Page 30 of Friend Me

“Yeah.” My voice came out high and breathy. I let my eyes drift closed while I pressed my thighs together. Slickness slipped past the insufficient barrier of my thong, and I dared to squeeze a little harder. Tyler’s hands shifted from my instep to the center of my foot. His thumbs pressed up toward my toes. The tingle intensified. My pulse roared in my ears, and I gulped in air. This was no relaxing foot massage. It was pure foreplay.

He continued kneading the bottom of my foot, and when he simultaneously pressed on my instep, my empty core clenched. And clenched and clenched again until warmth spread across my lower belly.

I let out a shaky breath. This was massage sorcery.

Tyler stilled his hands on my feet. “Better now?”

“Gnnh.”

I kept my eyes closed, but I heard the cocky smile in his voice. “Ready to call it a night?”

“I’m not sure my body works anymore. That was some foot massage.”

“I could carry you back.”

I cracked an eye open. With those surprisingly strong arms, he could, too. And—a thrill ran through me—it’d cause all kinds of ridiculous talk. But then I remembered Cooper had left. Operation Prince Charming was over. The little thrill fluttered and died.

“No, I’m okay.” I gathered up the evil shoes—I’d enjoy burning them later—and my clutch. I could manage the short walk back to the inn barefoot.

He offered his arm. “Shall we, wedding date?”

That’s all he was: a wedding date. Temporary. Time-boxed. We’d ride back to the city together tomorrow, but only as friends. At work on Monday, I’d see him in the cafeteria, perhaps, and wave. No more dancing or shockingly intimate foot massages. Definitely no more kissing. Better to stop the pretense now. I kept my arm at my side and squared my shoulders. “Let’s go.”

Outside the desperate melee of the remaining partygoers, the world was dark and silent. A soft breeze rustled the dried leaves on the grapevines and raised goosebumps on my arms.

“Would you look at that.” Tyler stopped walking, and I halted, too.

“What?” I peered down the path, thinking he’d spotted a couple making out. That’s wheremymind was.

“I haven’t seen so many stars since I stopped hanging out in pastures.”

I raised my eyes to the night sky. Away from the fog and lights of the city, even the smudge of the Milky Way was visible. Like Dad had taught me, I oriented myself. “Look, there’s Andromeda.”

“Where?”

“See the Milky Way? Now look down, and you’ll see aW. That’s Cassiopeia. Just to the right, seven or eight stars make kind of a curved triangle with the point down toward the horizon. See it?”

“Yeah. Are you cold?”

“Just a little.” I was freezing. Tyler’s jacket, warm from his body, draped over my shoulders. It even smelled like him. I snuggled into it.

“What’s her story?” he asked.

“Whose?” My mind had gone all Milky-Way blurry.

“Andromeda. When we studied mythology in English class, I was too busy looking at Vanessa Brown to pay attention.”

I blinked. “That’s too bad. You missed a good story. And it even has a happy ending.”

Tyler snorted. “Vanessa was a lot more interesting than my English teacher. Besides, I thought all the mortals got turned into swans or bears.”

“Some did. Not Andromeda.”

“Tell me about her.” He moved closer, his body solid against my arm.

“Andromeda was a princess and the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia.”

“Why is Cassiopeia aW?Wassheturned into a snake?”

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