Page 45 of Breakaway Hearts

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

“That desperate for sex?”

I snort, and although she grows redder at her impulsive comeback, a sassy smirk curves her lips. And just like that, I’m reminded of all the years of friendship we have behind us. Of the days and nights we’ve spent together, laughing until our sides ache. Of the way she always manages to catch me off-guard, even though I know her so well by now.

This will work, I tell myself as I return to my eggs.We can do this.

Callie is my best friend. And even though we’re about to cross a huge fucking line with each other, I know we’ll be okay in the end.

Because no matter what happens, no matter what I do with her, the one thing I’ll never allow myself to do is lose her.

Chapter16

Callie

I’m surprised I managed to leave the house unscathed after the morning chat with Reese. I for sure thought our first lesson would be this morning based on how he was looking at me and talking to me.

Instead, he left me uncomfortably turned on and a little flustered. Not to mention the fact that I’ll be leaving with him in a few days for his away game.

Where our first lesson will actually happen.

And god knows what will go down then.

None of this has helped with my mental preparation for the school day, and when I finally finish the morning lessons, I head to the teachers’ lounge and brew myself a cup of herbal tea. Hopefully, it’ll help me get my head on straight in time for the post-lunch Friday rambunctiousness.

Just as I’m about to take my first sip, however, Peg sidles up next to me.

“Look at you,” she says, grinning broadly. “Something seems different.” She cradles her chin in her hands and leans forward. “You’re glowing. And you can’t stop smiling.”

I sip my tea so quickly that it burns the roof of my mouth.

“Uh, do I not usually smile?” I ask with a cough.

“Peg is right,” David, a second-grade teacher, says from across the room. “You definitely look happier than usual.”

I flush hotly as a few other teachers chime in. Of course, I can’t admit why I’m actually feeling like this. Not only is it wildly inappropriate for this setting, but it’d also send every one of my co-workers into a frenzy. The general consensus among them is that I need to get back out there and start dating.

But even though I brush them off with a vague answer about how I’m just excited for the weekend, I can’t stop thinking about last night. This agreement Reese and I have? It’s crazy. Risky. But I don’t know if I’ve ever done something quite this thrilling.

Reese will be a good teacher, I’m sure of that. He was with Sienna for a while, but before that, he wasn’t unpopular with women. He knows what he’s doing, even if he doesn’t have a reputation for being a bit of a player like Noah used to.

But I was serious this morning. I’ve only ever slept with two guys, and I don’t want to feel like I suck at sex. I hate how much Austin fucked with my head, and I’ve done a lot of work to recover my sense of self-worth in the aftermath of our relationship. But since I haven’t slept with anyone since him, I’ve never really gotten over his biting comments about how I wasn’t good enough in bed.

Even if it’s terrifying to do this with Reese, at least it’sReese. I don’t know if I’d trust anyone else with it, with seeing me this vulnerable. But I trust my best friend completely. I know he’ll take care of me.

In more ways than one.

Especially if last night is any indication of what he can do to my body.

Or rather, whatIdid to my own body at his prompting, knowing that he was watching.

I almost shiver at the memory of it. I’ve used that vibrator plenty of times, and not once have I come that hard with it. Reese barely touched me, but it was the awareness of him that made it so different.

And so incredibly good.

His hungry eyes.

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