I try to push that thought away to fully enjoy what’s happening in the moment, but the question resonates like a bass drum through my head, demanding attention.
“What’s wrong?” he asks when he moves from my lips to my neck while cupping my breasts and teasing my nipples.
“Could I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Is this about me, or would any naked woman have done the trick?”
He goes still.
I instantly regret asking the question, but I still want to know.
“Of course it’s about you. Do you think, after everything I’ve been through, that I could just dothiswith some random woman?”
“I did it with some random guy.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that if it’s what you needed at the time, but please don’t think any warm body would’ve worked for me, Iris, especially the first time. That’s simply not true.”
“Oh. Okay. Please continue, then.”
He sighs and leans his forehead against mine. “I sort of thought there might be something, you know, between us…”
“You did?”
“I see the way you look at me sometimes, as if you want to do dirty things to me.”
I sputter with laughter. “I do not look at you that way!”
“Yes, you do.”
Shaking my head, I lean in to kiss him. “You’re seeing things.”
He squeezes my ass, and just that is all it takes to reignite the fire. “No, I’m not.”
“Would you ever have done anything about it?”
“I’m not sure.” He continues to run his hands over my back as he studies me in that intense way of his. “I would’ve been worried about messing up a friendship I rely on.”
“That could never happen, Gage. Ever.”
“Sure, it can. We all know sex changes things.”
“We won’t let that happen.”
“Do you promise?”
“That’ll be an easy promise to keep.”
“I’m glad you pretended to get into the wrong bed.”
“I didn’t pretend! I was genuinely confused.”
“Now you’re just lying to my face.”
GAGE
She’sadorable when she lies, but then again, she’s adorable all the time. But she’s so much more than that. She’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had and a huge reason why I’m still functioning after losing everything that mattered to me.