Friends With Benefits

by Carver, Rhonda Lee

  “Are you still coming to dinner tonight at Mom’s?” She grabbed a warm roll and popped a piece into her mouth. Its ooey-gooey richness satisfied her taste buds.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there.” He pushed away from the counter and started for the swinging door. “I’ll put these in the case. I have a batch of eclairs and cookies in the oven. Don’t let them burn. If you think you can manage.” The slow smile said he only teased.

  “Go on and do your work.” She threw the oven mitt at his back. “Wait, I need to ask you a question first.”

  He stopped. “Ask me anything.”

  “Where were you last night, Seb?”

  “I went to the gym, then headed home. Why?”

  She hesitated. Was he telling the truth? He showed no telltale signs of lying, like the crinkling at the corner of his eyes or the unusual stiffness of his body. She didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

  “Nothing. I was only curious.”

  He disappeared and she breathed in deeply. Maybe she’d been off mark with him.

  Finishing her warm goodness, she wiped her hands on her apron as the oven beeped. The front door bell chimed as the first of the customers rolled in. Just in time.

  Chapter 3

  Sebastian poured a generous amount of caramel into the decaf coffee. Cassie swept around the corner of the glass counter and accidentally brushed her hip against his backside. Mesmerized by the unintentional contact, he forgot what he was doing, knocking over the Styrofoam cup, spilling the coffee onto the counter.

  Get your mind on track, Sebastian.

  Pouring another, he handed it to the customer, barely noticing the brunette’s flirtatious smile. He couldn’t take his eyes off Cassie. It’d become his normal behavior, to watch her.

  Not sure how he’d fallen in love with his best friend, he couldn’t deny it any longer. He was head over heels. Somewhere over the last couple of years, his feelings for her had grown deeper than mere friendship. She didn’t look at him as anything more than a brother, though.

  A group of young girls barreled through the front door. Their shrill laughter gave him an instant headache. They came to the counter and his eyes settled on Cassie as she greeted them. He remembered Cassie at that age. She hadn’t changed much. Still youthful, she had lush blond hair, pale blue eyes and a body that would bring the toughest man to his knees. A smile broke out over her features. Her radiance made the room brighter.

  A harsh feeling clenched his stomach muscles. She liked her secret admirer, possibly even loved the guy. It showed in every sweet curve of her face and the beaming smile she wore more often those days.

  He didn’t think he could be labeled as a bitter man. How could he be?

  He threw a bottle into the metal trashcan with too much force and the sharp bang echoed across the room, causing several patrons to jump in alarm. He offered a smile in apology. Maybe he was bitter.

  He had no one to blame but himself. Back in college, he’d let her go because he had some juvenile idea that he wanted to try out a bachelor lifestyle, enjoy not one tulip but every flower in the garden. Cutting flowers, so to speak, hadn’t been all it was cracked up to be. Then when he realized he wanted Cassie for himself, he’d choked up and kept quiet. Stupid man.

  Now it could be too late.

  * * * *

  Cassie pulled the jeans down lean hips. She widened her eyes at the full erection that popped up before her. She’d never been one to go out of her way to give a blowjob, but she wanted the iron length in her mouth and she wanted it bad. She brought her lips down and swirled her tongue around the thick head, tasting the salty liquid. She heard his moans and was gripped with a power she’d never known.

  “Cassie?” His gruff voice tangled with pleasure.

  She looked up from her position at his lap.

  Sebastian stared down at her, his eyes pools of desire. He threaded his fingers through her hair and she continued sucking him. “Cassie?” he said her name again, this time with more urgency.

  What was wrong with him? Didn’t he find enjoyment in her touch?

  A hand shook her shoulder. She jerked awake and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She sat up on the couch, realizing she’d been dreaming. Her vision cleared. She looked up into those same desire-filled eyes. “Sebastian?”

  “Some dream you were having, Cass. Are you drooling?”

  Cassie wiped the wetness from her mouth. “What are you doing here, Sebastian?”

  “Remember? Your mom invited me to dinner.”

  She brushed back her tousled hair and glanced at the clock. 6:30. She’d come home to see her mom earlier. Tired, she’d decided to rest on the couch. Apparently, she’d zonked. And the dream she’d had…enough to make her blush from her roots to her crimson toenails. She had to control the strong urge to look down at Sebastian’s crotch.

  She pushed off the couch and moved past him. “I’m sorry. Of course you’re here for dinner.” She stretched and caught Sebastian’s warm look on her breasts about the same time she felt a cool breeze on her chest. She peered down. The neck of her shirt had gotten twisted while she slept. It now hung low, revealing the tops of the pale globes lifted by the red, lacy bra.

  She fixed the top back in place. Any other time, that would have been the end of it, but the expression on Sebastian’s face was enough to cause an eruption of awareness in a rock.

  His gaze boiled her blood. Longing made a beeline down her spine and settled into an oozing puddle of molten lava at the apex of her thighs. Something happened between them. Fireworks of raw magnetism burst , spilling into erotic raindrops.

  Sebastian moved closer. He brought his hands up and wrapped his long fingers around her elbows, tugging her against him.

  She licked her bottom lip in response. Her mind screamed, He’s going to kiss me! He’s going to kiss me!

  Overcome with nervousness, she brought her hands up and pushed against him with the heel of her hands. “Stop, Seb.”

  “What’s wrong, Cass?” Worry creased the corners of his eyes.

  “Sebastian! You’re here.” Cassie’s mother’s voice cracked through the room. The moment was lost.

  Sebastian flicked one last glance at Cassie and moved away. Cassie brushed her fingers through her hair and nervously licked her lips.

  Her mom looked from each of them with an expression of confusion. Her gray-blue eyes narrowed. “Sweetheart, if your mood hasn’t improved after a nap, my suggestion is to lie back down.”

  “Mom, I’m not tired.”

  “Listen to your mother, dear.” Her mother patted her shoulder.

  Cassie huffed. Her mood didn’t need pampering. Her libido had gone into overdrive and needed satisfaction. Before she could respond about her disposition, her mother led Sebastian toward the kitchen.

  Cassie wrinkled her nose. Admiration for Sebastian made her mother glow like a schoolgirl heading to prom. Since the first time Cassie had brought Sebastian home, her mother had sung about his good qualities. Mom was Sebastian’s biggest fan and she couldn’t understand why Cassie hadn’t snatched him up and made him husband material.

  The mere thought of marriage made Cassie…hmm, made her what? Before her secret admirer, the thought of marriage had sent shivers of apprehension through her. Those weren’t the same feelings she experienced now. The butterflies in her stomach and blood rushing through her veins weren’t signs of distress; they were signs of interest.

  She brushed the sleep from her eyes, wishing she could swipe away the baffling thoughts as well. If she kept up this nonsense, she’d need to find a shrink.

  “Now, Sebastian, my daughter tells me you’re the better baker of the two of you,” her mom said. “I’m dying to get your recipe for strudel. Care to share?”

  Cassie’s mouth fell open. She’d told her mom that in strictest confidence. The last thing Sebastian needed was his already-inflated ego stroked. When he glanced over his shoulder at Cassie and sent her an arrogant wink, Cassie wanted to slip o
ff her flip-flop and toss it at his head. He might be better at baking, but did she need to remind him who had gotten better grades in college? If it hadn’t been for her, he probably would never have graduated.

  Instead, she said, “I do make better coffee.” Cassie had to defend herself in some form. She followed them into the kitchen. Getting her mom and Sebastian together could sometimes lead to heartburn.

  The savory smell of lasagna and the sweet scent of her mother’s specialty dessert, cinnamon bread pudding, wafted to Cassie’s nose. Her stomach growled. All ill thoughts faded in exchange for hunger pangs. She hadn’t eaten anything since the roll from that morning. Cassie moved around the table and peeked underneath the tent of aluminum foil at the bubbly pasta dish, barely hearing Sebastian’s response to her mom’s request.

  “For you, lovely Daisy, anything.” Sebastian lifted her mom’s hand and kissed it.

  Cassie snickered. If she didn’t know Sebastian did truly respect her mother, she’d think he was kissing ass big time. But Sebastian wasn’t like that at all. He was a gentleman and had always thought of Cassie’s mom as his family. Sure, even Cassie blamed him for laying it on a bit thick at times, but her mother ate it up. In a way, Cassie liked seeing her mom smiling at the attention. Since Dad had died ten years ago, her mother had yet to move on.

  “How could I say no, Daisy?” Sebastian said as he held out the end seat for her to sit.

  “Don’t get too excited, Mom. You’re probably not the only doe-eyed female he’s said that to this week.”

  Mom giggled and blushed. “But it still makes these old ears feel good.”

  If her mother had been twenty years younger, she’d have been on Sebastian like white on rice. She had made it clear he was the best thing since Burt Reynolds back in the day. Cassie didn’t know whether Sebastian compared to Burt, but her buddy was a piece of work.

  Dinner tasted delicious, but the company was less than desirable. Cassie usually found her mother’s attraction to and favoritism toward Sebastian entertaining and good for the older woman’s spirits, but this evening, it grated on her last nerve. So what if Sebastian was a great cook as well as athletic and sexy to boot? Did it really matter that he could charm the pants off a snake?

  Cassie had a wine glass to her lips when her mom asked, “I’m still waiting for Cassie to quit being so particular and settle down. I’d like to have grandchildren before I’m too old to enjoy them.”

  Cassie set her glass down, sloshing crimson onto the pristine tablecloth. “Mom, please. Can we not have this conversation again?”

  “Your wish just may be coming true,” Sebastian said. Cassie’s darted her gaze across the table and locked onto Sebastian. Where was he headed with that? “She has quite a few admirers these days. One of them must be suitable.”

  Cassie caught the sarcasm. She knew it couldn’t be the effects of the alcohol, since he still worked on his first glass. Why would he bring up this discussion in front of her mom? “Always the jokester, aren’t you Seb?” Cassie narrowed her eyes in warning. Would he heed her silent caution?

  His expression appeared blank, but a glimmer lit his eye. What was he up to? He knew her mother’s non-stop pestering for a son-in-law and two-and-a-half grandchildren irked Cassie.

  “Joking? I’d never joke about you seeing someone.” Sebastian’s face remained void of emotion.

  Mom brought her hand to her chest and a pained look fluttered over her pretty face. One would never guess the clear skinned, blond-haired woman had turned sixty recently. “Is this true, Cassie? You’re seeing someone? You didn’t tell your mother?”

  Cassie played with the handle of the butter knife. What were the odds she could throw it at Sebastian’s head and not miss? She wouldn’t mind testing her target ability.

  Counting from ten, slowly, Cassie forced a smile to her lips that she didn’t feel in the slightest. She patted her mother’s hand. “Not exactly, Mother.”

  “Not exactly?” Mom’s eyes crinkled at the corners. She slanted her blond head at Sebastian. “You’ll tell me, won’t you Sebastian?”

  Sebastian’s mouth partially opened when Cassie shot him a do-it-and-die look. He closed his lips, but they spread with a humorous smile. Cassie bit her bottom lip. The nerve of him.

  “I wouldn’t go as far to say that I’m seeing someone, Mom.” These were the moments when she wished she had more backbone to tell her mom to mind her own business. She loved her mother, but there were some issues Cassie didn’t like to discuss because of her mom’s tendencies to fall on the dramatic side of the fence. “Nothing serious.” Cassie was well aware of Sebastian’s heated glare on her profile. What happened to the best friend pact? They had agreed long ago that he’d save her in desperate moments. He seemed about the only one who could save her when her mother was on a I-wanna-be-a-grandmother tirade.

  Mom’s pursed lips proved her disapproval. “And you will never have anything serious if you don’t stop spending all your time at that shop of yours. After all, Sebastian is the better baker. Let him take some of your load.”

  “Now there’s a thought I can agree with.” Cassie sent Sebastian a gotcha smile.

  Mom’s exasperated sigh instantly erased Cassie’s smile. “I’m being serious.”

  “Yes, Mom.” Cassie had learned long ago not to argue with her mother, especially one that the older woman seemed hell-bent on winning. Clutching her glass, she emptied it in one gulp. Sebastian would pay dearly for this.

  * * * *

  After helping Daisy with the dishes, Sebastian found Cassie on the patio. She was tucked into the curve of a chaise lounge enjoying her bread pudding, alone for a reason, he guessed. He imagined she wanted to bring brimstone and fire down upon him after what he’d done during dinner. He’d always been the one who was smoothing the tension between Daisy and Cassie, and tonight he’d been fanning the flames.

  Truthfully, Sebastian was disappointed in himself. He didn’t know why he’d wanted to annoy Cassie. He knew better than anyone, Daisy had a penchant for drilling Cassie on her romance life. Though Daisy did it out of a mother’s love, she always broached the subject wrong and shut Cassie down.

  Watching her, he felt a tug at his heart. He brushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. Hell, what had come over him? He’d never thrown Cassie under the bus before, so why had he tonight?

  “Do you plan on standing there like you’d lost your tongue all evening?” Cassie’s words snapped the air. She didn’t even look his way.

  He guessed he deserved the heat.

  He walked across the patio and sat down next to her hip on the lounger. He half-expected her to push him away, but she didn’t. He relaxed and sighed. “Okay, rip my ass. I got it coming.”

  She took a bite of the pudding, chewed slowly, as if choosing her weapon wisely. She swallowed, then turned to him. Her gaze tangled with his in a silent duel. “You of all people know that I don’t discuss my relationships, past, present or future, with my mother. I’ll be hearing about my barren womb for the next two months.” She dropped the fork onto the plate. The shrill clang made the next-door neighbor’s dog start barking. Cassie brought a hand to her forehead. “Hush, Rover.” Rover silenced immediately. He must have sensed by Cassie’s tone that she wasn’t in a tolerant mood.

  “Your mom means well. No parent wants their thirty-something daughter living alone. You know the American dream and all, two-and-a-half kids, husband, white picket fence. Whipped Dream has become your partner. What kind of life is that for a beautiful, sophisticated, kind woman?”

  “The American dream isn’t so sweet these days, Seb. Two kids that the parents are juggling because they are so busy. Workaholic husband and wife. And a fence that needs painted because no one has the time to keep up. Yeah, I’m in a big hurry to jump right into that. As for the shop, it doesn’t require its ego to be stroked like a man does.”

  He shrugged. His shoulder brushed against her breast, sending a high voltage shock straight to his c
ock. He was a firecracker ready to be lit. Clearing his throat, and a safe path through his thoughts, he said, “Still, you’re not getting any younger.”

  She frowned. Her eyes narrowed into slits. He hadn’t helped in lightening her mood. “Hey, I’m only thirty-two. It’s not like my eggs are drying up at record speed. I have time to be choosy.” She dug back into the moist treat.

  She slid the fork in and then out of her mouth. Every cell in his body came alive. His blood ran so fast he wondered if he’d burst. A drop of icing clung to her upper lip. Without thought, he reached up and wiped it away. He brought his finger to his mouth and licked the sweetness clean. She looked at him as her tongue darted out and swept across the spot he’d touched. The pain behind his fly forced him to adjust his jeans for growth.

  Cassie’s gaze dropped and attached to his obvious expansion. No way to hide his appreciation. Not much he could do but wear his hard-on with pride. Her eyes glistened and a smile stretched her shell-pink lips. She pointed her fork at him. “I’ve noticed you haven’t dated anyone in some time. Now you’re getting a stiffy with me. Time you confess.”

  “Confess?” It was uncomfortable to speak. He wanted to sink his tongue deep into her mouth to taste the sweet flavor he knew lingered there. Then he wanted to sample every part of her body until she called out his name.

  “Okay.” She put her fork down, set the plate on the end of the chair and folded her hands together, like she prepared for a deep lecture. “I’ll just come out and ask. Are you my secret admirer?”

  “Are you kidding me?” The answer came out on its own.

  She shook her head, sending hair across her cheeks. “No, I’m not kidding.” Her gaze sank into him like a hot knife through butter.

  Sitting up, he relaxed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in the cup of his clasped hands. “It’s a ridiculous thought.”

  Her tongue came out and moistened her bottom lip. His breath caught in his lungs. “Is it? I mean, we did have a thing for each other once upon a time.”