Chapter 1

She sat there, on the counter in front of me. Her hair a coppery brown and waving onto her shoulders. Her hands on the counter beside her, gripping the ledge. Her eyes, blue green, looking at me deeply. Studying my face. Her rosy lips were parted and she would bite her bottom lip when she said something she was embarrassed about. She smiled and her perfect teeth were all I saw. Her laugh, so infectious, was like her whole body reacted with joy. She was wearing a white t-shirt and denim shorts. No shoes.

I knew she wanted me to come closer. God, I wanted to. Everything in my body and heart was pulling me to her. My greatest restraint was being exercised. We are drunk and not making good choices. This just cannot be happening. Run, Blake. Run. Get out now.

She reached her hand out and grabbed my pinky finger. That’s all it took.

Both my hands went to her bare knees and my hips between them. I lean in and she looks scared and excited. My eyes lock with hers and there’s fire. I turn my head into her ear and barely brush our cheeks together and whisper, “I want nothing more than to know exactly what it would be like to kiss you. To touch you. But this can’t go anywhere. I love my husband. You love your husband. We can’t do this.”

She shivers at my breath on her neck and I back away. She is shaken.

“Blake...” Shannon bites her lip. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ... about this. I don’t want my life to change. I don’t want our friendship to change. I just want tonight. One night.” She eases off the counter and comes close to me. I shake my head and step back, but she steps closer. I am backed into the kitchen island, cornered. “Tell me to stop.” She says. I can’t. She reaches her hands up to my neck and I succumb. I need this just as badly as she does. No more questions, no more pretending. One night. Just tonight. Nothing more.

I embrace her and our lips finally meet. Her fruity lip gloss tastes delicious. Her full lips kiss mine tenderly and she licks my top lip. She stops and looks up at me, almost like she is making sure I’m still okay with this.

“You’re so beautiful.” I say and take her head in my hands and kiss her harder. She smiles and wraps her arms around my waist. I feel her hands under my tank top on my back. The newness of this, the trust and love I have for my friend, the absolute attraction I have felt for her since the moment we met. The sensations are so much. I stop her for a moment. “I’ve wanted this for so long.” I say.

Shannon pushes the hair out of my face. “Blake,” she whispers and kisses me and caresses my face. My hands move to her stomach and I lift up her t-shirt. She raises her arms and lifts it over her head. Her shirt was thin, so I knew the bra underneath was pink, but now I see her bare skin. She blushes and bites her lip again. I touch her waist and kiss her collarbone and she sighs. I continue kissing her neck and bare chest, then down her arms. She is so still, eyes closed. I place her first two fingers in my mouth and nibble. Her jaw relaxes and she breaths hard. I lightly touch her as I step around to her back. She is standing still and I unclasp her bra. As it hangs on her shoulders I lightly touch her back and push it off of her. I gently kiss her back and trail my lips along her spine, letting my fingertips slide down her sides. She trembles and turns around to face me.

Looking me deep in the eyes she undoes the top button of her shorts and lets them fall to the floor, revealing her lacey pink underwear.

I pull my tank top off and quickly shed my pants. She smiles and grabs me by the waist and pulls me close. We kiss and stumble out of the kitchen, trying to be as close as possible. Her skin against me is an indescribable feeling. She’s so warm. We hungrily touch each other’s bodies and attempt to make it to Shannon’s bedroom. We trip and fall onto the couch, me on top of her. We giggle for a moment, her hands on my neck pull me into her kiss. Her inescapable lips.

“This is amazing.” She whispers, breathless. I push the hair from her face and kiss her jaw, down her neck. My hands wander and I find her breasts. I bring my mouth to her chest and continue kissing, licking, nibbling. I position myself between her knees and our pelvises move together. She’s right. This is amazing. Her hands are on my back and I feel her lips on my shoulder. I feel her hand take mine and intertwine our fingers.