Page 56 of Teach Me to Laugh

She rolled onto her side, facing me. Then she tipped her head up to press her lips to mine. The boldness of her move stunned me and it wasn’t until she’d twisted to her other side, facing the nearly dead fire that I realized she hadn’t replied.

Amara didn’t sleep deadweight. She was a shifter. From side to side, front to back, she moved. I wasn’t getting much sleep as it was with her lack of reply to my question spinning around in my mind, but with her thrashing movements, sleep was a no-go.

Wondering if this was normal for her, or if she was just so wound up with everything that had happened tonight, I remained unmoving on my back. I really hoped it wasn’t normal, because I couldn’t imagine passing out from exhaustion only to get the shit kicked out of me by a comatose woman.

My hand was lifted to touch her shoulder when I heard it—her whimper. It was soft, barely there. A cry that had the hairs rising on my flesh as I froze, my ears perked.

“No, please . . .” The words were so mumbled and so weak, I was just able to decipher them. But even though they were mumbled and frail, they were also tortured.

“Amara?” I whispered gently, my hand falling on her shoulder.

“God,” she moaned. “It’s bad.”

“Amara?” My own fear was beginning to climb. What was going on in her mind? What was she dreaming about that had her so afraid?

I moved in closer to her, my hand shifting to the small of her back as she snuggled into my chest. I froze, waiting for the flailing to continue. Minutes passed and nothing happened. The tension in my body fled as I let my arms relax around her, finally falling into the peace of sleep.

The last time I was this happy at Christmas, I was a little girl. Today, there was laughter and friends and—dare I say a boyfriend! I know, who would have thought I’d have a boyfriend? But apparently, if last night was anything to go on, I did.

With the anxiety I’d cultured while spending the whole daytrying to gather the lady-balls to pull Beckett to the side and talk about last night, it was safe to say I was feeling a little uncertain. It was also safe to say that we’d had absolutely no time to talk about everything that went down only last night.

Eggnog and rum flowed as popcorn over the gas burner on the stove popped, “You have to use real butter.”

“Margarine works just as good.” Raina huffed, rolling playful green eyes at Maddy.

“No, I’m serious. It’s no good if you don’t use real butter.” Maddy was insistent upon her “real” butter. I’d already seen Raina melting the “real” butter Maddy apparently had a thing for, but for some reason Raina was toying with her.

“Right,”

“Raina,” Maddy uncurled from the couch to inspect the bubbling butter in the pot. Then she spotted the “butter” wrapper and accused, “You’re such a pest.”

“Did you really think I’d force you to eat popcorn with margarine? What kind of horrible friend do you think I am?”

“Your sarcasm is like drinking vodka straight. Unbearable.”

“First world problems, baby cakes.” Raina laughed and Maddy rolled her eyes, sipping her sweet eggnog and rum.

I’d had one of the best days, and it was being capped off with a great evening. Shortly after I’d woken in a tangle of sheets while wrapped in Beckett’s arms, the front door had swung open and I’d heard Kaiden call, “Beck?” After which Beckett and I had scrambled from the bed, into our clothing, and down the stairs. I hadn’t even had time to inspect my hair before I’d been faced with my girls.

And they’d known instantly that something had happened between me and my newboyfriend.How strangely awesome is that?—I have a boyfriend.

Raina had strutted her booty past me with a low, “We’ll chat about this later,” as she announced, “I claim the master.”

Beckett had pointed her to the master on the main level. She’d squealed her unexpected delight as she ran back into the living room. “It’s really a master suite! I totally thought you’d claim it.”

“There’s another upstairs.” Beckett explained and Raina had dashed back into the bedroom with a grinning Kaiden close on her heels.

Now, I was thinking that the later Raina had promised was upon me. She was holding a bowl of warm popcorn with real butter and a glass of creamy liquor—giving me the eyes. They were telling me to climb my arse up the stairs and to my bedroom, so she could quiz me about all the happenings between me and Beckett.

I was thinking that I should take my unlikely chances ignoring her, when she announced. “We’ll be upstairs. Mar still has to show me this master suite she’s been sleeping in. I’m thinking it’s pretty amazing if you chose it over the one I’ve got.”

“It’s pretty amazing.” Beckett said, grinning at me.

My heart was a mess. He knew what Raina was saying within the words shewasn’tsaying. He knew, and he was feeding me to the wolves.

Regardless of the two she-wolves behind me, I climbed the stairs and moved right into my bedroom. Maddy was mumblingsomething about, “This couch looks way comfier. I’ll sleep here,” when I opened the door to the room I was sharing with Beckett.

Due to our rather abrupt wake-up call, the bed was still a disaster. Seeing it instantly had my cheeks turning fire-engine red.

---