Page 36 of Wildest Dreams

“I think our reunion scene went well today,” she says. “We have such good chemistry, don’t we, babe?”

She puts her hand on his arm and rubs his skin with her fingertips. He pulls away, holding my hand under the table and squeezing.

“No, I don’t think we do,” he says.

She laughs, maniacally, like a hungry monkey.

“You’re such a tease, Pierre. Always have been. That’s what I love about you.” With that, she put her arms around him and nuzzles his face with the tip of her nose.

I release Pierre’s hand and scoot back. Everyone in the room is staring at us, a few with their phones out. This is bizarre to watch, but it’s also downright humiliating to be a part of.

I take the last long sip of my beer, put my phone in my purse, and leave the table.

“Kendall!” Pierre calls as I walk away. He’s right behind me, but I don’t stop until I get to the door.

“I can’t apologize enough,” he says. “Let me close my tab and we’ll get out of here.”

I nod, then walk outside to wait. There’s a group of guys I recognize from high school sitting by the front door. Of course, they’re all chatting about Marina and how hot she is. They each talk themselves up, like they’re going to go ask her out, but none of them even leave the table. I roll my eyes. So typical.

Finally, Pierre comes outside. He takes my hand, which I accept, and we walk back to my apartment in silence.

“I wanted tonight to end differently,” he says, stopping at the door to my office. He faces me and puts his hands on my bare, crossed arms, rubbing them up and down.

I look down. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.”

My gaze meets his. The streetlight behind me is reflected in his eyes, and he looks more handsome than ever. I wish I didn’t like him this much. During the whole walk from Cattywampus, I try to convince myself he needs someone like Marina, that I should end it and move on with my boring little life while he lives his big, fabulous celebrity life.

I’m ready to say good night, but one intense look from him draws me back in and, before I know it, I invite him inside for a drink.

“I’d love that,” he says, following me up the stairs.

I put my purse on an end table while he retrieves my wine glasses from above the stove. I only have one bottle, so I open it and pour us each a glass. We sit on the couch and I turn on the television, which is showingFriendsreruns. I leave it there and sit back, leaning against Pierre. He puts his arm around me and I snuggle in closer, listening to his heartbeat.

After we finish our wine, he asks if I want him to go.

“No,” I say. “But if you stay, we keep our clothes on. I’m not ready for all that yet.”

Yet. The word slips past my lips before I realize the implication. If he catches it, he doesn’t say anything.

Instead, he simply nods. After watching a few moreFriendsepisodes, we make our way to the bed and I fall asleep in his arms. It’s the first time I’ve shared a bed with someone since before I knew Tucker was cheating on me.

It’s also the first time since then that I’ve slept through the night.

PIERRE

When I wake up, there’s a wet spot on my shirt where Kendall drooled on me during the night. The morning light is streaming through the massive front windows overlooking Main Street, highlighting flecks of dust floating in the air like feathers.

I pull Kendall closer and kiss her forehead. I hope she’s not embarrassed by the drool when she realizes it. Honestly, it’s cute. I’m glad she’s comfortable enough to sleep that hard with me sharing her bed, especially after how awkward last night became.

She moans a little and rubs her face, then sits up and looks at me with a sleepy expression. Her hair is completely swept over to one side of her head and last night’s makeup has smudged into dark circles under her eyes.

She’s never looked sexier.

“What time is it?” she asks, looking for her phone.

“Don’t know,” I say, kissing her forehead again. “Don’t care.”

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