Page 15 of When Love Is Unexpected

"Right," he says.

"Do you want to practice?" I regret the words as soon as they're out.

"You want me to kiss you?" he asks.

"If we wait until we're there, it'll feel awkward."

He lets go of my hand and pulls himself off the couch. For a second, I think he's going to ask me to leave. Instead, he reaches for my hand. I take it, and he helps me up. Now I'm standing only a few inches away from him. I smile as I look into the deep blue ocean in his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks.

"What's a little peck between friends?"

I close my eyes and wait for his lips to meet mine.

Chapter 4

Sam

When she closes her eyes, I take a moment to look at her. Her eyelashes are long and dark against her pale skin. The freckles dusting her face are begging me for a kiss. Her lips are full, pink, and smiling.

My heart is thundering inside my chest. I never imagined a lie would turn into an invitation to a kiss.

I wrap my hands around her arms. She's warm and soft under my touch.

"Laila," I say.

"What?" she asks, puckering her lips and keeping her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes, Laila."

She opens her eyes and looks at me appraisingly. When she lifts her hands and rests them on my abs, the gesture feels a lot more intimate than it should.

"Robert Samuel Jameson," she says, still looking up at me, "why are you so afraid to finish what you started?"

It takes all the willpower I have in me to keep from kissing her.

"I'm not going to kiss you," I say.

"Why not?" she asks.

"Because we're friends," I say. "Good friends."

She nods and gives me a weak smile.

"Laila, I would rather be your friend for the next sixty years than kiss you once and risk losing your friendship forever."

"That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," she says.

I reach for her and wrap my arms around her.

"You're right," she continues, resting her head on my chest and taking a deep breath. "Our friendship is one of the most important things in my life."

"So, you agree that sharing a kiss is crossing the line?" I ask.

"I think we're both mature adults," she says. "We know what we're about to do is a lie. Pretend."

"If I kiss you," I say honestly, "I won't be pretending."

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