Page 39 of And Then Came You

My heart quickens at her words. “Are you writing about me?”

“Not you, specifically. But I had to write a series of scenes, and you provided the motivation.” Her cheeks pink, and now I need to know what the hell she was penning while I was holed up in the club. Especially if they involved her thinking dirty thoughts about me.

“I want to hear it.”

“I don’t think so, Sam.”

“Look, you can read it to me now, or I’ll grab your laptop and read it myself. Your choice.”

“That’s no choice at all.”

“Come on, you never talk about you. I blather on about my life all the time, but until today, you never opened up about anything personal.”

“That’s not true. I just didn’t talk about sex and romance before, not with regard to you, anyway.” Another flush, further upping her cuteness factor.

“I like this new level of our friendship. So, are you going to share or do I have to wrestle you for it?” I’m personally hoping she’ll hold out, although I’m not positive where a wrestling match might end up.

I’m not sure of anything regarding Lexi anymore. She’s my friend… but she’s more than that. She’s special. Unlike anyone else in my life.

All I know is when I’m near her, I’m happy. I’m calm. At peace. I went halfway around the world looking for my center, only to find it by her side.

“Fine,” Lexi relents, grabbing the computer to her lap. “It’s a rough draft, so be kind.”

“Of course.”

“Do you want the premise? Probably not, since sex is just sex to you, right?”

I hold her amber gaze, hating that she sees me in such a light. “Change my mind, Lexi.” Settling onto my side, I shoot her my trademark smirk. The truth? I believe she could change my mind on just about anything.

“Deal, but only for a genuine smile.”

With a chuckle, I let the last of my model facade fall away. Once again, I’m just Sam. With Lexi, that’s more than enough.

“It’s a friends to lovers romance.”

“What’s that?”

“What it sounds like. They’ve been friends since college and now they see each other as more.”

“They already know all the important stuff.”

“Exactly. Their issues on politics and religion. Whether they drool when they sleep.”

“Do you drool when you sleep?”

“I haven’t set up a video camera to check.”

“I’ll bet you’re cute when you sleep.”

“Oh sure, snoring and chatting with my astral self,” Lexi giggles, scanning the pages on her computer.

“Some people view that as cute.” The truth is, I know Lexi is cute when she sleeps. It just hadn’t occurred to me until now. After my grandfather’s funeral, we spent a blissful hour lying together.

Why hadn’t I remembered it sooner? I woke up with Lexi snuggled against my chest. When I pushed away the strands of hair that had fallen across her face, she let out a small grumble, burying her head closer.

I’ve slept with a lot of women. Way more than I care to recall. Most women go to bed with a man trying to look their best, covered in pounds of makeup. During the next few hours, that makeup smears into the scariest conglomeration known to man.

But not Lexi. She was fresh faced when I held her. Adorable.

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