Page 24 of Friends with Benefits

The girls finish up their workout, ruining our ogling fun. They talk among themselves as they head up toward the pool.

When they near us, I can see what’s coming… because it’s something I’d do myself.

Jess shouts, ‘Three, two—’

Before she can push me into the pool, I grab her arms, taking her with me as we plunge into the water alongside Brooks and Izzy. Drew and Kit crash in solo. We come to the surface and take a deep breath. I grab Jess, pulling her toward me. She bends her knees. Is it to stop herself from wrapping her legs around me? I would have preferred that option.

‘You think that’s funny, do you?’

She nods, laughing as she bites her lip, wondering what my next move will be. I lift her quickly, propelling her out of the water so she goes under again, making a tremendous splash.

She’s laughing harder this time as she pops up. She swims over to me and this time, she does wrap her legs around my waist. Her hair tie has fallen out and her hair sticks to the sides of her face. As she grips my hips with her thighs, I rub the wet locks from her face, tucking them behind her ears. Our eyes meet and, call me crazy, but I think there’s something in the look we share. Something that says, we haven’t done the thing this week. A challenge. Something compels me to trail my thumb down her soft, red lips. The lips that I know kiss me so well. And I know we’re sober but I’m certain Jess inches forward.

Whatever this pull I’m feeling is, she’s feeling it too.

Then she pushes up and with superhuman strength, dunks me beneath the water. I break the surface. Her legs kick as she treads water.

‘You needed to cool off, mister.’

As did she, but I let that slide. ‘Yeah, I needed that.’

I climb out of the pool and strip down to my boxer briefs. I know she checks me out as I do. She pulls off her wet T-shirt, leaving her in leggings and a sports bra. The tat of roses is on view along the bottom of her back. What most people don’t know is that buried deep in the rose petals, are two words: Mum and Dad. I smile to myself. I love that I know things about her no one else does.

As we head into the kitchen, we find Drew pinning Becky to the kitchen island with his hips pressed to hers. He kisses her neck as she whispers something to him. ‘Dude, seriously, I can’t handle you two on an empty stomach.’

I see Drew smirk, right before he kisses Becky in the way I imagine most women want to be kissed.

In the bedroom, it’s clear Jess thought that too. ‘They’re great together,’ she tells me.

I can’t help the smile that tugs on my lips. ‘Yeah, they are.’

She slips out of her wet leggings and pads toward me in only her sports bra and panties. The good Lord himself would be giving me a slap on the back right now for the level of self-restraint I’m showing.

‘Want to make a bet, my betting friend?’

I fold my arms across my chest. ‘What’s the bet?’

‘I think your brother is going to propose to Becky this week.’

‘You do?’ I feel my lips widen.

She nods. ‘He got all his friends together for a week. In a new house that has enough bedrooms to host a family. And he can’t take his hands or eyes off her. He is 100 per cent smitten.’

‘I agree with everything you said. But this is the only time I’ve seen my brother in a serious relationship in my whole life. And they’ve only been together for a matter of months. For that reason, I think you could be wrong.’

She shrugs. ‘When you know, you know, right? Do you take the bet?’

‘Stakes?’

‘The usual. You lose, you make me breakfast naked. I lose… well, I won’t. This is happening.’

I run a hand along my stubble-covered chin. This is basically a win, win. I lose the bet, my brother gets engaged. I win, Jess gets naked.

I hold out my hand. ‘I’ll shake on that, miss.’

‘Deal.’

‘Now, would you please remove that fine ass from this bedroom before I break all our rules and shag you senseless?’

---