Like Cats and Dogs by Kate McMurray (scary books to read TXT) 📗

Lauren sighed and sat at the foot of the bed. Hank wandered over, sniffed her leg, then retreated to a dog bed in the corner, flopping down with a whump.

“I don’t want to fight. But what are we doing here if it’s not that?”

Caleb turned toward her and frowned. “Do you want me to draw a diagram?”

“So this is just sex, and the fact that somehow, in the last few weeks, we actually started getting along doesn’t matter?”

“We were clear from the word jump that we weren’t going to have a romantic relationship. Neither of us wanted that. Right?”

“You’re right.” But Lauren didn’t know what to make of the changing nature of their relationship. Given that they’d just walked and talked and eaten food together for nearly two hours, it sure felt like they were dating. Maybe Lauren hadn’t really been with anyone since Derek, but she knew what dates felt like. Was Caleb really in this much denial?

Was Lauren?

What did she really want here? Did she really think she had a future with Caleb? No, not really. But she was growing to like him. And that was a problem.

“Did I ruin it?” Caleb asked.

“Ruin what?”

“The mood. I don’t know. Sex shouldn’t feel perfunctory.”

Lauren stood. “Maybe I should go.”

“No, sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. Sorry, it just was starting to feel like the standard date narrative. We chatted, we had dinner, and now we’re going to have sex. But even though I like plans, scheduling sex is the one thing that takes the fun out of it. So I’m awkwardly trying to put the moves on you and failing completely.”

“Do we have no passion if we’re not fighting?” Lauren was legitimately concerned about that. He was still smoking hot, his hair and clothes a bit disheveled at the end of a long workday, his body still cut, his broad shoulders and slim hips still appealing, his handsome face still drawing her attention. But suddenly, things seemed awkward between them. Maybe they just didn’t know how to initiate sex when they were both getting along. But that was insane. Normal couples got along well and then had good sex and didn’t need petty arguments to get the ball rolling. What the hell was wrong with them?

“No. Of course we don’t need to fight. Ignore anything I say. I’m being an asshole.”

Lauren decided to turn the tables on him. They would either make this work or they wouldn’t. “Do you want me?”

Caleb’s expression softened. “Yes. All the time.” He stepped closer.

The truth was, she wanted him too, at a bone-deep level. He was sexy, of course, but the more she got to know him, the more she was drawn to him. It wasn’t just that he was hot, though he was; under all his grumpiness, he was compassionate and thoughtful. The kind of guy she could fall in love with, if they could go for more than a half hour without disagreeing, and if he hadn’t sworn off relationships.

Her own baggage was starting to feel like it didn’t matter much. Derek, schmerek. He was married in New Hampshire. He didn’t matter anymore.

“I want you,” Caleb said, sitting beside her on the bed and putting a hand on her cheek. “The first time I saw you, I wanted you. Every time you come into the clinic, I feel an inappropriate jolt. Whenever you pick a fight with me about something silly, I want you. Just talking over dinner, and I want you.”

“I want you, too,” Lauren said. “That’s all that we need to get started, no?”

“I suppose so.”

Caleb bent his head and kissed Lauren. He moved his hand along her jaw and his fingers played with the hair at the base of her skull. She nearly lost the ability to breathe, it was so tender and sweet. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him closer, opening her mouth to let him in more.

He was sexy, but he was familiar, too. Not in a bad way, more like she’d unlocked a secret. She knew some of the nuances of his body, knew what things made him hiss or moan, knew where he liked to be touched. They’d slept together enough now that she was beginning to understand what he really liked in bed, what revved him up, what made him come.

So she knew if she pressed against him, he’d grasp her and hold her closer. She knew he liked her breasts, liked to rest his hand on the curve of her hip, liked the way she tasted.

Knowing these things about him made her feel powerful, made her feel sexy.

She pulled away from him slightly and took off her shirt. She met his gaze and raised an eyebrow. He practically swooned, looking delighted as he ran a hand down her chest and cupped one of her breasts.

The fact that they were doing this in secret heightened how powerful she felt. The only people who mattered here were the two of them. There was no pressure, no obligation to anyone else. Just two people who were into each other doing what they wanted. Maybe she didn’t need any more explanation than that.

She gave Caleb a gentle push back toward the bed. He took the hint and scooted back and lay down. She climbed on top and straddled his hips. He immediately put his hands on her, covering her breasts, her waist, her belly. He slid his fingers under the underwire of her bra, so she reached back and unhooked it, then pulled it off. He groaned in response.

“Do you feel less awkward now?” she asked.

“Not awkward at all.” He bucked his hips against her, and she could feel he was hard. “I want you to ride me just like this.”

“That can be arranged.”

She pushed his shirt up his chest, and he leaned up to pull it off. She had to stand back up to take off her jeans, unfortunately, but Caleb made