Friends With Benefits (7 page)

“OK.”

“But promise me something? If the situation presents itself, and you’re interested, I want you to consider going for it.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Promise me. I don’t want you to miss out on this chance to fulfill one of your secret wishes. I’ll be thinking about you as if I’m right there with you. Just pretend I set this whole trip up for you.”

“Maybe.”

He shook his head. She still hesitated. “I’ll call you tomorrow night, see how your day went.”

“I love you, Tyler.”

“I love you too, baby. Good night.” He disconnected the call. Poor Angela. He sensed her doubt mingling with her curiosity. If need be, when he talked to her tomorrow, he’d tell her all about Connor. That would destroy the opportunity for the spontaneous stranger scenario, but she’d feel more comfortable about it.

One down. Now he’d let Connor know the game was on. Tyler speed dialed his friend, his toe tapping while he waited. He turned at a knock on the bedroom door.

“Dear, I’ve cleaned up the kitchen, and I’m heading to bed now. I’ll see you in the morning. His mother nodded toward the phone. “Tell Angela I said hello. And, I hope to see her soon.”

“I did. ‘Night, Mom.” He watched his mother back out, closing the door behind her. After almost thirty-five years of marriage, her skin still glowed, her eye sparkled, and she always smiled. He wanted to see that same look on his wife’s face when their thirty-five years rolled around. The love and respect his parents gave each other, and in turn showered on him and his younger sister, surpassed that of a conventional relationship. That’s what he wanted Angela and their children to have.

“Hello?” Connor’s deep voice echoed in his ear.

“Hey, man. How’s it going? Got my deck built yet?” Although he teased, Tyler knew he’d end up with a fabulous outdoor area. Connor was nothing if not a perfectionist when it came to his work.

“I got a good start on it. Should be finished before you get home.”

“I’m looking forward to a few private hot tub parties.”

Connor’s strained chuckle rumbled over the telephone line. “Tub parties, pool parties, you’ve got a great setup here.”

“You okay, Connor?”

His friend sighed. “Yeah. Just got off the phone with Cindy, again.”

Tyler winced. “I thought you weren’t in touch with her?”

“I’m not. She’s the one who keeps calling me.”

“Have you considered changing your number?”

“Yeah, but it’s my business phone. I can’t do that.”

“What does she want?” Did she want back in his life? That relationship had been toxic for his friend. Connor needed to keep his distance from the woman.

“What she can’t have. Look, I don’t want to discuss my problems.”

“Connor, if you need to talk about it, or if she’s causing trouble, let me help.”

“Not your problem, Tyler. I can deal with her.”

Tyler sensed a need to change the subject. “I just got off the phone with Angela.”

“And how’s your wife?

“Interested.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely. She’s not ready to admit it though. I had to go by her hesitation and heavy breathing, but she’s eager to play.”

“She’s great, Ty. You’re a very lucky man.” Connor’s voice had lowered, became solemn.

“I know I am.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I want to make my wife happy.”

“And what about you? What will make you happy?”

Tyler paused, not prepared to divulge his own interests at this point. He needed their connection established first. “I get to enjoy my wife’s pleasure.”

“Even if that includes watching another man fuck her?”

“We’ve done this before, Connor.”

“But neither of us was serious about the woman before. This time is different, and you know it.”

Yes, it was, and he did. “I’m good with this, Connor. More than.” The time had come to push things along. “I want you to do some serious flirting tomorrow. Get her to open up and try something with you. If she goes all out, great. If she just tests the waters, that’s fine. But unless I miss my guess, by the time I get home, I’ll have a completed deck and a satisfied wife.”

The thought of walking in on Angela and Connor, of catching her unaware and caught up in the moment, watching her come…Fuck. His cock hardened like a spike.

“Whatever you say. I’m your man.”

“That you are my friend. That you are. Listen, I’m going to check in with her again tomorrow night. I’ll wait until late to call so I don’t…interrupt anything.”

“I’ll be over at your place first thing. We’ll see how the day goes.”

“Perfect. Good luck.”

They said their good-byes and disconnected.

Tyler stood at the window, gazing out, seeing nothing. He swallowed. His stomach churned. If his plan didn’t come together, he’d live out the rest of his days with a woman he loved more than life itself. Not a single thing wrong with that. Most men would be happy with that alone. Could he be?

He rubbed the edge of the phone along the bottom of his chin. This had to work. Connor Jones was the one man he trusted enough to consider for this role. For years, he’d thought about it. Yes, they’d shared women, but even his best friend didn’t know the truth about how he was raised. In school, it had been all about the sex. Some great, some mediocre, but still just sex.

It wasn’t all about sex anymore. Long ago, Tyler had shelved his dream. Now the time had come to pull it off that shelf, dust it off, and see if dreams really could come true.

* * *

Saturday morning Angela awoke to the high-pitched sound of a screw gun drilling through deck boards. She jumped from the bed and ran downstairs, almost slipping on the bottom two steps when the leg of her lounge pants snagged her heel. She rushed to brew a pot of coffee.

Whirling like a dervish, she raced back up the stairs, tugging off her cami and pants as she went. She showered, shaved her legs and then dressed in crisp white shorts and a light blue tank with her blue striped bikini underneath.

She felt a little foolish putting more effort than normal into how she looked. On any normal weekend, she didn’t worry about her hair and makeup just to sit outside by the pool. But hey, what woman didn’t go the extra effort when some good-looking guy might give her a little attention. And Tyler
had
encouraged her to flirt.

Back in the kitchen, looking as presentable as possible, but without looking as though she wanted to make an impression, Angela moved across the tiled floor to the sliding glass door, a steaming cup of her favorite dark-roast coffee in each hand. She opened the door, ready to step out, when a wall of heat smacked her in the face. Already, the day was shaping up to be a scorcher.

Head down, careful of where she stepped, Angela strode in the direction of the noise, looking up as she got to the edge of the new deck. She promptly tripped over her own two feet, damn near spilling hot coffee down the front of her pretty top. She managed to right herself before any real damage could be done. Connor appeared to be distracted, fighting with a screw. He didn’t seem to have heard or seen her clumsy approach and near miss.

Holy mother of God. The man stood with his back to her, assembling the frame for the first privacy panel. In deference to the heat, he had shed most of his clothing. Today he wore a pair of frayed, cut-off denim shorts. They were so faded and soft looking. Her hands twitched to touch them, to rub her finger along the frayed edge.

She tightened her grip on the mugs and dragged her eyes up to the top of his head, where he had tied his hair back from his face with a blue bandana. Given the span of his shoulders and his chiseled build, she had to wonder where he bought his shirts. His back narrowed down to a trim waist. And then there was that fabulous, perfectly shaped ass, supported by solid thighs. Not an ounce of unwanted fat to be seen anywhere.

She couldn’t wait for him to turn around. Her mouth watered in anticipation. She hadn’t appreciated his toned physique yesterday when they swam in the pool, as most of it remained hidden under the water at the time. And of course that view of him in his wet briefs had left her parched. Did he work out to get that body or did he come by it through genetics?

Regaining control of her senses, she uttered a little cough to announce her arrival. When he turned around, he very nearly got a repeat performance of her close call.

He beamed, wowing her with the brilliance of his smile. “Good morning.”

The cadence of his voice, smooth as melted chocolate, flowed right over her. He put down the drill and walked over. Leaning close, he relieved her of one of the coffees.

“Thank you,” he said in that soft, warm tone.

“No problem.” She gulped. Her nostrils flared as she sucked in some air. He smelled as wonderful as he looked—hot, sultry, and a hint of cologne. She stopped herself from slanting in too close, regardless of how much she desired a good whiff. It took effort, but she retreated, taking a couple of steps backward to a safer zone.

“I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee, so I’ve left it black, but I’ve got cream, milk and sugar.”

“Black is fine.” He plopped down on his butt, his legs hanging over the edge of the deck, and sipped from his cup. Peering at her from over the rim, he winked.

She gasped, catching a glint of humor in his eyes. Judging by that smug look, the bastard knew he frazzled her, and he enjoyed teasing her.

Angela took another two steps away, hoping the distance would give her the space she needed to gather her composure and stop fidgeting like a nervous schoolgirl. She wasn’t sure what to say to him, so she stood there for a few minutes sipping her coffee, saying nothing. He continued to observe her.

Glancing around, she made some lame comments about the weather, the heat, and the humidity. He grunted his agreement and continued the inspection. His hot, intense gaze traveled up and down her body. On each trip, he stopped along the way at different spots to enjoy the view. She squirmed under his heated focus. Her pussy started to cream, and her nipples pebbled, drawing his blue eyes to that particular rest stop.

He put the mug down. Tilting his head he grinned like the devil himself, and then rose like a phoenix. Raising his arms high over his head, he clasped his hands together and stretched, twisting side to side to work out the kinks in his back. This pose seemed to be a standard activity for him.

Because the land dropped away from the house on this end, the deck rose above ground by about two feet. So standing above her, she had to tip her head back, letting
her
eyes indulge in a road trip this time. As the muscles rippled over his upper body, she raised her cup to her lips, needing to do something with her mouth.

Following a very male groan, he dropped his arms. “Thanks for the coffee. I guess I’d better get back to work before it gets too hot. I want to finish at least the first end before I take another dip in your pool.”

He gave her an impish grin and returned to his work. Those grins and his winks were lethal.

Angela stood rooted to the spot for a moment or ten, fantasizing about soft denim shorts and drills. Getting herself under control like the adult she proclaimed to be, she wiped one hand across her lips, picked up his empty coffee mug, and went back inside before her juices started running uninhibitedly down her thighs.

* * *

Connor took pleasure at Angela’s definite interest. He enjoyed playing with her. She’d looked gorgeous standing there blushing, trying not to show how his posturing had affected her. Only blindness could have prevented him from noticing her nipples poking out against the cotton top. And the squirming she tried to hide told him she’d been nice and wet.

After his conversation with Tyler last night, he planned to kick things up a notch today. At lunch, he’d test the waters in the pool—take the leap, see how far he could swim. The further he managed to push her today, the better prepared she’d be for when Tyler got home and the two of them got her snug between them. He looked forward to that first time.

But baby steps. He still had lots to do before lunch. And, from a work perspective, he wanted to take advantage of the somewhat cooler morning air before the heat settled in for the afternoon. With that in mind, he turned his attention back to the deck, whistling the tune of some current chart topper under his breath.

However, while laboring away at the deck, his head filled with thoughts of Angela. She’d remained silent behind him when she first came out from the house. Though the grass had muted her footsteps, the scent of her apple shampoo warned him of her approach. Then, the aroma of her arousal drew him closer, urged him to tease her, to get that lust building. He knew she’d been desperate to escape back into the safety of the house, so he let his perusal take the long route. The excitement within his own body, however, became a distraction, and if she hadn’t left when she did, he may have upped the seduction schedule.

With the distraction removed, he settled in to get as much work as possible done before lunch, so playtime afterwards could begin in earnest.

Chapter Six

Angela managed to entertain herself inside the house, filling the time with mindless housework before deciding she’d earned a break. She’d tried to do actual work. She needed to complete the proposal package for the new project she was bidding on. She strove to focus on supplier requirements and software specifications, but knowing Connor worked just outside, only steps way, dragged her attention from the computer screen to the window.

If he were to make a move on her, she’d have a hard time resisting. How often did a woman get to experience a fantasy like this? The whole contractor-dude-does-housewife thing? Hello—straight out of a romance novel. And she had her husband’s permission to act on it. How many signs had to whack her over her head?

She grabbed her book, a bottle of water, towels, including an extra one for Connor, and stepped out the patio door and into the yard. She walked straight over to her lounger near the pool, congratulating herself on avoiding even one single glance in his direction. She happened to have excellent peripheral vision, however. The man appeared to like his work. Sweat dripped down his body as he hummed along to music playing through the ear buds tucked into his ears.