Sweet Love

by Lauren Accardo

  “J.” The single syllable floated across his bare chest.

  “You’re right,” he said. “I’m scared of difficult shit. I sure as hell don’t know how to do this. But I can’t shake this feeling. We’re friends, and I still want you to be my friend. I mean, if I lost you as my friend I’d be totally screwed.”

  Her lips flattened, and her cheek quirked. The stupid words fell off his tongue like rocks. He really didn’t know how to do this.

  “What I mean,” he said, “is that for a few years now, I’ve just felt different. About you. Did you get hotter since you turned twenty-one?”

  She broke into a laugh, loud and barking and typically reserved for bad comedy movies. She placed a cool hand on his chest while tamping it down, and for a moment he thought that was it. He’d opened himself up to her, and she’d never heard anything funnier. Friendship: dead.

  With one last gasping inhale, she looked up at him, tears shining in the corner of her eyes. Her hand slowly slid upward from his chest to his neck, and her fingers burrowed into the hair at the nape of his neck. Nerves prickled underneath his skin. Every hair on his body stood at attention.

  Her gaze deepened. She took a step closer. All the breath seeped out of his lungs.

  “I’d always wondered what kind of moves you used to get girls in bed,” she said. “The magic words that made them fall for you. This isn’t what I envisioned.”

  Had the tips of her fingers not traced tiny circles against his scalp, effectively turning his rational mind to soup, he’d have been insulted.

  “When it’s just some girl, I’m Leonardo DiCaprio. When it’s you . . .” He released a deep breath.

  She tilted her head, studying him with a warm glow in her deep copper eyes. Freckles decorated the skin across her nose and cheeks, her tiny nose stud sparkling like a diamond in the dust. He swallowed down the urge to kiss those freckles. Maybe she wasn’t there yet.

  Something about the way she touched his neck gave him the tiniest glimmer of hope.

  He tried again. “I have feelings for you, Mila. Feelings I’ve been trying to ignore for a long time now that just won’t go away.”

  She pursed her lips subtly, like she was reading a menu or working out a math problem. The gentle movement of her fingers stopped.

  In that one moment, everything hung in the balance. His friendship, his faith in her, her belief in him. If she decided he’d stepped too far, his whole world would shift again, and this time she wouldn’t be in it. He’d have lost her. With one stupid comment about how hot she was.

  “Say something.” His voice choked out barely above a whisper. “I fucked it up, huh?”

  chapter twelve

  Jared breathed so heavily she could see his ribs expanding and contracting under the firm planes of his bare chest. She hadn’t seen him shirtless since last summer at the lake, and since then, his muscles had taken on a life of their own.

  The soft, thick hair at the nape of his neck felt like home, and she dragged her hand upward to bury her fingers in more of it. She’d never touched him like this before. It felt easy. Natural.

  How would the rest of it feel?

  “No,” Mila said. “You didn’t fuck anything up.”

  His sweet face slipped into a relieved grin. “Really?”

  Her jaw trembled like she’d been outside in the snow for too long. Her old friend Jared stood in front of her, but a different possibility blossomed between them. She just had to take one step forward.

  “I have feelings for you, too.” She forced strength into her voice. “There was this day a few years ago. We were at the lake, and you asked if you could walk me home.”

  A sharp exhale sailed past his lips, and his stomach contracted, tightening the flat muscles and drawing her gaze downward. He certainly wasn’t her gangly teenage friend anymore.

  “Yeah,” he said. “That was the day.”

  Her brow pinched. “What day?”

  “Literally the day everything changed. I don’t know why. It was like somebody knocked on my brain and said, Um, hello. Look at her. Like I’d never really seen you before.”

  She nodded slowly. Her hand trailed down, past his ear, to settle on the smooth curve of his neck. The first traces of stubble at his jaw prickled against her thumb, and her legs went numb imagining how it would feel against her more sensitive spots.

  “You offered to walk me home,” she said, “but it was so random. You’d never done that before, and then you got all fidgety and weird and you said that thing about there being a burglar on the loose in Pine Ridge or something. I had no idea what you wanted.”

  “I didn’t, either.” A timid grin settled on his lips. “I knew I wanted to kiss you.”

  Her tongue turned to sawdust. So he had wanted to kiss her. All her suspicions of the last five years were confirmed. The lingering glances, the innuendos turned awkward. That day at the lake had changed things for both of them.

  “But you didn’t.” She needed him to acknowledge the reasons why he hadn’t kissed her that night. The reasons neither of them had crossed that line since.

  “You’re so important to me,” he said. While her thumb still caressed his cheek, his arms remained firmly at his sides. “I’ve bulldozed enough casual friendships with sex. I didn’t want to risk what we have.”

  She bit down on her lip. Hard. Was it worth risking now?

  “But,” he continued, “I’ve tried ignoring these feelings. It’s not really working. So it sort of seems like maybe we should just . . . see how it goes.”

  Oh, Jared. Always the little boy. Unabashed bravado on the surface, timid like a mouse when it came to the tough stuff. Apparently she’d have to be the brave one tonight.

  “See how what goes?”

  His eyebrows lowered, and he tilted his face toward hers. Every nerve in her body screamed at her, warned her that with one touch of his lips, everything would change.

  She didn’t care. If the buildup was that good, what would the rest of it be like?

  “See how this goes.”

  Jared raised both hands to her face, cupping her jaw before gently pressing his warm lips against hers.

  Every inch of her softened. Thank God he held firmly to her face or she’d have melted right into the plush carpet beneath her feet. He inhaled as his mouth opened and his tongue slid past her lips, the moment as sweet and tender as she could’ve hoped for.

  With the initial shock still radiating through her core, she returned the kiss, tasting smoky bourbon on his tongue. He cradled her jaw, the tips of his fingers skimming her neck, and she sunk into him, feeling whole and cared for and on fire all at once.

  Just before they broke apart, she reached forward and brushed the smooth skin at his waist. He flinched, pulling back and staring at her wide-eyed.

  “What?” she whispered.

  “I want more.”

  His boldness brought a smile to her lips. “Oh yeah?”

  She glanced down, the erection visible through the thin cotton of his briefs. It should’ve been weird, experiencing her friend in this vulnerable state. Instead, it felt right. Like she’d been wandering all her life and finally made it home.

  “I’d apologize,” he said, “but I’m not even sorry. I’ve known how you smell, I’ve known how you feel, and now that I know how you taste . . .”

  Her stomach caved like someone had scooped out her insides. Since when did her goofy best friend know all the right things to say? The kiss had rattled something in her head and then her heart and, now, something farther south.

  “Just . . .” He paused, his hands still holding her jaw. “Before we do anything we can’t come back from, we’re on the same page. Right? You want this, too? I feel like my gut’s been telling me for a long time now that something was different between us, but maybe I’m just hoping.”

  Spark
s flickered inside her body. “I want this, too. I’ve wanted it for a long time. I just didn’t know how to do it.”

  His golden-green irises warmed, shifting his expression from worried to hopeful.

  He leaned down again, pressing his mouth against hers. His featherlight touch did nothing to quell the electricity coursing through her veins. Her hand snaked around his neck, and she pressed up onto her toes, dragging her body along his.

  With every caress, she returned the kiss with something deeper and more urgent. She breathed him in, slid her hands through his thick, dark hair, and moaned as their tongues tangled.

  “God, you smell good.” He dropped his face to her neck and trailed his teeth along the flesh that pebbled at his touch. “Different. Like flowers and honey.”

  She laughed, the moment lightened with a reminder that he really knew her. She’d purchased the perfume from a gift shop in town because new adventures required new scents. Little did she know what type of adventure she’d embark on.

  He ran his tongue along her collarbone and planted kisses across her chest, as his hands slid down the crisp fabric of his white shirt and lighted on the buttons. He paused, gazing up at her with heavy-lidded eyes and swollen lips.

  His beauty stole her breath. All that focus, all that delicious attention, all for her.

  He paused, standing upright, with his fingers still idly toying with the buttons. Did he know his knuckles brushed briefly over her nipples every time he moved? Her body screamed with impatience.

  “I know so much about you,” he said, “but I uh . . . I don’t know anything about this part of you.”

  She took his chin between her thumb and forefinger and touched the tip of his tongue with hers, their mouths melding together in a slow kiss.

  “That’s the fun part,” she said.

  Without moving his lips, he popped one button, then the next, and then the next. The cool air breezed against her exposed stomach, and he finally pulled back. His eyes started at her neck and moved slowly down. He’d stared at her chest before but typically averted his eyes the second she caught him. Tonight she let him linger.

  His warm knuckles brushed against her nipples as he ran his fingers down the placket, slowly pulling back the fabric like the last present on Christmas morning. With a gleam in his eye, he pushed the shirt over her shoulders.

  “You are . . .” He shook his head, his hands skimming the outer curves of her breasts before lighting on her hips and coaxing her forward. She tipped her chin toward his, desperate to taste him again, and he gifted her with another slow kiss.

  Desire pooled between her legs as his erection pressed against her lower abdomen. “I’m what?”

  “You are so beautiful, Mila.”

  Her chest tightened, and for a moment, sadness washed over her. She prayed this worked. If it didn’t, they’d never recover.

  As he sat down on the edge of the bed, she ran her hands through his hair, delighting in the soft, full strands between her fingers. His head dropped back, and his eyes closed as she gently scraped her nails through the tresses. Finally, after years of holding back, she could touch every part of him.

  “Lie back,” she said.

  His eyelids opened, and he paused, studying her.

  “Come on,” she said. “Please?”

  Her pulse thrummed with need, wanting to please him as much as she ached to be pleasured herself.

  He shoved himself back on the bed, and she slid her fingers under the elastic waistband of his briefs. Slowly, savoring each exposed bit of his skin, she slid the shorts down his toned legs and tossed them onto the floor.

  She stared, taking him all in, bracing herself for the generous erection that awaited her. Her core throbbed, telling her to skip all this and take care of the ache she’d tended for years now. Instead, she crawled over his legs, gripped his cock, and slid the head past her lips.

  A tiny yelp escaped his mouth as she slid the head back on her tongue, dipping and enjoying everything he had to offer. The velvety soft skin shifted against her hand and in her mouth, tightening with his arousal.

  When she lifted her gaze to look into his face, he greeted her with a pinched, openmouthed stare. “Jesus,” he huffed. “That feels incredible.”

  Was he surprised? Had he ever imagined her this way? God, she hoped so.

  She closed her eyes, delighting in all the ways she could make him squirm, and finally, his hands closed around her arms, urging her upward. She slithered along his body, his skin on hers like cool water to a burn.

  “It’s not fair,” he said, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “I can’t have all the fun.”

  “Oh, trust me,” she said. “I’m having more fun than you are.”

  A devilish smile curled onto his lips. “Not yet, you’re not.”

  He sat up, and she rolled onto her back. His eyes roamed her body as if just seeing her naked was enough for him. He dragged the delicate lace of her thong down her legs, and positioned himself over her hips.

  She trembled with anticipation, ready for whatever he wanted to give. When his fingers slid between her legs and coaxed her thighs apart, she felt certain she’d explode right then.

  “Are you gonna tell me if you don’t like this?” he said, his breath warm on her skin and sending her body into overdrive.

  “I couldn’t lie to you if I tried. Especially not now.”

  He exhaled a laugh and bit his lower lip. With his green-eyed gaze still locked on hers, he planted a soft kiss just inside her hip bone. As if following a treasure trail, he kissed along the dip in her abdomen until he reached her aching core, desperate to be touched and feeling wholly neglected.

  The tip of his tongue edged along her clit, and she clamped her eyes shut, the overwhelming pleasure pulsing through her arms and legs. Her toes tightened, her breath quickened. His mouth pressed and licked against her, each moment better than the last.

  He pressed up onto his hands, his mouth firmly covering the most sensitive flesh on her body, and just like that, she crashed. Her hips bucked, her stomach caved, and behind her closed eyelids, the most insanely vibrant display of fireworks popped off like the Fourth of July.

  “Wow.” She clutched a closed fist to her chest as he lay back down on the bed next to her, running a hand across his mouth but not erasing the smile.

  “I didn’t think it would get better than seeing you in my shirt, but watching you come is the hottest thing I have ever witnessed.”

  Slow laughter bubbled up out of her mouth, and she turned her head to face him. “You wanna see it again?”

  He matched her grin before pressing his hungry mouth against hers. “Yes, please.”

  She stretched out on the bed as he rolled on top of her, the full weight of his muscular frame covering her and pressing her down into the whisper-soft Sherpa blanket. Jared, her childhood friend, had left the building. The man covering her, playing her body like an instrument, was someone entirely new.

  Their arms extended overhead, fingers linked and chests melding into one. Her breasts crushed against his ribs, and she rolled her hips against him, desperate for pressure he hadn’t yet given her. Despite the all-consuming oral sex he’d just delivered, something inside her still felt empty.

  “You don’t, by chance, have a condom, do you?” she asked in the spare moment between kisses.

  A sheepish grin tugged at his lips. “Yeah. I do.”

  He slid off the bed in one swift movement. When he returned from the bathroom, he held a gold condom packet between his fingers.

  Of course the man had a condom. He probably had one tucked in every corner of his house, his car, his office, the heel of his shoe. A splinter of doubt dug its way into her brain.

  “You always have one, don’t you?” she said.

  If he hadn’t been gazing at her with those dreamy forest-green eyes, she’
d have laid it on even thicker. She knew he’d been with a lot of women—most of whom she knew from high school—but she refused to linger on that now. Reality had no place in this hotel room.

  He crawled back onto the bed, draping himself across her and nuzzling into her neck. With one arm massaging her breast, and the other hooked over her head, gently touching the hair at her temple, he said, “I don’t always have one. Call it wishful thinking, but something told me I’d need it tonight.”

  She closed her eyes, sinking deeper into the mattress. She wished it could swallow her whole. Not only would their friendship never recover, she wasn’t sure she would, either.

  “You’re saying all the right things,” she whispered. She turned her face, and their noses brushed against each other.

  “I’m just being honest. It’s easy with you.”

  She traversed the centimeter between them and closed her teeth around his bottom lip, tugging gently until a groan escaped his throat. With one hand around his package, she slipped her tongue past his lips and pressed her mouth against his.

  He exhaled sharply. “Shit, Lee. You’re dirtier than I thought you’d be.”

  She held back her laughter, settling instead for a grin. “This is nothing.”

  His cock twitched in her hand, and she snatched the condom from his fingers. She tore it open and slid the latex onto him, rolling and stroking until she achieved a perfect fit.

  “I’m clean, by the way.” His eyelids drooped and his voice grew ragged. “In case you were wondering.”

  Because you’ve slept with a lot of women, you knew I’d be wondering? She pushed the thought out of her head. She didn’t want to talk about their pasts. In fact, she didn’t want to talk anymore at all. She lifted her knees and let her legs fall open, and the dopey look on his face told her he’d already forgotten the conversation.

  He trailed a hand gently across her slick seam, already wet and ready for round two, and positioned himself between her legs. Her hips shifted and twitched, anxiously awaiting what came next.

  He gripped himself in one hand and balanced his weight on the other, staring deep into her eyes. His full lips pursed and parted, and she craned her neck upward to kiss him again as he pressed into her entrance.