Page 31 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“I didn’t know you were so alpha.”

He laughed, sliding his hands over my knees and up to my thighs. Just then, the bell to the store rang, Nick’s hands flew down to his sides, and I jumped off the counter as if it were a freshly lit stove. Nick hurried to cover the surprise cake, and his mom walked in.

“You guys done already?” she asked.

“Jo’s a pro. If you’re ever busy and need help, you know who to call.”

Why would Nick say that? He was always here to help, and he was the pro. Was he preparing me for when he’d leave for the navy? I shook the thought away because for now, I’d rather pretend that he’d never leave me. My heart would break if he did.

That Saturday night, when our parents met us in the back yard and we sliced my first black forest cake, I practically glowed with pride. We set up a table with candles and brought out a bottle of wine for the two of them to enjoy, and then turned around to leave.

“Aren’t you guys joining us for the cake?” My father asked.

“No – we thought the two of you could use some time alone without sneaking around.”

Marge shifted from one foot to another, stealing a glance at my father.

“It’s okay, Mom. We know you guys are seeing each other. We just don’t understand all the sneaking around,” Nick explained.

Oh, the irony!

“We didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” For the first time, my father took a step closer to Marge.

“You’re not. And we’re happy for you guys,” I said. “Enjoy the cake.”

We turned around and left to go to the rooftop. Having our parents busy with each other meant less attention on the two of us, so that we could make out under the star lit sky on Nick’s rooftop.

Chapter 8

Datingin secret wasn’t exactly easy. It had been almost two years since our first secret kiss, stranded by the river, and we never spoke about it again. No one was the wiser that we’d been kissing almost every day since then. But now that we were older I wanted to kiss him anytime I felt like it. I wanted to twine my fingers with his, and show all the girls that he was mine and I was his. The need to roam my hands over his chest, feeling his muscles twitch underneath my palms, was growing, and curiosity of how it would feel if Nick put his hands on me like a man was reaching its breaking point.

But the reward for keeping our secret was worth it. Every time we went up onto the rooftop, we made out until our mouths were sore. The past year, Nick had also begun working out, so his body had changed since our camping trip, and my hands definitely felt the difference. Touching his abs, bulging arms, and biceps felt like a new adventure every week. Lying on top of his body, his leg between mine, and feeling the strong muscle of his thigh against my nether regions was exhilarating. I thought about our first time together, which had yet to come, more often than I probably should have. We hadn’t broached the subject, but I had a feeling that losing our virginity was on his mind as much as it was on mine. After that night in my bedroom when I’d tried to tease him with my sexy lingerie, we pushed the boundaries further and further. He’d cup my sex through my jeans and I’d feel his excitement by curving my hand over him.

As months and days passed, I could feel my patience waning. He had morphed from a healthy boy to a young man, and the girls at our school were certainly taking notice. As for me, well, my hips had grown a little and so had my boobs, which Nick seemed to appreciate when he cupped them through my bra underneath my shirt, because he’d always get hard. I’d take the opportunity to feel his erection, massaging him through his jeans. But no matter how much we kissed, or how much we made out, it was never enough.

And no one, including our parents, was the wiser. No one knew we were together, but as we got closer to graduation, I wanted to make our relationship public. I wanted the world to know how much Nick meant to me.

I threw another rock over the water and it gave me fifteen solid skips. Nick’s throws were reaching the twenty-five mark more often now. His right arm was much stronger than when we were kids, though he hadn’t used the stone I gave him for his thirteenth birthday just yet. I had a feeling that he was waiting for the perfect time.

It was Saturday morning and we’d stopped by the lake to rest from our routine jog every other day.

“It feels wrong to keep us a secret,” I said.

“School’s over in a month. We can do it then. And we’ll be able to start our lives as adults. No one will judge us or tell us what to do.”

“Daisy will be upset. She’s been waiting for you for a while.”

“So will Carter. He’s been waiting for you.”

“We’re so going to hurt them.”

“I don’t think so. I have a feeling they’ve been secretly rooting for us to get together.”

“If that’s true, then all the more reason to come out with the secret.”

Nick seemed lost in thought, as if contemplating on a decision I wasn’t privy to.

“Carter’s been asking me if I’m taking you to the prom,” he said, out of nowhere.

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