by J. Daniels
My God. Those lips are orgasmic.
“I’m sorry, what?”
He laughs and looks over at Luke quickly before returning to my stunned face. “I asked if we’re still on for Saturday.”
I nod. A lot. My head might have fallen off if I hadn’t forced myself to stop. “Yup. I made reservations for the five o’clock show.” I clear my throat and take a sip of my water before continuing. Christ. It feels like I swallowed super glue. “Um, we have to be there fifteen minutes before showtime. I arranged for Nolan to get his picture taken with the King.”
His eyes light up and his cheeks hollow out with his dimples. “Oh man. He’s going to freak out over that.” We smile at each other. The other two guys could probably catch on fire and I doubt either one of us would notice. I definitely won’t notice. “Good idea, Princess Mia.”
“Yeah, I can be pretty awesome sometimes.”
Luke slaps Ben’s back, and the sound snaps me out of my obsessive gazing. “Well, as much as I’d love to stand here and listen to you two not flirt with each other, I’m starving and we need to get back out there.” He smirks at me. “You know, bad guys to catch and all. Protect and serve. That whole thing.” He turns his head toward Reed. “Sorry to interrupt your date.”
“It’s not a date,” I blurt out, immediately regretting the hidden implication that I’d never actually be on a date with Reed. I look over at him, silently pleading for him to agree with my statement and not make this any more awkward than I’ve just made it.
Help a girl out. Don’t leave me hanging here.
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Well, that’s the last time I service you with my free hand underneath the table. You’ve broken my heart, Mia.”
My jaw hits the table I definitely was not recently serviced under. Is he nuts? “What?” I manage to choke out.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Ben questions with a tone that no man in his right mind should challenge. “Say it again, asshole, and see what happens.” He moves closer to Reed but Luke steps between the two.
“I’m gonna let him punch you if you say something stupid like that again,” Luke states, straining his head over his own shoulder to connect with Reed.
Ben and Luke are roughly the same size, so Luke doesn’t have any difficulty in holding him back. Reed, on the other hand, is more leaned out than muscular, and probably wouldn’t stand a chance against Ben.
Luke turns back toward Ben, who is still looking ready to kill. “Not a date, man. Just relax.” His words are barely audible, but I hear them. And Ben seems to calm down as he processes them himself.
Reed holds up his hands in surrender. “Kidding. Jesus Christ. You used to have a sense of humor, Ben. What the hell happened?”
Ben places his hand on the back of my chair again, hovering over me in a very possessive way. If I’m not mistaken, it’s as if he’s staking his claim in front of Reed, just like he did the other day on the pier. But this time, I don’t object to it. This time, the very thought of being Ben’s doesn’t infuriate me. It intrigues me. I want to know what that feels like. But he asked me out for Saturday as friends, and friends don’t act like that with each other. So that can’t possibly be what he’s doing right now. He’s probably just looking out for me. So I push those thoughts to the back of my mind and watch his eyes shift back to mine. He hasn’t said anything else to Reed but I don’t think he needs to. His actions and demeanor are speaking loud enough for him.
“I’ll pick you up at four o’clock. I figured we’d surprise Nolan so I’m not going to tell him where we’re going.” His tone is friendly, all edginess and agitation gone, as if he didn’t just have a pissing contest with the guy that I am not on a date with.
I tuck my hair back behind my ear. “Make sure he brings his sword. He’s gonna need it.”
I feel his thumb brush along my back, and that slight bit of contact sends my lower half into a frenzy.
“Ben. Get over here and order,” Luke calls out, having moved to the counter. He must have thought it was safe to leave his friend alone with Reed. That or he was too hungry to care anymore.
Ben lets go of my chair with a grin and brushes against my shoulder with his hand. These tiny touches are going to kill me.
“See you Saturday.”
“Okay,” I choke out with a shaky voice.
He turns and shoots Reed a scowl, before walking over to the counter. And now his back is to me. His shoulders in that shirt. His ass in those pants. Someone may have to scrape me off the floor.
“You’re hilarious.” I glare at Reed, accomplishing the difficult task of prying my eyes off the glorious body standing no more than fifteen feet away from me. “I think I’d remember getting fingered underneath a table, ass.”
“I’d hope so.” Reed grins before shrugging. “It’s all good. I’ve never seen Ben get all I’m caveman, this my woman before. He’s fun to rile up.”
I roll my eyes before giving in to the temptation standing at the counter.
I don’t want to stare, but given the fact that Ben’s back is to me and he’d never know I’m drooling down the front of my shirt, I allow it. I hear Reed’s voice as it enters my ear, and it would be rude of me not to answer him. Besides, I’m perfectly capable of answering one person while I’m glued to someone else. I’m a woman for Christ’s sake. We can multi-task the shit out of stuff.
“Hmm mmm. Yeah, me too,” I reply.
Ben pulls his wallet out of the back of his pants. Where his ass is. That. Ass. It’s this perfectly sculpted entity in and of itself. There should be internet sites dedicated to it. Fan clubs. Parades, even.
“Oh wow. That sounds really fun. I’d love to do that,” I respond.
Ben reaches over his shoulder and scratches his back, pulling his shirt tight across his muscles.
My God.
“That’s crazy. I hate it when that happens.” I have no idea what Reed just said to me. No idea. His chuckle catches my attention and I whip my head around. “What?”
His eyes drift from the men at the counter back to me. He grins amusingly. “I just asked you how your sandwich was, and you answered me with ‘that’s crazy. I hate it when that happens.’” His body shakes with silent laughter.
I slap my hand over my eyes and bow my head in embarrassment. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry, Reed. That was so rude of me.” I drop my hand and turn my body toward him completely, granting him all my focus. “I’m paying attention to you, I swear.”
He tilts his head. “So, when should I set us up for sky diving?”
“Huh?” Sky diving? Hell no. I’d never agree to something like that.
“You said it sounded really fun and that you’d love to do it. Remember? Just two minutes ago when you were paying attention to me.”
I open my mouth to apologize when the door chimes, causing me to whip my head around. Ben smiles at me before he walks out, and I wave like some obnoxious fan girl trying to flag down her favorite celebrity. Real smooth. I turn back around and see how much this is entertaining Reed. “Did I mention Ben and I are trying out this whole friends thing? I don’t have the slightest idea what I’m doing.” I filled Reed in on mine and Ben’s history at Rocky Point the other day, leaving out the small detail of the mind blowing five orgasms he gave me. Five!
“Clearly.” He smiles and throws his crumpled up napkin at me. “It’s not gonna work.”
“What?”
“Friends. You and Ben. I’ll bet money on it.” He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. He is grinning at me like he has it in the bag. Like he is already holding my money and counting it arrogantly in front of me. Oh, the smugness.
“Why are you so sure that it won’t work? I can be friends with Ben.” I mimic his appearance and lean back in my own chair. “We can totally be friends. It’ll work.”
“It’s not going to work, and I’ll tell you why.”
“Okay, smart guy. Why?”
Don’t ever tell a woman that we can’t do so
mething, because we’ll die trying to do that very thing that you’re so sure we can’t do. I think the female race is stubborn as a whole. Maybe it’s a design flaw, but whatever. I’m here to prove a point.
“Because—” he sits forward, pulling my half eaten sandwich in front of him before he picks it up “—I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually eye fuck my friends.”
“Who’s eye fucking?” I half yell. Thank God, we are the only two people currently in the sandwich shop. But it doesn’t save me from getting a stern look from the owner behind the counter. “I was not eye fucking,” I harshly whisper.
“And I’m not about to eat the rest of your sandwich.” He grins condescendingly before taking a huge bite of my sub.
I roll my eyes, the eyes that were so not eye fucking anyone, before I respond. “What’s your opinion on him anyway? Do you think he’s a good guy?”
He nods and swallows his bite. “Yeah, when he’s not threatening to beat the shit out of me.” We both laugh, and I take a sip of my water. “He’s really good with his kid. Even when Nolan was a baby, he just knew what to do with him. And he wasn’t even nervous about it. I’d be scared shitless if someone threw a baby at me.”
I giggle and watch him pop the last bit of my sandwich into his mouth.
I could tell just from being around them once that Ben was amazing with Nolan. They were so sweet together, and Ben seemed like the type of dad that would do anything for his kid, which is exactly how it should be.
“Well, I think anyone would be scared if babies were flying at them,” I counter, getting rewarded with a sneer and another crumpled up napkin tossed at my head. We both stand up and push our chairs in. “Thanks for lunch. It was memorable, even without the finger fucking.” He winks, unable to form any words with a full mouth. “You’re a really good friend, Reed.”
He grimaces and swallows his massive bite uncomfortably. “Friend zoned like a boss.” I buckle over at his statement, laughing so hard my eyes filled with tears. “No worries. You’re not my type, anyway. I prefer really dumb girls with low self-esteem and daddy issues.”
I shove him in the direction of the entrance. “Oh that’s nice. Daddy issues? Really?”
“Hell yes.” He holds the door for me and we both walk to our vehicles. “Girls with daddy issues are always looking for a new daddy.” He throws his head back, cracking up at himself and the disgusted look I’m currently giving him. “See ya later, Mia.”
I shake my head disapprovingly. Men.
FUCKING REED TENNYSON.
I didn’t know what he was playing at, but I was sure as hell going to find out. And I couldn’t waste any time doing it either. Not when he was taking my girl out to lunch and shit. I was not okay with that. I didn’t know what his intentions were. If he just wanted a friendship from Mia, fine. Anything more than that? Fuck no. She was mine, and apparently, he might need a reminder.
I know where Reed lives, so I stop by his house later on after work. We never really hang out that much, but I used to pick Tessa up from his house all the time before she could drive.
His truck is parked in the driveway, which is a good thing. I really didn’t feel like driving all over the place looking for him, but I would if I had to. This shit needs to be cleared up tonight.
After parking behind him, I knock on his front door and see his head peer out the small window next to it. I hear a soft “fuck” before he swings the door open and greets me with raised eyebrows.
He studies my uniform, keeping his hand on the doorknob. “Are you here to arrest me for taking Mia out to lunch yesterday? Because if I have a choice, I’d much rather have you lock me up than beat the shit out of me.”
I lean against the railing, ignoring the smart ass undertone that all of his words seem to be laced with. “What the hell do you want with Mia?”
He chuckles then, and I straighten up, causing him to wipe the smile off his face.
I really don’t want to hit him, but he isn’t making the decision easy on me. I’ll deal with the ramifications later.
“Nothing. I mean, she’s a cool chick and I like hanging out with her, but just as friends. Maybe if you hadn’t marked your territory, I would’ve tried something, but I’m not stupid. I don’t think she’s interested in me like that anyway.”
“She’s not a fucking fire hydrant for me to piss on, dick. Don’t refer to her as territory.” I step closer to him, remembering what he said yesterday in the sandwich shop after Mia insisted the two of them weren’t on a date. “And if I ever hear you joking around about touching Mia again, it’ll take a lot more than Luke to stop me from tearing you apart.”
He runs his hands down his face before letting out an exhaustive sigh. Turning around, he starts back into his house.
“Where the hell are you going?” I ask, stepping forward and grabbing the door. This conversation isn’t over until I fucking end it. I follow him inside, stopping at the end of the hallway that dumps out into the kitchen.
He emerges from the fridge with two beers. “Here. I sure as hell need one of these, and maybe if you have one you won’t be so inclined to murder me on my porch.” He places my beer on the counter and leans against the fridge, taking a swig of his. “Actually, if you are going to kill me, do it outside so I at least have witnesses. And avoid messing up my face too much. I’m sure my mom would prefer an open casket.”
“I’m not going to kill you. I might make it so you can’t walk for a few days, but you’ll still be breathing. And you can’t blame me for wanting to find out what the hell your motives are with my girl.” I walk over to the counter and grab my beer, keeping my eyes on him as I take a drink.
“Look, man, I’m not moving in on Mia. I swear. But I would like to keep being friends with her, and I don’t fucking think I should have to ask your permission to do that.”
I grin and take another sip of my beer. I have a good amount of muscle on Reed, so the fact that he has the balls to talk to me like I can’t wipe the floor with him, earns my respect. “No, you don’t have to ask my permission. I’m fine with you being friends with Mia. I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t trying to be anything else with her. I’m fucking crazy over that girl.”
He arches his eyebrow at me. “Really? I had no idea.” We both laugh, and he pushes off from the fridge and moves across from me. “You’re fucking crazy over a girl you’re trying to be friends with? That makes a hell of a lot of sense,” he states sarcastically.
I grimace. “I’m doing what’s necessary. The torture I’m going to endure by not acting on my feelings will be worth it if she lets me in.” He looks at me with a perplexed gaze, like I’ve just explained myself to him in another language. I take another sip of my beer and frown. “When you meet a girl that gets to you the way Mia gets to me, you’ll understand. Friends genuinely like each other and I need her to like me. She’ll never love me if she doesn’t like me first.”
He places his beer down with a shake of his head. “I had a girl get to me like that, and she completely fucked me over. I don’t see how any of it is worth it. That’s why I’m just with girls for one night. They can’t rip your heart out if you don’t let them anywhere near it.” He smiles. “I hope it works out for you though. I think you have a pretty good shot with her from what I’ve observed.”
“Why do you think that? Did she say something to you?”
If Reed and Mia are friends, she could’ve shared things with him like she does my sister. And I am suddenly all for their friendship if it helps my cause.
He regards me with a smile like he knows things. Things I desperately want to know.
I place my beer down and leer at him. “You’re not going to tell me shit, are you?”
He smiles again, more cunning this time, after taking a huge chug of his beer. “I don’t have much to tell. But a fucking blind person could’ve seen the way you two acted around each other yesterday. I could’ve burned the place down and I doubt either one of you would’ve
noticed. You flustered her so bad she could barely speak, and she definitely wasn’t paying attention to a damn thing I was saying once you stepped in the shop. I could’ve asked her to carry my children and she probably would’ve agreed without knowing it.” He shakes his hair out of his eyes and registers my annoyed expression. “Not that I would’ve asked her that. I’m sure you’ve claimed that uterus.”
I wave him off dismissively, holding the neck of my beer bottle with my free hand. “I’m glad I make it difficult for her to form a sentence, but I don’t need to convince her body that we should be together. I’ve proven that point already.”
He grabs another beer, tossing his empty bottle into the trashcan and offering me one.
I decline it.
“I just need her to see me as the guy I am now and not the shithead I used to be. And being friends and showing her that I’m not just in this for pussy seems like the best option for me.”
“Unless she keeps your ass permanently in the friend zone. This whole plan could blow up in your face if you aren’t careful.” He walks around the counter and sits down on the couch, turning on the TV.
I haven’t thought about the possibility of that happening. But I highly doubt Mia can ignore the chemistry we have and only see me as a friend. The spark between us is fucking palpable. The air seems to crackle when we’re in the same room. There is an energy to it, a dynamic that you can practically see rippling between us. Drawing us together like charged particles. There’s no denying it. And once she only sees me as the man I am now and not the boy I used to be, I’ll make it my life’s purpose to never again let her feel the type of pain I once caused her.
“Hey, man, I’m gonna head out and go see my kid. Thanks for the beer.”
Reed acknowledges me with a nod before I walk out of his house.
I feel better now that I know for sure he isn’t trying to get with Mia. And I don’t have a problem with him being friends with her. He’s a decent guy. He’s always been good to my sister.
But if he ever steps out of line with my girl, I won’t hesitate to put him back in it.