Page 16 of Only a Kiss

Oh, it’s nothing.I just had the best sex of my life with your dad and then he broke my heart in the nicest way—after he finger banged me so hard I saw stars.

Yeah, no.

“It’s nothing.”

“How long have we known each other?”She arched her brow, and in this moment I hated how well she knew me.But I hated even more that I couldn’t tell her the truth.I’d never lied to Jenna about anything.But I definitely couldn’t tell her this.She’d never forgive me.

“Practically our whole lives, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“Bullshit.You know exactly what it means.It means I can tell you’re not telling me something and it’s not nothing.So spill.”

I took a fortifying sip of my coffee and then gave her what few details I actually could.“I had a one-night stand and it just kind of fucked with my head is all.”

She frowned.“I thought you weren’t doing those anymore.”

“It wasn’t planned,” I said.

“Was it bad?Did he hurt you or say something negative to you?”

“No.It’s nothing like that.”I inhaled deeply, trying to absorb the salty air since we were right near the beach.“In fact, it was hands down the best sex of my entire life.”

Her eyes lit up.“Okay, well now I need details.”

My heart sprinted in my chest.Normally, I would tell her everything, but this felt supremely wrong to give her details about her dad, even if she didn’t know it was her dad.

“It was…there really aren’t any words.”It wasn’t a lie.Travis left me completely speechless after our night together.He brought my body to life in ways I didn’t even know were possible.

She shook her head and fake scolded me.“You’re no fun for holding out, but I’ll let it go this once because I’m more concerned about why it’s fucked with your head.”

Where did I even begin?

Because I stupidly hoped he’d realize I was the perfect woman for him and profess his undying love for me.

Because when I woke up and he was gone, I burst into tears and then hated myself for crying over a man who never promised me anything.

Because I never imagined Travis would be the love ’em and leave ’em type, and I hated how much it cheapened the otherwise perfect night.

Because when he showed back up at my door with torment written all over his face, I really thought he was there to say fuck it and tell me he wanted to give this a shot.

Instead he voiced what I already knew and then walked out without another word.I was proud of myself for holding it together until the door shut.I wasn’t proud of how I’d cried for the last three days and had a broken heart after one night of sex.

“It can’t go anywhere, and I’m more disappointed than I thought I’d be because I knew it was only a one-night thing.”It seemed like the safest way to sum up my dilemma, even if it left out all the real heartbreak.

“Why can’t it go anywhere?”she asked.

“We’re too different.”It wasn’t at all true and the first real lie I’d told her today.I always thought we might be different—due to our age gap at the very least—but that night at the restaurant, I was proven wrong.I was pleasantly surprised to discover we had similar tastes in music, interests in outdoor activities, and clearly we were explosive in the bedroom.

Our compatibility was one of the many reasons it stung so much that we couldn’t actually be together.

Her gaze narrowed like she knew I was holding back on her—she probably did—but like a good friend, she could also tell I wasn’t ready to go into details.She took a bite of her muffin and then looked at me boldly.

“Well, you know what they say.The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.Maybe we should go out tonight and you can find some other guy to rock your world and erase any memory of this guy.I mean, he’s clearly a dumbass if he can’t see what a catch you are.”

I huffed out a small laugh and nibbled the inside of my lip.If she only knew the “dumbass” was her dad.

“I love you, you know that?”

She smiled wide, and it was nice to see.She seemed more herself today than she had since her breakup with Peter.Jenna was in a serious relationship all four years of college.A relationship that ended two weeks ago when, instead of proposing like we all thought Peter would do, he broke up with her.It was a low blow that she’d still been dealing with.“I know.Just like I know you aren’t actually going to go out and fuck some other guy.It’s not your style.”

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