Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits (12 page)

She stopped massaging his back and slapped the back of his head. "What the fuck do you think I've been doing? You're so fucking dense sometimes. I'm fine. You're the one who's screwing this up, Peter."

She put both hands on his shoulders and pushed away. But he grabbed a wrist before she could distance herself and pulled her into his lap. "I
am
screwing this up. I screwed it up back in Vail." She was looking up at him from his lap, brows furrowed, and he suppressed the urge to lean down and kiss her. They needed to talk this out first. He looked away and let out a frustrated sigh. "I've thought a lot about what you said. You were right. With what's going on with Jesse, I'm stretched thin. If the offer's still open……"

He tempted a look. Meg was frowning, and he was about to take everything back when she smiled a slow, seductive smile.

Well, that came out of left field.
He'd been doing his best to push her away for weeks, and now all of the sudden he was open to the idea. And people said women were fickle.

"Why Peter, are you propositioning me?"

Peter's pensive look turned sour. "If this is all a joke to you—"

"Wait. It's not a joke. I'm just not sure what to think," she said, honestly. Megan had done everything possible to pretend Vail never happened, even though every cell in her body yearned to feel his touch again. But from the moment they left the cabin, Peter had made it nearly impossible to forget her stupid mistake. She wanted to know what changed. "You were dead set against the idea. You said it would be complicated and messy, and now you're fine with it. What's different now?"

"I've had some time to think about it. And you were right," he said, shooting her a lopsided grin. "I'm too fucking busy, and I don't even want to think about you picking up strangers in bars. So this might be an answer. If anyone could make it work, it would be us. That is, if you still want—"

Megan didn't let him finish. She grabbed his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Her fingers tangled in the short hair at his nape, ready to devour every inch of him, but her partially functioning brain told her to take it slow. No matter what Peter said, Megan knew tomorrow he could change his mind. So she tried to memorize the feel of his hands, the taste of his lips, the look in his eyes, for fear that he'd come to his senses and reject her all over again.

She watched through half-closed eyes as his expression changed as his lips caressed hers. He responded with eagerness, but caution—tense, fingers digging into her arm, holding her at a distance as if he was worried about what tomorrow would bring.

His overt control was a turn-on. And that wasn't the only thing driving her crazy. The taste of his mouth, the hard length of his growing erection pressed into her ass, the smell of his cologne were all aphrodisiacs specially blended to make her wet.

She pushed for more, gently brushing her tongue along the seam of his warm lips. She withdrew, coaxing him with gentle strokes of her tongue. His eyes opened, dark with desire, a low growl coming from the back of his throat, and he eagerly took the lead from there, sucking and biting her lip more aggressively. After several moments he pulled away, gasping for breath, and gazed down at her.

"Any more questions?" she asked, a smile playing on her swollen lips.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. God, yes." Megan sighed and shifted positions until she was straddling his lap. She tore the tank over her head, baring her breasts. "What else do I have to do to convince you that I want this?" She smiled and her hand slid between their bodies, cupping his erection through his pants. "I can tell you want this just as much as I do. Don't overanalyze it, Peter."

Peter caught her hand to prevent her from stroking him but didn't move it away. It was Vail all over again.

Megan wanted to scream. Pound his chest and beg him. But all that came out was a soft, questioning whisper. "Peter?" Her entire body throbbed with need. She wasn't sure what she'd do if they got this far, again, and he stopped her.

"Condoms. We need to be safe. I insist we use condoms this time." He shook his head and corrected, "Every time. We need to use them every time."

"Fine, I have some in the drawer," she said and leaned over to pull out a few, just to be prepared. He wasn't going to turn her away. Even if she had to tie him down and convince him this was what she wanted. She went back to kissing his neck and had gotten his belt unbuckled when he pulled away again.

"I'm not sure how our other friends will feel about this. Especially your brother," he said.

Megan didn't really care what their friends thought. And Simon could shove it, for all she cared. With Peter's belt finally free, she moved on to the button while he continued his train of thought.

"How do you feel about keeping this just between us?"

"Fine," Megan growled.
Fuck.
Why did he want to negotiate terms? They could talk after. "It's none of their business anyway."

But Peter was persistent. He just wouldn't let it drop. "I mean, not keep it a secret in a bad way. Things are complicated since I work with your brother. I'm not sure it would be a good idea to broadcast our private arrangement. How do you feel about that?"

She felt there was too much talking and not enough naked. Megan abandoned the buttons and pulled his shirt over his head to remedy that situation, raking her teeth along his collarbone. She wasn't a poet, but Megan wanted to write a sonnet about the erotic nature of that spot.

"Meg, I'm serious. We need to talk about this before things go too far."

She huffed and slipped out of her shorts, tossing them on the floor. "I said I was okay with it. What else do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know?" he said, looking a little perplexed by her frustration. "Is there anything you think we need to add?"

She was done with the conversation and wanted to move things along. "We're friends and I want to stay that way. Just be honest with me," she said and pushed him onto his back. Benny yelped and scurried to his mat on the floor. Megan used Peter's prone position to her advantage and licked up his firm abs to his nipple. She swirled her tongue around the peak and said, "If you're not into something I do, say so," right before she bit.

"Fuck! Don't do that."

"That's exactly what I mean. Be open about what you don't like and what you want."

"You're not talking about all that kinky shit you write, are you?" Peter grabbed her shoulders and rolled her, pinning her against the bed. "Because I'm not sure how I feel about that. Some of those things in your books are really messed up. That fig thing with the butt plug. No, thanks."

"Aw, Peter, I didn't think you read my books," she teased. Peter didn't answer, but he didn't have to. She knew he was reading them. "Don't worry, I'm not into that stuff. Well, not most of it. I just want us to keep talking. That's the beauty of our arrangement. There's no need to pretend or fake our way through this. We both should get exactly what we need out of it. Right?"

She rocked her hips, dragging her bare sex against the head of his cock. Peter sucked in a breath at the contact. She did it again, appreciating the way he responded to her touch. The feeling of power over him was heady. She got even wetter just thinking about all the things she wanted to do with him.

"Enough," he hissed, dragging her arms above her head and pinning both her wrists in one hand. Peter moved his lips along her neck, teeth nipping her skin, before pausing beside her ear. "I'm not letting things get out of control this time," he whispered. "It's my turn."

He tore open the condom she'd left on the bed and moved to put it on. Megan shifted her hips, more than ready for him. But instead of taking her, Peter moved his free hand between them and teased her opening. His soft touch grew bold, stroking the slippery wetness, thumbing the hard peak of her clit until she was writhing beneath him. Megan liked being in control, but there was something wickedly tantalizing about the feel of Peter's hands pinning her to the bed while he explored her body.

He continued to tease and stroke, his weight pressing her into the mattress until she was closing to coming. But instead of pushing her over the edge with those magic fingers of his, Peter grabbed her hip, pinning her in place, and entered her in one swift move.

His movements were deep and frenzied, as though he was starved, and only her touch could satiate him. He lost his grip on her wrists, fisting the covers next to her head. Megan moved to cup his ass, kneading, gripping, pulling him closer. The truth was, she hungered for him, too.

When she came, her orgasm was sharp, ragged. It broke her, laying her open and bare beneath him. Her nails dug into his back as she screamed out into the ether. She'd barely recovered when Peter pulled her off the bed, both hands moving her to his will, using her to find his own pleasure. His eyes slid closed with an expression that bordered between pain and pleasure, bliss and abandon. She watched it play over his face and felt closer to him than she'd ever been. With one last shuddering thrust, he collapsed onto the bed next to her without breaking their connection.

Chapter Eight

Modern Girl Tip #4 No Drama:
Just like fences make good neighbors, boundaries make for good sex partners. Be sure to talk and set some before you hook up. You're friends and you want to stay that way. Games should be played with ropes and flavored lube, not with each other's emotions. So if things don't feel right, don't be afraid to call your friend on their issues.

It was five in the morning when the sound of the front door woke Megan. The bedroom was pitch black and Peter was curled around her, still fast asleep. She gingerly removed his arm from her waist and crawled out of bed, careful not to wake him. It was a little strange waking up next to him. He was still Peter, her friend, but there was this strange feeling that settled in her chest when she thought of him now. She wasn't sure if it was good or bad. Only the next few days would tell.

But she didn't have a lot of time to sit and ruminate over last night's events. In exactly five minutes, Benny would realize Connor was here and start barking to go out. So Megan found some clothes, grabbed her shoes, and headed downstairs with Benny in tow.

Megan was a night owl. But Connor liked to start early since Patrick had to open the coffee shop, so she adjusted to their schedules, begrudgingly. As she made her way down the back steps, the puppy raced ahead to see his favorite handyman.

"Did you get a new car?" Connor asked, handing her an insulated cup of coffee and slipping Benny a bite of sausage. "It's a good thing. That little car of yours would have ended up in a ditch yesterday."

"About that," Megan said, suddenly shy about the fact that Peter had stayed the night. "I have a guest."

"Oh, you do, do ya? Someone I should know about?" Connor tried to sound disapproving, but she heard the chuckle in his voice. He was way more amused than he should be. He reached down to pet Benny, who was begging for more treats, and Megan rolled her eyes.

"Do you have a problem with that?" She dared him to say something. She was a grown-ass woman. She could have a guy over for the night without it being a big deal, for fuck's sake.

"Nope. No problem here," he said straightfaced, and then under his breath, "I think it's about time."

"Whatever." Megan put on her snow boots and grabbed her jacket. "I'm going up the street to get some pastries and coffee for my guest. Keep an eye on Benny, would you? And do something quiet until I get back. I'd like him to sleep in. We were up kind of late last night."