He looked up, almost guilty for getting lost in the moment.
And I knew it was up to me. I finished what he started by yanking them off and tossing the strip of lace to the floor. Then reached for him.
Unfortunately, he did that thing again. The one where in the heat of the moment he looked at me like Isla…his friend. His naked friend who might need a confidence boost.
“You’re staring.”
“You’re beautiful.”
“Okay. Okay.” I half laughed again. “It’s just me.” And since the moment had already been slightly derailed, we might as well get it back on track with the ever-important…“Do you have, uh, you know?”
“Oh yeah, of course.” He reached into his drawer and pulled out a condom.
And reality came crashing down on me. Colby and I were about to have sex. My Colby. My best friend. The guy who meant the world to me. The one I loved.
And as these thoughts ran through my head, it occurred to me Colby might be having a few of his own. He didn’t make a move. He just looked at me. And I knew I was losing him again. The momentum was trickling to a halt.
I grabbed the square from his hands, tore open the foil package, and handed the condom to him. “You’re probably better at that than me.”
When he didn’t make a move, I brushed my lips along his shoulder, slowly tracing the lines to his neck again as I created a warm path to his ear, until I was finally close enough to whisper, “I need you. Now, Colby.”
His breathing picked up, the condom disappeared between us, and then he positioned himself between my legs as I squirmed against him. Almost desperate for relief. I held my breath as he eased himself into me, then slowly released it in a moan as he sank into me.
I shuddered slightly as a breathy sigh released from his lips, and then we were moving, my hips lightly tilting, inviting him deeper.
And with every movement, every touch, every sensation, I reveled in the fact this was really happening. And it was everything I’d hoped for…and more.
Though we’d been drinking, and we were supposed to be “friends” in the morning, I knew right then that tonight would be a night I’d never forget, partly because I’d fantasized about it for so long, but mostly because I knew I’d never have another one like it. After all, there was only one Colby.
Chapter 3
Morning-afters. Twenty years on this planet and this was my first one resulting from a one-night stand.
But everyone should have at least one, right? And, really, if I was going to eventually have one, Colby wasn’t a bad choice. Problem was, it felt like more. Like we’d made a connection.
It seemed as if sex should be easy to walk away from, but intimacy…that was a whole other story. It’s like it found all the little fissures in my protective walls and seeped its way deep down, until it reached my core. And that changed everything. It took the person I wanted to be, tapped at that well-built exterior, then shattered it into a million fragments until all that was left was me. The real me was stripped bare of the friendship facade, and left behind was the vulnerable girl in love. And, truthfully, that was what I ran from this morning.
When I slipped out of Colby’s bed early this morning, I convinced myself it was to avoid Landon, and, well, to prove to Colby that what happened between us was no big deal. Just two semidrunk friends messing around. We didn’t need an awkward goodbye or a fumbling call-you-later. We could just move on. Friends. With a secret. Not benefits. Especially since I had a pretty strong feeling that it was a one-time thing. Chances of it happening again seemed slim. But did I want it to? That was a serious question that I’d have to ponder later, because right now my brain could barely process what had happened. Replaying the way he kissed me, and how his hands slid over my body…yeah. Bad idea. My stomach swirled with part excitement, part fear. All I really wanted to do was call Felicity, but it was too early to bother her and I had to start my shift at Eddie’s in an hour. Which was probably good for once. Best thing to do was busy myself with work.
—
“Isla.” Grandma turned in the kitchen, a coffeepot in one hand, a wet rag in the other. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“I actually got home before you. I was in my room.” I made my way around her and popped open the fridge. Partly to grab breakfast, but mostly to avoid eye contact.
“Oh, well, that must have been early—”
“I work the morning shift. Wanted to get home in plenty of time to shower and grab breakfast.” I held up the yogurt cup. “Didn’t want to eat up all of Colby’s food.”
“Was everything okay over there?”