“I’m not pregnant!” Kat shouts, then leans forward so she can whisper. “I’m not. What Captain over here forgot to mention is it’s a bargain between the two of us.” Before she can finish, Mary interrupts, her eyes twinkling with glee as she claps her hands together in excitement.
“Oh em gee! You’re friends with benefits! Love it! You need to get laid, chica, so it’s about time. I can’t believe you're sleeping with him!” Mary wiggles her eyebrows, and I’m fascinated with how red my Princess blushes.
And there goes my brain cells all the way to my dick as I picture sliding my fingers across that smooth, soft skin and stroking her body until her mouth drops open into the perfect O and her cheeks turn a rosy red.
“Mary! No, we aren’t sleeping together! He’s my fake boyfriend and I’ll play his fake girlfriend,” Kat says in a rush before her friend can say anything else or come to any more conclusions.
I can’t stop looking at her. I feel like I’ve been walking around blind until she came into my life. I really don’t have words for what she makes me feel, but it burns me alive inside and leaves me wanting more. I never thought I’d have these feelings after everything that’s happened to me, but she’s woken something up inside me that doesn’t want to go back to sleep. My eyes are wide open, and I need to decide how to handle this without everything exploding and breaking me apart.
Then I notice the dark circles under her eyes, her skin pale as if she didn’t get enough rest. Her outfit is a pair of overall shorts with fishnets underneath, black combat boots covering her feet, and a yellow long-sleeved shirt under her overalls that hugs her frame. I’ll have to give her my jacket once we leave, but that’s okay, I’m used to the cold. She’s not eating the pancakes in front of her, so I clasp her knee in my palm with a slight squeeze before relaxing my hand.
“Eat. You haven’t had anything in the last twenty-four hours,” I grumble under my breath and push her plate closer to her.
She hides her grin before digging in and places a piece in her mouth. The moan that comes out of her mouth at that first bite travels straight to my cock, as if she grasped me in her hand and stroked me with one long pull up and down. How does she affect me this way? I want to roar and pound my fist on my chest each time she smiles at me. She’s messing with my head.
“Why move in together though?” Mary asks after a while as she watches our exchange without blinking. She keeps eating when Beast shoves a fry in her mouth with a sigh so powerful, it could knock her down.
“I’m getting a job and I’m going to start skating more, because I think it’s time. You know why…” Kat trails off, and they have a silent conversation until Kat looks down at her food. Mary turns to me with watery eyes and smiles slightly while mouthing ‘thank you.’ I nod my head and wonder if she knows something that could help me understand my Princess more.
After a while, we keep eating and talking about non serious subjects, and I realize how easy it is to laugh with Kat as she giggles at Mary and Beast’s natural banter. I slip a twenty on the table and crowd into her space, nudging her with my body to get out of the booth. She scoots out with a grin and stands in front of me. Looking up at her from my sitting position, I tilt my head, wondering why she’s staring at me like that. She holds her hand out, palm up, and I place mine in hers as I get up. We walk out hand and hand behind our friends as we pretend it’s part of the act, but I’m not saying anything to break this moment.
“Ready?” I ask her, watching her blow out a deep breath with a small nod as we head in the direction of her father's house.
12
Kat
I like Granger, I mean, really like him, and it’s freaking me out on the inside. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m supposed to pretend to like him, but with how fast he makes my heart race, I think it’s more. He flashes me a smile with a dimple that sets me off again, heat coating my body, just before I unlock my father’s front door. I know he’s trying to put me at ease, and I’m grateful for him because I don’t think I could do this by myself. This isn’t my house and hasn’t been for a long time. Granger is about to witness that as soon as I open the door. No more hiding, even if I wanted to.
Here goes nothing.
I don’t bother being quiet, because Father is at work. It’s the afternoon, so he should be at the office doing stupid brokerage work. I lead Granger past the foyer of muted and dark tones that makes the place look like a funeral home. I quicken my pace, heading up the stairs with him on my heels.
"Help me pack, then let's get the hell out of here," I tell him as I push my bedroom door open and rush to my closet for my suitcase.
"Where do you need me?" he asks, his voice quiet and deep with understanding.
So many answers float through my head…where do I need him? I need him to tell me it's going to be okay and hug me in his strong arms until it rings true. But I don't say any of that, I just point to my dresser as I toss him a traveling bag.
"Just start throwing my clothes in this from the pink dresser." He catches it one-handed and opens my top drawer with a
