Page 8 of Kiss me Forever

“We’re never too old to have fun. The second we stop having fun we begin dying. I’ll personally come in and create stacks right here so you can get it on,” Livie insists. I can see her doing just this. It’s a good thing she can’t lift anything heavy at the moment or I’d walk in some morning to find a naughty section in my library.

“We’ll all come in and build it. If you build it, he will come . . . and so will you,” Michelle says.

“You’re all terrible,” I tell them.

“And you love us that much more for it,” Michelle says. “We’re not telling you to marry the man, we’re saying you should have a hot affair that you can fantasize about for years to come. Have some fun in life so we can live through you.”

“I fully agree,” Laura says. “Enjoy that ride, both literally and figuratively.”

I loosen up as I laugh, warmth flowing through me from both the wine and the camaraderie of my friends. “You’re all horrible influences. You know that, right?”

“We’re the absolute best influences, and you know it,” Livie says. She raises her glass. “To Piper and the hot stud and their beautiful fling.”

“To Piper,” the other women chorus as they all clink their glasses together.

I shake my head at them, but finally clink my glass to theirs. “To trashy friends and great books.”

“I can toast to that as well,” Amy says.

As our evening progresses, the conversation flows from Magnus, to book plots, to the good and bad of dating. We share our worst dates, our best kisses, and our craziest exes. There is plenty of laughter, a few groans, and more than a few blushes as our stories become more intimate and steamy. Men think they’re the only ones with locker-room talk. If only they knew what we women share with each other, they might just get performance anxiety.

“Do you guys remember Paul, the man I briefly dated who thought bringing his mother on our second date was a good idea?” Laura says as she shakes her head. “That was a load of fun.”

“That’s not nearly as bad as Travis who kept calling me by his ex’s name,” Michele says. “That was a mood killer until I took a sip of my drink every time he said it. I was drunk by the end of our date.”

“I raise you all with the man I went on a date with who brought his pet snake in his jacket to the restaurant. He said the thing had been sick and he needed to keep it with him,” Michelle adds, making us all laugh.

“Now, that’s what I call a snake in the pocket. The wrong kind of snake, but still, there are possibilities,” Amy says, making us all shudder.

“You might win with that one,” I say as I hold my hands in the air. “I don’t think I have anything to top it with.”

“You don’t need to top anything right now,” Livie says. “Not when you have Magnus Carter knocking down your door.”

The conversation immediately shifts back to Magnus, and the women continue to tease and suggest all sorts of daring adventures with the man. If I can’t beat them, I have no choice but to join them as I feel a wash of embarrassment and excitement. Can I do it? Can I have a fling with Magnus? I can see he wants it to happen.

Hours pass and the night winds down and we reluctantly begin our clean up. The library is closed tomorrow but I can’t leave a mess for Monday morning. Everyone heads out, leaving Livie and me the last to exit. She stops me from leaving.

“Seriously, Piper, don’t overthink this too much. If the man’s on your mind, I say go for it. We always tell each other that life’s too short to play it safe all of the time. We’re nothing without some adventure to get us through the cloudy days.”

I give her a nod, knowing that we’ve always been able to lean on each other in the darkest of times. “I’ll think about it,” I tell her.

She gives me a huge smile and a long hug. “Good. Whatever you decide, I’m right here for you.” That goes without saying because we’ll be there for each other always, no matter what happens in our lives.

We walk from the library, and I know I have a lot to think about. Maybe the ladies are right. Maybe I do need to take a chance on adventure. It might end in disaster, but it might be spectacular while it’s happening. I’ll have to see how I feel about it in the morning. If Magnus keeps on coming around, maybe, just maybe, I’ll accept what he’s offering. Then again, he hasn’t exactly made an offer yet, he’s just been hanging around. Why does this need to be so confusing? Probably because if life is too easy, it’s boring. At least I’m having an adventure which is never a bad thing.

Chapter Five

Piper

The park is quiet, with only the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the gentle breeze as I sit on my favorite bench, savoring the quite tranquility as I unpack my lunch. It’s a warm day with the sun filtering through the trees, casting shadows on the ground all around me.

After a busy morning at the library, I’m enjoying a moment of solitude, giving me a chance to clear my chaotic thoughts about life and Magnus Carter who I haven’t seen in a week. After all of the advice from my friends, it might not even matter. Maybe he got what he needed out of his visits, and now he’s moved on, just what I thought he’d do. Maybe holding back and playing it safe was the smart decision.

I shouldn’t be disappointed in this, but now that he’s stepped back into my life, I’m a little bummed he’s gone again. If I’m feeling this way now, I’m sure I’d feel a heck of a lot worse if we were in an actual relationship, and then he disappeared on me. I don’t want to lose my sunniness, don’t want to be bummed about a man. This should tell me that an affair with him would be an epic mistake.

I’m halfway through my sandwich when I hear footsteps approaching. I look up with an automatic smile that falters when I see who’s approaching. Does the man simply appear when he’s on my mind? No. Because he’s on my mind all of the time and this is his first appearance in over a week. He’s smiling as he approaches with a confident stride and his trademark disarming smile. My heart starts thundering.

“Hello, Piper,” he greets before taking a seat next to me. “Care if I join you?” Well, it’s a little late to say no as he’s already sitting. I hesitate a moment before speaking as I don’t want my voice to come out all breathy. This man causes my body to act in ways no other man has made it act before.

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