“I know that,” she said, and her cute little chin came up.
“You’re myfriend. MyShelly Bear.” I spread my hands like that settled it, even though my eyes were doing a full, slow tour of her face, before dipping lower without any permission.
Her curly hair was loose tonight, bangs flopping down, and she had my favorite top on, a low-cut floral shirt that sat off one shoulder, highlighting her perky little breasts.
And those thick hips of hers were doing something absolutelycriminalin her skirt.
It was a new skirt. I’d never seen her wear it before.
Shelly was a curvy diva, and she didn’t hide her extra pounds under layers of loose clothing. She put them on display in a way that always made my dick quiver with excitement.
Shelly was beautiful.
Perfection.
Fucking hot as hell.
I could vividly see what she’d look like spread out across her bed, those wide lips of hers parted and flushed, her chunky thighs spread wide, inviting me to Nirvana.
Out of nowhere, the bar turned boiling hot.
“Amos,” Max’s voice cut through from behind the counter. He was leaning over the worn wooden bar top with a raised eyebrow. “You two ready for another round?”
“No,” I growled, putting my empty drink down. “Not now, man.”
Max moved on without a word, running his rag across the counter as he left.
Shelly hadn’t moved.
She crossed her arms over her chest, which did absolutely nothing to help me think clearly. And she was looking at me with that expression she got when she’d already thought three steps ahead of me.
Shelly was the quintessential girl next door. A small town ray of sunshine that was at the top of my list of friends.
I had very carefully worked to put her in the friend zone.
And I’d successfully kept her there until approximately thirty seconds ago.
“Maybe you never tried,” she said, her voice steady even though I could see a faint flush climbing her throat, “because you assumed I wouldn’t go with you.”
The words landed somewhere deep inside me like a challenge.
She knew I could never back down from one of those.
I stared at her.
She held my gaze with a look I’d never seen on her face before. Fierce determination mixed with a little anger and a healthy dose of nerves.
Underneath it all, I saw the fear she was hiding inside. I always knew when Shelly was scared and right now she was absolutely terrified.
Shelly wants to fuck me.
The thought expanded in my chest like a slow detonation.
She was the person I went to when I was mulling over something serious and needed advice.
Or when I wanted a little comfort.
She always saw through my bullshit faster than anyone else, and she wasn’t afraid to call me out on it.
