Page 5 of In His Arms

“Annie said that you were here tonight. I needed to pick up my jacket.” She leaned against the table with no intention of leaving. “So what are you doing here so late if you weren’t planning to hook up?”

“Just having dinner.” Jessica glanced toward the clock. “I really need to go, too.”

Dani got the hint and went to the back room to grab her jacket. Coming back, she said, “Thanks, Jess. See ya, Alex.”

They both waved and waited for the door to close. “Damn, that was close,” Alex said with a smile.

“Yeah.” Jessica threw the collected scraps of the plate in the dustpan and dumped them into the large trashcan next to the back door. “We really need to get out of here before someone else decides to stop by.”

“The night’s still young, where do you want to go?” He put the first aid kit together and hung it back on the wall.

“I think I’m going to call it a night.” Though her body protested, she honestly didn’t want a stupid decision to ruin their friendship. And she knew sex with Alex would be stupid. Though a nice guy—her dream guy in fact—long-term commitments weren’t his style. He lived for the now, instead of the forty years from now. A one-time fling didn’t cut it for her, not with him. Sex changed everything.

“Are you okay?” he asked, brushing a fingertip along her forearm. Heat sizzled from the point of contact to every nerve inside her body.

“I’m fine.”

She turned to stack the now dry dishes in the cabinet and hoped he’d leave without any more talk. She didn’t want to analyze anything or talk about their feelings. He already had a look on his face that suggested she’d led him on. She didn’t miss the reaction he had when she told Dani they weren’t hooking up either.

“I’ll see you around then.” Frowning, he grabbed his jacket and left.

Jessica waited until she heard the front door close before leaning forward to cradle her head in her hands. Regret overwhelmed her, more so than shame. Perhaps this was her only chance to sleep with Alex, and stupidly she blew it. She wanted to believe she valued their friendship more than her fantasies, but she longed for him. She wanted him in her life, in her bed. He resided in her thoughts, and, for many years, she’d pictured him more than a friend. Today, he gave her the chance to make her dreams come true. And she passed it up. Now, she had to live with it.

She needed a really long bath and a good book to read to keep her from fantasizing about Alex’s tongue on her breasts or his finger manipulating her clit. She didn’t have to see his erection to know how good it would feel inside her.

She walked to her purple Nissan 240SX and sat behind the wheel, taking in a few deep breaths. The cold night air abraded her hot flesh, and the stickiness between her thighs made her discomfort even worse. Just the thought of him had her hormones in a frenzy.

Forget the hot bath and the good book; she needed her trusty vibrator—though even that couldn’t replace the way Alex felt against her. It might take the edge off, but she wanted his cock inside her. Flustered, she knew the feelings wouldn’t go away until she had him. In the meantime, a girl had to do what a girl had to do.

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