I took a big swallow and looked at her rather than the safety of the menu. “I do want to – I’m an eighteen year old boy and yeah, I don’t say no to things like that. But I don’t want things to be weird after. Can we go back to being just friends?”
“I think so. And you’d be doing me a favour as a friend. I know you won’t hurt me - ” she stopped abruptly. “Have you slept with someone who was a virgin before?”
I nodded.
“I thought you might and I figured that would help – I wouldn’t feel as self-conscious but I don’t want to feel like I’m using you.” She trapped my foot between hers.
I managed a laugh. “I’m not sure you can use an eighteen-year-old lad, Zo.” I was going to say yes because I’d never been able to say no to Zoey, plus I got why she was asking, and I wasn’t that stupid. My first time had been awkward and nervy and messy. It was with someone who’s name I knew, but wasn’t sure if it was actually her real name and as soon as the condom was off after the second time, so was I and she hadn’t wanted me to stay.
“If you’re sure that’s what you want then yes. I’m hardly going to say no.” Willpower was not an area of strength.
Her face brightened. “I won’t have to become a nun?”
That got a proper laugh. “I’ve saved you from that fate. You can change your mind though. At any point.”
Her blonde curls bounced as she shook her head. “I’m not going to change my mind. When? When we get back?”
The waitress came back to take our order.
I chose a burger with no onions and decided to forego the onion rings.
“Tonight? There’s no one at yours, is there?” She toyed with her napkin.
“If you want. You’re back here again in a couple of months so we can wait until then if you need to think about it.” I cracked my knuckles, nerves, excitement, too much blood in my dick instead of my brain to say anything more insightful or reassuring or seductive.
“I have been thinking about it since I told you I’d never slept with anyone. I know you’re experienced and I know you’ll show me what to do. We’d forget it ever happened afterwards.”
I couldn’t resist. “There’s no way you’d forget it ever happened. I’m unforgettable.” My grin was back to its usual self. “Seriously, I’d ruin you for all other men.”
She started to laugh, some of the tension evaporating. “I’ll let you know in ten years time how that’s going. But we’re doing it? And we’ll carry on being friends afterwards?”
“We will. No questions asked.”
That was almost what happened.
Zoey
Waking up with my best friend curled around me, his giant erection pressed into my arse was not how I usually came to on a Saturday morning. I could hear voices outside, one of them probably Caleb’s dad and another also familiar because I couldn’t place it. I tried to focus on that rather than Caleb’s humdinger of a hard-on, but it was almost impossible.
I knew how it felt inside me. I knew what it was like to come on it, to feel him explode because of me, and it had been a very long time since I’d last had anything that was even a poor shadow of how it’d been with him.
I wriggled out of his grasp and slid out of the bed to the bathroom, hoping I wouldn’t wake him. A shower and maybe some quick relief would set the world partly straight and then I could deal with whatever the day was going to throw at me.
Only would that happen with Caleb lying less that twelve feet away with something that could make the morning so much better?
Was I a bad person for thinking about having sex with him? Was I a bad person for having considered it at regular intervals for the entirety of my adult life? Probably not, because he didn’t know.
I showered, debated washing my hair and decided not to, and resisted the urge to seek out a quick orgasm. I didn’t blame myself; waking up withthatpressing against you would be too much for most women, especially when it was attached to the best man I knew.
I shaved my legs thinking about the conversation we’d half had last night, about me moving here. I wasn’t impulsive, so it wasn’t just a thought brought on by the conversation last night at book club, although I hadn’t known about the land before. I’d thought Caleb would’ve been more enthusiastic about it so it was fair to say I was disappointed. There’d be a reason though. Caleb always had a reason, it was just he didn’t always want to share it.
I dried off, applied moisturiser I’d had the sense to put in the bathroom last night, and wrapped myself in a robe. Steam followed me out of the bathroom and into a room filled with light.
“Morning, sleepyhead.” Caleb was up and dressed already. “Did I wake you?” I fumbled in my bag for the fresh clothes I’d packed.
“No, but my phone did. Carissa called me. She needs to speak to you ASAP and she said it wasn’t about the record label. Why does she have my number?” He frowned, studying his phone.
“You’re an emergency contact. Shit, I wonder if it’s about the stalker.” I sat down on the bed, too lightheaded to stand. “Can I use your phone?”
