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Though he sure knew when it was time to put it to good use.
Ugh, there she went again, fantasizing about the maddening man as she’d done a million times over the past four days. She’d never admit how many times she’d picked up the phone to call or text him only to chicken out. She didn’t know how to do this. In the past, men had flocked to her whenever she blinked. Though she may not be proud of it, it was certainly easier than this messy uncertainty and emotional entanglement.
As she frowned down at her coffee, a thought hit her. Michaela Hudson wasn’t a shrinking violet. Hell, she could work a room of celebrities and press blindfolded and gagged. Why the hell was she acting like a shy schoolgirl afraid to ask for what she wanted? They were adults who enjoyed having sex with each other. Why the hell shouldn’t she ask for more and dictate the terms? Hell, even if only fuck buddies, it’d be the healthiest relationship she’d had in, well, ever.
“Well, I’d better get going,” he said at the same time she blurted, “I want to talk about what happened the other night.”
Not the smoothest, but she got her point across.
Keith sighed in that classic way men did when relationship conversations were on the table, as if they’d rather be in a dentist’s chair getting drilled without anesthesia. Instead of waiting for whatever mansplaining he was about to engage in, she forged ahead. “I want more of what happened the last two times we were together.”
His deer-in-the-headlights expression made her laugh. “For crying out loud, Keith, this is not a profession of love.” She glanced at the nearby tables then leaned in as she lowered her voice. “I want us to keep fucking.” Best to keep this on strictly physical terms. “You can’t tell me we aren’t good together,” she whispered.
Before her eyes, he visibly relaxed.
“Good? Pretty sure we almost set that cornfield on fire.”
Her face heated but not with embarrassment. Pure, hot lust shot through her. “Yeah,” she managed as her throat thickened.
“And you want more of it?” He shifted the disposable coffee mug between his hands on the table.
“I do. Look, I’m not in any position to start a relationship. I just moved, I’m working on finding a new career path, I’m renovating my house, and I’m—” She cleared her throat as she averted her eyes. “I’m recovering from some things. All I’m looking for right now is friendship.”
“And fucking?” His lips quirked.
“Right.” She shrugged. “I mean, a girl has needs. Before you, it’d been a while for me. Batteries can only get you so far, ya know? Sometimes, you just need a real-life man.”
“So you want this because I’m a flesh and blood man, and you’re sick of BOB?”
A loud laugh bubbled out of her, drawing the attention of patrons at neighboring tables. She slapped a hand over her mouth as she continued to laugh. “First off, I’m impressed that you know about battery-operated boyfriends. Second, no, it’s not only because you’re a flesh and blood man.” She shrugged. “I like you, Keith.”
When his eyes narrowed, she held up a hand. “Don’t go freaking out. I just mean I like you. That’s all. I’ve done the random hookups in the past, and even though I’m not interested in a relationship, I don’t want random. I want someone who I can laugh with and talk to as well as sleep with. I want someone whose company I can enjoy.” Okay, maybe that sounded like a bit like a relationship, but she really didn’t want one.
Nope.
That was her story, and she was sticking to it.
He seemed to consider her words, remaining silent as he sipped his coffee. “Well, I’ve got a sister who claims BOB treats her better than any man ever has, so that’s how I know about that,” he said with an exaggerated shudder. Then he grinned, and her stomach flipped. “And I’m down with this arrangement. Friends and fucking. Sounds like a pretty damn perfect setup to me.”
And just to keep the denial of her real feelings going strong, that wasn’t disappointment she felt at his easy acceptance of no strings. “One more thing.”
He tilted his head as he waited for her condition.
“Just us. No one else.”
Those sexy lips of his turned down into a dramatic pout. “Well, that sucks. Guess I’ll have to cancel the threesome I had planned. Figured it’d be right up your alley, but—”
Blood rushed in her ears. Her heart pounded so fast the room spun, and she had to grab the edge of the table to keep from tumbling off her chair. Oh fuck. He knew. He knew who she was. Knew she’d been splashed all over social media for having woken up in bed with two men she didn’t know or remember on that fateful day all those months ago.
