“About what?” he enquired, ever the sceptical.
He remained seated on the bed; both hands now situated in mine, the slight tremor he underwent certainly not going unnoticed.
“About me, us.”
He seemed reluctant at first but eventually offered me a slow nod which did very little to appease me. I wanted to believe his fake confidence, but with his face currently twisting the way it was, I didn’t.
“Do you have feelings for me?” I questioned, meeting his gaze head-on. “Beyond friendship.”
“Yes.”
His reply was instantaneous and I didn’t dare question it, knowing it to be the God’s honest truth.
“How long?”
I had my suspicions regarding this particular question, and if the ever stiffening of Luke’s posture was anything to go by, I’d say he was suddenly unnerved.
“Maya…”
“Please, I just want the truth,” I begged, dragging my thumbs against his wrists in a last-minute bid to offer him some encouragement.
I gently made my way alongside the strap of his new watch and marvelled against the feel of his fast beating pulse on my fingertips; the very speed in which it was going telling me more than I needed to know.
“I can’t look at you when I tell you.”
His response was as justifiable as it was fair. He was nervous, so in a way I hoped was helpful, I gently stroked my fingers over his eyes, prompting him to close each one.
“Can you tell me now?” I enquired, resting my forehead on his.
I stared right at his lips, so plump and close. I knew what it felt like to have them on me, yet it wasn’t enough. I wanted more.
“Nine, maybe ten years.”
Shit!
I thought he would say two months at most but nine, maybe fucking ten years! That was almost half our life.
“Okay, now look at me,” I demanded, though did so tenderly.
Simply using my words to manipulate his movements enabled him to still feel somewhat in control of the situation. The last thing I wanted was to freak out and scare him off. It must’ve been hard for him to admit that and he deserved respect for it, not rejection.
“Do I look repulsed at all?”
“I hope not.”
“Am I laughing in your face?”
“Maybe.”
“Running away?”
“No.”
“Then look at me, please.”
He finally opened his eyes and graced me with that captivating gaze of his; so full of worry. I hated that he was scared and especially didn’t like that he had to hide his true feelings from me for almost a decade.
“Were you too scared to be honest?” I asked, needing more information on the matter.
“Fucking terrified,” he smiled, letting slip a tiny laugh. “I got pretty good at convincing myself we’d never happen, but that all changed when we slept together. Now I’ve had a taste of what it’s like and I can’t forget. I don’t want to.”
His eyes on mine felt like small shots of electricity. Had the full moon not been our only source of light, I’d have sworn by them glimmering.
“I don’t want to forget either,” I admitted, licking my suddenly dry lips. “I think I was so focused on the negative that I didn’t stop to think about the positives.”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about the positives,” he ensured, still clutching my hands. “But then you were so repulsed by our actions. I was devastated.”
“Oh God, Luke!” I cried, gripping his shoulders. “I never wanted that. I was scared, not repulsed. You believe me, right? You know I love you,” I added, begging him with my eyes.
“I know you do.” He paused. “And I love you, but I think the way I do is very different to the way you do.”
Our quiet conversation was the only thing that could be heard throughout the peacefulness of the house. With the calming countryside only metres away, I felt oddly safe. Maybe even brave?
“How do you love me? Tell me?” I encouraged, moving my face closer to his.
It was important he felt he could be honest with me, and if I physically had to drag the confession out of him, so bloody be it.
“I’m in love with you. I have been for as long as I can remember.”
His declaration sent my mind into a whirlwind of emotions; all of which expressed extreme gratitude and sheer happiness, not fear. I may have not been ready to say those fatal few words back, but that wasn’t to say I didn’t absolutely love hearing them. Knowing my best friend was in love with me and had been for years wasn’t a hindrance, nor was it unwelcoming. It simply was what it was and I had no doubt I’d be able to return those feelings one day.
“Thanks for being honest,” I whispered, enjoying the sound of our heavy breathing and synchronised heartbeats. “I love that you love me,” I added, letting him know I wasn’t negatively affected by his revelation.
His glistening eyes snapped up to capture my own and in doing so, seemed to convey the purest of thoughts. He wasn’t pressuring me into anything and simply said what he did as a means of letting me know his true feelings on the matter. There was no going back for us after this. Even though in a way that was sad, what we had coming was much more open and something to certainly get excited about. Sure, I was terrified, but in the most surreal way imaginable, it made what we were about to do all the more thrilling.
“Do you know what I’ve just realised?” I stated, changing the subject again.
“What?”
“I spent a fortune on this dress and I didn’t even get to dance!” I informed, outraged.
He simply laughed at my declaration and leaned forward to rest both elbows on his knees, facing my profile in the process.
“How much did you spend on it?” he asked, to which I shrieked, “Fifty quid!”
He smiled at my overreaction and upon standing from his seated position, rummaged around in his bag for quite some time, much like the way he did when bringing a cupcake to my room all those years ago. And to think, he was in love with me back then.
Stop that!
I was quick to shake my head at the thought and stopped myself from going there, knowing that if I did, I’d drive myself truly insane. If I thought about all the times Luke was in love with me while I had no idea, I would’ve ended up hating myself. I could argue the reasons until I was blue in the face, but in the end, it would do neither of us any good. The important thing was I knew now, and how I reacted would determine our future together.
“Are you gonna pull out a cupcake?” I asked, indeed, cracking a joke.
“Not quite.”
He shook his head as he went about pulling out a set of earphones; the randomness of his actions confusing, to say the least.
“What are you doing?”
“You can’t dance without music,” he informed, as a matter of fact.
“Right…”
“And you never did get to dance tonight, did you?” he explained, holding out his hand to me.
“Correct.”
“So dance with me now?” he suggested, before suddenly stopping. “Please.”
His outstretched hand trembled ever so slightly in front of my eyes, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was nervous all over again. I was keen to squash that, and did so by accepting his offer. I stuck to his body by lightly resting my cheek on his chest, enjoying his immediate heat. I was then slowly passed an earbud and upon doing so, subjected my ears to Bon Jovi’s Always; the song reminding me of his Mum. It was her favourite and in fact, played at her funeral. It wasn’t odd that he would pick this track to dance to, and knowing what it meant to him made the moment all the more special.
I gently ran my hands along his side, admiring the feel of his body tensing against my touch. My fingers eventually interlocked with his and as we began our swaying movements around the small bedroom, I couldn’t help but feel completely at peace with the world. Nothing could’ve ruined or tarnished this moment. For as long as I’d live, I would alw
ays remember it as a turning point for our friendship. I no longer thought of him as my best friend, but rather an honest man who just admitted to being in love with me. In fact, it fast became my only focus, aside from his hammering heart against my grinning cheek; each beat creating a rhythm of its own. His delicate fingers detailed the length of my spine in soft, tranquilising motions before coming to a gentle rest at my neck, where I fell victim to a sly bit of manipulation. His hand angled my head in such a way that forced me to look up at him and in doing so, I was met with his clear blues.
“I really want to kiss you,” he admitted, running his fingers along my jaw.
“Feel free,” I replied, encouraging him.
There wasn’t a moment of hesitation between me speaking my request and him positioning his mouth over mine. The exchange remained sweet at first, yet proved much more intense the further it continued. His hands moved from their original formation to settle around my waist and his body, although reserved, cemented itself onto mine, front facing. His heavy bulge dug into my lower stomach, making its presence well and truly known in the form of a screaming erection.
“Luke.”
My moans only seemed to spur him on. Whilst my head spun from all the kissing I was undergoing, I couldn’t help but become greedy in my need for more interaction. I very hastily pulled the earphones from both our ears and rested his phone on the side table, earning myself a surprise kiss from behind, enjoyably so.
“I can go all fucking night, Maya so you tell me when to stop,” he growled, feasting on the area between my neck and earlobe.
“Who says we have to stop?” I smirked, meeting his challenge head-on.
I’d never been particularly seductive, nor sexy but with Luke looking at me as though he was about to devour me, I was certainly inclined to give it a try. He made me feel more desired than ever before. If only I had known this sooner, we both could’ve saved ourselves a lot of hassle.
“So, does this mean you fancy me now?” he asked, breaking for only a second to remove his tie.
“Honestly Luke, who even says fancy anymore?” I laughed, grabbing for his blazer and swiftly disposing of it.
“Lots of people do!” he defended, finally offering me a glance of those desirable lips; so moist from our encounter. “It’s a perfectly acceptable word to use.”
“Whatever you say,” I insisted, pulling his wet mouth down to meet mine.
Shining back at me and reflecting pure need, I found his gaze had me not only wanting to fulfil his unspoken desires but excited by the prospect of doing so. Pulling on his belt and making sure to rid him of his trousers saw my impatience reach an all-time high and fast became my priority. If I hadn’t known how extortionately priced his suit was, I’d have happily ripped it from his body instead.
“Are you sure about this, Maya? No more running?” he asked, barking his enquiry down my ear.
“No more running,” I ensured, pressing my chest into his. “I promise.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Friends, No More
My need for human interaction outweighed any rationality. If I didn’t have Luke’s naked skin pressed into mine soon, I would’ve screamed. Thankfully, there was no need for that as his attention shifted to removing my dress. He carefully and slowly lowered the zip and trailed the edge with the tip of his tongue and slight grazing of his teeth. Tiny electrical sparks tickled over my skin, making my insides quiver, which added to my growing need to feel his body deep inside mine.
The material pooled at my feet and I began the dignified process of removing my heels, though stopped when a gentle but firm hold on my wrist caught my attention.
“Leave them on,” Luke rasped.
His hungry eyes bore through mine, and I nearly came apart right on the spot.
Well, alright then!
With devilish smirk and an inspiring squeeze to my upper arm, I just about managed to proceed. He carefully helped me step over the pile of fabric, shoes still firmly attached to feet that barely supported my now trembling legs and upon doing so; I became the subject of my own nakedness, bar my seamless knickers. Sasha had made me buy them, claiming a pantie line was never sexy on a woman. Nude, simple and unattractive; they were probably the nicest pair I owned.
“You’re gorgeous, do you know that?” he whispered, smoothing his hands along my stomach. “My perfect Maya.”
His fingertips lightly grazed past my ribcage to my breasts, and with a slight pinch bestowed onto each nipple; I possessed the sudden ability to jump and yelped, shocked by the new sensations. Whilst I was certainly no stranger to sex, my experience so far was still somewhat limited beyond vanilla.
“You like that?” he questioned, breathless by all accounts. “When I touch you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you like touching me?” he added, carrying on with his wayward journey.
“I do.”
He carefully took a step back and evaluated the situation, seemingly leaning towards a more playful approach to sleeping together for the second time.
“Touching yourself?”
“Luke.”
“Do you like touching yourself?” he asked, this time more sternly.
I simply nodded my head and lowered my gaze, afraid he may judge me for admitting so. It wasn’t what would normally be classed as everyday conversation between two best friends. Though everything about what Luke and I were close to doing wasn’t normal. I was very much out of my safety zone, although found being so quite the thrill. I had never been so desperate.
“Touch yourself, baby. Let me watch,” he whispered, pulling me flush against his chest. “Touch yourself here,” he begged, cupping my entire sex.
I swallowed my gasp before it could escape and slipped a hand inside the soft fabric of my knickers, feeling just how ready I was for him.
“You feel that?” he asked, indeed referring to my indescribable need. “That’s how I’ve felt for the past ten years. I watched you go after men that weren’t me for so long. I almost convinced myself I wasn’t good enough.”
His openness was a welcoming distraction. Although, hearing of how my actions put doubts in his mind failed to sit well within.
“But I am good enough. I’m the only man good enough for you and I’m never letting you go. After tonight, you’re mine, Maya.”
“Yours,” I agreed, pressing my lips to his.
His fingers replaced mine along the sleekness of my opening and within minutes, he had me convulsing around him in such violent tremors, it almost became too much.
“Take off the rest of my clothes, sweetheart,” he demanded, though did so with sweetness. “Let’s slowly take our time tonight and really enjoy getting to know each other’s bodies,” he then suggested, calmly so.
“I’d like that,” I replied, sucking in as much oxygen as my lungs would allow. “But before we do that, can you do me a favour?” I asked, needing one last thing before we continued.
“Anything.”
I slowly unbuttoned his shirt, obeying his instruction to further undress him. Then, I ran my fingertips along the hard muscles of his chiselled chest, enjoying its smooth surface. His entire body flexed against my touch and the action gave me as much confidence as it did happiness.
“Tell me you love me again.”
“I love you,” he smiled, taking us both over towards the bed on clumsy legs.
Upon falling against the soft sheets, I let slip a tremendous giggle and flung my arms around the back of his neck. Cool and cotton, the bedding provided a rather harsh juxtaposition against my burning hot skin. Luke’s less than gentle touch certainly didn’t help. Anyone would’ve thought he hadn’t eaten for days with the way he was currently feasting on my every inch, yet I knew that not to be true. The man had a flipping three-course meal hours before.
“Luke! You’re tickling me!” I screeched, cautious of my ever-increasing volume.
I didn’t want us getting kicked out of yet another establishment.
&nb
sp; “I know, I love hearing you laugh,” he admitted, pulling my knickers down with his teeth.
He got them roughly halfway down my legs before giving up and resorting to other methods of manipulation. Much to my delight, he then dragged a delicate finger in between my aching muscles, discovering my fresh wave of wetness, which may as well have been measured by the gallon if my severe dampness was anything to go by.
“Open your legs wider for me, baby,” he begged, placing a loving kiss on my stomach.
I did as instructed and found I was issued to a thorough examination as not one, but two fingers were thrust inside of me.
“That feel good?”
“So good!” I moaned, meeting his rhythm with my own hip movement.
He continued to play my strings perfectly before swiftly coating himself with a condom. It appeared as if by magic and quite frankly took me by surprise. I thought about asking him where he got it from but decided protection-talk was probably a definite mood killer and wasn’t highly important. The important thing was, he was ready and so was I.
“Look at me, okay?” he asked, at it again with that odd demand.
I locked my gaze onto his and kept it there as he pushed into me, filling me with his throbbing manhood. His intoxicating dance started almost immediately and I found myself clawing at his back, neck and hair in the hopes it relieved some of the pressure.
It didn’t.
“Luke!”
I could barely remember my own name, but it seemed his was imprinted on my mind, begging to be released on moan after soft moan.
“Keep saying my name, Maya,” he begged, starting to work up a sweat.
I did as I was told and began to religiously chant to the best of my ability; sure I could be heard three doors down. I wrapped my legs around his back and dug my four inch heels into his bum, moaning as his deep thrusts entered me more vigorously.
“Oh, Luke! Right there, like that!”
“Hold on baby, wait for me,” he panted, resting his forehead on mine in a dramatic claim to fall together.
I was hanging on by a thread, at the point of no return and just as I was about to express my need to let go, he threw his head back and barked out a rather loud, “Now!” to which I did so immediately. I forced myself to remain open-eyed, knowing he liked that. The sensation went against all instinct, but I resisted the urge to close them and in doing so, convinced myself I resembled that of a gawking fish. Though, never one for stressing about my appearance, I succumbed to my climax anyway and did so in the most earth-shattering of ways, taking Luke along for the ride with me. His fingernails aggressively dug into my waist and as he met my thrust one last time, he murmured my name on a breathless release.
My Not So One Night Stand Page 11