Since Tabitha Harris was a child, she'd dreamed about finding her true love.  Instead, she usually ended up with a broken heart.  The familiarity with such men helped her keep her distance from the handsome and available Nico Valenti.  The man had "heartbreaker" written all over him and she didn't want to waste her time or her heart.  Tabby was a new woman.

Nico can't get Tabby out of his mind. Sure, he loved women, loved them all, as often as he could, but he'd never met one that held his interest for long.  He had to spend more time with her, even if it was on her terms of a "no sex" relationship. 

So, how does a one-night-stand kind of man get to know a woman of changed interests?  Can Tabby and Nico meet in the middle long enough to get to know each other, let alone give their newfound feeling a chance?

Excerpt:

"Stop thinking so much." Nico's voice was low, gravely. He sounded as tired as she felt.

"How did you know?"

"You're stiff as a board. Loosen up and stop over-thinking last night."

"That's easy for you to say," she rolled quickly to face him. Her lips stopped inches from his mouth. He leaned in. Her heart lurched as if trying to escape her chest. He moved in closer. Oh God, he was going to kiss her and she would let him.

"Don't worry," he said a breath away from her. "I'm not going to kiss you. Not until we talk."

Well damn.

"Now tell me why you're so stressed out. Otherwise, I might have to kiss you again. And I won't stop there, Tabby. Maybe you need another round to loosen you up again. What do you think?" His voice was now smooth as honey. Amazing how he could turn on the charm like that. And it worked. Wetness began form at the junction of her thighs.

Temptation almost pushed the word yes from her mouth. It bubbled in her throat but she held herself in check. "I've never done this before, Nico. While it was fun, exciting and the best sex I've ever had it's going to take me a while to get used to. I have no idea how to act. Usually when I'm in bed with a man we have a relationship, the possibility of falling in love and settling down together. All the things you're completely against."

"The best sex you've ever had, huh?" He put his arm around her, his fingers tickling her back.

"Nico."

"I'm kidding. Trying to lighten the mood a little bit. You're too depressed for someone who had 'the best sex she's ever had'."

She shot him a warning look. Her eyes narrowed telling him now wasn't the time. She wanted him to take this serious. For her it was very serious.

"We have a relationship, just not the kind you're used to. Last I checked we're friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then. That solves that issue. Second, I'm not against people falling in love and settling down I'm just not sure it's for me. There's nothing wrong with that."

"But that's what I want, Nico. I'm not saying I'm in love with you or I want us to settle down together but no matter how good this felt, my ultimate goal is forever not just a night or two. You want to steer clear of that. The two just don't mix." She hated saying this. Her body wanted nothing more than to engage in a fling with Nico.

Nico pulled away from her and sat up. His hand immediately ruffling his already mussed air. A deep breath escaped his body. "That's not what you're looking for right now. You said so yourself. Right now you want to have fun, to prove to yourself you can spend time with a guy, who would be me and me alone," he said sounding a bit territorial.

"Without ending up with a broken heart. Since I'm obviously completely wrong for you as you've told me time and time again, you know you have no risk losing your heart. Then we both win, baby. We're great together. Why deny ourselves that pleasure? Who knows where it will lead us."

He leaned down toward her on the bed. Oh yeah, they were good together. Her nipples perked to attention under his intense stare.

"I have to tell you, I'm not done with you yet. You said you want some kind of relationship? We can have that. We're friends, good friends that happen to enjoy each other in bed. I'm not ready to give you up yet." He kissed her, the touch of his lips soft.

"We can do everything together normal people in a relationship do. Hell, we already are. Give us a chance, Tabby. Give me a chance. I'm really not as bad as you seem to think I am."

She pulled away, guilt assaulting her. "I know I've given you a hard time in the past but it was just because I'm attracted to you and I didn't want to admit it. I know you're not a bad guy. We just want different things."

"I think we want the same things. We both want each other. I know I'm not the right guy for you forever, but I'm right for now. We have too much fun together for it to be any other way."

He was right. She wanted him. She didn't want to give this up yet and why should she? They were both adults. Both friends who she thought could still be friends once they ended whatever it was they were doing. He could go back to his life and she'd go back to hers. Right now, they could pretend they both wanted the same thing. "Can we really do this? The whole friends with benefits thing?"

He buried his face in her neck, kissing the tender spot behind her ear. "It's more than that, Baby. It's a relationship, just not the conventional kind. I'm not a conventional kind of guy."

Didn't she know it. Without direction from her, her body started to move against his. "Yes, Nico. I want this."

"There's only one problem."

Tabby stopped moving. She somehow gotten used to the idea of their "relationship" fast. Fear tickled her spine wondering what he had to say. "What?" a nervous quiver shook her voice.

Nico looked at her, winked, and said, "I don't have another condom."

Unedited excerpt

Book Two--Friday's at Luciano's series--January 2009