Page 30 of Take Me
“Um.”That didn’t sound happy.“Really?”
“Yes, really.”He grumbles something under his breath.
“What did you say?”
Sighing, he swings those flashing blue eyes back to mine.“I said, ‘Why did I have to pick a fake girlfriend who’d turn me into a walking boner at a lesbian wedding?’”He’s clenching his teeth so hard his jaw jumps.“That came out wrong.”
One edge of my mouth twitches.“It did?”
“I meant, you look very nice, Erika.”
“Okay, um, I’m not really sure what to say now.”I walk around the coffee table and sit down beside him on the couch.I’m careful to keep a few feet between us, not sure what to make of this shift in our friendship.“I mean, obviously when we kissed, I noticed you had a big hard-on.”
He blinks his gaze back to mine.“Bybigyou meanhugeormassive, right?Like bigger than a?—”
“Will you be serious for one second?”I probably shouldn’t have started this talk by focusing on his penis.“My point is that it’s just a basic, biological function.Like, you’d probably get hard kissing Mrs.Hartman, right?”
Mason winces.“You’re comparing yourself to my geriatric childhood babysitter with dementia?”
“I’m just saying.It didn’t mean anything, right?I didn’t take it personally.”I tug at the top again, which is sure digging into my skin.I’m gonna have marks in my flesh.“I noticed your hard-on, you noticed my tits, and it’s no different from noticing the clam chowder special at Cal’s place.Or that Jake replaced the railing on his boat.Or that your sister expanded her herb garden.”I try to conjure more examples, but I think he’s getting it now.
“Yeah,” he says, nodding.“It’s just new, that’s all.”
“We’ve been friends for so long that we’ve never really noticed you have boy parts, and I have girl parts.”
“That sounds like an after-school special I missed.”
On a roll now, I wrap up my argument.“It’s perfectly innocent, right?That’s what makes this fake-dating thing work.There’s no risk we’ll really fall for each other.”
“Totally.”He sounds so relieved that I’m almost offended.
But it’s better this way.Knowing there’s no chance that Mason and I will wind up dating for real is what makes this plan solid.
“So.”I stand up again, needing some distance between us.“You really think this is okay to wear to Sam and Max’s wedding?”
“Yeah, it’s perfect.”
“Good.”I’m so glad I hit up Hazel for help.“Your cousin called itcountry chic.I was hoping the jacket keeps the strapless thingy from being slutty, plus it’s cozy.”I let go of the jacket’s lapels to tug at the top one more time.I wish I’d fastened the buckle just one hole looser.
“Why do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Making things jiggle.”He gestures vaguely toward my neckline.“All the stuff I hadn’t noticed before keeps moving around.”
“Ugh, I hooked it too tight.”I flop down beside him on the couch.“There’s this thing like a belt buckle holding it together in back.”
“How the hell did you hook it by yourself?”
“Like a bra.”I’m sure he’s unhooked his share of those.“I buckled it in front, then wiggled it around to the back.Only I misjudged how tight I needed it to be and now I’m kinda worried I’m chafing myself and it’ll hurt to put it on again tomorrow.”
“Want help fixing it?”
“Really?”Relief rushes through me.“I mean, yeah—if you don’t mind.”I shuck off the jacket and lift up my hair so it’s not in the way.Twisting around, I show him the obnoxiously complex apparatus in back.“I think if you just loosen it one notch, I’ll be good.See that hook in the middle there?”He doesn’t reply, so I just keep talking.“It works like a regular belt buckle.I just need a little more breathing room so I can…” I trail off and turn back to my dead-silent friend.“You good?”
His eyes look a little bit glazed, and he nods.“Yeah, great.”
“You got kinda quiet.”
