door, unlocking the deadbolt when I see who’s on the other side. Opening the heavy wooden door, my eyes take in a very adorable and possibly drunk Fallon.
She looks up at me and smiles, her angelic face making me forget about all the bullshit in my life. I smirk down at her, motioning for her to come in. She visibly gulps as she takes in my naked torso.
“Don’t be shy. You’ve basically seen me naked,” I joke as she walks into the apartment and I close the door behind us. There’s a shyness in her eyes that makes me wonder what’s going on. I know that look. It’s the one that says she has something to say or ask, but she’s too afraid, too shy.
“Not funny Reed. I’ve never seen your penis before.” Her cheeks heat at when she realizes what she says, and she stammers an explanation. “I...I...I mean I’ve never seen you naked.”
How in the hell has she managed to stay single this long?
Because you haven’t claimed her yet, asshole. The voice in my head pisses me off, and I mentally flip it off.
“Well, I was just about to get into the shower so now is your one and only chance,” I tease, watching as her cheeks pinken more. Blood rushes in my ears and I envision myself kissing her, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, paying special attention to everything in between.
“Did you check your messages?” She nibbles on her bottom lip nervously as I settle onto the leather sofa.
“I did, but I didn’t get a chance to reply yet. Is everything okay?” I ask, wondering if something really is wrong and I’m not seeing it.
If someone hurt her...so help me god.
She’s been drinking, that much is obvious, and probably since she left work because she’s still wearing the tight gray skirt she was wearing earlier.
Licking her lips, she exhales a breath before walking over to where I’m sitting, then leans down to peer into my face, our lips a meager distance from each other. If I was half the man I consider myself to be, I’d wrap her up in my arms and kiss her like I’ve always wanted to.
“There’s nothing wrong…” she trails off, looking away like she’s trying to gather her courage, which heightens my curiosity. “I just want to help you. To be the friend you always need.” I don’t miss the emphasis she puts on the word friend. For some reason, the word stings.
“What do you mean be the friend I need? Aren’t we already friends?” Narrowing my eyes, I find myself pulling her against my lap when I should be pushing her away. This is wrong. We’re friends, best friends. I can’t want her ... can I? I can’t cross that line without there being consequences for my actions. If I kiss her, then we’ve crossed into uncharted territory and I don’t know how we’ll survive it.
“We’re friends…” She’s staring at my lips, and I swear she’s going to kiss me. I can feel her sweet breath against my skin, and I want to taste her lips. I want to devour them. “But after today, I wonder if we could bend that line. If I can help you and you can help me.” I rear back and blink, my cock still rock hard and as I try to adjust her so she doesn’t feel it I wonder what she means.
“Help you? What do you need help with? If you need money, I’ll take care of you? Is someone hurting you?” I jump the gun a little bit, sounding more like an overprotective boyfriend instead of a best friend.
Fallon shakes her head and sags against my chest. I wrap my arms around her, smelling the wine that permeates from her pores. It’s sweet and intoxicating, and I almost groan as I inhale her scent.
“What do you mean Fallon?” I’m almost pleading with her to tell me what it is is going on.
“You’re so warm, and your chest is so smooth. You look like you walked off the cover of a GQ magazine.” She hiccups and giggles as she runs her fingertips across my chest and mutters nonsense. I’m flattered, and even a little bit excited that she finds me attractive, but it’s not like she hasn’t said similar things before. Friends can think each other are attractive, right?
I’m petting her now, running my fingers through her silky locks while wishing she belonged to me, wishing she