Loving the Best Man (Friends & Lovers Book 2) (4 page)

“It’s pasta and salad.”

“Sounds good, Lincoln. I probably would have had cereal if you hadn’t come.” She gave him a smile and strutted off to the kitchenette to retrieve plates and cutlery. The tiny table in the kitchenette was just big enough for two and within seconds they were seated there, serving themselves from the takeout containers.

“So what happened today?” He asked once they’d begun eating.  “Everything okay at work?”

“Everything’s fine,” She lied, which was unlike her. But the less people knew, the better and
work
was fine. “I never thought I could have a traditional office job but it’s a big place so I keep busy. It never gets boring.”

“Do you like it better than your last job?”

“To a certain point. The gym’s atmosphere was fun and laid back and loud. But my last boss was a major pervert with a hand problem so going to work there started becoming stressful.” She left the table and went to the small fridge, grabbing a bottle of wine. She held the bottle up for him to see and he nodded so she poured them each a glass and set the bottle on the table.

“You were being sexually harassed?” He had a dark frown on his face.

“Yeah.” And now the prick couldn’t get to her anymore and was trying other desperate tactics. “He wouldn’t back off so I had to defend myself. I got fired then and there.”

“What did you do?”

“I kneed him in his balls,” She confessed, looking Lincoln in the eye to see what he thought about that.

“You should have sued the bastard,” He said, twirling spaghetti onto his fork.

“It wasn’t worth it. Besides, I had no proof.” She shrugged. She’d gotten over most of the anger she felt about being sexually harassed but now Marley had taken a dangerous turn. She already had pepper spray but she planned to get a pocket knife so that she could defend herself if she had to.

“I hate assholes like that,” Lincoln muttered. “Self-entitled prick.”

“It’s okay, Lincoln,” She said, heartened that he cared so much. “I’m over it.”

A quick grin came to his handsome face and he smiled as he raised his glass to his lips.

“What?” She asked, telling herself not to squirm under his scrutiny.

“I like how you same my name.”

“What are you taking about?” She was genuinely puzzled.

“You’re the only one who calls me Lincoln. I like it.”

She hadn’t realized that she did that. She didn’t like the implications.

“Whatever,” She scoffed. “It doesn’t mean anything so don’t read too much into it.”

“You’ve done it since we met,” He said, draining his glass and placing it on the table.  “I know exactly what it means.”

She finished her own wine and went back to her dinner, not wanting to play his little game. She had too much on her mind to play any kind of games. She was too vulnerable to put herself out there. She didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing.

“So I have a proposition for you,” He said after several seconds of silence between them.

“What kind of proposition?” Already her spine had stiffened. She put her fork down and crossed her arms on the tabletop.

“Hear me out,” He said, raising his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Alright.” She nodded once.

“I know you said we should just go back to being friends-”

“Please, let’s not go there right now. I really don’t want to talk about this.”

“Hear me out,” He repeated.

She sighed. She’d thought she’d made herself perfectly clear when they were at the hotel that she didn’t want a relationship.

“I know you’re worried I’ll get too attached or always be around,” He lowered his voice. “But I’m not like that. I like to keep things light. I know you feel the same way.”

“So?” She asked although she already knew what he was leading up to.

“There’s no reason we shouldn’t have fun and enjoy each other’s company.”

“We-”

“Don’t give me that bull about us going back to being friends. The line already got crossed and there’s no going back.”

She snapped her mouth shut, intrigued against her will by the idea of having a friend with benefits. It had been so good with Lincoln and she had wondered if that was because
he
was that good or because she’d been abstinent for more than two years.

But still, she hesitated.  She didn’t have time for a relationship, even the no-strings one that Lincoln was now offering. She had to figure out how to get proof of what Marley was doing so that her life could go back to normal.

He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her up with him and then against him until their bodies were pressed together. She could feel his erection pressing against her and the knowledge of her power over him seemed to make her weak in the knees.

Almost against her will, she was instantly turned on. She tossed her doubts and worries to the side. Maybe fun was just what she needed. She’d just have to play it smart.

She stood up on the tips of her toes and pressed her mouth against his, giving in without another thought.

With a satisfied murmur, Linc cupped her ass, pressing their bodies even closer. Her mouth was so hot beneath his, her tongue darting in and out of his mouth. He slowly backed her up, kissing her all the while, until they reached the couch.

She lay back on the couch, staring up at him with those russet eyes, and his heart seemed to tighten in his chest. She was just so beautiful and he was as enthusiastic as a teenager. He got rid of his tie but gave up on his shirt after the top button because he had to kiss her again.

He settled between her legs and she pressed her hands against his chest. He fed on her mouth until they were both breathless. She flicked her finger back and forth across his nipple and he laughed and groaned at the same time.

Lifting away from her, he undid the rest of his buttons and threw his shirt to the floor. He had a white tank top on and he got rid of it before going back down to her and tasting the slope of her neck.

Her thighs were up around his waist and he automatically grinded against her. He still had his pants on and she was wearing suit pants too. The friction was torment.

He nipped her neck and she yelped.

“No hickeys!” She exclaimed, breathing heavily.

He placed hot, wet kisses from one side of her neck to the other before going up to her ear and sucking her lobe into his mouth. He felt her shudder and her hands ran up into his hair in a tight grip.

He released her ear lobe and went to the other one, gently sucking it for a few moments as she squirmed beneath him. His breathing was ragged and he was beginning to feel desperate. He pulled away so he could stand up and she seemed unwilling to let him go. After a couple of seconds, her arms dropped to her sides and she lay on the couch with closed eyes. Her ample breasts rose and fell with her erratic breathing and he smiled at the sight she made.

He toed off his shoes and began to unbuckle his belt. She opened her eyes and watched him for a few seconds before reaching for the button on her own pants. They were naked in seconds and he hurried back to the couch, eager to touch her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed again. He pinched her nipple and rolled it between his fingers, making her cry out.

She opened her legs, wrapping them around his waist. His shaft was nestled against her wet heat and it was his undoing.

He moved back, opening her for him, before thrusting inside with a long sigh. She felt too good to be true and he immediately began to move.

“W-wait!” She gasped through gritted teeth.

“What’s the matter?” He managed to say. It took everything in him to be still.

She opened and closed her mouth several times without making any sound other than heavy breathing.

“Em?” He whispered, his body trembling under the stress of sexual tension.

“A condom!” She breathed and snapped her eyes shut.

With a jolt, he pulled out of her, shocked beyond words. He’d never, not even as a randy kid, had forgotten to use protection. To do it now was so unlike him that he didn’t know what to say. Wordlessly he fished his wallet out of his pants and retrieved the condom.

“I’m sorry, Emerald,” He said, embarrassed at his mistake. “I would never-”

“It’s okay!” She snapped, her legs still wide open. “Hurry up.”

He smiled in spite of the huge error he’d just made and quickly rolled the condom on. He joined her on the couch and she took him in her hands and guided him inside. Digging her nails into his back, she met his thrusts, crying out with each one.

He knew he had a death grip on her hips but he couldn’t help himself. He was already mindless with need. He began to thrust faster and faster until he felt her body quaking around him.

“Lincoln!” Her nails raked him again and he was vaguely aware of some stinging on his shoulder as he reached his own climax.

Out of breath, he gently lowered himself down on top of her. Her breath came in warm bursts against his cheek and he lifted up on his elbow and smiled down at her.

“That was…” She sighed and smiled.

“I know,” He whispered back, touching her face, loving the contrast between her creamy brown skin and his fair skin.

Something remarkable was happening here and he couldn’t help but be pleased about it. Tonight had gone better than he’d even dreamed. Hell, he’d only planned on going to her house so they could talk. But they’d already made love again and with it, a huge step was taken in the direction that he wanted to go.

The next day, Emerald drove her car, trying and failing not to think about Lincoln. She ignored the little voice at the back of her head that told her she’d made a mistake and that she was taking advantage of Lincoln. It had been obvious the day after the wedding that he wanted some kind of relationship. But that quickly changed to him just wanting a sexual relationship.

Either he’d been lying about wanting a relationship or claiming he wanted a relationship based on sex was the lie. She doubted that he’d have changed his mind so fast. But she refused to let herself think about it too much. They were both adults and she was sure that when it came time to end their little affair, they would handle it maturely.

  She parked her car in the Jamison’s driveway. They had a traditional two-story house with a white picket fence. It was the kind of house that Emerald had dreamed of growing up in but the closest she’d come to it had been sleepovers at the Phillips’ residence.

The house was decked out for Christmas. There had to be thousands of lights shining brightly on every side of it. In the yard, there was a happy snowman with a red scarf that waved in the wind and tall, plastic candy canes.  She smiled at the decorated porch swing on her way to the door. A giant Christmas wreath hung on the door.

She rang the bell and it was quickly opened by Angelica Jamison, who gave Emerald a hug and kissed both her cheeks.

“I’m glad you made it!” Angelica said with a delicate Spanish accent as Emerald took off her coat. Angelica looked beautiful, dressed in an emerald green dress. Her long brown hair had been wound into a bun on top of her head and she didn’t look remotely old enough to have four grown children.

“Of course I did,” Emerald said, smiling. “How are you?”

“I’m wonderful!” Angelica replied. She took Emerald’s coat and hung it in a closet near the front door.

Emerald followed Angelica into the living room. Jared Jamison sat in a rocking chair, holding a beautiful golden-skinned baby with hazel eyes and a headful of curly hair. She we wriggled, her tiny body clad in a bright pink sleeper.

“Hi, Mr. Jamison,” Emerald said. “Hi, Olivia!”

“Hi, Emerald.” He stood up and quickly put the baby in her arms. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Emerald said, nuzzling the baby, who pulled at her hair.

“Wasn’t that wedding just beautiful?” Angelica murmured. “I wish we could have another one!”

“We will,” Jared said, grinning at his wife with warm hazel eyes.  “We have to wait for Grace to settle down.”

“That is my dream,” Angelica said, winking at Emerald.

Emerald laughed. She really enjoyed her friends’ parents. She loved her father but they’d never been close and her mother had died when she was just a baby.

“Where is Grace?” Emerald asked. Since Grace was staying in town until after the holidays, she’d expected her to be home.

“She ran out to the store,” Jared replied. He picked up a tumbler that sat on the glass coffee table and sipped before putting it down and sitting on the plush black sofa with Angelica.

“How are you, Olivia?” Emerald asked the baby.

The baby gurgled, a bright smile on her face. She looked so much like Devin and had those Jamison hazel eyes that he, his father and siblings all had. Emerald happily bounced the baby on her knee.

“I hope you’re staying for dinner,” Angelica said. “I’m making steak.”

“Uh, sure,” Emerald said, though that meant she’d be getting home later than she wanted. Her paranoia was slowly growing. When she’d walked to the car that morning, her heart had pounded and she’d gripped her pepper spray in her hand in her coat pocket.