New Hampshire’s beaches were certainly not the same as Florida’s, but it was the best he could do. Joe loved when Ann dipped a toe in the icy water and cursed at him. She would hurry back to the beach blanket, slather on SPF 100 sunscreen and bake herself. Then they would walk the boardwalk, buy crap they couldn’t live without, grab fried dough or ice cream and head the hour north home, talking about how someday they would rent a cottage and spend a week on the beach.
One day, Joe would buy a place by the beach and spend as much time as possible making Ann happy. First he needed to hand over some of the gym’s responsibilities to someone other than Ann. Then he could look into buying some little fixer-upper.
Opening the car door, he took a deep breath and got out. Cold damp air burned his lungs and the water churned and smashed on rocks in the distance. Wind howled and gusted in his face. He squinted at Ann. Damn it, she wasn’t wearing a jacket. Shaking his head, Joe jogged to her. “You’re going to catch a cold.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“I know you better than you think.” He sat and took her frigid hand. “You’re freezing. Let’s go to the car and talk.”
“I’m fine.” She tugged her hand from his. “I just want to be alone.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on in that brain of yours?”
Tears glistened on her cheeks in the moonlight. “This isn’t working for me anymore. I think we need to cool things off.”
Heart breaking, he wiped a teardrop from under her eye. He wanted to tell her he loved her, but instead he nodded. Joe would give her time to come to her senses. “If that’s what you want.”
Moisture spilled down her beautiful face. “You are my best friend. I don’t want to lose you.” She swiped at her eyes. “You deserve better than me.”
The urge to tell her how much he loved her and needed her burned in his throat. There wasn’t anyone better for him on this planet than Ann. He mustered up a smile and stood. “Let’s go home. We’ll figure this all out tomorrow.”
* * * * *
The next morning, Ann stumbled into the kitchen sleepy-eyed. A rollercoaster of emotions still zipped through her. Feeling hung over and raw, she picked up the coffeepot and poured herself a cup.
Joe sat at the table, drinking a neon-green shake. “How’s your ankle this morning?”
She stopped and flexed her foot. Her ankle was stiff, but it no longer hurt. Taking inventory of the rest of her body, she cringed. Ann felt as if a truck had hit her. “My ankle is better, thanks for asking.”
“Anytime.”
She wished he’d smile at her like he always did. You need to face the fact that Joe may never look at you the way he used to.
“You’re up early.”
“I wanted to catch you before you left for the gym.” Setting down her mug, she slid into the seat across from Joe.
Her breath hitched. Joe looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. She told herself that was for the best. Both of them didn’t need to be miserable.
Joe didn’t need to know he’d ripped her heart out when he’d agreed with Ann last night. Sadness sat like a lead pipe in her stomach. A part of Ann wanted him to tell her he loved her and that he needed her.
Telling herself this was what she’d wanted, Ann gazed at the green liquid in front of Joe. “What the hell are you drinking?”
He lifted the glass. “Wheatgrass, whey protein, kale and a dash of orange juice for flavor.” He shoved it toward her. “Want some?”
If the color didn’t deter her, the smell did. Ann pinched her nose and leaned back. “No thank you.”
“Suit yourself.” Joe guzzled the concoction and sighed.
See what happens when you sexersize with your best friend? She shook the thought from her head. “I want to go over the trainer possibilities I’ve collected over the last few months.”
“Are we going to talk about last night?”
Her heart couldn’t take anymore. Pulling at a minuscule piece of lint on her flannel pjs, Ann gathered up bravado she didn’t have and smiled. “Most men would be happy they’d had great sex and be done with it.”
“I’m not most men.” Joe held up his hand and blew out a breath. “Forget it. Tell me who you’ve got for trainers.”
Willing her hands not to shake, Ann handed him a folder. “Inside are résumés for three women I feel would be an asset to the gym.”
He opened the folder and frowned. “Where are the people with experience? All but one of them are barely in their twenties.”
“We can’t afford experience.”
“Maybe I should call Rick and hire him.”
“That asshole can’t make his own mother comfortable around him. How is he going to make women in their thirties, forties and fifties comfortable?”
“He could make them just as comfortable as any of these twenty-year-old girls would.”
“What about Jen?”
He picked up the application. “Well, at least she’s not a child. What’s her story?”
“I’m not sure. Her résumé reads like she took some time off to have kids or something. There’s a five-year gap a few years back and in the last three, she’s held two or three jobs at a time. Maybe she’s a single mother or her husband lost his job or something.”
She checked her watch. “You’re going to be late.”
“I’m the boss.” He stood and moved to the dishwasher, opened it and placed the glass inside.
“Which means you have to be there on time.” Ann sipped her coffee. The hot zap of caffeine started to zip through her bloodstream.
The look on his face hardened. “Do you know how hard it is not to pick you up, lay you on this table and taste every inch of you?”
Hope sprang in her chest. Ann couldn’t help it. Last night she’d tossed and turned, debating with herself. Wanting to be with Joe was like a living, breathing thing inside her.
She pulled back from throwing herself at his feet. Even though he was the perfect guy in every way, she wasn’t the perfect woman. Ann didn’t trust she could keep him satisfied when her curves started to sag and dimple. “We discussed this last night.”
“All we discussed was what we had wasn’t working for you.” Joe grabbed his bag and flung it over his shoulder. “I’m telling you this isn’t working for me.” He turned and walked out.
“Joe, I…” She squeezed her eyes shut.
“What?”
Ann’s eyes flew open. He stood in the doorway, filling it. The unyielding expression marring his handsome face told her he would be late for work. She stood and moved to him. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“Me too.” His gaze scorched her with its heat.
Her body came alive and she hated herself for it. When it came to Joe, she had no control.
“I promise after today I will never touch you again.” He advanced to her. “Just give me one more chance to taste you.”
Joe leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
“You’re going to be late,” Ann said lamely and plastered what she hoped was an easy smile on her stiff-feeling face.
“Let me take you upstairs and get rid of the sadness in your eyes.”
“You have to get to work and I’m sore from the last few days’ festivities.”
“Let me kiss it and make it better.” Joe nipped along her jawline and he sat her on the kitchen table. “I want to taste you. Please, one more time.” His lips grazed her earlobe. “I need you.”
“We can’t.” She moaned and tried to push him back.
“Ann, give this to me just this once. I promise never again after today.”
The plea in his voice broke her. She leaned back and gripped his face to look at him. “You make it hard to say no.”
Eyes shining, he smiled. “I can’t leave things like we did last night.”
What was left of her heart shattered. “I can’t handle it anymore.”
His fingers untied her pants. “You make it ha
rd to accept no as an answer.” Joe lifted her shirt and kissed her navel.
“Just this once.” Ann rested back. She had no willpower when it came to him. She’d loved Joe forever. It was hard not to follow her heart when all it wanted was to be with him.
He stopped kissing the soft skin around her bellybutton and gazed into Ann’s sapphire-blue eyes. I love you, Ann. The words danced on the tip of his tongue. Swallowing back the need to say them, he scooped her into his arms and navigated through the kitchen into the living room and up the stairs.
She lay limply against his chest, as if she’d lost a battle. Turning at the top of the stairs, he adjusted her against him. Joe kicked open the door to his room and placed her on the bed. There were no words to say now.
Joe untied her pajama bottoms. Ann lifted her butt as he pulled off her pants and underwear. He wanted to remember every lovely inch of her.
No other woman made his body respond like Ann. Kneeling, Joe spread her thighs. The pleasing scent of her filled his nose. “You are so beautiful.”
Delicate hairs caressed his lips as he pressed a kiss to her cleft. Wanting to savor every minute he had with Ann, he took his time.
The first little whimper that slipped from her mouth filled his empty heart. His gut clenched as he held back his needs and took her slowly. Ann’s sweet honey flowed over his lips, driving his hunger for her.
He wouldn’t let himself think about what came next. Right now, she was his. Sliding his tongue over her clit, Joe enjoyed her sweetness.
“Oh, Joe.” Ann jumped and dug her fingers into his hair.
His dick hurt it was so hard. Everything was better when she called his name. Being with her showed him the meaning of life.
She was the only one for him and he was losing her. Ann’s thighs quivered as he tongued her entrance. She was his, God damn it. Joe needed to figure out a way of showing Ann she could be the love of his life and still be his best friend.
Sucking in a breath, he slipped a finger into Ann’s tight pussy. Her inner walls gripped him. His dick pulsed against his boxers every time she contracted around him. He could almost feel her wet heat surrounding his cock, taking him deeper. Ann arched into his mouth and crested. “Joe.”
The pounding desires inside Joe snapped his control. With his hands, he spread her legs wider and licked her from his lips. “Come for me again.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing to me,” she said. She lifted her head, the haze in her eyes cleared.
“Oh, honey, you don’t know what you’re doing to me.” He tossed her legs over his shoulders, took a plump pink pussy lip into his mouth, and sucked.
Shivering, she moaned. “I can’t.”
Joe let her ripe flesh slip from his lips “You can.”
He buried his face in her cunt. Joe loved the fact he’d taste her all day. The thought drove him to demand more. The gentle caresses from before turned into hard, demanding strokes.
Tongue-fucking her this way gave him a sense of power, replacing what she’d taken from him last night. When her body convulsed and quaked when she called out his name, peace washed over him.
Standing, he gazed at Ann. Her pajama top had opened. His mouth watered at the sight of her tits as he bent and took a nipple into his mouth. She pushed him away, and Joe’s heart tore from his chest. “I love you,” he said as he straightened and walked to the door.
“Joe, wait.”
Didn’t she know she was ripping his heart out and stomping on it? He turned and folded his arms over his chest.
Ann sat up and pulled her top closed. “I love you so much it hurts.”
Legs wobbling, Joe grabbed the doorjamb for support. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who is miserable right now.”
“Trust me.” A tear streaked down Ann’s beautiful cheek. “You’re not.”
He moved to Ann and lifted her into his arms. “We’ll figure out how not to be unhappy together.”
Chapter Seven
“Life is so much better when you wake up at nine o’clock on a Saturday morning instead of four thirty.” Joe lifted Ann and swung her around in a circle.
She hugged him, hoping this newfound feeling of contentment lasted forever.
When Joe told her he loved her and walked out on her ten days ago, Ann knew she had to take the leap and trust in the love she felt for him or run the risk of losing Joe forever. So she did.
She smiled up at him. “Who put pep juice in your protein shake this morning?”
“Who needs pep juice when I get to wake up next to you?” He leaned in and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek.
Heat burned her cheeks as she wiggled out of his arms. “Stop it.” Turning, she pulled open the refrigerator. “I think I should start kicking you out of my bed at night.”
His smile widened. “You can’t. In the last week and a half I’ve gotten the best rest of my life.”
“How long do you think we can go with only an hour or two of sleep a night before we crash?” she asked, grabbing the fruit salad and letting the refrigerator door slam behind her.
“I think I could go the next fifty years or so.”
Heart skipping, she set the glass bowl on the counter. “I think you need to research what they’re putting in that powder you put in your smoothies.”
Warmth seeped into her back as Joe’s arms slipped around her waist. “I love you, Ann.” He rested his chin on her head. “I love saying that to you.”
Happiness engulfed her. She didn’t think hearing those three little words coming out of his mouth would ever get old. “I love hearing it.” She turned and gazed into his deep-blue eyes. “I love you too.”
Lifting up on her toes, she kissed him. Desire bloomed in her belly. Every time her body pressed into his, Ann’s mind fogged and her insides melted.
Joe gripped her ass and pulled her to him. His mouth parted, letting her in. Ann sighed and took her time exploring him.
Pulling back, she smiled up at him. “We’re supposed to meet Will and his date at the greenmarket in less than an hour.”
His hand slipped under her sleepshirt and the smile on his face sobered. “You don’t know what it means to me to hear you say that.”
The post-kiss haze lifted and her heart filled with love. Taking their relationship to the next level had been easier than Ann thought. The hardest thing she had to get used to was their friends and acquaintances saying it was about time.
“I can’t tell you how much I love saying it.”
The sexy grin was back. Joe lifted her and set her on the counter. “I can call Will and tell him we can’t make it.” His hands traced a path under her shirt and cupped her breasts.
“You know if we get into bed we’ll never leave and you have a lot to do today.”
“You’re a party pooper.” He tweaked a nipple and stepped back.
Desire zipped to her core. “If you had it your way, we would never get out of bed.” Ann slid off the counter and moved to the cabinet for a cereal bowl.
“Damn straight. If I could find a way to train my clients and manage the gym from your bed I would be a happy man.” He handed Ann a spoon on his way past her to the table.
“Thanks.” She scooped fruit into the small bowl and sat across from Joe.
His feet wrapped around hers. “Besides meeting Will and his date, what needs to get done before I have to go into the gym at two?”
“I can’t think of anything.” She inched her toes up his leg as she bit into a strawberry.
“How big is the greenmarket?” He lifted her foot, set it on his knee and began to rub.
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Because I don’t know how long I can be next to you without being inside you.”
Ann pulled her foot out of his hand and stabbed a huge piece of honeydew with her fork. “How’s it going with Jen?” she asked of the new trainer she’d made him hire.
“I’ll have to wait that long, huh?” Joe lifted her foot again and massaged. �
�Jen is working out great.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. The members like her a lot. She doesn’t take shit from the guys and the free promotional personal training she’s offering has women flocking to the gym. We have ten new members in ten days.”
“That’s great.” Jealousy jabbed into her chest. Jen was everything she wished she could be. She was hard and toned in all the right places and still looked soft and feminine.
When Ann handed Joe her résumé, she thought Jen would be a haggard mom. Ann certainly didn’t think she would be the hot fitness model Joe hired.
“What are you thinking over there?” Joe asked and squeezed her foot.
Ann blinked and focused on his face. “I have to take a shower before we meet Will.”
His hand skimmed up to her knee and he looked over at the clock on the microwave. “I guess we don’t have time for me to join you.” Joe set her foot down and stood. “I’ll pick this up and get into the shower when you’re done.”
Pushing back her chair, she rose and moved to him. Her pulse pounded in her ears, making her a little lightheaded. Ann wrapped her arms around his neck, rose on her toes and tugged him down for a kiss.
Ann pulled back. “I hope I leave you some hot water,” she said and hurried out of the kitchen.
* * * * *
Hot water pummeled Ann’s back as she shaved her legs. Knowing she didn’t have much time before Joe decided she needed company, Ann rushed to finish up.
Some things a girl needed to do alone. Hair removal was one of them.
She heard the bathroom door open and smiled. “What’s a girl need to do to get some privacy around here?”
The glass door slid open. Joe stood in front of her in all his hunky glory. “Not be so sexy.”
Ann rinsed the shaving cream from her legs and set the pink razor on the shelf next to Joe’s. She knew it was stupid to be flattered when he said corny things like that, but it felt good.
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