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  I can’t get enough of this mystery girl, but damn, if this isn’t the best and most life-like dream ever. I seriously need to wake up soon to release, or I’m gonna blow in the sheets. Well, I guess that wouldn’t be all bad if this keeps going. I wonder if in this dream I can actually feel how wet she is. I decide to test it out and lightly tickle my fingers down her stomach, pausing only for a quick second before I cross the barrier of the band of her panties. My hand slides inside, and when I can feel the soft curls, I feel myself get even harder if that’s possible. The girl continues to writhe from my touch, bucking her hips, asking me to continue my travel down her body. I’m a gentleman after all, so I oblige. My breath hitches when my finger pushes between her folds and I feel how silky wet she is. “So fucking wet for me,” I breathe out.

  My eyes snap open.

  Because. I’m. Not. Fucking. Dreaming.

  I don’t know what to do right now because I’m hard as a rock with my finger in her pussy. Who, you ask?

  Mrs. D.

  Or Josie, as I get to call her now. I was mentally fist-pumping the air so hard when she told me that last night.

  Fuck, I’m a bastard.

  I don’t want this to end.

  But I know it needs to.

  And somewhere there is a cherub dying because this is every dude's fantasy come true. I’m finger-deep in the wet pussy of my best friend’s hot mom. The same one that’s practically raised me. The same one I was picturing when I started jerking off at thirteen. The same one that I’d give anything for her not to see me as a kid. The same one I’ve loved for as long as I can remember.

  I start to slowly pull my hand out of her. Oh my fucking duck she feels good. When I hear her start to moan in protest, I want to cry and throw a tantrum like a baby.

  I hold my breath, and in one quick motion, I pull my hand out, landing on her hip while my forehead falls onto her shoulder.

  I feel her body go rigid. Almost as stiff as my dick that is still between her ass cheeks.

  Shit.

  “What did I just do?” I hear her whisper. And my heart breaks in two that she’s blaming herself for something that was very evidently my fault. See exhibit boner.

  “I’m so sorry. I thought I was dreaming. You just felt so damn good. I didn’t want it to stop. I’m so sorry. This is all me. None of this is your fault, Josie.” Why do I keep talking? Why couldn’t I have just said sorry and shut up? Nice job, asshole.

  “We need to move, Travis.”

  “Yeah, OK.”

  But we both just stay there, unmoving, unsure, not knowing how to proceed from this situation, or position rather, that we’re in.

  “I don’t know how to move right now.” Josie says it so innocently, I can’t help the laugh that escapes me in this mess. “Ohmygosh, Trav, stop laughing.” But I don’t miss the way she tries to hold in her own laughter by the end.

  “Is it bad for me to say that it was nice snuggling with you? And other things?” I wince, knowing now is not the time to joke like that, but I can’t help it.

  “Travis!”

  I can’t contain my amusement anymore, and neither can she. I bury my face in her hair to muffle my laugh, but I’m only reminded of how good she smells. Mix that with her shaking body, and… Oh shit, I’m getting hard again.

  I place a soft kiss on her shoulder before I push myself up and out from behind her. I stand and adjust myself, walking in front of her. I watch as her eyes trail a line of fire from my feet up to my face, and I don’t miss the linger at the tent in my shorts.

  “I’ll be in Ollie’s room.” I bend and give her a kiss on the temple because I can’t help myself. “Night, Josie.”

  When I reach the stairs, I hear a faint, “Night, Travis.” I feel my smile grow because I know that I want this woman to be mine.

  And I’m going to show her that she wants me, too.

  Chapter Two

  Josie

  What in the hell did I just do?

  Travis just went upstairs after I basically let him get to third base, and then he kissed me on the temple and said goodnight like a guy in a damn romance novel. So not fair.

  I’m still frozen on the couch, horny as hell, and so confused by the want pulling at me to follow him upstairs to finish what we started.

  There is something certifiably wrong with me!

  He’s my son’s best friend.

  He’s still in high school.

  He’s fifteen years younger than me.

  I could be his mother.

  What in the actual fuck is wrong with me?!

  I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, but it is far from working. I need to get off this couch. I need to go to my bed. I need to try to sleep. Yes. That’s exactly what I need to do.

  I give myself a head nod in approval of my plan and get up. I turn off the lamp and check the lock on the front door as I make my way to the stairs. What I don’t account for is the grunt I hear coming from the bathroom at the top of the stairs when I’m two steps from the top. Frozen for what feels like the hundredth time tonight, I just stand there like a moron, because hello Mrs. Awkward when he opens the door of the bathroom.

  I close my eyes, take a breath, shake my head in an attempt to rid my mind of the images running through my head, and release my white-knuckle grip on the handrail. I take off as fast as I can to get to my bedroom at the end of the hall but instead hit a brick wall.

  “I was, uh, I was going to bed,” I say, refusing to look him in the face, as he’s still holding both my arms, saving me from bouncing off his hard body and falling down the stairs. Ohmygosh, I’m so fucked… No! Wait. Not fucked, screwed. Damnit! Not that either! I’m messed up…

  “You alright, Josie?” Why does he have to keep saying my name? I swear, every time he does my lady bits quiver.

  “Uh huh.” I’m biting my lip so hard, I’m sure I’m going to start bleeding soon.

  “Will you look at me? Please?” I slowly bring my gaze up to meet his. “Hi,” he says, giving me a small smile, breaking through all my nerves.

  “Hi.” I smile back.

  “Look, I think you’re beautiful. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to continue what was happening downstairs.” I drop my gaze and feel my face heat with embarrassment. “Look at me, please? I need you to see that I’m being honest with you.” I lift my face to him again before he continues. “As good as it felt to be close to you, I don’t want to jeopardize everything you’ve done for me through the years, and I’ll never pressure you into anything.”

  “Aren’t I supposed to be the one to say that to you? I’m the adult here, the parent, Trav. I thought it was a dream, too, but fuck, it felt so good to be wanted, to be with a man.” I feel my cheeks heat from my admission to him. “Oh crap, why am I telling you that? I’m so sorry.”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry about. And honestly, I don’t think I do either, really. We both were asleep and didn’t know what was happening until, well, I was—”

  “Stop! Please don’t finish that sentence,” I say, throwing my hands over his mouth. I feel his smile against my palm, and it makes me mirror him with my own.

  He puts his hands over mine and kisses the inside of each of my palms before letting them go.

  “Travis, you have to stop kissing me.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because soon I’m not going to be able to pull away, and right now I need to.”

  “This.” He motions with his finger back and forth between us. “Is going to be great. You just have to let it.”

  “Trav, it’s not right.”

  “Like fuck it’s not.”

  “Language,” I scold before I realize what I’m doing. I feel my face fall the same time his does. Both of us realize that reality just caught up to our fantasy.

  “Good night, Travis,” I say as I walk away from him and toward my bedroom.

  I don’t sleep at all the rest of the night, tossing and turning and going over
in my head every touch, every word, every minute I’ve spent with Travis in the past years, minutes, moments. I don’t think I’ve ever led him on or been inappropriate with him in any way. I’ve always just treated him like I would Ollie or Tatum.

  At least I think that’s true.

  I mean, Travis is, without a doubt, a very attractive guy, but that’s it. He slays hearts and turns heads wherever he goes. I’ve seen it, witnessed the girls stop and watch him. Hell, I’ve stopped and watched him, but it’s never been to ogle him and make him into a sexual object. It’s always been more of a proud-to-know-him and glad-he-ends-most-nights-under-my-roof kind of thing, rather than shacking up with random girls.

  Ohmygosh, what am I thinking?! Have I wanted to shack up with Travis?

  I don’t think so, but he is pretty to look at…

  * * *

  “Morning, sleepy head,” I say with a smile into my coffee, trying not to stare at his perfect abs and sexy bedhead. Oh, for the love of everything holy! I thought I had this under control. Why am I a terrible person?

  “Morning,” he replies with a smirk as he walks to the coffee pot and pours himself a cup.

  “You want me to make you breakfast? Pancakes, eggs, anything?”

  “Stop,” he says with a laugh as he leans against the counter taking another sip of coffee.

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop being weird. You don’t usually make breakfast like that, so why would you now? We didn’t even fuck.”

  “Travis! You cannot say stuff like that!”

  “Sorry,” he says as he dumps his cup out in the sink and turns to leave the kitchen. He stops and turns, looking angry. “Actually, you know what? I’m not sorry. This is stupid. We’re both adults. Nothing really happened last night, and even if it did, so what? I like you, Josie. I like you as so much more than the mom of my best friend. I understand that it’s weird for you or whatever, but I’m not going to pretend like I don’t want this. I want you. There, I said it. I want you, Josie. All of you. I want the real deal. Not just a quick fuck, either. I want the romance, the relationship, the damn dog and picket fence. I’ve wanted you for so long and now that I’ve had a taste of you, even if it was small, I don’t want to go backward. We can go slow, but damnit, I want you. I’m not a dumb kid anymore. I’m a man. A man that wants you, Josie Duncan, so get used to it.” He pauses, running his hands through his hair for a second before adding, “Shit! I just said all of that.”

  I can’t help the laugh that comes out when he stops himself, his chest heaving from talking so fast and with so much feeling, so much emotion.

  “Really? You laugh? Nice, Joes. I’m glad to see where we stand.” He turns to leave, misunderstanding my reaction, and I’m so conflicted. Do I give in to this? Whatever this is. Or do I let him go?

  I stand up to go after him. “Trav, wait!”

  “What?” I hear him quietly ask from the couch, sounding broken.

  I sit next to him and slowly put my hand in his. It’s like a thousand electric shocks going through me at once, and I know he feels it, too, because his eyes snap up to mine. I watch as a wash of emotions flow through them, constricting and dilating while they focus on me.

  TRAVIS

  I just word-vomited all the things I’ve been keeping secretly pent up for a long time. On one hand, it felt good to get it off my chest and finally tell her how I feel, but then she laughed. She fucking laughed at me. I could literally feel my heart shatter in my chest and start to crumble to the ground.

  But when she sits next to me and puts her small hand into mine, the warmth and softness of her against my rough, callused exterior, I felt like all the pieces floated back together. Sitting here holding her hand, looking into those eyes that I could get lost in, I can’t help the magnetic pull I feel toward her.

  With her hand still in mine, I wrap it around her back and pull her into me, crashing my mouth to hers. She’s stiff and unmoving at first, but when I slip my other hand to her neck and lace my fingers into her hair, I feel her soften into me.

  I don’t push for more; I don’t try to slip in tongue. I just want to feel her against me. I want to feel her soft, pouty lips on mine. I want to breathe her in and eventually, I want to taste her, but not today. Not at this moment. This is the moment I make her see me as a man and not a boy.

  I release her hand from behind her back and almost immediately feel it brush up my bare chest, causing a trail of fire from her touch. It’s almost too much. When her hand goes to my cheek, I pull my lips apart from hers and lean into her palm

  “I can’t lose you,” I say with my eyes still closed, not wanting to see the look of torment in hers that I know will be there. The look of confusion, shame, guilt, and want.

  “You won’t lose me, ever.” I slowly open my eyes at her words, at her promise. But I’m met with a look I know. It’s the same one I saw on her face after that jockhole destroyed her. It’s her determination not to let anyone see the hurt and shame she feels and the need to be strong. I know what’s going to come out of her mouth next, and it’s the exact opposite of what I want to hear.

  “Don’t say it. I know what you’re going to say.” I cut her off before she can destroy me any more today.

  “Trav, I—”

  She’s cut short by the sound of keys in the door. We pull apart from one another faster than either of us would have liked. She rushes to the kitchen, and I flick on the TV real fast to whatever I can find before my best friend sees that I’m in love with his mom.

  “Shut up, Tatum! Carry your own bag in. I’m not your personal slave all the time,” I hear Ollie say to his little sister as they push through the door.

  “Mom says you have to help me because you’re the boy and I’m a girl and you need to be a gentleman.” I chuckle under my breath from the sass that comes out of that girl’s mouth. She is the little sister I never had, and I love her like my own.

  “Hey, Tates, I’ll help you if this dick won’t,” I say, coming to a stand and walking over to grab the bag she has dangling from her arms full of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals.

  “Language, Trav!” Josie yells as she walks out from the kitchen to kiss her kids hello.

  “Sorry, Mrs. D,” I say with a smug smile, knowing that it’s going to annoy the piss out of her. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at the look she shoots me. If looks could kill...

  “How're my babies?” she asks them as they take their shoes off and hang their jackets in the closet.

  “Good. Dad got me a new American Girl doll! Her name is Kaya. She might be my new favorite. I’m going to go up and play. Love you, Mom!” she yells as she runs up to her room.

  “Guess I’ll follow her up with these,” I say still holding her bag.

  “You stay here last night?” Ollie asks as he grabs his own bag following me upstairs.

  “Yeah, hope you don’t mind me crashing in your room.” Or kissing your mom.

  “Nah, man, you know I don’t care. Hope you didn’t get too bored with just my mom here last night,” he says, ending with a laugh. If he only knew.

  “Nope. It was fun. We just watched a bunch of movies and ordered pizza. No biggie.” I shrug. I only woke up with my finger inside her wet pussy, but whatever.

  And I’m going to hell, I’m sure of it, because now I’m sporting a semi remembering it. Great.

  “You gonna stay today, or you gotta work?”

  “I’m not working, but I don’t know what I’m doing.” Definitely not your mom. I sit on his bed, adjusting myself as I do, so my friend doesn’t see me tenting my shorts from thinking about his mom. This is bad. Maybe I do need to get out of here for the day. “You know, I might go see if some of the guys want to throw the ball around at the park or something. Want to?”

  “Maybe. I need to see how Mom is first. How was she last night?”

  Ollie is about the best son anyone could want. After his dad left, he really grew up. He stepped in to help hi
s mom with Tatum and the house, but he also takes care of her. If he senses her having a bad day, he makes it his mission to keep her happy. It’s pretty amazing to watch them together. I only wish my mom gave even a fraction of the care for me as they do for each other.

  “She was a little wallowy when I first showed up, but she turned it around.” After I dry humped her ass. I shake my head at my thoughts. “Anyway, you want to go throw the ball around or what?”

  “You go. Text me later with who’s hanging. I’m gonna stay here for now.”

  “I’m going to go shower at home and then head out to Riverview Park. I’ll round up the usual suspects.”

  “You can shower here if you want, you know.”

  Yeah, I need to go home and jackoff. “I need clothes. It’s all good,” I say shrugging into my hoodie. “I’ll text you later.”

  “Later, dude.”

  I give him a salute as I make my way downstairs for my shoes before I head back home.

  “Oliver?”

  “No, it’s me. Ollie’s in his room unpacking.”

  “You’re leaving?” Josie says, almost sounding disappointed.

  “Yeah. I’m gonna go clean up and round up the boys to play some ball.”