Page 87 of The Switch: A Friends To Lovers Romance

She smiled at the throwbacks of them in primary school. She’d forgotten how much nerdier Luke had looked back then. He was still cute, but… dang. That shaggy haircut had done him no favors.

Her smile grew fonder when the pictures progressed to high school. Those were the years they’d gotten closer as friends. Ashanti covered her mouth as each picture brought back a flood of memories.

Even when she knew she was ‘bothering’ him, Luke never made her feel like a nuisance. In turn, his patient, quiet care of her was refreshing. Emboldening. Ashanti never doubted that Luke had her back.

A flood of selfies memorialized their college years and Ashanti cringed when she saw some of those photos. She had just done the big chop and some of the styles she tried with her new growth were not cute. At all.

By the time the song was over, the footage was finishing too. It ended with a slide that said simply, ‘There is no Luke without Ashanti’.

Touched, Ashanti walked deeper into the room. She saw Luke approaching her. He was lit only by the glow from the projector but she saw that he wore a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. His hair had been brushed too so he looked far more cleaned up tonight than he had on their date.

“What is all this?” she asked breathlessly.

“This is my apology for being a moron,” Luke said.

She tilted her head.

“Ashanti… yesterday, before our date, Michelle called me. She was drunk at some bar and the line clicked off. I got worried and took her home. We officially ended things and I told her how I felt about you.”

Ashanti’s heart thudded, but she didn’t want to let him off the hook that easy. “Why did you even go to her in the first place?”

“Because she needed that rescue. She needed closure. And I’d been so up and down with her, I think I needed it too.” He took her hand. “And now it’s over.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.” Luke stepped so close she had to crane her neck to see into his dark eyes. “I don’t want you to doubt where you stand with me, Ashanti. You’ve always been by my side. You belong there. I won’t accept anyone else.”

“Luke…” She put a hand to her chest, melting despite her instructions to stand strong.

He ducked his head, looking adorably flustered. “I’m not good with words, and I might not always remember to tell you how I feel about you. But I do love you, Ash. As more than a friend. And no matter how strange this new side of our relationship is, I want to explore every inch of it with you.”

Ashanti drew nearer and threw her arms around his neck. “Liar.”

Luke tilted his head.

“You said you weren’t good with words, but that was nice.”

Luke chuckled. “Does that mean you forgive me?”

“That depends?”

“On?”

“Whether you’re giving me coffee.”

“As much as you want.” He grinned.

Ashanti’s gaze caught on his mouth. The tension thickened as Luke slowly lowered his head and captured her bottom lip with his mouth. It was an explorative touch, like a man prowling land that was once forbidden.

Her breath hitched and her eyes fell shut. Ashanti didn’t know her heart could pound this hard. Didn’t know electricity could skitter over her nerves like fire. Didn’t know Luke could produce this much of a reaction from her.

Her hands twisted into the fabric of his shirt. She tilted her head, welcoming his invasion. Egging him on when he got more confident. A moan broke free from his throat and she smothered it with her mouth.

When he pulled back her tongue flickered over her bottom lip, tasting him there. “That was so much better than my dream.”

“Since your dream wasn’t really a dream, I take offense to that.”

Silence fell. She studied him with half-hooded eyes. “So, we’re really doing this.”

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