Free Blissful Surrender by BJ Harvey, Jennifer Roberts-Hall

of what she is, yet still trying to deny that fact. But she’s failed to hide her still existing attraction to me. That much is obvious.
    “I’m very aware of what dinner is,” she snaps.
    I grin at the sudden rediscovery of her backbone. “Then you’ll meet me this week for a meal? For old times’ sake. A toast to old friends.”
    “We were never just friends, Sean.”
    “No, we weren’t.” My reply is direct and forceful, my voice strong and unwavering. “But I’m hoping to find out where we stand now because Sammy …” I release her arm and step in front of her, our bodies so close that I can feel the heat radiating off her, but she just stares at my chest, her brows furrowed as she visibly tries to process our close proximity. “I fully intend to find out what you’ve learned in the years we’ve been apart. Whether your eyes still turn dark when I use words to caress your soul. Whether you’re as breathtaking as you always were when I turn you on and finally …” I stop and lift my hand between us, using my index finger to lift her chin until she meets my gaze. The desire I'm feeling reflects back at me from her eyes, and I bite back a groan when her tongue darts out, licking her parted lips. Our eyes lock together, neither one of us willing or wanting to pull away. It hits me that the pull this woman has over me is as strong as it ever was.
    When I continue, my voice is low and full of grit. “I want to know whether you’ll still scream my name until your voice is hoarse when my mouth is on you …” I lean in to place a gentle lingering kiss on her soft red lips before kissing her cheek with the same treatment, then whispering in her ear, “Whether you’ll still tremble when my cock’s buried deep inside you, our bodies so close you can’t tell where yours ends and mine begins.”
    Her eyes turn dark and her body unconsciously lean toward mine, and I realize that if I don’t end this now, I’ll push her too far, too fast. I take a step back and try to reel in the unbridled desire pulsing through my body. She looks down and sees exactly how I’m feeling right now, and when her eyes snap back to mine I decide to press my case, using all the confidence and bravado I’m known for in the courtroom.
    “But these are all things we can discuss at dinner. I’ll call you with the reservation details. Now I must check on my impromptu house guest before I get back to my case. Do you need me to show you the way out?”
    She looks at me a heartbeat too long before breathlessly answering, “No.”
    Fuck if I don’t feel that deep in my groin.
    I give a short sharp nod of approval before spinning on my heel and walking toward the hallway. The string may be stretching between us as I leave but not once do I feel it snap and recoil.
    My week is suddenly looking brighter.
     

 

    Sam
    “What the fuck was I thinking, Helen? Dinner with Sean? That’s it. I’m calling to cancel.”
    “No, you’re fucking not. You’re going to finish getting dressed, you’re going to go to that restaurant, and you’re going to show Sean Miller that you are even more of a knockout than you used to be. You’re going to sit down and have a friendly meal with the man. You’ll be cordial, witty, charming, and funny. All of the things we both know you can be. You’re not going to shut down on him, you’re not going to brush him off and, repeat after me, you’re not going to go to bed with him.”
    “But … what?”
    “You heard me …”
    “Helen, like hell that is going to happen. This is a dinner between old friends.”
    “You two were never old friends. You were made for each other. Well, I thought so until the lingering doubts in your head were fed and cultivated and you fucked it all up.”
    “Why am I friends with you again?” I ask, half serious and half deflecting. She’s right, of course, but I’m pushing back the need to admit that she’s one hundred percent right.
    “Because you love me and