Hardcore Vanilla

by Golden Angel

  The only times they'd gotten along were when they weren't talking. Like when they'd danced at Adam and Angel's wedding, or when they'd danced last night, which had led to... Well yeah. So, they got along well physically but that was about it.

  "She's being really loud," he muttered. It bothered him that he was still attracted to her, that he couldn't stop thinking about how he hadn't minded when she'd been really loud in his bed last night, even when she was currently grating on his nerves.

  Jake liked calm, quiet women. Soothing women. Women who didn't constantly need to be the center of attention. Women who smiled in understanding when he was too blunt or rude, women who were accepting of a few rough edges. Women who, in other words, weren't anything like Sharon.

  "And yet somehow hurting no one," Olivia said gently but firmly. "Let it go, Jake."

  Right. Not terrible advice.

  If only he could let his attraction go that easily.

  Chapter 2

  "Oh my goodness, she's gorgeous," Ellie crooned as Adam and Angel's new baby girl yawned in her daddy's arms. The sentiment was echoed by every single person who was standing in a wide semi-circle around Adam, trying not to crowd him while simultaneously trying to get a look at the tiny new addition to their group.

  They'd all cheered and gone out to lunch after Leigh came out with the news that Angel had delivered a baby girl - but that they wouldn't be able to see them until later. After eating, they'd all returned to the hospital in hopes of an introduction, and Adam had brought the snugly wrapped Miss Melody Ginevra Rawn out to meet them. Angel was asleep, as she should be after such a long night. Her parents had stayed in the room with her in case she woke up and needed anything, allowing Adam to show off the baby.

  "Isn't she?" Adam asked, staring down at his daughter with an expression of mingled awe and trepidation. He was utterly enraptured by her, and seeing the normally stoic man turned all soft and melty was freaking adorable.

  Still, Sharon couldn't help but lean into Kate, tilting her head so her bestie would know she wanted to say something privately. Her much taller friend bent slightly to hear whatever it was.

  "Did Angel seriously manage to work in both a Doctor Who and a Harry Potter reference into her daughter's name without Adam noticing?" she murmured.

  Kate snorted, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as her blue eyes went wide. Fortunately, everyone was too busy cooing at the baby to take notice of what she and Kate were doing. Well, almost everyone. Sharon saw Jake's eyes slant her way, narrowing slightly. Deciding to be mature, she didn't stick her tongue out at him. It wasn't any of his business what she said to Kate.

  "Oh my God, she totally did," Kate whispered back. "When do you think he'll figure it out?"

  "At least a week... he's pretty shell-shocked right now," Sharon guessed.

  Andrew leaned forward around Kate so he could look at both of them, his dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you two whispering about?"

  "Nothing," Sharon said immediately, at the exact same time that Kate said, "I'll tell you later."

  Just then, little Melody began to make unhappy noises and Adam immediately whisked her back to Angel's room, leaving the group to disperse.

  Sharon cursed her bad luck when it turned out she and Jake were parked on the same side of the hospital and no one else was. Figured. She kept her smile pasted on her face as she exchanged hugs with the rest of her friends and they went down one hall... and she and Jake turned down the other.

  The silence between them wasn't tense exactly, but it wasn't comfortable either. She was trying to figure out how to break it when he did, and with the last question she’d ever expected from him.

  "Why'd you sneak out this morning?"

  Giving him a sidelong look, Sharon couldn't help but raise her eyebrow. He wasn't looking down at her, so she couldn't tell if he could see her expression. Since he about six feet tall and she was closer to five, he might not be able to.

  "Uh, cuz awkward morning afters don't really appeal to me?" she responded, letting the obvious ‘duh’ leak into her voice.

  Now he did look at her, a slight frown on his face. It occurred to Sharon that he'd slowed his normal walking pace slightly so that her short legs could keep up. She didn't know whether or not to feel grateful for that. "You don't know that it would have been awkward."

  That was just crazy talk.

  "You think it wouldn't have been?" she asked dubiously. He couldn't possibly be serious; exactly how did he think this morning would have gone?

  Jake shrugged. "We could have fucked again, at least."

  She stopped in her tracks, mouth hanging open. Not because she was offended or because she found his actual words shocking, but because she was shocked he was the one who said them. Her nickname for him was Grumpy Cap, because he reminded her of Captain America but way more, well, grumpy. He didn't curse much, if ever, and he was rarely crude that she’d ever heard. That was her tactic, and one she often used for getting under his skin.

  Turning, he took in her expression as his blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

  Putting her hands on her hips, Sharon narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you and what have you done with Grumpy Cap?"

  He laughed. Sharon couldn't help but stare. Maybe he was always grumpy because he just hadn't gotten laid in a while and now he could stop being such a stick in the mud? In that case, he definitely needed to get laid more often.

  I volunteer as tribute.

  Cocking his head to the side, he stepped forward and Sharon's breath caught in her throat. Jake wasn't a Dom and he insisted he wasn't a dominant at all, but he was pure alpha-male. After last night she could confirm that he liked to be bossy in the bedroom. She really liked take-charge, bossy men in in the bedroom, which was how she'd ended up in a BDSM club in the first place.

  He reached out to a tendril of hair that was curled over her shoulder, but instead of brushing it back, he started winding it around his fingers. Why that was so sexy she had no idea, but her whole body felt like it pulsed in response. Her stupid, sore vagina perked up in interest - as if that area could even take another pounding right now.

  "I thought we were working our attraction out of our systems," she said, a little breathlessly.

  "Mine's not worked out yet," he murmured, his blue eyes meeting hers with a hot, intense look that made her insides twist and clench. "How about yours?"

  "No, not yet." Her lips quirked. "Are you suggesting Round 2?"

  Jake shifted his big body closer, crowding her in a way that she really liked. Her eyes darted back and forth, but the only people moving through the hallways were nurses and doctors, none of whom were paying the least bit of attention to her and Jake. She didn't back up and she could practically feel the heat of his body as he was less than an inch away from her. Her nipples stiffened, as if trying to rub themselves against him. If she swayed just a little bit, they would.

  "What are you doing today?" he asked.

  The side of her lip curled up in a slightly disappointed smile. "I'm heading over to Kate and Andrew's. I'm probably going to be there the rest of today. Tomorrow evening?"

  "I'm free." The corners of his lips tipped up, heat flaring in his eyes. Damn it. He really was sexy when he wasn’t a grumpy, judgmental jerk. That crooked little smile did all sorts of things to her insides, none of which were going to lead to good decisions and she knew it.

  She pointed her finger at the center of his chest. “We’re not telling anyone, got it?” She wrinkled her nose. “We’re the last two singles in our group and I don’t want any of them getting expectations.”

  “So, we’re just... What? ‘Netflix and chill’ buddies?” he asked, sounding amused.

  Sharon rolled her eyes. “I would just call it ‘fuck buddies,’ but sure. Whatever you want to call it as long as we keep it between us.”

  That was really the only way this was going to work. It wasn’t a bad deal either. She could scratch her itch, have phenomenal sex, and... W
ell, a more relaxed Jake didn’t seem like a bad thing to her. Hell, he’d just said ‘fuck’ and didn’t even wince when she said it now.

  “All right, short stuff,” he said, turning away so they could keep walking. “It’s a deal.”

  Since he couldn’t see her expression, she stuck out her tongue at his muscular back. If he thought he was going to bother her by giving her a nickname based on her small stature, he was going to be super disappointed. That was really kind of a sad effort when it came right down to it. The nicknames she came up with were so much better.

  “Sounds good, Captain.”

  She smiled innocently as he shot her a look.

  ******

  Since Sharon hadn’t been free, Jake said yes when his mom texted to see if he wanted to come over for dinner that night. His dad had a yearly tradition of making Hoppin’ John for New Year’s Day and, even though Jake followed the exact same recipe when he tried to recreate it, it never tasted quite the same as his dad’s. Plus, his mom wanted the family together to celebrate Lexie and Patrick’s engagement.

  So maybe it was for the best that Sharon couldn’t come over tonight.

  It would also give him a day to try and get his head on straight when it came to her.

  He didn’t think he’d ever had a ‘fuck buddy’ before. One night stands here and there, sure, they happened. Especially when he’d been deployed. But a non-relationship relationship with someone he saw on a regular basis? That was new and different. He didn’t think it would be too much of a problem though.

  While he might lust after her, she was not the kind of woman he saw himself ending up with. He wouldn’t want to bring her to a family dinner. Just the thought of her being her usual blunt self or even dropping an ‘f’ bomb in front of his mom made him want to cringe. It wasn’t that he was a good-two-shoes as Sharon liked to say, but he did feel there was a time and a place for everything.

  Still, he couldn’t pretend this wouldn’t be a little strange for him, especially since she was part of his group of friends. He was used to being pretty affectionate with the women he dated.

  It was going to be weird to be regularly sleeping with a woman he wasn’t dating.

  Maybe he could be kind of traditional and even a little rigid... but he didn’t see that as a bad thing either. The army had instilled a lot of discipline in him and he’d thrived in the regimented lifestyle. Being out had him at a bit of a loss. Life was messier now, and Sharon was the messiest person he'd ever met in a lot of ways. He didn't understand why he was so drawn to her, but he was willing to enjoy it while it lasted.

  Fighting his attraction had gotten pretty old, if he was being honest. Sure, they wouldn't work as a couple, but she seemed down for enjoying the chemistry between them while it lasted. And it was a hell of a lot more fun than constantly bickering with her.

  Seeing his parents just confirmed that Sharon wasn't the right type of woman for him. Maybe it was weird, but he wanted a woman who was just as classy, calming, and put together as his mom (not that he'd ever say so out loud, it sounded a little too Oedipal). His mom was awesome and he was just like his dad in a lot of ways. His parents were old-school and Jake knew he wanted a relationship like theirs.

  Although, he could do without his mom's obsession with getting him married off.

  "So, are you seeing anyone?" she asked. It was the second thing she'd said to him after hello and kissing him on the cheek.

  Behind her, his father chuckled. "At least let the boy in the door before you start the inquisition, Wendy."

  Sighing, his mother stepped aside so Jake could give his dad a hug and greeting. Unfortunately, she was only delayed, not deterred.

  "So?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and peering up at him. The blue eyes that both he and Lexie had inherited were piercing, demanding an answer from him.

  Jake groaned as his father laughed again and then abandoned Jake, making his way back to his chair and whatever show he was currently watching. Okay, so Jake's mother wasn't perfect.

  "No, I'm not seeing anyone," he said, deliberately pushing the memory of raven hair and luscious curves out of his mind. There was no way his mom would understand the idea of 'fuck buddies,' and even if she did, it wasn't an appropriate topic to talk about with his mother. "Isn't the fact that one of us is getting married enough for you?"

  She harrumphed, giving him one of her patented motherly looks as she turned away, heading back toward the kitchen. Whatever she was making smelled amazing. Any other time Jake would join her in there, because he found cooking to be relaxing, but considering her current line of inquiry... He made his way over to sit in the armchair opposite his dad instead.

  "Doing all right?" his dad asked as Jake sat down.

  "Yeah. I'm good."

  "Like your new job?"

  Jake had started working with Olivia's boyfriend a few weeks ago. Luke owned LD Construction and Remodeling. It was hands-on and keeping him physically active, which he appreciated. He liked his co-workers and the teamwork, as well as the fact that the job was at least a little bit different every day. Initially, Jake had been trying to find an office job through Adam’s temp company, but this suited him better.

  "Definitely," he said, and he could hear the satisfaction lacing his voice. He'd felt pretty aimless his first few weeks of civilian life but having a regular schedule and responsibilities had grounded him.

  “Good, good.”

  Having apparently exhausted his interest in conversation, Jake’s dad settled back in his chair and they watched the golf game in companionable silence until Patrick and Lexie arrived.

  ******

  “Oh, hell no,” Sharon said, shaking her head emphatically. She yanked the bridal magazine away from Kate. “You are absolutely not putting me in that.”

  Kate cackled, looking across the coffee table at Andrew, who was watching both of them with amusement. Even though he had no opinion on the bridesmaid dresses, he seemed to like just being around for all the aspects of wedding planning. Sharon thought it was adorable.

  “I told you she’d hate it,” Kate said, still laughing.

  “What’s wrong with it?” he asked patiently. The man had an abundance of patience, which was a real virtue among their group of friends. Especially since when Sharon and Kate got together they were loud. Andrew always took it in stride.

  Sharon rolled her eyes. “Look, I get that this might be hard to understand when you’re marrying real-life-Barbie, but not all women look good in all clothes.”

  “Hey, I don’t look good in everything,” Kate protested. Sharon raised an eyebrow at her bestie, who really did look like a Barbie doll. She was tall, slim with big boobs and rounded hips, and had long white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The California tan had faded since they’d moved to Maryland, but it would be back in the summer.

  By contrast, Sharon looked like the Italian princessa that she sometimes liked to pretend she was. Short, curvy, thick black hair, black eyes, and olive-toned skin. Although she’d paled quite a bit since they’d moved to the East Coast too. She was Snow White to Kate’s Cinderella... At least she didn’t usually feel like one of the dwarves.

  She might if she had to wear the dress Kate had just shown her though.

  “Ruffles – especially tiers of ruffles – do not work on short, curvy ladies,” Sharon informed Andrew, ignoring Kate’s ridiculous statement. If there was something Kate didn’t look good in, they hadn’t found it yet. The closest it ever came was that she didn’t look as good in some things as she did in others. Lucky bitch. “I would look like a cupcake.”

  “Huh.” Apparently, Andrew didn’t have an answer for that – which was just as well.

  “I wasn’t really going to put you in that,” Kate said, giggling and tugging the magazine away from Sharon’s fingers. “I just wanted to see your expression.”

  "Bitch."

  "Ho."

  "Ladies," Andrew said firmly, cutting into what could have easily descended into
an insult war. He'd been around them often enough to know exactly how fast they could get going. Sometimes it amused him, sometimes it exasperated him. Today it looked like it was going to be the latter.

  Sharon stuck her tongue out at Kate.

  "I saw that," Andrew said sternly, wagging his finger at her.

  "And if I actually thought you'd do something about it, I would be worried," she bratted back at him.

  "You need a play session," Kate said, laughing as Andrew narrowed his dark eyes threateningly. 'When are you at Stronghold next?"

  "I don't know... Probably this weekend," Sharon said, although she had to admit to herself that a play session didn't sound nearly as interesting now that she had a seriously hot fuck buddy.

  "Ooo, who are you thinking about?" Kate asked, leaning forward. The woman could be like a bloodhound on a scent.

  "Brian," Sharon lied immediately, naming the Dom she'd dated for several months last year. She knew better than to claim 'no one.' Lying was an art, and one she was damn good at. She'd gotten lots of practice when she was younger. "I still need to ask if he'll be my date to my cousin's wedding."

  The wedding was coming up in a couple of weeks, as her parents had reminded her at Christmas. Melinda didn't care if Sharon didn't give her a name ahead of time, or if Sharon even showed up alone despite RSVPing as bringing a date, but Sharon's parents would. Her choices had been to either find a date or deal with her parents on her own all weekend.

  She'd figured finding a date would be better. Then they could cast their disapproval on her and whoever she brought, instead of just focusing on her. Plus, as long as she brought a date they'd refrain from trying to hook her up with their friends' sons for the evening. Last time she'd attended a gathering with them, there had been a mortifying moment when she'd realized her mom was trying to hook her up with a friend's daughter. While she'd appreciated that her mom would have been supportive if she was gay, trying to explain that she wasn't to the woman she'd just been paired up with without insulting her had been embarrassing.