So Complicated Read online

  “Red?” He had intended for more words to form the question, but he was fending off the urge to push that guy away from her. Why wasn’t she putting him in his place? Why the hell was she smiling at him like that?

  “You like it?”

  She gestured down her body, posing as if looking for approval as she glanced down into her own cleavage before picking a fallen hair off her chest.

  The guy—who was still touching her, by the way—nodded his approval as he practically fell into her tits.

  Luke leaned around Sexy Kitten to grab his beer. He watched Aleen glow under the neon lights as he sipped. Then chugged. Damn. He had to go slow—he was on call for veterinary emergencies tomorrow. Since he was the only doctor in his practice, he was always on call, but he had specifically promised to be available for one of his elderly clients whose Cockapoo wasn’t faring well and may require euthanasia sooner than hoped.

  “I’ve never hit a bull’s-eye before…” Sexy Kitten purred in his ear. “Maybe I should try tonight?”

  He didn’t think she referred to darts.

  Considering her hand slipped over his zipper, he assumed he guessed right.

  “Whoa, now. I don’t think we’re keeping the target in there tonight.” He smiled into her smoky-rimmed eyes. She was a cutie, and prior to this last disaster of a relationship, he wouldn’t have thought twice, but having his pride torn out from under him was quite the lesson in the “love” game.

  Aleen slipped her arm through his, not-so-subtly pulling him away from Sexy Kitten. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

  Sexy Kitten pulled away, but didn’t take the full hint.

  “You smell good,” he told Aleen. “Apple crisp?”

  “You have a strange sense of smell. I ate apple crisp hours ago—Sabrina brought it in. And I’ve brushed my teeth and changed my clothes since.”

  “I work with animals for a living. Maybe my senses are heightened in response.”

  “So you’re telling me that what I’ve always suspected is actually true? You are a shape-shifter?”

  Aleen buzzed with delight at her joke. She flattened her hand against her chest where her neckline plunged, leaving her freckled skin bared to everyone’s perusal.

  His wits fled, and though he’d normally tease her about the bodice rippers she loved to read, all he could think of was the creep who was still hanging around in wait ripping Aleen’s shirt off in a fit of lust.

  He had to get his shit together. If she liked the guy—creepy though he may be—she was free to go down that road. If the road turned bumpy or dangerous, that’s when she’d need her best friend to swoop in. Not a moment before.

  “Are you okay?” Aleen studied Luke’s face. “You seem a little off tonight.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be okay? Believe it or not, I was kicking ass in darts before you showed me up.”

  “I’ve seen you play darts. I don’t think your buddies had anything to worry about.”

  “You’re not so great for my self-esteem. I might need a new best friend.”

  “Oh, so now you want to do the touchy-feely thing? Great! I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since we met. When we go home tonight we can stay up all night long. We can talk and eat ice cream and ugly cry together before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. I can’t wait.”

  “Forget it. I thought the girly-touchy-feely thing meant pillow fighting in our underwear.”

  “Do guys seriously think that?”

  “No, we just wish it.”

  “Phew. I thought you were all onto our secret.”

  She lowered her chin so she glanced up at him through her thick lashes, and her voice took on a deep huskiness he’d never heard in her before.

  Damn it if she didn’t get his penis rising.

  Must have been residual from Sexy Kitten, who apparently gave up on him and moved on to Ward. Or stress. Yes, stress. He had been working many hours trying to keep his bank account afloat. Having a terminally ill mother who required round-the-clock nursing care and preferred to live in an assisted living home rather than with him meant high bills. Besides, running a veterinary clinic in a small town wasn’t a cheap endeavor.

  His body parts had responded to her faux-seduction, not her. His blood didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to rush down the highway of lust for his best friend. His erection couldn’t differentiate his best friend from any other attractive woman.

  He sighed and looked over her shoulder. He had to look away from her. Clearly he had had one beer too many. He refused to remind his make-excuses brain that he was only on his second.

  “This has been fun, but I think I did my job in chasing away Miss Short Skirt for you. I have to head home.”

  “You’ve been here fifteen minutes.”

  “It was a great fifteen. See you in the morning.”

  He grabbed her arm as she walked by. “Wait—there’s a woman over there who has been making eyes at me all night long, and I think she’s about to come over here.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “I can tell. Trust me. She went into the bathroom a second ago, but when she comes out, I need you to kiss me.”

  Aleen laughed, and his eyes watched the curve of her breasts bounce as joy rolled through her.

  “You are hilarious. And stop looking at my boobs. It’s weird.”

  “Sorry,” Luke mumbled. “One kiss. Now. She’s heading back to her seat, but she keeps glancing over here, probably trying to figure out if I’m with you or not. You promised to save me.”

  “My kiss will save you?” Her eyebrow shot up.

  “Tonight it will. She’s whispering to her friends and now they’re all looking. Help out a guy, will ya?”

  “Fine.” She rolled her eyes before closing them. Eyes clenched tight, she angled her face toward him, lips pursed.

  “You could try to look like you want it…” Luke suggested.

  “Oh, Lukey, my hero! Please take me now!”

  Her dramatized voice made him smile, and when she threw herself into his arms, breasts pressed against his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his neck, apple crisp scent making him hungry, he realized the kiss was a terrible idea.

  A quick peck should do the trick.

  He lowered his head to capture her lips, reminding himself that this was for play—this was his best friend. She was doing him a favor, and the polite thing to do would be to accept the favor without poking her for her trouble. Good friends kept their erections to themselves.

  Her lips softened the second his met hers. Her body slumped against him in the most sensual way. His hands rested on her back—warm and soft and surprisingly pleasant against his palms. She drew little circles on the back of his neck as her lips danced with his in the mimicry of a real kiss.

  He was an animal responding to a willing mate. All instinct. All fire. All ready to go all out.

  His tongue tested the waters to see how she’d react. She answered his invitation with a bold stroke of her own. Her hips moved into his, and—shit—she wiggled against his erection, feeding the damn thing’s ego and making its head grow with confidence and unexpected desire.

  His hand moved to the top of her tight jeans, suddenly eager to feel more of her. How far would she let him go?

  “What are you doing?”

  There was his answer. Not butt-cheek far.

  He couldn’t respond.

  All he could do was stare into her sparkly eyes. Not true—he found he was quite capable of studying her moistened lips, too. Lips moistened by him. Her best friend. The one who had allowed his hands to roam inappropriately.

  But not as inappropriately as he would have liked.

  What the hell?

  He stepped back, forcing his hands to leave her warmth and bury themselves in his pockets.

  He had to say something. She was still looking at him, expecting an answer for his wayward behavior. “Wanted to make it convincing.”

  “Convinced me…”

  Was that
a hint? Did she want him to continue? Would they take this to the next level back at her house?

  “Hope that helped. I’m heading home, but if any of the little cats try to hunt you, just tell them your tigress has sharp claws.”

  She winked—the same way she had dozens of times before—and strode across the bar. She stopped at the pool table to say goodbye to his friends, who had moved along without Aleen and Luke.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The sway of her hips. The slight jiggle of her ass. Her long, confident stride. The swing and bounce of her shiny brown hair.

  He had always found her attractive—who wouldn’t? Though she beat herself up for being what she considered to be overweight, he had always known she had the kind of body many men craved. The comforting sort. The comfortable sort. The sort that drove you mad with all the wiggling and jiggling and “look at me!” movements.

  He had thought he was immune.

  But then he had kissed her.

  And he had no idea what to do with himself next.

  Chapter Three

  Aleen blasted the air conditioning in her car, even though the outside temperature wasn’t hot enough to warrant it.

  That kiss—that fake, protective kiss—had nearly done her in. Holy tornadoes. Kissing Luke nearly turned into a natural disaster. Only it was far from natural.

  They were best friends.

  Best friends didn’t kiss like that.

  She had expected a quick peck on the lips. Not an onslaught of lust and emotional longing.

  She knew the combustion was a result of the news her doctor had delivered to her that morning, the emotional rollercoaster she had ridden at work with all the pregnant patients, and, let’s face it, the fact that she hadn’t seen or touched an eager penis for longer than she could admit to herself.

  Her body had responded on a biological level. Her body didn’t know the difference between her best friend and a cucumber—if it would fit in and get the job done, clearly her body didn’t discern.

  Her body lacked wits, but she didn’t.

  She wasn’t Luke’s type, either. And she loved him. Seriously, deeply loved him. No way was she going to ruin that love for a roll in the sack.

  The sex probably wouldn’t even be worth it. She had heard of his sexual prowess, but that was with other women. Not her. Not his best friend.

  She had to increase her efforts in this man-finding mission before she did something stupid. Something libido stupid. Something she warned patients about all the time.

  Don’t jump into something—a bed or a relationship—when you’re emotionally vulnerable.

  She parked her car and ran into her room, locking herself into her bedroom. She took care of the raging desire that wouldn’t abate so she’d be relaxed when she heard Luke come home. No need to provide any further temptation.

  When that was done, she logged into her matchmaking account. Her tummy did a flip when she noticed she had three messages and several little hearts lit up, indicating interest.

  She clicked on the faces of the men who wanted to meet her.

  Not bad. Not Luke, so that was a good thing.

  She read through the three profiles of the men who messaged her. Could she really do this? Could she meet a strange man on a date? It seemed like such an odd premise, but it had worked for many women before her.

  What did she have to lose?

  She touched her belly, imagining all she had to potentially gain. And if she wanted the opportunity to know what it was like to become a mom as she had always dreamed, she had to set this production in motion.

  She would do the casting, write the screenplay, and direct the whole damn thing if it meant getting what she wanted. What she needed.

  She sent a message to the first guy who had written to her. His beard was a little longer than she liked, and he had pierced ears, which she also found a bit strange, but his eyes seemed sort of friendly and really, who was she to judge someone by their photograph? He had messaged her first, so to be fair, she’d meet him first.

  As soon as she sent the reply, Aleen heard Luke’s car pull into the driveway. She turned off the light and jumped into her bed, pulling the covers over her head. She soon grew hot, but she couldn’t stand the thought of revealing herself to the open air, even though he wouldn’t be coming into her room.

  She never should have let herself close her eyes for his kiss. That simple act had opened her soul and begged him to enter.

  ***

  “What are all of these?”

  Luke picked up one of the glossy magazines stacked on the coffee table in front of Aleen.

  “Self-improvement. What are you doing home?”

  “Forgot to pack lunch, so I thought I’d swing by and see if you wanted to grab a bite with me, since you’re off today.”

  “Oh, thanks. I would, but I just had a salad.”

  Luke gawked at her. “Was it a chocolate salad?”

  She stuck her tongue out at him.

  “I’m eating healthier.”

  “Don’t get me wrong—I’m happy to hear that. But why the sudden change?”

  Aleen sighed and continued painting her toe nails.

  “I need to lose weight. I want to look better.”

  Luke ground his teeth. “You look great. I think you should eat better because I want you to live, not because there’s anything wrong with you. You are not fat.”

  “Yeah, okay.” She replaced the cover on the polish. “I’m doing this because of me, not because of you. So when I keel over in a hunger coma, don’t feel responsible.”

  “You’re a shit.” Luke laughed. “I’ll cook you a nice healthy dinner tonight. I’m closing up early.”

  “That’s sweet of you, but I already have dinner plans. Rain check?”

  “What plans?” His cell rang with his office ringtone. “Damn. Hold that thought.”

  He took the phone to the kitchen and answered his office assistant, who had called to tell him he had an emergency.

  Luke grabbed his keys and kissed Aleen on the top of the head. “Gotta run. Emergency at the office. That color is nice.”

  “Drive safe!”

  Luke paused in the doorway. He hadn’t seen Aleen since their kiss, and after a sleepless night of speculation and wonder, he knew he had to talk to her about what happened between them.

  “Aleen, can we talk later?”

  “Of course, Luke. But you’ve got to hurry and save a furry life!”

  He did. He had to hurry. But he also had to help her understand.

  “About last night…”

  “Get out of here before I throw something at you. I don’t want to pour the whiskey for you if you lose a patient today. Get, get!”

  She was right. Furry friends first. He could propose exploring the less-friendly, more lusty side of their relationship later. Before bed.

  Because if he didn’t do something to test that spark, he didn’t know if he would ever forgive himself.

  ***

  Aleen reread the messages that poured in through the online dating service. She skimmed over the nice, complimentary ones. It was the mean ones she memorized.

  She was more or less comfortable in her own skin, but hearing the way some of these guys unleashed their wrath on her had her jaw dropping to the core of the planet.

  Some of them offered “helpful” suggestions. More makeup. Lower cut shirt. Do something to cover the mole on her cheek—clearly it was hideous to someone out there. And the biggest one—lose weight. Stop being a pig. Don’t plaster your picture for the whole world to see when you looked like you should have a bag over your head before venturing into public.

  Man. Talk about a confidence boost before the first date.

  Bearded piercing guy had withdrawn his offer after she contacted him, so she had moved along to the next guy.

  The guy who would be picking her up in twenty minutes said only kind things to her as they messaged, but she had to wonder if he felt like he was settling.
>
  Oh well. She couldn’t exactly stop the biological clock, could she? Venture on—that’s what she’d do. The world was full of jerks who hid behind their computer screens and took it upon themselves to lash out at the world. She knew they were probably not anyone whose opinion she’d care about in real life, so why should she allow them to pierce her confidence?

  She wasn’t the perfect woman—no one would think she stepped off a billboard. But she’d be a catch for the right guy.

  Aleen finished getting dressed, brushed her teeth one more time, and double checked her reflection to be sure she hadn’t smudged her mascara.

  She couldn’t say she was impressed by her reflection, but she didn’t see a reason for disgust, either.

  The doorbell rang and Aleen nearly tripped over her feet trying to make it to the door. She had heard Luke come home and get into the shower, but she had kept hidden in her room. She hadn’t told him about her new mission, and she hoped to avoid the whole embarrassing affair until after the first date.

  No use questioning the nausea she developed at the thought of keeping a semi-secret from her best friend. Some feelings didn’t need to be explored. She knew that even if he disapproved, he’d support her decision.

  She refused to believe that the kiss had changed anything.

  Thinking about kissing Luke was the last thing she should have been doing while opening the door to the man who could potentially become the father of her children.

  She smiled as she opened the door, going for a breezy, relaxed appearance.

  The man didn’t smile. He pushed his glasses up, sized her up, and made a throat clearing sound that sounded like a tic. She started rethinking the heels she had chosen when she realized she’d be looking at the top of his balding head most of the night.

  “I’m Aleen.” She held her hand out for him to shake. He shoved his hands into his pockets in response.

  Okay…

  “I know who you are. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”

  She could get past his appearance, but shouldn’t he at least attempt to put on the façade of having a pleasant personality?