Friday (Timeless Series #5) (19 page)

My cock found her entrance like it always did, and I gently pressed inside her, stretching her like I had a hundred times. Instead of kissing her I watched her reaction. The way she used to look at me had returned. There was nothing but love in her eyes, treasuring me as well as the moment.

I loved being inside her. There were no words to describe how it felt. Not only was it pleasurable, but it was meaningful. I was the only man to have her this way, and I would be the only man to have her this way. I wanted to spend the rest of my nights like this, being with one woman. A year ago I wouldn’t have been able to fathom this moment. But now I couldn’t picture my life being any different.

She rocked with me on the bed. “I love you.” Her fingers dug into my hair and she cradled my face close to hers. Her lips were parted from her heavy breathing. When she said those words they were innately sexy, better than any dirty talk I’d ever had.

“I love you too, baby.”

***

Hand-in-hand, we walked inside Marie’s apartment.

Francesca was watching TV on the couch, and when she heard us walk inside she turned around. “Hey, where were you—” She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw our joined hands. “About fucking time.” She left the couch and walked over to us. “I thought this day would never come.”

I wrapped my arm around Marie’s waist. “We just came by to get her things. She’s staying with me for the week.”

“Cool,” Francesca said. “I get the apartment all to myself without having to pay for it. I feel like a housewife in the fifties.”

“Just keep the place clean.” Marie walked into her bedroom and started to pack her things.

I eyed her ass until it was no longer in view.

“So, how’d you do it?”

I turned back to Francesca. “Do what?”

“Remove the guy.”

“Oh…I came onto him.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“I acted gay for a few moments. It worked like a charm.”

“I think you were supposed to fight for her. You know, do something romantic.”

“Well, the guy was huge. Hitting on him was a lot easier.”

Francesca covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. “Then what happened?”

“I told her how I felt…didn’t hold anything back.”

“Which was…?”

“You’re nosey, you know that?”

“Look, if you don’t tell me Marie will.”

Sometimes I forgot they were best friends. “She’s the one.” That was all I needed to say.

Francesca grinned from ear-to-ear. “Awe…”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re going to married, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. “Not today. But someday.”

“Awe…” She clapped her hands again. “Marie is going to be my sister-in-law. Oh my god, I’ll be her baby’s aunt.”

“Let’s not get carried away. She’s just spending the week with me, for now.”

“Whatever,” she said. “I’m going to start collecting bridal magazines and putting pictures together…it’s going to be great.”

“Whatever.”

Marie returned with a bag over her shoulder. “I think I got everything.”

I took it from her. “Let’s go. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

“Awe.” Francesca clutched her hands to her chest.

“Shut up already.” I opened the door and walked out.

Marie hugged Francesca. “I guess I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Have fun.” Francesca pulled away then squeezed Marie’s wrists. “I want the scoop when you get back.”

“You got it.”

I grabbed Marie’s hand and pulled her out before Francesca invited herself to come along. Those two were inseparable, and I needed to get them apart before Marie invited her along.

***

Instead of watching the movie we made out on the couch. She straddled my hips with her arms around my neck. She kissed me hard on the mouth, giving her tongue before her lips again.

My hands had yanked up her skirt and now gripped her bare ass. My cock was hard and rubbed against her panties through my slacks. With my head resting against the back of the couch I kissed her like a horny teenager. Kissing was still my favorite thing to do.

The alarm over the oven started to beep.

Marie pulled away, her lips puckered and red. “Chicken is done.”

I didn’t care about food at the moment.

She got off my lap and fixed her skirt, hiding her beautiful ass from view. Then she disappeared into the kitchen and checked on the food.

I eyed my keys and wallet on the table before I stood up and opened the front door.

“Where are you going?” Marie called from the kitchen.

“Nowhere, baby.” I pulled up the rug and grabbed the spare key from under the mat. I shut the door again then walked into the kitchen.

Marie just finished preparing the dinner plates when I walked in.

“I want you to have this.” I held up the spare key. “Come and go as you please.” I wanted her to be at my place all the time. Whenever I got off work I had to pick her up first then take her to my apartment since she couldn’t get inside on her own. Now she could sleep in late when I went to work and lock up before she left. If she ever wanted to come over for no reason at all, she could just walk inside.

A slow smile crept over her lips. “You’re giving me a key to your place?”

“Yes.” I placed it in her hand before I closed her fingers around it.

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.” I’d ask her to move in if it weren’t too soon.

She placed the key on the counter. “Thank you. I’d give you mine but—”

“I don’t want it.” Not when Francesca was still living there. I never wanted to walk in when she didn’t know I was coming.

Marie gripped the front of my shirt and pulled me in for a kiss. “Thank you. That was sweet of you.”

“I’m a sweet guy.”
For her.

The doorbell rang and shattered the moment.

She eyed me with a raised eyebrow. “Expecting anyone?”

“No.” No one even knew I lived here. “It’s probably a girl scout or something.” I walked to the door then peeked through the peephole. To my surprise, Hawke was on the other side.

I opened the door. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Hello to you too. You invited me to come by and check out your place.”

“I did?” I didn’t remember that. “When?”

“A few weeks ago. I just didn’t have time until now.” He spotted Marie over my shoulder, and a slow grin stretched his face. “Looks like you’re busy…”

“Uh, yeah.” Now I was grinning.

He clapped me on the shoulder. “Good for you, man. Let’s meet up for a beer tomorrow—if you’re free.”

“Yeah, I’ll text you.”

Hawke waved over my shoulder. “Nice to see you, Marie.”

“You too,” she said with a smile.

I shut the door then came back to her. “He was rooting for us as much as Francesca was.”

“It’s sweet.” She finished dinner then handed me a plate. “Our best friends want us to be happy. And in my book, that makes them good friends.”

***

“I haven’t been to my apartment all week. I need to go.” She had her bag over her shoulder with a remorseful expression on her face. Every time she tried to reach for the door I stopped her.

“Stay.” I kept grabbing her and pulling her back into me. Our week together passed within the blink of an eye. I remembered every single moment with her, but somehow the time passed in a crazy blur.

“I have no clothes.”

“Wear mine.”

She rolled her eyes. “I can’t wear men’s clothes to work.”

“You’ll make them look sexy.”

“And none of your stuff is Prada.”

“They’d really fire you for that?” I gripped the small of her back, wanting her back in my bed.

“I haven’t seen Francesca in a week. I need to check on her.”

“She’s fine.”
And if she wasn’t, who cares?

“I’m out of underwear.”

“You don’t need them anyway.” My hand moved up her skirt until I touched her cheeks.

She slapped my arm playfully. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“You’ll be back in a few hours?” Could I really survive a few hours without her?

“I was thinking maybe tomorrow night.”

“What?” I blurted. “That’s too long.”

“I can’t just abandon Francesca and my apartment.”

“Then I’ll come over.”

She cringed. “That apartment is too small as it is. We can go a night apart.”

“Speak for yourself…”

She cupped my face and gave me a slow kiss. “Have a guys night. Do something with Hawke.”

“Hawke isn’t sexy like you are.”

“I would hope not.”

“And his dick gets in the way.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, just use your imagination.” She kissed me on the cheek before she walked out.

Ugh
. I felt dead inside the second she left my arms. I was always smitten with her but now I realized I was purely obsessed. “Text me when you get home.” I peeked my head out the door and watched her walk down the hallway.

She kept walking but glanced over her shoulder. “Okay.”

“And text me before you go to bed.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

***

Hawke and I met at a sports bar to watch the basketball game.

“So…how long are you going to make me wait?” His eyes were on the TV.

“You buy me a beer and think you’re going to get some action?”

He grinned. “What happened with Marie?”

“I took your advice and hunted her down.”

“That doesn’t sound romantic…sounds scary.”

“You know what I mean. I didn’t give up.”

“Good for you.” He took a drink of his beer. “I’m surprised you aren’t with her now.”

“I would be if she didn’t go home. She said she wanted to spend time with Francesca, some crap like that.”

“I see how it is,” he said with a chuckle. “You’re with me because you have nothing else to do.”

“Hey, cut me some slack. I’m in love. When you’re in love that person is all you think about. It’s like, I breathe just so I can survive to see her again. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

I realized my mistake. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I know exactly what you mean.”

I stared into my beer because I still felt foolish for what I said.

“I’m happy for you, man.”

“Thanks…”

He clanked his beer against mine. “Enjoy every moment.”

“I will.”

He watched the game for a few minutes before he circled back to his favorite subject. “How is she?” He almost never referred to her by name.

“She’s good. Waiting for the remodel to be finished.”

“She didn’t raise any questions about the money?”

“I told her it was all me. I felt deceitful taking all the credit, but Marie thought it was sweet.”

He chuckled. “Maybe I helped you get back together.”

“You already did with that dinner you arranged.”

“What can I say? I’m a matchmaker.”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and set it on the table. If Marie texted me I would know about it immediately. “Anyone special in your life?” Hawke used to tell me about the girls that visited his bed. He would go into detail about it, but after Francesca came into his life he didn’t tell me anything.

“There’s never anyone special.”

“You know…just because it didn’t work out with Francesca doesn’t mean you can’t tell me things.” It was awkward but we had to move past it. I’d accepted the fact they were never getting back together, and Since Francesca was in a good place their break up didn’t seem to matter anymore. Slowly, things were returning to the way they used to be.

“There’s truly nothing to say. Last night I met this girl on the subway. We talked for a little bit and then she spent the night. This morning we went our separate ways.”

“Why were you on the subway?”

“Had to visit a client in Brooklyn.”

“And that’s it? You’ll never see her again?”

“Honestly, I’m not even sure what her name was. It was something exotic, one of those names you can’t pronounce.” He said it with bitterness, like his conquest made him feel worse rather than better.

“If you’re this miserable why don’t you—”

“Please don’t go there.” He held up his hand to silence me. “She and I are never getting back together, even if she does live in the city. That’s just how it is.”

“I would accept that…if you weren’t so depressed without her.”

He looked down into his beer. “I don’t deserve her and I never will. End of story.”

“I don’t know…you still do a lot of stuff for her.”