Page 37 of Screwed (Dad Bod Contracting 4)
“And?”
I shrug. “And nothing. That was it. Except for me calling him out for doing me a favor.”
Audra frowns. “Of course he did you favor—he likes you, and your friends. Why wouldn’t he?”
I sigh. “I hate favors. I explained this to him then, and again today. I grew up in a society where favors were social currency. I’ve basically lived my life in the polar opposite way to how I grew up, which means no favors. I don’t do them, and I hate accepting them even more. Favors mean being in someone’s debt, and I refuse to do that.”
Audra nods. “I get it.”
“But he insisted, and I needed the car, not to mention I really did fall in love with it. I love the boss feeling of driving it, of being up so high, having so much power at my disposal, the whole experience. So I took his favor.” I pause. “I just…there’s something about him. He makes it impossible to say no to him, to resist him.”
Audra bites her lower lip. “Not saying a word on that score.”
“Good,” I snap playfully. “Don’t.”
“So when do I get to hear about what happened today?”
I finish my tea and shift positions, sitting cross-legged and making sure my robe covers my hoo-ha. Not that Audra would care if I accidentally flashed her, but still.
“So. Today, my phone rings. It’s James, checking in to make sure I still like the truck and that there’s no problems.”
“How thoughtful of him.”
“Right.” I roll my eyes. “He also called to say he remembered me mentioning that part of the reason I was accepting his price on the truck was because I’ve been saving cash to remodel my house.”
Audra’s eyes narrow. “Really.” She snorts. “An excuse to see you, more like.”
I’ve sighed so many times I feel like a skipping CD. “Yeah. So, he came over. Looked around, took some measurements, and proceeded to describe remodel ideas that go a billion percent beyond my wildest dreams for this house. Open concept, glass along the entire back of the house, a new porch, master suite, everything I could dream of and more.”
Audra’s eyes widen. “That sounds amazing. And expensive.”
I nod. “Exactly. And he wants to do it for cost.”
She sputters in protest. “That’s bananas!” She shakes her head. “I mean, Jesse has basically completely remodeled Imogen’s house top to bottom for cost himself, but they’re getting married and are having a baby.”
I nod. “I know. Exactly.” I hold my breath a moment. “It got intense. I called him out again for doing favors for me out of some chivalrous, sexist bullshit or whatever, and he got mad because it was about me, about…everything between us. He didn’t know himself, I don’t think. Finally, he admitted he just liked me.” I bite my lip. “And that was the catalyst.”
“Oh boy.” A grin slides across Audra’s lips. “Now it gets good.”
“He kissed me. Like…like he had to kiss me.” I tip my head back and stare at the ceiling, remembering. “God, what a kiss. It made the one in his kitchen seem tame in comparison.”
“No shit?”
I shake my head. “No shit.” I bite my lip again and grin at her. “And the kiss just…never stopped. It turned to…a lot more. Touching. Clothes coming off. Next thing I know, I’m naked as the day I was born and sitting on my kitchen counter and James is making me feel like…well, better than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I’m naked, he’s naked, and things are hot and heavy and getting way, way out of control.”
Audra sits forward. “Was it good?”
“Good?” I stare at her incredulously. “It was beyond words. Touching him, the way he touched me? It was…everything.”
“Except actual sex?” Audra asks. “What did you actually do?”
“It was all just hands,” I say. “But, god…it was…it was heaven.”
“Did you both…you know?”
I nod, biting my lip and blushing. “So hard.”
“You did?”
I nod. “Explosively.”
Her grin widens. “And he did?”
I nod again, my grin and my blush both going furious. “Very, very explosively.” I lick my lips, gesture at my stomach. “Explosively…and all over me.”
Audra’s eyes widen. “No! The first time you guys go past a kiss, you let him come on you?”
I can’t restrain my cackle of embarrassed yet aroused laughter. “I know, right? It was crazy. I still can’t believe it happened. But it just…nothing has ever felt so right.” I sigh, sobering. “And yet, not. I still feel guilty, because even though I’ve had sex since Craig died, it was…purely physical, and while it was fun, it was rarely more than just fun, and thus, not…intense. It felt good, but it was essentially forgettable. The sex I had after Craig died—there was, honestly, a lot, for about two years, and then I stopped completely because I got tired of it, tired of the games, tired of feeling…I don’t know…like I was using men to try to forget Craig, which was impossible. I thought of Craig while I was messing around with James, and I felt awful.”
