Something inside of him snapped. There was no controlled seduction. No slow, easy moves meant to tease her and draw her higher. She wanted him to make her come? Well, then, she’d get it. No games. No teasing. Just orgasms.
Whatever she asked for, he gave her.
That wouldn’t change now.
Sliding his hand lower, he pressed his thumb against her clit, cursing the material that kept him from touching her flesh, and traced a circle around it. She tensed in his arms, and she came. That easily. It was as if she’d been waiting for years to get off, and now that he finally gave her a chance, she wasn’t going to waste time.
It was a big turn-on.
She tore her mouth free and dropped her head back against the light yellow wall, a small, strangled sound escaping her. Her breathing went ragged and harsh, and she collapsed against the wall, her chest heaving. He’d barely touched her, but she was already quivering from the orgasm he’d given her. “Steven.”
He’d never been so moved by another person’s pleasure before.
Slowly, he removed his hand from between her legs, his heart pounding so loudly all he could hear was its erratic beats. “That might be the fastest a man’s ever gotten a woman off before,” he said drily. “Do I get a gold medal?”
A small laugh escaped her, and she blew her hair out of her face. “I apparently needed that.”
He laughed too, and that’s when it hit him.
The reason she affected him so much, so deeply, was because he cared about her. She was his best friend, she was drunk, and if he continued on this path that they were just starting on…
He was going to lose her.
She deserved courtship, roses, and romance. Not drinking, nightmares, and a one-night stand with her best friend. Gently, he lowered her to the floor, letting go of her once she steadied herself on her own two feet, even though it was the hardest thing he’d ever done before. “Lauren… Jesus.”
She was willing and hot and sexy, and finally his. But he’d end up hurting her.
He had to stop.
Cheeks suffused with color, her mouth parted, and she whispered, “Screw medals, Steven.” The way she said his name, like she wasn’t sure if she should thank him or curse him for eternity, rocked him to his core even more than her kisses had. “Instead, you get this.”
She caught his mouth frantically, her tongue sweeping into his mouth this time. Her fingers fumbled with his fly. It was now or never.
If he was going to end this before she did something she might regret, he had to move now. One more minute in her arms would be too much.
One more minute, and he wouldn’t be able to walk away…
Cursing inwardly, he broke off the kiss, catching both her hands with one of his. For the first time ever, he was going to deny her something she wanted. “No.”
She froze immediately. “No?”
“No.” Bracing himself, he stepped back, still holding her hands. Stopping this before he discovered how sweet her body would feel, naked and entwined with his, was like holding a gun to his own hand and pulling the trigger. And just as painful. “This ends here. Go to bed before we do something we’ll both regret. I’ll take the couch.”
She ripped her hands out of his. “I…I…I don’t understand. Was it something I did?”
“No. I just—” He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from reaching out and touching her. Kissing her. Taking her. It would be so easy. Turning her down would leave him with blue balls and a hard dick for a year—at least. “I can’t do this.”
“I…” She shook her head. “What have I done?”
And then she bolted for her bedroom.
He flinched when her bedroom door slammed shut behind her. She might be pissed at him now, but she’d thank him in the morning. He was sure of it.
Guys like him were always a regret when the sun came up.
Chapter Six
Sometime before dawn, Lauren woke up with a headache and blurry vision. No big shocker there. She rarely drank, and she’d pounded back a few shots within moments of one another on an empty stomach, all to prove a point.