Fake It ‘Til You Feel It (Work For It #3)

10. Getting Over the Hump.In Bed

CHAPTER 10

GETTING OVER THE HUMP...IN BED

MARS

“ I guess we’re doing the girlfriend thing now?” I close the hotel room door behind us, kicking off my shoes and loosening my tie.

“Are you mad?” Ivy asks, her hands on her hips, and a challenge in her eyes.

“Not in the least, but I was a little thrown.” I’m the opposite of mad. Thrilled but wary.

Ivy slips out of her shoes and removes the clip holding up her hair. I want to run my fingers through it, press my face into the skin below her ear. My chest aches with the need for it.

Ever since she kissed me in front of Henning that first time, I’ve wanted her. No, before that. Since she almost turned me into roadkill under her car tires. But Ivy’s only ever offered friendship, and that’s fine. I don’t expect more from her. That’s not why I’m friends with her.

She loudly and famously doesn’t do relationships, so when she gleefully volunteers to be my girlfriend this weekend even though I told her she didn’t have to...it makes my head spin. It lights a little hopeful spark in my chest that needs snuffing out.

“That guy was so...” Ivy’s frustrated growl snaps my attention back to her. She balls her fists and stamps her foot. It’s the cutest thing I’ve seen. And Ivy isn’t ever cute , she’s graceful, fierce, and stunning. Never cute.

I unbutton my dress shirt and take it off, leaving me in a white undershirt.

When I turn back around from dropping the shirt on a chair I catch Ivy staring. It’s only a split second, but I see her eyes drag across my shoulders and down my torso. My face heats, but I’ll be coming back to that look for years. I take deep breaths, trying to will my cock to stay calm, but he’s got other ideas.

“Ives, if you let every unpleasant person we encounter at this wedding get to you, you’re going to be a big bag of stress by the end of it.” I take what I need out of my bag and head for the bathroom. I don’t close the door fully because I want to keep this conversation going.

“Yeah, well, that guy needs to eat a big bag of something. Dicks, for example.” Like I said...classy. I quickly change out of my suit pants and put on my navy blue joggers and brush my teeth. I step out of the bathroom to find Ivy spinning in a circle trying to get at the zipper of her dress.

“Okay, down tiger. We still have another day of this. Want to watch something before bed? Maybe it’ll help you unwind.” Her fierce, tired expression softens as she steps closer to me. “You can pick. Think of it as your reward for being such a good sport tonight.”

“Where’s my pizza party and trophy?” she mutters and then seems to deflate.

She wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder. I know it’s a friendly hug, but it feels...significant. Weighted with something I can’t name.

I rub my hands up and down her spine, enjoying the feel of her pressed against me, her back muscles loosening. “Hey, while you’re back there can you unzip me?” she mumbles into my shoulder.

“Yep. Sure.” I honestly didn’t think my voice could go that low. I find the zipper at the neckline of her dress and drag it down slowly. I almost miss the hitch in her breath as my fingers skim down her spine, but it’s there.

Ivy quickly steps back, tucking her hair behind her ear. I smile at the familiar gesture. “Thanks.” Her voice is a little shaky. I’m going to assume it’s because she’s tired and not that we were in each other's arms. Hugging is nothing new for us. She’s a hugger; I’m a hugger. There’s a lot of hugging in our friendship. If I say hug one more time, the law dictates I have to get it tattooed somewhere on my body.

“Are you done in the bathroom?” She holds the front of her dress to her chest so it doesn’t slide down.

“All yours,” I say, stepping aside so she can get her pajamas. I try, I really try, not to notice the strip of skin showing where I unzipped her dress, but I fail fucking miserably. As soon as the bathroom door closes, I let out a huge breath and blink out of whatever trance Ivy has me in.

As I’m turning down the covers on the king-sized bed, Ivy comes out of the bathroom, her face freshly washed and no sign of the warrior I had by my side tonight. She’s all loose hair, comfy sleep shorts, and worn shirt.

She’s so fucking beautiful, it hurts to look at her.

I turn off the overhead lights, turn on the lamp next to the bed, and crawl in as Ivy’s laying her dress over my shirt on the chair. I like how they look together, our mingled clothes taking on more significance than they should.

“You pick the movie. Nothing scary or too violent, otherwise I won’t sleep.”

She smiles at me. “I love how you’re such a softy.”

“Guilty.” No shame in knowing what I like.

Ivy sits on the bed, her legs crossed, remote in hand. “I know we said movie, but RuPaul’s Drag Race is on, and that’s my go-to hotel room show.”

I laugh as I relax against the headboard. “Mine is Criminal Minds . Isn’t it weird that people have shows they only watch when they travel?”

She relaxes back, leaning into me so I get a hint of her minty toothpaste and citrusy shampoo. “Maybe because when you travel you can be any version of yourself you want to be. Indulge in guilty pleasures, even if you normally wouldn’t.” She catches my eye and the words guilty pleasure shimmer in the air between us. Her breath hitches as a tempting little blush brightens her cheeks. A matching heat fills my belly.

There’d be no guilt, all pleasure with Ivy. Having her would be shout-it-from-the-rooftops pleasure.

Trying to fill my mind with visions of puppies and baseball, I pluck the remote out of her hand and hit play.

After a couple episodes, we crawl under the covers and turn out the lights but keep the TV on. Ivy’s eyes droop as she leans on my shoulder. I’m losing my fight with sleep too. Even the drama of Drag Race can’t keep me awake after the up and down emotions of today.

Ivy’s warm breath feathers against my neck as I reach for the remote to finally turn off the TV. I close my eyes with the feel of her hand gently wrapped around my forearm and her head on my shoulder. I curl into her and let myself drift off, feeling like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

IVY

Sunlight slices into our room as I slowly blink awake. Awake and aware. Aware of the heavy arm slung across my hips. Aware of thighs pressed against the back of my own. Very aware of Mars’ good-morning cock pressed against my ass. No complaints—he’s the best kind of weighted blanket.

I’m woman enough to admit I don’t hate this. In fact, I kinda love it. Sharing a bed with a friend doesn’t mean you’re in a relationship. It means you’re comfortable with each other. God I’m horny. After seeing Mars in a wetsuit and then seeing him in a suit...a girl can only take so much.

I don’t mean to, but I scoot a tiny bit further into his arms. He lets out a happy little hum, and his arm bands tighter around me. Success . Except I’m still horny and he smells divine. All sleepy and warm, with a hint of the hotel’s soap.

I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep, but my body is aware and humming. My morning brain spins with possibilities. What if I turned around to face him? What if I kissed him awake? What if we got each other off in this anonymous hotel room, hundreds of miles from home? Would it even count?

“I can hear the hamster wheel in your head squeaking. Stop thinking so loudly,” his gravelly morning voice mumbles into my hair. Then he stiffens, and I know he’s just realized how our bodies are arranged. How close he is, how he makes the perfect big spoon even with our similarity in height. His surfer-earned bulk is solid and comforting, but I can feel him starting to pull away.

Without thinking, I grab the arm still on my hip. “No,” I say too loudly. “No, this is nice. And...and it’s cold in here.” I’m not completely lying—the room’s heat is weak.

“Are you sure? I don’t even know how we ended up like this.”

“A dip in the middle of the mattress probably.”

“Probably,” he says with a hint of a smile in his voice.

Mars curls around me, and I sigh into his furnace-like warmth. I shift my feet back and try to tuck them between his calves.

He lets out a yelp but doesn’t move. “Jesus, woman, your feet are fucking freezing.” He sounds so offended, and I giggle. “I thought you put on socks last night.”

“I did, but I managed to kick them off. Middle-of-the-night me hates wearing socks.”

He rubs his legs against my feet, trying to warm them. I sigh again even if it does nothing for my horniness. My ice-block feet didn’t shrink his erection. It’s still pressed against my ass, and I don’t mind it at all.

“Ignore that,” he says, his voice sounding like it’s coming from the depths of a gravel pit. I peek over my shoulder and see the tips of his ears are bright red.

“Nope. Not ignoring it. What’s the point of having a dick if people can’t point out when it embarrasses you?”

“You’re the nicest person I know,” he sasses. Then his fingers dig into my ribs and I let out a squeal. “Oh look, tough old Ivy is ticklish.” I squeal again and flip over so I’m facing him. I try to tickle him back but he doesn’t even flinch.

“Wait, you’re not ticklish? How is that fair?” He smiles at me and reaches for my stomach with wiggly fingers. So I use the best defense I have. I stick my cold feet against his legs and he yelps again.

“Aha! Victory!” Big mistake. Huge. He licks his finger like he’s about to give me a wet willy. You know when you’re being chased by a bear and you get an amazing rush of adrenaline? It’s like that, but different.

I manage to flip Mars onto his back while gripping his hands so I’m straddling him, pinning him to the mattress. We’re laughing...until we’re not.

He wiggles his fingers, and I tighten my grip on his wrists. “Uh uh. There will be no tickling. No wet willying or other shenanigans.” But I make the fatal mistake of leaning my face too close to his, so he manages to lick my cheek. I yelp but don’t loosen my grip.

And because I’m petty and believe in a policy of escalation, I lick his nose. He closes his eyes and shakes his head back and forth because I don’t stop at the nose. So help me, we’re still playing, but at some point, I decide to pepper his face with kisses.

Then I feel it. His cock twitches against my core where I’m straddling him. “Hello there.” I raise an eyebrow, giving Mars a look.

A blush rises up his cheeks but he says, “Hello to me or my dick?”

“Both?” I let go of his hands and sit up. His hands immediately go to my thighs, holding me to him.

I decide to test a theory and slide myself back a tiny bit, his thickness rubbing against me in a way that has my body buzzing.

“Ivy...” It’s a warning, but his eyes are heavy-lidded, and his hands move to my hips.

“Want me to get off?” I ask.

“Depends on how you mean that. No, if you mean going back to your side of the bed. Yes, if you mean me making you come. Up to you.” He gently pinches my hip and gives me a wicked little smile.

Oh he’s adorable. And I’m even hornier now than when I woke up.

I slide myself back along his length, and his Adam’s apple bobs with a thick swallow. Even through our layers of sleepwear, I can feel the heat of him.

I hum in pleasure. “You wouldn’t mind if I kept doing this?” I move my hips again, and a groan spills from his lips, my core clenches, and I can feel how wet I’m getting.

“Nope. Opposite of mind. Welcomed. Encouraged.” He licks his lips as he watches me move, his eyes glued to where I straddle him.

“Good.” I move again, picking up my tempo. My breath catches when I feel the head of his cock bump against my clit. “Oh yep, right there.”

“Fuck, Ivy. What are we doing?” It’s an excellent question. He doesn’t sound like he’s having regrets.

“Remember when...when we talked about how you can be your away-from-home self in a hotel? That’s all that’s happening. We're something else right now. But outside this hotel room we’re still just Ivy and Mars, friends.”

“What happens in the foothills stays in the foothills?” His question comes out on a groan.

“Yep.” My breath catches when he twitches against me again. He closes his eyes for a moment, burying his head in his pillow.

He lifts his hips off the bed, and I feel him against my clit again. I shiver with the pleasure of it. “Good, because I don’t want to stop.”

“Please don’t stop.” I’m close to begging. The tiny asshole part of my brain knows this is not something we should be doing. This friendship doesn’t need complications. But god he feels so good, and I’m so close.

Electricity races up and down my spine, warming me everywhere. Mars’ hands grip my hips, moving me back and forth along his length. Fuck, I’ve forgotten how hot dry humping can be. College me really knew what she was doing.

I take one of his hands and pull it up to my breast, over my T-shirt. He grunts, squeezing and rubbing my aching nipple as his hips pick up speed. My legs begin to shake, and I know I’m so close to the edge.

“Mars...gonna...” That’s all I have because words aren’t an option anymore.

“Come on, Ivy. I’m right there with you.” Another rub of his length against me, the cotton of my panties damp and rubbing against my clit. He pinches my nipple, and that’s it.

I come with a broken moan, throwing my head back and riding him until the stars behind my eyelids flicker out.

I keep riding him, focusing on how his jaw looks when he clenches his teeth, how his eyes are locked in on my breasts as they sway with our movements. That was one of the best orgasms of my life, and I’m still fully clothed. And it might not be over because I feel another one building as he thrusts off the bed, trying to rock his cotton-covered cock against my core.

“Fuck, too good,” he bites out and presses his head back into his pillow, coming with a loud groan. It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. His chorded neck straining with his release, his mouth dropped open, his pecs flexing beneath his T-shirt as he continues to come.

I take his hand, bring it to the front of my sleep shorts, and he presses his thumb to my clit. The stars ignite again, and I let out a whimper, my body shaking with a second orgasm. My muscles twitch as Mars comes down from his own release.

Collapsing onto the bed and gasping for breath, I roll onto my back with a giant smile on my face.

“God, I needed that.” A weird giddiness has taken up residence in my chest. For now it’s drowning out the quiet question of whether we damaged our friendship.

“Yep, me too.” I hear a tightness in Mars’ voice as he digs the heels of his hands into his eyes. I roll over to face him.

“Hey.” I wait until he looks at me, a question in his eyes.

“I don’t regret what happened. Do you?”

His mouth drops open, and his eyes widen. “God no. I could never regret anything I do with you. But...”

“But you’re worried.”

“How can I not be? You’re one of my best friends, Ivy. Toss sex into the mix and it’s either a recipe for disaster or the best thing ever. And I know how you feel about relationships, so did we just throw a big fucking wrench into...whatever this is?” He motions between the two of us.

“Whoa there, turbo. There’s miles of space between...this...and a relationship. We had fun, we both got off. Thanks for that by the way.” His cheeks turn an adorable shade of red. “And now we get cleaned up, make ourselves pretty for this wedding, and have some fun. This doesn’t need to change anything.” Please don’t let it change anything .

Mars gives me a long look, searching my face for something. I try to keep my expression open and neutral. I need him to believe that nothing changes.

Because while I’m putting on a we’re totally cool front, I’m freaking the fuck out right now. Mars rocked my world, and I don’t know what to do with that.