InBedWithMrPerfect Read online

  In Bed with Mr. Perfect

  Heidi Lynn Anderson

  Curvy Ann Griffin has a secret—she’s in love with her longtime best friend and business partner Joe Mathews. After suffering through a date from hell—which definitely wasn’t worth putting on her strangling shapewear for—Ann heads home. How was she supposed to know the night would end with her throwing herself into his arms and allowing him to fulfill her every fantasy?

  What’s a guy to do when the woman he loves kisses him senseless? Go with it, that’s what. For more than a decade, Joe has fought back his needs for the voluptuous beauty. In his mind, the only thing missing in their relationship was the ability to explore every inch of her luscious body.

  Although sleeping with Ann could destroy everything they have, Joe won’t allow that to happen. He knows they’re made for each other. Now he only needs to convince her.

  A Romantica® contemporary BBW erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  In Bed With Mr. Perfect

  Heidi Lynn Anderson

  Chapter One

  “What the hell was I thinking?” Ann Griffin said as she tugged at the Lycra shapewear cutting off her circulation. She smoothed the black wrap dress over her hips and collapsed into a kitchen chair. “Remind me never to accept a date from a guy who’s just broken up with his girlfriend ever again.”

  Leaning down, Joe Mathews pressed a kiss onto Ann’s cheek. “You should have stayed home with me.”

  The soft brush of his lips heated Ann’s blood to boiling. Air jammed into her lungs. Every inch of her body burned with fresh yearning and mixed with desires she’d spent the evening trying to suppress.

  Ever since he’d sat next to her in Business 101 over a decade ago her hormones had been doing the tango. Up until now, she’d been able to stamp down her lust for her best friend. But lately her need for him blazed inside her like an inferno needing something to consume. If she wasn’t careful, it would consume her.

  She forced out the breath stuck in her chest. “Why didn’t you go out tonight?”

  “The Patriots were playing the Jets.” Joe moved to the butcher-block countertop and opened a pink pastry box. “I take it your date didn’t go so well?”

  He sliced a huge piece of double-chocolate cheesecake and set it in front of her.

  “It was awful.” She pushed the yummy temptation back across the table.

  “That’s what you get when you go out with a guy based solely on his looks.”

  “I didn’t go out with Scott for his looks.” The sad fact was she needed space from Joe so she didn’t jump him in the hallway between their bedrooms.

  “Yeah, right,” he said.

  She leaned on her elbows and sighed. “He seemed nice when we talked at the gym,” Ann said, referring to the business the two co-owned. To her way of thinking, if she had to suffer though the misery of dating someone who wasn’t Joe she might as well have something nice to look at.

  “I’m sure he was.”

  “Okay,” she admitted. “It didn’t hurt he was shirtless when we were talking. Maybe I don’t have the best judgment when I’m at your place of business.” She laid her head on the table. “I should just wait until after closing to do the accounting paperwork.”

  “Mr. Perfect’s is your business too.” Joe’s strong hands clasped her shoulders and started to massage. “Besides I need all the help I can get.”

  “I’m just a silent partner.”

  “There’s nothing silent about our partnership.” His finger worked the knot at the base of her skull. ”God, you’re tight.”

  A moan slipped past Ann’s lips. The needy pull in her core deepened with every caress of his fingers and her pussy filled with moist heat. She should let her hormones have their way. Perhaps then she wouldn’t be soaking through her shapewear on a daily basis.

  Ignoring the throbbing pleasure between her legs, she lifted her head. “The gym has the revenue to hire someone to help you out, you know.”

  “Why? It’s fine the way it is.”

  The butterflies dive-bombing her stomach every time she was around Joe told her everything wasn’t fine. “For you maybe.”

  “What?”

  Shit, did I say that out loud?

  “Are you saying our arrangement isn’t working for you anymore?” Joe squeezed the back of her neck and tilted her head up. “I’ll find someone if you want.”

  The concern filling his beautiful sea-green eyes tore at her soul. It wasn’t the gym’s fault she couldn’t keep her hormones under control anymore. “I love helping you build your dream.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Hoping he couldn’t see what his nearness did to her, Ann forced herself to smile. “If I wasn’t bombarded with testosterone-enhanced bodybuilders all the time, Jerry from the office might look better.”

  “The testosterone levels in the gym are all your fault.” He pressed his sexy lips to her forehead.

  “Oh please.”

  Straightening, Joe lifted his broad shoulders. “It’s true. When you rush into the gym, all flushed in your smart business suits and sensible heels, the testosterone levels spike.”

  Lust clawing at her core, Ann swallowed the need to ask if his testosterone spiked when he saw her. She shifted in her seat, hoping to dull the burning need coursing through her.

  Joe moved back to the counter, cut another piece of cheesecake and set it in front of her. “You could use this.”

  “I can’t.” Ann pushed the plate away.

  “Why? It’s your favorite.” Joe sat. “Did you have a big dinner?”

  “No, Scott took me to that new raw food place.” Sighing, she rubbed at a wrinkle creasing the vintage lace tablecloth covering the old drop-leaf table.

  “Pussy. A real man would’ve taken you out for a steak.”

  Talking about her bad date steadied her overactive hormones. “I would have settled for a salad on a plate bigger than a teacup saucer.”

  The dimple on his right cheek winked at her. “So, dinner was a bust.” He wiggled his sexy eyebrows. “What about conversation with Scott’s shirt on?”

  “If you don’t mind hearing about how wonderful his ex was and how if I lost thirty pounds I would be as hot as she was, it was fine.”

  Frowning, he grabbed a plate of cheesecake and jabbed his fork into it. “You’re fine just the way you are.”

  “Scott didn’t seem to think so.” Ann rubbed a hand over her belly. “For two hours I had to listen to how much better-looking I would be if I stayed away from carbs and worked out more.”

  The fork Joe held in his large hand clattered against the Fiestaware plate. “When he comes into the gym on Monday, I’m going to kick his ass.”

  For the first time since she got home, Ann relaxed. “Don’t do that. We need his business.”

  “Fuck his business.” Joe tapped her plate. “Eat up. Cheesecake has protein and calcium.”

  “Make sure you tell my hips that in the morning.”

  “It can’t be all bad.” Lifting his arms, Joe stood. “I eat a piece every day and look at me.”

  Her gaze roamed over all six-foot-two inches of his finely honed frame. She poked her finger into the whipped cream topping of the cheesecake as her stomach clenched—as it did every time she set eyes on him and his mega-muscles. “Aren’t you cold without a shirt?”

  “Not with you around.” Handing Ann a fork, Joe folded himself into the chair across from her and dug into his cake.

  Ann rolled her eyes. “Oh, whatever.” The man turned eating dessert into a sexual experience. If her pussy got any wetter, there would be a spot on her seat cushion. “God, I need a drink.”

  “We have margarita mix and a new bottle of tequila.”

>   Maybe Cuervo would numb her desires and dry up her panties. “Sounds good to me.” Ann dipped her fork into the creamy confection and took a bite.

  “You got it.” Joe rose and winced.

  Alarms rang in her head. The last time he’d showed any sign of discomfort he’d ruptured a nut lifting a barbell off some dumbass who thought he could bench press more than the world-record holder. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” he said, turning toward the pantry.

  “Did you move the wrong way and pull something?”

  “I’m fine.” He grabbed the tequila and lime mix. “It’s nothing some time in the shower won’t fix.”

  Concerned now, Ann rose and hurried the short distance to Joe. “The last time you moved like that I had to rush you to the ER and you needed surgery.”

  Her head spun at the memory. “Oh God, Joe, you need to sit.” She snatched the bottles from him and set them on the counter. “Did you overdo it at the gym again? Did you aggravate your hernia?” Ann took his arm and tugged him to a kitchen chair.

  He flushed, gripped her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “If you don’t take a breath you’re going to faint like you did in the ER when they were wheeling me off to the OR.”

  The warmth from his hands seeped into her bones, reassuring her. Ann sucked air between her clenched teeth and stared at the bright-red blotches over Joe’s chest. “I’m sorry. I promise not to pass out. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “If you must know, my cock is chafing against my fly and it hurts.”

  Heat exploded inside her. “What? Were you watching porn while I was out and I got home before you could finish?”

  Joe tugged her to him and kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s no wonder you turn me on.”

  Shock and longing raced through her. She couldn’t be hearing him right.

  Why would he play with me like this?

  Anger mixed with all the swirling emotions turning inside her. Ann’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  He fingered the v-neck of her dress. “I’ve had a raging hard-on ever since I saw you sashay out the door for your date.”

  The light brush of his knuckles sent stabs of pleasure to her center and her body trembled. “Joe, I—”

  Soft as a whisper, Joe swept his mouth over hers. “Shh, let me finish. I sat here trying to watch football and all I could think about was what you were wearing under this dress.”

  Joe pulled at her collar and smiled. “Black lace, nice.” His finger dipped into her cleavage and traced over the edges of her bra. “Every time you wear this clingy black dress and those gold fuck-me pumps I get hard as a rock. Now that I know what you have on under it I may die.”

  “Joe, stop.” She stepped back from his intoxicating touch.

  He grabbed her hands. “Why?”

  Panic flooded her. “Why?” She wrenched away from him. “Because we’re friends.”

  “That’s my point. How much longer do you think we can tiptoe around each other before we destroy our friendship?” Joe folded his massive arms over his chest. “You are the most important person in my life and I don’t want this tension building between us to destroy what we have.”

  Every cell in her body wanted to jump into his arms, but her brain kept her feet planted on the floor. “How many woman have you slept with that you are still friends with?”

  “That’s different.” He shoved his hands into his pockets.

  Blood rushed in her ears as the kitchen spun around her in slow motion. She gripped the corner of the counter to keep from falling. “How is it different?”

  “They’re not you. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

  “You’re—” She stumbled to a chair and fell into it. “Changing everything between us.”

  “I know.” Joe reached over and brushed a stray hair behind her ear.

  She allowed herself to lean into his touch. She couldn't help it. He was everything to her. Stars floated in front of her eyes and everything went hazy.

  “Ann, you need to breathe.”

  “Stop telling me to breathe. I’m not one of your yoga students.” She sucked in a deep breath and pushed out trapped air.

  Her body ached for him. She’d spent too many nights dreaming what it would be like to feel Joe inside her.

  Ann raked her hands through her hair and let herself go back to that sunny day ten years ago. She could almost smell the spring flowers in the air. Her heart pinged as the girl she was watched Joe leave her behind. It wasn’t his fault he hurt her—she’d never told him she was in love with him. Besides, as the years went by, they had become more to each other then she could have ever imagined.

  Folding her arms over her chest, she straightened her shoulders. It was about time she let her body call the shots. When it came to the bedroom, her heart would have to stay out. She just needed some rules was all.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  Looking up into his stunning eyes she forced herself to smile. “If we’re going to have sex we need some ground rules.”

  His full lips twitched. “Do I get a say in the rules?”

  “Depends.” She swallowed back the urge to run her tongue over his mouth.

  “On what?” he asked and sat in the chair across from her again.

  “If I like your suggestions or not.”

  Amusement lit in his eyes, making them sparkle like summer light glinting off emeralds. “What are your conditions, madame?”

  “I can’t believe I’m going to do this.” She stood and did her best to build a wall around her heart. “For the time frame we’re having sex, we are not sleeping with anyone else.”

  “Okay. What else?” he said.

  “We’re always open with each other.” She paced the kitchen like a caged tiger. “And when this stops working for either of us, we’ll tell the other person with no hard feelings.”

  God, he loved her. Joe would do anything to make it work. He blew it once before and he wouldn’t do that again. “That’s fair.”

  Ann stopped mid-step and fisted her hands on her hips, eyeing him. “You’re being awfully agreeable. What’s the catch?”

  “There’s no catch. You haven’t asked anything I wouldn’t have insisted on anyway.” His hard-on pulsed as he stood and moved to her. “I’ll let you know when I have a problem with anything you’re suggesting.”

  She rested her palm against his chest, halting him.

  “I’m starting to have issues.”

  Her forehead creased and she frowned. “When you touch me I lose my train of thought and we need to get things straight.”

  Doing his best to hide his smile, Joe took a step back. “How many more rules do you have?”

  “Just one.”

  Anticipation pulsed through him in hot, greedy waves. “Lay it on me.”

  “We are friends with benefits. That’s it. Nothing else in our relationship changes. We will not do any of that dating bullshit.”

  A chuckle erupted from his chest. They already had the most intimate relationship he’d ever had. The only thing missing was the sex.

  Fury colored Ann’s beautiful face. “What’s so funny?”

  He swallowed his smile. “Nothing. Can I touch you now?”

  “No.”

  If she didn’t act soon the lust burning inside him would consume him. “You’re killing me.”

  “Am I now?” Her full lips twisted into a way too sweet smile. “I think it’s time I do the touching.”

  His legs shook under his weight. He forced himself not to fall to his knees and beg the goddess turning the blood into lava for whatever scrap she wanted to toss him. “Let’s go upstairs then.”

  “Good idea.” Ann took his hand and tugged.

  He stumbled after her. “I like a woman in control.” Actually, he liked everything about her. Gaze tracking to her backside, his mouth watered. The woman was seduction personified. The hypnotic way her h
ips swayed drove him nuts.

  Arching out of his reach, she giggled. “Hey, keep it up and you’ll be sleeping alone.” She led him from the living room up the stairs to the bedrooms and stopped on the landing between their doors.

  Pinning her against the wall next to her bedroom, he pressed into her. “I don’t plan on sleeping alone for a long time. ” Kissing the tip of her nose, he sighed. “I don’t plan on sleeping much at all for that matter.” He rested his cheek against hers and nipped her earlobe. “I have wanted you for so long it may take ten lifetimes of no sleep before I get my fill of you.”

  Heat from Ann’s hot body radiated into him. His cock jerked against his jeans as her hips pressed against his. Joe’s hands itched to touch her burning flesh.

  She leaned back and cupped her hands on his cheeks. “We’ll see about that.”

  Before he had time to process her words, Ann’s lips moved over his, frying Joe’s brain cells.

  Ann’s spicy flavor filled his senses. Blood pounded through his body, fueling his hunger for her. He let her spin him as the picture frame next to them fell to the floor. “God, Ann,” he panted.

  “Touch me. Now,” she demanded, tugging at his jeans.

  He grabbed her ass. Silk over supple flesh filled his hands as her hot body melted into his, his insides shaking with passion. Blood raged through his body in white-hot pulses. He knew it would be great between them, but he never figured he would lose it before they even started.

  Tearing his lips from hers, he sucked in oxygen. “Fuck, Ann, you feel good.”

  Her fingers fumbled at his fly. “Joe.”

  “Bed. We need a bed.” He pushed Ann to her bedroom. His elbow slammed into the doorjamb. Pain radiated up his arm and blended with his raging needs. The heady combination exploded in his gut. “Fuck me.”

  She staggered to the bed, sat and pushed the mound of pillows onto the floor.

  All but falling on her, Joe ripped the flimsy fabric down her arms as he pushed her to the bed. The sound of stitching giving way filled the air. He tugged her bra straps over her shoulders. The desperate sounds of her moans clawed at his balls as her full tits spilled from their cups. Ann’s pink nipples puckered, begging him to taste them.