He frowned at her out of habit.
She smiled bigger.
And kept talking.
“What I’m saying is, I’d like to get to know you better.As a friend.Not a fuck buddy, something more, but I’m not looking forthat.”A ghost of dejection chased itself over her face before it vanished.“I don’t know if I’ll ever look for it again, my breakup was so…drama.”
She didn’t know it, but he knew it was.
Her voice dropped.“But we’re good together in that way.I’m not an idiot.I know feelings can change.But you aren’t looking for it.I’m not looking for it.We know the score before we’ve entered the game, and we both win.So, why not?”
Oh yeah.
Why the fuck not?
You know why not, asshole, his brain fired at him.
Her gaze went back to the fireplace, and she mumbled, “Okay, I kinda can’t believe I’m sitting here trying to talk a guy into fucking me.”
“Babe,” he called.
She looked to him.
“I want you in my life,” he told her, and he watched the warmth hit her eyes and could actually see her holding her breath.“So you gotta agree to one rule.”
She nodded.
“Shit starts turning for you, you tell me, same my way, then we back off and protect,”—now it was him waving his hand between them—“this.”
“I can agree to that,” she said softly.
Her voice, face, hair…that dress.
Her.
“One more rule,” he said.
“What?”
“I agree friends with benefits, not fuck buddies, but it’s exclusive.You find someone else, you cut me loose.”
The ghost of something else moved over her face, he read it, but he refused to categorize it.
“I can do that too,” she agreed.
They sat there and stared at each other.
Moxie, smart cat that she was, felt the vibe and jumped from his lap.
Hutch broke their staring to put his glass down.
When he sat back, he’d barely locked eyes with her again before they were across the couch, in each other’s arms, and attacking each other’s mouths.
Having had her, knowing how much there was to have, and spending so much time wanting her and thinking he’d never get this again, Hutch had no hope of finessing this.
So it was good to learn she’d been experiencing the same thing.
The foreplay started on the couch, lasted across the floor, where her dress and his shirt were discarded.
