I shrug against the cushion and lean into his bulky frame. “Don’t worry about it. They have no idea what we’re doing up here. No one will know if we kiss or not. We can hang out for twenty minutes and then return the key and get out of here.”
Dean leans his head back against the cushion and peeks over at me, his deep blue eyes glassy. I still have Silvia’s stupid comments stuck in my head, unable to think of anything other than Dean being more than my friend. Is she right? Are men and women incapable of staying friends forever?
Curious if he feels something other than friendship for me, I say, “Have you ever wondered?”
His eyebrows rise in confusion. “Wondered about what?”
“What it would be like if we… you know?”
As he considers my question, what feels like an hour passes between us. We stare at each other, his bright blue irises burning a hole through mine. Dean’s chest rises and falls with each breath he takes. He bites his bottom lip, his teeth lightly grazing his skin. The same gesture repeated over the past three years never affected me… until now. Which gives me the answer I never expected.
One question can change everything. The way I think about him. The way I look at him. How hard my heart slams against my ribcage at the thought of kissing my best friend. What girl with a pulse wouldn’t want to kiss him?
“I think about it all the time,” he confesses, stroking my jaw with his fingers, his eyes fixed on mine. “You’re beautiful, Kitten. It’s hard not to look at you that way.”
His confession causes me to gasp.
Feeling brave, I say, “What’s one kiss between friends, right?”
His expression darkens. “One kiss could change everything.”
I swipe a strand of hair out of his eyes. Dean cups the side of my face in his big hand and smiles.
He runs his calloused thumb along my jaw and traces his way to my lips. “Any man would be lucky to have you. But I don’t want you to do this because some asshole dared us to come upstairs together.”
I brush my lips against his. The heat from his breath sends a shiver down my arms. “We can kiss and still be friends.”
He slides his free hand to my waist and holds me tight. “Once we do this, we can’t go back.”
“It’s just a kiss, Dean.”
“You say that now, but what if everything changes tomorrow? What if you can’t look at me the way you do now? I can’t afford to lose you. You mean too much to me.”
“Shouldn’t we see if there’s something more between us?”
Dean brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Don’t let those idiots get under your skin. You don’t have to do this dare. It’s just a game.”
“Just kiss me,” I whisper.
With that, Dean pulls me onto his lap, his hands falling to my ass. He grips me with so much force I let out a soft moan. “Are you sure this is what you want, Kitten?”
“Uh-huh.” I grind on him, feeling him grow beneath me. “I know you do, too.”
“You’re drunk,” he grunts. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I made a promise to your brothers that I would take care of you. I’m violating their trust and abusing the situation.”
“You can’t take advantage of me if I want it to happen, Dean. Now shut up and kiss me. Stop overthinking the dare. We won’t even remember this in the morning.”
What a lie? Kissing Dean is something I never want to forget. Once our lips collide, Dean slips his tongue into my mouth, taking his time at first. It shouldn’t feel this good to kiss my best friend but damn me for wanting more of him. I want all of him.
Heat spreads from my cheeks and down to my chest, warming my insides. As Dean navigates my b
ody with his strong hands, he commands his dominance over me. He fists my hair in his hand, his soft kisses turning more passionate and rougher with each flick of his tongue.
For years, I’ve had to watch Dirty Dean come out to play with other girls. Years of pent-up sexual frustration is released with each moan Dean rips from my lips. We run our hands over each other’s bodies, the hunger between us fueling our desperate need for each other.
Everything I’ve ever felt for Dean comes crashing over me in waves. Though we’re careful not to push the limits too far, there’s no way we can go back to being just friends. Knowing how good Dean tastes and the sexy sounds he makes will forever be imprinted into my mind. Sex is a fine line that could cost us everything. I don’t want to cross that line, I want to leap over the finish line with Dean.
Breathless, he peels his lips from mine. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”