Page 61 of For You & No One Else (Say Everything 3)

“I’ve pictured you naked, too,” she said, her gaze steady on him. “Like a lot. Like if thought crimes were a thing, you could press charges over all the things I’ve imagined.”

The admission had his breath getting stuck in his throat and a bolt of heat flashing through him. What exactly had she pictured? He wanted every last detail. With demonstrations.

“So thank you for telling me that you’re there with me because, I don’t know, that makes it feel…right.”

“Makes what feel right?”

“Since that first day,” she said, her gaze dipping down for a moment, “we’ve been able to say things to each other that we normally wouldn’t say to a casual friend. It’s kind of our thing.” She glanced up and sent him a little smile. “Confession friends.”

He smirked at the term.

“I like that,” she went on. “It feels…safe. In a good way.” She dragged her teeth over her bottom lip like she was trying to find the right words. “In a sexy way.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I think I’d like to make another confession.”

His throat was tight. “What’s that?”

“I want you to stay.”

His shoulders sagged and he turned fully to her, pulling his bent leg on the couch so he could face her. “God, Eli. You know I want to say yes to that, but we’ve already had this conversation. You know why this would be a bad idea.”

“I know. You can’t be what I want. I can’t be what you want. But maybe that doesn’t matter right now.” Resolve filled her brown eyes. “I trust myself enough to handle it. I know what it would be and what it won’t be.”

He frowned. “But I don’t want to hurt you. That’s literally the last thing I want to do.”

She poked him gently in the shoulder with her index finger. “I appreciate that, but Beck, I’m not some delicate flower. I’ve been through a helluva lot more in my life than some guy sleeping with me and not wanting to stay with me forever. You think you’re going to besoooogood in bed that I’m just going to die if you won’t tell me you love me and propose on the spot?”

His eyebrows shot up.

She gave him a wry look. “Like I said the other night,get over yourself. You’re twenty-five. You may not evenknowhow to be good in bed yet.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could defend himself, she pressed her fingers gently over his lips.

“Kidding. And yes, I would like a relationship. I’m aiming for that. And yes, I’m over hookups. But I also understand that you’re not that guy—in either case. You’re not the guy who’s going to want to be my boyfriend, but you’re also not the guy who’s just looking to get laid and ghost me. You’re my friend. And I hope that if we walk into my bedroom right now and get naked, that afterward you’ll still be my friend.”

He stared at her, properly stunned into silence.

“Well?” she asked, lowering her hand.

He frowned. “Of course I’d still be your friend.”

“Then maybe this—whatever this is between us—is exactly what I need,” she said, open honesty in her voice. “I don’t plan on sleeping with any dates anytime soon. My goal is to take things slow, to really get to know guys first. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still think about sex, that I don’t still want it sometimes. And since we had that kiss, I kind of want it a lot. With you.”

“Eli…” The temptation was glittering, blinding. He wasn’t strong enough to resist this. He didn’t want to be.

In the background, Yoda warned Luke to beware of the dark side.

When Beckham didn’t say anything more, Eliza shifted on the couch, put her hands on his shoulders, and straddled his lower thighs. He was already half-hard and the sight of her on his lap was too fucking much.

“I think there’s only one way this friendship is going to work,” she said softly. “We need to get this part out of our system. You’re making it hard to concentrate on Star Wars, and that just won’t do.”

The ropes he’d tied himself up with gave way. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, fight this anymore. He lifted his hands and cupped her jaw. “No, that won’t do at all.”

“So?”

“Come ’ere, Eli.” He guided her down to him. “Just come here.”

And then he kissed her and stopped worrying about all of it.

Maybe some temptations weren’t meant to be avoided. Maybe Eli was the kind he needed to get absolutely wrecked on before he could move on.

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