CHAPTER ONE
Laurie greets me with her usual goofy smile. She's in friendly mode today, not lioness how dare you mess with my Alyssa mode.
"Is it time for the daily booty call already?" She smirks and motions for me to step inside. "Alyssa is in the backyard."
The backyard, and God is it a backyard--it's huge and immaculately landscaped--is awash in the soft, orange glow of sunset.
And there's Alyssa, sitting on the couch, hoodie wrapped around her bare legs. She's reading her Kindle, of course. She's probably reading something English majors ignore in favor of Cliff Notes.
"Some lawyer here to see you," Laurie says.
"I hope you're not in trouble," Alyssa mimics, rolling her eyes like it's the hundredth time Laurie has made that joke.
Laurie folds her arms over her chest. "You know I write comedy for a living."
"It eludes explanation." Alyssa looks up at me--a quick glance to register my presence--then back down to her book. Her lips curl into a smile. "I have a chapter to finish."
That smile could melt glaciers. I would kill for that smile and the spark it brings to her clear blue eyes.
She sets her Kindle aside.
She's mine now. All her attention is mine.
Her eyes pass over my body, then come back to mine. She bites her lip. God, I love that look--that look that screams I'm thinking about touching you right now, and I like the thought of it. No one has ever looked at me the way Alyssa does. I had other girlfriends before, slept with other women, but none of them stared at me with that kind of lust.
"Oh get a room," Laurie says. She steps back towards the door. "No, really, do you want a room, because I'll make like a tree and get the hell out of here."
Alyssa shakes her head--Laurie really does make the worst jokes--and steps off the couch. "We'll be quiet."
"As much as I appreciate the free porn show, even if it's more of a free porn podcast what with the lack of video, I'll go grab a bite." Laurie steps into the living room and yells back to us. "I'll be back in an hour. But give me five minutes to put on something presentable." She shuts the sliding glass door behind her.
"We should get dinner first," I say.
"You're funny." She takes another step towards me.
"Maybe I want a matcha latte before Peets closes."
"There's a Peets by your house."
"What if I like this one better?"
She shakes her head. "Your protests are pathetic." Her eyes are glued to mine. She takes another step towards me, until she's close enough to touch.