A war erupts in me, part of me fighting to throw my phone across the room and not ever see her this way, and the other part of me hungering for more as my cock grows harder with anticipation as another photo starts to come into view beneath the others.

Shit. I can’t take anymore.

This one nearly does me in when it fully loads. She’s sitting in the sand at the edge of the beach with some kind of mermaid costume on, her long legs covered by the tight, sparkling scaled material, the water lapping up onto her. She’s leaning back, looking up towards the sun, her breasts held by a bikini top of seashells, jutting upward in the most tantalizing way. A tiny starfish hangs from a chain around her neck, resting in the valley between her breasts. A thin gold headband wraps around her head, holding back her hair that is somehow almost three times longer than it was the last time I saw her. It now streaked with blue and green to match her mermaid fin, flowing down her back and pooling onto the sand behind her. I’m so lost in the photos, scrolling back up to look at each one again, that I forget she’s on the other side of the phone waiting for me to say something.

Sitting up, I ignore the dog’s accusing stare as I type back to her with shaky fingers.

Me: A little warning would have been nice.

Kenzi: I wanted to surprise you.

Me: You definitely did.

The pictures are slowly destroying me, demolishing my walls, burning up my self-control like an unstoppable inferno. I hate her for forcing me to see her this way and for making me want her so fucking much that my body is literally aching for her.

No. I don’t hate her. I love her. I need her.

Kenzi: You don’t like them?

I’m jerked back to reality as I realize I’m the first and only man to ever see her this way, as a woman and not a little girl. I know all her insecurities, and I know how hard this was for her because she doesn’t see herself as sexy or attractive. She’s a jeans, t-shirts and boots kinda girl. She’s effortless and clueless in her own beauty, and that just makes her even more attractive. I can only guess how vulnerable she feels, sitting there waiting for me to say something reassuring to her.

My brain spins round and round like a merry go round that’s tilting off its axis. This moment, my response, could change everything. Do I do the right thing and reply as her lifelong friend? Say something polite? Or do I show her a piece of the man she’s playing with?

I’m tired of the fight.

I’m lonely.

I want to play.

My fingers fly defiantly over the keyboard, leading me straight into the fire.

Me: Are you kidding? I fucking love them. You look incredible. Are there more?

Kenzi: Yes.

Me: I want to see them. Please.

I feel dizzy and intoxicated as more pictures flood my screen. I’m like a rabid junkie getting a fix, and I can’t get enough. All the photos are classy and sensual, but capture her perfectly in a way I’ve been trying to pretend for months that I haven’t noticed. She’s turned into a drop-dead gorgeous woman with a body that could very well turn me into an animal and make me beg for just five minutes with her.

Me: How did your hair grow so fast?

Kenzi: It’s extensions. They clip on.

Me: Oh. The way it hides you but gives just enough of a peek is driving me crazy. It’s the perfect tease.

Kenzi: I could grow my hair that long if you want.

Me: No. I like you exactly as you are. Don’t ever change for anyone. Not even me.

Kenzi: You really like them? I’ve never posed like this before. Do I look awkward?

Me: Hell no. I love them. I can’t stop looking at them. It’s killing me they’re so tiny on my screen.

Kenzi: I was really hoping you would like them. I was nervous.

Me: Don’t be. Did you send these to Sailor?

I’ll go into an all-out rage if she says yes. I’ll hunt that fucker down and smash his phone and beat him until any memory of seeing her like this is gone from his brain. I can’t stand sharing women anymore and there is no way in hell I could ever share her.

Kenzi: God no. I would never do that. He’s just a friend. Some of these are for my portfolio and the others are just for me to have.

I lick my lips and adjust my throbbing cock under the sheets. I swear I want to paw at my phone screen right now just to have any piece of her I can get. This is sheer torture.

Me: Why did you send these, Kenz? What are you trying to do to me?