MIA’S SCOWL is always adorable, but this one, with her cheeks flushed and her hair mussed, is the very best iteration. Her lips are so pouty, I’d love to just take her up on her offer to suck me off, but I knocked on her door knowing it would be the last time I danced around us being friends, and I can’t back down now. If I hadn’t heard my name, I would have ignored it. Tried my best to put it out of my mind and never speak of it to her. But I did hear my name, and the realization that she was thinking about me nearly brought me to my knees right there in the hallway.
She doesn’t hate me. She still wants me. I didn’t quite know, until I overheard her, how afraid I was that I ruined everything forever. I messed up whatever chance we had at more, but right now, if she admits we’re friends, I’ll suck up my deeper feelings and be with her however she wants. Friends with benefits with her beats a real relationship with anyone else. Why did I kid myself about that for even a second? The moment I kissed her, the unease in my chest settled.
Mia di Angelo might not want to be my girlfriend, but for these moments? It’s a price I’m willing to pay.
She crosses her arms over her chest. It makes me drop my gaze to her perfect tits. Then she clears her throat—so no looking at her breasts right now, got it—and, if it’s possible, gets even more beautiful as she purses her lips. “Go on.”
“If you’re going to touch me, I need you to admit we’re at least friends.”
“At least?”
I brush her hair over her shoulder, dragging my fingertips over her collarbone. This is risky, but I can’t help myself. “I know there’s more to the story. But I won’t push you on it now.”
She reaches for my waistband again, but I intercept her with a tsk. “Come on. You like rules. This is a rule.”
She practically grits her teeth. “So, if I admit we’re… friends, I can suck you?”
“You can do whatever you want,” I say with a grin. “Suck me, ask me to fuck you until you scream, bite me as hard as you want—I know how much you love that. Only second to when I make it hurt a bit, right, sweet girl?”
Her front teeth dig into her lower lip. “You’re ridiculous.”
I shrug. “Or you can say thank you for the orgasm and go back to Izzy’s room.”
“You said it was past midnight.”
“That might’ve worked three months ago, but not now. Admit we’re friends, Mia. Not because of Cooper and Penny—I shouldn’t have said that, yesterday. We’re friends because we enjoy spending time together, whether it’s like this or like dinner earlier.”
“If you’re so sure, why do I need to say it?”
“A little direct communication never hurt anyone.”
“Never hurt anyone, my ass,” she mutters. “Since when doesn’t a guy just want a blowjob?”
I wait, with half a mind to hold my breath. If I pushed her too hard and she doesn’t say it, or if she just leaves, I won’t know what to do with myself. But I can’t go on like this now that she’s back in my life. If she won’t let me take care of her all the way, fine. I’ll make do with dinners and encouraging her to talk to me about work and playful stress relief. I’ll be her friend plus a little extra forever, if that’s all I’m offered, and if there’s a sliver of a chance down the line for more, I’ll be there for that too.
She blinks. I lean in, brushing my lips over her cheek as I stroke my hand down her spine. I feel, rather than see, her shiver.
“Fine,” she says, her voice muffled against my neck. She wraps her arms around me, keeping us close, as if she can only have this conversation without needing to make eye contact. “You’re ridiculous, but we’re friends.”
She slides to her knees in front of me before I can stop her. “Now can I touch you?”
I catch her chin with my fingers and tilt her face up. I press the pad of my thumb against her lower lip, right in the middle. “Thank you.”
Her hands run up my legs, pausing right near where I’ve been craving her touch. I groan, settling myself more comfortably on the edge of the bed.
She shakes her head. “Has anyone ever told you how weird you are?”
I lean down and capture her lips in another kiss. “My siblings tell me all too often, but I like it better coming from you.”
“Of course you do.” She strokes her hand over my sweatpants, mimicking the way I teased her earlier. Even the small brush makes my cock throb; it’s been torturesome, ignoring how fucking turned on I am. She drags the sweatpants and boxer-briefs down my legs all at once and pulls out my dick, giving it a rough tug that makes me hiss.
“Sorry,” she murmurs. She reaches between her legs and gets her hand slick, then uses it to jerk my cock, her thumb pressing against the tip.
My hips nearly come off the bed. She huffs out a laugh. Her eyes gleam in the half-dark. “Someone’s eager.”
My voice is hoarse when I manage words. “With you in my bed? Who could fucking blame me?”
She just takes the tip into her mouth, sucking gently. Between the sensation of her warm, wet mouth and her hand working over my dick, I’m close to the edge in mere moments. She slowly works me into her mouth even further, an inch at a time, until it’s painful not to blow my load. My hand tangles in her hair, tugging hard enough it probably hurts. My body is begging for permission to jerk my hips up, to seize control, but I don’t want to hurt her.
I moan, digging my nails into her scalp as she swallows. My breath comes fast and short. I tilt her head back, unable to keep myself from pushing in just a bit deeper. Her eyes meet mine. She manages a nod, looking imperious from the upward tilt of her chin even though I’m the one holding her in place.
The permission loosens something deep in my body. I urge her to pull off, then rise to my feet. From this angle, I tower over her. My body is all muscle, honed to this point from years of baseball training, and I’ve never been so glad for it when I see the blatant desire on her face at the sight of me. I brush my fingers over her lips, slick with spit and precome, and as if to make up for her ogling, she tries to bite me.
Kneeling, she seems smaller than she actually is, her hair a dark tangle over her bare shoulders. A smirk plays on her lips, no doubt because she knows I’m admiring her just as much.
“So delicate,” I murmur, cupping the back of her head.
Just as I expected, her satisfied smirk becomes a scowl. “Fuck off.”
I trace over the shell of her ear. “I’m just calling it like I see it, angel.”
“I’m not delicate. Not your angel, either.”
I wrap her silky hair around my hand and tug. “Didn’t say a thing about you being mine.”
She’s still scowling, but she takes my cock back into her mouth like she already misses it, swallowing me deep as she breathes through her nose. I cradle the back of her head with both hands, thrusting experimentally. When it’s clear she can handle it, I move with more intensity. I can feel the climax building from my middle all the way to my toes. I groan deeply as I work at a slow, dragging rhythm. How did I live without this? Without her?
“You feel so good,” I gasp out. I want to say so much more, but I can’t hold words in my mind right now. Not while Mia is on her knees for me, working my cock with her skillful mouth.
She hums. The vibrations make my stomach tighten even further. I tremble with the effort to hold back for just a moment longer, but then she digs her nails into my thigh, and it sends me right off the edge in one final push.
“Fuck,” I pant. It’s too late for me to pull away, to give her the option of anything but drinking my come. I’m holding her so close I can feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest against my legs.
She swallows every drop, then pulls off with a soft, wet pop. She dabs at the corner of her mouth with her thumb, but it’s useless. Her chin is a mess of spit. I grab my shirt and wipe her face clean before she can protest.
She scrambles to her feet, breathing just as heavily as me.
“Shit,” she murmurs.
For a moment she stares, and I just stare back. I feel exhausted, like she took the edge off whatever was keeping me awake. Even tired, my limbs are loose, my heart lighter than it’s been in ages. I can’t help smiling, even though I’m sure she’s about to turn on her heel and leave the room. I decide to push my luck and drag her into a kiss.
She sighs against my mouth. Curses again. I wait one beat, then two. I taste myself on her lips.
She pulls away—and flops on my bed.
“Mia?”
She tugs the blanket over herself. “Come here, dumbass.”
