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“You enjoy being on your knees for me, don’t you?” I bend down to help him. “It’s the most natural place for worship.”
“Thank you, but so you know, I can take care of myself.” “I know.” Nico brings his glass to his lips, and our stares remain locked as he finishes drinking. “It’s why learning to take care of you is much sweeter.”
“When we get back to the hotel, I can find the other spot you like just as much. If you’re ready to return to our little arrangement.” “A man who buys me food and gives me orgasms? I’ll have to think about it.”
“A man who buys me food and gives me orgasms? I’ll have to think about it.”
Two days ago, I was ready to throw in the towel and head back to New York, but now, I kinda like this version of Nico. Assertive. The way he took charge today was hot. It’s a side I h...
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It’s strange having someone notice my habits. My best friend and I lived together for years, but I don’t think we’ve ever spent this much time together daily. I suppose it’s charming. At least in such a temporary situation.
“Making you happy makes me very happy.” “Adorable.” “You’ve made me happier by not buying your ticket home.”
“What did you say? I—I don’t think I heard you.” I use his own teasing against him. “That’s right, a plan for the entire summer.” “But you don’t—” He taps his fingers on the table between us. “Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll make it happen, beautiful.” I sigh, averting my gaze from his sincere one.
Am I actually considering staying with Nico for the rest of the summer? I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that I lay awake last night thinking about it.
“Lily, I’ve been on a hundred adventures, but if I only get this one with you, I want to make it special. See the world through your eyes.”
Definitely not something a friend says to a friend. Especially not when that something has sent my heart into a chaotic rhythm. Ah, fuck it. How bad can things get? I never take real risks for myself anymore, and maybe it’s time to start.
Maybe I’m really doing this. Nico and I are really doing this. Worry blooms in my chest that this will all fall apart but it’s Nico. He wouldn't hurt me on purpose again. At least, I hope not.
P, Panic. I, i'm scared
“Cyprus. I think Aphrodite was born there. It would be cool to go somewhere a goddess lived.” “Well, if you want to see a goddess, we can stay right here,” he teases, and I feign rolling my eyes. So adorable.
It’s rumored the Greek goddess of love’s birthing place has magical powers, but no myths will get me to break my rule. No sex.
“Two months is a long time to wait for one good night.” “If I wanted one good night, you wouldn’t be sitting here now.” He winks.
“Where would we be?” “Do you want to find out?” Maybe. Even the part of me that dreads the inevitable crash and burn of our arrangement. Would it be the one time? Or would we not be able to stop? What happens then?
Nothing. Nothing can happen because there is absolutely nothing between us except for physical attraction and a platonic friendship.
Okay Lily
I’m spending the rest of the summer traveling with Nico Navarro. My friend. My fuck buddy. A man who wants to make an effort to grow out of his flaws simply because I make him happy.
Each tune of anxiety I’ve felt over the past month sings through me like an uncoordinated orchestra. I turn down the volume on my worries. Those are future Lily’s problems. Present Lily is going to enjoy every ounce of this fucking summer before life suffocates her again.
“I don’t change my mind easily. I may struggle with settling down in the personal sense, but commitments have never been an issue for me.” I shrug. “Each tattoo is like a journal on my skin. Just because a memory may sour doesn’t mean it didn’t get me to where I am now.”
“See, there’s another reason I stayed with you this summer. I can help you figure out the next big app idea. What would you do without me?” The reality of the question isn’t something I want to consider because, truthfully, I don’t want to know what life will look like come September.
“You know, pretty girl”—I work my hands into the muscles of her neck—“every time I see a new freckle on your skin, it becomes my friend. They’re all my friends.”
The reality that someone’s hurt Lily in any way and she’s simply fine with it makes it feel like the earth’s shattering beneath me. In the friendliest way possible.
The idea of anyone ever thinking of someone in such an awful way makes me sick. Especially when that someone is mine. Lily. I mean Lily. Not what’s mine.
I need to get it together. If she’s fine with her past, I’ll have to be too. But while it’s up to me, no one will ever treat her like that again.
It may take her time to fully trust me, but I’m learning to be a patient man. I have around two months to prove to her that I’m not like anyone she’s been with in the past. Especially when she isn’t like anyone I’ve known before either.
Lily is bold, so fucking smart and witty, and she can always make me laugh. Simply being around her makes me feel better, and when I’m not with her, I actually feel alone. A feeling I’m unfamiliar with.
There’s no way I’m fucking this up. Even if we end in disaster, I’d rather go out blazing than never find out what could happen between us. We may not be ones for long-term commitment, but ...
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“When I make a promise to you now, Lily, I intend on keeping it.”
Are we digging ourselves too deep? Let’s check the facts. We both aren’t talking to other people. He buys me clothes, takes me to dinner, and lately, has been treating me like there’s royal blood in my veins. Every time I look at him, my body erupts with arousal like an overeager volcano. This has to be the norm.
I mean, I’ve never been in a friends-with-benefits relationship before, and all of this simply must be part of it. There’s no other explanation for what happens when I’m around him.
But maybe I want to do something for Nico in return. I bite my lip. Time to make an exception to...
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I’ve jumped out of planes, scuba dived in open water, and bungee jumped with a broken harness, and nothing gets my heart racing more than her touch. Absolutely fucking nothing.
I don’t want this summer to end. Hell, I don’t want to ever be apart from her. It’s strange to admit it to myself, and it’s where my thoughts will have to remain, buried somewhere in the far corner of my brain.
“Every time you said we’re just friends, I’ve thought about fucking that word off your gorgeous lips.”
“Only for you, love.” The nickname skips out of me, and before Lily can repeat the list of rules, I connect her swollen lips to mine. There’s no fucking way that word just came out of my mouth. I don’t even know what that string of letters means.
It’s lust. All we have here is lust. My friend has assured me of that plenty of times. Lily Rodin, my fuck buddy. That’s it
…Sure Nico
“So, you know, the princess treatment, as you’ve put it, is only for you. Not because you gave me something, but because you’re my princesa
“What’s up with you and this new romance obsession?” she says, more flustered this time. “Are you in love or something?” Maybe
“You look like a sexy aquatic version of Catwoman.” I eye Lily in her all-black swim attire. “Cats don’t like water.” “Your constantly wet pussy says otherwise.”
“Thank you for encouraging me.” “I got you, remember?”
Her eyes reflect the softness mine must be echoing. We’re becoming something more. I’m not sure what exactly, but I know that my feelings for her refuse to stop growing.
But Nico isn’t a date; he’s a friend. I’m beginning to sound like a nuisance in my own head, but if I keep saying we’re just friends, it’s bound to stay that way and I can ignore the flutters of anticipation every single time he goes out of his way to make something feel special for me.
How does he always manage to throw me a bit off balance when I’m typically the one in control of situations?
Come to think of it, I’ve spent more on her this summer alone than I have on myself in years. I’d do it all again to see her happy.
I want to touch and taste so many parts of Lily. Every second of every damn day. Lust has never felt quite this obsessive. The only thing I’ve ever really craved before is traveling, but now there’s her. She adds color, excitement, and a heavenly touch to everything.
And it isn’t even all about sex with her. I, Nico Navarro, may be pussy-whipped by Lily Rodin, and I haven’t even been inside her yet. I’ve never felt this way about someone before.
I’d rather get lost in Lily than think about it any longer.
She’s been fighting to keep up her tough exterior, but her femme fatale nature has been missing in action while we’ve been together. Lily’s been playful, snarky, even soft sometimes, but I can’t tell her that I’m noticing a shift in her, or she’ll shut down our agreement altogether.
She’s noticing things about me. I fight the urge to point out that she said my Nico as though I am her possession as much as I’m starting to want her to be mine.
