Friends to Lovers (Heart of Hope 6)

She pursed her lips. “They’re close friends. Like brothers. And Jude feels responsible for his happiness since he brought Cy here.”

There were two reasons not to confess the truth to April. One was that I didn’t think Cy would want her and Jude to know. I trusted her and Jude, but I could see a situation in which Cy and I became estranged, that could be hard on them. Second, she just said Jude felt responsible for him. While he probably would like that Cy was getting laid, he likely wouldn’t approve of me being the source of his orgasms.

Still, April was my friend.

“Did you tell Jude what I told you?” I asked. I knew I couldn’t tell her not to talk to Jude, but I’d hope she knew that some topics were just between friends.

She shook her head. “No. I can’t decide if that means I’m lying to him, but this is a personal thing, and I figure that it’s for you or Cy to tell him.” She studied me. “Does that mean it’s still going on? All those times you said you're just friends, was that a fib?”

“No. We’re just friends.”

Her eyes narrowed. “With benefits?”

I squirmed in my seat which of course gave me a way.

“Petal.” A gleeful smile spread on her face. “Oh my God…tell me, have you used frosting?”

“April!” I looked around the shop to make sure none of my customers could hear.

“I’m going to take that as a yes. And then ask you if I can buy some frosting from you.”

I made a face. “You can buy a dozen cupcakes and scrape the frosting off.”

The door opened and a group of executives from an office building two doors down walked in. I stood to go help them.

“This conversation isn’t done,” April said, her face shining with humor. “I want details.”

I ignored her and took orders for cupcakes. When I finished serving the group, she was at the end of the line.

“A dozen limoncello cupcakes. I wonder what Jude will think if I have limoncello frosting on the girls.” She looked down at her breasts.

I rolled my eyes. “He’ll probably stroke out.”

She laughed. “You’re right. I wonder if I should get at least one pumpkin cheesecake, so I can put the frosting on his…you know.”

“Just one?” I quipped?

She grinned. “Maybe two. He is well-endowed.”

I huffed out a breath. “TMI my friend.”

“Maybe for you, but I want details sometime.” She grinned. “You and Cy. A part of me doesn’t see it and yet another part of me thinks it makes perfect sense. Light and dark. Yin and yang.”

I handed her the box of cupcakes. “It’s not a thing, April. We’re friends.”

“Jude and I were friends.”

I snorted. “You lusted for Jude since you started puberty.”

She smiled. “I did, didn’t I? And look how that lust and friendship turned out.”

“Right and what if it didn’t work out between me and Cy? You’d have to send Conner to kill him, and I couldn’t live with that.”

She frowned. “Is that what’s holding you back?”

The door chimed and another few customers came in.

She looked at me. “We talk later. Details.”