Unfriending the Dr: A Small Town Friends to Lovers Romance

“Thanks for the offer, though. It means a lot.”

Ryan was the sweetest man I had ever met. No romantic partner had ever put my needs first the way Ryan did, never thought of me first or my happiness. It was something a girl could get used to.

“Ready to start the movie?”

“Yeah!” Titus squirmed excitedly between us and we both laughed as the opening credits started. While Titus performed his favorite superhero moves, I watched Ryan as he watched my son, a wide, proud smile on his face and love shining in his eyes. He loved Titus as much as I did, which only made things more confusing.

It was one thing that I’d already started looking at Ryan in a new light, as a romantic possibility, and daydreamed about his skills as a lover, but it was quite another to have a romantic partner who loved my kid, too. It was too much, too soon. Ryan and I were easy with each other, which came from a lifetime of friendship. He knew me as well as I knew myself, and in some ways better than I knew myself, and I knew him in the same way. But it wasn’t just our history.

It’s the man. I could just be myself with Ryan and he still looked at me like he did when he was my date for junior prom, like I was the most beautiful girl in the room. Tonight, for example, I’d changed out of my work clothes and into a pair of striped stretch pants and a thin and worn white T-shirt that was half a size too tight. I’d dressed for comfort, the way I always did for movie night. And Ryan didn’t flinch—he just smiled, a hot twinkle in his eyes.

Oh hell, I want him. Right now.

I shook off the thought and tried to catch up on the movie, but the only thing I could focus on was the way Ryan’s fingertips rubbed hypnotic circles in my palm, my wrist, and up my forearm. His touched teased me, sent a wave of heat shooting through me.

I shot off the sofa like it was trying to swallow me whole before I did something ill-advised, especially with my son in the house and wide awake. “I’m hungry. Who’s hungry? Anybody ready for snacks or dinner?”

Ryan smirked as if he knew exactly what was on my mind and I ignored him and instead focus on Titus. “I’m hungry. Can I have popcorn, Mom?”

I nodded, grateful that my boy had the appetite of a professional athlete. “Only a little because dinner will be here soon.”

He gasped and stood on the sofa. “We could have popcorn and chips and cookies and other snacks for dinner.”

“And a stomachache for dessert?”

His shoulders fell in disappointment because we both knew the truth. “All right. Just a little popcorn, then.”

My smile brightened and I ruffled his hair. “Sounds good. Popcorn coming right up!” My voice was a little too cheerful, I knew that, but I made my escape and put some distance between me and Ryan, and finally my shoulders were able to relax.

“Extra butter on my popcorn, please.”

Ryan’s deep voice startled a gasp out of me and I turned to face him with a glare. “Extra butter? Don’t you care about your heart at all?”

He flashed a knowing smile and closed the few feet of space that existed between us. “That’s what I have you for.” One arm circled my waist and the other slid up my back and tangled in my hair. He gave it a little tug and I gasped. His lips brushed against mine and the whole world zeroed in on the spot where our lips touched.

The kiss was sweet at first, gentle and warm, like coming inside a warm house after a cold day of playing outdoors. Then the heat grew until it was a blazing inferno, both in the kitchen and inside my body. I vibrated, practically trembling with need as his hands roamed over my body, his mouth made love to mine like we were the only two people in the whole entire world. It was a perfect kiss, a perfect precursor to ending up naked and sweating and writhing together until we were both exhausted and satisfied.

So damn satisfied that my legs wouldn’t hold me up.

“You guys are missing the whole movie!” Titus’ voice caused us both to freeze mid-kiss. Ryan’s hand paused on my ass and gave it a quick squeeze.

He growled and pressed his forehead to mine. “Kissing you makes the whole world disappear.”

I fell a little bit more at his words and another round of heat suffused my body. “We should probably go back to the movie.”

“Probably,” he agreed with a smile but made no efforts to disengage from me. “I’ll go first. You make the popcorn and order dinner.”