The Boyfriend Effect

by Kendall Ryan

  “No, it’s great.” He gives me a big grin. “Just unexpected.”

  “Says the guy who regularly calls me dove,” I shoot back with a sly smile, walking my fingers up his chest.

  With a mischievous grin, he catches my hand, bringing my fingertips to his mouth to bite them softly between his teeth. I gasp, snatching them back and clutching that chiseled jaw I’ve spent decades daydreaming about. His eyes glitter in the moonlight, growing darker as he leans in. When he speaks, his voice is wrapped in velvet.

  “I thought you liked that.”

  “Who says I don’t?”

  Our lips are just a breath apart when the back door pops open and Rosie eases herself inside with a satisfied sigh. We pull apart reluctantly, Hayes clearing his throat as I crack the window open for a little more air flow.

  “Oh, don’t stop on my account. We didn’t stop on yours,” Rosie says matter-of-factly, humor in her innocent expression.

  Hayes shudders, shaking his head mournfully as he starts the car. I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Or high-fiving Rosie. Or kissing Hayes.

  Lucky for me, there’s plenty of kissing once Rosie goes to bed.

  Pressed up against the door of his bedroom, I let him have his way with me, kissing me deeply, urgently. I feel dizzy, drunk on his scent and taste. When his hands wander from my waist to my ass, hoisting me up against his tented pants, I let out a little squeak of surprise. Hayes smiles deliciously against my lips.

  “No need to be quiet.” He leans in to nip at my neck, and I gasp, my back arching and breasts pressing against his chest. “We’re all alone on this side of the apartment. Besides, Rosie takes out her hearing aids every night.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?” I say softly, trying to focus despite the molten heat in my core, pressed against his rock-hard erection.

  “That’s what I said. What if the fire alarm goes off?” He sighs, his fingers slipping under the hem of my romper to play with my cotton panties, which are already damp. “Doesn’t matter to her. She says she can’t sleep with them in.”

  My eyes widen.

  “Let’s stop talking about Rosie.” With that, he spins me around and deposits me on the bed with a gentle whump.

  My heart rate accelerates as I watch him unbutton his shirt and gaze down at me with hungry eyes. “I’ll bet you’ve got this down to a science,” I say, blinking up at him.

  “Got what down?” he asks, pulling the tie of my romper slowly undone.

  “Having sex . . . here.”

  He pauses, his eyes flickering up to mine. “I’ve never brought anyone else here.”

  “Really?” I ask, equal parts shocked and touched. That doesn’t seem possible.

  “Nope,” he murmurs, lowering himself over me to pepper soft kisses along my collarbone.

  “You’ve really never brought a hookup here before? A girlfriend?”

  Hayes sighs, sitting back on his heels and running a hand through his mussed hair. “No one but you . . . and you’re not a hookup, dove.”

  I pull myself up until I’m level with him, wrapping my arms around his neck to kiss him hard on the mouth. He groans against my lips, his hands settling tightly around my waist as he grinds against me. When we part, we’re both breathless.

  “You’re killing me, sweetheart,” he murmurs.

  He reaches around me to pull my ponytail down, allowing my hair to spill over our shoulders. With his fingers tangled in my hair, his kiss is softer now, sweeter, as if I’m truly precious to him.

  Tugging at my romper, he whispers against my lips, “Now, let’s get you out of this damn thing.”

  My heart rate skitters. My savage is back.

  We kiss and grind together in the center of the bed until I’m so ready and turned on, I can barely breathe.

  “I know you have a toy stash somewhere,” I murmur between kisses.

  He meets my eyes with a heated look. “What makes you say that?”

  “That toy you used on me . . .”

  He smiles. “I only brought that home to test.”

  That might be true, but I’m undeterred, “Come on, you own an adult store. Just tell me. I’ll find it.” I grin at him, giving him a sassy look.

  “Over there, second drawer down.” He tips his chin toward his nightstand.

  Pushing up on one elbow, I lean over the side of the bed to pull open the drawer. There are only two things inside—a bottle of lube, and a pair of fuzzy-lined handcuffs that seem more gag gift than anything. The store tag is still attached, which tells me these have never been put to use.

  I grab the bottle that’s about half-full and hold it up. “Lube? Hmm. Do you use this when you jerk off?”

  He quirks a brow at me. “Yes.”

  My heart jumps. For some reason, the thought of Hayes with his fist around his cock, stroking himself in wet, jerky thrusts, is such a hot visual.

  I flip open the cap and drizzle some of the unscented oil into my palm. When I wrap him in my fist, his wide chest stutters out an exhale.

  “Fuck, Maren.” He’s so sexy like this, lying beside me, completely at my mercy. His voice is deep, barely more than a growl, when he says, “Tighter.”

  I tighten my grip and work him over until he’s panting and groaning out deep, delicious sounds. His hands explore my body while I continue my sinful torture, slowly bringing him to the brink and back again.

  When Hayes can’t take any more of my sweet torture, he moves on top of me. Covering my body with his, he thrusts forward, filling me with a powerful stroke.

  Clutching him tightly, I say a silent prayer that whatever luck I’ve found to win him over never runs out. I’m falling hard and fast, and can’t imagine ever going back to being just friends with this incredible man.

  19

  * * *

  HAYES

  Things have been good lately. Too good, almost. It’s making me suspicious. Antsy. Like at any moment, everything could fall apart, just like that.

  Maybe that’s why I’m so on edge these days. I keep finding myself flinching when someone opens a door too quickly, or when Wolfie calls my name from across the room. Even when I’m not with Maren, I can’t quite seem to relax. It’s really starting to mess with my head.

  Don’t get me wrong—Maren is incredible. My little dove is as potent a sexpot as ever. I’m the one who can’t stop acting like a little kid who’s afraid of going to bed without the lights on.

  That’s why I’ve decided to get away, just for the night. I packed up an overnight bag this morning and let Rosie know I was going to go check on the cabin. By sunset, it’ll be me, a six-pack, and a bonfire sitting lakeside at the cabin. I’m hoping some alone time will help clear my head.

  The workday goes by like any other. Ever and Caleb schmooze a few customers while Wolfie and I go over the new product line in the back. He’s finally dropped the whole “how’d you test the new shit” act, thank God. I don’t know how much longer I could insist that I wasn’t fucking my grandma, without physically making myself sick.

  You’d think I could have made up some kind of white lie or something to cover my tracks, but in my experience, any kind of deception, even something that seems small, will come back to bite you in the ass in the end. And I’m already in enough hot water with the Maren and Wolfie situation, I don’t want to make things even more complicated by throwing a fake, imaginary hookup into the mix.

  “Hey, man, you good?” Wolfie asks when he catches me eyeing the clock for the twelfth time today.

  “What, me? Yeah, no, I’m good, all good here, bro,” I stammer back. Smooth.

  Wolfie gives me a disapproving look, but shrugs and doesn’t press it any further.

  Still, I have to say something. I can’t just let it stay all weird like that.

  “I mean, I’m just anxious to get out of here today, you know? Not that I don’t love this job. Just really itching for some me time, you feel me?”

  Wolfie shakes his head and chuckles dryly. “M
e time. Sure, man, whatever floats your boat. Just remember that you’ve already taken your product samples for this quarter. We do track that shit, you know.”

  Fuck. Now Wolfie thinks I’m a grade-A perv. Whatever. Better than him knowing the truth, I guess.

  “Ha-ha. Very funny.”

  “No, but seriously, dude, if you need a break, you should have said something. Why don’t you skip out early?”

  I stare at him in disbelief. Is this the Wolfie who started this company with me? The same Wolfie who created the schedule that gives me about three days off a year?

  Then I glance at the clock. Four forty-five. All right, that makes more sense.

  I slap a hand on his back. “Thanks, man. I appreciate your understanding.”

  He nods and continues typing away, only half registering my gratitude. But that’s fine with me. Either way, I’m one step closer to my lake time and bonfire.

  I spend the drive to the lake house going over all the possible scenarios of what might happen with Maren in my head. Historically, I’m not the kind of guy with the best track record.

  Things just don’t work out well for me. Hell, that’s why I swore off women in the first place. And I can’t help but worry that the same thing will happen with Maren, no matter how good and right things feel now. That epic breakup with Samantha throwing my shit out the window isn’t a scenario I want to repeat again, and I couldn’t live with myself if Maren ever hated me.

  Because it’s not like relationships ever start out obviously bad. Okay, maybe I’ve had a couple start out that way. But for the most part, I jump into things because of how perfect they seem on the surface. It’s only once we start swimming deeper that I notice all the murkiness and sharp rocks waiting down below.

  But Maren has to be different, right? She’s not just some girl I met at a bar, or hell, even some girl I swiped right on from some app. She’s Maren. Wolfie’s sister. We’ve known each other forever. That has to mean something. What I can’t tell is whether what that means is something good or something very, very bad. Either way, I’m afraid of failure and need to get my head on straight.

  By the time I pull up into the long gravel driveway, I’ve worried myself into one huge ball of anxiety. Fucking perfect. The exact opposite of what I needed.

  I lug my bag and the six-pack inside from the trunk, and when I flip on the lights in the foyer, all the memories of the last time I was here come flooding back to me. Maren and I were just starting out then. Hands brushing, eyes meeting. The sexual tension was so thick between us, you could have taken a bite out of it. Not that any of that has changed in the past couple of weeks.

  The first beer goes down faster and easier than I expected, and the second is right behind it. I make a small fire in the pit by the lake as the sun starts lowering over the horizon. Its warmth and light are just enough to cut through the cool evening breeze.

  Water laps at the shore, and I’m about to reach into my cooler for beer number three when I hear the sound of tires on gravel.

  What the hell?

  I didn’t tell anyone to meet me here. And unless one of the guys also decided to go on a last-minute getaway, something tells me I’m about to have some unwelcome company.

  “Hello?” I stand and call out.

  The car parks behind mine and kills its lights. After a few moments, the driver’s side door opens, and a pair of long, tanned legs pop out.

  “Thought you might want some company.”

  It’s Maren, dressed in a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a lacy tank top, looking sweeter than any fantasy I could have dreamed up.

  “Jesus, dove,” I wheeze out, half out of relief and half out of arousal. “Some warning would have been nice.”

  She sticks out her lower lip into a pout. “You’re not happy to see me?”

  I pull her in close, so the sweet scent of her skin mingles with the smoky warmth of the bonfire. I didn’t realize I was lonely until the moment she arrived. She’s right. It’s nice to have some company. Especially when that company is my current favorite person.

  With my hands on her waist, I lean in and kiss her. All that worry, all that fear turns into urgency between us. She wraps her arms around my neck and the wind lifts the ends of her hair. I’m lost in her, lost in this moment, and when we part, I couldn’t tell you what I was so worried about before.

  She rests her forehead against mine, and I release a sigh.

  “Hey, you okay?” she asks, placing her palm gently against my cheek. The gesture is so soft, so tender, it takes me right back to that night at the lake house in my bed. When she took me by surprise by kissing me.

  I nod and take a deep breath. “How did you know I was here?”

  “Rosie told me. I went by your place after work to say hi and was surprised to find her all by her lonesome.”

  “Yeah. I needed some time . . . away.”

  “From me?” Maren asks, her voice small and timid.

  “No, dove. From everything else. From the city. From your brother. The guys at work. It’s all just starting to feel like too much.”

  She stares down at our feet. “Are you saying that this is too much? We’re too much?”

  I grasp her hands in mine and search her eyes. It breaks my heart to hear her even say those words.

  “Dove, I want you so desperately, I can barely even contain it. It’s the situation that’s starting to make me feel crazy. You’ve watched me all these years, so you know—I’m not good at this. Things just don’t work out for me. I mess up, I hurt people, and the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you. I don’t know if I’d be able to live with myself.”

  “I told you, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

  “I know that. But I can’t shake the bad feeling that this won’t end well.”

  “You were never a bad boyfriend, Hayes,” she says thoughtfully.

  “What do you mean?”

  Her eyes meet mine with a sincere look. “You just weren’t with the right person.”

  I let her words sink in, and it takes me a minute to realize she’s right. Maybe Maren is the person I’m meant to be with. No one else. That’s the reason why I couldn’t make a relationship last.

  The heavy weight that’s settled inside my chest eases slightly at that realization.

  Maren cradles my face in her hand, her forehead pressing into mine. She doesn’t respond, but I can feel the worry tracing lines across her skin. We hold each other like that for a while before putting the fire out and going inside.

  I don’t know where we’ll go from here, but I do know one thing—for tonight, I’m glad we’re together.

  20

  * * *

  MAREN

  The nightclub is thrumming with life, filled from wall to wall with glitter-covered bodies, pulsating bass beats, and strobing lights. The scent of sweat hangs in the air, and I’m starting to question why I agreed to come out tonight.

  Scarlett doesn’t let go of my hand as she drags me through each room, making good on her promise not to leave me alone in here. It’s not the first time I’ve been to a nightclub, but it’s definitely not the kind of scene I frequent very often like she does.

  Scarlett moves seamlessly through the throngs of dancing twenty-somethings, only stopping to touch the elbow of a woman wearing the same sequined dress and high-five her.

  My look barely makes the cut for adequate club wear—a black knee-length dress with lacy edges. Good thing Scarlett took one look at my sensible gray sneakers and ordered me back inside my apartment to find anything “with a little more sex built in.” The black-and-white platform boots were an impulse purchase after a particularly difficult week at work, but now I’m happy to get the chance to wear them.

  After we pass through what feels like the twentieth hazy, sweaty room, I spot Hayes and the other guys standing at a high-top table with drinks in hand. Scarlett hollers over the music, and all heads turn to see us approaching. She ditches me for only a moment to grab shot
s at the bar, having successfully delivered me to our friend group. Well, friend group, plus the one outlier I’m not sure how to categorize.

  Hayes looks hot as hell in his dark-wash jeans and a simple black T-shirt, but when doesn’t he look amazing? Flanked by Caleb, Connor, and my brother, Wolfie, Hayes can’t do much more than give me a lustful look, appreciating my outfit with his eyes.

  I’m debating walking right up to him and kissing him smack dab in front of everyone, secrets be damned, when I’m attacked from the side.

  “Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you!” Penelope giggles into my ear.

  I’m a little shocked, but then I remember she’s graduated from college and moved back to Chicago for good now. She’s obviously making the most of it, two cups of beer pinched at the lip between her thumb and forefinger, and some bubbly mixed drink clenched in her other hand.

  “I didn’t know you were coming.”

  “Wolfie invited me.”

  Wolfie did what now?

  “You look great,” I said, and she really does.

  Penelope’s hair is done up in a cute topknot, and her adorable pink slip dress is hugging her body in all the right ways. She opens her mouth to return the compliment, but Scarlett bumps in between us.

  “Take a shot,” my friend urges, pushing some unknown alcohol toward my lips.

  Making the quick decision that this will be my third and final shot this evening, I throw it back, cringing at the flavor. Of course it’s tequila. Yuck.

  “Atta girl!” she shouts. “Let’s dance!”

  Scarlett pulls me toward the dance floor, blowing a kiss to Penelope, who promises she’ll catch up with us. She hands the beers off to Connor and Caleb, who immediately start chugging, their competitive streak still going strong. I only manage to catch a brief glimpse of Penelope, nestling herself very close to my stoic-as-ever brother, before my view is blocked completely.

  Scarlett spins me around, helping me find the rhythm with her hands resting lightly on my shoulders. Together, we swing our hips to the beat, losing ourselves to the music pumping over the speakers. Scarlett dances with complete abandon, verging on silliness, which I know she only does to make me feel more comfortable.