“It doesn’t have to. We’re both adults with adult needs who happen to know the other can satisfy those. The fact we’re friends makes it easier. We already trust one another and respect each other. I think it’s the perfect arrangement.”
“Hmm . . .” Rylan was right, it could be perfect for her. While her sex life hadn’t been as spectacular with Stuart as what she’d experienced with Rylan, she’d still had an active one, one she’d missed. Her vibrator did the job easily enough, but nothing beat the real thing. “How would this work?”
She’d expected him to grin at her question. Instead his expression turned serious. “I’d expect to be the only one you’re having sex with.”
“Well, that goes without saying and both ways.”
“Good. And yes, you’d be the only one in my bed.”
“We haven’t exactly made it to a bed yet.”
“We will.” The confidence in his voice brought a flush to her face and a pulsing need between her legs. “Whenever you’re ready for that.”
“You’re not rushing me inside now?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to, but we need to make sure we both understand what this is and isn’t.”
“Right. It’s not a relationship. It’s sex.”
“Yes. Separate from working together and our friendship.”
“Can we do that? Keep it separate, I mean.”
“I think so.” He glanced away. “I’ll be honest, I’m going to be really disappointed if you say no and probably attempt to talk you into it.”
“Can I think about it?”
His gaze swung back to hers. “Yes. Take all the time you need.”
“Is that you talking me into it?”
“No. That’s me putting it on the table and letting you think about it. Tomorrow I’ll start trying to talk you into it.”
“Do you think you can?”
One side of his mouth kicked up in a sexy smirk. “Oh, yeah. And if words don’t work, I’ll just use my hands to communicate.”
She shivered, remembering how well those hands could tell her what he wanted, how well they delivered what she wanted. What she needed. Still, she didn’t want to seem too eager or jump in before she’d thought it through. “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
“Fair enough.” He pushed to his feet. “C’mon, I’ll share my pie with you before I run you home.”
That was it? Conversation over? Could it be that simple? She glanced around. “Are you sure you don’t want help cleaning up the rest of this?”
“It’s fine. There isn’t much. I’ll do it later. Luckily, I had a cleaning fairy here most of the day who kept a lot of it under control.”
“It won’t take long to do.”
“Maz?” He waited for her to look at him. “Come have pie with me.”
She didn’t know whether she was happy he wasn’t pushing her or not. If she looked deep, she knew her reluctance to say yes right away was due to her fear of repeating her experience with Stuart.
Except this wasn’t the same thing. Not at all.
She’d dated Stuart for months before they’d become intimate, and while he hadn’t, she’d thought it was the start of their future. He’d lied to her every step of the way. He already had a future—a wife and kids. She still couldn’t understand why he’d led her to believe they were working toward a life together for almost six years.
And what did that say about her that after the first two, when he’d finally put a ring on her finger, she hadn’t pushed for more than one weekend a month? For him—or her—to move in with the other. She’d even bought an apartment during those years, with his input.
This thing with Rylan was nothing like what she’d had with Stuart, real or imagined.
