“Jesus. No, to all of that. Well, sometimes to the asshole.”
“Ev, our lives are already connected. I—”
“Molly,” he stops me, his voice gentle, but his tone firm. “We’re adults. So is Elaine. This isn’t high school. What we decide to do inside and outside the bedroom is our business and no one else’s.”
“So we can play this our way?”
“Why not? I’m not a rule follower, Molly, and you’re not either. We make our own rules.”
“So, sex. And friendship. But nothing long-term.”
“So much sex. Dating, but it’s casual,” he counters, wrapping his free arm around my waist.
“So casual,” I emphasize.
“And exclusive,” he adds.
“Absolutely.”
“And there’s going to be so much sex.” He reminds me.
“Starting now.” A quick tug is all it takes to release that towel and sink to my knees.
“Does your man like a lot of meat on his bun?” Stella asks, as she stirs the sauce on the stove. “What am I saying? Of course he does. Men love a nice thick piece of meat in a hot bun.”
I’ve invited Ev over for dinner, and Stella is beside herself with excitement. I was planning to make chicken and veggies, but Stella has commandeered the kitchen, used every pan we own, and is cooking up a family favorite—Italian Roast Beef.
I’m setting the table and using the good china, even though we’re basically eating picnic food. No matter. I’m not messing with Stella’s directives, especially when she’s wearing an apron that saysYour opinion wasn’t in the recipe.
“All right, lovey, come here and stir every few minutes, but be gentle. Don’t bruise the meat. I’m gonna go make myself presentable.” She looks down at her black leggings and beaded sweater in disgust and shuffles toward the bedroom in search of different black leggings and a different beaded sweater. And a new apron, of course. She must have a dozen.
I hear a knock at the door and abandon my post to greet Ev. I feared it might be awkward, this ‘friends-who-hang-out-and-have-all-the-sex’ thing, but it isn’t. We hug, and he leans down for a kiss.
“Thanks for coming over,” I say, as I lead him into the kitchen.
He offers the bottle of wine I hadn’t noticed he brought, and smiles. “Thanks for inviting me. A home-cooked meal and the promise of meeting the irrepressible Stella? You couldn’t keep me away.”
I lean up on my tiptoes to reach the wine glasses. For some crazy reason, Stella insists on keeping them in the tiny cabinet above the fridge. I’m a tall gal, and it’s still a hell of a reach. I feel Ev step behind me, pressing his front to my back, and trapping me in between his body and the counter. No complaints here. He reaches his arm out to grab the glasses and the scent of him envelops me. Setting them down, he braces his hands on the counter, and I can feel his breath at my neck. “Goddam, Molly. You’re killing me in this dress.”
It’s a hell of a dress; he’s not wrong. It’s got a sweetheart neckline, and it nips in at the waist and flares over my hips, before tapering down to my knees. Not gonna lie, I can rock an hourglass silhouette.
Tilting my head back, I rest it on his chest and drink in the sight of him. Before his lips can meet mine, I hear Stella call out from the bedroom. “Honey, did you stir the sauce?”
“Yes,” I lie.
“Be gentle now. Don’t bruise the meat.”
“I won’t bruise the meat,” I promise, as I bump my backside into the hard wall of deliciousness behind me. “The meat is very important to me, I assure you, Stell.”
“I know it is, you saucy girl. I taught you right. Now pull yourself away from that hunk of man, so I can get a good look at him.” I hear the tell-tale clop-tap of Stella’s boot and kitten heel as she makes her way down the hall.
I start to step aside to introduce Ev, but he clasps my shoulders and steadies me in front of him.
Belatedly, I realize why, as the hard bulge of his erection rests against my back.
“Stella, this is Ev.” I lean to the right and smile up at him. “And, Ev, this is Stella.”
“It’s so nice to meet you. And thank you for having me over.” Ev’s charm is at full force, but there’s nothing fake about it. He’s just that likable.
