“Then don’t.”
“I need to brush my teeth and wash my face and all that jazz,” she replied with a sigh.
Callie grabbed her toiletry bag and a bundle of fabric that he assumed were her pajamas from her suitcase and disappeared into the bathroom. Alone, Noah set about unpacking his things, carefully refolding each item as he placed it in the dresser and tried to determine what the hell he should sleep in. He typically slept naked. Since he hadn’t been planning on having a roommate during this trip, he hadn’t packed the few pairs of pajamas he kept on hand for times when he went home for the weekend. Boxer briefs and a t-shirt would have to do. He removed his shirt and socks, adding them to the laundry bag he’d packed for the occasion. He had just undone the fly of his jeans when the door to the bathroom flew open.
“Can I borrow—” Callie froze mid-sentence when she saw him, half-naked and with his pants undone. She made a thorough perusal of his body, a blush rising in her cheeks. “Toothpaste?” she squeaked.
He wanted to be annoyed by her interest, to brush it off the way he’d done when she was a kid, but he liked her eyes on him. And she definitely wasn’t a kid anymore.
“Of course.” Noah retrieved the tube of toothpaste from his suitcase and walked it over to her.
Her fingers lingered on his palm when she took it from him, her bottom lip pulling between her teeth. Had she always had such pouty lips?
Then she was gone, back behind the bathroom door. Which was just as well, because Noah needed a minute to calm the fuck down. This was Callie. Livi’s best friend. The wide-eyed redhead from next door who used to bring him the edge pieces whenever she made brownies because she thought the crispy bits weren’t as good as the gooey middle. Or maybe it was because she knew he liked those over-cooked edges? It didn’t matter. Callie was off limits and the sooner his dick got that memo, the better for everyone.
He was half on his way to convincing himself of that very thing when the door opened again and this time it was Callie who appeared half dressed. She wore a simple white cotton tank top and plaid men’s boxers, the soft flannel hugging her hips and thighs. The dark circles of her nipples were visible through the thin top. She avoided his eyes as she tucked the wadded-up ball of her sundress back into her suitcase.
He gestured to the bed, forcing himself to look away from her breasts. “Do you have a side you prefer?”
“Oh, no, either side is fine,” she said, looking everywhere but at him.
He took the opportunity to slip beneath the blankets so she wouldn’t see his body’s reaction to her, a reaction that only got worse when she climbed into bed next to him. He lay as still as he could, all too aware of how close she was, that with just the smallest movement, they’d be touching.
He huffed out a breath. “This is awkward as fuck.”
Callie laughed. “It really is.”
He rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his arm so he could look at her, and she mirrored his posture. “It doesn’t need to be, though. Right?”
“Right. We’re both adults.”
“And we’re friends,” he said, a hint of a question in his voice.
Were they friends? They didn’t spend much time together—something he’d made sure of over the last few years. But they were at least friend-adjacent, surely. Friends through Liv by the transitive property or something, right?
“Definitely,” she said, smiling. “Friends can sleep in the same bed and have it not be weird.”
But he didn’t usually get a hard-on just from looking at his friends. He didn’t wonder what it would be like to touch them.
“Great.” He rolled onto his back. “Goodnight, Callie.”
“Goodnight, lambkins,” she said from the other side of the bed.
He nudged her with his foot, just enough to make her laugh.Mistake.Her laugh only made him harder.What have I gotten myself into?
Chapter 7
Callie emerged from sleep disoriented, the morning light filtering in through the blinds and teasing her awake even as the strong arms banded around her from behind urged her to stay in bed a little longer. Half awake, she let herself wiggle against the solid form at her back. It was only when those arms around her body shifted so that one large hand closed over her breast that she fully woke, the realization of exactly who was behind her rioting through her. Those were Noah’s legs tangled with her own, Noah’s arms holding her tight against his chest. Noah’s hand cupping her breast. Noah’s erection pressing into her backside.
He squeezed her breast and a bolt of desire shot through her, settling between her thighs.There’s no way he’s awake, she thought. She listened for the rhythmic inhale and exhale behind her in time with the gusts of hot breath on her neck.Still asleep.She could extricate herself before he woke up and save them both the embarrassment, because there was no way Noah had intentionally taken up the big spoon position and groped her.
She shifted in his arms in an attempt to begin the process of disentangling herself an inch at a time. It took a moment for her to realize that all that slow shifting was grinding her ample backside against the thick rod of Noah’s erection and that—Holy shit—he was getting bigger. Harder. He rocked against her in his sleep, the gentle insistence of his length against the crease of her ass sending a fresh wave of wetness rushing between her legs.
She briefly considered not getting out of bed. She could pretend to still be asleep, stay in this moment a little longer and pretend he actually wanted her, not just that he was dreaming and she happened to be the person in his bed. But she knew that if Noah woke up while they were like this—whilehewas like this—then he would pull away and all the ground they’d gained the night before would be lost. By the end of the night, he’d almost seemed comfortable playing the part of her adoring boyfriend. Which made it damn hard to remember it was all for show—especially when she woke up with his morning wood poking her in the ass. But she’d meant it when she told Liv she would try not to get hurt in this mess. And staying in bed was a recipe for heartache.
After several minutes of slow maneuvers, Callie wriggled free of the sleeping Noah’s grasp without waking him. Breathing a sigh of relief, she grabbed some clean clothes from her suitcase and shut herself in the bathroom. The night before she’d looked longingly at the soaker tub in one corner of the bathroom and that morning seemed like the perfect time to take advantage of it.
While the tub filled with hot water, she dug through her toiletry kit in search of the one thing she never went on vacation without. She’d practically emptied the entire bag before she found the small pink silicone finger vibe—the perfect size for travel, quiet but powerful enough to get the job done and, even better, waterproof.
