by Eden Proctor
In Bed with Her Best Friend
Eden Proctor
Contents
Copyright
Follow Eden!
Her Best Friend
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Copyright © 2016 by Eden Proctor
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book contains mature content intended for adults only.
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Her Best Friend
One night. That’s all I needed.
One night to rid me of my pesky…problem…so I could hit the dating scene and find someone to love. And who else could I ask for help but my best friend?
It’s not like anything could ever happen between us. I’m a geeky, curvy wedding photographer. A hopeless romantic.
Eric is gorgeous, commanding, a total cynic when it comes to love—and completely out of my league.
So it should have been perfect. And it was, beyond my wildest dreams…until I broke his one and only rule:
No feelings.
Chapter 1
“Am I witnessing a miracle? After three long years, have I figured out how to win a conversation with Eric Kelly?”
Lexi Summerlin smiled brightly and leaned back against her chair, letting the humor of this moment rule. Except, her companion did not seem amused.
She could always count on Eric to smile, usually the cocky, self-assured smile that was his go-to when he’d made a good point or said something that made Lexi blush.
But he wasn’t smiling now.
In fact, his undeniably handsome face looked stunned. His dark blue eyes were narrowed, and his jaw worked, the tic there making glimmers of light bounce off the dirty-blond stubble on his cheek.
Shock had not been what Lexi had wanted when she’d called Eric here, and shock meant he would likely deny her. But his reaction was amusing nonetheless.
Eric was distant, smooth, unaffected by anything. So the fact that silly, whimsical Lexi had been able to shock him was a moment worth savoring.
But not for too long. His shock wouldn’t get her any closer to what she wanted.
So Lexi pressed on.
“Come on, Eric. Say something,” Lexi said.
He didn’t say anything.
Instead he brushed his hand through his golden-dark hair and glared at her with increasingly dark eyes.
Nope, definitely not the reaction she had been going for.
What had she wanted?
Eric to help her with her little “problem.”
When the idea had come to her the night before, it had seemed perfect.
She was getting dangerously close to thirty. She didn’t mind, and she was excited about what her life would bring her. Except if things continued on the current path, she’d hit that milestone birthday and still be a virgin.
Lexi shuddered. The creeping fear that had gotten almost unbearably intense last night compelled her to act. Her virginity wasn’t a problem by itself. It was just a symptom of the awkwardness that had always held Lexi back.
Her social calendar was not overflowing, but she’d had her fair share of dates.
Dates that never went anywhere.
By now, Lexi could predict her dates. They’d go out, have a decent time, and when the end came, she might get a peck on the cheek, or worse, a friendly hug, and she’d never see the guy again.
The same thing had happened over and over, and by now, Lexi was left with only two options.
Something about her made guys uneasy.
That, or she wasn’t attractive enough.
She slumped down in her seat, but tried to tell herself it wasn’t that.
Yeah, she was curvy, short, and was more best friend than bombshell. Her plain brown hair and eyes and the quirky sense of style that her best friend Constance called “nerd chic” wouldn’t get every guy’s engine racing.
But even her ordinary looks shouldn’t be standing in her way.
So it couldn’t be looks. Which meant there was something else standing in her way, and she’d decided her virginity was the culprit.
And Eric, one of her closest friends, was the perfect person to help her with that.
She told him as much. “You aren’t arguing, so that means you think I’m right?” she said.
Eric wasn’t shocked anymore, but now he was scowling at her. But at least he started talking. “I missed something. Explain this to me again, Lexi,” he said, his deep voice rumbling out of his chest, his big body looking relaxed, though Lexi could see the tension in his frame.
She shrugged and grabbed a fry from the basket that sat between them. There was nothing out of the ordinary about being with Eric and sharing a basket of fries. At least twice a month they met at their favorite dive bar, the Palace, to have beer and fries and a play couple of rounds of pool.
On second thought, this was probably not the best place to lay out her plan, but Lexi had been afraid to wait, knowing she’d lose her nerve. So, after her first beer, she’d pounced.
The way Eric glared at her now, waiting on her response, told her he wasn’t taking this well. So she moved into damage control, trying to get the situation back under control and then convince Eric she was right.
“We’ve talked about my…problem,” she whispered, looking around to see if anyone was watching.
The bar was half full, but everyone seemed occupied, so she continued.
“I never said it was a problem,” he said.
“You didn’t have to,” she replied. “It goes without saying.”
Eric shook his head, but Lexi pressed on. “It is. And we’ve had this conversation before. It’s well past time, Eric, and you’re the only one I trust enough to help,” she said.
Eric’s expression lightened ever so slightly and Lexi’s heart soared. He played the arrogant, cocky playboy to the hilt, and he was all those things. He was also one of the kindest, most loyal people Lexi had ever met.
When they’d first met, she’d been able to see past his façade. Despite their obvious differences, they had become fast friends. No matter how he liked to pretend otherwise, Eric was a good guy. And she knew she could trust him, even with something like this.
“Okay, so let’s concede for a moment that this is a problem. Why come to me?” Eric asked.
He leaned back against the bar chair, crossed his huge arms over his chest making his massive biceps bulge, and watched her.
Lexi almost jumped for joy. Eric was engaging in a hypothetical, which meant he hadn’t dismissed her out of hand.
There might be a chance.
She planned to seize on that.
“You know I want to get married, have a family,” she said.
Eric scoffed, but Lexi pressed on. “I know you think all that stuff is crap,” Lexi said. “Which is weird because you have the happiest family I’ve ever met. Beats mine by a mile.”
“Yeah, that’s how I know it’s crap,” he said.
Lexi frowned, and he continued. “My parents are a fluke. They got lucky. It’s certifiable to bank on a one-in-a-million match
like they have.”
“Your parents are happy so no one else could possibly ever be? See, weird,” Lexi said. But she didn’t continue with the point because she didn’t want this conversation to get derailed.
She did stop to again consider how ironic this was. She’d been the photographer at Eric’s parents’ vow-renewal ceremony. It still shocked her that the couple who had been happily married for thirty years, thirty-three by now, had a son who was so vehemently opposed to marriage.
But Eric felt how he felt, and Lexi wasn’t going to try to change his mind, especially not now. He didn’t need to agree with her on the virtues of marriage to help her out.
“But I want that. And I think I can have it. But not if I don’t ever get past first base,” Lexi said.
That got a chuckle from Eric, who took a sip of his own beer and then slammed the bottle on the table.
He focused on her now, and she could see that if nothing else she had peaked his interest, gotten his curiosity. That counted for something.
“First base,” he said, scowling and then shaking his head. He turned serious and then continued. “But what you’re saying doesn’t make sense. If you believe in love and puppies and rainbows and babies and all that crap, why not wait for the lucky guy? You could share that special moment together.”
Lexi shook her head, scowling herself this time. “I can’t get to that special moment if I can’t get past a kiss.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, leaning his big body forward, his eyes focused on her.
He knew damn well what she meant, but this was Eric pushing, trying to embarrass her so she would change her mind. But if he knew Lexi at all—and he did—he knew she wouldn’t be deterred by this. And she would prove that now.
“You know what happens, Eric. I get all…awkward. It’s weird, and I start thinking and my palms get sweaty and everything just sort of peters out. I can’t get past the third date because I can barely kiss. If I don’t change that now, it’s never gonna happen for me, and I’ll end up alone, probably rooming with you,” she said.
“I do have a guesthouse,” he supplied with a nonchalant shrug.
“Thanks for the offer. But no. I don’t want that, so I’m doing something about it.”
He leaned forward more, still gazing at her intensely. “Have you considered another possibility?” he said.
“Such as?” Lexi asked, taking a sip of her beer.
“Maybe you’re kissing the wrong guys?” he said.
Lexi dismissed his words immediately. “All the guys can’t be the wrong guy,” she said.
He cocked his head to the side, one brow lifted with curiosity. “You’ve been kissing all the guys?”
She rolled her eyes. “Figure of speech. So no, not all the guys, but enough to know that it can’t be them. It’s me.”
“So where do I come into this?” he said.
“I don’t have the problems with you that I have with other guys,” she said.
“Meaning?” he asked.
“Meaning I don’t get all awkward and nervous. Never have with you. So I figure that should extend to…other areas,” she said.
“A game of pool is not fucking, Lexi,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s not. But the principle stands. I’m comfortable with you, comfortable enough that my nerves won’t get the better of me. So I can get this over with, get past the awkwardness, and get on with my life,” she said.
Lexi’s voice had gone deep, earnest, but Eric just snorted. “That’s stupid,” he said.
Lexi chaffed and frowned at him. “Is not. How is this any more stupid than me going to all those charity functions with you?”
“It’s incredibly different,” Eric said, though his lids lowered, which told Lexi she had scored a point, so she continued.
“Eric, just because you say it, doesn’t mean it’s true. In fact, it is exactly the same thing. You always need someone to go with you, keep you company, and not get the wrong idea. So what do I do? I dutifully put on one of the three dresses I own, shove my feet into heels I can barely walk in, and go to galas with you. I do it because I’m your friend and you need someone to help you out. And this is exactly what I’m asking of you,” she said.
Then she went quiet, looked at Eric, waiting. He took another sip of beer, but sat quietly, contemplating.
She could see the exact moment when he decided he would deny her.
He shook his head. “Nice shot. But no,” he said.
Lexi almost deflated, but she pushed on, deciding that humor might be the way to get him. “You have your reputation to consider. I could be an impartial party, confirm that Eric Kelly really is as talented as all the ladies say,” she said, waggling her eyebrows and smiling.
Her attempt didn’t touch him. He shook his head. “My reputation is firmly intact, and trust me, I don’t need any confirmation. Can’t do it, Lex,” he said.
Lexi looked at his face, searched for some sign that he might change his mind and saw none. She sighed.
“Fine. But this is going to happen. Guess I have to come up with plan B,” she said.
Something dark passed over Eric’s face, but he didn’t speak. She took another sip and then stood.
“Well, now that this conversation’s over, let’s go play pool. I need to make myself feel better by beating the crap out of you,” she said.
Chapter 2
“Want to go three out of five? Might give you a chance to win,” Lexi said.
Eric shook his head. “No, I’m done today. Guess I’ll let you win again,” he said.
Lexi laughed, the sound full of life, humor, much like Lexi.
“Nice try, Kelly. You might be rich and handsome, but I own you in this game,” she said.
Eric would never admit it, but Lexi always did give him a run for his money in pool. Most things, actually, if he stopped to think about it.
“You ready to get out of here?” he asked.
She nodded, then went to the bar to settle up with Callahan, the owner. It was her turn, since they alternated weeks, and as she went to the bar, he watched her as she slid a couple of bills at Callahan. He kept watching as she smiled at him, the expression so full of life.
As she stood at the bar, her hands shoved in her back pockets, Eric stared at her in a way he couldn’t recall doing before. She was wearing scruffy sneakers, torn jeans, and a T-shirt, her brown hair pulled up in a loose ponytail.
It was Lexi as he’d always known her, but for some reason, he saw things he hadn’t before. Like how the torn jeans hugged her curvy thighs and ass or the way the T-shirt strained across her breasts, the way they rocked when she laughed.
Or how, when she wasn’t smiling, her full, pouty lips looked made to kiss—or suck cock. How her thick hair would be perfect to hold on to as he fucked her from behind.
Eric took the last swig of beer, needing to do something to take his mind off his rock-hard erection, one that was sudden, insistent, and entirely because of Lexi.
Lexi, his friend, one of the few people on planet earth that he trusted, could be himself with.
He set the bottle down and then breathed in and out slow, needing to get himself under control before Lexi came back. She finished her conversation with Callahan and walked toward him.
“Let’s go,” she said when she came to a stop in front of him.
He followed her out of the bar and they began the walk toward her apartment. They’d done this dozens, probably hundreds of times before, and they fell into an easy silence as they walked.
And as they did, he thought about how it had always been this way with Lexi.
His parents had gone all out for their renewal and had hired Lexi, one of the best wedding photographers in the city. And from the very first moment he’d met her, one when she’d been like a field general directing the wedding party how to line up for pictures, there had been a connection between them.
Lexi had been genuine, funny, a breath of fresh air
, and somehow from that moment on they had fallen into an unlikely friendship, but one that Eric counted among his most important.
She never wanted anything from him, even something as simple as a basket of fries and a couple beers, and she never took. He couldn’t remember when it had happened that people had expected things of him, be it a business connection or a good fuck, but never Lexi. Things had always been equal between them, fair, and she always let Eric be himself. It was something he treasured.
It was a little cool out tonight, and when he saw Lexi shiver, he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
A meaningless gesture, one that he had done so often before, but tonight it held a different weight.
He looked at Lexi in the shadowed night, trying to see something different about her face but couldn’t.
He wondered if she could see something different in him.
Her question had thrown him for a loop, and even now he was still trying to grapple with it.
He had learned early on of Lexi’s virginity, and had been shocked by it.
And not just because she was pretty, even though she was. She was also sexy, killer body, but had a wonderful personality.
Any man with half a brain would be lucky to call Lexi his, so it shocked him that no one had been smart enough to make her his and never let go.
He couldn’t say that made him unhappy.
He knew that as soon as she found someone, the closeness that he loved would not be the same. So he wasn’t exactly eager to have things change.
But he was also being selfish.
“We’re here,” Lexi said, her voice breaking through his thoughts.
“Sorry, mind elsewhere,” he said when he came to a stop.
“Something at work?” she asked, looking concerned as she narrowed dark brown eyes on him.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing to worry about,” he said.
He had just told a lie to Lexi, something he didn’t do often, but it had seemed the best choice. He wasn’t yet sure what he was thinking, feeling, so he didn’t want to say anything.