“Of course,” I tease in return. “You get all the benefits.”
“Really?” His eyes go wide, like he actually believes I might want sex with him. Jeez, I get that he was kidding. He doesn’t need to be terrified of the idea.
“God no,” I say. “Now let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow we have to pack and get ready for our fake honeymoon.” His breathing changes, becomes deeper, but before sleep overcomes him, I whisper, “Luke?”
“Yeah?” he asks, his voice groggy.
“You okay?”
His arms hold me a bit tighter. “Yeah, thanks for coming tonight.”
“I’ll always be here for you. You know that.”
“I know that.”
“That’s why you love me.”
“You think that’s why I love you?” he says, and I smile at his familiar response as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
3
Luke
“My God, I’m freezing my balls off,” Katee says. I drag her closer to me as I fish the key to our chalet from my pocket. She wraps her arms around my waist and we use our body heat to stay warm. We’re both from Texas, now living in Seattle. Neither one of us are acclimated to this kind of cold.
“You don’t have balls, remember?” I say.
“Well if I did have balls, they’d be frozen.”
“Yeah, mine are halfway there,” I say, and she chuckles. Feigning offense, I ask, “You think that’s funny?”
“No, not funny at all.” She unsuccessfully tries to stifle a laugh. “Hurry so we can get inside and warm them up.”
“We?”
“Well not we, but you.”
Too bad because I can think of a few ways we can warm them up, and all the ways I can warm her up in return. The truth is my balls ache, are tight against my body, but it’s not from the below freezing temperatures here in the mountains. No, it’s because they ache to be touched by her soft hands, kissed by her warm mouth.
Okay, cool it, dude, this is your best friend, and she doesn’t want you like that.
“Hurry up, Luke,” she says, her teeth chattering so hard, I’m worried they’re going to crack. Stepping back, she hops from one leg to the other, and rubs her hands together. “I’m going to Bali on my honeymoon.”
My breath turns to fog in front of my face when I say, “I thought you said you weren’t getting married.”
“I’m not, but still…Bali.”
I open the door and grab our suitcases. Katee rushes inside and I drop the bags and step up to her. Her nose is red, her lips an odd shade of blue. “I need to warm you up,” I say, and pull her to me, running my hands over her body to create heat with friction. She snuggles closer, until I can feel every inch of her. Fire races through my veins, and the familiar tightness in my pants induces a yearning in me I know better than to act on. Dammit, maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. Being here with her like this, sharing a chalet and pretending we’re married is like a ticking time bomb. Sooner or later something is going to blow. And by something, I mean my cock, or our friendship. Since I refuse to let anything come between us—especially my feelings toward her—I plan to spend a great amount of time abusing myself in the shower.
“You probably should have worn more than yoga pants. They won’t keep you warm in this kind of cold.”
“Sooo…cold…” she chatters. The walk from the main lodge to our chalet wasn’t far, but it’s late in the d
ay, the sun having gone down ages ago, and we’re simply not used to these below zero temperatures.
“Let me get a fire going.”
She stays cuddles in to me. “Don’t let go.”