Page 48 of Holiday Friend Zones
“Tonight, huh?”she teases.
Turning back to the text, I hope she can’t see my blush.Butterflies swarm in my tummy and I type back, unable to control my silly, giddy grin.
Me too.
Chapter Three
DAVIS
Iam a grown-ass man.I should be able to control myself as my best friend walks into my kitchen on a regular ol’ Wednesday night.
But nope.
Kyra does a little shimmy—à la teenage Britney Spears—as she saunters across the room, her rhinestone sneakers catching the light from the chandelier just right, sparkling almost as much as she does.Her fiery curls are draped over her shoulder, their natural vibrant color a stark contrast to the deep purple blazer she’s wearing.But it works.Because Kyra can pull off pretty much anything.
Fuck me, she’s gorgeous…
“There’s my future wife,” I shout, pushing back from my desk and padding out into the kitchen to greet her.I sneak in a kiss to the cheek, wishing I had the nerve to move over a few more inches and kiss her for real.But I don’t.
“Oh, I like how that sounds,” she teases, setting an unlabeled bottle full of red-tinted booze on the counter.“Maybe we should have done this sooner.”
Would that have been so bad?
For a split second I think about asking that out loud.About crossing that line.But again, I don’t have the nerve.I’m not risking it with her.She’s too important to me.
I shrug, smirking like I know a secret.“After tomorrow, it’ll just be wife.”
She shivers, a small giggle escaping.“Even better.”
I lean back against the counter, taking her in, once again trying to play it cool.Like I’m not the hottest of messes inside, my heart racing at speeds that would set records, all while trying to remind my dick to behave.And stop my hands from reaching out, grabbing her hips, and hauling her into me.Same way I always am when she’s around.Always have been.
The moment Kyra Murray walked into my life, my heart was hers.With a mess of wild red curls that when we were younger resembled that one Scottish cartoon princess, she’s been my ride or die for whatever crazy idea I came up with.From skipping class, to cliff jumping, to having my back for that one week in college I considered ditching finance and becoming a whitewater rapids guide.
There’s a reason she’s the one I pitched the marriage idea to.Yes, it all magically works out mathematically, benefiting us both.Something that makes me wonder if this isn’t the stars aligning.But more than that, Kyra Murray is the only woman on this planet I’d be willing to take this leap with.My crazy ass doesn’t function without her as my voice of reason.
One more reason I’ve never tried to cross the line.Because if something ever happened, I don’t know what I’d do.
“Long day?”she asks, turning to face me, resting a hip against the counter.
“Unexpectedly so.I could bore you with the details, but…”
“I’m here and willing to listen, but I’m not going to understand a single thing you say.”
I chuckle, loving her honesty.It’s one of the many things that makes her so irresistible.
“Eh, it’s nothing too technical.I moved around some meetings so that I could take tomorrow off,” I tell her.Kyra nods, pushing off the counter and taking the three steps over to the cabinet where I keep the lowball glasses.Grabbing two of them, she returns, opening the unmarked bottle she brought and pouring us both a drink.“One of the clients I rescheduled for the very end of the day didn’t mention that they had some paperwork that needed immediate attention.”
“Three days before Christmas?”
“Yeah.So, even if I had left the appointment for tomorrow, it was gonna be a rough one.Which is why I packed up early and headed home, so I could try to get through it all without being interrupted.”
I take the glass she hands me, taking a swig of the unknown concoction.Given the type of bottle it’s in, I know it’s from Lindee’s stash, so it’s got to be good.And maybe not entirely legal.The liquid hits my tongue, slightly sweet and highly potent, catching me off guard and going straight to my head.
“Holy shit!”
“It’s an early batch of the watermelon moonshine from when Lindee was still testing the recipe.So, it’s a little higher proof than what she’s legally allowed to sell.”
I swallow hard, trying to get my bearings again.Damn…
