Author's Note: First things first. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, favorite, follow, and review. You are all amazing in my book. Secondly, this chapter kicked my butt. I hope you enjoy it! Leave a review to let me know you are still reading! :)

Chapter Three

A burning ache pulsated in the apex of Izzie's thighs as she sank onto the edge of the bed. Pressing her knees together, she sent up a silent prayer the sensation would go away. The pressure made it worse. Under different circumstances she would strip down to nothing, slide between the sheets of her bed, part her legs, and let her fingers work a bit of half-ass magic. With only a thin, wooden door separating her from Alex that wasn't an option. She squirmed, biting back a small whimper as the lace of her panties rubbed against her clit. This was ridiculous. All Alex had done was kiss her. She'd been kissed before. A few had even been as hot as Alex. None of them had turned her on to the point that she was ready to yank off her clothes and spread her legs for them. Alex had though. If she hadn't tripped and fell against the door, she had no doubt that right about now her cherry would be popped. The disappointment coursing through her was almost as surprising as the desire burning through her body. It was normal to feel that way, she told herself as she pressed the palms of her hands into the mattress beneath her. Pushing upward, she rose. She carefully walked across the room to where her suitcase sat on a red club chair. Each step she took was torture. It was as though her clothing and body had formed an alliance against logic and were determined to remind her that she needed...wanted...sex. Her pretty face twisted into a scowl as she reached for the hem of her yellow cotton top. Her fingers shook slightly as she bunched the material in her fists and tugged it upward. She droped it to the floor, kicked off her sandals and unzipped her shorts. Pushing the material downward with one hand, she caught her blue lacey boy cut panties with the other. Her lips curled inward as she shot a nervous glance toward the closed bathroom door. A few weeks ago the idea of Alex walking in on her partially naked wouldn't have bothered her. They'd ran through sprinklers in nothing but their underwear when they were little. Once, after a mud fight when they were five, her mother had thrown them in the shower together. Her father hadn't been home. If he had been, Izzie could only imagine the disgusting things he would have said.

"Stop thinking about him," she whispered. Whether she meant her father or Alex, she didn't know. It didn't really matter. She needed to focus on getting dressed. Mentally, she went through the contents of her suitcase. She'd packed three dresses. The one she wanted to wear was a strapless, white ruched number that hit her mid-thigh and clung to every curve. When she'd packed it, she'd done so with the intent of showing George what he was missing. Now, as she shimmied into the silky material, her only thoughts were of Alex. What would he think of the dress? Would he appreciate the way it fit her body like a glove? Would his thoughts turn towards stripping it from her body? "For the love of God," she cried, thoroughly disgusted with herself. This was Alex she was thinking about. Alex! Her best friend. The one constant in her life. Twenty years of friendship wasn't worth losing just because she was horny.

She'd just finished dragging the side zipper up when the bathroom door opened. Purposely averting her eyes, Izzie concentrated on locating the nude heels she'd packed. Other than the sandals she ahd worn and a pair of Sperry's they were the only shoes she'd brought. Nude went with everything. Placing one hand on the chair for balance, Izzie used the other to pull on the stillettos one at a time. She straightened and turned, a gasp catching in her throat as she almost collided with the object of her over-active imagination. "Shit," she blurted out, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as she steadied herself. As their eyes locked, Izzie felt a sense of deja vu. Her lips parted slightly, her breathing quickened as she tilted her head. A soft whimper of relief formed in the back of her throat as Alex's lips descended upon her's. Slowly, his hands skimmed down her sides, his fingers lingering near the hem of her dress before sliding upward. She felt one of his fingers toying with the lace crotch of her panties. Yes please, she thought as the finger brushed aside the material. A second finger joined the first, the tips of both pressing against her clit, massaging the swollen little nub. Her grip on his shirt tightened as he slowly teased one finger between her folds. She'd played with herself numerous times over the years, but shed never let a man touch her. George had tried a few times in high school. Each time her father's voice had been in her head, calling her a whore. She'd grabbed his hand, told him she wasn't ready. Most times George understood. A few times he'd gotten angry. When she'd questioned Alex about George's frustrations, Alex had told her guys liked to have sex and if she wasn't going to have sex with the poor guy she needed to let him go. He had been joking. Joking or not, he had put the idea of just getting it over with in her head. Which led to their discussion on sex. Alex had told her that with the right guy it wouldn't feel dirty. With the right guy she wouldn't hear her father's voice. She waited, listening intently. Not even a whisper of her father's demented slurs.

Izzie bit back a moan as Alex fully slid one of his long, thick fingers fully in. It felt different from when she did it. There was a slight burning, mingling with a pressure unlike anything she'd ever felt. She'd always been able to bring herself to orgasm. It was easy. She knew her body. So did Alex, apparently. Each stroke of his finger pushed her closer and closer. "Oh God," she whispered, sucking in her breath as he withdrew his finger, only to have a second join the first when he dipped back in. It hurt, a little, as he thrust the fingers updward, the pad of his thumb seeking out and finding her clit. Sweet Jesus! "Oh God!" She barely recognized the throaty voice moaning, but knew it was her own. It w felt as though a bubble were quickly growing, ever expanding, until the pressure popped. As the last of her whimpers died she felt his hand withdrawing from between her legs. "Alex, please!"

Alex's forehead touched hers, his breath hot against her cheek. "We can't." The thickness of his voice told her he wanted to go further. Even if it hadn't, the bulge in his pants did. She relaxed her hold on his shirt, trailing one hand south. She tip-toed her fingers across the denim that stretched over his erection. "Iz, don't." His fingers curled around her wrist, gently tugging her hand away. "We can't."

"Yes," she purred, "we can."

"No." His head shook. "I shouldn't have done that." This time the thickness in his voice caused her to take a step back, confusion on her face. He sounded disgusted. With himself? With her? She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, hurt filling her eyes. He shot her a pained look before letting out a sigh." Twenty years," he whispered. "We've been friends for twenty years. I can't throw that away. I won't throw it away. Not for something..." Alex clamped his mouth shut.

Humiliation burned behind Izzie's eyes. Fighting the urge to cry she nodded. She understood. They were friends. That is all Alex seen when he looked at her. Except he had kissed her. He had touched her. He had done those things on his own without any prompting from her. "You kissed me," she pointed out, stalking over to her bag. She pulled out a large, hot pink pouch. "And you...well...you...you...you know what you just did!" Casting him a scathing look over her shoulder, Izie quirked one brow up. The blank expression on his face gave away nothing. Asshole. He had always been good at hiding how he felt. He couldn't hide this time. Not from her. She would prod him until he answered.

"Can we just drop it? Better yet, let's forget it ever happened." Alex dropped into the empty chair adjacent from her suitcase. He propped his elbows on his knees, his chin tucked close to his chest. "We need to hurry. George and Olivia are waiting."

"Seriously?" The scowl marring Izzie's face deepened. He wanted to forget everything that had just happened. Maybe, given his reputation with women, he was able to do that, but she wasn't. With shaking hands, she dumped out the contents of her make up bag on the counter. She took a few calming breaths before picking up her favorite MAC eye-shadow compact. As she set to work on amping up her eye make up she tried to understand were Alex was coming from. He hadn't said he wasn't interested. All his actions said he was. His mouth kept spouting out nonsense about twenty years. The eye shadow brush in her right hand paused. It was their friendship. He didn't want to lose their friendship and hew as afraid that if they had sex he would. Smoothing out a bit of silvery eye shadow, Izzie let out a sigh before dropping the brush back into the bag. She picked up a tube of peach lip gloss, applied a thin coat, tossed it down, and then turned around to find Alex leaning against a nearby wall, watching her. "Maybe you can forget, but I can't." Stepping around him, she walked over to were she'd left her phone. Three missed texts. Two from George, one letting her know he was in the lounge and another asking where they were. The third was from her mother letting her know her neighbor Mrs. Duquette's grandson Denny was in town and wouldn't it be nice if Izzie showed him around town. "She never stops," Izzie muttered. She shot off a reply to George, letting him know they were heading down. Her mother didn't deserve an answer. This Denny was probably an even bigger creep than the last guy her mother had set her up with. Shane the octopus. Just thinking about the guy sent a shudder through Izzie's body. She'd had to pull out her pepper spray to detour the guy. When that didn't phase him, she threatened him with the cops; going so far as to tell him her best friend was a cop. Whether Shane had believed her or not was moot. Alex had chosen that moment to pul up in his squad car. Her apartment was closer to the precinct than his house and he wanted something to eat. Shane had taken one look at Alex in his uniform and he'd taken off.

"It would be better if you did," Alex argued.

"Why?" It was childish the way she kept asking him why but she wanted answers. Experience had taught her the only way effectively get answers out of Alex was to push his buttons until he blew up and responded just to shut her up. "I'm serious Alex. I want to know why. If any other woman offered you no strings attached sex you wouldn't hesitate."

Anger twisted his face. "Is that what you want? For me to treat you like all those bar whores I've screwed?" Her eyes widened as she closed the difference between them, a predatory glint in his light brown eyes. She should have backed off. Or at least been scared. She wasn't. This was Alex. He had never hurt her and she didn't see him hurting her now. Adrenaline surged through her veins as he yanked her body up against his. His mouth crushed against hers. This kiss wasn't slow and sweet like the last two, but full of pent up desire. She responded by digging her fingers into his scalp, urging him closer still. He broke the kiss, his eyes burning into hers. She could feel his heart pounding through the material of their clothing. "I love you," he whispered hoarsely, shock dialating his pupils as he trailed a finger down her cheek. She nodded, murmuring the words in return. They had always said the words to one another. After twenty years of friendship it would be insane not to. Yet, this time she knew the words held something more. This time, when his mouth covered her's she knew there would be no stopping.