Page 16 of Inked Craving

My pregnant friend, the same woman who was also my best friend’s little sister.

There were so many reasons I shouldn’t have kissed her, and yet, it was all I could do not to want more. To relish the taste that would never be mine again.

“What was that?” she gasped as she moved away, her fingers delicately brushing her lips as if she weren’t sure if what had happened was real.

That had been the absolute worst thing to do, so I would lie. Lie so fucking well, she would never know.

“I just wanted to get you out of your funk. To remind you that I’m going to be here. A promise. It’s just me. Lee. Your friend. Nothing more.”

All a lie. Because it was what I was good at—lying to myself when it came to Paige.

She met my gaze, studying my face before nodding, and I had to tell myself that she was doing this to protect herself and her baby, not that it was so easy to brush me off. It shouldn’t matter anyway because Iwasgoing to be her friend. That was the whole reason I was here. There didn’t need to be any blurred lines or confusion when it came to the two of us.

“Okay. That’s an odd way to get me to stop crying, but it worked.” She shook her arms out and then wiped her face. “I need to be a big girl and just do this. I need to stop crying at everything that gets overwhelming.”

“I guess I need to be a big girl, too,” I said with a laugh, and she snorted.

“So, you’re going to do this? Be the person I can talk through all of this with? It could get gross.”

I winced. “Thanks. But, seriously, I’m here. Anything you need. Though you know that your family would be there for you, too.”

I whispered the last part, and she let out a breath.

“I know. But I also don’t want them to worry about me. So, I’ll take you up on your offer. At least until I go insane, and you get annoyed with me.”

“You don’t annoy me, Paige.”

“Oh, that sounded like a dare.”

I shook my head. “What about Colton?” I needed to ask, had to throw that rock into the calming pond between us.

She winced. “I’m going to call him. Again.”

“Why don’t you do it right now? Maybe me being here will be the good luck you need and he’ll finally fucking answer.”

“You’re angry.”

I raised my brows. “You bet your ass I am. He hasn’t called you back yet. What a douche.”

“I want to believe that he’s just busy. But you’re right, what a douche.”

I grinned and then leaned to the side to tap her phone that lay on the kitchen island. “Call him. I’ll be here.”

She met my gaze and nodded. “Okay. Because you’re here.”

When she reached for the cell, I tried not to take her words to heart because we were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

And I would pretend that I hadn’t just kissed the woman I had been trying not to think about for far too long.

After all, she was so far out of my league. It wasn’t even a dream that I could dare to have. I knew what happened when you loved too hard. When things broke.

And how you got left behind when it ended.

ChapterFive

Paige

Ilooked down at my phone and let out a shaky breath. “You’re really going to be here while I do this?” I asked, not sure what I wanted the answer to be.

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