The return to what we really are to each other when this is all over—nothing more than friends—will be enough of a slap in the face as it is.

When his fingertips graze along the waistband of my boxers, I trap his hand with mine, halting his exploration. A slight frown mars his perfect face, and I only barely manage to hold in a groan. He’s killing me here.

“Save the ideas for later,” I suggest. Because I’m only freaking human. And I did agree to friends with benefits, but hooking up with him at night somehow feels safer than doing it in the morning light.

There’s a little twinkle in his eyes when he says, “Oh, I totally will.”

I release his hand, and when he removes it from my body, I try hard not to regret my decision. Then he brings his hand to the back of my head, pulling me closer as he leans in to kiss me. And this is almost as dangerous as if I let him touch my dick. Because fuck.

It’s lazy in the best way, slow and blissful and unhurried. It’s not a kiss that’s leading somewhere. He’s simply kissing me because he wants to kiss me.

He wants to kiss me.

I let it go on until I start to get hard, and that’s when I gently pull back. Definitely time for me to get out of this bed.

“I can whip something up quick for you guys before I leave,” I offer.

Smiling, he shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll survive.”

“I don’t mind,” I tell him, getting up and heading to the dresser for some clothes.

He sits up and stretches his arms above his head, letting out a loud yawn. Then he says, “Really, it’s fine. I don’t wanna eat too much now anyway, since I plan on eating as much as possible later.”

That sounds about right.

“Is it cool if I hop in the shower?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’ll probably go downstairs and get coffee started.”

“Or you’ll fall back asleep,” I say, because he hasn’t gotten out of bed yet.

His smile is entirely unashamed. “That’s also a possibility.”

The way he looks right now in the morning light, lazy and happy and beautiful, has me tempted to crawl back into the bed and sleep for a bit longer too, just to be close to him. But I have to do the responsible adult thing and go run my business.

“I’ll meet you guys on the green later,” I remind him.