He lifts a brow as it splatters across his lips. “You want to find out?” Reaching over, he grabs the back of my head and pulls me in for a deep, hard kiss, being sure to smear the mud across my lips.

“Hey!” I run my arm across my mouth, wiping the mud off while playfully punching him in the arm as he laughs at me. “Alright, that just made it worse. Gross.” I spit, trying to get the mud out of my mouth.

Grinning, Alex pulls his shirt off and turns it inside out. “Here . . .” He reaches over and starts cleaning my mouth off. “Let me help you with that.”

My heart starts racing and a warm sensation floods through me as I study his eyes, carefully watching my lips with concentration. His eyes are so soft and caring as he cleans me off. He appears to be using this moment to show me how he can take care of me. “Thanks,” I whisper when he pulls away.

“I got you, baby. No worries.” He leans over me and reaches into the glove compartment, pulling out a brown paper bag. “I made dinner this time. Let’s go eat.” He hops out of the truck and I follow his lead, meeting him at the back of his truck.

Pulling the tailgate down, he opens the black trunk in the back of his truck and pulls out a blanket, spreading it out. Then he grabs me by the hips and lifts me up, setting me on the edge of the tailgate. “Mmm . . . a nice little dinner in the mud.” I look down at my muddy hands and laugh. “Maybe we should’ve brought some water.”

Alex hops up beside me and reaches into the trunk again, pulling out three waters. “Gotcha covered. Hold your hands out.”

I smile and hold my hands out as Alex unscrews the cap of the bottled water and begins washing my hands off with it. “Very nice,” I say impressed. “Much better than last time.”

He quickly rinses his hands off and shrugs his shoulders. “What can I say? I learn from my mistakes.” He smiles over at me. “And I listen. I always listen to you. I’ll admit that I like to impress you.”

“Okay,” I say, while unwrapping my turkey wrap. “Well you definitely do a good job with that, Alex Carter.”

We both smile in satisfaction and spend the next twenty minutes eating. For thirty minutes or so following dinner, we lie down, just staring up at the stars.

It’s so peaceful being out here with him. It’s just another one of our places that I’ve always loved going to together. This man holds so many special memories in my life that he almost feels like my whole life. I can never imagine him not being here for me.

“You ready?” He asks, pulling me away from my stargazing.

I peel some dried mud off the side of his face and lift a brow. “Yeah . . . although this mud is really looking good on you.”

He jumps to the ground and grabs my hips to help me down. “I’ll look even better with you cleaning it off my body.” Clearing his throat, he walks away as if what he just said was a mistake. “We should get going.”

We’re both silent on the ride home, me looking over at him every few minutes, doing my best to read his face. He’s got that damn poker face in place again, and it’s driving me mad. Maybe it’s best if I just go straight to my room and lock myself in for the night, before we both end up doing something stupid again. Maybe this being friends without benefits isn’t going to work so easily.

Once we get back to the house, Alex heads toward the downstairs shower. “Go get cleaned up and then I’ll play for you. I’m going to shower down here.”

I swallow. “Yeah . . . I would love that.” My eyes trail down the back of his fit body, stopping on his perfect ass in those dirty, ripped up jeans. “I’ll just shower upstairs.”

Jogging up the stairs, I shut my door behind me and let out a long, hard breath. My body is going crazy with need, knowing that he’s about to strip. I want to be the one to clean the mud off his sexy body. I want to be the one to watch as the water pours down him. I want to touch his body so badly that I can’t even think straight.

The shower downstairs turns on, making me open my eyes and remember what I should be doing. “Dammit, Tripp. Wake the fuck up and get over Alex.”

Stripping and throwing my dirty clothes into a pile beside my bed, I close myself into the bathroom and start my own shower.

Stepping inside, I close my eyes, letting the steaming hot water run down my dirty body. It feels so good just letting the hot temperature wash over me.

Not expecting it, I jump and let out a small scream when I feel Alex step in behind me and brush my hair over my shoulder.

“Sorry,” he whispers next to my ear. “I got you dirty . . . I want to be the one to clean you off.” He runs his tongue up the side of my neck and growls. “Just relax and let me do all the work.”

Breathing heavily, I lean into Alex’s chest as he reaches around to clean the front of my body. Instead of using my loofah he puts the soap straight into his strong, sexy, tattooed hands and begins rubbing me down, starting on my chest.

I suck in a breath and try my best not to shake when his hands slowly move downward to start working on my breasts. “Alex . . .” I let out a moan and place my hand behind me, gripping his muscular thigh. “Ooohhh . . . that feels so good.” My grip on his thigh tightens as he growls into my ear and moves his hands lower.

His hands move slowly and torturously, until I finally feel two of his fingers spread me apart and start massaging my already swollen clit.

“You’re so fucking dirty, Tripp,” he whispers breathlessly into my ear. “I’m not stopping until you’re clean . . .”

I can’t talk. Hell . . . I can’t even breathe. His fingers are so damn talented. I’ve never seen anyone work them the way he does. My whole body is about to break down and go into convulsion.

“Aren’t you going to clean me, firecracker?” He continues to rub my clit with one finger, while slipping another inside of me. “You got me so fucking dirty.”

I let out a gasp as I feel him press his thick, hard dick against my ass while shoving his finger in so damn deep that I almost come undone from his fingers.

“Yes,” I say in a whisper.

“Touch me.” With his free hand he reaches for my hand and wraps it around his throbbing dick. “Fuck me. . . . Wrap those fingers around me and own me.” I start running my hand up and down his slick dick, my heart beating so fast that I can hardly breathe. His erection is so thick that I can’t even get my hand around him. “Yes,” he growls.

The faster he pumps into me, the faster I stroke him in my hand.

When he wraps one arm around my neck and bites into my shoulder I lose it.

“Oh yes . . . yes . . . oooohhh . . . fuck!” As soon as Alex feels me clamping around his finger, he shoves another one inside and holds me up, while I shake in his protective arms.

“Yes, baby. Come undone for me,” he whispers against my neck. “Keep going. I want it all.”

He waits until I’m completely done, before slowly pulling his fingers out and sucking them into his mouth. “So fucking good, but I’m not done cleaning you yet.”

Pushing my back down, he drops down to his knees behind me, grips my thighs hard . . . and runs the tip of his tongue down my ass crack, stopping on my pussy.

My whole body shakes, which causes Alex to growl against my pussy. “Fuck me . . . fuck . . .” he says harshly. “Hold onto the fucking wall. Don’t let go.”

His tongue is like magic against my already throbbing pussy. Within seconds I am coming again, but with Alex’s tongue inside me instead.

“Shit . . .” Turning me around, Alex grabs both of my hands and wraps them around his dick. “Yes . . . fuck!”

With just a few strokes, Alex’s hot cum hits my stomach, covering me all the way up to my breasts. The feel of Alex coating me with his orgasm, that I caused, has me closing my eyes and fighting for breath.

This is the hottest thing in the world to me. I want to feel him everywhere, even though I can’t admit it aloud. Alex Carter: my best friend and the world’s champion in giving orgasms. I think I might just faint right now.