More than Friends: (A Friends to Lovers Standalone Romance)

by Jillian Quinn

  “I’ll race ya.” Deans hands me the beer with a wink.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to get me drunk.”

  “You could use a good buzz.” He takes a sip from his cup, leaving a layer of foam on his top lip.

  My motherly instinct kicks in, and I wipe it away with my finger. Dean grabs my hand and sucks the foam from my finger with a sensual look in his eyes.

  “Is this what you had in mind?”

  He’s doing this on purpose, all part of his mental mind fuck to make me realize that we are good together, even though we have no future. We are better off as friends. But damn my body for responding to him this way.

  Once he removes my finger from his mouth and releases his grip on me, I turn away from him and chug my beer. I slurp down a shot of vodka the bartender left in front of Tucker and pound Theo’s after that.

  “Hey, Kit-Kat,” Theo says. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I have big sister privileges. That means I get to steal your drinks.”

  Theo shakes his head at me. Tucker smiles and orders a round of shots for everyone. Over the next ten minutes, we consume a remarkable amount of alcohol. The burning in my throat matches the rising temperature in my stomach.

  “To another championship.” Dean raises his shot glass to my brothers, before bumping his glass into mine.

  Past drunk two beers ago, I pull Dean into the living room to dance. With my head foggy and my judgment clouded, I stop thinking about everything—including my unwanted feelings for Dean.

  I throw my arms in the air, swaying my hips back and forth to the music. Dean digs his fingers into my hips. Wasted, I lean my head on his shoulder to catch my breath. We stay that way for the next three songs, my mind drifting out of consciousness, until his hands slide under my shirt and over my stomach. I like the feeling of Dean on my skin. And I hate that I want more from him tonight.

  Rubbing my backside against his thigh, I don’t miss the reaction I provoke from Dean. As his hand travels lower, Dean rests it just below the waistband of my jeans, making me wet in anticipation. Crammed between at least a hundred people, no one can see as I push his hand further, telling him to keep going. But how much could we do with an audience?

  “Are you sure this is what you want, Kitten?” Dean whispers in my ear, taking it in his mouth in the process.

  I’m drunk and horny, a mixture that doesn’t work well with Dean. He’s like a walking orgasm. One look at him is enough to add to my lady spank bank for a year. I have to know if something more exists between us. With only one month until graduation, the time I have with Dean could disappear in an instant. He’ll be whisked away to whatever city adds him to their roster, and I will follow in my father’s footsteps and pursue a career in sports broadcasting.

  “I want you, Dean.” I purr the words.

  He hooks his arm around my back and leads me through the crowded living room. We ascend two flights of stairs, passing some of his teammates as we sneak off to his bedroom. At the end of the long hallway, we stop in front of his door, and Dean inserts a key. Once inside, he locks the door and drops the key on the dresser.

  He cups the side of my face in my hands and runs his calloused thumb along my jaw with the other. “I lied earlier,” he says in a hushed tone.

  “What did you lie about?”

  “About what happened last night. What you did for my mom and me means more to me than you will ever know. I have trouble separating our friendship. When I have my arms around you, all I can think about is sex.”

  I spin around so that our eyes meet. Our faces are so close that the heat of Dean’s breath makes my body tingle. I don’t know what I want to do. We should remain friends and go on with our lives as planned, but I have to know if we have something more. Before I can make the decision, Dean threads his fingers through my hair and pulls me toward him.

  His soft lips graze along mine.

  I hook my arms around his neck and lean into him, parting his lips with my tongue. What starts out as a slow and passionate kiss, grows more intense as he palms the back of my head to deepen the kiss. Now that I have my hands on him, I can’t resist the urge to explore every inch of his toned body.

  I move my hands to his chest to push up his shirt and run my fingers over his six-pack. Unable to peel myself from Dean, I keep going and flip open the button of his jeans. He moans into my mouth when I slip my hand inside his boxers.

  “Bad Kitten,” he whispers.

  Dean grips my hips, lifting me up to lower me onto the mattress. He crashes on top of me, his lips brushing mine, as he tugs at my clothes. My body shuts down when he sucks on my bottom lip, once again slipping his tongue into my mouth.

  I never want his hands to leave my body or his tongue to stop doing whatever he does to make every nerve ending come alive at once. With each kiss, our friendship rips to shreds. The animalistic passion I crave consumes me. As he slides his hand up my thigh, heat rushes over my body in waves, further intensifying when Dean strips me of my jeans.

  Leaving my panties for last, he lifts my shirt over my head and throws it on the floor. Dean stares down at me for a few seconds, before he reaches behind me to unhook my bra. Slowly, he slides the straps down my shoulders, exposing my breasts.

  “Kitten,” he says with lust in his voice. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

  I smile up at him.

  He doesn’t waste time and leans down to massage my breasts, taking his time as he sucks on my nipple, gently tugging it with his teeth. The tiny bud grows harder with each flick of his tongue. Despite the hunger in his eyes, Dean expertly navigates my body, giving every part of me equal love.

  “Take this off,” I whimper, tugging at his shirt. “I want you naked.”

  He peeks up at me and flashes his usual panty-dropping smirk that goes straight between my thighs.

  Sitting up, just enough to unbutton his dress shirt, Dean locks onto me. His blue eyes pin me down, command authority over me. I want him with every ounce of my being.

  Kissing Dean wouldn’t feel right if it wasn’t meant to happen. Maybe we are supposed to be together. Maybe we can turn our friendship into something more. And not just sex.

  We share a deep connection that I have never felt for anyone other than Dean. He understands me in ways that I never thought were possible. Dean makes me feel like his world starts and ends with me as if no other women are even in existence.

  Dean hops off the bed to kick off his jeans and slides his boxers over his hips. I gasp at the sight of him, long and hard, and so ready for me. His body is a masterpiece as if someone had sculpted him by hand and taken their time in creating every single part of him.

  With only a dim light from the nightstand illuminating the space, the setting is perfect. Dean climbs back into bed and positions himself between my legs. The thin lace of my panties rips when he pulls on them.

  “Be careful,” I warn him. “I need those for later.”

  He shakes his head with a devious look on his handsome face. “No, you don’t. I plan to keep you like this for the rest of the night.”

  Caught in the heat of the moment, I say, “Then, go ahead.”

  Dean takes that as an order, and the fabric falls to the side, now completely useless to me. I lift my hips enough for him to peel the lace away from my body. He breathes against my neck and pushes my legs open wider with his big hand before he shoves two fingers inside me.

  “I did this to you, Kitten. Remember that when you come for me.” He emphasizes me, as in he wants me to stop and think about what we are doing. My best friend makes me wet. He’s also the only man I have ever been with sexually.

  By the time Dean dips his head between my legs, working his magic on my body with his tongue, my brain stops working. I moan into the pillow that smells of his citrus shampoo, slipping my hand through his hair, as my body trembles with an orgasm that tears me to pieces.

  He peeks up at me from between my legs a
nd licks my juices from his lips and fingers. Then, he sits up and takes my hand, helping me stroke his shaft. He covers my tiny hand with his and stares down at me with hunger in his eyes.

  “This is what you do to me, Kitten.”

  Chapter 11

  Senior Year

  Dean

  Kat moans, as I help her stroke my cock. I wanted to take my time and devour every inch of her flawless body, so I did. I still can’t believe Kat wants to take our friendship to this level. My only concern is that things will get weird between us, but it’s hard to think between the alcohol clouding my judgment and her hands on my sensitive skin.

  Does this mean the same to her as it does to me? That’s the question I need her to answer. I tell Kat I love her all the time—because I do. But she has no idea that I am in love with her. I haven’t been with another girl in years, all because of Kat. I’d kept holding out hope that she would finally see that the man of her dreams is right in front of her.

  If she were another girl, I would have bent Kat over the chair in the corner of my room and fucked her senseless. Instead, I kissed her as I lowered her onto the mattress, with our mouths still melded together.

  She sits up, just enough to stick out her tongue and glide it along the tip of my cock. I suck in a deep breath and close my eyes, letting my hand fall to my side so she can take over.

  Gripping Kat’s hair, I stare down at her as she takes all of me in her mouth. I never thought this day would come. She wants more, or at least I think that’s what she was hinting. So close to finding my release, I take her head in my hand and sit back, because I would rather come inside her.

  Without exchanging a word, she understands what I want, releasing her hold on me, and sinks back onto the mattress. Positioned above her, I rub my cock along her folds, and a soft purr escapes her mouth. The warmth that pools between her legs sends me over the edge.

  With, my elbows on each side of her head, I lean forward to kiss her neck before making my way to her lips. Her hips arch as she kisses me, her hand gliding down my back. I take my time, careful not to fill her right away. A groan of pleasure, maybe pain, forces her eyes closed, and I tense, unsure if I should stop.

  “Don’t stop, Dean.” She wraps her legs around my back. “Stop thinking you will break me.”

  While that might be true, Kat has always had the power to break me. I get lost inside her, waiting for her body to relax, before hers works in a rhythmic motion along with mine. I lift Kat’s leg over my shoulder to slide deeper inside, and she cries out, my name a whisper on her lips.

  As I pick up the pace, she sucks in a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with each groan. Her eyes finally open and find mine, a look of pure ecstasy in them. I pound into her harder, faster. Her body convulses, the grip she has on me tightening. She screams so loud that I have to focus on not coming before her.

  She lets out one last sigh, watching me, as I lose control. I collapse on top of her and kiss her lips before rolling onto the mattress next to her. It takes a few minutes for me to get my bearings before I can move.

  Did we just ruin our friendship for good? Every time we have sex I wonder the same thing. We have to commit to one or the other. So much uncertainty clouds my brain. But the one thing I am certain about is my love for Kat.

  She curls up into the nook between my arm and shoulder, resting her head on my chest. “Why don’t we do this more often?” Her breathing is shallow, her voice low. “That was…” Kat’s words die off in her throat.

  I plant a kiss on her forehead, unsure of how to respond. My feelings for Kat always resurface after sex. I need time to process all of them. I also know that we have to stop this charade. She needs to know that I am in love with her.

  Kat traces the outline of my jaw with her thumb, staring up at me. “I love you, Dean.”

  I’m not sure how she means those words, but I have to say them back because I love her. “I love you, too, Kitten.”

  “Take a shower with me,” she says.

  Kat has a nighttime ritual that she almost never breaks. I know her habits as if they were my own. Now, I know every curve of her body and the sounds she makes when she comes.

  I kiss her on the lips and whisper. “I’m only gonna get you dirty again.”

  She flashes a devious grin. “That was part of the plan.”

  “I like how you think, woman.” I slide off the bed, beckoning her to follow me into the bathroom that separates my room from the twins.

  “How are you going to leave in the morning?”

  She frowns, folding her arms across her chest, pushing up her perky tits in the process. “You’re already thinking about getting rid of me? Thanks a lot, jerkface.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it.” I lower my voice to a whisper and point to the door that separates the bedrooms. “Your brothers sleep on the other side of that door. What are we going to tell them?”

  Her hands fall to her sides once she realizes I meant nothing by my words. “I’ve slept here before. Why would they think anything of it?”

  “You were screaming my name, Kitten. Someone had to hear you. You come here enough that my teammates would probably recognize your voice. And if Tucker or Theo took those girls up to their room, they could have heard you, too.”

  She covers her mouth with her hand, the blush creeping up to her cheeks, as she slowly lowers it to speak. “Was I that loud?”

  “Hey, I’m not complaining. But your brothers might be a little confused when they see you creep out of the house after that performance.”

  With her tits out on display, I have trouble focusing on anything but her chest when she throws her hands onto her narrow hips. I get hard again thinking about shoving my dick between them. But I have to calm down. Now that everything has sunk in, we have to think about our next move.

  “How about we take a shower and worry about my brothers later? Let’s not spoil the moment with stupid shit we can figure out in the morning.”

  She steps into the tiled shower, and turns the knob, feeling the water with her hand as she adjusts the temperature. Once I get in with her, Kat presses her palm to my chest, pushing me beneath the water. She rubs shampoo in my hair and smears some of it down the side of my face.

  I grab both of her hands to hold her in place. “Oh, you think you’re funny, don’t you?” Taking the glob from my cheek, I leave a streak along her cheek, dragging my finger down to her nipple. The tiny bud hardens when I give it a good twist.

  “Dean, you’re making me wet again, and not this kind of wet.” She points at the water streaming down her face and chuckles.

  Her laughter is contagious, because the two of us stand there, looking at each other, laughing about the stupidity of this moment. She eventually tilts her head back, allowing the water to wash over her. I help Kat wash her hair, and then, I soap up the loofa to rub it over her chest.

  “I can’t believe it took close to three years for you to get me naked,” she says, staring up at me. “That must be a record for you.”

  She says the words to taunt me, so I poke right back. “That’s because I thought you were a lesbian.”

  We both laugh, knowing that I never thought that about Kat for one second.

  “I’m sure if I tried, you would have been in my bed freshman year, but I respected you too much.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Good to know. I’m glad we waited until last year. We probably wouldn’t even be friends if we had hooked up when we’d first met.”

  “I doubt it.”

  Pressing my palm flat against the wall, I allow the water to run down my back. Kat comes up from behind and hugs me. She slides her hand over my stomach and kisses my skin. I was afraid of things being weird between us. But I trust her. I know she would never do anything to hurt me and the same goes for me.

  I peel her hands from my stomach, turning around so that we are facing. She’s beautiful, naked, and soaking wet. The water splashes off her forehead and streams down
her face. I lucked out having Kat as my best friend.

  I tuck the wet strands of hair behind her ears to get them out of her face. She places her hand on my chest, and I dip down to kiss her lips, lifting her up in the process. As her back hits the tile, Kat hooks her legs around my middle and digs her heels into my lower back. But the sound of someone banging on the bathroom door rips us from our lust filled trance.

  With our foreheads touching, Kat whispers, “What are we going to do?”

  “I’m busy,” I yell loud enough for the twins to hear.

  “Hurry up in there,” Theo says.

  “We are so fucked,” Kat says. “How are we going to explain why we took a shower together?”

  “I don’t owe anyone an explanation, and neither do you.” I set her down, now that the twins have ruined the moment.

  “I’ll get out, and you can let Theo in. He won’t even know I was with you.”

  My face hurts from smiling so much. Kat was always my partner in crime. At least that part of our relationship is still the same, even if I need a roadmap to navigate the next phase.

  Chapter 12

  Senior Year

  Kat

  I wake up to the sun in my eyes and my head pounding like a jackhammer. Every bone and muscle in my body aches. My throat burns from the shots I did last night, each breath stirring a fire inside my stomach. I blink a few times to get the sleep from my eyes and glance at the white walls that are mostly barren except a few hockey awards and posters

  I was drunk last night, but not so out of it not to remember what I did with Dean. To remember the things I said to Dean. I told him I love him, and I do. But how did he take it? What does this mean to him? Still on my side, with my back to Dean, he has his arm hooked around my stomach, breathing against my skin.

  I lift his hand and set it on the bed to give myself enough room to get up and escape to the bathroom. And to get dressed. Now that the sun is shining on his face and perfectly toned body, I feel subconscious being naked next to him. He’s gorgeous—if I can even say that about a man. Nothing about him is ever out of place, not even in sleep.