“Friends with benefits.” His grin was awash with self-satisfaction. “It’s the perfect middle ground.”
“Is it?” she challenged.
“Think about it. You’ll have a ready and willin’ bed partner while ya hunt for Mr. Right. And I’ll get to scratch this itch that’s been plaguin’ me for four years.”
Irritation had heat creeping up her throat to flame in her face. “From a notch on a bedpost to an itch that needs to be scratched. Wow, Fish. Way to make a woman feelrealspecial.”
He shook his head. “Maybe I didn’t explain it right.”
“Oh, I think you explained it just fine. And after much consideration”—the derision dripping off her lips was so thick, she was surprised she couldn’t see it—“my answer is no.”
“But why?” His expression was as petulant as his tone. “It’s the perfect solution.”
“It’s not,” she countered. “Because friends with benefits only works when neither party is…”
She stopped herself on a dime. She’d almost saidwhen neither party is in love with the other.
Pressing a hand to her temple, she insisted instead, “It would be a mistake, Fish. Our situation, living and working together, would make it too complicated.”
“What’s life without a few mistakes, huh?” His grin was infectious. “If ya went back and erased all the mistakes you’d ever made, you’d be erasin’ yourself. And yourself is pretty great if I do say so myself.”
“Fisher—”
“If Britt has taught me anything,” he cut her off, “it’s that life is about takin’ risks. Otherwise, it’s just a string of mundane Mondays.”
The more he talked, the more she wanted to sayto hell with itand give in. He was just so tempting lying there with his thighs bulging against the denim of his jeans, with his pectoral muscles forming two near-perfect squares against the cotton of his T-shirt, with his beautiful mouth pursed into a moue of seduction.
Luckily, she was able to hold on to her good sense.
Unluckily, it was by a mere thread.
“I’m not sure you should be taking life lessons from the King of Carefree,” she told him with a frown.
“Hey! No disparagin’ my bestie.”
She usually found drunks annoying. But Fisher just got more charming. All that golden retriever energy was multiplied ten-fold.
Or, the little voice that lived at the back of her head proposed,you’re just so smitten with him that you think everything he does is amazing.
Gah. Seriously, sometimes that voice was a pain in the ass.
“Come on,” he cajoled. “Let me help ya forget all your trials and troubles and tribilay…tribuh...” He blinked. “Tri-bew-lay-shuns.”
“Oh, isthatwhat this is all about?” She chuckled and shook her head. “You’re doing me a favor?”
He grinned self-deprecatingly. “I should probably confess to finer feelings of friendship and compassion. But the truth is I’ve wanted to get ya naked since the second I clapped eyes on ya.”
Later, she wouldn’t be able to believe she’d done it. She’d never had a violent streak. Even as a little girl she’d always agreed to whatever game her friends wanted to play, avoiding any sort of controversy. But she flew across the mattress and pushed him off the side of the bed.
He hit the floorboards with a loudthud.And his hair was as wild as Ozzie’s when his head poked over the side of the mattress once he sat up.
“For tit’s sake.” He scowled and moved his mouth like his lips weren’t cooperating. “I mean, forshit’ssake. Ya could’ve just said,thanks but no thanks, Fish. Ya didn’t have to resort to violence.”
“Blame it on the concussion.”
“Oh,nowyou’re goin’ to use that as an excuse?”
She shrugged and watched him shove to an unsteady stand. He wiped imaginary dust off the seat of his jeans. “I take it that’s anoto the friends with benefits idea?”
