Unfriending the Dr: A Small Town Friends to Lovers Romance

“Ryan...”

“Persephone,” he growled again and wrapped an arm around my waist, yanked me onto his lap, and slammed his mouth against mine again before I could protest, not that I wanted to. What woman could resist being in the strong arms of a sexy man, a sweet man, a kind and giving man?

This kiss was just as hot as the first, but it was slower, a low burn of fire that started at my toes, working its way up by degrees until I was on fire. Everywhere.

Ryan’s hands were everywhere, too, his mouth fixed to mine, still growling as I let my hands explore his wide shoulders and his taut waist—and when my hands slid under his tuxedo shirt, he pulled me closer and deepened the kiss. My hips began to move, back and forth, up and down the hard length of him.

“Ryan.” I pulled back with a moan and stared at the dark heat swimming in his blue eyes, suddenly unsure of what I wanted to say. So I said nothing, and this time I attacked his mouth.

Things moved quickly. Somehow, his nimble fingers had found the hidden zipper of my dress and tugged on it so slowly I shivered in his arms. He let out a low chuckle as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

“So fucking beautiful.”

I felt beautiful when he said it, but too much more talking and I might lose my nerve. I kissed him again, kissed him for so long that I had to pull back to finally gasp in a breath. I was breathing in short and choppy pants, and I blinked at the sight of Ryan shirtless, golden muscles on full display.

“Did I do that?”

He nodded and with a flick of his wrist, the halter top of my dress fell open, revealing my breasts to Ryan. His mouth was on me instantly and I forgot that he was my best friend. Hell, I forgot my name as his tongue curled around a nipple while one of his hands massaged and kneaded my other breast.

My head fell back on a moan and I ground against him, lost to the moment. The night was hazy from too much champagne and tequila, but I knew exactly what I was doing and with whom; I wanted this more than I realized. Ryan’s mouth kissed my breasts, my collarbone, and every other inch of exposed skin until I trembled with need in his arms. “Ryan. Please.”

And that was all it took for my best friend and me to cross the line. Deep down, I felt fear and apprehension take root, but when he flipped me on my back and slid inside, right there on my living room sofa, all I could feel was pleasure. Deep and intense pleasure that made my body vibrate with need. With anticipation.

He was long and thick, impressively so, and I was lost in the blue depths that refused to look away from me. I felt caught in his grip, in the waves of pleasure that crashed over me for several long moments. Even after Ryan froze and shuddered and spilled into me, I still fell apart for what felt like forever.

It was amazing.

Incredible.

Unbelievable.

I fell asleep in his arms, naked on the sofa with a smile on my face. “That was fantastic,” I muttered as I drifted off to sleep.

Too bad it can’t happen again.

Ryan

Three of the five bays inside Branson Automotive Repair & Restoration were filled, which was good for business, but it meant I wouldn’t have a lot of free time for the next week or so. A busted muffler, a broken alternator, and a custom restoration job would take up all of my free time.

It was just the distraction a man needed to stop thinking about things he had no business thinking about.

“When you gonna work up the stones to ask Persy out?” Oliver Thompson’s deep, booming voice echoed in the mostly concrete shop.

I sighed and shook my head at the old man’s question. It was nice having someone around during the day, but the man had a one-track mind since his daughter Gus had coupled up with Antonio Ricci, the local celebrity and internet chef.

“Persephone and I are friends.”

It was the same old answer I’d been giving for years, but it hadn’t felt right in too many of those years to count. And after that night three months ago, I felt like a liar calling her something as basic as a friend. That night was seared into my mind, every memory from the moment she opened her front door in that silver and purple dress that showed off her bombshell curves.

“Friends,” I muttered and tried to shake those images from my mind.

No good could come from those images.

Oliver shook his head and let out a gruff laugh. “Friends make the best lovers, Ryan. And you know, you could do a lot worse than a beautiful doctor. Your Persy is what the boys that work here would call eye candy.”