by Amber Lynn
Sarah walked over to them and opened the one with her exercise clothes. She quickly pulled out a pair of sweats and a somewhat baggy t-shirt. A second knock on the door pushed her to hurriedly pull the clothes on, not bothering with a bra or underwear.
“Just a second,” she yelled to make sure the knocking didn’t get louder or more frequent.
Not bothering to stop in the bathroom to look in the mirror and tone down what was sure to be a mess of makeup and hair going every direction, she stumbled out into the living area. The wood floors were bare except for her desk and chair tucked into one corner by a window. She needed to get out and do a little shopping to finish making the apartment her own.
Taking a deep breath to set her no sex resolve, she swung the door open. Seeing Reid standing on the other side with a pair of coffees and a small brown paper bag in his hand sent the butterflies a flutter in her stomach, but at the same time had her wanting to slam the door in his face.
The man was in a tight pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt that clung to his chest. Both articles of clothing looked like they were basically painted on his body, and damn if they didn’t look sexy. There was a hint of whimsical laughter in his eyes, but he didn’t outright laugh at the nightmare that greeted him at the door. Sarah was sure he wouldn’t consider her appearance a nightmare, but she did.
“Crap.”
“I know I should’ve called first, but my morning skate just got over and I thought I’d drop by to see if you need any help running a certain someone off.”
Sarah opened the door wider and held out her arm to usher her guest in. She watched his face as he got a good look around the bare apartment, before she shut the door behind him. He showed no signs of being shocked about the barren space.
“I wasn’t saying crap because you’re here. I dressed this way because I figured you’d be someone else and I didn’t want to look remotely sexy.”
Reid glanced back at Sarah and raised his left eyebrow. There was a smoky hint to his blue eyes that told her without him saying it that he apparently liked the just rolled out of bed look.
“A little advice on the subject, if you don’t want someone to think about throwing you on a bed and having wild sex, it’s probably best if it doesn’t look like you just came from there.”
“Good advice. Next time I hear someone at the door this early, I’ll make sure I jump in the shower and get ready for the day.”
“Good idea,” Reid said as he took a step forward and leaned down to brush a quick kiss across Sarah’s lips. “I take it the ex didn’t find his way into your bed last night.”
The minty flavor that seemed to be attached to Reid’s lips reminded Sarah that her morning breath wasn’t doing her any favors. She bit her lip as she considered asking Reid to hang tight while she went and put herself together.
“I’m a little surprised my phone didn’t blow up, but I am happy to report that he did not make a guest appearance in my bed last night and I stayed far away from his. What about you? Did you find any fangirls who gave you an offer you couldn’t refuse after you dropped me off?”
Reid laughed as he turned and walked towards the kitchen. Placing his bounty on the counter, he leaned against it and looked back at Sarah.
“Yeah, no,” he said, shaking his head. “Before I went home and tucked myself in bed, I stopped by an all-night pharmacy and bought three boxes of condoms because I was warned there may be a time in my future they’ll come in handy.”
Sarah laughed and covered her eyes for a second to hide the instant heat she felt running through her body. He hadn’t mentioned how many condoms were in a box, but three boxes were probably a healthy supply.
“I should’ve mentioned that I am on birth control, not that that negates you needing to use protection, but I didn’t want you to think there was a chance we’d find out down the road that I was carrying his kid.”
It felt a little awkward having to say the words, but Sarah thought it was important that he knew her slutty behavior did have a limit. After the first time of not being fully aware of how quickly things were happening with Aaron, she’d made sure the subsequent times all had protection. He had protested, saying that they’d already done it once without and it had felt amazing, but she stood strong. It was pretty much the only time she stood strong during the crazy time they’d spent together.
“So, I won’t lie and say I wasn’t worried there was a chance of a surprise. I mean, you did say that in less than forty-eight hours you’d hooked up with him over a dozen times. I’m not judging a healthy sex life, but a guy has to wonder if there were more consequences than that whole vagina turning inside out thing.”
Sarah wished she had something to throw at him. It was bad enough he showed up looking like sex on a stick. Then he just had to bring up the delirious vagina comment. After how crazy she’d acted, Sarah was surprised he was standing in her apartment at all.
“Well, just so you know, it seems my vagina fears were for not. Everything seems to be right where it’s supposed to be down there.”
Things were tender, but the question of whether things would turn inside out had fled. Talking about those kinds of things with anyone was a new experience for Sarah and she was surprised at how well Reid was going with the flow.
“I suppose that’s cause for some celebration. I brought doughnuts and coffee. I’m not sure you like either of those things, but I didn’t want to come empty handed.”
Smiling, Sarah skipped over to check out what he’d brought. After the failed dinner and spending an hour or so on the ice, they’d grabbed some burgers from a drive-thru and ate them in the parking lot. Sarah was surprised to find Reid didn’t mind the grease in his flashy car, and even with permission to be as messy as possible, she’d been careful not to drop anything and wipe her hands on a napkin instead of the seat.
“You brought me some food. Isn’t that considerate of you, my possibly, in the near future, new boyfriend. It’s a working title,” she said as she shrugged and tried to get to the food behind him.
Reid moved to block her and grabbed her hips. Spreading his legs out a little, he pulled her closer to his body and kissed her forehead. She looked up at him and the butterflies in her stomach seemed to flutter down lower in her body.
“I think,” he started, drawing out the word think, “that if we’re going to a wedding together this weekend, we should do what we can to make the possibly and near future part of that title obsolete. That is, if you still need someone to fill in as a groomsman. We didn’t get to circle back to whether the position needed filled.”
The wedding hadn’t been the first thing on Sarah’s mind, but after dinner, things were clear as far as who she wanted to go with her. That sadly meant they had to work on getting him a tux that matched the rest of the groomsmen and they didn’t have a lot of time to do it.
“The position is all yours, but just because you brought me doughnuts.”
He was still hanging on to her, but her arms were free to snake around him and open the bag. The fact that she couldn’t see in it didn’t stop her from reaching in and grabbing the top doughnut. She needed a sugar fix and she assumed the coffee didn’t have her usually hundred packets of sugar poured into it yet.
“I guess you know my evil plans to get myself out of trouble in the future.”
Sarah had a chance to take a bite of the basic glazed doughnut before Reid’s hand latched onto it and he stole a bite for himself. She narrowed her eyes at him, threatening him with bodily harm without saying so. He didn’t take the doughnut from her, just redirected it to his mouth, so she was able to take another bite and let the sugar dance on her taste buds.
“Okay, but doughnuts only work for the little stuff. So, you said you had morning skate already, do you have any other work commitments today?”
The sooner they got the tux thing figured out, the sooner they could play with the idea of making it official that they were seeing each other. Sarah didn’t expect that to be a
one-day thing, even if it was just words. They still needed to get to know each other and she needed to prove she was reasonable girlfriend material. Being able to not hook up with her ex for one night didn’t really qualify.
“I do have a game tonight, which I was hoping I could convince you to come to. I don’t think they’ll let you on the ice like last night, but there’s a nice cushy suite that families and girlfriends sit in during the game.”
Sarah must have made a face showing how much the idea terrified her, because Reid was quick to continue. Before he did, he pulled her a little closer so for the first time she felt his groin on her body. She prayed that what she felt was him in the mood and the firm bulge wasn’t his resting state size. As big as he was in general size, if it was a resting state, the man’s penis had to go down to the middle of his thigh.
“Knowing your claims of not enjoying situations with new people, I figure it may be awkward, but there will only be about a dozen people there so it’s less interaction than if you were sitting in the stands. And, if you have a friend who could come, that would probably be even better for your anxiety.”
“Is it weird that we’ve been together in person for about four total hours and you already know all of my quirks and issues?”
And yet he wasn’t running for the door. That fact amazed Sarah.
“I’m sure there are more to be found. So, what do you say? You want to watch me play tonight?”
Sarah slowly finished taking the last three bites of her doughnut and considered the question. It was all for show, because she knew her answer was already yes.
“Well, if you’re coming with me to the wedding, we need to talk to May today and see about a tux, so I can ask her at the same time whether she’d go to the game tonight. Plus, it’s probably a good idea for you to meet her sooner rather than later. I haven’t managed to scare you away yet, but there’s a good chance she will.”
The worry on Sarah’s part was more about the possibility that Reid would meet May and forget all about her. The friends had never had a problem with guys coming between them, but Sarah wasn’t sure what May would do when someone who looked like a god walked in the room. Sarah had met quite a few of the other woman’s flings, but she didn’t remember anyone like Reid.
“Has anyone ever told you how expressive your eyes are?”
Reid reached up and smoothed some of Sarah’s red hair out of the way. She still hadn’t taken the time to even run her fingers through it.
“I don’t think anyone has ever mentioned anything specific about them. Most people just wonder if I’m wearing green contacts.”
She wasn’t. Her eyes were good enough that she didn’t need glasses or contacts generally, but she did like to wear reading glasses when she was writing. For some reason, they made her feel smarter.
“Well they are, and as proof of such, I’m guessing you were just worrying about what will happen when I meet this May character you’ve mentioned.”
Sarah looked at him skeptically. Obviously, that had been exactly what she’d been thinking, but she couldn’t believe he’d picked that up from just looking at her eyes.
“And now you’re questioning my words. Why don’t you take that cute scowl of yours into the other room and think about getting ready to go find this May of yours. I’ll do what I can to try to temper down my friend I saw you worrying about a few minutes ago. I tried to keep him under control, but like I mentioned, you look like you want to be thrown on a bed.”
The guy was a mind-reader. That had to be how he knew things all the time. She’d noticed that about him from the very beginning and still wasn’t sure what to think of it.
“I need to take a shower, which will probably take a little while. Are you fine hanging around twiddling your thumbs? I’m not sure if by tempering down you mean putting ice down your pants or relieving pressure, but I guess, make yourself at home?”
Sarah wasn’t sure how to respond, so she covered her bases. The words apparently weren’t appreciated as a hand swatted her bottom. She squealed at the mild sting.
“You say you’re shy and antisocial, but you just offered to let a guy you barely know beat off in your apartment. I know things feel like they’re moving quickly between us, but maybe it’s best if we get a little more familiar before we move to that level.”
“It’s that shyness that makes me say crazy things and wonder whether they came out as weird as they sounded in my head. Anyway, it’s up to you what you want to do, but I’ve only got that chair behind me and a bed for you to sit on.”
She was going to add the toilet was another option to sit on, but she was already giving him a bad impression. He was right about things feeling like they were moving fast, and yet, they sort of felt like they were moving at a snail’s pace. They’d kind of been on two dates and there was a friendly familiarity that had taken her months to develop with Aaron. Even after they moved in together, there was a part of her Sarah held back. There didn’t seem to be the usual filter keeping her crazy thoughts in when it came to Reid.
“How about if I go wait in my car and work on making sure you and your friend won’t have any trouble getting in tonight. I think I just need to leave your name with someone, but I have to double check.”
“I suppose that would make sense. I wouldn’t want to tell May we were going to a hockey game and then not be able to get in. You don’t have to leave, though. It’s probably chilly out and I’ll be at least thirty minutes.”
Reid pulled her body into him again in what seemed like a reminder of how his jeans were snug to his crotch. The swelling she felt hadn’t diminished one bit.
“If I stay in here, I’ll know you’re close by and naked. If we’re lenient, today will be our third date and with your recent relationship still on your mind, I figure it will take us until at least our tenth date to start using the condoms I bought.”
He laughed as he saw Sarah’s eyes widen. It was nice that he was counting it as their third date when the speed dating thing had lasted less than thirty minutes. She just hoped that he was planning on seeing her every day and counting them all as dates. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be willing to keep her hands to herself.
“Have fun in your shower,” Reid said before he leaned down for one of his teasingly quick kisses on her lips. “Make sure you lock the door behind me. I may think a little too hard about you rubbing soap everywhere.”
Sarah wasn’t sure how that was supposed to be an incentive for her locking the door, but after seeing him out, she followed the instructions. Since she hadn’t spoken or seen Aaron, she was more worried about him showing up than Reid deciding to see just how strong their chemistry was.
Chapter Ten
Reid knew from the moment he saw May that she wasn’t someone he would ever form a bond with. He smiled and shook hands with the woman, but instantly felt like he needed to go take a shower or something. Her blue eyes had stripped him down and he felt the urge to hide behind Sarah. Even with her in front of him, he couldn’t get away from the almost angry eyes of her friend.
“You said you had someone to replace Aaron after your little speed dating experiment, but you didn’t mention he looked like my next bed partner. How’d you get him to agree to the groomsman deal? You have to shell out some cash? I’m sure you got your money’s worth, but I talked to Aaron yesterday and he seemed to think you two were getting back together.”
Sarah had mentioned she’d called May to let her know they were coming, but clearly the two hadn’t discussed anything since the speed dating other than Sarah had found a date. Reid hoped that meant they weren’t really close. He knew Sarah was involved in her sister’s wedding, but there was a chance it was just out of some loyalty from years of friendship.
With Sarah in front of him, he couldn’t see her eyes to tell him how she took the words, but he did see her shoulders slump. He sighed and reached out to pull her into him. They should’ve showed up at the clothing store skipping and holding hands to show May w
here the relationship was going between them, but Sarah had insisted it was best that they ease into the news for May.
Wrapping his arms around Sarah, it was the first time he didn’t have to worry about her feeling something poking her from behind his pants. May had successfully made his dick feel like it was crawling into his body.
“Just so you know, I’m not like that jackass as far as cheating on my girlfriend, so any dreams you have about us being bed partners aren’t happening.”
He kissed the top of Sarah’s head. She relaxed into him slightly, but her back was stiff. On the way to the store she’d seemed a little distant and worried. Reid had a feeling it was just hearing May’s reaction to them showing up together that was the cause. At least he hoped there wasn’t another shoe waiting to drop. The hurricane force that seemed to be May and her opinions was enough to make him want to grab Sarah and run.
May laughed a weird chuckle that sounded like it was supposed to be sexy, but much like the sliver of a dress she was crammed in, it didn’t appeal to Reid. If Nico was around, he was sure she’d be able to see some action, but Reid wasn’t buying into the fakeness he felt coming off the woman.
“I’m not sure what Sarah told you you’d need to do to be her date. The girlfriend stuff will be cute at the wedding, but it’s not needed with me. I know all about the plan to just find someone to fill in at the wedding while Sarah and Aaron work things out.”
Reid squeezed Sarah closer to him. He’d never felt the need to hit a woman, but he was worried May would push his limit. He was ready to tell her off, but Sarah beat him to the punch, speaking much softer than he would have.
“I’m not getting back with Aaron.”
The crazy woman across from them put her hands on her hips and actually stomped her foot in protest of Sarah’s words. They were in the middle of a store, waiting for some specific clerk to come from the back to help them, and it looked like May was going to throw a tantrum. How in the world the woman thought Reid would find the desire to go to bed with her was beyond his comprehension.