AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t know,” I growled and smacked his midsection. “Why in the hell do you need so many muscles to work on cars? It’s not like you lift them by hand.”
He let out a loud bark of laughter and shook his head. “Cranky?”
“No, annoyed.” Why did he have to be so good looking, and why was I noticing all of a sudden when I hadn’t thought about how hot he was since junior year in high school when he’d turned into a man seemingly overnight.
“Why?” Ryan gripped my shoulders with a soft smile that showed off that dimple that shouldn’t work with his rugged features, but it did. It really did. Dammit.
“Because.” There was no smart way to answer that question that wouldn’t open a can of worms. Big, fat, flammable worms that would tear our friendship—hell, our world—to bits. “Just because, okay?”
“That’s not an answer.”
He was right. What was wrong with me tonight? “Limes. I came in here for limes.”
“Right here.” He held up the bag of limes with a knowing smile. “Grab a knife.”
“You’re bossy.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” It was the honest-to-goodness truth. “I kind of like it.”
Heat flared in Ryan’s eyes, the same heat that I felt rushing through my veins, making my blood boil in the most delicious way. I didn’t know who moved first, him or me, but somewhere in the three feet of space that kept us apart, we came together. Arms wrapped tightly around each other, eyes connected in a fiery gaze, we kissed. He might have kissed me, or I might have kissed him first—I couldn’t be sure, because the moment our lips touched, it was like a fire had been set in my belly, lit with all kinds of accelerants. Like a love pyromaniac had set this all up.
His lips were even softer than they looked, his tongue strong and capable and demanding. His hands rested low on my waist, just where the back scoop of my dress ended so his fingertips brushed my bare skin. The kiss was hotter than it should have been, considering we were lifelong friends who knew each other’s darkest secrets. There was a lifetime of farts, bad dates and other embarrassing moments between us.
But this kiss, it was as hot as a midnight kiss between two strangers. Strangers who had been dancing around each other for many nights, many weeks. I sucked in a breath at the overwhelming sensation running through me and Ryan pressed his body against mine, letting me feel the long, hard ridge of his arousal between us.
I pulled back quickly, fingertips reluctantly leaving his hard body to brush against my lips. “Ryan, what are we doing?”
“Kissing. It really has been a long time.” His voice was full of wonder and his fingers brushed against his lips, too, making me wonder if they tingled the way mine did. “That was… wow.”
“Right?” I didn’t want to agree, but I had to. It was exactly what a kiss was meant to be—a precursor to fun, erotic things to come. “It was amazing, but it can’t happen again. It shouldn’t have happened.”
He shrugged. “Agree to disagree.”
“Limes.” I stared at Ryan, my eyes pleading, begging him to drop this subject. To forget that kiss ever happened.
Eventually, the tension fled his broad shoulders, and he nodded. “I’ve got limes. You grab the knife.”
I nodded absently and turned to grab the small ceramic knife I let Titus use to give him a feeling of independence. When I made my way back to the living room, Ryan had just finished off a shot. “Drinking without me?”
“You want me to forget that kiss, that’s what I’m doing.” He poured another, shaking his head the whole time.
“It was a great kiss,” I conceded and handed him the knife. “But you mean the world to me, and I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”
“You won’t. Not ever, so don’t even fucking think it.” His words were fierce and sincere.
“You don’t know that. Remember my long and illustrious relationship history? Love and me, we’re a disaster.”
“You’re beautiful and you know it.”
I shook my head. “I’m not beautiful, and even if I was, it’s not helping me find a decent man, is it? Nope.” I dropped down beside him on the sofa and picked up my glass before I reached for a lime wedge. It was cold and juicy as I bit into it, the tart liquid the perfect chaser for the tequila. “Beauty is irrelevant, Ryan. It’s easy to catch a man’s attention. Any man.”
“But you’re not just beautiful, Persephone. You’re smart and funny and kind. Any man in his right mind would catch you, keep you, and never let you go.” The words came out on a growl that hit me right smack between the legs and I let out a sharp gasp.
