Something's changed, and she looks sad. "I'll check your ribs and then leave. That's my final offer." I add a smile to put her at ease, but she doesn't return it.

She heads my way and I move back to let her pass. She walks to a side table next to her bed and I'm right behind her. She gives me a look then looks at the drawer. Her face flushes and I know something is up.

"Stand back there while I get the cream out." She points toward the door. "We're heading to the couch," she adds. I can see she doesn't want me anywhere near her nightstand and then it dawns on me.

I back away. Well, well this is interesting. "I've seen your bras tonight, so the least you can do is let me see your vibrator."

And that's when the Danny, my friend, decides to play. A small, blue silicone vibrator flies directly at my head. I duck and slap it away. It bounces off the wall and lands at my feet. It doesn't look like muchmore of a finger than a dick. I step back a bit and bend over to lift it up. That's when my recently broken toe decides to cramp. "Owww." I hop to my other foot while looking down at the floor, examining the blue sex toy in fascination. "That's the size you use?"

Danny isn't even flustered. Her eyes go dreamy and she rubs her palms over her lower belly, acting like she's anticipating the feel of the vibrator and her voice drops an octave. "It's not the size; it's what can be done with it. That baby has multiple speeds." She's a good actress and I've seen her put on a show when she replays rugby games. This is entirely different, but I know she's jerking my chain.

I start laughing. This isn't the first vibrator I've seen. I've just never had one explained to me in quite that fashion or had one chucked at my head. I take a long look at my friend, and I want nothing more than to show Danny that size really does matter and that I know exactly how to pick up speed and slow down when needed. The thought travels like lightning to my dick.

Danny strides over and lifts the blue wonder while holding her ribs. I grab the ointment out of her other hand and check the label, assuring myself it's not lube. I'm not looking at her, because no way in hell can I watch her long fingers wrap around that dildo. I groan internally. My dick is leading my thoughts, and this sudden fascination with all things Danny needs to stop. She walks back to the drawer and deposits the vibrator inside before giving the drawer a nice slam.

She turns and faces me, placing her hands on her hips. "Are you done invading my privacy, lover boy?"

I grin like an idiot and give her a break. "Come on, grouchy pants; let's take care of those ribs."

I let her pass, trying to control my dick when she brushes slightly against me. I watch her long-legged stride down the hall, wondering why everything she's doing is suddenly turning me on. I walk behind her and think about rugby. This is so I can try to stop thinking like a jerk friend with a hard-on.

Danny sinks down on the couch. "For God's sake, you're freaking me out, Van. I'm sure I can get that girl's number and you can still hook up with her." The earnest look she gives me is anything but happy.

"I'm good," I lie. It's not the other girl I want to be with at the moment. I wouldn't trade right here, right now, for anything.

"You mind if I take off my shoes? My toe cramped, and it's throbbing." Along with my dick, which is, thankfully, covered by my jeans and long jacket. The apartment is cold and Danny has kept her jacket on, too.

This is a good thing, I tell myself.

She nods, and I remove my shoes and socks. The toe gives me trouble every so often, and I've added it to my old-age list of things that will really hurt if I make it to said old age.

Once I have my shoes and socks off, Danny stares at my bare foot. "Your toe is swollen almost double its normal size and you carried me up the stairs, you jerk."

My toe isn't the only thing that's doubled in size. "Kiss it and make it feel better." I lift my foot a bit.

"I'll bite it off and give you something good to whine about. Get that smelly thing away from me." She's laughing, holding her ribs.

I get comfortable before looking at her. "Off with the jacket and shirt so I can see your boobs- I mean ribs." I tease. She throws a pillow at my head then leans forward, breathing heavily because it aggravated her injury.

Danny in a sports bra shouldn't affect me any worse than I already am. I've seen plenty of women wearing them with very little covering their bottom half; whereas, Danny's ass is more than covered. She gives me a long questioning look before removing her jacket and bringing the shirt over her head. She's turned slightly away from me and it's her pale skin that draws my attention. Her flesh is creamy enough to eat and my dick thinks so, too. The rocket Danny spoke of earlier is preparing for liftoff. I really need to get the hell out of here, but my ass is glued to the couch and my eyes are glued to Danny. She has a shape. It might not be as curvy as some women, but it's there. How could I miss it?

She turns back toward me and I see a large, dark bruise covering her side. The bruise puts me in control of my dick. I don't like seeing the evidence of Danny's pain.

I move a bit closer and push her sports bra up just a tad. I ignore Danny's grumble and uncap the salve. It smells strong, and next to ibuprofen I know this is her rugby lifesaver.

"Hold still," I order as I grab her waist with one hand, my slathered fingers sliding over her skin. Soft. It's my fingers without the salve that are against the skin of her waist that registers this. Shit, not what I expected. Danny moans and my dick is right back where it was a few moments ago. The bottom of her breast swells beneath the tight band of the bra where I've pushed it up. "Any chance you could remove the entire bra?" I ask in a teasing voice.

"I swear if you don't get laid soon, I'm taking up a collection for a hooker."

She's the same old Danny. It's me who needs to control myself and take a step back to a few hours ago, when I thought of her as just a friend. I don't want to ruin what we've built over the last year. I like her too much and maybe this is all about the fact that I do need to get laid. Even with touching her and seeing her bras and vibrator, this should be nothing but something to tease her about tomorrow.

My attention snaps back to Danny when she closes her eyes and her head falls to the side. Her body sinks farther into the cushion. I lean toward her slightly and place one hand on her thigh as I reach a little higher. Her head tips down a bit and she watches my hand on her leg. I run my oily palm up to the bra line and now I can feel the slight swell of her breast. Her head lifts higher. I move in closer.

"What are you doing, Van?" she asks in that low, throaty voice of hers.

"This," I say before kissing her parted lips.

Fuck me. She tastes sweet. Beer and an underlying sweet tang I never expected. I move closer and my hand covers one breast. Her tongue dances with mine. It's a miracle she doesn't bite me. Maybe she's wondered about this, too. The kiss continues as I play with her lips and tongue.

It's finally Danny who jerks back; she doesn't look happy. "You need to leave." There's no softness in her eyes. They're angry, and I know I've majorly screwed up.

I cap the salve, put my shoes on, and give her a long, calculating look. She's extremely mad and I can't blame her. She's giving me the silent treatment and doesn't say another word. As I head to the Rover, all I can think about is that she kissed me back.

"Alcohol," I groan aloud.

A cold feeling washes through me. If the kiss led to more, would I have taken it there? I'm not drunk and can't blame it on anything but the type of man I've become. I'm tired of that man. I want something more in my life and that means not taking- not ruining my friendship with Danny. Hell, maybe I already have. She'll never understand. I don't understand.

I get into the Rover and pound the steering wheel with a hard strike of my fist. Danny is girlfriend material. She's wife material and mommy material. Hell, she's true love material. She's everything I've needed these past months, and she's been under my nose and I didn't notice. Until tonight. My mind turns to the memory of Dick-face. He was everything I'm not. A gentleman, stand up. Took her to movies and dinner. Walked away when she told him she wasn't ready for what he wanted in life.

It was her one and only personal sharing moment. Told me that Dick-face wanted to settle down and make babies, but she wasn't there yet. Now it's me who wants to settle down and make babies and she still isn't there, at least not for me. I'm not walking away, though. I might be a lot of things, but I'm not a dick-face. Laughter bursts from my lips. For the first time in my life, a woman isn't interested in me in the way I want. Danny wants friendship and I'm hoping I haven't blown that completely. Now, I just need to get my personal issues under control and find a way to mend this fence. I also need to forget how sweet her mouth tastes, and how I wanted to cup her breasts and feel their softness while getting lost in every inch of Danny's creamy skin.

I groan in the quiet of the car. First, I need to apologize. I glance at her window up on the second floor. Not tonight. She needs to sleep off her buzz. I'll call her first thing in the morning and take her out to breakfast. Between now and then, I'll lock away the Danny I discovered tonight. I'll repair the damage I've done, and make her see that I can be her friend.