Lovestrung: A friends to lovers romance

by Karen Ferry

  I’d been trying to deflect her advances all day.

  “I’m not,” I moved my head to bare my neck, keeping most of my face hidden from the camera. “I’m just not in the mood, that’s all.”

  “You’re always in the mood.”

  I gritted my teeth when she sighed, rubbing against my dick. My mind screamed ‘no’, but my dick had other ideas.

  “Cut it out, Astrid,” I grunted.

  “Oooh, I like it when you get prissy with me,” she chuckled and licked my earlobe. “It’s hot…means you’ll give me a good ride.”

  We’d hooked up before in the past, but now I regretted ever laying my hands on her outside business hours.

  “Why don’t you ask Callum?” I turned my head and jerked my chin at our photographer. “I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to oblige. He’s just your type.”

  She tsked. “Maybe. He’s fucking hot – I love his Scottish accent and that man bun is way sexy – but he’s too sweet. I want rough…dirty…filthy.”

  Fucking hell, when is this shoot going to be over?

  “All done, guys,” Callum spoke up, almost making me sigh in gratitude that he’d heard my silent plea for help.

  I released Astrid and took a step away, covering my hard-on with my hand. “Well, you aren’t getting that from me ever again, babe, so best find another toy to amuse you.”

  She grinned, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief. “What a shame. Maybe next time.”

  I shook my head as I grabbed a towel from a chair next to the set-up. “Sorry, but it won’t happen.”

  “Why not? Thanks, babe,” she fluttered her eye lashes as Callum gave her a robe. He winked at her, his eyes filled with hunger, and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t pass her up if she offered herself to him. But when she tilted her head, the calculating gleam in her eyes was enough to make me want to escape her as soon as possible.

  I headed for the shower to clean off the massage oil sticking to every-fucking-where on my body.

  “Someone waiting for you at home?” she shouted after me.

  “No,” I called out, my back to her, “but pretty soon, there will be.”

  Or, at least I hoped so.

  Thirty-one days later

  “What’s got you so prissy, man?” Luke grunted at me. He was lying on my couch, head held in his hands and looking like a skunk who’d had a night of depravity. Not pretty. After he’d practically knocked my front door down at three in the morning, I’d let him pass out on my couch like he’d done so many times before. But this was one time I regretted opening my door. “You look like you’ve got ants crawling up your ass.”

  I stopped pacing in front of him and glared. Despite his hungover state, he had the wits to notice my temper and he raised his hands, palms up, at once.

  “Sorry I asked.”

  I resumed pacing my loft, too anxious to sit down. For the hundredth time, I grabbed my cell and checked the time.

  “For fuck’s sake, will you just call her already? All that pacing around is making my head spin,” Luke moaned and scooted further down.

  I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Puh-lease. Don’t try to bullshit me. It’s written all over your face that you’re hung up on some chick, and if you ask me, I’d say it’s about fucking time.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, when’s the last time you’ve gotten laid? Because I’d say you need it.”

  Luke squinted deeply bloodshot eyes my way, his sandy colored hair sticking up in every direction.

  “Remind me again why I let you crash at my place?” Like the coward I was, I deflected his comments. I didn’t need one of my closest friends to know about my feelings for Penelope when I hadn’t even seen her myself yet.

  “Because you have a soft heart, my friend. I’m forever in your debt,” he snorted. I shook my head in disbelief and stopped my pacing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Historic Downtown Mall, one of the busiest streets in Charlottesville. I gave up arguing with him, mostly because he was right, but also because I didn’t have the patience to argue with a hungover guy who was practically back to falling asleep on my couch.

  What if she didn’t feel the same?

  What if she couldn’t remember the kiss?

  As the memory of our kiss swamped my senses, I bit my lip, then ran my hands across my eyes, disgusted with myself.

  Fuck. I’m pathetic.

  It was only ten thirty a.m. on a Saturday morning, but I’d been up since the crack of dawn, unable to sleep. Penelope’s flight landed an hour ago – her dad had sent me a text after him and Vivian had picked her up – but whereas I thought I’d figure out my next step once she was back on American soil, I was fucking clueless.

  I’d just graduated from Virginia Tech and wasn’t living in Blacksburg anymore. I didn’t miss my old dorm room – who’d miss living with a bunch of smelly college guys? – but I hadn’t settled in at my new place just yet, either. Boxes of my belongings were scattered here and there against walls, I had yet to assemble two out of my three bookshelves, and the kitchen adjacent to the bathroom still needed a good splash of paint. I didn’t even own a proper bed in the bedroom at the farthest end of my home yet but made do with a mattress on the floor. I’d had worse, though.

  The best part of my new home was that it was just a couple of blocks away from Frederik’s – and in turn, Penelope’s – home.

  Stalkerish? Perhaps. But when I’d seen the ad that the place was up for rent, I’d jumped at the chance to live there.

  I jiggled some loose change in my front pocket and then checked the time again.

  Ten forty-five.

  What the hell was I doing here? This edgy, lovesick mess wasn’t me. I needed to get out of this place.

  Not thinking too hard, I turned from the windows and grabbed my leather jacket hanging from one of the barstools.

  “Lock up when you leave,” I muttered at Luke as I shrugged it on. Then I pulled a bucket out from underneath the kitchen sink and placed it on the floor right next to him. “And if you’ve got to puke your guts out, at least use this and not my new couch.”

  He gave me a half wave before he let out a pathetic whimper, and exasperated at his condition, I grabbed my keys from the bar and let myself out. Maybe I slammed the door a little too hard, but I couldn’t give a shit.

  Once out on the street, I turned right and weaved my way through the masses of tourists that always visited the town during the summer months. Usually, I enjoyed walking through the producer’s only City Market at the corner of Water and First Streets – the market where local businesses set up stalls every Saturday to sell anything from handcrafted ceramics, artisanal cheeses, wines from area vineyards, fresh fruits and vegetables, to unique jewelry and gifts – but not today. Today, all I could think about was seeing her. To know for a fact that she was home, and that she was staying, so that I’d have the chance to explore where we’d left off that last night I’d seen her so many months ago.

  I turned right on Cherry Avenue, and once the big, red brick building came into my view, I had to take a few steadying breaths to settle my nerves.

  “Pull yourself together,” I muttered underneath my breath, dragging a hand over the light scruff on my chin. Resolved to see her, I took the stairs to the town house two at a time. For once, I didn’t hesitate and instead of knocking on the door, I pushed down on the handle and opened it. Excited voices fell on my ears the minute I stepped into the hall, and my heart rate picked up when I stepped inside, went through the small seating area and looked to my left to the kitchen and found all the people that mattered the most to me in this world crowded around the bar. Henry and Vivian were chatting with Max, Parker, and Teresa at the bar while Frederik was in his wheelchair, whispering something to the twins that made them giggle like mad as they sat on his lap. And lastly, I saw a tall girl that I didn’t know with red-brown hair that fell to her waist and a face covered in freckles. She was
chatting with Luke’s on-and-off girlfriend, Ella.

  But the most important person in my world was nowhere to be seen, and dread coiled in my gut.

  Where is she?

  “Ethan.”

  My head whipped back, and I had to suppress a gasp at the sight that met my eyes when I saw her standing at the top of the long staircase. Her hair was hanging straight in a ponytail down her back, longer than I remembered, and she’d never looked more perfect. She was only wearing a white, loose shirt, her shoulders and arms free, and a pair of denim shorts that looked like they’d been cut barely covered her thighs, they were that short. I took in her skin that was glowing and tanned down to the very toes of her bare feet, and I couldn’t help but wonder if her whole body had that burnished, sun-kissed look.

  “There you are,” I whispered.

  Her eyes and mouth lit up like the sun and she ran down the stairs the minute I ran to meet her at the landing. I braced myself when she launched her small body into mine, and my hands engulfed tightly around her waist when she wrapped her arms around me.

  “Penelope.” I buried my face in the crook of her neck and breathed in the scent of her skin.

  Mine, my heart whispered.

  Home, my soul sighed.

  Forever, my mind screamed.

  But I didn’t share those words with her. How could I?

  I raised my head, leaning back to meet her eyes, but movement at the top of the stairs caught my attention. A guy that looked to be around my age meandered down. Frowning, I instinctively held Penelope closer, but I didn’t miss the way his gaze narrowed in on us, entangled as we were in a tight embrace. I barely suppressed the growl that wanted to be let loose when he stopped next to me. His blond hair was slicked back from his forehead, and I almost sneered at the blue polo shirt and white slacks he was wearing. Everything about him screamed blue blood, and I hated him at once.

  The fact that he was shorter than me made me feel better, but it was short lived when the woman in my arms beamed down at him and started to slide down my body.

  “You must be Ethan,” the stranger said. Vaguely, I noticed the British accent while he gave me a cool, assessing look.

  I nodded once without loosening my hold around Penelope.

  “I am. And you are?”

  He smirked and squared his shoulders. “Hugo. I’m the fiancé.”

  9

  Mine

  My world stopped, as did my heart.

  Fiancé?!

  “Sorry, where are my manners? Pippa did say you’d be shocked, but I didn’t really believe her. Not until now.” Hugo grinned sardonically.

  That fucking smirk taunted me, and I wanted to throw a punch to his face, wiping it off his lips. When he extended his hand for me to shake, I looked down at it, repulsed as if it were a live snake. Penelope took a step back, but instead of shaking the hand of my competitor – for that was exactly what he was – I grabbed hers and dragged her behind me and up the stairs.

  “Ethan?” she huffed. “What are you doing?”

  Fuming, I didn’t answer. I couldn’t get a handle on my thoughts, not until we were alone, and I thundered down the long corridor. Ignoring her protests, I stepped into the guest room I always used while staying at Frederik’s and pushed the door closed behind her with my foot.

  I stared at her, my breaths coming out in tufts. “Fiancé?! What the fuck, Pen?”

  She shook my hand loose. “That was terribly rude, Ethan.”

  I gritted my teeth at her refusal to answer. “Explain.”

  “What is there to say?” She shrugged and turned away from me. “It sounds like you’ve already drawn your own conclusions.”

  Praying for patience, I ran a hand through my scruff.

  “What the fuck am I supposed to think? You’ve been gone for a whole year, and the minute I have you home and in my arms, where you fucking belong,” I fumed, “I meet some fucking asshole who says he’s your fiancé?” I turned and started pacing, enraged that I’d allowed myself to hope again.

  Her back ramrod straight, she glanced at me from over her shoulder. It was impossible to read her mind. Why had I even come today?

  “What do you mean? Where do I belong?”

  Her whisper stopped my pacing and I dropped my head. She turned around to face me, furrowing her brow, and I had to bite my tongue for fear of revealing more about my feelings. Long seconds ticked by as I remained silent, wishing with my entire being I’d kept my mouth shut. If she belonged to another man, I had no right to reveal my longing for her. No right to claim her as mine. Not now. And if by some miracle she became mine, what would happen when she found out about my side job?

  No. It was hopeless, just like it always had been.

  My breathing slowed down but I was rooted to my spot, afraid of what I’d see on her face when I looked into her eyes again. Would there be pity? Embarrassment?

  “Ethan, look at me, damn it.”

  Her outburst – fuck me, I had missed that fire – made me snap my head up and I did as she asked. I met her gaze, because how could I deny her anything she wanted? How could I deny myself the pleasure of her green eyes when they’d been absent from my sight for so long? Squaring my shoulders, I walked toward her and stopped so close to her, my chest was almost touching hers. The memory of our last meeting burst through me again. But this time, there was a difference, and that was that she wasn’t as calm as she’d been that night.

  “What is it, Pen?” I whispered. My eyes fell on her heaving chest. “You’re shaking.”

  “You make me so angry sometimes.”

  “Why?”

  She bit her lip and looked down at our feet, and I had to suppress a frustrated groan at her silence. She finally gave me what I wanted.

  “Because I don’t know you anymore. I don’t know why it only takes a second of seeing you before all the old feelings I’ve had for you come rushing back. It’s not fair. No person should hold so much power over another. You make me feel powerless, vulnerable. I hate it.”

  I ached to wrap my arms around her but clenched my fists instead.

  “What do you want me to say?”

  Her arms fell to her sides and she looked up. “I want you to break it down for me, Ethan.” She stuck out her chin at me, a stubborn glint in her eyes that made me tense up. “What did you mean when you said I belong in your arms? Spell it out for me.”

  “You aren’t going to make this easy for me, are you?” I glowered.

  She smirked. “I’m not known for easy. Why start now?”

  I looked away for a moment. “Are you sure you can handle the truth?”

  “Always.”

  “Then you’re braver than me. I always knew that.”

  Sighing in defeat, I took a step closer, pushing my hard chest into her softness. Her eyes widened as she stumbled a step back and I snatched her hands to prevent her from falling. But I didn’t relent. I kept her eyes locked with mine as we, step by step, came closer to the wall to the farthest end of the room. When she bumped into the old dresser, I released her hands only to dig them into her hips.

  “What are you…Oh,” she gasped when I lifted her up and stepped between her limp legs. “Say something.”

  I let out a deep sigh while trying to push down on the need that was flaring to life inside me by being so close to her. Her eyes were darker now, as round as saucers, and the small ‘o’ her mouth formed made me want to nibble on it for hours.

  I was done for.

  “In a minute. Just…just let me look at you.”

  I perused every inch of her face, delighting in the blush that was creeping up on her cheeks and down her neck. Whether it was intentional or not, she arched her back the longer I stared unabashedly at her, and I followed the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Her torso was illuminated by the sun shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing the lace of her bra through her white top, and warmth rushed to my dick when I thought about what I wanted to do to her breasts.

/>   I cleared my throat and brushed her right cheek with my fingers.

  So soft. Just like I remembered.

  “It’s been agony, Pen,” I grunted. “I want to say so many things to you, but…” I released a humorless laugh and raised my eyes to hers. “Do you remember our goodbye kiss?”

  She nodded and wet her lips. “How could I forget?”

  “I have thought of little else since that night.” As if hypnotized, my eyes fell on my hand as I caressed her smooth skin with my fingers. “I want to love you, and fuck you, and drown in your sweetness while your thighs cling to me, begging me to take you harder. I’ve thought about getting you all worked up with my fingers before dropping to my knees, worshipping your tight pussy with my tongue. I want your cum to dribble down my chin as you erupt, crying with ecstasy.”

  Her breath hitched underneath my hand, but I carried on, almost in a trance. The dam had burst, and I had no choice but to pour out all my hunger and agony, making her understand what I was feeling.

  “I’ve gone to bed every night thinking about you, and waking up in the middle of the night, my dick as hard as a fucking rock.” Unable to resist her scent any longer, I leaned closer and ran my nose alongside hers. “I want to hear you panting in my ear how much you want me. How much your pussy aches to be filled with my dick. I want to learn what sounds you make when you come. I want you to take me. To bare yourself entirely to me. I’ve been dreaming about worshipping your body and your mind, whispering filthy things in your ears, taking you with both my dick and my words. And then, after we’ve fucked for hours, I want to start all over again. And again. Until every thought, every memory of another man touching what’s mine – what’s always been mine – has been erased.”

  I placed a palm over her heart while my other hand tangled in her ponytail and gently pulled back, baring her long, slender neck to me. Running my tongue over my lips, I felt a shudder course through me as she gave in to me.