Page 22 of The Friend

“You, helpless? Like a lion about to pounce on a zebra?”

“I always did fancy you in stripes.” He grinned, wondering what she’d say if she knew the truth; that he fancied her, period.

“Do you fancy me? For real, I mean.”

Her blunt reply stunned him, though he should’ve expected it. He’d always been lousy at hiding anything from her and she’d probably picked up on his weird vibes.

She’d presented him with a golden opportunity. Come clean, see if there was the remotest chance they shared more than a lifelong friendship.

Instead, he ignored what his body urged him to do and settled for the common sense response: light, playful, designed not to let things get too deep between them.

“What man wouldn’t fancy you, Weiss? You’re one hell of a woman.”

“I’m serious. I need to know.”

Hell.

“You’re my best friend in the world and the most important woman in my life.”

She fixed him with a scornful glare. “That’s not answering my question.”

Damn right.

“Our friendship means everything to me.”

Her hand slipped out of his and he immediately felt the loss.

“Just answer the question, Calloway.” Her blue eyes glittered with intent as she jabbed at his chest and something inside him snapped.

“Do I fancy you for real? Hell, yeah.”

Driven by pure need and madness he reached for her, winding his fingers through her hair, drawing her closer until their faces were millimetres apart.

Her careless curls cascaded like the softest silk through his fingers and he imagined the shiny tresses sliding all over his body, setting it alight with the sensual touch of silk on skin.

“This isn’t a good idea,” she murmured, though she didn’t pull away. Instead, her hands bunched the cotton of his T-shirt as if she never wanted to let go.

“No, it’s not a good idea. It’s a great one.” He brushed a light kiss across her lips, a tentative, testing kiss, giving her the option to stop this madness.

She sighed—whether in resignation or pleasure, he didn’t know—and leaned into him, the feel of her curves firing his libido and giving all the encouragement he needed.

He deepened the kiss, nudging her lips apart with his tongue before sweeping into her mouth, exploring the delicious warmth. She met him half way, angling her head for better access, and it took all his willpower not to drag her down onto the sand and devour her on the spot.

He hungered for her, his hands taking on a life of their own as they skimmed her back, her butt, and everywhere in between.

“You feel amazing,” he whispered against the corner of her mouth before nibbling his way across her jaw towards her ear.

She trembled as he licked the delicate skin behind the lobe and blew on it, her soft cry of pleasure shooting straight to his cock.

“This doesn’t have to affect our friendship,” he said, trailing a line of kisses down her throat to her collarbone. “We’re too smart for that.”

“I hope you’re right.”

She pulled away, the tip of her tongue flicking out to trail over her lips as if testing to see if they’d actually been attached to his less than a second ago. The innocuous action made him burn for her, and curse himself for opening his big mouth and ruining the moment.

“I guess we’ve established where we stand on the fancying each other issue,” he mumbled, thrusting his hands in his pockets to stop from reaching out and hauling her back into his arms where she belonged.

“Uh-huh.”

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