Page 49 of Eligible Best Friend

The breeze whisks inside and she braces herself so I don’t thrust her out the door.

“Fuck, Lia,” I say through gritted teeth. I can’t get enough of this woman. I couldn’t wait to drive back to town and take her on her bed, where she’d be comfortable, and my ass wouldn’t be in the wind. But here I am.

She widens her legs as much as possible and arches her back. The move drops her head until she’s looking at the world upside down. Her knuckles are white from gripping the frame of the car door and she releases a throaty laugh. “I can’t believe the things you get me to do.”

This girl. Drives me fucking crazy. How the hell did I ignore how sexy she was for an entire year? Some part of me must have known that she’d tie me up and leave me at her mercy.

Her breath catches and she tenses. She’s going to come. I wedge an arm under her waist to tilt her hips and pound into her.

“Ford!” She comes hard, her legs snapping around my waist like a bear trap.

I’m a goner. I let the ecstasy crash over me, my body jerking against her as I release harder than I can remember.

All I want to do is collapse on top of her and hold her, but we’re exposed in so many ways.

She’s limp under me. I nip her chin and murmur, “You okay?”

“I’m more than okay. But I’m going to have the pattern of my upholstery tattooed on my legs.”

I chuckle and pull out, briefly closing my eyes at the shot of pleasure. I back all the way out and study our surroundings. Nobody. I find the empty granola bar wrapper in my backpack and use it to wrap around the condom, then tuck my dick back into my pants.

Lia’s dressed and standing next to me by the time I’m done.

I pull her to me and plant a long kiss on her lips.

When I pull away, she looks up at me through her lashes. “What was that for?”

“I like kissing my girlfriend.”

Her eyes flare before a shy smile crosses her face. “I like kissing my boyfriend.” We look at each other for a moment. She breaks the silence. “How did we get here so fast?”

“You were untouchable and then you weren’t.” I shrug. “Maybe being friends first is the key.”

“I think so. So now what?”

“We date and have fun.” And try very hard not to think about what comes after.

Fourteen

Lia

I get out of Ford’s car and skim my fingers under the hem of my sundress to make sure it’s not caught in my underwear. I’ve been out of the dating game for a while, but I wasn’t this nervous when I met Samuel at the country club.

Ford and I are on a date—out in public. We aren’t pretending and we’re no longer friends with benefits. We flew through those stages straight to dating. Each time I think about that quick decision on the side of a dusty road, my insides warm until I glow. We are into each other.

Ford comes around and offers his arm. His white polo hugs his muscles and his khakis adore his ass. I keep trying to walk a step or two behind him to check him out. I’ve seen that ass naked, but I can always look.

The parking lot behind the restaurant is half-full, but I doubt Tuesdays are a big date night. Ford and I work this weekend and he picked up a shift on Friday. Ford opens the door for me. A hostess greets us with a wide smile and takes us to a table overlooking the vineyard. He orders a bottle of wine after we’re seated.

“I’ve heard this place is nice.”

He’s about to answer when a woman says, “Ford?”

We both look over. It takes me a moment to recognize Karoline. She’s not in a wedding dress, but long, wide-legged pants and a loose shirt. Sergei stands next to her, his arm around her waist.

“Karoline.” Ford’s tone is neutral.

Karoline smiles and she looks at me. “Hi, Lia. We never got a chance to officially meet at the wedding.”

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