Page 13 of Hello Kitten

“One that you caused,” Beth reminds. “You could have justnottexted him.”

“He texted me first,” I counter and she rolls her eyes. Why can’t she just believe me? Why is she making me into the bad guy here..

“So, you spent all night with him and didn’t touch him?” Danielle asks.

“We’re in a public place. Let’s keep the voices down,” Beth grumbles as I giggle.

I pull on a cute dress. It doesn’t hide the swell of my breasts, but shows some thigh. It’s got a puffy skirt, but has a gorgeous dark blue and white pattern on it. I love the swirls, the way the sleeves fall over my arms, and how easily I can match shoes and a purse to it.

I step out and Danielle nods. “It’s so cute!”

“Didn’t your sister write besides the dress code that you should wear something that goes over your knees and covers your cleavage?” Beth asks.

“If she’s focused on me and not her wedding, that’s on her. This is cute without being too much, and she can’t have it all,” I point out.

“For now. Until your mystery date gets his hands on you and tears the front,” Danielle teases.

“I don’t have a date,” I grit and she giggles as she hurries off to shop for herself. Beth steps closer, nudging me back into thechanging room. She keeps her voice to a low hiss. “You really told him no?”

I shrug. “I didn’t invite him, but it won’t surprise me if he just shows up.”

Her brows draw together as confusion edged on her features. “Just don’t tell him anything and don’t text him.”

My jaw tenses as I nod and change into my own clothes. Her gaze stays on me and I peek up in the mirror, meeting her eyes.

I have no idea what she sees as her lips part and says, “holy shit, you like him.”

“I barely remember anything but sex,” I dismiss.

Based on Beth’s stare I don’t do a good job. She knows me better than anyone. “What was the line, Emily?”

“I didn’t cross a line last night.”

“What did he say that won you over the first time around?” she demands.

I suck my bottom lip. “I have no idea. I don’t know why I can’t just forget him.”

She grips her hair. “You’re screwed.”

“Nothing will happen. I have some backbone.”

“I’d believe that ifyou hadn’t texted him last night.”

“I didn’t.” I sigh. “I’m not having this argument again,” I hiss, jerking the door open while claiming the last dress I tried on. “He texted me, and I’m just ... “

“Letting him do it even though it could get him fired. Yeah, clearly a lot ofbackbone there.”

I wish she could just listen to me and see that I’m trying. I have no idea how he wormed his way into my mind, why I can’t erase him. But the thing that scares me the most, it seems I don’t want to forget. Even now as I try my best to convince Beth nothing will ever happen again, all I want to do is grab my phone and text him, or go see him. It shouldn’t be like this, not after a night of sex and maybe two conversations.

Besides, I should be concerned with what he did last night, since he shouldn’t be so attached after just one night of fun, but somehow, I want him to do it again.

“I’ll deal with it,” I insist.

“What do you guys think of this?” Danielle asks, running up with a shimmery pink dress. She pouts. “You aren’t trying on any more?”

I smile and shake my head. “No, but that’s really cute.”

“Then you have to get it,” she says to me, shoving it in my arms. “You’ll look hot and wedding appropriate either way now.”

---