Stupid Love: A Friends to Lovers Romantic Comedy (The Prescotts Book 1)

by Tara Wyatt

  He skimmed a hand up to her breast, massaging her as he swirled his tongue over her swollen clit. All of his senses were filled with Lauren—the sound of her moans, the taste of her pussy, the feel of her against his mouth, under his touch, the sight of her splayed for him, flushed with pleasure, the smell of the massage oil and her arousal. All he wanted was to make her feel good. To show her with his body what he couldn’t say out loud.

  He licked a path downward, fucking her with his tongue, her hips moving in time with him. Sliding his hands down her body, he pushed her thighs open and back so he could have even better access. Then he closed his mouth over her again, kissing her slowly and deeply, feeling each flutter of her pussy against his tongue. After several moments, he pulled back, kissing her inner thighs.

  “You have the most beautiful pussy,” he said, his voice low and rough. He stroked a finger up and down her drenched slit. “I can’t get enough.”

  “Oh, God,” she moaned as he sucked her clit into his mouth. “It’s yours, Theo. It’s all yours.”

  A possessiveness unlike anything he’d ever felt before sang through him, and he ate her with long, deep sweeps of his tongue over her swollen flesh. Her thighs started to shake even harder and he knew she was close. He could barely keep his mouth on her, she was shaking so hard. But he didn’t stop, keeping up the steady rhythm of his lips and tongue working over her.

  She screamed, her hands fisted in the sheets as her head thrashed back and forth. “Fuck, Theo, I’m gonna…Oh, God…Oh, God…Fuuuuuuck. Theo!”

  Her hips jerked almost violently and he felt her clit start pulsing against his tongue. Gradually he gentled his licks and sucks, slowly pulling away, letting her come down gently. Her hands tugged at his shoulders, pushing at his shirt.

  “You. Naked. Now,” she said, her voice hoarse, her skin flushed, her eyes bright.

  He grinned at her from between her legs. “Tonight was supposed to be all about you.”

  She sat up and started unzipping his jeans. “And I want you inside me. Now.”

  Like he was gonna argue with that. Like he had any choice when it came to Lauren, in so many ways.

  He tugged his shirt off over his head and then shucked his jeans and boxers in record time. He was almost painfully hard, his cock leaking for her. And when she leaned back on her elbows, spread her legs and said, “Come get your pussy,” he was done. Totally, completely done.

  He climbed on top of her and slid inside her in one stroke. She clenched around him, welcoming him, her tight heat making him grit his teeth and fight the urge to pump his hips.

  “Oh, shit,” he whispered, unable to stop himself from thrusting slowly in and out.

  “What?” she asked, her eyes glazed with pleasure.

  “Condom,” he managed to pant out as he stroked in and out of her again, fighting not to lose control at how incredible she felt around him. Even though he knew he needed to stop, he couldn’t. Now that he was inside her bare, he couldn’t seem to stop fucking her.

  “Oh.”

  Using every ounce of willpower he had, he started to pull away, but she stopped him, locking her legs around his hips. “I’m on the pill, so unless you have a reason we need one…”

  He shook his head, thrusting back into her, burying himself to the hilt and letting out a loud groan. “No, I’m good. Fuck, Lo. You feel incredible. Shit. Don’t move. I need a second.” He’d never been bare inside a woman before, and somehow it only felt right that the first time was with Lauren.

  She moaned and tightened around him, somehow pulling him even deeper. Winding her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a slow, deep kiss, the movement of her tongue matching the slow grind of his hips. Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled them onto their sides, her body, still slick with the massage oil, sliding against his in a way that had every nerve ending in his body screaming for more. Moaning and gasping, they rocked together, sliding and grinding in the slowest, most exquisite tangle of bodies. She wove her fingers into his hair, trailing kisses along his jaw and down his neck as they moved together. When she pulled back, her eyes were practically glowing in the soft light. Glowing in a way that made him feel like she was the only person who’d ever truly seen him.

  I fucking love you.

  The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them. Couldn’t bring himself to face how drastically they would change everything. This, what they had now, would have to be enough.

  “Theo,” she whispered, her fingers feathering over his jaw, his mouth. “This…Oh, God. You feel so good inside me.”

  He started to move faster, her words spurring him on. He rocked his hips harder, deeper, burying himself in her over and over again until a throbbing heat gathered in his balls and at the base of his spine. The knowledge that he was about to come inside her, to fill her up was what pushed him over the edge. With an anguished groan, he came, pulsing inside her. She cupped his face and kissed him as he emptied himself, giving her everything he had.

  If only he could give her everything she wanted.

  16

  Lauren strode into the little coffee shop in the East Village with her shoulders back and her head held high, trying to project an aura of confidence she was definitely not feeling. Her palms were sweaty, her stomach was in knots, her pulse pounding away in her temples. Even though she was ten minutes early for her meeting with Sadie, she spotted the other woman sitting at a table by the large front window. She looked up from her phone and waved when she saw Lauren. Subtly wiping her hands on her jeans, Lauren smiled and headed for Sadie’s table.

  “Hey, nice to see you again,” said Sadie, exuding a laid-back SoCal vibe. She gestured at the chair across from her. “Have a seat. You want a coffee? Tea? Latte?”

  Her instinct was to politely decline, but she decided that it looked better if she ordered something. She didn’t want to give away how nervous she was. Sadie probably met with aspiring musicians all the time and this meeting was no big deal to her. But it wasn’t like Lauren was knocking back lattes with Grammy-winning music producers on the regular.

  “Yes, thank you. A chai latte, please.”

  Sadie smiled and rose from the table. “You got it. Be right back.” She sauntered up to the counter and Lauren tried not to stare at her as she ordered their drinks. She forced herself to look around the coffee shop and people watch, to look out the window at the gray October sky. A couple of people dressed in Halloween costumes walked by—a man dressed as an alien, a woman dressed as a disco ball, a teen couple dressed as Jasmine and Aladdin. Her heart gave a little tug at the sight of the coordinated costumes, and she wished she’d had the nerve to ask Theo to do one with her. Something had shifted between them the other night, when he’d provided the most excellent stress relief in her life. He’d been more…open with her. More vulnerable and exposed, even though he hadn’t said anything. A spark had flared to life inside her that night, fueled entirely by the hope that he was seeing what they could have and opening up to the idea that it wasn’t that scary.

  When Sadie returned to their table with a latte for Lauren and a green tea for herself, Lauren had managed to calm her racing heart, just a little. Whatever this was about, everything would be fine. Truly.

  “So you’re probably dying of curiosity as to what I wanted to talk to you about, huh?” she asked with a wry grin.

  Lauren managed to smile back, toying with the paper sleeve on her cup. “Oh, just a little.”

  Sadie laughed, a warm, melodic sound that helped Lauren relax a little more. “I wanna mentor you, Lauren.”

  She froze, her eyes wide, her ears buzzing. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I think you have a killer talent. With the right coaching, you could be the next Maren Morris. The next Sheryl Crow. The next Joni Mitchell. I see something in you that I don’t see in many others. You’ve got this glimmer inside you that I want to nourish.”

  Lauren was so shocked that she could barely get her m
outh to move. “Oh my God,” she finally managed, her stomach spinning and swirling while her heart shook in her chest. “I’m…Holy shit, I’m honored. And thrilled. Is this real?”

  Sadie laughed again, tucking a strand of her curls behind her ear. “It’s real, babe.”

  Lauren blew out a breath, a tiny laugh escaping her. “So, um, what would the mentorship entail?”

  Sadie leaned back in her chair, took a sip of her tea and then folded her hands in her lap. “We’d work together on a daily basis. We’d jam, write music, and I’d guide you in the right direction when it comes to songwriting, musical technique, that sort of thing. All with the end goal of putting an album of new material together, which I’d produce and record for you.”

  Names flashed through Lauren’s brain, names of successful artists who had worked with Sadie. Names like Fiona Apple, Lana Del Rey, Miranda Lambert, Jewel, Halsey. The idea that her name might one day be as well-known as theirs—that her music might actually be out there for people to listen to—was almost impossible to wrap her head around. She’d wanted this for so long that she’d become so focused on the struggle and had lost sight of the end goal.

  Lauren took a sip of her latte, her hands trembling. “That sounds incredible. I can’t…I don’t even know what to say.”

  Sadie smiled and shrugged. “Say you’ll come out to LA and work with me.”

  The smile dropped from Lauren’s face and she took another sip of her drink to try to cover her reaction. “LA?”

  “Well, yeah. That’s where my studio is. That’s where I work.” She gestured at the coffee shop around them, then pointed out the window. “Personally, I find it hard to create in New York. Everything is so gray and busy and noisy that I can’t see or hear or think properly, you know? It doesn’t work for me. But LA does. It’s colorful and warm and peaceful in a way that New York could never be. There’s a gorgeous apartment you can stay in, free of charge.”

  Lauren sat back in her chair, feeling completely deflated. Of course, now, when things were finally shifting in the right direction with Theo, she’d get offered the opportunity of a lifetime on the other side of the country.

  “For how long?” she asked, twisting her cup in circles.

  “A year, at least. Maybe longer. We’d need to spend several months working together and writing music, then recording. Then we’d be in the pre-release promo stage, and then touring.”

  “Right. Yeah.”

  Sadie sipped her tea and didn’t say anything for a moment, then drummed her long fingers on the table.

  “I can see that I’ve thrown you for a loop.” Leaning forward, her elbows on the table, she cradled her tea between her hands. “Not that it’s really any of my business, but is your hesitation about the boyfriend?”

  “Oh, um.” Lauren shook her head and blinked rapidly. “He’s not…we’re just…” But she couldn’t bring herself to finish either sentence. He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends. Neither were exactly true. “This is just a lot to take in.”

  Sadie nodded. “I get it. You’d be uprooting yourself to do this, and that takes some consideration. Why don’t you take some time to think it over? There’s no rush. But for what it’s worth, Lauren, I think you have something unique, and I want to be a part of that. Together, I think we could make something truly special. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention—there’s a bursary, once you agree. Part of the mentorship program. It’s not a lot, but it should be enough to take care of your bills.”

  In that moment, Lauren could see two paths stretching before her, clear as day: one where she stayed in New York and had a relationship with Theo, and one where she chased her dream and moved to LA to work with Sadie. She managed to smile at Sadie, nodding.

  “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I…I need to think it over, but I’ll get back to you soon, I promise.”

  Sadie smiled and shrugged again in that immensely appealing affable way she had. “Sure. Like I said, no rush. You’ve got my card; get in touch when you know what you want to do. I’m headed back to LA tomorrow, but you can always get me on my cell or send me an email.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Sadie. I’ll be in touch.”

  Sadie stood and pulled on her jacket. “I know you will. Be well, Lauren. Talk soon, I hope.”

  As soon as Sadie was out the door, Lauren slumped back in her chair, emotions crashing through her, each one loud and insistent as it tried to drown out the others. Elation and excitement and pure joy, shouting to be heard over the doubt, the fear, the sadness and disappointment. How could she give up her dream to stay here when she and Theo weren’t even official in any capacity?

  But how could she walk away from the man she’d spent the past decade loving? Especially now that things were finally happening between them?

  She didn’t know. She didn’t have any answers. The same questions, the same emotions, the same hopes and doubts swirled through her as she sat in front of the window, watching the world go by, drinking her latte. After a while, she pulled out her phone and texted Theo.

  Lauren: Good luck this afternoon! I know you’ll knock ‘em dead.

  Theo: Thanks. Just heading into the partners meeting now. How did your meeting with Sadie go????

  Lauren: It was good. I’ll tell you all about it later. Break a leg!

  Theo adjusted his eye patch as he walked through the door to Willa and Kayla’s apartment, “Monster Mash” playing on the speakers and at least a dozen guests already mingling in their tiny living room. He quickly scanned the small space, looking for Lauren, but he didn’t see her so he made his way toward the kitchen. He turned and almost ran smack into Dori, who was dressed like a giant Whoopie cushion.

  “Hey, great costume,” he said, setting down the twelve pack of beer and bags of chips that Willa had asked him to bring.

  “Thanks,” she said, pushing her too-big glasses up her nose. She gestured to the wig she was wearing, giving her a head of silver curls that would’ve made Dorothy Zbornak proud. “I’m an old fart.”

  He laughed. “Love it. Have you seen Lauren?”

  She shook her head, her wig tilting perilously to the side. Damn. He had news to share—good, exciting news—and he didn’t want to tell anyone until she was here.

  “Haven’t seen her yet,” said Kayla as she entered the kitchen, holding an empty chip bowl. She was dressed as Marilyn Monroe, which wasn’t a huge stretch for her, given her curvy figure and blond hair. A skinny bald man with a scar running down his face followed close behind her, and Theo did a double take when he realized it was Willa dressed as Dr. Evil.

  “Okay, everyone’s costumes are officially cooler than mine,” he said, gesturing to his very run of the mill pirate costume.

  Willa smiled and took a small bow. “I tried to convince Brandon to come as my hairless cat, Bigglesworth, but he didn’t want to for some reason.”

  “Willa, you know how I feel about pussy,” Brandon said dramatically from behind Theo. He turned and saw Brandon wearing a black T-shirt with a graphic of a phone battery at one percent emblazoned on the front.

  “Okay, now that’s scary,” he said, pointing at Brandon’s shirt.

  “Check out the back,” he said, turning around and showing off the words “The Wifi is Down.”

  “Even more horrifying,” said Kayla as she opened a fresh bag of chips and dumped them into the empty bowl.

  “Hey, didn’t Lauren have her meeting with the producer today? I feel so out of touch with everyone because we haven’t gotten together in a while,” said Willa, pouring a large bottle of ginger ale into a punch bowl.

  Theo nodded. “She did, but I don’t know how it went. I had a meeting right when she was finishing up and I didn’t get the chance to talk to her.” He felt as though his entire body were zinging with electricity, both in anticipation of sharing his news and hearing Lauren’s.

  Kayla thrust the bowl of chips into his hands. “Go put these in the living room, please.”

&
nbsp; “Yes, ma’am.” He turned and headed back into the thick of the party, weaving his way in between people laughing and talking and eating. He had to turn sideways and raise the bowl above his head to squeeze past a guy in an eggplant emoji costume. Just as he was setting the bowl down, he saw Lauren poke her head through the front door. Her hair was swept up into a high ponytail, and she wore a purple leotard, shiny pink leggings, and baby blue leg warmers that matched the sweatband on her head and the ones on her wrists.

  He watched her for a second, and he felt so…so alive. Like every single piece of his adult life was finally coming together. Like he was finally…maybe…changing. Because staring at Lauren, he felt like he was staring at his future.

  She turned and her eyes met his. A small smile pulled up the corner of her mouth and for a moment, their eyes locked from across the room, something big and bright and unspoken passing between them. With all that big brightness inside him, Theo couldn’t stay still any longer, and he wove his way through the costumed guests, meeting her at the front door.

  “Hey, I—” she started, but he didn’t give her the chance to say anything because his mouth was on hers, kissing her hungrily. She let out the tiniest little moan and swayed into him, her fingers curling into the billowing fabric of his pirate shirt. After a moment, she pulled back, her breathing a little ragged.