His Off Limits Best Friend - Vivian Wood Page 0,21

man, we’re doing you a favor,” Dan said.

Unable to think of a way out of it, Connor leaned down to meet Sam’s lips. Why not? She should be expecting this anyway. It’s not like I’m asking her to sleep with me.

He meant it to just be a peck, but as soon as their lips met he couldn’t pull away. Her lips, though he knew they’d be soft and supple, were also magnetic. She tasted like just the faintest trace of scotch and her own sweet, natural self. Sam responded, and parted her lips.

She turned to face him, and he slid his hand from her shoulder to the back of her head. He traced her jaw with his thumb and pressed himself against her. He felt one of her hands on his back, and her breasts squeezed against him. Connor couldn’t help it. He grew hard against her stomach.

Sam pulled back, startled and wide-eyed. His friends hollered some more, but simultaneously turned back to the bar as they realized their drinks needed refreshing.

“Sam!” The redhead, Ellie, was suddenly by their side. “We couldn’t find you. We looked and—who’s this?” she asked, and turned to Connor. Her big doe eyes searched his.

“Um, this is Connor,” she said. Sam dabbed at her lips. “My, uh, my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend?” Ellie asked. “Then who the hell was the guy you came—”

“Just a friend,” Sam said.

“He didn’t act like just a friend,” Ellie said suspiciously as Henry approached from behind.

“He’s gay,” Sam said.

“Oh. Well, nice to meet you, Connor,” she said. “This is my boyfriend, Henry.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Connor said to him. It was rare to meet a man in civilian life that matched his height and brawn.

“We haven’t heard a thing about you,” Ellie said. He saw Henry nudge her.

“Sam likes her privacy,” Connor said.

“Thanks for the tip. I’ve only known her for five years,” Ellie said.

“As fun as this is,” Sam interrupted, “I think I’m about to head out. I have a massive headache.”

“Justin Bieber will do that to you,” Henry said, clearly happy for the excuse to leave. “Ready?” he asked Ellie. Ellie looked out to the crowd with a pout.

“I guess. If my boyfriend and best friend are leaving, it would be pretty awkward for me to stay.”

Sam gave Connor a look, said her goodbyes to his friends, and left with Ellie and Henry in tow.

“Damn, Connor, how’d you pull that?” Chase asked as soon as she was out of earshot.

“What, you think she’s out of my league?” Connor asked. He took another sip of his scotch.

“Uh, yeah,” Chase said as Anna rolled her eyes.

“She seems nice, Connor,” Anna said. “Good for you.”

“So are you hitting that, like, on the regular?” Dan asked.

“Oh my God! Could you be any hornier?” Eve asked. “Do you want, like, a play by play or something?”

“More like a blow by blow, if he can be bothered. Everyone here is getting laid besides me. Cut me a little slack!”

Connor remained quiet as his friends continued to talk about how much they liked Sam. “So, hey,” Anna said as she slipped between him and Chase. “What was up with you on the dance floor with that girl, then? I mean, I’m guessing you and Sam are a new thing, but still—”

“Why don’t you worry about your own relationship?” he asked and nodded toward Chase.

“Asshole,” she said, and moved away from him.

10

Sam

“You promise?” she asked him as she drove her little hatchback toward Connor’s second family home.

“My father will be on his best behavior, trust me,” he said.

She smiled as she hung up and pulled off the highway—this was deep in the Virginia countryside. His father didn’t really bother her, but it was a bit cute watching Connor squirm about him. And this time, it would hardly be her in a fishbowl setting. When Connor told her it was a “big political fundraising shindig,” she could only imagine how big it would be.

Sam followed her GPS as it led her to a sprawling plantation-style home. The long driveway was lined with blossoming dogwoods, the white pillars of the sprawling home an homage to the estate’s history. She drew in her breath as a hired valet rushed to her. How much money did these people have?

It was barely five in the afternoon, and already people were everywhere, champagne and martini glasses in hand. She passed by a lake stocked with swans and lily pads. In the distance, she made out a white horse stable and tennis court.