Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“What’s the plan?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to step aside while you pursue her.”
“I never suggested you should.” He sounds oddly calm.
“Then what are we going to do?”
“About what?” Why is he purposely being so obtuse?
“We both like her.”
He shrugs. “I don’t see a problem. She can decide who she likes. Or maybe she wants both of us.”
CHAPTER 22
STELLA
When I go back inside, Marissa is in the kitchen making a cup of tea.
“Oh, you’re home.” I try to keep my voice level. “How was your work thing?”
“Not nearly as good as your back patio thing.” She pins me with a look. “Which one was better?”
“Which one what?”
“Who’s the better kisser?”
“Oh, you saw that?” I’m failing at nonchalance, but I give it my best effort.
“Yeah, I mean, I wasn’t trying to spy on you, but when I saw that there was more than one figure out on the patio, I had to find out what was going on. What I saw was a bit of a shock,” she says.
“Bit of a shock for me, too. But those were just thank-you kisses.”
“Thank-you kisses?” My friend’s voice drips with skepticism.
“There was a skunk on our patio, and I got trapped outside with it—”
Her eyes widen. “Really? Well, ordinarily a skunk would be exciting news, but let’s focus on what’s important first. Those were not thank-you kisses. Unless it was thank you for having the faces and bodies of gods. Let me stick my tongue down your throats.”
“Marissa! There was no tongue involved. And my god, you’re starting to sound like Ana.”
“I guess she has rubbed off of me. So you kissed them to thank them for chasing away a skunk? Weirdest excuse I’ve ever heard, but okay.”
“Cam suggested it. And … I was grateful about the skunk.”
She snorts out a laugh, then gives me another skeptical look.
“Okay. I was curious.”
“So am I. How were they?”
I consider downplaying how amazing the kisses were, but I’m not that much of an actress. “Good. Really good.”
Marissa nods, as if this confirms exactly what she expected.
“They offered to come by tomorrow to patch up the fence, so the skunk can’t get in again.”
“No doubt they’ll want more thank-you kisses.”
I shake my head at her, even as my stomach flutters at the thought of kissing them again. “It’s late. I’m going to get ready for bed.”
“Sweet dreams,” she calls after me with a smile in her voice.
It takes quite a while to get to my sweet dreams, because I have a really hard time falling asleep. Even though I try to distract myself by thinking about mundane things, my brain keeps replaying the kisses.
The way Cam’s thumb gently stroked my cheek as his lips pressed mine. How exciting it felt to be so close to his body. The way Wyatt took control so completely. A shiver—the good kind—runs through me at the thought of it.
I’m glad Marissa didn’t persist in asking which kiss was better, because I could never choose.
The longer I lie there trying to fall asleep, the more surreal it all seems. I can’t believe I kissed them, and I’m still not sure what came over me. I know I shouldn’t have done it, because it’s only going to make it harder to stop thinking about them.
Sure, I was curious, and maybe I got caught up in the excitement of the evening. When Cam made the suggestion, it seemed like the perfect opportunity, and I can’t bring myself to regret it. In fact, if I had any regrets, it’s that both kisses were too short.
Squeezing my pillow to fluff it, I roll over onto my other side. It’s impossible to relax with the kind of wild excitement that’s running through my veins right now. I haven’t felt this way since … well, maybe ever. Maybe Ana is right that I’m like a virgin again, because I feel like I just experienced my first kiss—times two.
As promised, Wyatt and Cam arrive at my front door the next morning shortly after nine with a bag full of supplies.
“We know you’re busy working and we don’t want to disturb you, but we’ll make sure no more smelly vandals can get into your back yard,” Wyatt says.
I feel closer to them after the kisses, like I know them better somehow, but I also suddenly feel shy.
Those kisses were potent. So much better than how it felt to kiss them in that weird dream about the marshmallows, and now that I’m face-to-face with them this morning, I can’t stop thinking about kissing them again.
“Do you have someone who cuts your lawn?” Wyatt asks.
“Marissa and I do it, though neither of us particularly enjoys it, so we tend to let it get a little long.”
“So you have a mower?” When I nod, he says, “We’ll take care of it.”
I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that.”