Between You and Me

“I hear you.”

“I’m talking about sleeping together regularly, Logan. We’re both clear on that?”

“Yeah.” He brushed her curls back from her face. “Are you sure about this?”

“If you’re okay with it, yes.”

“Tess.” He ground his hips against hers, his rock-hard erection pressing against her warm heat, making their breath catch. “I want you. I’m more than okay with it. I just don’t want to cross any . . . inappropriate lines, you know?”

“I know. And I appreciate that so much. Like I said, you’re an honorable man.” Her blue eyes danced as she reminded him, “I’m the one who suggested it. And it’s my show, right?”

“Absolutely, Miss Harrison. You’re the boss.”

“Well, I guess I am, but . . . yes, it’s agreeing to regular sex, but not a relationship. We wouldn’t be actually dating, more like friends with benefits. But it’s a team effort.”

“There’s that word again,” he cajoled. “Team.” He tweaked her nose and grinned. “We’ll be a good team. It’s nice to think of us helping each other. And come on, this kind of help? Can be a hell of a lot of fun. Just know that . . . the lusty stuff aside . . .” He looked into her eyes and promised, “I’m here for you. As a friend.”

She caressed his face, ran her hand through his hair, and said, “Right back at you.” Her tone, filled with emotion, made his insides squeeze. “And I’m a good friend to have. I promise.”

He kissed her once more, long and deliberate, as if silently sealing the deal. They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. Then he lifted himself off of her. It wasn’t without difficulty; his jeans felt downright constrictive. When he got home, he’d have to either take the coldest shower ever or just take care of himself; he’d never get to sleep this fired up. They untangled themselves from the embrace and separated.

“I’ll leave in a minute,” he said. “Little hard to walk with a raging hard-on.”

She laughed, a warm, full sound that shimmered over his skin. “Stay as long as you want.” She licked her lips, definitely swollen from his kisses, and swept her hair back with both hands. “And I’ll try not to think about how much I want to see and touch that raging hard-on of yours.”

He groaned in agony. “Not helping!”

They laughed together this time.

She grasped his hands, looked into his eyes, and said. “Dream Team. That’s us. You’re making my dream come true.” She lifted his hands to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “Thank you again, Logan. So much. I really don’t know how to thank you.”

“You already did. So stop thanking me now,” he said. “Giving me a complex.”

“Too bad.”

He grinned. “Come on, seriously, you don’t have to thank me anymore. Please. I know you’re grateful, I promise.”

“Fiiiiine.” She grinned back. “How’s that hard-on doing?”

The thought of her thinking about it made it throb anew. “It does better when you don’t talk about it.”

She barked out a laugh and released his hands. “Oh, Logan. We can really . . . We can have fun with this.”

“Yeah. Maybe we can.” He took a deep breath, trying to shake the lust from his system. “Friends,” he said, scrubbing his hands over his face in an effort to break her spell. “Friends who can trust each other.”

“And who maybe can enjoy some sexy time too,” she whispered.

He reached up to cup her chin and said somberly, “It’d be an honor.”

Her eyes rounded, a look of astonishment sweeping her features. “I . . . wow.”

He smiled, dropped a light kiss on her mouth, and released her. “Don’t forget, along with the promise of fantastic and frequent sex, I’ll have legal papers to sign. That’s all on you, right?”

“Yes.” She smoothed out her sweater, working to recompose herself. “I’ll call my attorney in the morning. You sure you’re okay with all that, right? And I’ll add in the part that I’ll never come back to try to make you do anything down the line.”