On shaky legs, Sheila followed Derek out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Alexander had prepared a feast. As she stood in the kitchen, she was tempted by delicious food and even more delicious sexual appetites. It was hard to believe the last twenty-four hours were real.
“If we do this again, I’ll stock up on electrolyte drinks and numbing cream,” Alexander joked.
Alexander’s comment jolted her back to reality. This was just sex. Hot, amazing, mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex, but that’s all it was. She needed to remember that.
Maybe sheshouldpick up a date at her conference even though she had never been tempted before.
Derek carried their plates into the small dining nook off the kitchen. Sheila had never eaten breakfast in the nude before, and certainly not with other people. Unlike her, both men seemed completely at ease in their nudity. Besides, modesty seemed ridiculous at this late juncture even without alcohol and darkness.
While she and Derek played, Alexander had cooked a massive spread. The three of them had an enjoyable time eating his delicious food.
As the meal wound down, though, Sheila grew antsy. Her mind went in thirty different directions at once, and she was uncertain which route to take. Questions swirled around her mind, all vying for attention.
Should she leave as soon as breakfast was over? Where were her panties and bra, anyway? Would it be rude if she ordered a ride-share home, or would it be ruder to ask Derek to take her home? She didn’t know the etiquette.
If she saw Alexander around town, would he acknowledge her, or was she just a nameless woman he fucked? Did he think less of her for being so free with her body?
What about Derek? Would he expect her to fuck his other friends, too? Despite his pretty speeches, did he think she was a whore for sleeping with him and his friend?
He seemed to enjoy her other adventures, but would things change now that they met in person again? Would he still want her to recount her tales of being railed by other men?
And the biggest question: Now that she kept having more-than-sexy thoughts about him, was this the end of her and Derek’s Advanced Friendship? Should it be, for her sake?
Since she’d never had a friend-with-benefits before, she didn’t know how to protect her heart, which kept trying to insert itself into their playground.
This hadn’t been an issue before. She had no romantic thoughts about her other Advanced Friendships, including Alexander. Or Pete, who she’d known longer.
As if he heard her thoughts, Alexander winked at her across the table and licked syrup off his fork. When he realized he had her attention, he tongued his fork with long, slow licks and swirled his tongue around it. It was hot to see his nimble tongue in action but absurd to watch him molest a fork.
“Eat your damned pancakes,” Derek grumbled.
Sheila muffled a snort as Derek glared at his friend. She was still uncertain how to exit gracefully, but she knew she’d never forget this weekend. Unexpectedly, she stifled a yawn.
“Look at this poor girl,” Alexander said. “We kept her up half the night, and then you didn’t let her rest this morning.”
He winked at her again, and Derek grumbled.
“Hey, she woke me up first!”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded. “You were both still snoring when I left to go to the bathroom.”
“I rolled over, and you weren’t there. That woke me up.”
Sheila had no response. Her brain urged caution even as her heart did a little dance. Her stupid heart needed to settle the fuck down.
“I have to go to the restaurant in an about an hour. I can give you a ride home then if you want, but you’re both welcome to stay, too. Derek’s got a key. I need to take care of some things, though, so I won’t be back for several hours.”
Derek responded to Alexander’s offer before she had the chance.
“I’ll take care of Sheila. You don’t need to worry about her.”
At his tone of voice, Alexander shot him a meaningful look she couldn’t interpret. Neither man said anything, but their body language spoke loudly. If only Sheila could understand it.
“I have a lot to do this afternoon in preparation for being out of town. Plus, I’ll try to carve out time for a nap.”
Sheila blushed when Alexander snorted. It sounded like he muttered the words, “We wore your ass out, didn’t we?”
Derek ignored his friend again and turned to her with a smile.
