Page 76 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

“Yes.And I kind of yelled, “No!”and then lunged for her, which spooked her and she took off running down the hall.I dropped the cupcakes.Buck went for the cupcakes.So I went for him.But Priscilla was escaping.It was absolute pandemonium.”

Josh was laughing harder now and Tori was as tempted to roll closer to him because of that as she had been just seeing his naked chest.

“Everyone was gathered in the hallway, horrified and fascinated.There was lots of ‘ew, gross’ and I, of course, ended up slipping on frosting and landing on my butt in front of Marcus.”

“Well, at least you didn’t slip in the Priscilla poop,” Josh offered.

“Oh no, Ilandedin that.”

“Oh my God.”

She saw Josh run a hand over his face in the dim light.He clearly found this all highly entertaining.As did Tori.Now, thirteen years later.

“Admit it,” she said.“You would have been super embarrassed if a girl had done that to you.”

“Okay, maybe a little.But I would have loved it too.”

She believed him.

“So was this one of the things you ran past Andrew and he tried to talk you out of?”

“No.That was the start of our rule of running everything past him,” she said with a grin.

“Did he see this whole thing?”

“Oh yes.He was on the track team too.He came out just in time to see Priscilla come in.”

“And he saved the day after?”Josh asked, his tone a little less amused.

“He caught Priscilla and got her in my truck, helped me clean up the hallway, and the next day just laughed at it all and told people that it was hilarious and Marcus should be flattered.”

“And that worked?That smoothed everything over?”

“Well, Andrew was really well liked.He was the team captain for basketball and a great student and involved in everything.People still thought I was weird, but they didn’t tease me about it.At least not as much as they would have if hehadn’tstuck up for me.”

“Was Marcus your Valentine then?”

“Lord no,” she said.“He could barely look at me for the rest of the week.I’m sure he kept picturing me covered in pink frosting and pig poop.It took a little bit, but eventually we got to a place where we could talk awkwardly.”

“Well, at least he wasn’t a dick about it.”

“Oh, I’m sure Andrew told him that he wouldnotbe a dick to me.”

“Sorry,” Josh said after a few seconds.“Any girl who’s got a pig and isn’t afraid to use her to express her affection is someone a guy should want to know better.”

Tori felt a little thump in her chest.“That’s really sweet.”

Josh shook his head.“You’re just so fucking adorable.”

Tori felt her eyes go wide.Heat and what she could only call affection shot through her.He wasn’t appalled like Andrew had been or confused the way Marcus had been.Josh thought she was adorable.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark room by now, but she didn’t need light to find him.Heat poured off of him and pulled her in.She rolled to face him and reached out, placing her hand on his chest.

She felt him tense, as if surprised, but a millisecond later he gave a low groan and flattened his hand over the top of hers.

“Tori.”His voice was low and husky.

She said the first thing that came to mind.“I like you so much.”

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