“Don’t think you’re getting out of singing to me.”
Kyle cocked his head to the side, his green eyes brilliant even through the appalling internet connection. “Does that mean you want to see me again?”
“Maybe.”
“But not for a date,” they said in unison and laughed. Even thousands of miles apart, they connected, understanding each other at an elemental level.
Finally, Lauren said, “I’ve got a meeting. See you around, Kyle.”
A few minutes later, Lauren was still smiling at the photograph when Erin walked past the back of the sofa, carrying her laptop towards her desk. “Do you have time to chat with Dylan and— Oh wow!”
Erin leaned over Lauren’s shoulder to take a closer look at the photo, her blue eyes wide.
“Hey, you have Matthew,” Lauren said.
“Yes, I do. And I’m also not dead.” Erin’s eyes widened as she scrutinized the shot. “Is that Kyle? He looks even better in front of the camera than he does behind it.”
Lauren nodded and Erin patted her shoulder, moving toward the desk and setting her laptop down as Dylan’s handsome face swam into view on her computer screen. “Sorry to ogle your man but…”
“He’s not my man,” Lauren corrected. “We’re just friends.”
“Friends, huh?” Erin set her computer on the desk and turned it to face Lauren. Dylan waved from the computer screen and Lauren waved back. “Okay then, Pickle? You there?”
“Who is Lauren just friends with?”
“Kyle Rawlings,” Erin answered.
“And who is Kyle Rawlings?” Dylan asked.
“He’s a photographer that I am friends with.” Lauren placed particular emphasis on the word friend.
“She’s such good friends with him that she spent Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day with him,” Erin put in.
“Yeah, because my friends went to Savannah without me.”
“You were invited.” Erin smirked at her.
“What’s that look for?” Lauren demanded.
“Just I’ve never seen you be friends with one of your conquests. You and Dylan have always been love ’em and leave ’em—”
“Wanting more,” Dylan put in, and Erin laughed.
“I like hanging out with him. He’s very sweet and smart.” Lauren shrugged. “And he’s fantastic in bed.”
“So fantastic he sweet-talked you into setting up his online store.”
“I would do the same for any friend.”
“Right.” Erin said. “And it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that he looks at you like you hung the stars and the moon?”
“Oh wow, Lauren. Congrats,” Dylan said. “Sounds like you made quite the conquest.”
“You’re both being ridiculous.”
“And they talk every day over Skype, too.” Erin put in and Dylan whistled.
“You talk to Matthew three times a day.”
“Yes, because Matthew is my boyfriend,” Erin answered. “Just like Kyle is your boyfriend.”
“We are friends,” Lauren said, her heart rate speeding up. “Kyle’s on assignment overseas and far from home. He’s just lonely.”
“He’s writing to you every day? And you’re video conferencing every day?” Dylan asked and Lauren nodded. “That’s not lonely.”
“What is it, then?”
“I don’t know. But not lonely.” Dylan fixed his intense blue eyes on her. “So, how many times you been out with this guy?”
“We hooked up at a bachelorette party, he gave me a ride to a wedding rehearsal because it was raining, I had lunch with him at the diner when your sister dumped me to have Skype sex…” Dylan laughed as Erin blushed. “I went to his place for pizza, because Matthew was here.”
“You had lunch with Matthew and me at the diner.”
“But that was not a date. That was just a casual mid-day meal between friends.”
“Right.” Erin rolled her eyes. “And what about Christmas?”
“He came over on Christmas Eve. I made lasagna. We talked.”
“And?” Dylan asked.
“There may have been a second hook-up,” Lauren said. “It was just a casual, Christmassy hook-up. It was not a date.”
“That went on for two days?” Erin shook her head. “Nice try.”
“And now he writes you and calls you every day?” Dylan asked.
“Yes, because we’re friends.”
“Lauren, if it quacks like a duck…”
“God save me from Southerners and their weird expressions.”
“You can call it whatever you want, sweetie,” Erin said. “You’re dating.”
“We are not.”
“Lauren’s got a boyfriend,” Erin teased. “Matthew’s coming to town next month. Wanna double date?”
“I don’t know—are you going to leave the bedroom this time?” Lauren snapped as Dylan laughed.
“We left the bedroom.”
“For shower sex.”
“That was one time!” Erin blushed and Dylan laughed harder. “And it doesn’t change the fact that you have a boyfriend, too.”
“Stop it, you guys. I can’t have a boyfriend. What would I do with a boyfriend?”
“Pretty much what you’ve already been doing,” Dylan chimed in. “Bug, can we get this meeting started? I’ve got a date.”
“It’s ten o’clock at night,” Erin protested.
“I don’t know what time your dates start, Bug, but my dates start right about now.”
“You mean your hook-ups?”
“A rose by any other name would…smell good?”
“Smell as sweet.” Lauren corrected his quotation. “Did well in your English 101 course, did you?”
“I may have even attended once.” Dylan laughed.
“Okay, kiddos, let’s go over the calendar.”
Erin pulled up the calendar on her screen and started reading off events, working on coordinating their schedules. Lauren saved the picture of Kyle to her desktop before turning her attention to the meeting. After all, inspiration came in many forms.
Chapter Eleven
On New Year’s Eve morning, Lauren woke to a short voice message from Kyle. “Hey beautiful, I’m heading home. Save me a New Year’s kiss, okay?” He hummed a few bars of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and said, “I’ll sing you the rest in person.”
Lauren smiled and snuggled under the comforter. If she played back his message twice more before she got up to shower, well, no one had to be the wiser. She still wasn’t sure that she and Kyle were dating—or even if she wanted to date anyone—but she did want to see him again. And not just for sex. As great as the sex was, she liked Kyle, too, enjoyed spending time with him, talking to him, and doing things together. She just didn’t know what that meant, exactly.
All her life, she’d had friends, including guy friends, and occasional hook-ups. When she was in college, she sometimes let the hookups extend to a friends-with-benefits arrangement or tried to extend friendship into casual sex. After the last, bitter experience of a guy wanting more than she was willing to give, Lauren decided to only enjoy in one-night stands.
Now, with Kyle, she’d not only slept with him multiple times, indulging in some truly fantastic sex, but they were good friends, too. But did that equate to dating like Erin and Dylan said?
And if so, did she want it to?
Whatever their relationship was called, Lauren didn’t want it to stop. And that was a total first for her.
Both she and Erin had New Year’s Eve weddings that night. Since people were already in the party mood, New Year’s Eve often proved a popular choice for weddings. However, working a New Year’s wedding was exhausting because most of the guests, including the wedding party, often overdid it on the free bar without bothering to eat any of the food. Mid-afternoon, Lauren tossed her champagne colored bridesmaid’s dress over her arm, grabbed her makeup case, and headed out to say goodbye to Erin.
“Good luck at your
wedding,” Lauren said. “Hope no one gets too drunk.”
“Same to you.” Erin sighed, fussing with her hair as she faced the bathroom mirror.
“You still bummed you won’t get a new year’s kiss from Matthew?”
After spending most of December crisscrossing the country to be together, the lovebirds decided to be practical and spend the New Year holiday apart. Erin had no idea that Matthew planned to arrive at Logan on the red eye and whisk her away to one of the posh hotels downtown after her bridesmaid duties were complete. It’d taken the combined efforts of Dylan, Lauren, and Matthew to pull the surprise off. Lauren packed her friend’s travel bag with all the extras she might need and struggled not tip her hand by grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
“Not bummed, exactly. But yes.” Erin shrugged. “You must miss Kyle, too.”
“Kyle’s not my boyfriend.” Lauren shook her head. “And he left me a message that he’s on his way home. I’m sure I’ll see him sometime this week to go over his website.”
“To go over his website?” Erin rolled her eyes. “Right. Want to bet that you see him naked within the next twenty-four hours?”
“We’ll see.” Lauren shrugged, pretending her heartbeat didn’t speed up at the thought of Kyle—naked or otherwise. She waved. “See you in the new year.”
Lauren headed downtown to the wedding site at a beautiful hotel right on the Charles. The bare trees outside the hotel would twinkle with holiday lights and reflect the chilly water beyond, creating a gorgeous winter wonderland for the bride and groom. Thankfully, this bride was calm and cool, not stressed at all. Lauren might actually have a good time at this wedding. This early in the day, she made good time, found a parking space easily, and headed inside to start setting up. She completed her first pre-wedding checklist and headed upstairs to find the bride and the rest of the maids.
She stepped off the elevator just as Kyle emerged from the staircase next to it. He wore his form-fitting dark tux, with his tie undone, and stubble shadowed his jaw. She swallowed hard, very aware of her heart beating hummingbird-fast in her chest. Still, she couldn’t stop the smile that burst over her face when she caught sight of him. He looked up, his green eyes brilliant against his tanned skin, and smiled warmly as he came to a halt in front of her.
“Hi.” She twisted her shaking fingers together in front of her, butterflies waltzing in her stomach.
“Hi,” he rasped. He used one long finger to tilt her face up to his and lowered his mouth to hers, a sweet, chaste kiss, tasting of mint and Kyle. His stubble scraped her lips, sending tingles of awareness through her. She clutched at his biceps, pulling him closer, wanting so much more. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close for just an instant before breaking away. His breathing ragged, he stepped back. “Better stop now. I’ve got a wedding to photograph.”
“Aren’t you tired? Isn’t it like a 15 hour flight home?” He smiled at her, that slow smile that melted things inside of her. She tilted up her chin. “Yes, I looked it up.”
“I slept on the plane.” He stretched his arms back, rolling his shoulders. “Twisted like a pretzel, though. I could use a back rub.”
“Don’t give me the puppy eyes. I could use a back rub, too. And a foot rub.”
“I’ll have to see what I can do, after midnight.” He rubbed the back of his knuckles over her cheek before heading down the hall toward the bridal suite, Lauren trailing behind. “First, gotta snap some photos.”
About an hour after midnight, after they’d waved the bride and groom off and the guests toddled off to their beds, Lauren wiggled her feet out of her killer heels. Why did every bride have to pick feet-killers? Just once she’d like to wear slippers down the aisle. If she ever married…
Lauren stopped, drawing in a quick breath. She never intended to marry. Happily ever after was fine for the joyous, hopeful brides she worked with, but she didn’t believe in it for herself. She shut her eyes, as Kyle’s face flashed through her mind. If she was thinking of marriage, she must be more tired than she thought.
She sighed, stretching her arms above her. Barefoot, she padded across the deserted, confetti strewn dance floor to check for any last minute details to wrap up. As she reached the center of the floor, a warm hand caught her hip, pulling her back against a well-muscled male body. She caught the scent of cinnamon, forest, and mint. Kyle. She turned into his arm, smiling up at him, as he cuddled her close, humming a few bars though she couldn’t catch the tune.
“Still want me to sing to you?”
“I thought you headed home with Joe.”
“Couldn’t leave without this first.” He cupped her cheek, running his thumb over her chin and tilting her face up to his. Slowly, he leaned toward her, handsome even in the low candlelight, and captured her mouth in a gentle kiss. Lauren sighed and parted for him, slipping her hands up his biceps to clutch at his shoulders, arching against his warm, hard chest.
He pulled her even closer as he cradled the back of her head in his large palm, plundering her mouth, his tongue slipping inside to make a leisurely circuit. He tasted of champagne and some other intoxicating taste unique to Kyle. His several days worth of stubble gave their kiss an unfamiliar edge, thrilling her, making her ache with want for him, this one man who made her shatter all her carefree and casual ways. Finally, they broke apart, both breathless with the intensity they created together.
“Happy New Year, beautiful,” Kyle whispered, his voice a whiskey and honey rasp. He placed his big, warm hands on her waist, humming as they swayed together, dancing alone in the darkened room.
“You, too.” She bit her lip, peeking back up at him through her eyelashes. “Kyle…are we…dating?”
He laced his fingers together at the small of her back and shrugged. “Are we?”
“I have no idea.”
“Do we need a label?” Kyle shrugged again. He leaned close and brushed his lips over hers. “I like you. I like spending time with you. I really like kissing you.” Kyle claimed her mouth again, in a deep possessive kiss, breaking away too soon. “You like all those things, right?”
“I’ve just…I’ve tried to do the friends with benefits thing before and…it gets weird.”
“So let’s not let it get weird, okay?” Kyle stepped away and twined his fingers with hers. “Are you ready to head home?”
Lauren sucked in a deep breath, very aware of teetering at the edge of new, uncharted emotional territory for her. She looked up into his face and nodded, once. “Okay.”
Lauren drove them home from Boston, the traffic surprisingly light at just after two on New Year’s morning. Just as she pulled onto the Tobin Bridge, Kyle picked up her hand and brushed a kiss over the back.
“Thank you for the website. It’s amazing.”
“It was easy.” Lauren shrugged, loving the feel of his big hand wrapped around hers.
“It’s easy if you know what you’re doing, which I don’t.”
“Technophobe?”
“No, I’m an okay user. But when it comes to the behind the scenes stuff, it’s all mumbo-jumbo to me.” At a stoplight, Lauren glanced over at him and he leaned over to kiss her, just a light sweet kiss, the kind she saw happy couples exchange all the time. Why did such a simple kiss from Kyle make her suddenly aware of her heartbeat and breathing? “Light’s green.”
Lauren jumped slightly and tugged her hand out of his. Kyle’s very presence distracted her. “How was your trip?”
“Fine.” Kyle shrugged.
“Were you happy to be in the field again?”
Kyle paused a long time before answering. “Yes and no. Not as much as I expected. I’ve been a rolling stone for a while now—”
“Gathers no moss, right?”
Kyle didn’t answer for so long she glanced over at him. He stared at her, his eyes intense on her face. “I’m getting to the point that I want the moss.”
Lauren was saved from having to come up with a response as she struggled to find street parking
near her place. Finally, half a block up, she wedged the car into a space. Kyle fell into step beside her, walking her to her door, his camera bag loose over his arm, the ends of his black bow tie fluttering in the breeze. They stopped beside the front door and Lauren turned back to him. They stared at each other for a heartbeat, then another, before Lauren reached for his hand and tugged him inside behind her.
Kyle followed her upstairs, wincing when his hip bumped the table by the front door, making a noise that echoed through the tiny apartment. “Sorry. Don’t want to wake Erin up.”
“She’s not here. Matthew came into town to surprise her. She’s downtown for the night.” Lauren grabbed his shirt, pulling him against her for a deep kiss. She twined her arms around his neck and pressed against him, the citrus and vanilla scent of her making his head swim. She traced his lower lip with her tongue before nipping lightly and stepping back. “There. Wanted that all night.”
“Me, too,” Kyle said, as she tugged him toward her bedroom.
They tumbled on to the bed together, both trying to touch each other everywhere at once. The studs from his shirt clattered on the hardwood floor as Lauren pulled his shirt open, kissing her way up his chest, little nipping kisses that made his blood pound through his veins and his breathing stutter. Desire rushed through him, making him dizzy with lust and need and maybe more. They’d only been apart a few days. How could they be this hot together so fast?
He caught the gauzy hem of her dress, sliding it slowly up past her thin ankles, shapely calves and up her thighs to pool around her waist. He skimmed his fingertips over her lacy panties, the rough lace a contrast to her silky, smooth skin. She groaned and he pressed his fingertips against her, circling gently, teasing before sliding her panties slowly down her legs, following with his mouth. She sat up, struggling to reach the back zipper on her gown.
“Turn around, beautiful.” He unzipped her, trailing kisses down her back as he slowly lowered the zipper, inch by torturous inch, revealing the creamy skin beneath. He slid his hands back up her sides, his fingers brushing over her ribs before cupping her full breasts, his thumbs circling the stiff peaks. He pulled her up against him, her back to his front, as he cupped and stroked her breasts, paying special attention to the soft undersides and her hardened nipples, as he licked at the constellations of freckles along her shoulder blades. She rocked back into him, pressing her lush bottom against his erection in a brazen invitation.
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