as I rushed to the door. I could feel it closing behind me a bare second after my feet landed on the sidewalk in front of the small bench that marked the bus stop.

  I cast a dirty look behind me at the bus, the effect lessened somewhat as the thick cloud of smog it belched out made me choke and splutter. I threw a middle finger up as the vehicle disappeared around a corner, watching it for as long as I could before I knew I couldn’t stall anymore.

  Despite my best intentions, my eyes traced the familiar buildings of Main Street. There was Doctor Wiley’s office, who’d given me a cast when I had broken my arm falling out of a tree when I was twelve. I’d been so worried Jonah would be mad at me, but he hadn’t said a word, only waited till I was all patched up and then took me across the street to Rosie’s for ice cream.

  Coral Springs wasn’t a particularly small town but it was mostly rural, with farmland and some industrial areas spread out with miles in between. It was small enough that most people knew each other. Everybody knew everybody else’s business. I hated it.

  “Home, sweet home.”

  The grocery store, the antique mall, everything looked exactly the same as the day I left three years ago. It hurt, to be back now. More than I ever could have imagined. Well, that’s because you never imagined crawling back to this shithole town as a failure. I forced myself not to cringe at the unwelcome reminder.

  Three years ago, I had left Coral Springs without a backward glance. I had gotten accepted into the business program at the University of Iowa, and I couldn't wait to get out of this town. Away from these people. I had dreamed of graduating, starting my own business, and coming back in a few years, successful. I was going to show them all.

  Yeah, your plan really worked out for you, Quinn. Except you forgot the part where you’re a perpetual fuck-up. Remember the lemonade stand? The carnival? The winter ball–.

  I gave a violent shake of my head, wishing I could banish the thoughts but they were there, relentless, crouched in the back of my mind. Just waiting.

  My gaze landed on the library, the red brick building still austere despite the vines crawling over the front and the spots where the cement stairs had begun to crumble. Lily was probably there right now. Lost amongst her favorite type of people. Fictional ones.

  “I should go. I should walk over there and talk to Lily. At least let her know I’m back,” I muttered the words under my breath but my feet didn’t move.

  Lily Ballis was my best friend. We had grown up together in Coral Springs, had been basically inseparable all through our middle school and teenage yea
rs.

  But I already knew exactly how it would play out. I'd tell her what had happened. That I had drank myself through my junior year of college, had flunked out of almost all my classes and then I'd been caught with weed in my room. The University had a zero-tolerance policy. They'd barely let me pack my stuff before kicking me off the campus.

  I would tell Lily all this, and she would nod sympathetically, her big blue eyes wide with understanding and kindness. And then she’d hug me and tell me that I was back where I was meant to be. That everything happened for a reason.

  Fuck that, I thought angrily. I’m not supposed to be here. I glared at the town for good measure, turning resolutely in the opposite direction as I stomped down the sidewalk.

  What about Jonah? That damned voice was back, whispering in my head but this time I couldn’t quiet it.

  Jonah. My big brother. My overprotective, misguided, and judgmental big brother. No, I wasn’t ready to face him either. He would be pissed at me for fucking up such a great opportunity. I could deal with his anger. It had been directed at me plenty of times over the years, but what I couldn’t stand was the other thing. The disappointment.

  I picked up my pace, distracted as I rushed forward, trying to outpace my own thoughts. Lily would be happy to have me back but Jonah was going to kill me for sure this time. There was no way around it. I was dead–.