Page 3 of Claimed By my Best Friend

“Oh, the kids were painting today, and it got a little messy,” I say with a smile, recalling the events of the day. Being a teacher is my calling, and instructing elementary kids is a dream. I love working with children, and I often think about having my own.

Mine…and Darrell’s.

At times it feels like a fantasy, and at others, it feels so close, I can almost touch it. The uncertainty between us…I hope to change that today. But first, I have to work up the courage to ask Darrell for more, knowing I might be risking everything.

“So, what are you doing here so late? Is everything okay?” Those beautiful blue eyes darken as he takes another step forward. “Did something happen?”

I wring my fingers nervously, suddenly second-guessing myself. “Um…no, nothing happened.”

“You seem nervous. Tell me what’s wrong.”

It’s dangerous, his tone. I know how protective Darrell is of me, and if I didn’t know better, I would think he has deeper feelings for me, but I know better than to hope. Darrell doesn’t see me that way. His protectiveness has nothing to do with having romantic feelings for me. He’s never made any move on me despite there being many opportunities to do so.

“Everything is fine,” I hurry to say, but the fire in his eyes doesn’t immediately cool off. It’s doing things to me. The same thing that always happens when I am near this man. I wince when I feel the familiar tingle between my legs and wetness spread from my core.

Focus, Paula.

I need to tell him what brought me here, and yet, I find myself wavering. This is my best friend, and it should be easy to open up to him about my feelings, but by doing that, I risk one of two things happening. He either confesses that he has feelings for me too, or he tells me he doesn’t and things get awkward between us.

I could lose him even as a friend. Can I really risk that?

“Was that Sebastian Foster?” I ask weakly, hating myself for being a coward.

Darrell’s eyes narrow on mine, but he doesn’t push me. “Yes, he came in to get a tat in honor of his girlfriend.”

“Oh right, I heard that he was seeing someone,” I say, shuffling nervously on my feet. “I never pictured Valor Springs with such a huge celebrity as a local. It’s amazing.”

“Sure.”

Tell him, Paula!

“Right, so, um, I stopped by the bakery and bought you one of their giant cookies,” I blurt, suddenly reminded of the box I brought with me. I lean down and grab the white box sitting on top of the magazines on the small table, but he doesn’t once take his eyes off me. “It’s an oatmeal raisin cookie. I thought about getting the giant chocolate chip cookie, but I know how much you prefer the raisin—”

My voice trails off when Darrell closes the distance between us, those ink-stained fingers grabbing my chin firmly and forcing my gaze to his. “I know you didn’t come here to deliver cookies or talk about Sebastian,” he says, his eyes studying mine in a way that has my sex clenching with need. “So, what is it, Paula? You know you can tell me anything.”

Goosebumps spread over every layer of my skin, and my breaths grow labored when he speaks. They are simple, the words he says. They are words I have heard a dozen times from my other friends, but they don’t sound or mean the same coming from Darrell.

God, does this man have any idea how many times I’ve imagined these very hands buried in my hair as he kissed me, his fingers between my thighs, caressing my most intimate parts? I ache with the need to feel his massive body press down on me as he claims me. I crave the feel of those sexy lips exploring every inch of my skin, and I want mine on his, tracing the beautiful ink on his body.

But it’s not all sexual. Darrell and I already act like a couple; it confuses me sometimes. We have dinner together almost every night, and sometimes, I sleep at his apartment, which is directly above the studio. Not to mention how weirdly possessive he gets when another man tries to hit on me. We do a lot of the things that couples do, minus the sex.

My closeness to this man has pushed all other possible suitors away. Everyone in town thinks we’re a couple, and it’s given me some deluded idea that we could be.I want more.

When I stay over at his place, I want to share his bed instead of sleeping in the guest room. I want to feel his hot breath brush my skin all night long. I want to bury my face in his neck and feel his massive arms tighten around me as he pulls me closer to him when we share the same bed. I don’t want to touch myself and imagine it’s him doing it and stifling my pleasured sobs with the pillow so he doesn’t hear me.

“Paula!”

“I want a tattoo!” I blurt out, worrying my lips nervously as I stare into the man’s eyes, which light up in surprise. Darrell watches me for a second before dropping his grip from my chin, and I immediately miss his touch.

“No.”

I blink stupidly at him, and it takes me a second to process what he just said. “No? What do you mean, no?” I thought he would be thrilled about this.

“I mean just that. No.”

Darrell turns around and walks back to his workroom. I drop the dessert box back to the table and follow him, admiring the way the dark shirt he’s wearing stretches across his muscular back and how those jeans hug his ass, but I quickly shake off mylustful thoughts. “You can’t be serious. It’s my choice to get a tattoo!”

“And mine to deny you one.”

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