19. Nolan #2
She visibly winces. “I had to give a speech in the seventh grade, and it was literally the thing of nightmares. I tripped in front of the entire class on my way to the front of the room, and it got worse from there. And I know that’s ridiculous, and I should be able to overcome a silly accident from a decade ago.
But it’s like I’ve convinced myself that I’m going to look and sound like an idiot like I did that day. It’s paralyzing.”
“Do you think these past few weeks have helped? Are you feeling more confident? More comfortable?”
“Surprisingly, yes. I don’t know if it’s the repetition or watching others give speeches or the tips you’ve given me, but it’s getting a little easier. I’m still really bad, but my professor said I wasn’t the worst in class this week. So there’s hope.”
“You give your next speech on Monday?”
Her face splits with a smile as she nods. “And I’ll be speaking about how to make a public speech.” She laughs. “Think they’ll appreciate the irony?”
That smile hits me harder and faster than any tackle. All I can think about is how badly I want her and how she’s less than two feet from me, mostly naked and wet.
“Why do we keep fighting this? Why are we still fighting this?”
Her eyes dance between mine, the humor fading into surprise and nerves as she swallows. “Fighting what?”
“I like you and I am so damn attracted to you that I sometimes can’t think of anything besides kissing you again or bending you over the nearest piece of furniture and burying myself in you.”
Lust punctuated by desire flashes in her eyes. “I thought we were friends?”
“We are. We still can be.”
She blinks several times. “Wouldn’t that complicate things?
We see each other nearly every day. Plus, I like hanging out with you.
I like our jokes and pranks. Things would get weird if we started to hide behind the fridge and shove our hands down each other’s pants.
” She peers sideways. “And weirder when one of us decides it’s over. ”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? What are you even suggesting? Hooking up? Casually dating?”
“Friends with benefits.”
“Friends with benefits,” she repeats. “What does that even look like? Would we still watch shows and movies together? Would we continue our pranks? What about Katie?”
“We’d still watch movies together, I’d just spend part of it with my hands or mouth on you, trying to make you come.”
Her cheeks flush and her eyes pulse with surprise. I wonder if it’s the same shade she turns after an orgasm.
“We could make a schedule to keep the sexual parts of our relationship separate from our friendship. On Mondays when you get out of class, and Wednesday morning before I have to leave for practice, and Saturday night whenever we get home.”
“You’ve put thought into this.”
I move closer, watching the vein in her neck pulsating. She’s nervous, maybe uncomfortable. “Since kissing you in the kitchen,” I admit, glancing at her lips as she subconsciously licks them.
“We could still hang out and do the Camden traditions and it won’t be weird?”
I shake my head. “All of that would be the same, but we’d have the benefit of a release.”
“What about Katie?”
I shrug. “If you want to tell her, you can, if you don’t, we won’t.”
“You don’t want to tell her?”
“House rule number one is not to flirt with you and Hannah.”
She scoffs. “Is this really flirting?”
My smile is instant. “No, and that’s part of the beauty of this. There’s no beating around the bush, no flirting or awkward dates or obligatory texts. If that schedule works for you, you come down to the basement, we spend a couple of hours having sex, and then things go back to how they are now.”
“A couple of hours?”
I shrug. “In case you want to finish the movie.”
“And if one of us decides it’s not working?”
“Then we stop that part of our relationship and continue being friends.”
“What about safety? Safe sex I mean. I’m kind of a fan. That’s my biggest deal breaker with casual sex.”
“We get tested and while our deal lasts, we remain exclusive.”
“Can I ask when was the last time you…”
“Had sex?”
“Or did anything that involved an exchange of bodily fluids.”
“Long enough that it would show on a test.”
She licks her lips again and then laughs, a breathy sound. “This is crazy.”
I place a hand on her jaw, brushing the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip as I study those impossibly blue eyes.
“You want to say yes. I see it in your eyes, just like you wanted to do the prank war, and wanted to jump into this pool. Don’t chicken out on me now, Cutlass. ” I drop my thumb to her chin.
“Maybe we should do a trial run, just in case.”
I smirk. “You can just tell me you don’t want to wait until Saturday.”
The back lights flip on then, and the back door of the basement slides open.
Hadley grabs my arm. “Oh, God. Should we duck? Do we say anything?”
“Hey, Nolan. Sorry. I hope I didn’t startle you guys. I’m setting out some towels.” He sets a stack of towels on the table. “If you guys want anything to eat or drink, the fridge down here is stocked. Help yourselves.” He makes his way back toward the house. “Have a good night.” He closes the door.
Hadley faces me, her face distorted with shock, anger, and confusion. I can’t even try to stop my laughter. “Who’s house is this?”
“Hudson’s dad lives here.”
She shakes her head and then drops under the surface, swimming several feet away.
When she pops back up, I’m already beside her, grabbing her arm to turn her back to me.
“You almost had me. I actually thought you wanted to casually date—” Embarrassment tinges her face and has her avoiding my gaze, and I realize she thinks this was another prank.
I sweep a hand around her, pulling her against me, and seal my lips over hers.
She doesn’t kiss me back at first, her lips pursed and firm. I grab her thighs in my hands and lift her, coaxing her to wrap her legs around my waist. She does, but her body is stiff, unsure.
“This wasn’t a prank, Cutlass. I want you.” I press my erection against her as proof.
Her eyes blaze with the same brand of desire consuming me but she doesn’t say anything, remaining still as a statue.
With my hands bracketing her waist, I lean into her, kissing the column of her neck where her pulse drums against my mouth. I nip and kiss my way to her ear. “We can do this however you want. It’s your call.”
She leans forward, her breasts pressing against my chest, and then she kisses me.
Desperation and desire enflame me as her lips part, inviting me to slide my tongue into her mouth.
She releases a soft sigh and flexes her fingers against my shoulders.
The sound is my undoing, kissing her harder with a level of desperation I’ve never experienced as I move one hand to her backside, urging her closer, wanting to feel her against me knowing how damn perfect she’s going to fit before she confirms the fact.
Her core rubs against me, the slight friction so damn good I groan into her mouth. We kiss until we’re breathless, until we know we won’t be able to stop if we don’t stop now.
“We get tested tomorrow,” she says, eyes dilated, and lips swollen.