Friends Without Benefits

by Dena Blake

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dex thought about the night before with Emma, which had been both give and take. She and Emma didn’t fight for control. Well, maybe a little, but they definitely didn’t do battle. A natural exchange existed between them. They were so in sync it was spectacular, and oddly enough, Dex felt energized this morning. Of course, the four cups of coffee hadn’t hurt.

  She knocked lightly on Juni’s front door before she slid her key into the slot and unlocked the deadbolt. Juni and Dex had exchanged keys long ago to prevent lockouts and accommodate emergency cat feedings. Sometimes Dex worked long hours to complete a landscaping job, and Juni had come to the rescue with feeding Panda more than once.

  “Hey, sis,” she shouted as she moved through the living room to the kitchen. Four cups of coffee weren’t enough. She was going to need more to keep her from sleeping on her feet today. She took the decanter from the coffeemaker and noted that the coffee hadn’t been made.

  Where was Juni? She went back to the bottom of the stairs. “You okay?”

  “Yes. Be right down,” Juni shouted from upstairs.

  She checked her watch. Nine o’clock. That was odd. Juni was usually up and dressed by eight.

  Juni came hustling down the stairs and into the kitchen. “You making the coffee?”

  She nodded. “I’m going to need a gallon of it this morning.”

  “Me too. Throw a couple extra cups in there today.” Juni reached into the refrigerator, took out the orange juice, and poured herself a glass.

  Dex stopped what she was doing and turned around. “For you?”

  A huge grin spread across Juni’s face as she slid the juice back into the fridge. “Josh is here.”

  “Oh my God.” Dex widened her eyes. “He’s here?” She dropped the bag of coffee onto the counter. “I should go. You two have morning-after things to do.”

  “It’s okay.” She smiled as she took a drink of juice. “We’ve been doing that all morning.”

  Dex picked up the coffee and continued to scoop it into the maker. After she flipped the switch on, she picked up the frying pan from the stove. “You want some eggs?”

  “I already had breakfast.” Juni peered over her glass at her.

  She scanned the kitchen. She hadn’t noticed the dirty dishes strewn haphazardly across the counter. “You had sex in the kitchen?”

  Juni nodded. “Breakfast was delightful.”

  Dex dropped the frying pan back onto the stove and held up her hands in front of her. “Now I really need to go.”

  “Oh, stop,” Juni said with a chuckle. “He’s in the shower. He’ll be down in a sec, so you can at least say hi.”

  “Uh, not sure I want to.”

  Juni tilted her head and frowned. “Dex, I really like him.”

  “Apparently so.” She pointed to the dishes. “I am not cleaning up your after-sex breakfast dishes.”

  “During…” Juni lifted her shoulders and smiled.

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh my God.”

  The dishes rattled as Juni gathered and slid them into the sink. “I’ll fix you some eggs if you’re hungry.”

  “No need. I had cheesecake.” She shrugged and raised an eyebrow.

  “For breakfast?” Juni’s voice rose as she leaned against the counter, crossed her arms, and waited for Dex to elaborate.

  “Emma had to take something to work for a holiday lunch today.” Trying to avoid eye contact, Dex turned and took three cups from the cabinet.

  “And you made it for her?”

  “We made it together.” Dex filled two of the cups with coffee.

  “This morning?” Juni moved next to her and stared at her. “You’re blushing.” She took the decanter from her and slid it into the coffeemaker. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “We made it at three a.m.” Dex’s cheeks warmed. It wasn’t like they’d never discussed her sexual partners before. She’d had plenty of one-nighters. But this felt weird because Emma was different.

  Juni’s face split into a huge smile. “That’s awesome.” She pulled her into a hug.

  “It was awesome.” She smiled, thinking of the note she’d found on the counter after Emma had left.

  Help yourself to anything. Call me today…please. I need to see you again soon.

  xoxo

  Em

  She’d already had the best-tasting item in the house, and she wasn’t talking about the cheesecake.

  “You remember the morning after Grace’s wedding when I woke up to those awesome notes from that awesome girl?”

  “She can’t be.”

  Dex raised her eyebrows and nodded. “She is.” The exhilaration of the whole situation washed over her, and she was sure the grin on her face was totally goofy.

  Quickly crossing the kitchen, Juni slapped her on the shoulder. “Get out.”

  “I know. Serendipitous, right?”

  “Wow. Just wow.” Juni blinked a couple of times. “That’s truly awesome. Now you can stop catering to Grace.” Juni picked up the last empty mug and moved it from hand to hand.

  “Yeah, well, she doesn’t know how I feel yet, and she probably won’t be happy about it.” Breaking it to her would be difficult, but Dex felt something different with Emma than she ever had with Grace.

  “Didn’t she and Brent set you two up in the first place?”

  “Come to find out, it was all Brent’s idea. Grace was totally against it. She doesn’t really like Emma.”

  “Fuck her.” Juni shook her head as she spouted her usual response when it came to Grace. “She needs to stay out of your love life.” She reached up into the cabinet, traded the empty cup for a thermal mug, and headed to the coffeepot. “Don’t give her any details. She’ll just try to make you feel bad about the whole thing.” She swung back around. “But I’ll need the full rundown, of course.”

  Dex smiled and went into the living room. “Of course.” Juni would expect the play-by-play, but Dex wasn’t completely comfortable giving it.

  Josh came rushing into the kitchen and planted a kiss on Juni’s lips. Dex was a little embarrassed at first, but that feeling faded quickly when Josh turned and threw her a wave. She couldn’t hear the conversation from where she was sitting on the couch, but it seemed like he was in a rush. Juni poured coffee into the thermal mug and handed it to him. She was rewarded with another peck on the lips.

  “Good to see you, Dex,” he said as he rushed through the living room. “Come by the shop anytime, and I’ll fix you and your crew up with coffee.”

  “Good to see you too.” She gave him a wave as he went out the door. “And thanks.”

  Juni came back with the coffee carafe and set it on a trivet in the middle of the table. “Now where were we?”

  “I think you were going to tell me about your spectacular night with Josh.”

  Juni filled her in on her evening and subsequent night with Josh, and then Dex told Juni about her overnighter with Emma and the familiarity of Emma’s house she’d realized when she’d arrived there the night before.

  “Wow. She’s the one who took care of you after Grace’s wedding.” Juni took a big gulp of coffee and remained silent for a moment. “And she’s okay with that?” She scrunched up her face.

  “Seems to be. It was pretty embarrassing, but only for a minute or two. She didn’t make me feel awkward at all.”

  “Are you all right with that? I mean, what are you going to do about those feelings?”

  “I don’t know, but I haven’t thought about Grace much in the past few weeks.”

  “Sounds like you’re moving in the right direction.” Juni squeezed her knee. “I’m really happy for you.” She plucked the cup from Dex’s hand and went into the kitchen. “Now go on, get out of here. You have work to do, and I have books to shelve.”

  “What a life.” She gave her sister one last hug and headed out to finish her day, hoping it would end as wonderfully as it had started.

  * * *

  On her d
rive in to the office, Emma had stopped to get coffee, successfully avoiding Brent when she’d arrived this morning by immediately closing all the blinds facing internally and shutting the door to her office. She hadn’t cracked either of them since, except to sneak out and go to the bathroom. She’d tried to work, but she couldn’t keep her thoughts from wandering to the blissful time she’d had the night before. Dex was a unique find, an uncapped well of beauty and compassion. And the sex was mind-blowingly spectacular. This was uncharted territory for Emma.

  She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost lunchtime. She took the cheesecake from the mini-fridge in her office and finally came out of her sanctuary to carry it to the main conference room, where they were setting up for the holiday luncheon. Fall colors decorated the room, and cornucopias and paper turkeys centered the table. Thanksgiving was just around the corner, and Emma had no idea how November had gotten here so fast. Possibly because she’d spent practically every moment enjoying the days with Dex.

  Brent spotted her and attached to her like metal to a magnet as she walked. “Where have you been?”

  “In my office working.” She set the cheesecake with the other assorted items on the dessert table and cut a small slice.

  “I didn’t even know you were here.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Why are you hiding out?”

  This conversation was so not going to happen right now. She took a fork, sliced it through the cake, and shoved a bite into his mouth.

  “It’s good, isn’t it?” She spoke softly with a slight lilt.

  His eyebrows rose. “You made this?”

  She nodded and waited for his reaction. Not that she needed Brent’s approval, but it was always nice when he gave it.

  “This is awesome.”

  There it was, the atta-girl she was hoping for. She spread her lips into a satisfied smile. “And I actually made it.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Well, I had a little help from Dex. That woman can really cook.” In more ways than one. Her body heated at the thought of seeing her again.

  “So you were with Dex last night.” She could see it wasn’t a question. The man could read her like no other.

  She shook her head. “Busted.” She wondered just how red her cheeks were at this point. They felt like they were on fire.

  “From the circles under your eyes, she can do other things as well.” He took another bite. “How was it?”

  “Phenomenal.” She took in a breath. “Monumentally phenomenal.”

  “Sounds impressive. Maybe she can give me some tips.”

  Emma slapped him on the shoulder. “Shut up. You are bound by the cone of silence, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah, that.” He shrugged. “I didn’t think that counted once you were a couple.”

  “Whoa. You’re getting way ahead of me here.” He was, wasn’t he? They had been kind of inseparable since the party, but they hadn’t really discussed a relationship status. “We’re just having fun.” She had a sinking feeling when she spoke the words. It wasn’t at all how she was feeling.

  “Are you sure?” He gave her a half-grin. “What was last night, your third date? Doesn’t that make it one make-out session and two-plus rounds of sex?”

  “Sounds about right.”

  “Pretty close to being a couple in a woman’s eyes.”

  “Fuck. How are you always so spot-on for a dude?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “It’s a gift.”

  From that moment forward, any intention Emma had of doing the work she’d planned on had gone out the window. All she could think about was Dex and how she perceived what was happening between them. She’d sat at her desk staring at her computer. Had she made a mistake? Were they moving too fast? These past few weeks had been so wonderful. Being with someone who actually got her was exciting. She’d been so wrapped up in being blissfully happy, she hadn’t even thought about what came next.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The reflection Dex was seeing in the full-length mirror was not the one she wanted. Too much black. She flopped onto the bed and pulled off the black pants she’d just put on, then reached for the dark-blue pair she’d taken off a few minutes ago. The long-sleeved black T-shirt would go better with the jeans.

  When the phone rang, Dex checked the display and cringed. Grace. It had been almost a week since Dex had talked to her. She’d been responding to Grace’s texts but hadn’t done more than respond with I’m super busy at work. Dex knew she wanted all the details from her dates with Emma. But Dex wasn’t ready to tell her. Keeping them to herself made them seem all the more special, and Grace would find a way to spoil that feeling. She’d find fault with something Emma did.

  The phone stopped ringing and a text came through.

  WTF? Are you avoiding me?

  She’d barely had time to read it when the phone immediately rang again. She picked it up on the way to her closet, took in a deep breath, and pressed the green button.

  “Hey. What’s up?” Dex grabbed a handful of hangers holding sweaters and hoodies from her closet and dropped them onto her bed as she steeled herself for what she knew was coming next.

  “Seriously. Are you avoiding me?” Grace spaced the words out phonetically, but her voice was urgent and on the verge of angry.

  “No. Of course not. It’s the holiday season, so I’m just super busy hanging lights.” She wasn’t lying, but she’d been spending all her spare time with Emma. She picked up one of the sweaters, examined it, and tossed it to the why haven’t I gotten rid of this pile. She really needed to do some winter shopping.

  “As you’ve said so many times in your texts.” Grace blew out a breath, and Dex could hear it clearly through the phone. “Are you too busy to see me today?”

  Dex dropped down on the bed. She’d planned to spend the day with Emma. “Well, Emma and I are planning to hang out today.”

  “Oh.” Her voice lilted up, and then there was silence for a moment. “Just at the house? Maybe I could come over and hang out too.”

  Dex closed her eyes. Grace and Emma alone with her in the same room together would be a colossal clusterfuck. Besides, she was hoping to spend time alone with Emma. “We’re going to Christkindlmarket and then hit the tree-lighting in Millennium Park.”

  “But we always do that together.” Grace’s voice sounded soft and deflated.

  Dex’s excitement for the whole day fell. “I thought you’d be going with Brent this year.”

  “He’s watching football.”

  She was trapped. They had always gone together, and she didn’t want to hurt Grace’s feelings by telling her she’d rather go alone with Emma. “I think the game’s almost over.” She’d been watching it in the background as she’d dressed. “Why don’t you two meet us there?” she said, half hoping she’d say no.

  “That’s an awesome idea.” The excitement in Grace’s voice came through loud and clear. Had she really missed Dex that much?

  “Great.” She tried to make sure she matched Grace’s excitement. “How’s the food booth closest to the front entrance at two o’clock?” She used to love it when she made Grace that happy, but today would be laced with trepidation.

  “Which booth?” Grace’s voice rose.

  “Helmut’s Strudel. You know. The pastries you love?”

  “Okay. Gotcha. Make sure you have your phone. I’ll text you when we get there.”

  Dex let out a breath as she ended the call. And the boss is back. She picked up the next charcoal hoodie in the pile and slipped it over her head before she put on her fur-lined, lace-up boots. Now she just had to break the news to Emma.

  * * *

  When Dex called Emma and told her they were meeting Grace and Brent at the market, Emma immediately sent Brent a text asking him not to come. His response, Too late, already told her yes, was disappointing. Emma was looking forward to spending a fun day with Dex, but Grace would make that a challenge. Experience told her that Grace would be needy enough to keep both Bre
nt and Dex on a leash catering to her wants. Maybe this was the test she needed to see if Dex really was over Grace and truly wanted to be in a relationship with her, or if she was just a passing distraction.

  They waited at the strudel stand by the entrance. Grace and Brent were late, as usual. Emma took in a deep breath, trying to hide her irritation. Grace would never put up with this if the situation were reversed.

  “Do you want something to eat while we wait?” Dex pointed to the line at the pretzel booth that had dramatically shortened while they’d been standing there.

  “That sounds good,” she said. It might improve her mood a little as well if she got some food into her stomach. She’d been so worried about what to wear that she hadn’t eaten this morning. She’d settled on blue skinny jeans and a long-sleeved navy T-shirt, layered with a purple cable-knit sweater. She’d finally left the house prepared for the cold weather in her mid-length black wool coat and Ugg boots, topped off with a gray slouch beanie.

  Dex came back with the food, and the two of them settled in on a bench. Emma’s mood lightened as they shared a pretzel and watched people enter. They were all so happy, a signal that the holiday season was beginning. She’d always loved the holidays, the way the air changed, aromas that brought her senses alive, and a briskness that tickled her skin. Soon Christmas lights would blanket the neighborhoods and all would be bright. Dex wrapped her arm around Emma’s shoulder in a kind of possessiveness that Emma thoroughly enjoyed, and she warmed inside. Life was good.

  “We finally found you.”

  Emma jumped when Grace’s voice raked across her. She’d never get used to that imitation sweetener she doled out. “We’ve only been waiting for, what, an hour?”

  Grace narrowed her eyes. “Well, if someone had given me the right information, we would’ve been here sooner.” She sliced a glance at Dex.