Page 30 of Sleeping with the Frenemy

She nodded. “Whenever I have a presentation I have to prepare it well in advance because I have to memorize everything I’m going to say. I practice it over and over in the shower, the car, before I go to bed...any time I’m by myself.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I had speech problems when I was little. Barely anyone could understand me, so I had speech therapy for years before we moved to Chicago. A part of me is always scared that they’ll come back when I least expect it and I’ll make a fool of myself. I guess that means that it’s more me being terrified of looking foolish, but having to get up in front of people and talk makes me want to hurl. Every single time.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to know that I get it. I understand you wanting your brain and body to do something that they refuse to do. When I’m forced to speak in front of people, especially if I haven’t had the time to prepare myself, I start to tremble from head to toe, my mouth gets dry, and the words I had in perfect order start to bounce around in my brain causing my tongue to get all tangled. It gets difficult to breathe and sometimes I’ll even get dizzy. It’s scary and it sucks.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, looking down at his feet. “It really does.” He looked back up at her. Then he took a few steps toward her, bringing them face-to-face. He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and slowly leaned in to give her one soft kiss.

Sofi felt all of the same shaky, trembling, and dizzying feelings she felt when she was nervous, but instead of being cold and clammy, she was warm and almost cozy. She felt the same way she did when she stepped into her mom’s overly warm apartment after a trek through a windy Chicago winter night. She wasn’t exactly comfortable yet, but she knew she was safe and comfort would come soon. It was more than a little alarming that Leo kissing her felt like home.

Finally he leaned back. He stared into her eyes. “Thank you for telling me and I’m sorry I was an ass.”

Sofi bit her lip, but her smile formed anyway. “Leo, if you’re going to start apologizing for being an ass now, we’ll be here forever.”

He smiled and let out a chuckle. “Facts.”

Both of their smiles fell as the vibe changed. Suddenly they were in each other’s arms. Their lips crashed together. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pressed her up against the wall, never once letting his lips separate from hers. The moment her back hit the wall, Sofi hopped up and wound her legs around his waist. He caught her with his uninjured arm. His other one dropped to her bare thigh then slid up and under the skirt of her dress to grab her ass. She bit his full bottom lip and he bit hers back before sucking it into his mouth. Sofi groaned. This was the kind of kiss Leo usually gave her, the kind Sofi had been fiending—deep, wet, and just the tiniest bit aggressive. It was decidedly not safe, but damn was it good.

A loud knock at the door brought Sofi back to herself. She dropped her legs and pushed Leo away.

“Bombón,” he groaned, looking like he was going to snatch her back.

She held up a hand.

He stopped. The look on his face was part confusion, part lust.

“Someone’s at the door,” she said, turning to go open it. She adjusted her dress and wiped around her lips to make sure she didn’t have gloss smeared all over her face. All the while she yelled at herself,What the fuck are you doing, you idiot?You did not just spend a year across the ocean trying your best to forget this guy just to jump right back in the sack with him as soon as you get a chance.Exactly. The last thing she wanted to do was fall back into the toxic fuck-and-fight relationship that they’d had for over a decade. She’d done too much work on herself for that. Nope. No way. She’d told him before she left that she was done and she’d meant it.

She took a deep breath and then opened the door.

Kamilah stood on the other side in a black chef jacket and matching pants. Her hair was back in a tight bun and although she had on zero makeup she looked more like a model pretending to be a chef than an actual chef. “Hey, girl.”

“What’s up?” Sofi asked, stepping back to let her in.

Kamilah stayed in the hallway. “Come down. I have a surprise for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Who else would I be talking to?”

Sofi turned to look in the direction of Leo’s room, but he was nowhere in sight. “Uh. Do I need to change first?” She still had on her dress from work—a sleek satin wrap dress in a vibrant burgundy, beige, brown, and fuchsia floral print with pops of green and purple.

Kamilah checked out her outfit. “Well, you need shoes, but other than that you look great. Unless you want to wear something more casual. You know we aren’t fancy around these parts.”

“This is fine,” Sofi said, reaching down to grab her nude—for her skin tone—ankle strap and heeled sandals. She slipped them on.

“Is Leo home?” Kamilah asked.

“I think so,” Sofi said, even though she knew very well that he was. “Maybe he’s in his room?” She grabbed her keys off the table and stepped into the hall.

“You haven’t smothered him in his sleep yet?” Kamilah asked.

“No, disposing of a body is too much work.” Sofi followed Kamilah down the stairs. “Especially when there are always people around.”

Kamilah chuckled, but sobered quickly enough. “But seriously, how has it been so far? I know this isn’t what you want, but I hope it’s not too bad.”

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