Operation Foreplay (27 page)

“Can I tear lettuce? Of course. These fingers”—I wiggled my fingers like jazz hands— “were made for tearing lettuce.”

“You’re crazy.”

“You love it.”

“Sure do.” He winked and I tore lettuce.

*  *  *

“So why are we going out instead of staying in and making out all night?” Jared asked as he stood in the doorway to my room, watching as I figured out what to wear.

I was standing in my room wearing a silver sparkly bra and panties set Jared had found somewhere in my drawer. I guess he figured playing dress up was as close to the real thing as he was going to get. The tags were still on them and I didn’t remember buying them or receiving them as a gift. I had a lot of lingerie items that fit that came-from-outer-space bill.

“Because I am tired of doing jumping jacks. And I promised Caroline.” I caught myself in my floor length mirror. “Why am I wearing this? I look like a disco ball.” I turned side to side, watching with interest as the fabric caught the overhead light and reflected back. “You won’t even get to appreciate them.” I sucked in my gut. Dinner had proven that my eyes were indeed larger than my stomach. If he kept cooking like that, I was going to gain at least ten pounds in the next month.

“Hush. I’ll appreciate them. I’ll know what’s under whatever you decide to wear. And why is it taking so long?” He stepped to my closet and started looking through my clothes. He pulled out a red floral baby doll dress circa middle school.

“No. I wore that when I was thirteen.”

“Oh. Why do you still have it?”

“Who knows?”

He continued to push hangers aside and produce clothing that I had no intentions of ever wearing again. I’d calmly shake my head no and he would calmly move on to the next piece.

After ten minutes he held up a pair of black leather mini shorts and a slinky white sleeveless tank.

“Bingo!” I snatched the shorts and stepped into them.

“I like those,” Jared said as I slipped the tank over my head. “And I like this.” He brushed the material with his hand.

I fluffed my hair before pulling it back into a ponytail and kept my makeup simple with sheer gloss, mascara, and a small bit of blush across my cheeks. Jared watched the entire process with interest and a bit of lust in his eye. I made quite sure to slow down and prolong what needed to be prolonged. He wanted to watch; I made sure I gave him a hard-on.

Slipping my feet into a pair of four-inch yellow pumps, I checked the mirror one last time.

“Jesus, you have great legs.” Jared’s low whistle put a smile on my face.

“Easy, big fella. Put your tongue back in your mouth. We have a bar to get to and babies to celebrate.”

*  *  *

By nine thirty the last of our crew had arrived. Siobhan, Brian’s sister, scuttled in making apologies for her lateness and promising juicy tabloid fodder. I was definitely intrigued.

“Sorry I’m late everyone!”

“Better late than pregnant, am I right?” Berk snickered.

Berk and I played darts, and Jared, Sarah, and Drew chatted at the table while Caroline and Siobhan chatted by the bar. I caught Caroline’s eye from across the room and tilted my head. She gave me a thumbs-up and whispered to the waitress.

“So…” Berk sang.

“So?”

“So what’s going on with you and Hottie McHotterson over there?”

“What do you mean?” I threw a dart.

“I mean, normally you call me and dish all the dirt. The guy goes away with you to your parents’ house for a few days and I hear nada. Not one phone call. Not one text. Is he gay?”

“He is most
definitely
not gay.” I grabbed a beer from the waitress’s tray.

“Too bad.” Berk tilted his head and nodded toward Jared. He was standing with his back to us. “He has a perfect ass.”

“Yes, he does,” I said dreamily.

“So you
have
seen it.”

“I have.”

“You slept with Sarah’s brother? Does she know?”

Caroline walked up and joined the conversation. “I knew it!”

“Hold on. You know nothing. I did not sleep with Sarah’s brother”—I placed my hand over Berk’s mouth—“and before you get all into semantics, I did not bang him, blow him, fuck him, screw him, or any other kitschy euphemism that involves penises or vaginas.”

“Tongues?” Berk asked.

“No. No tongues either. Unless you think kissing counts. But I’m not counting it.”

“I don’t understand.” Berk took my beer and drank it down.

“He and I are withholding sex. For now.”

“Oh my God, why?” Berk’s hand flew to his heart and he stumbled backward a few steps. “Are you ill?” He felt my forehead with the back of his hand.

“You really aren’t sleeping together?” Caroline looked astonished.

“Who’s not sleeping with who?” Siobhan joined us.

“Melody isn’t sleeping with Jared.” Berk filled her in.

“Why not? Is he gay? Berk, you should ask him out. He’s cute.” Siobhan sipped her cocktail.

“No. Stop.” I held up my hands in an attempt to corral the conversation away from crazy. “He is not gay. He and I are just taking a break from sex—”

“No!” Siobhan and Berk exclaimed together.

“But you’re—”

“Melody, how am I supposed live vicariously through you and your conquests if you are not”—her arms flailed as she looked for the word—“conquesting anything?”

“I don’t think that’s a word,” Caroline said to Siobhan.

“I don’t care! Melody’s not having sex! Do you know what this means?” Siobhan said a bit too loudly.

“Hell has indeed frozen over?” Berk offered.

“So you’re
not
banging my brother?” Sarah appeared.

“No. I am not banging your brother.”

“Why not? He’s a catch, you know! You’d be lucky to find someone like him.”

“Whoa. Relax, sister. Jared and I are just taking it slow.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why?”

“Okay. Look. Remember when we decided I would take a break from sex until my thirtieth birthday?”

“Yes.” Four people spoke in unison.

“Well, Jared and I kind think we may have somewhat of a thing for each other.”

“A thing?”

“We like each other, okay?”

“Well, what’s the problem then? I mean the withholding was really to keep you away from Zac and—”

“Right. I know this. But,”—I looked over at Jared—“I like him.”

“You like him? Or you
like him
like him?”

“Both.” I turned back to my friends. “We decided neither of us have our heads on straight—”

“Which ones?” Berk laughed.

“Ha ha. But exactly. Our heads are not on straight and we are using this challenge as a way to get to know each other without all the—”

“Sex?” Siobhan interrupted.

“Yes. So we are taking it slow. Going on dates. Holding hands. Getting to know each other until my thirtieth birthday and then we can go from there.”

“Foreplay,” Caroline said.

“It is foreplay.” Berk nodded in agreement.

“How is it foreplay?” I asked.

“All the buildup and anticipation? Foreplay.”

“Operation Foreplay.” Berk winked. “I changed the name of it, remember? It was my idea!”

“So you are in a relationship with my brother?”

“I guess, yeah.”

Sarah eyeballed me. “I mean, good for you but it’s my brother.”

“And?”

“And don’t hurt him.”

“I’m not planning on it.”

“When do you ever?” She walked away.

“What’s going on?” Jared entered the conversation, handing me the Snake Bite I’d been promised. I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He looked at me with a worried expression on his face. Probably because my hands were slick with sweat. This was not the way I’d wanted to talk to Sarah about this.

I’d had enough. “Caroline. Please?”

“Oh, right.”

On cue, Brian strolled over and kissed Caroline on the cheek before flipping his towel onto his shoulder. “What’s up? We’re getting slammed at the bar.”

“Well”—she looked around at everyone before stepping in front of Brian and taking his hands in hers—“this bar, with these people, is where you and I first met. And it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It may have taken me a bit to figure it out but you knew all along that we were supposed to be together.”

She took a deep breath and I looked around. Sarah and Drew were holding hands. Berk draped his arm around Siobhan and whispered, “Is she proposing?”

“No,” I whispered back as I stood, fingers locked with Jared’s.

“What’s going on?” Brian whispered nervously, looking around at everyone in the circle for an answer that no one had. No one until his eyes locked with mine. I smiled knowingly and he searched my face for what I wouldn’t say.

“Brian”—Caroline smiled widely—“you and I—” She paused for dramatic effect. Good to know some of me had rubbed off on her. “We are having a baby.”

Other than the background noise of the other patrons of the bar, there was silence in our circle. Until there wasn’t. Everyone yelled congratulatory praise at the same time.

“We’re having a, a, uh—”

“Baby!” Caroline yelled.

“Are you sure? How do you know? When did this happen? Holy shit. Am I really going to be a father?”

Siobhan rushed over and hugged her brother.

“I am sure. I went to the doctor. I’m about eight weeks along. Holy shit is right. And yes. You are going to be a daddy.”

Brian picked Caroline up off the floor and spun her around. And for the rest of the night, we all anticipated a new addition to our small group.

Chapter Twenty-Two

G
ood morning,” Jared whispered as I nuzzled deeper into the crook of his arm.

I stretched my legs, pointed my toes, and wrapped my leg around his body. He dragged his fingers down the length of my body, pausing at the thin fabric veil of my panties. He tucked his fingers into the waistband before sliding his hand in and around to my ass. I breathed out audibly and I could feel the smile spread across his face. Tilting my head up, I leaned in until my lips touched his.

“Good morning,” he repeated, before taking my bottom lip between his and tugging gently.

“Thank you.” I rocked into him, rolling him onto his back with his hand still cupping my ass. “I don’t want it to be morning yet.” I stretched and yawned. “I’m so tired.”

“But you still look sexy on a few hours’ sleep. I’d do you.” He nipped my earlobe.

“Do you think we can forgo the challenge for just today? I mean, what kind of guy would you be if you didn’t let me blow my load?” I batted my eyelashes and he laughed.

“Blow your load?” He pulled his head back and made a weird face before smiling. “Sometimes I swear you’re a man trapped in a woman’s body.”

“Why sugarcoat it?”

He gripped my ass tighter and pushed up into me. I felt his dick twitch and my inner walls pulse.

“We can’t keep waking up like this.” I closed my eyes as his tongue slid up my neck.

“Who says?”

I lifted my head. “Um, I think
you
said. And besides, you’re going to have to go back to Sarah’s place soon.”

He frowned. “My sister says I can come back to her place today.”

“Today?” I sat up, feeling the bulge in his boxer shorts throb a bit more. “You can’t leave today.”

“I have no intentions of leaving today.” He kissed my forehead. “I figure I’ll head back tomorrow.”

I knew he couldn’t stay. I knew the living arrangement was temporary, but I wasn’t looking forward to waking up in my bed alone.

“I guess so.” I lay down on top of him and snuggled into his chest and he rubbed my back. “I could help you.”

“I only have a couple of bags. You don’t have to.”

“Maybe I want to.”

“Then it’s settled. You’ll help me bring my two bags to my sister’s apartment.” He pinched my butt.

“It’s not funny. I’m kinda used to you.” I picked up my head and looked at him.

“I’m kinda used to you.” He kissed the tip of my nose.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to make you some breakfast.”

I finally rolled out of bed and walked back out to the smell of coffee brewing and Jared working in the kitchen.

“Whatcha making?” I took the steaming mug he handed me as I walked in.

“Banana pancakes.” He nodded toward the counter.

“I love banana pancakes.” I picked up a banana and began peeling it as I admired the shirtless view.

“I know you do. I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to have them in Wildwood.”