Free Against the Wall by Julie Prestsater

hallway to kick off my heels, and Matty goes for the fridge. This shouldn’t be weird. He’s been here many times. He hands me a beer and settles in on one of my bar stools. I hop up on the counter and rest against the cabinets. Taking a small sip, I feel self-conscious. I know he’s watching me.
    Glancing back at him, the corners of my mouth turn upward in a slight smile. So this is different. Every other time Matty’s been to my house was when Chase lived here too. He hasn’t been here since I started thinking of him in a different light. Now, it’s just the two of us. Alone. I’m not engaged. He’s not … engaged or otherwise seeing someone. It’s just Matty. Me. And my thoughts. Dirty. Naughty. Thoughts.
    I have a sudden interest in him strutting over, standing right in front of me, wrapping my legs around his back, and pulling him into me. It’s only after he rips off my panties and unbuckles his pants. The image is so vivid, it’s like I can feel him thrusting against me. My thighs twitch with the rising heat between my legs and I have to cross them to hold back a feeling of thought provoking pleasure. Does that ever happen in real life or only in the slew of romance novels that have been filling the space in my bed every night since Chase left?
    “ Whatever you’re thinking, it must be good,” Matty says, grinning.
    My face gets hot, and it’s like he’s been reading my mind. “Well, you know. A woman can do a lot with an imagination.” I wiggle my brows at him, and a subtle grin spreads across his mouth.
    Matty takes a swig of his beer, and sets it down on the counter. He runs his hand through his thick messy hair and smiles. I can’t take my eyes off his mouth as he takes the few steps needed to stand before me. “A man can do a lot with his imagination too.” Placing his palms flat on my thighs, his touch is like a flame burning through my skin and my temperature rises, he gazes into my eyes and I inhale a deep breath. I try to relax in anticipation of what’s coming next, even though I'm sure he can hear my heart beating right out of my chest. He glances at my mouth and murmurs, “But it doesn’t get fun until he makes it a reality.”
    His face is less than two inches away from mine. I can feel his breath on me and my head whirls with excitement. I gaze down at his lips and lean in, closing the gap between us. Matty puts his right hand to my cheek, then runs it through my hair, sweeping my long bangs out of my face. He pauses, his eyes studying every part of my face as if he's seeing me for the very first time. His hand moves to the nape of my neck and sends a rush of heat down my spine. Then he tugs at my nape to guide me in for our very first kiss.
    Our lips barely touch, yet the sensation of pleasure spreads like rapid fire soaring through every cell in my body. I back away to get a glimpse of him. His eyes smile at me and instantly I’m relaxed and at home with him. He tugs on the back on my neck again, and this time the kiss lingers as his mouth presses against mine. A few soft pecks turn into harder ones before my lips part, and his tongue teases at caressing mine. He drags his tongue across my top lip, and I let out a slight whimper as my legs hug his ass, reeling him closer. With hands full of his sandy blonde hair, I’m awestruck at how soft and sexy it is. Tugging gently at his lower lip with my teeth, he lets out a groan and squeezes my ass. My tongue trails the outline of his lips and then I take him in for another fierce, heavy-breathing, smooch fest.
    Our tongues slide against each other, mingling in a new form of communication for two adults who were once just good friends. I can sense his feelings for me in the way he softly tangles his tongue with mine and the gentle tug of my hair.
    My girl parts throb against the hardness in the front of his pants, and I have an odd sense of awareness of how exciting it is to make out with a man as I sit on my kitchen counter pinned