Page 106 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“It does, doesn’t it? But friends like you, the lifetime kind, definitely help.” What if we truly spent a lifetime together? Would it work? Could it work as more than friends? I felt my thighs clench at the thought. Those long showers I took sometimes seemed not long enough, and I craved one now.

“Is that what we are?” I asked. I wasn’t too sure where the question came from. I turned back toward Carter and looked into his eyes. I’d always known that Carter had beautiful eyes, but never knew they were this mesmerizing. Or maybe I had just never given them my full attention before.

“I…”

He didn’t finish whatever it was that he wanted to say. Instead, Carter’s mouth neared mine and gently touched my lips. I held my breath, shocked yet relieved. They were warm and inviting. It had been six years since a man had kissed me. His mouth slowly let go of mine. We leaned our foreheads against one another and I felt my mouth curve up.

“I like seeing you smile.”

“I like smiling. And I liked the kiss.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, maybe we can try—”

He seized my lips again before I got a chance to finish. This time, they were more dominant, harder and captivating. I opened my mouth wider for him, kissing him back, waiting patiently for that expectant spark to ignite the half-dead heart inside my chest, but it didn’t. It was just… a kiss. I may as well have been kissing Tank, but I wouldn’t tell Carter that. We finally pulled away and silently stared at each other.

“Not what you expected?” he asked.

“Don’t take it the wrong way, and I might have forgotten what it’s like to kiss someone, but I… I didn’t feel anything.”

I held my breath. The last thing I wanted was to upset Carter and to potentially lose my friend. We’d been so good up until this point, raising Mackenzie together. He was the role model I would have wanted for my daughter — she adored him.

“You too? Thank God! I thought there was something wrong with me. Like I lost my gift.” He exhaled in relief.

I laughed.A gift?“So it didn’t mean anything to you either?”

“I’m pretty sure Betsy gives me a better kiss when she licks me.”

“Are you comparing me to a cow again?” He beat me to the punch.

“No, just making sure you understand me.”

“I do. So, what does this mean?”

“It means that you’re stuck as my friend, Cupcake, for the rest of your life.”

That was definitely one friendship I was willing to be stuck in.

Chapter 25

When I wokeup next morning, I somehow knew it was no ordinary day. If I’d thought yesterday was odd, today felt even more so. It all started with dreams of when the tornado had sucked Daisy out at the fundraiser. I remembered the way she closed her eyes and the blood dripping off the gurney. I could smell the irony scent and taste it in my mouth. When I woke up at one in the morning, drenched in sweat, my bottom lip was swollen and cut, and I realized I must had bitten myself. At that point, sleep was pointless. The last thing I wanted was to go back to nightmares, but I had work to do the next day, and I wasn’t a quitter. I went to the kitchen, got a glass of water, took a few sips along with some melatonin, and went back to bed. The next dream was even fiercer.

I was wearing an army camouflage outfit, running through trenches, ones I must have seen in a war movie, screaming for Nick. The labyrinth of passages was confusing and I got lost deeper in the tunnels after each turn, until I hit a dead end. I finally woke up at eight, startled, and realized I’d slept in.

“Jo?” Carter was crouching at my bedside. “Are you not getting up today?”

“Shit, I overslept,” I groaned.

He was wearing his sweats, ready for his morning run before work. Except he had the entire week off, so I wasn’t sure what he was doing out of bed.

“I’ll get breakfast going. You shower.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Cupcake.”

I stretched my arms out and stepped out of bed half asleep. The shower didn’t help much. My eyelids still felt like lead. I remembered passing out on the couch after the glass of wine we shared, and then Carter must have carried me to my bedroom. After a quick brush of my teeth, I got dressed and went to the kitchen. It was in full swing of activities as Carter flipped one pancake, then another.

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