Dean

After a grueling summer, I needed this week off from life to hang out with Kat and her brothers. But tomorrow my vacation is over. Our lives will change dramatically in the next few months. I’d hoped for the Draft to bring me to Chicago so that I could be closer to Kat, but we have either bad luck or shitty timing. Maybe a little of both.

Staring up at the ceiling of the guest room, I lay flat on my back and think of Kat. We spent most of our time with the twins this week, with hardly any alone time to ourselves. I have to sneak out of my bedroom to see Kat. With the twins in the bedrooms next to me, I haven’t gotten far.

Two nights ago, I attempted to see Kat, only to run into Theo at the hall bathroom. Every night before that, there was something that kept us from being together. But not tonight. I have all of six hours before I get on a plane, and I refuse to spend them without Kat.

I check the clock on the bedside table and hope the twins are sleeping. Just because I haven’t heard a sound in over an hour doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to the twins. Theo drank enough beer to knock two grown men on their asses. Tucker went along with him. Kat wasn’t drinking again, so I followed her lead and drank soda. I’d rather we both be sober for the few hours we have left together.

The door creaks when I open it, forcing me to wait a few seconds before I step into the dark hallway. For once, the house is quiet. I shut the door behind me, walking on my tippy toes toward Kat’s room, keeping my fingers crossed that no one wakes up. Her dad and older brothers have rooms on the floor above us, which makes this easier, but Tucker and Theo are light sleepers. Even the slightest creak could bring them into the hallway.

Luck must be on our side for once because I make it to Kat’s room without anyone noticing. I turn the knob and push my way into the room, locking the door behind me.

Kat flicks on the lamp next to her bed, the soft light illuminating her face. She rubs her eye with the back of her hand.

“Were you sleeping?” I whisper and come toward her.

“No, I tried, but I all I did was toss and turn.” She pats the space on the mattress next to her. “Get in here and snuggle with me. Maybe I’ll get some sleep with you next to me.”

I crawl in beside Kat and roll onto my side, staring down at her, as I slide my arm under her head. “I have to tell you something before I leave.”

“Me, too,” she says under her breath. “You go first.”

I dip down, so that my breath touches her lips, and say, “I love you, Kitten. I just wanted you to know that.”

“I love you, too, Dean.” She reaches up to touch my face with her hand.

“I mean I love you as more than a friend. I want to make this work between us.”

“Oh.” She tilts her head to the side and bites her lip. “We had this conversation months ago. I don’t see how we can do that with you living in Philly and me in Chicago.”

I slide my hand across her stomach and onto her hip, forcing her to look at me. “We can make it work, we always have.”

“Going a few months without seeing each other over the summer break from college is not the same thing, Dean. You have to live in another city and travel for most of the year. I go through this with my dad and brothers. It’s hard not to see them. It would be even worse with you.”

“It’s better than not seeing me at all. I need you in my life, Kitten.”

“You’re my best friend, Dean. Is that not enough?”

I shake my head. “Not anymore.”

“Then, I’m not sure we have anything left to talk about.”

“Meaning what? That you don’t even want to be friends? You know how hard it is for me to pour my heart out to you, and now, you have nothing left to say to me?”

“I’m sorry, Dean. I wish things were different. For now, all we can be is friends. Don’t you see that? We would only set ourselves up for failure. You would spend all your time missing me and me you, and that’s a distraction you don’t need.”

“You could never be a distraction,” I confess. “I am in love with you, Kitten. My life is not complete without you in it.”

“How about we try out friends with benefits and see how that goes?”

“Seriously?”

Kat nods. “Yeah, I kind of miss being with you, but I don’t think a relationship is right for us. At least not now. You are the only man I have ever been with. I want something to remember before we part ways again.” She moves my hand from her hip and slides it between her thighs. And she’s not wearing any underwear. “I want to spend the rest of the time we have together in this bed.”

“But what about—”

She cuts me off before I can finish my thought. “How about I make you a deal?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“The last time we were together we were both drunk. It didn’t help that I had to hide on the floor in your closet while you talked about me to my brother.”

“I’m still sorry about that,” I tell her, stroking her jaw with my thumb. “I wish I could change everything that happened that morning.”

“What I was going to say is that maybe we need a do-over.” Kat takes my finger and slides it along her slick folds.

I suck in a deep breath.

“Maybe we should give this one more try.”

“I have to convince you with sex?” I laugh at the idea. “And here I thought I already did that.”

She moans when I finally take charge and shove my fingers inside her.

“Is this what you want, Kitten?” I quicken my pace and lean over her.

She closes her eyes and purrs. “Uh-huh.”

“Good, because I want you to come for me.”

“I’m starting to love Dirty Dean a lot more than I used to.” She says this with a smile.

Her lips part for me when I kiss her, starting slow and passionate, the intensity growing with each thrust inside her. Kat palms the back of my head to deepen the kiss, slowly making her way down my back.

She runs her palm over my six-pack and slips her hand inside my boxers to stroke my shaft. I try to focus on anything other than how good her warm hand feels wrapped around me. The sounds that escape her lips only make me harder and more anxious to release the tension from my body.

When Kat comes for me, I stifle her moans with my mouth, kissing her until her body stops convulsing. I grab her hand, telling her to stop so that I can slide my boxers over my hips. Positioning myself between her legs, I stare down at my best friend, my Kitten, the only girl I have ever loved. She looks beautiful with her blonde hair fanned out around her head. For all I know, this could be the last night we have together. I want to make every second count.

I lift her leg over my shoulder, positioning myself at her entrance before I inch myself inside her wetness. I lean forward to suck on her bottom lip and slip my tongue into her mouth. With each kiss, our friendship and the lines that we have already crossed become even more blurred. But nothing has ever felt so right to me.

The animalistic passion I have for Kat consumes me, begging to break free. She covers her mouth with the pillow once I lift her other leg over my shoulder. We share a deep connection that I have never felt for anyone other than Kat. Our level of intimacy is different. My world starts and ends with Kat. For as long as I have known her, no other woman has come close.

As I pick up the pace, her eyes widen, and she bites down on the pillow. With her eyes focused on me, the look of pure ecstasy in them forces me to pound into her harder, faster. Her body convulses once more, the grip she has on me tightening. Although muffled by the fabric, her scream reaches the silent air.

Panic sets in for a moment. I don’t want this to end, but the thought of the Baldwin brothers breaking down the door to interrupt us causes me to move faster.

She lets out one last sigh, watching me, as I find my release. I collapse on top of her and kiss her lips before rolling onto the mattress next to her.

Did I convince her that we could have more? I hope so because my love for Kat is true. After we last had sex, I was confused and unsure of how to separate my feelings. After months apart, what I felt for her back in college has only grown stronger. But how would this work? She’s right about not seeing each other for most of the year.

I move the pillow behind my head and Kat curls up next to me to rest her head on my chest. “Why couldn’t the Blackhawks pick you instead of the Flyers?”

I laugh and plant a kiss on her forehead. “Because I have bad luck.”

She drags her finger along my jaw and smiles. “I wish we could find a way to make this work.”

Her words are like a punch to the gut. “We can,” I tell her. “I will find a way.”

“I guess we can see what happens. Maybe our luck will change.”

“Even if it doesn’t, I will do everything in my power to be with you, Kitten.”

She smiles. “We should get some sleep. Your flight leaves in a few hours.”

“I can sleep on the plane.” I grab her by the hips and pull her on top of me. Her body is more filled out than before. Even her breasts are larger.

Glancing down at my cock, she licks her lips. “You’re hard again.”

“I’m not done with you.” I lift her up just enough to slide her onto me, careful not to fill her all at once.

She falls forward, presses her palms against my chest, and whispers my name. I stare up at her, hoping this means as much to her as it does to me. Falling in love with my best friend was the last thing I wanted to happen. But it did. Now, we have to figure out how to navigate our relationship from here.