Page 153 of Unforgettable

“You’re fucking telling me,” Reed agreed and wrapped his hand around my neck to pull me close for a short yet consuming kiss. When he released me, he licked his lips like he was savoring the taste of me there.

Bending down, I slanted my mouth over Amanda’s and couldn’t help but tease her lips apart with my tongue, even just for a moment. Her resounding moan was a gracious reward.

Standing back at my full height, my fingers tangled in hers, Reed looked back and forth between us.

“So, we’re really doing this?”

Without hesitating, Amanda said, “Yes,” as I said, “Hell fucking yes.”

She squeezed my hand, and although we were both confident in our decision to tell our friends about our relationship, I could feel and see Reed’s anxiety.

“Do you want to do this?” I asked.

His shoulders straightened and his eyes hardened. A newfound strength summoned from some unknown place, and it replaced any hesitation in an instant.

“Yes,” he said in a voice that left no room for questions. Then he turned and led the way to their front door.

Reed tried the door handle but surprisingly met resistance. They normally kept the door unlocked when we were all coming over—especially for Sunday dinners—so instead, he rang the bell and stepped back with us to wait.

Unable to keep my hands to myself, I ran my fingers down Amanda’s side, enjoying the swell of her breast, the dip of her waist, and the way her hips flared out. Her body racked with shivers and goose bumps pebbled along her skin even on the eighty-degree night.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day. Thinking about your ass and my face between your legs.”

Over his shoulder, Reed threw me his best “shut the fuck up” look. But I only responded with what I hoped was a tempting, good-natured smile.

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ve been thinking about your ass, too.”

“I think I have another fantasy to add to the list. What if you—”

Through the glass in the door, Hazel came rushing around the corner, Sadie hot on her heels. Behind both of them, Luke appeared, scrubbing a hand over his mouth and trying to suppress a smile.

“So sorry about that. Not sure why I locked it. But anyway, come in!” Hazel rushed out. She was out of breath and seemed frazzled as she waved us inside.

Sadie greeted all of us like she worried we’d never return, drenching us in kisses and covering us in a healthy layer of dog fur.

“Zach said he left his notebook here this afternoon. Do you know where it is? So I don’t forget.” My question was directed at Luke since he was the one coloring with Zach earlier that day, but he didn’t hear a word I said. He and his wife were locked in a silent battle—their only form of communication was the slight widening of their eyes, shakes of their heads, and mouthed words.

Reed and Amanda completely missed the show in front of us as they continued rubbing Sadie’s belly and her favorite spot behind her ears.

After several seconds, Hazel spotted me watching and quickly pasted on a smile. “I’m sorry—what?”

“Never mind. Y’all okay?”

“Yes, we’re great. Everything’s great. Just great. Let’s get something to drink,” she said with jittery enthusiasm. There was something else behind her smile that I couldn’t quite identify, and Amanda and Reed finally caught on, too. They both looked in my direction like I’d have the answers, but I only shrugged and followed her and Luke into the kitchen.

James and Devon, both with a beer in their hands, were already digging into the chips and dip our hosts had laid out on the island. Sadie weaved between our legs and plopped herself on her bed tucked in the corner of the space near the long, wooden table where we usually ate.

“What the hell did y’all do to your dog?” James asked around a mouthful of dip.

“Yeah, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her that tired,” Devon added, settling into a barstool.

“That would be Zach’s fault. He and Sadie played in the little blow-up pool in the back for hours today. He was so tired he fell asleep midsentence on the drive back to Sam’s.” A small pang hit my chest, and my hand, with a mind of its own, rose to rub right over my heart and where it hurt the most. In front of me appeared a beer of my own, and I looked up to see Amanda giving me an empathetic smile.

“How’s he doing?” Devon asked, hugging Amanda as she sidled up beside him and sipped at her own beer.

“Amazing. He’s so fucking smart and hilarious. I can’t believe Sam and I made that great of a kid.”

“Yeah, it’s a wonder he doesn’t have an affinity for streaking,” James added, and I shook my head slowly, eyes closing against the memories. Or the ones I could remember.

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