“Yes. Your turn—”
“—I find that hard to believe. Say it.”
“Oh, no.”
“It’s truth or dare time.”
“Back in high school, during a science bowl, I streaked across a parking lot butt-naked.” He shook his head while he said it.
Renata laughed, imagining Max’s bare ass while he ran from one building to another. A titillating vision of his toned body. “You science geeks are freaks, I tell ya.”
“All right, my turn. Now do you want a dare or the truth?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Dare.”
“I dare you to down the shot.”
She pursed her lips. “Way too easy. C’mon, you can think of something better.”
He peeked at the opening on the side of her dress. “Show me what color they are.”
Her breath caught. “They?”
His gaze shot down from her breasts to her legs. He had to be referring to her undies.
“Would you be shocked if the bra and panties don’t match?” she asked.
“The Renata Underwood I know would always match.”
Her gaze never left his as she slid her hand across her bodice hem. Heat flooded her cheeks as she slowly flipped the material down to reveal the lacy white strapless bra. “They’re both white.”
“Saying is not the same as showing.” His hand moved as to reach out and lift her hem. She twitched, unable to stifle a shiver.
She shouldn’t be flashing her friend, although the liquor told her otherwise. What would it hurt to show him? Nothing at all . . .
“You want evidence?” She trailed her hand up her leg, easing the material upward along the side until her white panties peeked out. The chill from the room traveled to the apex of her thighs. “Good?”
He cleared his throat. “Just as I thought.”
Neither of them took another sip as she righted her dress. She waited for him to look away, to break the spell, to shake this strange new feeling she experienced with him. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.
“I don’t think you should have all the fun,” she purred. “Show me your tighty whities.”
He rubbed his chin, the sexy muscles in his arms flexing under his shirt. “Is that a dare? You sure?”
“Oh, hell yeah. I’m betting one shot you’re in red bikini underwear. Two shots if you have a superhero on there.”
He shook his head. “You must be thirsty.” She watched his hands drift to his waistline. Slowly, he worked away at his belt, his gaze never leaving hers as he unzipped his pants. Here we go. Remember to breathe and don’t react when you see it, she reminded herself.
His pants slid to his mid-thighs.
She immediately grabbed the shot, slamming down the liquor while her grip tightened on the glass. Her body hummed from seeing the tight abdominal muscles over his snug, dark blue jersey boxer briefs. The prominent bulge she couldn’t unsee. She tried to blink a few times, praying the sight hadn’t been burned into her brain.
Quickly, he turned around to pull up his pants, revealing his tight ass. There went forgetting.
“My turn,” he declared. He faced her with a small smile.
“Give me your best.”
“We’ve shared so much with each other over the years, but I’ve wanted to know your darkest secrets. The things you never ask a friend.” His eyes bored into hers.
“Now’s the time,” she murmured.
“You’ve always told me you believe the best feature on a man is his smile—which I think is a line of bullshit all men hear. So what’s the truth?”
Her throat went dry so she coughed a bit. “I’ve been partial to asses.” She didn’t stop her left hand while she formed a tight curve in the air.
“And how does mine qualify?”
“That’s two questions. You only get one.”
“Humor me.”
“Ummm . . .” She tried to reach for the right words and not think about every possible dimple and tight muscle in his buttocks. “Running has been very good for you. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
She immediately moved on to the next question to calm her nerves. “Time to make things interesting. If the right girl were in front of you right now, what would you say to her? The truth.”
His right hand flexed twice over the shot glass rim. He downed the shot without a word. “I’ll pass.”
She chuckled. “Reluctant Max backs down. I thought you were dependable. Perfect grades and now the gentleman’s life.”
He shrugged, effectively ending their game when he added space between them. “My parents put pretty high expectations on me to be the best at everything.” After she poured a bit more bourbon into his cup, he took a drink.
“Well, since they paid for your education, they must have felt pretty invested,” she said.
“Yeah,” he rolled the drink between his long fingers. “Screwing around wasn’t an option. I didn’t have any financial aid. I had to work hard to make sure their money didn’t go to waste.”
With each sip, every tense muscle in her shoulders relaxed. She leaned back against the counter, far warmer than before. This was the good stuff. “You have the most awesome parents. How long have they been together?”
“Forty-nine years so far. They still drive each other crazy. I wish I had their luck.” He joined her on the counter.
Renata made a rude noise. “I wish my parents were more like yours. My dad chose work over the wedding. My mom is better off.” She took another drink to drive away the hint of frustration she got from thinking about her dad. “I really don’t see why they got together in the first place. I’m still cool with them, but I want to have a relationship with a man similar to your dad.”
“So a sixty-five-year-old man is your ideal?” He flashed a devilish grin.
“Good one. I’m not looking for a sugar daddy. I could probably be a sugar momma if I wanted. Actually, I want a man who could be mistaken for Robert Downey Jr. He’s a rebel. Aloof. That’s what I want.” She put down the glass on the counter as all her failed relationships came to mind. “God, I just want to meet the right person.”
He briefly touched the top of her hand with his. “Don’t worry, he’s out there waiting for you. Maybe even right now.”
“He needs to stop vacationing in Tibet so we can date each other.” He warmed her side and, with a nervous quiver, she welcomed it.
He gently took her chin and tilted it upward. “You’re too wonderful. Any guy is missing out on a good thing.”
Their gazes locked and the need to look away rang through her mind. He’s just a friend. He’s always been a friend. Yet, when he leaned down, she didn’t see him that way.
His warm fingers extended up her jawline, briefly coming to rest between her jaw and neck. He leaned into her, bringing the heady scent of bourbon and him. Her heartbeat jumped up the Richter scale. His face lowered and she couldn’t help thinking, This is Max, what the hell are you doing? But then again, why the hell wasn’t she doing it? His lips parted and she went the rest of the way.
A brief brush quickly turned into a breathy kiss. He nibbled at her lips, putting his arms around her to draw her closer. Their kiss deepened, bringing pleasure from her butterfly-filled stomach down to her legs. One hand remained on her cheek, while the other snaked around her waist. Slowly, their pace increased, each head naturally tilted to accommodate the other.
Reluctantly, she drew backward, gauging whether she should step away from him. She opened her eyes to see Max looking at her. Thank goodness reality smacked her upside the head.
She pushed him back. Instead of silence, the only sounds were their quickened breaths. She tried to settle her whirling mind. Wasn’t this the liquor? Hadn’t it loosened her up enough to do this with him?
“I’d apologize for doing that, but I’m not sorry.
” His voice was etched with desire and her body responded in kind.
“Don’t worry about it,” she managed. “I shouldn’t have played truth or dare with you. I was just asking for trouble with all those personal questions.”
“Except for one thing, you didn’t ask anything I didn’t want to tell. It was good to get my feelings out.” He finished the drink and took hers. “I’ll dump this down the drain in the back. You don’t have to finish it.”
“Thanks.” Her laugh didn’t sound as confident.
Once he left the room, she tapped her forehead with her fist. Why did she let that happen? First, she was stuck in a room with him. Then she had to be an idiot and kiss him. She couldn’t let it happen again, especially if she was moving away for a new job. But when he stepped through the door, he lingered at the door frame, crossing his arms and assessing her in way that made her bite her lower lip.
And she was pretty sure Max was going to try to kiss her again.
Chapter Five
Max had finally kissed her and the experience made him wish he’d done it sooner. Renata was just the right height for him to hold. He didn’t have to lean down too far and she didn’t have to go too far up. She tasted like lime lip gloss and bourbon. An enticing combination he wanted to sample again.
From the doorway, he tried not to stare, to not let what happened bother him. At least the distance between them would make things easier. He checked his watch. It was almost one. The temptation to tell her the time was there, but he let it go. He’d just worry her.
“I’m still thirsty.” Renata opened a bottle of red and poured them both glasses. “Dancing Bear Ranch Red. A deal at one-fifty.”
“Cha-ching on our bill,” he said, making a check mark in the air.
She swirled the wine in the glass and then took a long drink. He watched the way her lips pressed against the rim and tried not to imagine those lips on him.
“The ambience is pleasant,” she said. “Not the chill, but everything else is top-notch.” She walked over to the wall to touch some of the intricate carvings while he stared at her.
“Yes, it is.” He took a step in her direction. The curve of her back called to him.
She continued to face the wall while he watched her. The muscles in her shoulders flexed and his fingertips itched to touch her. To knead her skin and then run his mouth from the nape of her neck to where her zipper waited to be brought down.
“What are you doing, Max?” she whispered.
“Nothing,” his voice was thick. He damn well wanted to do something.
“I like us the way we are. This isn’t the time or the place to go down this road.”
“What you mean is I’m not the man you want to go down this road with?”
Her shoulders stiffened and her hands dropped. “We just kissed. That’s all.”
“It’s always been that easy for you, huh?” He wanted her to turn around and face him, but she didn’t. “Do you remember the night when we made the bet?”
She trembled, but didn’t speak.
“In the back of my mind, I always see you standing outside the club, against the wall like you are now. You held on to the wall like it was the only thing in the world capable of supporting you. When I asked you what was wrong, you didn’t say anything. I’ve always wondered why you looked so heartbroken that night,” he said.
That night she wore a tank top and cutoff jean shorts. Her long legs jutted out and she was so beautiful. “I’m glad I was there with you that night. That’s what best friends do, anyway.” He shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “You still didn’t speak when we stopped at a diner for soup or when we went back to my house and sat on the porch. Do you remember that?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“All these years and you’ve never told me. It seemed best at the time to let it go, but I still wonder. Your boyfriend should’ve been with you that night, but he wasn’t. I was. I was always there.” He reached a hand up and it rested inches from her skin. He sensed the heat from her body.
“So you made a dumb bet with me because I looked sad and alone after a breakup?” she asked. “I remember. Whoever gets married first pays for our baseball season tickets for life.”
“Seemed like a nice thing to say at the time to make you smile. And give you hope.”
“Does it matter?” she whispered. “I didn’t want your pity at the time or your help. I just wanted to find a Costco-sized bag of Oreos and some time alone to enjoy my pain.” She tried to laugh, but the situation didn’t feel funny.
“The pain of not being in love anymore? You wanted that? Is that why you’re pushing me away?”
“Just don’t, Max.”
“Or maybe I’m just telling the truth. You’re not even telling me what’s up.”
“You know why we can’t be more than friends.”
“Educate me then. Tell me why I’m not the kind of man you want.”
“I don’t want to ruin our friendship. What we have is too good to mess up with complicated feelings like love.”
He twisted her around to face him.
“You need to do better than that.” He gently grasped her shoulders to back her against the wall.
“I’ve never been . . . attracted to you. Like that.” She avoided his eyes, staring at something over his shoulder.
“So you didn’t feel anything when we kissed?”
“Don’t feel insulted. I’m that way with most guys.” Was that a lie he spotted in her eyes? Like in the past when they fought, she probably wanted to give him vehemence, but he sensed something else under the layers.
“You used to love the idea of being in love,” Max whispered. “Of giving everything to someone, but something happened to you the night we made the bet. That night you had no intention of finding someone new ever again.” His jaw clenched. “I had every intention of telling you that I wanted us both to win the bet and find love.”
“Things change, Max. People change.”
“Don’t use that excuse to push me away.”
Her gaze flicked up to his. He sensed what was coming and steeled himself for the blow. “Just stop it,” she whispered. “What we have is amazing. Our lunch dates. Happy hour at the Icehouse Tavern on Thursdays. Baseball Saturdays with the guys. You’re one of the best things in my life. I don’t want to fall in love with you and then have to let you go.”
Chapter Six
Renata had finally said it. He should’ve walked away after she pushed him away, yet he eased in close enough to brush his lips against hers.
“I’d never leave you, Ren,” he said against her mouth. “How many arguments have we had? How many times have I stormed away from you—only to come back for more punishment?” He ran his fingers over the nape of her neck, down her back. “Arguments once in a while won’t change how I feel about you. Now or in the future.”
Her heart soared and the words “can’t” and “shouldn’t” floated away from her lips. He had been by her side the longest. From the first day of college when she was moving into the dorm until now. Instead of pushing his hands away, she reached for them, and placed them on her hips. Looking away wasn’t an option. He was right there, only a breath between them. She pressed herself closer to him, from chest to hip, sensing his urgency against her core.
At first the kiss was tentative, a simple test. When he withdrew, her hands snaked up to clutch his face and pulled him back to her. The once gentle kiss grew fervent; all the long-pent-up stress building between them flowed into an anxious fever. Her fingers trembled as she sought out shirt buttons. As the tips groped over firm skin for the buckle of his pants.
This moment wasn’t a surrender, but acceptance.
He moaned as she touched his chest, brushed against his nipples. His skin was smooth, absolutely perfect. He backed her against the wall, but didn’t break off contact
. She barely had a chance to breathe as they reached for each other and kissed like they had forever to catch up.
Once he unzipped the back of her dress, the chill from the room seeped over her skin, but that didn’t matter. She stepped out.
There was no hesitation, no questions of what could be done. What couldn’t. Damn, he was good when he took control. One hand gripped her ass while another pinned her hand above her head. With his head, he tilted hers to the side so he could rain kisses along her pulse point. Lower and lower, lingering a moment to take off her strapless bra with one hand and kiss each peak. He nuzzled her briefly, and then flicked out a tongue before he captured her nipple in his mouth.
With each hard suck, pleasure coursed through her, settling into her core. Her hands were free to play again, so she gripped his hair tighter and tighter.
He trailed kisses down from her breast to her belly button. “I want all of you, Renata. Every single inch of you.”
She tugged him up. “Kiss me, please. Keep me warm.” He kissed her again, slowing down the pace enough for her to tug off his pants and yank his briefs over his hard ass. He sucked in a deep breath when she grasped his length. He was far—larger than she expected.
“Oh, sweetheart—shit,” he hissed.
The skin was smooth and fiery to the touch. She wanted that warmth inside her. She stroked him, watching his reactions with a wry grin. He was always so cool, so collected. To see him coming unhinged urged her on.
His hands kneaded her skin around her waist before they descended to her hips. His right hand hooked her panties while the left pressed against her mound. The heated gaze told her she wasn’t the only one meant to have all the fun. His left hand snuck into her panties, eliciting a throaty moan as he drew small circles on her nub.
“Do you want to be with me?” he asked against the crook in her neck.
“Yes. I’m on the pill. Do you have a condom?”
He was referring to sex, wasn’t he?
“I should have one.” Their separation was brief. He went to the light switch and flicked it off. The room became nothing but shadows. Him reaching into his pants. The sounds of a ripped condom wrapper.
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