Authors: Shannon Stacey
“Wow.” His brother was quiet for a long moment. “She sounds like she might be the one for you.”
“She is. Should I send her flowers? I don’t think Whitford has a florist. I could order them online, but... Should I send her flowers?”
“No. That’s too generic. It’s easy. I think you need to spend time with her and put the friendship back on solid ground. That’s the foundation of your relationship.”
Max sighed. “What about the fact she doesn’t want to get married ever?”
“That sounds like something only time and trust between you can make happen. But the opportunity for that to happen will only come if you keep the friendship solid.”
“I don’t know how to do that.”
“What have you been doing together for the last month?”
“Practicing me going on a date with another woman.”
“Oh. You should probably stop doing that.”
Max laughed. “It’s something of a unique situation.”
“You’ve always been unique, little brother. Can’t expect anything less when it comes to problems with women. So we need a reason for you two to get together, but not something that puts too much pressure on you.”
Max felt some of the tension ease out of his shoulders. Colin would help him. Sure, his brothers had had a lot of fun at his expense growing up, but there was never a minute they didn’t have his back when it came to the rest of the world.
“Maybe you should just stop in the diner for a meal when you think she’s going to be there,” Colin said. “Not today, but don’t wait too long. Tomorrow if you can. It’s a normal interaction for you guys, it allows her to set the tone and you can see how she’s acting. And you’ll have coffee and food and stuff to focus on, rather than just being in an awkward situation you can’t manage. Bring a book or a paper to read if it seems like she’s avoiding you, so you don’t feel too self-conscious.”
“I can do that.” He exhaled slowly. “I have a plan.”
“Don’t be too rigid about the plan, though,” Colin cautioned. “You have to be flexible, Max. I know it’s hard, but you have to try. She sounds really special.”
“She is. Thanks for the talk. I have to get ready for the game, but I feel better now.”
“Anytime. Love you, Maxi Pad.”
He rolled his eyes at the old childhood nickname. “Love you, too, Colon.”
Colin barked out a laugh. “Mine’s still funnier.”
“Remind me to thank Mom and Dad for that.”
Feeling better than he had since walking out of Tori’s apartment that morning, Max started preparations for company coming. He wasn’t sure how many people would come, due to the party last night, but he’d be ready, just in case. It was a big game against a conference rival and nobody would want to miss it if they could help it. With it being the four o’clock game, there was time to get stuff done before start time, too.
He caught himself whistling while he moved around the kitchen, and the song from
My Fair Lady
made him smile. Tori had made for an exceptionally charming Eliza Doolittle and Max knew he’d never see the movie or even a photo of Audrey Hepburn again without thinking of last night.
The first car pulled in well before game time, and it didn’t sound like Butch’s truck. He popped the tray of pizza rolls into the oven and set the timer before turning to see who it was.
When the door opened and Tori walked in, his carefully orchestrated plan fell apart and he froze.
Chapter Eighteen
It wasn’t the first time Tori had run into a man with whom she’d spent a night, but it was the first time that man’s reaction could only be described as horror.
The look on Max’s face when he saw her walk in the door would have been comical if it hadn’t taken all of her nerve to get in the car and make the drive over. “I guess I shouldn’t have come.”
He recovered quickly and reached for her arm, maybe to stop her if she tried to leave. “Why wouldn’t you come? You enjoyed yourself last time.”
“I saw your face, Max. Let’s not pretend you were happy to see me.”
“I had a plan.”
She waited, but he stopped talking. He clasped his hands together near his waist, his right thumb pressed hard against his left palm, and she recognized his method for not fidgeting under extreme pressure. “What was your plan?”
“I wasn’t sure where our friendship stood now and I didn’t know what to do, so I called my brother. And he said I should go to the diner when you were working because I’m comfortable there. And I’d be able to tell if you wanted to talk to me or not and I would bring a book to read if you didn’t, so I wouldn’t feel awkward. So I had a plan. And then you walked in and...I don’t have a plan anymore.”
It hurt her heart to watch him stare at the cupboard door over her shoulder. “Max, look at me, not at the cabinet. We’re friends. I know you’re not very experienced with the whole friends-with-benefits thing, but that’s where we went last night. It happened. It was amazing and, no, we’re not letting it change our friendship.”
“You seemed different this morning.”
Because she
was
different this morning. No matter what she might say, what she felt for Max wasn’t casual anymore. But seeing him so wound up now just reinforced that she was doing the right thing in keeping him at arm’s length emotionally. The potential for hurting him was too great.
“I was fine, Max. You know, I was a little worried about our friendship, too, so I was also feeling it out. And I think we were both so careful, we made it weird.”
His hands relaxed. “So we’re okay.”
“Of course we are.”
“Amazing, huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “Give me a knife and I’ll help you chop those vegetables for the platter.”
They started working, standing on opposite sides of the island, but he paused to look at her. “I’m glad you came today.”
“I am, too.” She chopped the ends off of a carrot and then sliced it lengthwise. “I was trying to work, but I knew the guys would be coming over for the game. I wasn’t sure if you’d be prepared for how much ribbing you’d get about last night and if you get overwhelmed, you get tense. I didn’t want you to say the wrong thing and damage a friendship because they don’t know when to quit. I figure if I’m here, it’ll be kept to a minimum.”
“Will you stay after and watch a movie again?”
She looked up from the carrots and grinned. “I had Hailey grab me
Thor: The Dark World
from the library last week. It’s in my car.”
“Excellent. Thor or Loki?”
She snorted. “Loki, of course.”
“You can have the sectional corner today.”
Laughing, she went back to the carrots, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slight tremble in her hands as she sliced. She hadn’t wanted to come today. After her failed attempt to kill her feelings with ice cream, she’d tried to work. She’d actually managed to finish off a job before Max invaded her head again.
It was Sunday and all she could think about was how much teasing he was going to have to suffer through. And they were all his friends and it would all be in good fun, but if it went too far, she knew Max might not be able to cope. Best-case scenario, he went to his room or the basement and collected himself. Worst case, he’d say something wrong and put a strain on friendships that were important to him.
The one thing that would keep them from acting like gossiping frat boys about last night was her being in the room. So she’d sucked it up, put on a happy face and driven to his house.
Back when they were little kids, her parents had brought her for a visit to Whitford. Even though she was a bit older, Tori and Gavin had run wild outside for the entire day, his younger brother, Todd, still being too young, until they’d been called in for dinner. Gavin had then discovered a tick on his testicles and the face he’d made was almost identical to the face Max had made when he saw her. Like he’d found a tick on his balls.
Not one of her finer moments.
But the important thing was that they were back on an even keel, more or less. She just needed to keep it that way.
Butch showed up while she was combining dip mix and sour cream in a bowl. He looked a little rough today, and she wondered how many beers he’d had, trying to keep the cold at bay. For that matter, she wondered how Fran looked today.
“Some party last night,” he said, snagging a pizza roll from the plate Max had just set out. But other than a quick glance at Tori, he said nothing else about it.
Mission accomplished, Tori thought.
Everybody showed up for the game, which kind of surprised her since they’d all had a late night at the lodge. The game was a close one and there was a lot of yelling at the television, but other than a few speculative glances, nothing was said about Max bringing Tori home last night.
Of course, the flip side of the coin was that everybody would consider them a couple now. They’d looked like a couple at the party and then left together. And today she’d been at his house, in his kitchen, like she belonged there.
But being a real couple wouldn’t be as interesting to the gossips, so things would quiet down eventually. As long as she and Max knew what was going on, nobody else mattered.
She breathed a sigh of relief when everybody left. Since she didn’t follow football, she wasn’t sure what was so intense about the game—other than a close score—but they’d been like a pack of feral wolves today. It was so bad she hadn’t even been able to grab a minute with Josh to talk about the ATV club’s logo. They’d chosen one of her designs and he’d wanted to talk to her about the next step in the process, but it was obvious today wasn’t a good time. She was pretty sure she saw Butch actually foam at the mouth at one point.
Paying attention to the movie proved to be a challenge, though. She was in the corner of the sectional and, although he’d chosen the same sofa, he was on the far end. It was like being a million miles away from him and she didn’t like it.
About a half hour in, he hit the pause button. “You seem agitated.”
“The polite thing to do would be pretend you didn’t notice.”
“It would be hard not to. And I thought it would be polite to pause it in case you need to use the bathroom.”
“I don’t have to pee, Max. It’s mental agitation, not physical.”
“Oh.” He started the movie again, then almost immediately hit Pause again. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Not really, but she had to do something. “I’m sorry I was distant this morning.”
“You made it clear it was...a friends-with-benefits thing.”
“To be honest, I was a little thrown off. I guess I have more experience with acquaintances with benefits than good friends, because I felt awkward, too. And when I came out of the bathroom, you seemed so closed off. And I know—I
know
—you do that when you’re not sure how to act, but I wasn’t thinking about you. I guess I’m not so good at friends with benefits.”
“We could make flashcards.”
She laughed, relief coursing through her. His sense of humor was definitely intact. He set the remote on the table and moved down the couch so he was sitting next to her.
“After I woke up, I held you for a few minutes, but then I got up because I didn’t know if that would bother you. If it was too...intimate. I wish I’d stayed in bed.”
“I wish you had, too,” she said before common sense could stop the words from coming out of her mouth.
“We could try again. Practice this whole friends-with-benefits thing until we get it right. It might be a handy life skill to have.”
“Max, I—” She made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and she knew she was lost. “Just practicing friends with benefits.”
“Just practice.”
She might have given more thought to his verbal loophole of not specifying
what
he was practicing, but he leaned over her and pulled her face to his for a kiss. When she put her arms around his neck, he gripped her waist and pulled her over and onto his lap without taking his mouth from hers.
His hand fisted in her hair and she moaned against his lips. His tongue flicked over her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to him as he increased the pressure, becoming more demanding.
When his hand slid under her shirt to stroke her back, she shivered. His erection pressed between her thighs and she rocked slightly as his mouth left hers and moved to the hollow at her throat.
It took all of her willpower—which didn’t seem to amount to much where he was concerned—to put her hands on his shoulders and lean back.
“Before we get carried away, do you happen to have a condom in your pocket?”
The corners of his mouth tilted up. “I keep them in my bedroom. It seems logical.”
“I think we should move this to your bedroom, then. You know, the day I was rummaging through your closet, all I could think about was having sex in that bed.”
“Really? You should have said something. I would have been more than happy to oblige.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Assuming you were thinking about having sex in my bed with
me
.”
She laughed and stood, hauling him to his feet. “Yes, with you.”
“Oh, good. I’m very territorial about my bed.”
She laughed until he slid an arm under her knees and lifted her, then she squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”
“I always wanted to do this,” he said, carrying her toward his bedroom. “I’ve just been waiting for a woman short and light enough to try it on.”
* * *
Max set Tori down on his bed and stood back to enjoy the view for a minute. He’d thought having Tori in her bed was the best night of his life, but seeing her on his bed triggered something primal in him. Something possessive.
She ran her hand over the comforter. “We need to mess up this bed.”
“I’ve seen your bed. Mine may never be the same again.”
“You know,” she said, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the mattress. “You wore pants for far too long last night. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
He unbuttoned his fly, then sucked in a breath when she pushed his hands away. She lowered his zipper and slowly worked his jeans down while he tried to remember how to breathe.
When she tapped the back of his calf, he lifted each foot in turn so she could pull the jeans free, then the socks. Then she tucked her fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs and pulled them down so he could step out of them.
“Luckily for you,” she said, “I don’t read passages over and over, savoring the words. I skip straight to the good parts.”
When her lips closed over him, he buried his fingers in her hair and tried not to move. Her mouth was hot and wet and when she sucked gently, her fist following the path of her mouth up his shaft, his knees almost buckled.
“Tori.” He needed her to stop because he wanted her in his arms. She flicked her tongue over the sensitive tip and he shuddered. “Get on the bed.”
Her smile suggested she knew just how close he was as he took a condom out of his dresser drawer and ripped open the packet. Before she got on the bed, she pulled back the comforter and sheets, sending pillows flying.
He didn’t waste any time today. He was barely hanging on as it was, so he lifted her ankles onto his shoulders and, after sliding in just enough to tease her, he thrust hard.
She gasped and the feel of her body and the sight of her fists clenching his sheets almost blew him apart. Fast and hard, he drove into her until she climaxed, her back arching off the bed. He dug his fingers into her hips, holding her as he thrust faster.
When she cried his name, he came, his body pulsing as the orgasm shook him. Once it faded, he reluctantly pulled free and slid down so he could bury his face against her neck.
“That was way better than
Thor,
” she said, still slightly out of breath.
Chuckling, he remembered they’d left the movie paused downstairs. It didn’t matter. The DVD player would turn off eventually or it wouldn’t. And she was right. This was way better. “I like being friends with benefits.”
“Me, too.”
Once he’d caught his breath, he rolled away and went into the bathroom. After disposing of the condom, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Colin had told him the most important thing was to get their friendship back on solid footing and, getting her into his bed so soon might have been a mistake, but he’d learned the hard way how they behaved now was important. He splashed some cold water on his face and then took his robe off the hook and slipped it on. Getting to the bathroom was one thing, but walking back out naked would make him feel awkward.
He was glad he did it. When he walked back into the bedroom, Tori was almost fully dressed. She pulled the shirt over her head and smiled when she saw him. “Do we have time to watch the end of the movie?”
It wasn’t as if he’d made big plans for the night. “Sure.”
She started toward him, or the door that was right behind him. “I’ll make coffee.”
“Decaf.”
“Because it’s after five.” She stopped and reached her hand around his neck to pull him down for a kiss. “I know.”
She kissed him like that again when the movie was over and it was time for her to leave. It was hard not to ask her to stay, but he had to be careful not to overstep the friends-with-benefits line. Casual, he told himself, like her good-night kiss.
Not yet ready to sleep, he picked up the remote and cycled through television channels, not landing on anything for longer than a minute. The action mimicked his thoughts, flipping through his mind without settling enough to let him focus.
It was hard enough to navigate relationships when they were clearly defined. Parents. Siblings. Girlfriend. Wife. But friends with benefits wasn’t something he had any experience with and trying to take cues from her would wear on him eventually.