What Are Friends For? by Lynn LaFleur Read Free Book Online

generous amount of creamer. When she looked his way, he quickly turned his attention back to the bacon.
    He must hate her if he couldn’t even look in her eyes.
    Tension flowed between them, so thick she doubted even a machete could cut it. Her throat tightened, tears filled her eyes. She’d been so absorbed with her need to have someone in her life, she hadn’t considered how sex between them would affect Luke.
    Her vision blurry with tears, she groped for the counter so she could set down her mug before she dropped it. “I think…” Her voice came out sounding like she hadn’t used it in a week. She cleared her throat. “I think I’d better go.”
    “Why?”
    “Be-because you obviously don’t want me here.”
    “What makes you say that?”
    “You won’t even look at me.”
    She swiped at the tears before they could fall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke remove the bacon from the skillet and turn off the burner. He walked over to her, placed one finger under her chin, and lifted her face to his. It thrust a knife into her heart to see the sadness in his eyes. “I need to know something, Erin.”
    “Anything.”
    “What happened between us last night?”
    She didn’t understand his question. “I don’t know what you mean.”
    “I want you to tell me what happened between us in the pool house and the bedroom.”
    She wished she knew what he wanted her to say. “We had sex.”
    He stared into her eyes for several long seconds before he spoke again. “Yeah, I thought that’s what you’d say.”
    He released her and returned to the stove. “Scrambled eggs okay?”
    Erin felt as if she’d wandered into one of those weird funhouse places, where all the mirrors distorted the images so nothing made sense. “Luke, are you angry at me?”
    He took a clean skillet out of the cabinet. She saw his chest expand with a deep breath. “No, I’m not angry. I’m disappointed.”
    The knife went a little deeper into her heart. Luke thought she was lousy in bed too. He came three times with her! She guessed that didn’t matter since a guy always came. An orgasm must not automatically mean satisfaction.
    Once again, she’d failed as a lover.
    “I’m sorry.” Her voice broke when tears filled her eyes again. “I tried so h-hard to p-please you.”
    “Shit,” he muttered. He returned to her, standing close enough that she could smell herself on his skin. “I’m not disappointed in you as a lover, Erin. You were incredible. The best I’ve ever had. I don’t understand why the idiot lovers you’ve had never called you back. I guess because they’re idiots.”
    “Then what—“
    “I’m disappointed in what you said happened between us. You said we had sex.”
    “We did have sex.”
    “No, Erin. We made love . It was hot and wild and intense, but still making love.”
    He sounded like Zoe. “What does it matter what I call it?”
    “It matters because it was special to me.” He wrapped his fingers around her upper arms. “I went along with your idea because I wanted to help you if I could. And I’m a typical man who’s led by his dick. I doubt if any man alive would be able to resist you in that green bikini. You have a really hot body, Erin.” He slid his hands down her arms to clasp hers. “But it’s more than just your incredible looks. I love how I can talk to you about anything. It’s been that way since the moment we met. We have a very special friendship and it would kill me to lose it. But after last night…” He lifted her hands, kissed the knuckles of both of them. “I think we could have something even more special, something that goes beyond just friendship.”
    The tension in her chest completely disappeared, to be replaced with a glowing warmth. She’d wasted so much time looking for that special someone when he was already in her life. She squeezed his hands. “I think we could have something really special too.”
    * * * * *
     
    Luke lowered his head as Erin