Page 40 of The Little Black Rose

Zoey:So, you followed him?

Me:Of course, I did. I needed to know. So, I knocked on his door and asked him if he wanted to kiss me.

Sophie:What did he say?

Me:He got out of bed––and sorry Zoey––in nothing but his boxer briefs and walked toward me with, uh, obvious interest. He said yes, he wanted to kiss me, and when I didn’t protest, he did.

Zoey:First of all, gross. And secondly, yay! What happened after?

Me:He said good night, and I left.

Sophie:Boo! What a tease.

Me:What do you think it means?

Zoey:Obviously, he’s catching feelings.

Me:I don’t know, Zo. Maybe he’s just horny.

Zoey:*gag*

Zoey:But seriously, Ava, if he’s just horny, then he’d have fucked you. But he didn’t. He kissed you and respectfully left it at that.

Sophie:Zoey’s right. He let you know he wants you and left the ball in your court. So, what are you going to do now?

Me:I don’t know. I honestly have no clue what I should do.

Sophie:Want some advice?

Me:That’s why I texted you guys.

Sophie:*sends GIF*

I watch the short video of a rodeo cowboy riding a bucking bronco, waving his hat in the air as he holds on for dear life with his free hand. A laugh barks out of me, and I laugh even harder when Zoey’s response comes through.

Zoey:I’m going to go bleach my eyeballs now. Thanks a lot for the imagery, Soph.

Sophie:Anytime.

Me:I love you guys.

Sophie:We love you, too, Ava. This is all going to work out. You’ll see.

Zoey:Love you, ladies!

Dropping my phone to the nightstand, I pick up the vibrator and put it back in the drawer. I’ll clean it later. I’m too exhausted, physicallyandemotionally, to get out of this bed.

And as I drift off the sleep, I can feel phantom hands on me, pulling me in for a goodnight kiss.

Chapter19

So Much for Sharing a Womb

Zeke

Ipull the donuts out of the fryer and drop in a fresh batch, and my mind wanders as I spread the cooked ones out and frost them on autopilot. It’s been this way for days…ever since that kiss. I spend all day thinking about it, and when Ava gets home fromCurious Cats, we act like it never happened.

We’re pleasant to each other, friendly like the platonic roommates I promised her we’d be when I moved in. Therein lies the crux. I want nothing more than to spread her out and make a meal of her before fucking her silly, but I can’t because I promised her my presence in her home would be simple and easy. No drama. No romantic entanglements.

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