7. The Bestest Friend
SEVEN
THE BESTEST FRIEND
Rylee
“Be good and I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” I drop to a knee in front of Abby.
“Okay.” Her voice is soft.
“I love you always.” I hold up my hand, curling my pointer finger and thumb in the shape of a half heart.
“I love you forever.” She holds her hand up, mirroring mine. A warm smile covers my face as her bright hazel eyes sparkle. She’s my entire world and I hate that I can’t always spend my nights with her. I’m so thankful Marcie babysits her for me while refusing to let me pay her. Especially during school closures, like today. She’s familiar with the single mom life and knows how hard it can be. Plus, she adores Abby like a second granddaughter.
Once I’m in my SUV, I turn over the ignition and shift into drive. Houses and street signs pass by me in a blur. At the end of the road, I pass the neighborhood park as kids race around the playground and climb all over the equipment. A black SUV eerily similar to Trey’s draws my attention. Immediately, thoughts of the other night in the parking lot of Porter’s with Trey in his SUV flash in my head.
It was as if I was having an out-of-body experience. Like it wasn’t really me in the back seat, yet I can still feel every kiss on my lips, every caress of his hands, but most importantly, the stroke of his cock inside me. A chill runs up my spine and my nipples pebble. But it’s Trey. The same guy who’s declared his eternal bachelorhood with his weekly meetings at Porter’s. But what niggles me the most… he’s just like my ex. Work first, everything else after. I’ve already lived that life. I don’t need a repeat. But with the snap of his fingers, or his fingers inside me, he ignited a spark unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was a euphoric high that I want again. Damn.
After arriving at Porter’s, I busy myself with re-arranging perfectly organized shelves in order to keep all thoughts of Trey at bay. That only lasts a whole ten seconds until the flashbacks of us in his backseat start playing. It was only sex, so why can’t I stop replaying it in my mind? Maybe because it was some of the best sex I’ve had in... ever. Dessa strolls behind me with a jug of pineapple juice in her hand, mentioning something about a dream, but I’m barely paying attention. He's short circuited everything in my body. There’s only one thing I can do.
“Then a T-Rex burst into the room and used his little arms to ravish my naked body.” With her arms close to her body, she wiggles her hands. After a second, she drops them to her sides. “Are you even listening to me?”
I lift my chin, abandoning the box of beer bottles. “Uh. Yes?”
She rests a hand on her waist and pops her hip. “Then what did I say?”
“T-Rex with little arms.” I hold my arms close to my body and wiggle my hands.
She giggles and goes back to pouring the pineapple juice into a shaker. “What’s with you today?”
My gaze shifts left and then right before I lean in. “I made a mistake.”
She freezes mid-pour and stares at me. “You really killed him, didn’t you? I left my shovel at home, but after work, I got you. There’s an old gravel pit—”
“No. Not that.” Even though I’d rather deal with the aftermath of that versus what I’m about to tell her. I peer over my shoulder before I cup a hand over my mouth, shielding my words from anyone else. “I slept with Trey.”
“You had sex with Trey?!” The bottle in her hand nearly drops to the floor, but she recovers.
I slap a hand over her mouth. “Shhh. I don’t need everyone in the bar knowing.”
Her eyes widen and she mumbles incoherently under my palm.
“Ugh! I know. The last person I should ever want to have sex with. But something came over me and it happened, and it was earth shattering.” I sigh and lean my hip against the beer cooler.
“Did you tell him about Abby?”
“No. What was I supposed to say while his dick was jabbing my uterus? ‘Oh, by the way, I have a daughter.’”
“Is it really that big?” she whispers.
“Not the point.”
“Okay we’ll circle back to that.” She swirls her pointer finger in the air. “So, what does that mean? Are you two dating?” She presses the cap onto the shaker and turns it sideways, giving it a firm shake.
“No,” I spit out entirely too fast to be casual. “Definitely not.” I pause. “Friends?” I tilt my head as I test out the word to see if it fits. Since it doesn’t give me hives, I go with it. “We’re friends.” Mostly I need to shove him into the friend box for me. He’s everything I don’t need in my life. Been there. Done that. Built the brick wall, surrounded by concrete with barbed wire strung around the top and I don’t want to take it down now.
“Like naked friends?” She wiggles her eyebrows. “I bet he’d make a good naked friend.”
“Just friends. I don’t sleep with friends.”
She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
“We’re friends,” I point between us, “and we haven’t slept together.”
She pours the chilled liquid into a low ball and pushes it my way. “I am missing a key male anatomy that you seem quite fond of, so that theory is out. Also, try this.”
I take a sip of her newly created concoction. “Yum. It’s sweet but not overly sweet. What’s it called?”
She taps her chin. “I think I’ll call it… Friends with Benefits.”
My lips flatten into a thin line. Lach walks past and I grip his bicep, spinning him around. I link my arms around his waist because I can’t reach around his shoulders. “Lach and I are friends, and we haven’t slept together.”
“Wait. Was sex an option between us?” He peers down at me, his sapphire colored eyes sparkle with intrigue.
“No. Because we’re friends and I don’t sleep with my friends.”
“Friends can have benefits.” Lach wraps his arms around my shoulder in a bear hug.
“No naked friends.” I glare at Dessa. “And no benefits.” I flash Lach the same look I just gave Dessa.
“What about Jake?” She nods in his direction as he strolls along the opposite side of the bar.
“Whatever you guys are talking about, leave me out of it,” Jake grumbles without sparing a glance our way.
“We’re just talking about how friends can have benefits,” Dessa says as she pours another drink and passes it to Lach. “Try this.”
Jake rounds the corner of the bar and stops at the computerized cash register. “Yeah. Definitely leave me out of it.”
“Oh, come on.” Dessa strolls past me and Lach.
My shoulders drop, thankful I’m no longer the center of her questioning.
She stops next to Jake and leans her butt against the edge of the counter. “You’re telling me you’ve never had a friend with benefits?”
Without taking his eyes off the register, he answers, “No. I’m saying whatever you three are discussing, I want no part of it.”
“You must have a friend with bennies because we certainly haven’t seen you with a girlfriend. So, who’s the lucky lady? Is it Katy? She seems to always be here while you’re working. I bet it’s Katy. She’s cute! Definitely worth the benefits.” She nudges Jake with her elbow.
“For one. No. Second. No.” He slams the register shut and stuffs the money into a bank bag.
Dessa rolls her eyes. “You’re no fun.”
“I never claimed to be.” Jake holds up the bag. “I’m going to the bank. Then I might throw myself into the lake just so I can avoid the rest of this conversation.”
“Don’t worry. Like I told Rylee, we’ll circle back to this.” She smirks, swirling her pointer finger in the air.
“Looking forward to it.” The slamming of the door echoes throughout the bar.
Dessa twists to face me, a knowing grin spreads across her lips. “Now, back to Trey—”
“There’s nothing to go back to. It was a mistake. A lapse in judgment. I shouldn’t have even said anything since it meant nothing.” I absentmindedly straighten straws and napkins that are already organized.
“This is really good.” Lach holds up the now empty low ball. “We should make it a special. What’s it called?”
“This one is a nod to Rylee. It’s called Friends with Benefits,” Dessa sing songs.
I hate my friends right now. All of them. Except Jake. He’s the only innocent one. “It was nothing.”
“If you ask me, if it meant nothing,” she flashes air quotes around the last two words, “we wouldn’t still be talking about it.”
“What are we talking about?” Lach asks.
Dessa leans toward him and whispers, “I’ll tell you later.”
“Exactly. You’re right. Conversation done.” I finish counting bottles and slam the cooler door. “I’m going to grab another box.” Before anyone can say anything, I stride down the length of the bar and around the corner to the walk-in cooler. As soon as I pull the handle, a blast of chilly air slams into me, instantly cooling my heated skin. This is the right decision. Anything more with Trey would only take me down a path I’ve already walked down. Plus, I’ve heard his comments, he doesn’t want kids and I have Abby.
I shove my hands into the handles of a box of beer bottles and carry them out. Behind the bar, Dessa is busy making drinks for a couple of customers and Lach’s off to the side, prepping the garnish trays. Good. Now we can move on.
I rest the box on the edge of the cooler, slide open the door, and fill it three bottles at a time. When the box is empty, I glance up and freeze. I’m met with a pair of familiar steely gray eyes. I suck in a sharp breath that doesn’t go unnoticed based on the lazy smile that creeps over Trey’s face. Heat floods up my neck and over my cheeks because I won’t lie, his smile alone can cause a girl’s thighs to clench. I’m going to need another trip to the cooler.
“Fancy seeing you here.” His hypnotic, dimpled smile makes an appearance.
I close the flaps of the box. “I do work here.”
“That you do. And I think I need a beverage.”
“I’m sure that’s not the only thing you need.”
“What are you offering?” He smiles again.
It’s the same smile he gave me right before I kissed him. And it’s beyond tempting to do it again. Look away, Rylee. Look away.
“Not that.” My gaze drops to the cardboard box as I fight the urge to become distracted by this man.
“But last week—”
I huff out a breath and rest my forearms on the closed box. “Are we doing this? The awkward ‘we had sex talk.’”
“We don’t have to do the talk, but we could always do the sex again.” A slow smirk graces his lips. It’s equally sexy and cocky, and a trap I can’t fall into.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“So, you’re just going to resist my charm.”
I want to say no, crawl over this bar, grip his tie, and kiss the smirk off his face. Instead, I say, “Yes. But we can be friends.” I need to cram him into the friend box. Like yesterday.
“Like friends with benefits?” He quirks an eyebrow at me.
What is with everyone needing benefits? Can’t two grown adults of a different sex be friends? “Only friends.”
“Then I’m going to be the bestest friend you’ve ever had.” He flashes me a wink before rising to his feet, taking his beer with him as he strolls to the backroom.
My heart hammers in my chest. His words seem more like a promise than a threat, and that’s what I’m afraid of.