Page 55 of Friends With Benefits

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to see him again.”

Say it, damn it. Say it.

“Why did you run away when you saw Laurel talking to me?” he asked instead.

Silence. Her head tipped down. “Don’t,” she whispered.

Her shoulders vibrated beneath his hands and he slid them down her smooth arms. He was putting it out there, but not in so many words. Was she brave enough to meet him?

“Tell me,” he murmured, bending his head to press his mouth to the soft curve where her neck met her shoulder. He inhaled her scent and it made him dizzy.

“Mitch, why did you sleep with me?”

Oh Christ. He dragged in a breath. “I slept with you because I…because you’re…okay, screw it.” He was going to do it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Ever since you came up with this crazy idea that you wanted to find a husband, I’ve been going nuts. I can’t stand the thought of you with another guy. I want you for myself. Okay?”

“Like…a girlfriend?” she whispered hesitantly.

He felt like he was about to jump out of an airplane, hoping like hell his parachute worked, hurtling into a gut-wrenching free fall, not knowing where it would end.

“Yeah.” He blew out a long breath. “Like a girlfriend. I was jealous of Liam, because after we slept together I thought that meant we were moving into a different kind of relationship. You know.”

“Oh.” Her body softened against his. “Mitch. Why didn’t you say that?”

“Christ, I didn’t know Ihadto say it,” he said, just a little defensively. “I thought Ishowedyou how I felt. I thought you wouldknowafter we slept together, that’s what that meant. And then, you were all, ‘we’ll be fuck buddies’, like the fact that we just had the most unbelievable sex of my life meant nothing.”

“Oh.” She breathed out a long sigh at that. “I thought that’s what you wanted. You don’t want a commitment. You don’t do long term relationships.”

“What did you want?” Mitch asked. He pressed another kiss to the side of her neck and her throat moved as she swallowed.

“I just wanted you.”

His heart grew warm in his chest, spreading heat throughout his body.

“So why did you run out here just now?” he murmured. “Tell me, Kerri.”

“I saw you with Laurel and…God, I can’t believe it…I was jealous.”

Thank Christ. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Nothing was happening,” he told her, truthfully from his point of view. “I only want you, Kerri.” He pressed himself against her, nudging his hard-on into her ass. His hands slid from her arms to her waist then around in front of her and she gave a little moan. He pulled her back against him, away from the tree, and turned her in his arms so he could look her in the eyes.

“I don’t know what will happen with us,” he said softly. “I can’t predict the future. If things don’t work out between us, yeah, there’s a chance you’ll hate my guts. To me, losing you as a friend is a pretty big risk. Do you think I’d take that big a risk for a few nights of sex?” He shook his head. “I was having freakin’ nightmares about you with those other guys. What you were doing.” He buried his face in her hair. “Kerri, I don’t want you to see other guys. Just me.”

She made a little whimpery sound. He kissed her then, taking her mouth in a long, clinging kiss, his hands gently holding her face. Her hands came up and clasped his wrists there, and their mouths connected, a slow, gentle meeting of mouths, tongues nudging, sliding. Her lips were soft and sweet, and he feasted on her mouth, all the feelings he’d been keeping inside pouring into her.

He lifted his mouth from hers, still holding her face, and rested his forehead against her. “Come on,” he muttered. “Let’s go to our room.”

They practically ran to their room, hand in hand, Kerri clutching the long skirt of her dress so she wouldn’t trip on it in her heels.

Once inside the door, Mitch grabbed her, thrust her up against the wall and kissed her—hard, demanding, urgent.

She pushed at him, but he was so big and heavy, his body crushing her up against the wall and really, she just wanted to kiss him too. Forever. She opened her mouth under his and kissed him back, hot and wet, mouths sliding, tongues swirling. Her hands gripped him and pulled him closer and she felt how hard he was as he thrust his hips forward, grinding against her.

Heat swept over her, dizziness twirled her head and she ached deep inside as the kiss went on and on, hotter and wetter and deeper. She thrust her hands into his hair and gripped tightly, a soft cry escaping her throat.

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