“I…uh…I don’t know.” Dark lashes flash rapidly over blue eyes. “I’m not sure of…anything.”
“Emily, can you get Kinsley a cup of coffee please,” I say, my reasons two-fold. One, she looks like she needs a strong cup of java to help clear her head, and two I need a minute alone with her.
Emily groans and pushes to her feet as I keep my arm around Kinsley and set her on the bench.
She swallows. “Last night…” she begins and stops. Wide worried eyes search my face, but she already knows the answer to the question lingering on her tongue.
“Yeah. It was me,” I say. “I was there with you. You weren’t dreaming.”
She exhales sharply and leans forward clutching her stomach like she’s in physical pain. “I didn’t…I thought…dream. Ohmigod, I can’t believe this.”
“Do you dream about me, Kins?” I ask in a soft, sincere voice, somehow liking that crazy idea.
“Yes…no…I don’t know. I just didn’t think…” She goes so still, I’m not even sure she’s breathing. “Ohmigod,” she says again, her body shaking.
I put my arm around her, and pull her to me. “Hey, come on. It wasn’t so bad was it.”
“Bad?” She shakes her head. “I have never been more embarrassed in my life.”
“What’s to be embarrassed about? We’re two consenting adults, and the sex was great.”
“You thought it was great?” she asks, her big blue eyes wide.
“Yeah, it was fucking great. Didn’t you think it was?” I know I’m not great at expressing myself with words, so I really hope this isn’t coming out the wrong way, and making her feel worse.
“I…”
“Tell me the truth, Kins. You can be honest with me. We’re friends.”
“Friends who just slept together.” She bends forward and groans again. “Ohmigod, so bad.”
I nudge her playfully. “I believe it’s called friends with benefits.” She shakes her head and I ask, “Wait, are you saying the sex was bad for you?”
“My God, Cason, it was the best sex I ever had,” she blurts out, then looks mortified when an elderly lady walking by stops, gasps, and gives her a mortified look. Kinsley puts her hand over her mouth. “Oops.”
“Nothing to see here,” I say. The white-haired lady with the small poodle tucked in her bag huffs and saunters off. “Okay, so it was the best sex. Not a problem then, right?”
“I figured it was so good because I was dreaming.” She covers her face and peers at me through spread fingers. “I never knew it could be that good, to be honest. You did all the right things, but...”
I puff up my chest, loving that I satisfied her. “But what?”
“But,” she says and inches away from me. “You thought you were crawling in bed with Emily.”
“Ah, about that—” I begin and stop, because it’s true. I can’t dispute the fact that I thought I was crawling in bed with Emily. But once I found out it was Kinsley, it changed everything. The second our lips touch, I realized I was in the wrong bed, with the right woman. She’s not the kind of girl I usually go for. That doesn’t change the fact that we were explosive together, and when it comes right down to it…I want it again. Jesus, I’m such a typical guy, it’s ridiculous.
“You…Emily…”
“Did someone just say my name?” Emily asks as she comes back with coffee in a paper cup, one for her, and one for Kinsley. How nice of her to think I might want one.
“Just wondering what was taking you so long,” I say.
She huffs at me as she hands the cup over to Kinsley. “Ah, tequila. Hangover.”
“Thanks,” Kinsley says and takes a big sip of coffee.
Emily stands over her friend, her head cocked. “Kins, are you okay?” she asks, and tugs an elastic off her arm to tie her hair back. “You look like you could use a drink or ten, and it’s not even noon.”
“Yeah, just didn’t get much sleep last night,” she says and casts me a fast glance. “Strange bed. I would have slept in, but we all have a full list of wedding events planned for the day.”