She pulled back and looked up at me. “You’ve seemed to figure out how to do it. So why don’t you teach me?”

“Teach you what, exactly?” I cocked my head trying to figure out what she thought I had figured out so well.

“Your ways,” she giggled spreading her hands out palms up in front of her body. “You’ve figured out how to go through life, enjoying each day, not worrying about tomorrow. You’re a free spirit, able to enjoy Ms. Right Now. I need help finding a Mr. Right Now that can break this cycle for me. I try to go with the flow when I meet men. I feel like I give them a chance to make me feel something. But then, when it doesn’t happen, I seem to find myself over analyzing everything. I guess the whole chemistry thing is a mystery to me. I know what I think I should be feeling. I read all these books, and I know they are just books, but I can still feel the intensity that exists between all the different characters.” She flopped down on the couch, exasperated. “When will I find someone to make me feel like that in real life?” She sighed and turned sad eyes in my direction.

“I don’t know, Gem.” I dropped onto the couch next to her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me in a sideways hug meant to soothe.

I toed off my shoes as she sagged against me for a few seconds, absorbing the comfort that I offered. My hand easily slid up and down the top half of her arm. When my fingertips accidentally brushed along the outer edge of her breast, I felt her body stiffen and heard her breathing speed up. She shifted back, her hazy eyes finding my own. I watched as their focus moved to my mouth, and her tongue swiped across her own lips. Blood rushed to my cock. I closed my eyes to the temptress before me, drawing strength from the fact that we had been drinking and she was feeling vulnerable since she had just ended things with Geoff. I wasn’t going to be the asshole who would take advantage of his drunk best friend. She was way too important to me for me to allow that to happen.

I settled, instead, for kissing her forehead and pulling her back to my chest. My heart pounded against my rib cage. As hard of a decision as that was, it was equally as easy. I wasn’t going to do anything to lose my best friend.

* * *

Gemma was naked above me, smiling down as she slid my hands into place over her full breasts. She was grinding against me, her moans spurring me on.

“Yes, Bastian, yes! Right there, don’t stop. Fuck, yeah. You’re so fucking good at this.”

Just hearing the words fall from her mouth, made me feel like a god. I had known it would be like this if we ever got together. I knew I would own her pleasure. I groaned, thrusting my hips deeper into her heat.

“Baz?” Gemma’s sleepy voice penetrated my subconscious and I slowly opened my eyes, reality quickly replacing my dream. It had been so real, and now here I was sprawled out on Gemma’s couch, her body snuggled perfectly up against me, and my cock hard as a rock and throbbing against her thigh which was thrown over me. I shook the dream from my head as I looked down at her.

“Good morning. I guess we passed out here last night, huh?” My voice was deep and gravelly from sleep. Even though this was completely innocent, I couldn’t help the unfamiliar feeling of intimacy that washed over me. It was something different from anything I had ever experienced before.

“We must’ve,” she mumbled quietly, placing her hand to her forehead and yawning loudly. As she squirmed to get up, her thigh brushed repeatedly against my hard on. The more she tried to avoid it, the worse it got. I groaned audibly at the pressure, then reached down and carefully extracted her from where she had been wedged tightly between me and the back of the couch. As soon as she was standing her eyes were trained on the bulge that housed my now painfully hard cock.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Her face turned the brightest shade of red I had ever seen and she covered it quickly with her hands and turned away.

I swung my legs over the side of the couch. “No worries, Gem. It’s not your fault. You’re familiar with the term ‘morning wood’, aren’t you?” Yeah, let’s blame it on that and not the fact that I was having an X-rated dream about my best friend. I adjusted myself slightly as I stood. “Excuse me for a minute while I use your bathroom.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course,” she kept her eyes downcast as I stepped around her.

After last night’s admission, her embarrassment made so much more sense. How much experience does she have? I shook the thought from my mind as quickly as it entered. But as I stood over the toilet willing my cock to soften so I could pee, my dream came rushing back. How wrong would it be to stroke myself in her bathroom? Way wrong, I’m guessing.

By the time I had finished up and headed back to the living room, I could smell coffee brewing. I wandered into the kitchen where I found Gemma standing in front of the open refrigerator. There were 2 coffee mugs sitting on the counter. She still had on the same clothes from last night, her hair was a tousled mess and she looked sexy as hell.

“You ok with coconut milk creamer?” She leaned back so she could see me around the open door and held out the container.

“Yes, ma’am,” I nodded, surprised that she had the brand that I usually bought on hand. “It’s what I actually prefer.”

“Want me to make us some breakfast? I have eggs and bacon in here. Some veggies and cheese too. I can whip up some omelets.”

“Sounds great, but don’t feel like you have to go to all that trouble on my account, I’m good with just coffee.” I took the creamer from her hand on my way towards the coffee pot.

“I have to eat too, Baz. I don’t mind cooking for you. When’s the last time you had something actually homemade to eat? Literally homemade. Something that didn’t come from a box or a takeout container?” Hands perched on her hips, her head tilted and her brow arched at me in challenge.

“I know how to cook.” I set the creamer down as I shrugged defensively, palms up in front of me. “I just choose to eat out most of the time because it’s easier.”

“Way to sidestep the question. That’s it, I’m making you my specialty. You’re gonna love it, I promise,” she smiled as she crossed her finger over her heart. She was too adorable.

“Well then, I guess now would be the best time to tell you that I don’t like eggs,” I watched as she paused, her hands already filled with a bunch of different ingredients. She set them down before she turned to me.

“You don’t like eggs? How did I not know that? Like any kind of eggs? Who doesn’t like eggs?” Her big blue eyes were even larger than normal as she chewed on her bottom lip. “Well, um, I’m not sure what else I can make?”

“Gotcha!” I laughed.

“You jerk!” She swatted at me playfully.

I grabbed her hand mid-swat and her momentum propelled her small frame forward against my chest. She looked up at me through her dark lashes and I could swear the sexual tension in the room could’ve been cut with a knife. I looked away and backed up a step, putting some space between us.

“Sorry, it’s just so easy to get a rise out of you.” I chuckled. “I couldn’t help myself. I would love whatever your specialty is.” My hands formed a prayer configuration in front of my heart and I bowed my head in thanks.

“I don’t know. That was sorta mean,” she looked to the ground as if she was debating. “Maybe you don’t deserve my specialty…” she sounded almost hurt, but I could tell she was teasing me.

“Please, Gemma. I would be honored if you made me your specialty. I’m certain it will be amazing.” Everything else about her certainly was.

“I don’t know,” she glanced away, looking indifferent. “Maybe if you say please again. Nicely.” She smirked as she looked at me.

“Pretty please with a cherry on top.” I paused, and when she didn’t respond I could tell she was waiting for more, so I dropped to my knees in a pleading motion. “Please feed me, Gem. You said yourself you knew it had been forever since I’ve had a home cooked meal. Pretty, pretty please?” Groveling wasn’t anything that I had much experience with, but if it would make her smile the way she was now, I’d be more than happy to do it anytime she wanted.

“I could get used to this, you on your knees, begging me,” her eyes got wide at her own insinuation, then she swatted her hand in front of her in an upward motion. “Ok. Get up. I’ll cook for you, but only because you asked so nicely.” She quickly turned back to the counter and her ingredients.

I got up, laughing, she was adorable when she was flustered. “What can I do to help?” I asked, watching as she started opening containers, drawers and cupboard doors.

She turned back, the whisk in her hand pointed at me. “You can get our coffee. I got the rest,” she winked.

I poured the coffee and added our creamer. Another perk of being friends forever, I knew just how diluted she liked it. I set hers on the counter and took a seat at the island that was directly behind her perky ass.

“Want some cooking music?” I asked reaching for the cordless speaker and powering it on, then I reached into my pocket for my phone to sync my Bluetooth to it.

“Sure.”

I settled on the Bruno Mars and More channel on AmazonMusic. She sang “Easy Come, Easy Go” and danced as she prepped everything. There was something comforting and familiar about the whole domestic scene that surrounded me, like this was totally normal. Just another day in our life together. Another day in our life together? Where’d that thought come from? Get real, dude. The longer I watched though, the bigger the smile grew on my face. When did I start thinking like that? I knew I should be hearing alarm bells sounding. Instead, all I heard was Gemma’s sweet voice singing along to the music.