Blog Archives
Best Friends, Chapter Four
Many of you have been following Kat and Ryan’s story in Best Friends. This is a romantic comedy, and I absolutely loved writing this short story. Before reading this chapter, please make sure to read Chapter 1, 2, and 3 first. Here are the links:
Chapter 1: Link
Chapter 2: Link
Chapter 3: Link
Best Friends
Chapter Four
The strong body braced against her pulled her closer. When the powerful arms embraced her from behind and wrapped around her, she sighed. It had been so long to have a warm body next to her. As soon as the hand snuck under her shirt, her eyes flung open. Immediately recognizing that it was Ryan’s hand exploring her body, Kat froze. Was he even awake? Did he know what he was doing?
Kat wanted to stop him, but she was unable to resist the way he was making her feel. Her breathing hitched when his hand found her breast. She bit her bottom lip to stop the moan from escaping. A part of her knew this was wrong in every way, but it felt too good. What was wrong with her? It was Ryan, her buddy, for heaven’s sake!
She felt his face in the nape of her neck, as he continued seducing her with his tongue. When he played with her nipple, Kat couldn’t hold the moan back. She knew Ryan was aroused when she felt him against her hips, and she couldn’t stop herself from leaning into him.
“I want you, Sarah. I have to have you, right now.”
Reality hit her like a ton of bricks. Ryan was apparently still asleep and thought she was Sarah. Kat pulled herself out of his hold and rolled off the bed.
Confused, Ryan’s eyes sprung open as he tried to process the situation.
Kat stood back up, grabbed her pillow, and hit him with it. “Are you crazy? It’s me, dummy! You’re trying to make out with me.”
Ryan continued staring at her and finally realized what happened. For a brief second, he was embarrassed, but then he chuckled under his breath. “I wake up horny every morning. What do you want from me?”
“You called me Sarah!” Kat accused.
“Of course I would think you’re Sarah. I’ve been with her for the last couple of months. Would you have rather I called you Kat? Now, that would have been weird, wouldn’t it?”
Kat remained silent. He was absolutely right, of course. The only problem was that she knew it was Ryan that had turned her on. Suddenly ashamed, she turned away.
“I’m going for a run this morning. I think I need it. You coming?” Kat decided to change the subject. She knew it was pretty early in the morning, and the others were probably still sleeping.
“Of course. I’ll see you downstairs in about ten minutes?”
Kat dodged to the bathroom with a change of clothes. She put on her jogging shorts and her tank top, pulled her hair up in a high ponytail, and headed downstairs. Ryan was already waiting for her by the front porch wearing his tank top and basketball shorts. Kat always knew he had a fit body since he worked out all the time, but noticing how sexy he looked was making her feel uneasy.
Deliberately pushing all thoughts away, Kat took her frustrations out on the run.
***
The group decided to go horseback riding and canoeing that day. Once again, Kat was annoyed at how hard Jenna kept trying to get close to Ryan. True to his word, though, Ryan continued to focus his attention on Kat and be the devoted boyfriend.
By the time they got back to the cabin, Kat was beat and was ready to crash. She was glad the trip would end tomorrow since this charade had drained her. Not understanding her feelings toward Ryan, she decided to call it an early night. By the time Ryan got into their room, she was fast asleep.
The next day, Kat woke up extra early. She took a quick shower and watched Ryan as he still remained asleep. She always recognized that he’d grown up to be a beautiful man, but she’d never thought of him as anything more than her best friend. Lying there shirtless, Ryan’s chiseled chest, defined abs, and muscular arms screamed for her. Bottom line was, she wanted him.
Just then, Ryan’s eyes flew open. “What’s up? Why are you staring at me?”
Kat wondered if Ryan had been awake all that time and somehow figured out that she had shamelessly fantasized about him. “Has this weekend been weird for you?” she finally asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Okay, you’re my best friend, and I can tell you anything, right? I mean, I’ve always been able to tell you anything I wanted, so why should it change now?”
“Spit it out, Kat. What’s wrong?” Ryan sat up, suddenly curious.
“Well, I’ve been kinda sorta attracted to you. It could be because we’re in an intimate setting? I don’t know. But I need to get it out of my system. Do you want to be…you know?”
Ryan raised his eyebrows. “No, I don’t know. What are you saying?”
“Geez, Ryan! Do I have to spell everything out? I wouldn’t mind if we were friends with benefits. I mean, I’d be willing to try, if you were.”
Ryan jumped out of the bed and marched toward her. “You want to have sex with me?”
“Don’t worry, no strings attached. Admit it, Ryan, you were turned on yesterday morning. Sure, you thought I was Sarah, but it was still my body. I think we’re adults enough to handle it.”
Ryan stood in front of her and stared down hard at her, making her feel nervous. “I don’t know whether to take your proposal as a compliment or an insult.”
“Why would you take it as an insult?” Kat placed her hand on his bare chest, no longer in control of her actions.
Ryan grabbed her hand by her wrist and shoved it away. “Because, Kat, you just made me feel like a piece of meat.”
Kat rolled her eyes. “Will you stop analyzing everything? You sleep around with girls all the time. You have one night stands, for heaven’s sake!”
Clenching his jaw, Ryan pulled away from her. “No, the answer is no. I don’t want to be your friend with benefits. It would completely ruin our friendship.” Ryan walked toward their door. “I’m going for a run…alone this time.”
Hearing the door slam, Kat closed her eyes. She had no idea why he was upset with her, but she probably shouldn’t have said anything to him. This whole experience at the retreat had been awkward for both of them, and she couldn’t wait to go back to her normal life.
Surprised to hear the soft knock on the door, she said, “Come in.”
Jeff strolled in, closing the door behind him. “Trouble in paradise?”
“What do you mean?”
“Ryan slamming the door woke everybody up, Katrina.”
“As usual, I think you’re reading too much into it, Jeff. What do you want?”
“Look, I didn’t come here to argue. I just haven’t been able to get you alone at all this weekend. I have to get this off of my chest. I’m still in love with you. I’ve never been able to get over you.” Jeff walked toward her, his arms reaching for her.
Kat stepped away from him, confused. “What are you saying? We broke up six months ago. What about Angel?”
“Angel is nobody serious. You know that. I was upset because you wouldn’t agree to move in with me at the time. I was ready for the next step, and you weren’t. I’ve regretted my decision to end our relationship ever since. Please give me another chance, Katrina. What we had was special. Don’t give up on us.”
Kat frowned, her mind completely jumbled from this new information. “Jeff, you’re throwing a lot at me right now.”
“I know, honey. But, I had to just go for it. I would forever regret it if I didn’t fight for you.” Jeff reached her and took her hand. Kissing it softly, his baby blue eyes stared into her green ones. “You know I love you, right?”
Kat inhaled a deep breath. “I’m confused, Jeff. I need some time to think this over. You can’t just expect me to forget the last six months since our breakup.”
“No, of course not, dear Katrina. Let’s just get back home, and I’ll call you this evening when we can talk in peace.” Jeff leaned into her and teased her lips with his before turning around and walking out of the door.
Okay, chapter five will be posted next week. Hope you’re enjoying how this story is developing. What’s up with Jeff? Ugh, can’t stand him! Love how Kat suggest to Ryan that they should be friends with benefits. 🙂
If you’re interested in continuing with this story or any other short stories, you can get Loving You Hurts So Good on Amazon. It’s also free on Kindle Unlimited. Amazon
If you’re interested in reading any other books, here’s my Amazon page. Link
Fate’s Roar (Prologue)
On Feb 16th, my seventh novel, Fate’s Roar, will be released! Yikes!
Special introductory price of only 99cents on Kindle. (Limited time)
Here’s the prologue:
They were in that burning house. He could feel it. As he dove down, hoping he wasn’t too late, Shane felt the hot, crackling wind, accompanied by thick, black smoke, whipping around him. The flames rose high, daring him to come closer, hissing and roaring.
He had no time to worry about the raging inferno. Without a second thought, he crashed through the roof of the house and plunged downward to where his brother’s ring was calling out to him. Shane wasn’t worried about his flesh being burned because he knew he would heal quickly. On the other hand, Damien and Kelsey were mere humans. All he could do was pray they were still alive.
Shane allowed his senses to take over, and within seconds, he was standing next to both of their bodies. Snatching them up in his arms, he flew out of the burning house, making sure to cover them with his own body in order to protect them from the flames. As soon as he had them a safe distance away from the blazing building that was on the verge of collapsing, he placed them down on the ground.
“Damien! Come on, open your eyes!” Shane was desperate as he shook him. He wouldn’t allow his brother to die like this.
Shane could hear Damien and Kelsey’s heartbeats, but just barely. If only Damien hadn’t decided to become a human, he would already be healed. Pushing the thought away, Shane forced himself to focus on the current situation. He had to get Damien and Kelsey help before it was too late.
When he heard voices not too far away, Shane leapt back up to his feet. Carrying Damien and Kelsey in his arms, he sprinted toward the sound. Within seconds, he was standing behind tall bushes, watching a woman and a young girl next to her.
“Mom, I’m worried about Aunt Kelsey.” The young girl stared at the fire, looking terrified at the sight.
“It’s okay, Samantha. Help is on its way. Besides, Damien is with her, so I’m sure they got out,” the mother said, trying to reassure her daughter.
“How could they have? Look at the fire, Mom! Damien was shot, remember?” The girl was pulling on her mom’s shirt, trying to hold back her panic.
Shane cringed when he heard that Damien was shot. He had smelled blood, but wasn’t sure what the injury was from. He was at least glad he saw a man’s dead body in the woods as he was approaching the house. He presumed that body must belong to the lunatic serial killer that had been after Kelsey. Realizing he couldn’t afford to waste another second, he shifted into his human form. While still holding Damien and Kelsey in his arms, he approached the woman and her daughter.
As soon as the woman saw him, she instantly pointed her gun at Shane. “Stop where you are. I’ll shoot.”
“It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m Damien’s brother. Kelsey and Damien need your help.” Shane placed their bodies down so the woman could get a closer look.
“It’s Kelsey!” the young girl exclaimed, and she began to run toward them.
Her mother grabbed her from behind and held her back. “Stop, Samantha! We don’t know this person!”
“Please, they need help,” Shane begged as he kneeled next to his brother. What if this woman refused to help? Should he take Damien and Kelsey to the nearest hospital? Shane knew there wasn’t enough time for that, though. They were barely hanging on. He should just grab the woman and make her help.
“Help is on its way. Don’t move!” the woman commanded, the gun still pointing at Shane. “There’s a crazy killer on the loose.”
“You don’t need to worry about him anymore. He’s dead. I saw his body with my own eyes,” Shane assured her. “I can’t stay here. You need to help Damien and Kelsey. They’re barely breathing.” Shane was just about to use his powers to force the woman to cooperate, but he noticed she lowered the gun and walked toward him, still holding her daughter’s hand.
As soon as she approached them, the woman collapsed next to Kelsey. “Dear God,” she whispered. “It’s the smoke inhalation.” Immediately, she started CPR on Kelsey.
Following her lead, Shane began to do the same with Damien. When he felt the young girl standing close to him, he glanced up at her. Wide, amber eyes with tiny gold specks stared back at him in awe. For a split second, he was lost. In that instant, time had stopped, and he had to fight hard to maintain his focus. What was it about this innocent girl who was watching him so intently?
Knowing he had to ensure that the mother and the daughter forgot about him, he used his powers to get into the young girl’s head. He decided that soon as he was done with her, he’d do the same with her mother. Since she was busy with Kelsey, the mother didn’t notice Shane whisper to the girl. “You will not remember seeing me. All you know is somehow Damien and Kelsey were able to get out. When I count to three, you will close your eyes. One, two, three.”
The young girl did not close her eyes. Instead, she watched him curiously. “Are you a superhero?” she whispered.
Shane shook his head in shock. His powers hadn’t worked on her. How could that be? It was impossible! He tried it again, but the girl continued to resist his powers. He could even feel some type of a barrier in her mind—a barrier he couldn’t break.
“Why are you naked?” she asked out loud.
“Samantha!” her mother scolded as she continued desperately with CPR.
Shane had completely forgotten about his appearance. When he had shifted into a human, he didn’t have any clothes he could put on. It was the least of his priorities given the circumstances.
“I’m sorry, but I must go,” Shane said to the mother. “I believe your help is almost here. At least Kelsey and Damien are breathing a bit stronger now. I would appreciate it if you don’t mention me to the authorities. Please just tell them they were able to get out from the burning house, but soon passed out.” Shane’s acute sense of hearing could already hear the emergency sirens in the distance.
The mother stood back up and blinked several times, as if trying to decide. The young girl stepped closer to him and said, “Thank you for saving Aunt Kelsey. We will keep your secret. Right, Mom?” She looked up at her mother, waiting for her to agree.
Shane contemplated whether he should use his powers on the mother to make her forget seeing him. He quickly changed his mind, though, not wanting the burden of keeping his secret to solely fall on the young girl.
He took a step closer to the mother and daughter team. “My name is Shane. I’m Damien’s younger brother. Please take care of my brother and Kelsey. I will come to the hospital as soon as I possibly can.”
The mother nodded. “I’m Sofia, and this is my daughter, Samantha.” Sofia still seemed hesitant, but relieved that Damien and Kelsey were out of the fire.
“Aunt Kelsey calls me Sammy. You can call me Sammy, too,” the young girl softly chimed in.
Shane’s attention fell on her once again. He threw her a slight smile and said, “Thank you for being so brave, little Sammy. And thank you for keeping my secret.” When the sirens were becoming louder, he turned back to the mother. “I must go.”
Without another word, Shane turned and disappeared into the night. All the while, he could feel the young girl’s haunting eyes boring into him.
Check out the dream cast:
Jalpa Williby 