Holding her breath, she tilted her hips and notched him into place before sliding onto his thick, hard length. Her inner muscles clamped around him, and she sucked in a breath at how good he felt.
How right. How necessary.
How am I ever going to get over this?
The thought made her still. Then she shook her head, pushing the question far, far away. She refused to waste a second of this night worrying about what might happen next.
There would be plenty of time for reality and regret later. Right now, he was hers, and she was making the most of it.
Chapter Twelve
Eddie woke to the awareness he was cold, something which made sense when he realized his naked body was covered by nothing but the sheet. Eyes still closed, he sent out a questing hand and found the duvet - along with a small, very warm body curled in the center of his bed.
Blue.
Memories from last night exploded across his mind's eye like camera flashes. Blue in the shower, her hands digging into his shoulders as he slid inside her for the very first time. Blue's hips bucking and twisting as he made love to her with his mouth. Blue on top, her back arched as she took them both for the ride of a lifetime.
Suddenly he was completely awake and fully aroused, his cock swelling in response to his X-rated thoughts. He didn't reach for her, though, despite every instinct urging him to.
He needed to think first. To take stock.
Because last night had been big - and not just on the pleasure scale. Last night had the potential to change everything.
He'd been too desperate to get Blue naked and into his bed to think through the repercussions of their actions last night. From the second she'd asked that earth-shattering question, he'd been a heat-seeking missile, intent on one thing and one thing only.
Haven't you ever wondered? About us? How it would be?
His chest and belly tightened as adrenaline shot through him, prompted by the mere memory of that moment. He was pretty sure those crazy, intense minutes in the alley would be indelibly etched in his mind.
The first taste of her mouth.
The first time he'd allowed himself to touch her with sensual intent.
The first time she'd pressed her body against his.
It had been amazing being with Blue. It had been fun, crazy, intensely pleasurable, beautifully familiar, and terrifyingly intimate.
Most importantly, it had been right. In fact, it may have been the most right thing he'd ever done in his life.
He stared at the ceiling, waiting to be freaked out by his own thoughts, but it never happened. He didn't feel panicked. He felt … good. As though something important had slotted into place in his life.
He turned his head, unable to stop himself from smiling when he saw the way Blue had swaddled the duvet around herself, shamelessly hogging all the warmth. Her hands gripped the upper edge of the covers as though she was willing to fight for them even in her sleep, and her chin was tucked into her chest, her mouth soft and vulnerable.
Yes.
The single word resonated inside him as he studied Blue's unguarded face.
He wanted this - whatever it was. He wanted more of Blue in his bed, in his arms. He wanted to stay on this ride and see where it took them.
The urge to take her in his arms, to wake her with a kiss and pull her warm, sleepy body against his own was almost overwhelming now that he understood his own mind, but his bladder had other ideas. Moving as carefully as possible, he slid from the bed and padded into the ensuite. Shutting the door, he took care of business, then grabbed his toothbrush from the vanity. He studied his own reflection in the mirror as he brushed and fought the absurd impulse to grin like a loon.
Still, he was feeling pretty damned good by the time he opened the door and slipped into the bedroom - only to pull up short when he registered Blue sitting on the foot of the bed, fully dressed except for her shoes.
"You're up," he said stupidly.
"Yep." She gave him a quick smile before bending to pull on her boots.
"You're not staying for breakfast, I take it?" he asked.
Another stupid comment. He was on a roll this morning, clearly.
"I thought I'd get out of your hair." She stood, dusting her hands down the thighs of her jeans before eyeing him with casual interest. "You got anything interesting on for the rest of the weekend?"
He stared at her. Was she seriously trying to blow off what had happened between them with idle chitchat?
"What's going on?" he asked after a long moment.
"Nothing."
"Then why are we talking about what I've got planned for the rest of the weekend?"
"Because I'm trying to make this as easy as possible."
"We just slept together for the first time. Why on earth would it be easy?"
"Because we've both been here before, and we know the score."
He stared at her. Blue was acting as though this was a one-night stand, as though he was some guy she'd picked up at the bar.
"Come on, Blue. This wasn't just sex."
"You're right, it's messy. Which is why I was trying to give you a get-out-of-jail-free card."
"What if I don't want one?"
Blue shook her head, clearly confused. "Sorry, what?"
"I don't want a get-out-of-jail-free card. I don't need you making it easy. And I don't want you taking off like we did something wrong last night."
Blue stared at him as though he was talking in a foreign language she barely understood. Then her face cleared, her eyebrows rising in comprehension.
"Oh, right. I get it. You want to do this again." Her gesture took in the rumpled bed.
"Call me crazy, but yeah. I had a great night. Didn't you?" He felt very exposed and oddly defensive. As though he needed to justify himself to her.
"Yeah, I had a nice time, but that's kind of irrelevant. You're my friend, Eddie. I value that a hell of a lot more than good sex."
A nice time? Good sex?
"Last night was more than good," he said.
"Okay, great sex. Awesome sex. Amazing sex. It doesn't change what it was, or who we are. I'm not interested in becoming one of your women, Eddie."
"I'm not asking you to," he said, definitely on the defensive now.
"Sure, but that's what will happen, right? We'll fuck for a while, then something will happen and it'll die a horrible slow death or even a horrible quick death. Then it will be weird and shitty between us. And I'm not up for that. You're my friend. I want to keep it that way."
"Or it's great between us, and it keeps getting better."
Blue shook her head as though she couldn't quite believe he'd said what he said, looking away to study the toes of her boots.
"What?" he asked.
Her expression was almost apologetic when she glanced at him. As though she knew he wasn't going to like what she was about to say.
"Eddie, I know you. I've seen you do this a dozen times. Remember Mia?"
He frowned. Why on earth was she bringing up Mia? "That was four years ago."
"Yeah, and you were crazy about her, remember? You guys were all over each other like a rash, couldn't get enough of each other. And it lasted two months. I've got more, if you want them. Sonia. Katie. Helen -"
"I don't need a history lesson, thanks." Suddenly he was very aware of the fact that he was buck naked while she was fully dressed. His jeans were in a tangle at the foot of the bed and he bent to scoop them up.
"Maybe you do. Because I'm not up for being one of your casualties. I freaking adore you as a friend, but you make a shitty boyfriend, Eddie. And I'm not getting caught in that particular bear-trap. Our friendship is important to me. I'm not prepared to screw it up for a few months of good sex. It's not worth it."
He yanked his jeans over his hips. "So we just walk away? Forget it ever happened?"
"Yep. We chalk it up as a time-out and we move on. No harm, no foul, no hard feelings." She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to agree with her.
He stared at her, unable to fully comprehend that they could have such different takes on the same situation. How could he have woken up feeling so good about what had happened while Blue simply wanted to put it behind them and carry on as though nothing had changed?
Her face softened into a worried smile and she took a step forward and rested her hand on his forearm.
"It's not that I'm not flattered - I am. And last night was great, but it would kill me if things got weird between us." She took a deep breath. "Which reminds me - I'm on the pill, in case you were wondering, and I'm all good otherwise. Figured we should cover that since we kind of forgot about condoms last night."
He blinked. He never forgot protection, yet until Blue mentioned it, he hadn't even considered that there might be repercussions from their night together. He'd been so desperate to be with her, everything else had fallen by the wayside.
"I'm healthy," he said. "I had a check up last month."
"Then we're all good." She leaned close and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm going to walk home now, okay? I'll see you Monday."