Page 176 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

“If I have my way,” I say through uneven breaths, “you will. So much that you’ll be bored stiff.”

She rolls toward me, and her hand dips under the covers. “Speaking of stiff . . .”

Whoever said paybacks are hell hadn’t met Juni.

We lose another hour before she’s lying next to me. “It’s late,” she says, her eyes dipping closed.

I kiss her because I can. Her lips and eyelids, her neck and toes. I’d kiss her all night, every inch of her if she’d let me. Though I have to admit she’s not arguing with it now.

Her hand comes around the back of my head, and she holds me close. Whispering, she says, “You never told me what your prize is for calling jinx earlier.”

“I didn’t need a prize. I have you in my life.”

With her arms wrapping around me, she kisses me with the same devotion I’ve just shown her entire body. “You say the sweetest things.”

“I say what I feel for you.”

“It’s mutual.” One more kiss is placed on my cheek before she closes her eyes again.

This time, sleep sweeps her away, leaving me no choice but to whisper, “Sweet dreams.”

23

Drew

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Pounding in my head drags me from a peaceful sleep. I fight to remain in the fuzzy state, warm from Juni being next to me, my body still exhausted from having sex again just past two. But efforts fail as the sound of trumpets blaring from a mariachi band win this round. Slamming my arm on the side of the mattress, I growl, “That’s it!”

I roll to my side to apologize. “Sorry. It’s my annoying neighbor and their nighttime cooking concerts.”

At least one of us can sleep through anything.Or I just wore her out.I’ll take the credit.

Last night was nothing less than spectacular. And I’m not just talking about the sex, though that was as well. I can’t pinpoint the moment I knew I wanted to be with Juni because if I think about it, I believe the attraction was bubbling under the surface all along. Were we fooling ourselves that we could remain friends? Wasting time having conversations about remaining platonic? It seems that way, and now we’ve boiled over.

There’s no going back from here.

I don’t harbor regrets when it comes to the past couple of weeks because in the scheme of things, we figured it out pretty damn fast. So I don’t have a complaint regarding how we got here. It’s figuring out where we go from this point on now that we know we’re more than we once intended.

I lean forward to kiss her head, but my lips end up pressed to a pillow. When I reach out to touch her, though, the bed is empty. That’s odd.

I turn toward the bathroom. The light’s still out, but the faintest of lights is slipping down the hall. I flip the covers off and land on my feet. Grabbing my boxers from the floor, I slip them on and head for the door.

The music is louder, and the sound of a pan scraping against the metal grate reaches my ears. The scent of cumin and the onions cooking fills the air. I keep walking until I see the light of the kitchen shining bright against the backdrop of night.

The smell of the food.

The beat of the song.

The hour.

All is too familiar.

I rub my eyes, making sure I’m not imagining things or trapped in a nightmare. I see her first—a white T-shirt that looks like one of mine. Her hair is down and the strands a mess from rolling around in the bed. She’s incredibly sexy. If she wanted to distract me, she’s doing an excellent job.

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