Pretend for Me (12 page)

How had an innocent weekend away, of him playing her
pretend boyfriend, turned into this?

She stroked his hair, and Andy allowed himself to
relax in her arms. He was a goner. Travis was right. Sara was different from
all of his other women. Keeping his eyes open he stared across the room. He’d
gone and fallen in love with Sara Carroll. His best friend had become the woman
he loved. The knowledge rushed through him shaking him to the core.

“What’s the matter?” she asked again.

“I don’t want to let you go,” he said, admitting the
truth. He leaned down and kissed her lips. The impulse to take her again was
strong within him. He didn’t want the moment to ever stop.

She responded to him as if she was born to do so.

The rain and thunder continued to rain down around
them. Andy held her close. Her naked tits pressed against his chest. He pulled
out of the tight heat of her pussy to rid himself of the used condom. Once he
tied the latex and moved it out of the way he went back to making love to her
mouth. There was no stopping him. Her taste and the feel of her surrounding him
drove him insane. Having her in his arms was better than anything he’d ever
realized.

Sara whimpered, and her nails raked down his back.
He’d wear her nails marks with pride.

He ran his fingers through her hair to capture her
head in his hands. Andy deepened the kiss, and with his other he caught her hip
pulling her against him. He needed to feel her close. The urgency surprised
him.

Andy broke the kiss and stared down into her eyes. She
covered his mouth with her fingers before he got chance to say anything. “I can
feel it, too.”

Not knowing what
it
was, he kissed down to her neck inhaling her sweet scent.

You can’t let her go. She’s not the kind of woman you love and leave.

She’s a keeper, Andy.

His thoughts wouldn’t stop no matter how many times he
tried to push them to the side. No woman made him feel this wanting. He loved
women. Sara was just another woman in a long line of them.

No, she’s not.

Closing his eyes he kissed down her body to her breasts.
Her pebbled nipples called to him. They were so ripe. He licked the first bud
then moved onto the next. She moaned, and her chest pushed up against his
searching mouth.

Her fingers ran through his hair as he kissed his way
down her body. She let out a giggle when he dipped his tongue into her belly
button.

Gazing up into her sparkling eyes he opened her thighs
and went farther down her body.

“Oh, Andy,” she said. The breathless gasp left her the
moment his tongue circled her swollen bud. Her taste exploded on his tongue. He
ran his hands up the inside of her smooth, creamy thighs.

Her legs fell open inviting him in. Andy plunged two
fingers inside her wet heat increasing the pleasure with his tongue. Her hands
fisted at her sides, and her head moved from side to side as he continued to
lick her with his tongue.

Moving his hands up to grab hers Andy held her as she
came apart under his tongue. Her cries of pleasure filled the room, and he
refused to let go of her naked bud. He sucked the nub into his mouth prolonging
the pleasure.

She shook and cried with each passing second. Watching
her come apart was the most wondrous thing he’d ever witnessed.
 
Her pale skin took on a rouge look with her
orgasm. She splintered apart, and throughout it all Andy held onto her. Nothing
was ever going to change his feelings for her. Their relationship was only just
beginning.

“No more. Please, Andy, stop,” she said, begging him.
He released her then crawled up her body. She cupped his cheek, her chest
heaving with each indrawn breath. “That was amazing.”

He collapsed on top of her. Words once again failed
him. His head rested on her breasts. The soft mounds were a comfort to him in
his moment of uncertainty. For five years he’d wanted her. That want had begun
to get harder to handle within the last year. Now, he’d had her Andy didn’t
want to stop. This was real for him. How could he put his needs into words
without sounding like a bastard? He’d not been lying when he said he didn’t
believe in marriage. He knew it was crazy considering his parents had a
wonderful marriage.

They’d been dependent on each other, and at times
growing up, Andy had felt like an outsider to their love. His parents had never
said
anything different or made him
feel like an outsider. Watching the way his parents looked at one another had
been evidence enough. There had been silent signals between them.

****

Sara was speechless. What words were necessary? She
stroked his head where he lay nestled against her breasts. The weight of him
crushed her to the floor, but she didn’t mind. Moving him wasn’t an option. She
loved the feel of him above her, and it prolonged the experience of him in her
arms. All of the experience she had with other boyfriends, none of it, could
have prepared her for this. Andy possessed her body, and he possessed her
heart. There was no denying the way she felt any longer. The instant she’d seen
him five years ago she’d fallen for him. Out of all the men that passed through
her life, he was the only one to offer his help. She’d been caught in his web
that day.

Their friendship was blossoming into something she
couldn’t control. Every time she’d thought about changing the parameters of
their friendship something would happen that made her happy they were friends
instead of lovers.

“I can’t go back,” Andy said. His breath brushed
across her nipple making it tighten.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll always be my friend, but I don’t want this to
be a mistake, Sara. This means something to me.”

She held her breath waiting for him to speak.

“I don’t know what it means. I wish I knew.”

Her heart pounded against her chest. The rain and
thunder started to die off outside the summer house.

“I think we need to get dressed. They’ll be outside
looking for us.”

He leaned up with his arm near her head. “Promise me
nothing’s going to change between us.”

She frowned. “I thought you said you didn’t want to go
back to the way things were.”

“I know. What I meant is
,
could we change it?”

“What? Like friends with benefits?” she asked.

Andy nodded. She nibbled her lip thinking about what
he proposed. For him, she’d be happy to have a relationship that didn’t depend
on commitment.

“Yes, that would be best,” she said.

He kissed her lips and then helped her to her feet.
They dressed in silence. The more she thought about their new arrangement the
more she liked it. So many relationships were headed for disaster because of
the constant need for love.

She loved Andy. There was no denying her feelings for
him. She could settle for a friendship with sex.

By the time she pulled on her blouse Dylan and Danny
were opening the door to the guest house. Andy claimed her lips with his before
anyone could say anything.

Danny cleared his throat. She ignored her brother and
kissed the man she loved, the man who had the power to break her heart with a
few choice words. Sara felt like one of the heroines in her novels.

Thinking of her novel, she wondered how Andy had
gotten hold of a paperback copy. He’d been reading one of her romantic suspense
novels throughout the rehearsal. The book had done really well and was what had
given her the chance to fulfill her dream of writing full-time.

He broke away from the kiss with his hand still
tangled in her red hair.

“I take it you survived the storm?” Danny asked. “Bethany
is having a fit. She’s thinking of suing Mother Nature if she dares let it rain
on her wedding day.”

Sara chuckled. She saw her sister-in-law arguing her
point in a court of law. In her mind she saw the jurors as a load of
disgruntled brides.

“I’m sure it will be one for the record books, the
bride that sued the weather.”

Andy grabbed her hand, and together they walked out of
the summer house. Most of the cars had gone from the driveway.

“Is the rehearsal over?” she asked her brother.

“Bethany has decided to let fate take its course.
We’re the only couple who’s going to have a rehearsal one month before the
actual date.”

She looked over at her brother with sympathy.

“Why are you waiting a month? I thought you had the
rehearsal a few days before the actual big day?” Andy enquired.

“Work schedules. Neither of us had the space to
accommodate a wedding and a honeymoon. The extra planning gave us the time we
needed.”

Sara hated it when her family let business overrule
love.

She extracted her hand from Andy’s. “I’ve got to go
and check a few things. I’ll see you at dinner.” She leaned up and kissed his
lips then ran off to her room.

Inspiration had struck. Ignoring the calls from her
family she went to her laptop, flicked open a new document, and then started
typing away. Her mind kept drifting over their lovemaking. She started her
document off by writing plenty of notes.

When it was time for dinner several hours later she’d written
a great deal of the opening of the story. She opened her inbox and quickly
typed a letter to her publisher. Sara gave a general outline to see if they’d
like the idea of her story. Once she finished, she changed out of her wrinkled
clothes and into a denim skirt and black shirt.

Andy stood outside of her door waiting for her.

“How have you been?” he asked.

“Working.”

“I heard.”

She saw he held two cups and another one of her books.
“Where were you?”

He pointed to the wall by her bedroom door. “I was
waiting. I heard you typing and muttering as you went along.”

“You waited outside my door for me?”

Andy shrugged. “I wanted to.”

He offered her his hand, and together they descended
the stairs to the dining room. She was seated next to Dylan, and Andy was
placed between her two oldest brothers. Sara scowled at her father but took her
seat without argument.

Why was her family trying so desperately to put her
with Dylan? She knew he came from a good background and their parents were good
friends, but this was ridiculous. Her heart lay with Andy. No matter what her
family tried to do she’d be forever devoted to him.

She rubbed her temple when Dylan’s hand stroked her
leg.

Grabbing his hand she pushed him away from her.

“Don’t,” she said, muttering to him.

Her feelings for Dylan were starting to turn to
hatred.

“So, Andy, what do you think of the books I’ve been
leaving you?” Tracy asked. Her sister shot her a wink.

“I really enjoyed them. I’ve been trying to find out
the author, but there is nothing about her,” Andy said.

She watched him scoop some potatoes onto his plate and
then hand them to her brother. Tracy sniggered.

“The author is sitting right in front of you,” Tracy
said.

Sara felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. She
wasn’t ashamed of what she wrote but couldn’t believe her sister had just told
him so brazenly in front of him.

“You wrote that book?” Andy asked.

Nodding her head, she took the bowl from Dylan. She
filled her plate with enough food to sink a ship.

“You’re an amazing writer. I can see why you decided
to fulfill your dream.”

His foot stroked her ankle under the table. She smiled
over at him. “Now you can understand why I encouraged you to open your clubs.
Cube is my favorite though.”

He laughed. The joke passed between them.

Her brothers tried to get him to talk more about
business, but her mother wasn’t having any of it. Dylan kept his wandering
hands to himself. She and Andy stayed with her family until it was time for
bed.

She showered and dressed and waited for his knock on
her door. Thirty minutes after she heard her parents go to bed Andy rapped on
her door.

Running to the door, she shushed him up then pulled
him inside. Before she’d closed the door he’d pressed her against the wood and
kissed her.

Sara melted against him. His touch ignited a flame
inside her.

“I need you,” he said.

Pulling him toward her bed she removed her gown. Their
friendship was going to do just fine.

Chapter Eleven

Sunday came, and Andy was never more thankful to see
the green of the countryside behind him. Her family was incredibly hard to
like. He understood that Sara was the youngest of all of them, but the way they
treated her it was like she was still in her mid-teens instead of mid-twenties.