Just Friends: NA Romance (Bending the Rules Book 3)

by A. M. Wray

  Chapter Seven

  Andi

  I’d just finished in the shower when I heard my front door open and close. There were only two people that had a key to my house. Elizabeth and Alex, and Elizabeth was too far away. I had my towel in hand, having just squeezed the excess water out of my hair, though I still had tiny droplets all over my body. I checked myself in the mirror, my medium colored hair looked almost black from the dampness. It was a mess, but it looked good. Sexy. I pulled my lower lip between my teeth, biting down a bit as I felt a rebellious streak flow through me.

  Dropping the towel, I walked out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. I was almost to the closed door when it opened. Alex stood there, his face immediately glazing over as he hungrily looked me up and down. Watching him look at me like that made my own arousal spike, my belly filling with butterflies.

  Alex flung the door shut, the loud sound startling me, but the look on his face keeping me rooted. He crossed the room in almost no time, his hands gripping my hips and pulling me to him as he kissed me hard. I moaned against his lips and he gently threw me back on the bed.

  “I’ve had a very hard day,” he said, pulling off his shirt.

  “Oh? You should let me take care of you!” I said. At that moment, I felt terrible that I approached him like that instead of giving him the opportunity to tell me about his day.

  “I have my own ideas for relieving my stress,” he said, voice low, sexy. Then again… Maybe he didn’t mind that I didn’t give him a chance to talk about his day.

  Alex knelt at the edge of the bed before pulling me toward him, my backside almost hanging off the bed. There was a sharp intake of breath as I realized what he was about to do. I cried out as I felt his lips on the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. It felt wrong to revel in his bad day, but it also felt so right. He was furious in his efforts, every move making me grip the sheets tighter and tighter. He was more than I’d hoped for.

  He’d satisfied me once, but that didn’t seem to be enough for him. I’d tried to sit up, ready to strip him of the rest of his clothes, but he pulled me closer, which forced me back down on my back as he started all over again.

  It was once, twice, three times before he let me go. My freshly showered body covered in a thin sheen of sweat, chest heaving with every breath. We hadn’t really even started, yet, and he’d exhausted me. It was slow, but I managed to sit up, breathing still difficult.

  “Wow,” I forced out.

  He smiled. “I’m going to take a shower and clean this terrible day off me. Then, I’m coming back for you.”

  I bit my lip again. “Can I join you?”

  “You were very wet and sexy when I walked in. Why do you think you got attacked?”

  I smiled. “I want another one. I want you. Please.”

  He stood, lowering his mouth to my ear. “Hearing you say please like that… Mmm. Come with me. Who am I to deny such beauty?”

  How was it possible to still want him so badly after all that?

  I didn’t care. I didn’t need answers. He stood and I followed.

  ~ ~ ~

  My eyes fluttered open, darkness still surrounding me. I rolled over, feeling someone lying next to me. He must have passed out, too. He’d been exhausted when he got to my house. It must have been terrible by the time we’d finished. I rolled again, trying to get on my stomach. The shaking of the bed on the second roll was enough to wake him.

  “Hmm? I’m up. I’m up,” he mumbled. He was trying to throw back the blankets. “I’m leaving. Sorry, I passed the hell out. I’m so sorry.”

  There was no way he’d be able to drive in that condition. I grabbed hold of his arm.

  “No,” I said. “Don’t go. It’s fine, really. I don’t want you to drive like this. I’m worried you won’t make it home. Don’t forget what caused that awful crash the other day. Someone fell asleep at the wheel.”

  “You’re sure?” he asked.

  “I’m very sure. Lie down. You’re not going anywhere. You can make it up to me later,” I answered.

  “You’ve got yourself a deal,” he said. “Again – I am so sorry.”

  I patted his arm. “Don’t worry about it. Just get some sleep.”

  “Thank… you,” he said. It sounded as though he nearly fell asleep between words. “It was a very long day. Tomorrow won’t be any better.”

  “Why is that?” I asked. “You never told me what happened today.”

  He sighed. “I was actually dreading it a bit.”

  “Oh? Why would you dread it?”

  “Shortly after I got off the phone with you, we got a call in. It was a domestic violence call. Joey and I were the first there, but backup shortly followed. When Joey originally told me about the call, the address sounded so familiar, but I couldn’t place it. It wasn’t until we were almost there that it hit me. It was my ex-girlfriend Sara’s apartment complex.”

  “Sara? The one that got caught up with the drugs?” I propped myself up on my elbows, turning my face in his direction, though I couldn’t really see him in the darkness.

  “The very one,” he said. “When I got there… It was a mess. Glass all over the place. She was cut up, bruised up. It was horrific. It was everything that nightmares are made of. It took everything I had not to just pull the gun from my hip and shoot him. It wasn’t because it was Sara. It was because he had that little respect for women. I will never understand why men brutalize women like that.”

  The bed shifted as he sat up a bit, adjusting the pillows under him so he wasn’t lying flat, but not quite sitting either.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. “You weren’t joking. That really is rough. Why were you so worried to tell me?”

  “It’s not that I was worried. I would never withhold anything from you. I just knew that you knew what happened between she and I, and I didn’t want you to worry. She had nowhere to go. No family will have her because of everything she went through. No real friends because he’d forced her to get rid of them. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  I exhaled, a sympathetic smile forming. I touched his arm, following it down as I searched for his hand.

  “Is she at your place, then?” I asked.

  There was a pause. “Yes. I hope you’re not upset. I just didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t stand the thought of her not having a place to stay when she was that vulnerable. They set her nose and dislocated shoulder in the ER. She was lucky that her injuries were easily fixed. She only needed stitches on a couple of her wounds. The rest could be closed with medical glue or cleaned and covered. I took her home with me. I bought her some clothes and pajamas and helped her water proof her cast, so she could get a shower. She was covered in dirt and blood. That place was a filthy mess.”

  “Alex, please don’t worry about me. You did what you felt like you had to. I have no claim over you. I told you that before. I just appreciate your honesty. I know it’s nothing like that, but it still makes me feel good that you’re so honest. She needed the help. If you hadn’t taken her in, she could have been hurt way worse. Don’t worry about me, okay?”

  “If you say so. Thank you for understanding. It’s just been a long day, and I’m not sure how to feel about anything.”

  “I’ll go get you something to drink. Get a drink and go to sleep. Try not to think about the day today or housing her. Tonight, you’re with me. Tonight, none of that is an issue.”

  I heard a long, deep sigh. “I love the way that sounds. Thank you, Andi.”

  As mentioned, I went to the kitchen and grabbed him something to drink. By the time I got back, he was already asleep. I sat it on the bedside table and covered him up. He looked so sweet when he was asleep. He’d been so worried a moment ago, but knowing that I was supportive of him and that he was here with me and not at home made him feel safe and comfortable enough to pass back out.

  I wasn’t sure what to make of the way my heart stirred as I watched him. I felt strange standing there like a creeper, but I felt t
he tug of something familiar, but long missing. Something I didn’t think I was capable of anymore. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. Whatever it was, and I refused to admit it to myself, I didn’t need to be thinking of it right then.

  Damn it. The main rule had only been broken once, and I was already regretting it. Or had it been the sex? Sex did have a way of bringing hidden emotions to the surface… Even if it had only been once and especially with mind-blowing sex like that had been.

  I slid into bed, careful not to jostle it too much. I pulled the blanket up to my still naked shoulders and closed my eyes. As heavy as they were, I knew unconsciousness would soon be there to find me.

  Chapter Eight

  Almost two weeks had passed and things had been going very well. I couldn’t be happier. After that night, once I’d felt the stirrings of the “feels”, I told him no more sleeping over. He’d asked if everything was okay, if I was mad at him. How could I be? It was my decision to have him sleep over. I’d been so worried about him getting into an accident that I couldn’t imagine him leaving. Still, it didn’t make my discomfort any less. I truly hated being so sensitive to all of that.

  Other than the momentary emotional discomfort, Alex and I had been having a lot of fun. He was quite an animal. There was no limit to his sex drive. Any time I wanted it, he was ready for it. We’d gone to the movies and there had been a sex scene that was particularly sexy. Before it was over, his hands were creeping up my thighs. We snuck away and had sex in the parking lot before going back in to finish the movie.

  I’d never been the adventurous type when it came to sex, but he was hard to say no to. We hung out with his friends again last Sunday night. We went to Jack’s again. It had become quite a ritual. We were having fun and cheering along with everyone else in the bar while watching the game on the many big screen TVs. I’d gone to get drinks, but Alex followed me up. Before I could even order, he pulled me away from the bar, dragged me into the men’s room, locked the door and pushed me flush against it. It was so unexpected. So, new. So, fun.

  We’d had so much fun with one another that it was getting harder and harder to fathom losing him. He’d become even more of a fixture in my life. I knew what was happening, but I didn’t care. I hadn’t yet admitted it out loud, as I’d been trying to convince myself that it was just the lack of desire to lose such amazing sex, but I knew the truth.

  More and more I’d found myself wanting him to come over and snuggle on the couch with me. To stay over, though I’d resisted. To have dinner with me. I wanted to spend more and more time with him. He’d naturally been moving in that direction as well, but I’d done well keeping an arm’s length. Slow and steady. It was going well so far. I was having fun, so was he. There wasn’t any reason to mess with a good thing. Whatever happens, happens, I said.

  It took longer than usual to get to work that morning. On my commute, I heard my phone ding, but I was unable to answer. It was after report that I was finally able to quick-check it, but I still didn’t have time to respond, which was truly unfortunate. It was unfortunate because it was a rather strange message that needed responding to.

  Last night was amazing. Thank you. I don’t know when we can again, but I need to touch you again.

  My brows furrowed. All that was extremely normal except for the fact that Alex and I weren’t together the night before. Not at all. In fact, he’d told me that he was too tired to come over. Which was fine. I was actually pretty exhausted, myself. I just figured we could take the day’s frustrations out on one another. He was just too tired, and I understood. That text though…

  When Elizabeth had talked to me about Kevin long ago, my first instinct was to believe that he was cheating. Always. Any of the girls at work that told me about weird things that their significant others did, again, I believed that they were cheating. I couldn’t break away from my distrust, which was the biggest reason why I didn’t want to get romantically involved with Alex. I trusted him implicitly as my friend, but I had no idea how that would transfer over as a significant other.

  I found it odd that a text from Alex like that one didn’t ring any bells for me. Either I was very comfortable with him and truly believed that he would tell me if he was seeing someone else as well, or I was just convinced that there was another explanation. Either way, I didn’t feel angry or suspicious. Curious seemed to be a much better explanation for the way that I felt.

  It took almost all day for me to finally get a chance to text him back. I didn’t want to come off accusing because that wasn’t how I felt. Truth and honesty was the biggest part of our arrangement, so I just wanted to make sure that I knew what was going on. It was true that I’d gotten a bit more attached to him than I liked, but I was still able to focus through it. I still knew the rules that we had set were there.

  I hadn’t confessed my budding emotions, mostly because I just wasn’t ready to. I wasn’t ready to commit to anything. I still needed some time to process before he knew. So, if he’d decided to see anyone else, that wasn’t against any rules. I knew that, so there wasn’t any point to getting upset, but I could still ask questions. That was within my right. I needed to protect myself. As soon as I got a moment, I responded.

  Hey! Did you mean to send that message to me? :)

  I’m sorry to be nosy. I’m not upset, so please don’t think that. I just wanted to be honest with one another. If you’re seeing someone else, that’s fine! I just wanted to make sure I knew what was going on. Safety and all.

  I sent the message and hoped that it wouldn’t come off the wrong way. I didn’t want him to think I was being condescending or accusing, but I had all the right in the world to make sure that my health wasn’t being risked. It only took about ten minutes for him to reply, and I was lucky that I was between patients because the reply came in the form of a phone call.

  “Heya,” I said.

  “Hey! I’m really confused. What are you talking about? What text? The only one that I have is me telling you goodnight. That was from last night.”

  That was curious. “Well, I got a text from your number thanking me for last night. Something about needing to touch me again, but we weren’t together last night. Hmm. Maybe it was a delayed text? It’s probably something you sent a while back that just didn’t send. It happens.”

  “I’m not sure, babe. I’m really sorry, though. I hate that it made you suspect something bad. I never want you to feel that way with me. I made a promise to you that I’d tell you if anything like that happened. There isn’t a risk of that happening, but I still made that promise. I intend to keep it,” he said.

  “Oh, I know that. Like I said, I wasn’t upset at all. We made the rules and everything, and I told you that I wouldn’t stop you from dating someone else. It’s wrong of me to do that, since I’ve made no claim to you. We aren’t officially together. It’s not fair for me to make demands of you. All I asked was honesty if you did start to date anyone or sleep with anyone else. That was strictly for safety purposes. I believe you. Actually, when I read it, I never even had any doubt. It was weird. Definitely a strange feeling for me to have that much trust in someone. Apparently, I trust you way more than even I thought.”

  He laughed. “That’s a good thing! I like you trusting me. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, Andi. Never. I hope you know that.”

  It was my turn to smile then. “I know it. I just wanted to check with you. Thank you for talking to me about it!”

  “Not a problem. Just send me a screenshot. I want to see the exact wording, so I can look up through my texts and find it. Honestly, I don’t remember sending anything like that, but I’ll look.”

  A call light went off, and I had to excuse myself from the call. I answered the light and sent him a screenshot as promised. A couple of hours later Alex texted me back to tell me that he’d never sent any such thing. He’d looked all the way back to the day we began playing around, but found nothing of the sort. That was certainly strange. If it wasn’t a delaye
d text, and he didn’t accidentally send it, there was only one other option.

  Is it possible that Sara sent that message to me from your phone? How has she been? Is she that type of person? We haven’t really talked to much about her since she moved in, mostly because you’ve been spending so much time with me. Is that possible?

  It was the only thing that I could think of. It made sense. He’d later told me that she mentioned being sorry for everything that she did to him. But was she really vindictive enough to destroy something that he had just to potentially get him back? It would be easy to catch her, so why would she risk losing the only thing she had going for her? Why would she risk losing a good friend and a clean, safe place to stay with a cop that would protect her if anyone came looking for her?

  I know that it’s easy to think that, especially when you don’t know her, but you don’t know her like I do. It wasn’t her, trust me. She isn’t like that. Besides, my phone was by me all night and this morning. I slept in late before work. She couldn’t have gotten my phone. I know that you don’t know her very well, but I’m actually impressed with everything she’s done to turn herself around. I guess she just needed someone to give her a chance.

  Mmhmm… I was already annoyed with the conversation. He was very defensive about her, given that he’d told me how much she used to lie. My phone vibrated as another text rolled in.

  In the last two weeks, she’s secured a job working from home. She’s an assistant for someone. She’s also signed up for school. She started today, actually. It was very short notice, but I sat with her for a while and helped her with her admissions work and FAFSA. We got it done. She’s going for nursing. This first semester she’s taking all of her prerequisites online. It’s really great! I’m proud of her! You should be, too. You know how hard all that stuff is, especially given where she’s coming from. Pretty impressive.