Forever Love: A Friends to Lovers Collections

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “I was going to see if you wanted something to drink.”

  “Dana’s got that covered.” I pointed to where she waited at the bar.

  “I see she saved you from my grandma.”

  “She’s been very helpful.” I slipped out of Kyle’s embrace as I saw Dana head toward us. I retrieved my glass, careful to avoid making eye contact with the bartender for fear of getting the ID question. I had another two years before I’d be able to buy my own drinks. “Thanks.”

  Kyle groaned. “Jade doesn’t have to drink that if she doesn’t want to.”

  “I have no problem with Chardonnay.” I sipped the chilled white wine.

  “Ok, just letting you know.”

  “Are you getting anything?” I asked Kyle.

  “I’m okay for now.” He took my hand. “Ready to go back out?”

  “As long as you promise to keep me away from your grandmother and all her engagement ring talk.”

  “She didn’t.” He looked me in the eyes.

  “She did.” I sipped my wine.

  “Maybe I should get a drink after all.”

  “Why? I’m the one she was questioning.”

  “But I bet I’m next.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Go get something then.” I assumed he had a fake or something.

  “Already taken care of.” Dana handed off a glass to Kyle. “No complaints about what’s in it.”

  He laughed. “You saved me some time so no complaints.” He took a sip of his wine.

  “Shall we?” Dana nodded at the door. She was still holding two glasses.

  “Absolutely.” I pushed open the door, and we walked back onto the deck.

  * * *

  I’d never spent so much time on a boat before, but it was beautiful. I spent nearly the entire ride gazing out at the clear sky and the sun reflecting off the calm water.

  “Sometimes I think living on the water is the way to go.” Kyle stood next to me against the rail.

  “As in living on a house boat?”

  “Or any boat. You’d never have to stay in the same place long. You could be someplace new every day.”

  “If you decide to spend a semester at sea make sure to invite me.” I’d finished off two entire glasses of wine. That was the problem with white wine. I drank it too fast.

  “Is that a promise?” He watched me far more seriously than he usually did.

  “I’m not sure.” I turned back to look out at the water. I didn’t want to read into things, but was there something serious beneath the joke?

  “When you decide let me know.”

  “I’ll let you know if you actually decide to go.” I gripped the rail with my hand. There was a chill in the air that made me wish I’d brought a sweater with me.

  He covered my hand with his own. “Are you holding up okay? My family isn’t freaking you out too much?”

  “Aside from the ring conversation, we’re good.”

  “I’m ready to go back to the room.”

  “Thinking more sordid thoughts already?” I tore my eyes from the water. Kyle was even easier on the eyes.

  He smiled. “Would you mind if I was?”

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Good.” He brushed his lips against mine.

  “Ahem.” The sound of throat clearing stopped us both in our tracks.

  Kyle

  Dylan had the worst timing possible. I wouldn’t have minded if I’d believed for a second it was random.

  “Sorry to interrupt.” He wasn’t sorry. He wasn’t sorry at all.

  “Is there something you need?” So much for him staying away.

  “It’s not what I need. It’s what Grandma needs. She wants a family picture.”

  “And she sent you to get us?” My grandmother wasn’t one to outsource.

  “I thought I’d save her the effort.”

  “I bet.” I shook my head. “Where is everyone?”

  “Around the front.”

  “Great.” I took Jade’s hand and walked around toward the front deck where the rest of my crazy family waited.

  “There you are!” My mom grinned. “We thought you two had gone overboard.”

  “Nope. You weren’t that lucky.” I couldn’t resist giving my mom a hard time.

  Jade nudged me.

  “I need a picture. Who knows if I’ll ever have you all together again?” My grandma gestured for everyone to line up against the rail.

  “Would you like me to take the picture?” Jade asked quickly. “I’m pretty good at it.”

  “Of course not, sweetie. We’ll have this young man do it.” She pointed at one of the crew members. “You need to be in this picture.”

  “Oh, that’s ok. You don’t really want that.” Jade backed away.

  “Don’t be silly. You’ll be family soon enough.” My grandmother took her arm. Jade gave me a panicked looked.

  There was nothing I could do but agree with my grandmother. No reason to make her mad. “Of course you should be in the picture.”

  Jade’s panicked look turned into one of anger. What was she worried about? This wasn’t her family picture.

  “If you’re absolutely sure.”

  “We are.” My mom smiled at her.

  Grandma lined us all up to her specifications, placing Jade and I in the center, and the crew member started taking pictures.

  As soon as we were done Jade took my hand and pulled me away. “Your family is going to hate me even more after this.” Her hair was all windblown, but it only enhanced the wild and sexy look that had drawn me to her from the beginning.

  I pushed some of her hair behind her ear. Even if the hair enhanced the look, I wanted to see her face. “Not as much as they’re going to hate me.”

  “Now you’re admitting it?” she whispered.

  “Now that I see how much they love you.”

  She shrugged. “Nothing we can do about that now.”

  “Nope, you’re just too likeable.” I led her back to our spot around the back of the boat.

  She looked out at the water. “Always nice to be called likeable.”

  “You’re very likeable.” I ran my hand down her bare arm.

  She turned back toward me, leaning her back against the rail. “Are you trying to butter me up or something?”

  I stepped closer to her, effectively pinning her against the side. “And why would I be doing that?”

  “Because you want a repeat of last night. And this morning. And this afternoon.” A red flush crossed her cheeks.

  “And I need to butter you up to get that?”

  “You think it’s a given?” She arched an eyebrow.

  “No, but I can think of other ways to convince you.” I leaned in.

  She glanced over my shoulder. “How can you even talk about this with your family around?”

  “They’re not listening.”

  “At least our room isn’t near anyone else’s.”

  “Convenient isn’t it?”

  She smiled in response.

  I held Jade’s hand as we watched the setting sun. I had no idea what was going to happen after the week ended, but in that moment I didn’t care. I was holding hands with the coolest girl I’d ever met, and I was pretty sure I’d be doing a lot more than holding hands with her later.

  The boat docked, and I didn’t waste any time. I was ready to get Jade back to the room. I’d been ready the whole time.

  My mom waited for us on the dock. “Are you two interested in joining us for a late dinner or did you get enough to eat before we left?”

  “Actually we were thinking about ordering in some room service.” In fact Jade and I hadn’t discussed the possibility at all, but I assumed she wouldn’t be interested in spending more time with my family.

  “Oh, I see.” Mom gave me a knowing look.

  “I had a great time on the boat.” Jade smiled. “Thanks so much for inviting me.”

  “Of course, sweetie.” Mom beamed. “You two enjoy your
selves.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled at my Mom and started back toward the hotel before someone else could side track us. I had only one thing on my mind, and it wasn’t chatting with my family.

  We were nearly back to the hotel when I heard my name again. “Kyle, wait up!”

  I turned, still holding onto Jade’s hand. Dana waved and hurried over to us. “Hey, Dana.”

  “Hey. I wanted to see how Jade was doing.”

  Jade smiled. “Oh. I’m fine.”

  “I know my grandmother can be a little intense.” Dana nodded toward me, probably looking for me to agree.

  “A little?” Jade eyed us both skeptically.

  Dana laughed. “What are you guys up to now?”

  “We’re going back to our room.” I immediately cut off any invitation to hang out. Forget how tired of them Jade was, I’d had enough of my family for one night.

  “Oh. Going to be inventive?” Dana’s eyes lit up.

  I chuckled, and Jade scowled at her.

  “And I’ll take my cue.” Dana laughed. “Good night, guys.”

  “All right, let’s get out of here.” I turned back toward the hotel, and Jade followed along. If I wasn’t mistaken she was as excited to get back as I was.

  We reached the room, and I quickly closed and locked the door behind her. “I’ve been waiting all night for this.”

  She ran her teeth over her bottom lip. “You’re not the only one.”

  I untied the halter tie on her dress, and it slipped to the floor. “I really like when you don’t wear a bra.” I pulled off my shirt, ready to get rid of any clothes separating us.

  “Built-in bras are convenient.”

  “You’re going to have to get more of them.”

  “Don’t worry, I have plenty.” She unzipped my pants, and I knew the night was only going to get better.

  * * *

  “Did that really happen again?” Jade pulled the sheet up around her.

  “It did, but are you really surprised?” I pulled her closer. I didn’t want any space between us.

  “Not surprised exactly.” She rested her head on my chest.

  “I told you this week could end up being fun.”

  She laughed. “And that was fun.”

  “Was it inventive enough for you?” I found her hand under the sheets.

  “Oh, it was inventive.”

  “I could get used to this.” I snuggled in closer to her.

  “The sex?”

  “The sex, having you sleep next to me—naked.”

  “You mean you wouldn’t enjoy it if I were wearing clothes?”

  “Of course I would. I just prefer the added bonus of the naked part.” I ran my free hand over her to prove my point. Having her without clothes was extremely convenient.

  She closed her eyes and relaxed as my hands ran up and down her body.

  I touched every part, stopping any time I felt her respond. I already knew her neck and nipples were sensitive, but I was surprised to find how much she enjoyed it when I ran my hands over the area right below her breasts.

  She shifted slightly. “Am I what you expected?”

  I moved my hand down toward her stomach. “Are we back to that adventurous talk?”

  “No, I mean what I look like. Or did you never think about it before?” She practically whispered the words.

  “Oh. Even better.” I ran my fingers over her belly button and further down. “And of course I thought about it. How could I have worked with you for so many months without thinking about it?”

  “You don’t think of all your hosts naked.”

  “No.” I laughed. “Just you.” She wasn’t the only girl, but she was the only one I was interested in that way. I hoped this would last for more than a week. Two nights in and I already knew I’d never get enough.

  “You’re more muscular than I expected.” She ran her hand over my abs.

  “You thought I was weak?”

  “No. But I wasn’t expecting this.” She patted my chest.

  “In other words I should walk around without a shirt on more.”

  She opened her eyes. “If you want to attract more girls.”

  “I’m okay with who I’ve attracted so far.” I kissed her neck. I’d waited months to kiss her that way, and I was going to enjoy it.

  “I’m glad we still have five nights left.”

  “I plan to enjoy every last one of those nights.” I continued to move my hands down, stopping at her inner thigh. I knew this was another sensitive spot. I couldn’t get enough of touching her. It felt like I was living a dream. I dreaded the ringing of the alarm clock that was going to pull me from my ultimate fantasy.

  “That’s funny. I was thinking exactly the same thing.” She leaned up on an elbow.

  “Any ideas of how we can enjoy the rest of tonight?”

  “I have a few.” She moved on top of me and let the sheet fall off of her.

  I cupped her breasts. “Whatever your ideas are, this is a really good start.”

  Jade

  Everything got easier after the first few nights. Well maybe not easier, but more comfortable. Pretending to be a couple came more naturally when you were already doing what couples did. At least in the bedroom. We hadn’t discussed it after the first night—it just happened again, and then again. It’s as though we’d ripped off some invisible Band-Aid, and now sex was part of things. The sex was always good, always great, but each time afterward I was hit by a wave of regret. What was I doing to myself? What was going to happen when the week ended, and we returned to reality? Neither of us broached the topic, and I had a feeling we weren’t going to face it until we were back on campus and far away from our hotel room.

  “Are you enjoying your week?” Grace asked as we sat on the porch sipping iced coffees. I was enjoying the beautiful day. The sun was out and a light breeze made the afternoon especially pleasant.

  “Yes. It’s been wonderful. It’s so beautiful here.” My thoughts kept moving back to Kyle as I struggled to hold a conversation with his mom. He’d gone out kayaking with his grandfather, dad, and brother. I couldn’t blame him for leaving. From what he told me, he’d already wiggled out of golfing with his dad on a few occasions. If I’d thought he actually wanted to go with them I would have felt bad, but I knew he didn’t.

  “This is one of my favorite places.” She sipped her coffee.

  “I can understand that. It’s so peaceful.” I looked out at the lake in the distance.

  “You’re good for him.” She spoke without looking at me.

  “For Kyle?” I looked over.

  She smiled. “Who else would I mean?”

  “Thanks. You’ve got a great son.” A great son? I sounded ridiculous. If my mom could hear me. I shuddered. She’d kill me for the charade I was putting on—and sleeping with a guy who I wasn’t in a committed relationship with. Even at nineteen I found her opinion mattered to me. I owed her a phone call, but I wasn’t going to make it until I was back on campus.

  “I can see why you caught his eye.”

  “You can?” This I had to hear.

  “You have a way about you. You bring happiness into the room.”

  I nearly choked. “Uh, not really.”

  “You haven’t been told that before?”

  “No. Never.” It was usually the opposite.

  “Are you close with your parents?”

  “Define close.” I could use several terms to describe my relationship with my parents, but close wasn’t one of them.

  She laughed. “I guess that answers my question.”

  “I talk to my mom a decent amount. It’s just that she doesn’t really get me.” And she knew I was hiding something from her. One secret had changed our relationship for the worst, but it was too late to go back and fix that. Besides, she’d never look at me the same way if I told her now.

  “I think you’d be surprised.”

  “Is this a mom code or something? Defending each other?”

/>   She shook her head. “No, I’m speaking from experience with my own mom.”

  “Oh.” I was sure there was a story there, but it didn’t seem appropriate to ask. Besides, that would only open myself up to more questions.

  “And your dad?”

  “We talk sometimes. He’s cool, but he never knew how to deal with having a girl.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “I’ve got a brother.”

  “Younger or older?”

  “Younger by two years. He’s in high school still.”

  “I look forward to meeting your family soon.”

  I only smiled. Like that was going to happen?

  She smiled slightly. “We probably have some time before Kyle gets back. Want to go do something?”

  “What did you have in mind?” I’d learned to ask questions before agreeing to things.

  “We can see if there are any openings at the spa. We can get all glammed up for tonight.”

  “Is our dinner that formal?”

  “Not really, but the last night of a trip is a great reason to get dressed up.”

  “I’m glad I packed a couple extra dresses.” I’d ended up needing one every night.

  “I get the sense that Kyle didn’t prepare you well for this trip.”

  “If by prepare you mean he told me we were going to a lake in upstate NY, then yes, he prepared me.” And it was more than the proper attire he failed to prepare me for.

  She laughed. “Shall we check out the spa?”

  “Sounds great.” It didn’t sound great, it sounded awkward, but what choice did I have? I picked up the remainder of my iced coffee and followed Grace inside.

  * * *

  I waited uncomfortably as Grace wrangled appointments for us when there clearly weren’t any available. Evidently when Grace Bradley talked, people listened.

  I smiled politely when an attendant led us to the nail room.

  “Sorry I couldn’t get any facials for us, but we’ll do that next time.” Grace smiled.

  “Really, you didn’t have to do any of this for me.” If there’d been a way to politely decline I would have, but every excuse I came up with sounded forced and my goal wasn’t to offend Kyle’s mom.