Page 113 of Friends Don't Kiss

She thinks on that, her fingers playing on my chest again. “It seemed like you were… Like you cared enough to have an opinion on what I should be doing. But at the same time, you respected me enough not to judge me if I acted differently. And it felt like, for the first time in a long time, I had a choice in how I lived my life. A real choice.” Her gaze lifts to me as I look at her.

I sear this moment in my memory forever.

Always give her the choice—a real choice.

We fall asleep tangled together and I wake up with her to the sound of chirping birds. “What the fuck?” I grunt as I roll off her.

“What?” Kiara says, stretching her limbs like a lazy cat.

“Birds. It’s winter.”

A thump sounds, the chirping stops, and a soft glow lights Kiara’s naked body. “That’s my alarm.” She turns her face toward me. “Just makes facing the world easier. Coffee?”

“Come here,” I say, and hold her tight against me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, her breath tickling my chest.

“Nothing’s wrong, baby. Everything’s…” Overcome with emotion, I hug her tighter, unable to express myself with words. “What else am I going to find out, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sweets, yesterday I found out you were scared shitless when I thought you were so strong that I wanted tobeyou. Now I find out you wake up to the sound of chirping birds in order to face the world. I didnotsee that coming. A swearing parrot is the only kind of bird I thought you’d tolerate in the morning.”

She giggles. “Now that’s an idea.”

forty-one

Kiara

AfterColtmakesfunof my alarm, he orders me to stay under the covers so he can bring me coffee in bed—which he manages to do with surprising speed. I usually need an hour to be halfway functional, but he’s all business the minute he’s up.

He ends up waking me with way more than just coffee. “Careful, I might get used to that,” I tell him when I’m down from my orgasm.

“You might as well, sweets,” he grunts as he pecks my lips goodbye. I bring the duvet up to my chin as he walks out of the room, but as soon as the front door shuts on him, I’m restless.

Grace

Don’t forget to come to Town Hall tonight

Sure. Something important?

Laskin. Final preparation

Oops. Almost forgot about Emerald Creek’s largest festival.

Right. I remembered

I’m sure you did

It’s not like you had anything else on your mind recently

…

I switch to Colton’s contact.

Don’t forget Town Hall meeting tonight

Colton

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