Page 13 of Five Alarm Kiss

“Yes, Mrs. Clean.”

“What?” Laurel defended. Skye always accused her of being a neat freak, but this was a legitimate concern. “It could stain.”

Skye ignored the comment and started painting on the dye.

The smell accosted Laurel like curdled milk, making her stomach churn. She tried to breathe through her mouth, hopingshe wouldn’t lose her meager lunch—which had consisted of dry crackers and ginger ale. Feeling as nauseous as she was from her drink-fest last night, this couldn’t have been a worse time to dye her hair. Unfortunately for her, she had to teach school tomorrow. So, unless she wanted to go in looking like a giant yellow canary, it had to be dyed today.

Laurel watched the progress as best she could, trying to angle the mirror around to afford a view of what her friend was doing. When Skye released the section of hair above the one she’d already slathered with dye, Laurel spoke up.

“I think you missed a section.” She saw Skye’s frowning reflection in the mirror, but it didn’t stop her from asking, “Did you miss a section?”

“That’s it.” Skye snatched the mirror from Laurel’s grasp.

“Hey!”

“No back seat driving.”

“But—”

“Do you want me to stop, or do you want me to fix it?”

Laurel let out a defeated sigh. “Fix it, please.”

“That’s what I thought. So, let me work, already. I know what I’m doing.”

“I know.” Laurel folded her hands in her lap and waited impatiently.

Of course, not being able to focus on Skye’s progress left her defenseless against remembering the horrific events of last night.... Drinking way too much, looking agonizingly desperate by asking a living, breathing, god of a man to dance, kissing said god of a man, and—most mortifying of all—hurling at that same god of a man’s feet. Correction,onhis feet!

She covered her face, hoping to somehow block out the memories.

“Stop it,” Skye ordered.

“Stop what?” Laurel muttered between her fingers.

“Stop beating yourself up about last night.”

Man, her best friend had a manual to her mind.

“I’m not,” she lied.

“So, you let loose a little,” Skye said. “Youshouldhave! It was your birthday. You danced with a hottie…. Nothing wrong with that. You kissed a scorching hot orgasm in tight jeans…” She moved to Laurel’s side and wiggled her eyebrows. “… and he kissed you back. Fucking awesome!”

Laurel’s body heated at the mention of orgasms and kissing Jake in the same sentence because that kiss left no doubt in her mind he could deliver. Despite the pounding of her head, she still remembered the feel of his lips on hers, and the way he’d taken charge of the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, and pulling her hips against him.

She squirmed in her seat. It’d been an amazing kiss. In fact, it was quite possibly the best kiss she’d ever had, which was totally pathetic. Especially since she’d come within a shallow breath of marrying Ethan.

They’d met during her junior year in college and had dated for nearly three years before being engaged for one more. Kissing Ethan had never once made her tremble the way one kiss on the dance floor with a total stranger had.

Nothing like focusing a huge, blinding spotlight on her dismal love life.

“I thought so.”

Skye’s words pulled Laurel from her musings. “Thought what?”

“He’s an incredible kisser.”

“I never said that.”

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