Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

A bby stretched out on the sand, her eyelids drooping as she watched the waves break on the shore, incandescent in the moonlight.

After the bizarre day she'd had, relaxing in the isolated cabana on the perfect stretch of private beach still roped off from this afternoon's shoot, was heavenly. Surrounded by flickering fire torch-lights, the sound of chirping crickets, and the lulling sound of the ocean, she finally felt the tension drain from her body.

The shoot had gone better than she hoped. Tom had done a great job, Judd had helped choose the best shots, and they'd emailed them to Mark after a snatched dinner of room-service hamburgers, fries, and shakes.

They'd shot for two and a half gruelling hours that afternoon, the hectic pace almost making her forget their revelations earlier that day and the fact she was ready to have a fling with her best friend.

Almost, but not quite. Every time she'd looked at Judd, smiling at the camera, holding a pose, handling her with the skill of a surgeon performing the most intricate of operations, it struck her anew she'd agreed to go the whole way with the one guy in this world who meant everything to her.

As for what had happened when she sat on his lap…her skin burned just thinking about it.

Was she doing the right thing?

Their friendship had been important from the first minute they met. He'd bolted out of his front gate and barrelled into her while his drunken father stood on the porch shouting abuse. She'd been rooted to the spot, her seven year old brain trying to comprehend why the nasty man was shouting at the little boy. As for Judd, he'd glared at her in defiance, swiping at the tears that poured down his dirty cheeks, leaving streaks.

"What are you looking at?" He'd snarled, picking himself up from the footpath and thrusting his hands into torn pockets, glaring at her with fire in his eyes.

She'd stood and dusted herself off before answering. "Wanna come and play at my place? I've got a cubby house."

Interest had flared in his eyes before he hung his head and muttered, "Whatever," and followed her home. And just like that, their lifelong friendship had been born.

Looking back, she would've done anything to protect the fierce little boy that day, though she'd been in shock herself. She'd never seen anything like Judd's father swaying on the front step, his face a mottled red, shouting rude words at his son.

Even at that age her mothering instincts had rushed to the fore and thankfully the young boy with an unruly mop of dark curls had let her into his life and they'd forged a bond nobody could breach since.

"Great spot for a rendezvous."

Abby sat up abruptly, almost banging her head on the cabana's low-hanging roof. "Hey, I was just thinking about you."

"Good things, I hope."

Judd stooped and entered the cabana, his large frame filling the small thatched room and making her all too aware of its seclusion. She'd told him where she would be, needing some time to unwind before facing the reality of what they were about to do, a small part of her counting on the splendid isolation of this beautiful stretch of beach as an enticing prelude of things to come for the rest of the night.

However, now he'd arrived and filled the small space with his potent presence, her heart thumped with nervous anticipation.

Forcing a smile, she patted the sand next to her, trying to act as normal as possible considering they were about to take an irreversible step down the pathway to carnal bliss.

"Just thinking about how the shoot went," she said, resisting the urge to tug at her bikini top, hoping it hadn't ridden up while she'd been lying down.

Though he'd seen her in stuff as skimpy as her new swimsuit before, this felt weirder now that her body tingled every time he glanced her way. And right now, he was gobbling her up with his eyes and coming back for seconds.

"You were great this afternoon."

He sat on the sand, stretching his long legs out in front of him, drawing her attention to them. He looked fabulous in shorts, a fact that first registered all those years ago when he captained the school football team.

"I'm a professional, what can I say?" She struck an exaggerated pose and they laughed, the taut tension between them easing a tad.

However, as his gaze slowly travelled the length of her body, she stiffened, unable to stay relaxed when every cell in her body was on high alert, desperate for his touch.

The gold flecks in his eyes glittered in the reflected moonlight off the ocean and she swallowed, swamped by helplessness.

Should she throw herself at him? Tease him a little and hope he'd make the first move? Judd the joking friend, she could handle. This new intensely sexy Judd was throwing her way off balance and she had no idea how to recover her equilibrium.

He eyeballed her. "Speaking about being professional, why didn't you tell me how far you've come in your career? We talk so often on the phone, not to mention our almost-novel-length emails and texts, and you didn't mention it."

"Because we had more important things to talk about besides me blowing my own trumpet."

"Like what? My latest triumph? My latest trip?"

"Hey, I like hearing about all that exciting stuff. Don't worry about it. We're here now and you get to see firsthand what a marvel I've become in the fashion world."

He snapped his fingers. "From modesty to big head in under a minute. That's my girl."

Her smile waned as she decided now was as good a time as any to broach the subject of their impending shift in relationship.

"Seeing as you mentioned me being your girl, are we really serious about changing the status quo?"

He leaned back on his arms, his T-shirt stretched taut across his broad chest, and she gulped. She'd been immune to him physically for years—it had helped not seeing him in the flesh, so to speak—but she didn't stand a chance considering she'd been hot for him as a teenager and absence in this case really had made her heart fonder.

"I'm deadly serious. How about you?"

Her heart turned over at the serious implication of what they were about to do. "I'm in."

"Great," he said, tracing circles in the sand with one hand while sending her a slow, lazy smile. "Who gets to make the first move? After all, no time like the present."

Abby swallowed, her skin prickling with his proximity. "Now, huh? I'm still trying to get used to the idea."

"It is a bit much to take in, isn't it? Come here." He opened his arms and, bracing herself for the first scintillating physical contact, she leaned over and hugged him.

As his arms slid around her torso and she yielded to the pressure of his embrace and the reassuring warmth, she wondered for the hundredth time over the last twenty-four hours what on earth she was doing.

His friendship meant the world to her. Was it worth potentially sabotaging for a quick fling?

"Weiss," he sighed, his warm breath fanning her cheek as he held her tightly. "You're the best friend a guy could ever wish for. That's not going to change."

Her eyes closed as she leaned into him, savouring the physical contact, trying to keep her hands from wandering all over his body.

Damn, they'd hugged countless times before, yet it felt so different now. Having the hots for someone sent them crazy with the barest touch.

"It better not change." He stroked her hair, the rhythmic movement soothing her like it always did. "You sure we're not totally crazy?"

"That, I'm not so sure about." She pulled away and stared into his eyes, the adorable laugh lines adding character to an already striking face. "Promise me that whatever happens, our friendship won't change. Promise me ."

He nodded, his laughter fading as his fingertips brushed her cheek in a tender gesture that almost brought tears to her eyes. "You got it. And don't worry, nothing's going to change our friendship. Consider the rest of our time together a slumber party."

His suggestive wink had her whacking him playfully on the arm in a familiar reflex gesture. However, her pulse picked up tempo as the full implication of what she was about to do hit her.

They were going to sleep together; though sleep would be the furthest thing from their minds when they finally got naked.

"Don't you think we're a bit old for sleepovers?"

He dropped a quick peck on her nose, before grabbing it between his thumb and forefinger and tweaking. "We're never too old for anything. It'll be fun, you'll see."

"In that case, your place or mine?"

He grinned, the wicked gleam in his eyes eliciting a jittery response deep in her gut. "Now you're talking."

She rolled her eyes and stood, brushing sand from her butt. "Flirt."

"Flirting is good." He stood and handed her the sarong she'd been lying on. "Here, cover yourself before I get carried away."

"Why, don't you like this?"

She twirled and struck a pose, enjoying his tortured expression. He wanted to flirt? No problem. There was nothing surer than this time, their flirting would lead somewhere: her plush king bed covered in Egyptian cotton sheets with a sky-high thread count, with the two of them getting friendlier than they ever had before.