“Oh, um…I dozed off on the couch. What time is it?”
“Nine thirty.” He was grinning now.
She scrunched her nose. “In related news, I’m officially an old lady.”
“Or a woman who was up most of last night having her pretty brains screwed out?” He reached out and tugged her into his arms.
“I like that option better.” She sighed as his arms closed around her. He smelled like leather and…beer. “Did you go out?”
“With Ethan and Mark,” he said.
Then they were kissing, and she had a feeling she was going to continue to be sleep-deprived because she and Ryan just couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other.I missed you.It was all she could do to hold back the words. Because when she was in his arms, everything just felt so…right.
And she was so screwed because this was no casual fling for her. Ryan was one of her best friends, and now he’d given her the best sex of her life, made her feel alive in a way she never had before. And in this case, two plus two equaled…well,love. Or at least something headed very quickly toward love. Maybe a little part of her had always loved him, ever since she’d been the shy, dorky teenager that he’d seen only as a pest.
Later that night, as she lay naked and entwined with him in bed, she couldn’t imagine ever doing this with anyone else. Which meant she needed to try to restore some sanity, pronto.
“Mind if I stay?” he asked.
“What?” Her mind was still in the future, imagining herself with Ryan, and he wanted to stay?
“Tonight,” he said, his arm tightening around her. “You have another climbing lesson in the morning so we could just get ready together here.”
“Oh. Yes, stay.”
So he did. And when they woke up the next morning, they made love in the soft morning light, and it was gentler, sweeter, than it had ever been between them before. And she imagined starting every morning this way.
Oh yeah. She was in trouble. Big time.
After they showered, she dried her hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. It was only sensible to go rock climbing. But also…Tristan’s words were still ringing uncomfortably in her ears, and she couldn’t stand thinking that Ryan was only with her because she’d changed her appearance. She liked her new look. Loved it, actually. But maybe she’d go back to “traditional Emma,” at least part time, to see what happened.
If he lost interest as soon as she reverted to yoga pants and ponytails, then it was all for the best. Because he was Ryan after all. He’d never had a real relationship that she knew of. He just had random hookups when the mood struck so it was ridiculous for her to expect him to want more than that with her.
They’d promised they wouldn’t let this ruin their friendship when it was all over, and she meant it. She’d been his friend for years without him ever knowing about her feelings. And she could keep doing it, because Ryan was too important to lose.
* * *
Ryan watched as Emma disappeared over the top of the rock above him. “Way to go, Em. You nailed it.”
Her face reappeared, peering down at him. She was grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t believe I did that!”
This morning, he’d brought her to a different rock face on the property. This one was lower and less technically challenging, and so, with a little know-how in her skill set, she’d free climbed to the top.
No ropes. No harness.
It was a pretty kick-ass feeling. He knew. It still took his breath away every time he reached a summit, no matter how small. He boosted himself over the top, and they sat side by side, their legs dangling over the edge. “Nothing beats this feeling. Am I right?”
She nodded, staring out over the hill they’d just hiked. “It’s pretty sweet. I never thought I could climb something like this.”
“I knew you could. It’s not that hard once you know how, and you’ve never shied away from a little hard work.”
She turned to give him a sweet smile. “We have that in common.”
“Comes from being on our own, I guess.”
“Do you think you’ll ever have a family of your own?” she asked, again looking out at the landscape before them.
He’d asked himself this question before, and more often recently. “Maybe,” he answered honestly. Sometimes he wanted it more than anything. But he also knew the chances were high he’d screw it up. “You?”
