Between Friends

by Sandra Marie

  She studied him, her eyes searching and searching, something like disbelief or uncertainty crossing her expression. She licked her lips and dropped her gaze, using her free hand to outline the design. Her nail traced the stars in the night sky, stopping on each different color. The pad of her thumb ran across the piles of snow collected on the bottom half of the picture he’d painted. In the middle, her palm gently covered a dancing couple silhouette—the part he wanted forever over his heart.

  “Did that night… Did it mean as much to you as it did to me?”

  Was she kidding? He shook his head, setting a finger on her chin and coaxing her too look at him. “It wasn’t just that night,” he said. “It was all of them. Every single one that’s been with you.”

  A slow smile turned her lips, a spark in her eyes igniting. Her fist connected with his arm, and he jerked back in surprise.

  “Took you long enough,” she teased, and he rubbed his arm and laughed.

  “You were blind to it, too.”

  “I clued in way before you.”

  “Well… that’s usually what happens.” He took her face into his palms, and a giggle giggle snort floated out her mouth. “Why are you laughing?”

  “I’m happy.”

  “That is the worst laugh.”

  “You shut up, or no kissing for you.”

  He went in for one, but she turned, giving him nothing but cheek. He dove in again, and she gave him the other cheek. Laughter spilled from them both, and she snorted and giggled and made him fall in love over and over again.

  Finally he caught her lips, and their smiles faded into an urgent desire to get closer. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his t-shirt, pulling him till their stomachs were pressed tight. His thumbs caressed her jaw and coaxed her mouth open wider, and time was forgotten. Life was here in this kiss, and he was ready to spend every minute inside it.

  “God, I love you,” he said, his voice a breathy whisper against her lips.

  “I love God, too.”

  “God’s the best.” He shook his head, a grin tilting his lips as he pressed another kiss to her mouth. “But you’re a close second.”

  She pinched his side, then slithered her hands around him. They wriggled their noses against each other. “For the record,” she said, “I’ve kinda loved you forever.”

  “For the record,” he repeated, “so have I.”

  A happy light brightened the color of her eyes. He rested his forehead against hers, grateful he had the chance to look at those eyes for as long as he wanted to.

  “Let’s do something stupid,” she said, a wicked smile forming.

  “You’re not gonna tattoo me?”

  “After.” She pulled at his shirt, and his breath took off like a rocket. “I’d rather not avoid touching your chest during this.”

  “Ah, hell yeah.” He put enough space between them to rip his shirt off and toss it to the floor, then he took her hand and led her to the back. If they were gonna do something stupid together, the whole street didn’t have to see.

  Rae squirmed in the bed sheets, trapped between a naked boyfriend and a naked cat. She blew out a sigh, waving her sex-ridden hair, and stared at the ceiling.

  “Hey you.” She prodded at Tommy, jamming a finger into his very tickling side. He jerked away from her with a groan.

  “Shh… Sleeping.”

  “Get up. I gotta pee.”

  “What’s wrong with getting out of your side of the bed?”

  “There’s a cat there.”

  “Move him.”

  Rae shifted the slightest bit toward George. The grumpy cat let out a growl that rumbled the entire bed and refused to move.

  “Yeah, that’s gonna be a no.”

  Tommy let out a long sigh, rolling until he flumped onto her floor. She hurried out of the bed, hopping over him and bee-lining it toward the bathroom.

  “The things I do for you!” he called after her. She picked up his boxer shorts and tossed them, her aim awesome as they landed on his head.

  It’d been a great week. Nothing but work and fun and naked times, and Tommy had come up with a new nickname for her—bed buddy—which she made him swear not to use around her family. That was a sure-fire way to earn him time-out.

  Rae finally felt like her life was moving into that next stage, and Tommy was going to be with her through all of it.

  She washed her hands and skipped back to her room where Tommy was unfortunately dressing, covering that glorious body of his.

  “No more naked time?”

  “I need sustenance,” he said with a lift of his mouth. “Got anything good?”

  “Condiments.” She snorted, thinking of her bare fridge. “And baking soda.”

  “Yum.” He zipped his pants, crossed the room, and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “How about Taylor food?”

  She pouted. “I guess.” It was a shame she’d have to get dressed. She really liked naked time.

  Her fingers traced over his chest, the tattoo she’d given him still healing. As she dragged her nail across the outline of the dancing couple, he did the same to her. She’d requested the design after they’d first made love in the back of the tattoo shop, and he seemed a little too eager to be tattooing her chest.

  A playful grin snuck on his face, and he squeezed her boob. She shoved him away and picked up her scattered clothes he’d ripped off a few hours ago.

  “You know,” he said, pulling on his t-shirt, “if we were at my place, we’d get to your parents’ house sooner.”

  “Are you finally learning directions?”

  “Just saying… maybe you should live closer to your folks.”

  She froze midway through tugging her jeans up. “You want me to live with you?”

  He lifted a shoulder, not meeting her eyes. “Can’t pass up the opportunity to live closer to free food, right?”

  Her head tilted, and she suppressed a smile. Was he joking? Or did he really want to live together?

  Rae slowly pulled on her jeans, slipping them over her hips. They’d only been dating for a week, but they’d been Rae and Tommy for a lifetime already. There’d been so many nights they’d crashed at each other’s places, and Tommy had a designated cushion in her living room, Rae had a shelf of food in his fridge… It would be easy to move in, but she still wasn’t sure.

  “I don’t know…” she said after a minute. “I’ve already got one grumpy roommate.” She bobbed her head at the snoozing cat now sprawled out over the empty bed.

  “I think there’s room for the both of ya.” Tommy met her gaze, tucking his phone into his pocket. He crossed the room and put his hands on her cheeks. She loved that she could be completely topless, and he still looked right into her eyes. “There’s no pressure, bed buddy. But I kinda love having you around.”

  She bit away a smile. “I’m kinda the best.”

  “Exactly.” He pressed a soft kiss to each corner of her lips, her chin, and the tip of her nose. “Will you think about it?”

  She raised her hands, holding onto his strong arms as he held her. She could totally live with him, wake up to that stupid handsome face every morning, fight over the remote, make out and cuddle on the couch, come home together after work…

  But she had to do it slowly. There was still so much to look forward to in their relationship, and she didn’t want to rush it.

  “How about this… I move one thing in today.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Just one?”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  “Can it be you?” he joked. She pinched his elbow.

  “I’ll move things in one at a time until it’s all at your place.”

  “Do you know how many things you have?” He dropped her cheeks and threw his arms out. “It’s gonna take years.”

  She stuck her tongue out. “Be happy for the peace of mind that I want to stick with you for that long.”

  His long fingers found her sides and he tickle tortured her till she fell flat on the bed, waking
George. The furball hissed and jumped off the mattress with a heavy thud, then padded his way to most likely the couch.

  When she raised the white flag, Tommy rested next to her, turning his tickles into long strokes across her stomach. A moan seeped out and her eyes rolled back.

  “What’ll you move in first?” he asked.

  “Hmm…” She thought about the things in her bedroom—the body pillow she’d used as a cuddle buddy before Tommy started sleeping in her bed, her favorite pair of slippers she kept in her closet, or the box of designs she kept just for herself that rested in the top drawer of her dresser.

  None of those felt symbolic for them, though.

  Tommy’s warm breath hit her neck, and his lips pressed against her bare shoulder. That perma-grin she’d had since he’d told her he loved her widened.

  “Your cushion,” she said after a minute.

  “Huh?”

  She turned to face him, wiggling her nose against his. “I’m moving your couch cushion into your place today.”

  He furrowed his brow. “Where am I gonna sit when we Netflix and chill?”

  “Guess we’ll just have to spend more time at your place.”

  His brown eyes brightened, and she loved that look—the look of adventure. She loved that he used that look on her.

  He settled his head into his palm, gazing into her eyes with a satisfied smile on his lips. “Can we do something stupid?”

  “What’s more stupid than falling in love?”

  A silent laugh shook his body. “Skydiving.”

  Of course. She shook her head in amusement, eyes skating over his features. He was kidding, like always, but she had promised him once upon a time, and after tattooing the skydiver on someone not Tommy, she ached to put that ink on its rightful owner.

  “Okay.”

  His smile faded. “What?”

  “Okay.” She turned on her side, snuggling into his warmth. “Let’s go skydiving.”

  His hands fell to her bare back, and she bit away a grin at how shaky they were. She’d actually thrown him off his game. “You for real?”

  “Yes.” She snorted and gazed into his eyes. “You’ve wanted to do it forever.”

  Excitement sparkled across his features, and he pushed up off the bed. “Right now? We can go right now?”

  She sat up, nerves rolling in her gut, but his excitement was more powerful. “After you get your sustenance, yes.”

  He leaned down, holding her cheeks and giving her a whopper of a kiss. She laughed around his eager lips, holding onto the fabric of his t-shirt. Her heart thudded at the joy emanating from the man she loved, and she vowed to herself to go on every adventure with him, no matter how big or small or scary.

  “I love you,” he said breathlessly as they broke apart. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

  “You’d better,” she teased, pushing on his chest so she could stand. “Now let me get dressed.”

  He shook his head, stepping back enough to rip his shirt off again. A squeal escaped her as he tackled her to the bed and kissed her into oblivion. Sustenance or not, they were going to have a little more naked time before their next big adventure.

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  Lauren kicked off her shoes and plopped on her bed, reaching under her pillow and pulling out the latest book she’d been reading. It was a historical romance where the heroine ran away from home to avoid an unwanted marriage only to be swept up into a love affair with a pirate. It was exhilarating and by far more romantic than anything that Lauren had ever experienced in her own life.

  It was why her relationship with Dylan didn’t last. He simply failed in comparison to the heroes in her books. She knew that she couldn’t hold men to such ridiculous standards, but why the hell not? He complained she always had her nose in between the pages of a book yet he never did anything interesting enough that made her want to put the book down. Besides, he wasn’t one to talk. He had his eyes glued to his cell phone, entirely obsessed with scrolling through social media and playing some stupid casino game. At least Lauren got to experience adventure every time she turned her attention to her book instead of losing fake money.

  Though, the breakup still stung. It was just another failure on her list. Another reminder that the great love affair she always dreamed of, would never happen. And Dylan was a good guy, someone she saw a future with. Looking back, she wondered if that was more out of convenience than anything else.

  She wanted to love him, but it just never happened. She was beginning to think that whole thing about butterflies in the stomach, heat coursing through her body and an overwhelming desire to be close to someone, was nothing more than pure fiction.

  “Abigail, I will just have to live vicariously through you now,” she said, to the cover model on her book before flipping to the page that held her bookmark.

  She snuggled under her throw blanket and rested against her pillows. At the end of the day, this was the only place Lauren wanted to be. She placed the bookmark on her nightstand and dove into the story. A few minutes later there was a subtle knock on her bedroom door.

  Lauren looked up from the book just as Abigail fell into the arms of her pirate and spotted Ginny, her old roommate, awkwardly waving from the doorway. She had moved out only a few weeks ago, to live with her boyfriend across the street. Lauren told her to keep the key since even though she no longer claimed this place as her residence, it would always be her home. At least as long as Lauren continued to rent a room in the shared home.

  “Hey, Gin,” Lauren said, putting the book down and sitting up. “What’s going on?”

  Ginny rested her hand against her thigh, dog hair evident on black tights. “Lily May invited us all to meet up and you should come.” Lauren smiled at the ease in Ginny’s speech. For so long, Ginny stuttered, not having the confidence to speak. Once they became close, it wasn’t as noticeable, but there were still times when she’d get stuck on a word. Now she looked at Lauren as she spoke, not darting her eyes to the floor. Confidence looked good on her or maybe it was just the high of being head over heels in love. Not that Lauren would know. She only had her characters to go by. But ever sine Ginny opened her heart to the boy next door she was happier almost lighter. “It’ll be fun,” Ginny added.

  As the only single friend in the group, Lauren highly doubted that. “I’m going to stay in and read.” Abigail and her sexy pirate were the only company Lauren needed tonight.

  “I think going out would be good for you.” Ginny shrugged, tucking a newly dyed green streaked strand behind her ear. “You could use a little fun after…”

  After Dylan dumped her and told her she was boring. “I appreciate the invite, but I’m fine. Really. You go and have a great time. You can even leave Cocoa here with me.” Lauren volunteered since she knew Ginny hated leaving her beloved pup alone, even if it did have two hyper companions in the appropriately named Batman and Robin, but really, Lauren wouldn’t mind a little fuzzy company.

  The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the house. Steven, Ginny’s boyfriend, breezed in, crossing the threshold without a knock.

  “We going?” he asked. “I corralled all the dogs in the kitchen and fed them then slipped out the back. Batman spotted me and almost made a break for it but luckily he was more interested in his kibble.”

  “Lauren doesn’t want to go,” Ginny said.

  Steven cocked an eyebrow and stared Lauren down. Ginny would have been easy to get rid of, but Steven was a completely different story. Proving his character, he plucked the book right out of Lauren’s hand.

  “Hey give that back.”

  He tucked the book into the inside of his jacket. “I will tonight when we get home.”

  “That’s a dirty play,” she said.

  “Desperate times calls for desperate measures.”

  “It is not desperate times.”

  “
Since you and Dylan broke up, you go to work and come home. You’re going to be permanently imprinted in that mattress soon.”

  “Am not,” she said. And it’s not like she went out much when she was with Dylan. Okay maybe she did leave the house a little more often, but sheesh she just broke up with the guy, couldn’t she have a week of moping? “Besides I go to book club still.”

  “Book club that is held right there in your living room. Another room in the house does not count.”

  “Well it should.”

  “Come for one drink and if after one drink you’re not feeling it, I’ll get you an Uber and you can come back here and read until your heart’s content.”

  “I’d rather just do that now.”

  “You’re killing me!” Steven exclaimed.

  “Let’s just leave her be,” Ginny said.

  Steven let out a sigh. “Fine.”

  “See you later,” Ginny said and with a sympathetic wave followed Steven out the door.

  Grateful Steven didn’t sit there until she agreed, she repositioned herself and reached for her book. Only problem was it wasn’t there.

  “Steven!”

  She heard a loud laugh from across the house then heard. “You have five minutes to get dressed.”

  So much for a nice night of living vicariously through Abigail. If she wanted to find out if the heroine would ever tell her sexy pirate the truth about where she came from, Lauren had no choice. She was going out whether she wanted to or not.

  The extent of Lauren getting dressed was slipping back into her shoes. She didn’t even bother to look in a mirror to see if her eye makeup had lasted through the day or if her hair needed a good brush through. If she was a little less self-conscious, she would have changed into a pair of cozy pajamas and slippers. Unfortunately, the no mirror thing was the extent of her going out when she didn’t want to protest.

  Her dress had wrinkles in it from curling up in bed and her black tights had shifted awkwardly giving her a permanent wedgie. She did a bit of a weebling to get those suckers to get back in alignment before walking out the front door and slipping into the backseat of Steven’s car.