Unfriending the Dr: A Small Town Friends to Lovers Romance

“Not quite.”

“What are you saying, Ryan?”

Fear. That was good because it meant she knew how important all of this was. To both of us.

I pushed back from the table and stood, knowing exactly what needed to be done. “I’m saying that I agree to one more night, but I have feeling it won’t be enough.” I stood at her side, forcing her gaze up until she stood, her eyes connected to mine.

“It has to be,” she insisted.

“Why?”

“Because.”

I smiled. “That’s not an answer, but I’m happy to give you one.”

Before she could ask another question or give me another bullshit excuse about what this needed to be, I hooked one arm around her waist and the other around her back to spear my fingers through her soft ebony waves. Then, I did what I’d wanted to do for the past ninety-plus days: I put my lips to hers and kissed the hell out of her.

It started slow, giving her a chance to pull back, to tell me that all she wanted from me was sex. Persephone was stiff at first, still warring inside her head over whether two friends should be kissing like this. But, moment by moment, her body relaxed into mine, her tits pressed against my racing heart. Her hands slid up my back until her fingers curled in my hair.

She moaned and I deepened the kiss, smiling against her lips at the taste of bacon and strawberry lip balm. Her body molded to mine, a clear sign she had no plans to break the kiss anytime soon, which suited me just fine. I never wanted the kiss to end, not when she was so hot and so willing, so pliable in my arms.

My hands slid down to her ass, squeezing and kneading as I pulled her close. I wanted, hell, maybe I needed Persephone to see how much I wanted her. Not just the sex, but the woman.

She pulled back with a gasp, her eyes wide with shock and a hint of surprise. “Who knew we’d be so good together?”

“I knew,” I answered honestly, my voice thick and gravelly with arousal. “Now you know.”

When Persephone put her fingertips to her lips, like she was trying to trap the taste of me in her mouth, I let out a low groan and took a step back. “Shit.”

I smiled. “You tell me when you’re ready and I’ll be here.”

“Oh. Okay.” The disappointment that radiated off her, from the downturn of her lips to her sagging shoulders, gave me a boost because it meant I wasn’t totally alone in this. “I’ll, uh, let you know.”

“I’ll even shave,” I told her with a smile as I ran my fingers over the stubble that had sprouted up over the past week. “For now, I should get going. Gotta finish this inventory to place an order in the morning.”

She nodded, still silent.

“See you soon, Persephone. Very soon, I hope.”

When it was clear she had been kissed or stunned into silence, I gathered my papers and made my way to the door.

“Ryan?”

Hand on the knob, arm pressing my laptop and papers to my side, I paused and turned to her. “Yes?”

“Don’t shave.”

And just like that, I was hard all over again. “Done.”

My heart raced and my cock strained against my zipper—a clear sign I needed to get the hell out of there before we both ended up naked and on that same sofa.

Again.

Persy

Megan sat on the edge of my bed with her mouth hanging open and her eyes filled with surprise. “Damn, girl, looks like I got back to town just in time.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you had sex with Ryan and you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t tell anyone until the other night, and that was only because I propositioned him. In front of Gavin Ross.”

“The rock star?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

“Wow. Let’s circle back to the rock star in Jackson’s Ridge in a minute and get back to the part where you propositioned your incredibly hot best friend, who you always insist is just a friend.”

I ran through it all for Megan with a sigh. “Ryan agreed and now here I am, three days later and I still haven’t made plans to do it again.”

I didn’t know why I had hesitated over the past few days, but whenever I picked up my phone to set a date and time to get naked with my bestie, I froze.

“You’re scared.”

“Yes,” I admitted, because this was what friends were for.

“Good. That means this matters. What do you need?”

“A brain transplant?”

Megan arched a brow at me as if to say, really?

“I have three sets of lingerie and I don’t know which one is right for seduction.”

She nodded absently, almost as if she wasn’t paying attention as I pulled all three sets of sexy lingerie from the shopping bag. “Can I use your phone real quick?”