Seducing My Best Friend (Fated #3)

Seducing
my Best Friend

Hazel
Kelly

©
2015 Hazel Kelly

All
rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, copied,
or stored in any form or by any means without permission of the author. Your
support of the author’s rights is appreciated. 

All
characters in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons is
purely coincidental.

“Let me in here, I
know I’ve been here

Let me into your
heart”

-I’d Have You
Anytime, George Harrison

“Lucy!”

I looked up at Fiona standing in my doorway. “What?”

“I’ve been standing here trying to get your attention for five
minutes.”

“Sorry, I just-” I turned my phone over and pressed it flat
against the bed.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re about to yarf.”

“Aiden’s coming to get me.”

“To take you out?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you look so freaked out? You guys go out together all
the time.”

“Not like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. He was like,
I’m not taking no for an answer
and making lewd comments.”

“I could hear you laughing in here while I was curling my hair.”

“Well, it must’ve been nervous laughter because I’m totally not
having fun right now.”

“Look, Peter’s waiting for me outside so I just popped my head
in to say goodbye.”

“Right. You should go.”

She walked over to the bed and put her hands on my shoulders.
“Lucy, you’ve only kissed him. Nothing’s changed. You guys are still buds.
Don’t overreact.”

“It sounds like he’s got more than kissing in mind.”

She threw her hands in the air. “Well, it’s about damn time!”

“Don’t you get it?” I asked. “I’ve been trying to convince
myself that this isn’t what I wanted for as long as I can remember.”

“You mean lying to yourself.”

“I don’t know anymore.”

“You want my advice?”

I nodded.

“Get pretty. Go out. Have a good time.”

“And if he tries to take things further?”

“Can you even hear yourself right now? You’re being so silly.
You can handle yourself. If something feels good, do it. If something feels
bad, don’t do it.”

“That’s some of the best advice you’ve ever given me.”

Fiona shrugged. “Sometimes I get it right.”

“You look pretty anyway. Better not keep Peter waiting.”

“Take a deep breath, Luce. He’s your friend, remember? The last
thing he wants is for you to feel uncomfortable.”

“So why couldn’t he have left things alone?”

She tilted her head. “Cause you kissed him back, and he liked
it.”

“Don’t blame this on me.”

“This isn’t a blaming situation. You’re an adult. Act like one.”

I pulled my knees to my chest.

Fiona’s eyes bounced off the clock by my bed. “Let’s look at the
facts for a sec, and then I really gotta go.”

“Okay.”

“A sexy guy just asked you out on a Friday night, and you’re
young and beautiful and you have to eat anyway.”

“I suppose I do have to eat.”

“And just because you’re in love with him doesn’t mean you can’t
have a good time.”

“I’m not in love with him.”

“So what are you so worried about then?”

I squinted at her. “You’re trying to trick me into relaxing, and
it’s not going to work.”

“Suit yourself,” she said.

“Bye.”

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Same.”

I watched her hair bounce around the corner and picked up my
phone again so I could scroll through the messages.

In the space of five minutes, Aiden had called me beautiful,
sexy, mentioned sweet things in my mouth, made a joke about me sliding up and
down, and suggested he put his tongue in all my secret places. Just reading the
conversation again made my heartbeat go haywire.

But there were two things he’d said that struck me the most.

One was that I was the first girl he’d messaged on Tinder which-
if it was true- was pretty flattering… even if I was disturbed by how easily
sexting dirty came to him.

The other thing that kept running through my head was his
suggestion that we start over. It was something I’d always wondered about, especially
after particularly enjoyable late night drinking sessions with him or exceptionally
hilarious ice cream parlor visits.

But was it really something he thought about too?

Or was he just prepared to say anything that might help him get
in my pants?

I shuddered to think about things going that far. Sure, I was
curious about what he would be like in bed. I’d heard he was generous and
voracious. And why wouldn’t he be? He was those things outside the bedroom.
Plus, he was an athlete, so I could only assume he’d had his share of
experience.

But when I pictured his last few girlfriends, I felt a lump in
my throat. They were probably all hairless from head to toe, maybe even lasered.
Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were freaking vajazzled. And none of them
had jiggly bits or even soft bits. Their skin was always taut to the point of
looking stretched. And I probably had more boob than he’d know what to do with.

Besides, I wasn’t sure I could handle him seeing me like that.
Being naked with someone made me feel vulnerable enough, but the idea of being
vulnerable in front of someone who I never let see me that way was confusing.

I mean, I liked a guy that was willing to push me around a
little. Not in a violent way, but I was so used to being in control, so used to
having to make every fucking decision in my life from such a young age. So when
it came to sex and relationships, sometimes I liked to be the submissive one.

But not if Aiden was the dominant one! It was so crazy I laughed
when he told me to get ready and that he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

And it wasn’t a “haha” laugh either. It was a big “bahaha” kind
of laugh. It wasn’t until he stopped texting me that I realized he was serious,
and I’d been freaking out ever since.

The bottom line was that Fiona was right. I should go out and
have a good time. I wasn’t doing shit anyway, and the other matches that had
come through were obviously the result of me drunk Tindering, which I really
needed to stop doing.

So I should let my best friend buy me dinner. Or better, I could
insist we go Dutch because that’s what I normally did on first dates. Then I’d suggest
we get ice cream or- I don’t know- hitchhike to Graceland because I’ve always
wanted to go there. Plus, that would ensure that we were both too exhausted by
the end of the date to do anything awkward.

Okay, maybe I was overthinking this.

But I was only doing it so I wouldn’t dwell on what he said about
wanting to fuck me better than anyone ever had.

I couldn’t deny that his confidence was a turn on, but if he really
was the best lay I ever got, well, I couldn’t think of a bigger disaster.

I mean, then I’d be at risk of losing not only my best friend,
but also the best sex of my life. Surely that would lead to counseling I just
couldn’t afford right now.

Or ever.

I needed to act cool. Naked vulnerability was one thing, but if
I let him know his ridiculous sexts got to me, I would be in just as deep.

I pulled on my black shirt dress and gave my hair a tousle.
Maybe some sexy bed head would be enough to make Aiden think we’d already been
there. Too bad librarian buns and strait jackets weren’t my style.

I grabbed my favorite belt off the floor and looked in the
mirror as I fastened it loosely around my waist. I don’t know what I was
expecting, but I guess I wanted to see something else… or rather, someone else,
someone who deserved this kind of flirtatious attention from such a handsome
and eligible suitor.

Instead, I just saw a spirited young hairdresser hiding behind
too much eyeliner.

And then I heard the buzzer.

As soon as she opened the door, I stuck my hand out. “Hi. I’m
Aiden.”

Her face broke into a smile.

“You must be Lucy.”

She took my hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

“Are you ready to go or-”

“I just need to grab my purse.” She looked me up and down. “You
can come in for a second.”

I stepped inside and stuck my hands in my pockets. “Nice place.”

I could see her shaking her head as she walked down the hall towards
her bedroom. My eyes drifted to the backs of her legs. They were toned but
feminine, and they made me want to follow her.

She appeared a moment later with a small purse strung over her
shoulder. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” I said, wishing she would offer me a drink and insist we
skip the foreplay of dinner and go straight to the main event. At the same time,
though, I was curious to go out with her. I knew she dated pretty regularly,
and I was keen to see what it was like to be with her in a romantic setting.

While she locked the entrance to her building, I made my way to
the passenger door and opened it for her.

The corner of her mouth curled up as she walked in front of the
car. “Thanks,” she said, stepping inside. “That’s very gallant of you.”

I smiled down at her, appreciating what a good looking shot gun
she was for the first time. “I’m a gallant sort of guy,” I said. Then I closed
the door and walked around to the driver’s side. 

“So where are we going?” she asked.

“A friend of mine just opened a new rooftop restaurant downtown.
Thought we might check it out.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Cool.”

I tilted my head towards her as I turned the key. “Unless you
want to go straight back to my place and get stuffed there?”

Her cheeks turned red as she shook her head. “You were doing so
well.”

I shrugged and put the car into drive. “You look really pretty
by the way.”

“Thanks,” she said, looking out the window.

“Even prettier than your pictures.”

She looked back at me. “You look about the same.”

I smiled. “Go easy on me, will you? It’s been a while since I
went on a first date.”

“Did you just get out of a relationship or something?”

I was delighted that she was playing along. “Yeah.”

“How long were you together?”

“Too long.”

She pursed her lips. “So you’re not looking for anything serious
right now?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I consider myself a pretty serious guy.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Plus, I had a sort of epiphany recently.”

“Oh?”

I pulled into the left lane. “Yeah.”

“Go on.”

“Basically, I realized that I’ve been going for women who are all
wrong for me.”

“In what way?”

“Well, I’ve been focused on style over substance for one.”

“Perhaps you lack maturity.”

“Probably,” I said. “But I think I’m ready for a woman who
challenges me, a woman who can make me laugh.”

“And how do you rate intelligence?”

“To be honest, I’d love to meet a woman who’s smarter than me,
but I don’t know any.”

She smacked my arm and brought her hand back to her lap.

“So what do you do, Lucy?”

“I’m a hairstylist.”

I nodded.

“You?”

“I’m a physical therapist,” I said.

“How did a meathead like you get into something like that?”

“Well, I was a meathead first,” I said. “But I got injured
playing rugby and had to quit at the height of my game.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, I really only have one friend who hasn’t treated me like
a total disappointment since it happened.”

“Oh?”

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. “She’s always been
there for me. Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be able to pay her back for
supporting me over the years.”

“I’m sure your friendship is more than enough payback for her.”

“Well, it’s not enough for me. Not anymore. I’m going to do
something big for her one of these days.”

“Why not anymore?”

“You like The Beatles?”

“Is Brian O’Driscoll the greatest Rugby player of all time?”

I smiled. “You know that song by George Harrison-”

“Which one?”

“I think it’s called Something.”

Her eyes grew wide and she swallowed.

“Do you know it?”

She nodded. “That’s a beautiful song.”

“Well, I don’t know if you’re familiar with the lyrics or-”

“I am.”

“Well, that’s how I feel about my friend.”

“Shit.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

I pulled up in the semicircular driveway at the base of the
shiny sky rise.

“Is this it?”

“Yep.”

One of the valets stepped off the curb and opened the door for
Lucy while I slipped my keys into another’s gloved hand. When I joined her on
the sidewalk, she looked a little pale. 

“You okay?” I asked, sliding my hand across the small of her
back.

She looked up at me and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

When the elevator finally came, I stepped in after her and felt
a strange tension in the air between us. I knew she took her song lyrics
seriously, but I hadn’t meant to freak her out. I was only trying to put her at
ease so she knew I hadn’t just brought her on a date because I wanted to fuck
her. This was about more than that for me.

Sure, I wanted to make her wetter than she’d ever been, to
inflict so much pleasure on her little body she had to fight back the tears. But
I also wanted to spoil her, to see if I could make her feel as rich as her
friendship had always made me feel.

“Ta da,” I said when the doors opened.

“Wow,” she said, stepping off the elevator. “What a gorgeous
place.”

The roof was covered in light wood furniture, and thin white
drapes hung strategically between the tables, creating the illusion of privacy
between them and shielding the diners from the breeze off the lake. But the
curtains were barely noticeable once I saw the stunning view of the city from
so high up.

I stepped up to the podium and smiled at the hostess. “Good
evening,” I said. “Reservation for Aiden Briggs.”

“Right this way,” the woman said, sliding two menus from a stack
beside her.

I gestured to Lucy to lead the way, watching her short dress
swoosh around her ass as I followed her to the table.

Before taking a seat along the restaurant’s perimeter, Lucy made
a beeline for the edge of the roof. The sight of the gentle wind blowing her
hair and her skirt while she stood in front of the city skyline put a lump in
my throat.

I stepped up beside her. “What do you think?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to
impress me.”

“And if I was?”

She smiled at me, her eyes forming little crescents. “It’s
working.”

I lifted a hand and pushed some hair out of her eyes. At first I
thought I was going to say something clever or witty, but when I realized I
just wanted to kiss her again, I took a step back. As much as I wanted to feel
her lips against mine- her body against mine- I wasn’t going to be feeling
anything if I scared her off again.

“I can’t wait to check out the menu,” she said, almost as if she
was sensing my anxiety.

I stepped over and pulled her chair out. “I just hope there will
be something you’ll like.”

“Thanks,” she said, squatting down so I could push the chair
back in.

“And if there’s not-” I said, walking around to the seat across
from her, “we can always go back to my place and make nachos.”

She laughed. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

I fixed my eyes on her. “I’d love it.”