The One I Want

“I did all right back in high school.” He strokes the back of my hair. “But Juni, I would have been a one-woman man if I had known you back then.”

Looking up, I rest my chin on him. “Magic happens when two forces join. This feels good because of us, not because I’m so special.” He kisses my forehead, still appearing to bear all the wrong of the night on his shoulders. I add, “It feels good to joke with you, but I want you to know that I’m sorry I lied. I won’t do it again.” And I do need to explain to him why I held back, but I need more time to figure that out myself. Is it because I’ve never felt safe in a relationship before? Safe enough to let someone into my heart? I have a lot of thinking to do.

He caresses my cheek, looking into my eyes. “I believe you, but I’m going to need you to do something for me.”

“What is it?”

Holding his hand up, he says, “I’ve never pinky-promised with anyone other than my mom. Not even Nick when we were little. But I will with you if you will with me.”

When his pinky stretches out, I burst out laughing. “Hell yeah, I’ll pinky promise with you.” Our pinkies wrap around each other’s, and he bends to give me a kiss. I kiss him because in the span of an hour, I went from thinking I blew it with this amazing man to being in his arms again.

He kisses me once more. I revel in the sweetness. And then he says, “Thank you for giving me another chance.”

I could point out that I’m the one who lied and kept secrets, but I wrap my arms around his neck and say, “It’s okay. We’ll call it even.” That wins me a chuckle that I’ll happily take all day, every day, and in the middle of the night in the hallway. “Come in, and I’ll give you a tour.”

I shut the door behind him and let him wander on his own into the living room. A smile comes easy, and he says, “I like it.”

Not wanting to let another moment pass, I go and kiss him because I can. Our lips meet, and his hands slide over the sides of my pajamas. But then he leans away from me, appearing to be confused. After he bends down, I ask, “What are you doing?”

Clapping his hands twice, he turns back to me, and asks, “Where’s Rascal?”

Oops! “About that . . .”

25

Juni

I’ve never had a man in my bedroom before, or in my bed for that matter.

But there Drew sits at the end of my bed in quiet contemplation. I imagine this is something he does quite often. He tends to be a serious guy.

Since he doesn’t know I’m awake, I take a moment to study him. The muscles in his back are defined but not big like Thor, more like Captain America in the earlier movies. Those are the muscles that tease me when he takes off his jacket. Shirts are tight but tailored for me to admire his body.

The black band of his boxer briefs isn’t graffitied with a designer name. I like that for some reason. And when he looks toward the windows, I notice how dark the stubble covering his jaw is, tempting me to rub up against him like my own personal scratch post. I’m reminded how raw my thighs feel and now I know why. I’ll take this feeling anytime if it means I’m with him.

Friends . . . I was such a fool for thinking we could remain friends. We’re friends, of course, but there was always something more between us. I smile, not from the sex, though that is worth a standing ovation, but from the fact Drew thought I was worth a second chance.

I can’t bear to not see his eyes again. I nudge him in the buns with my big toe.

He turns around, smile growing, and grabs my foot. “Hey there,” he says.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I gently clear the grogginess from my throat.

Chuckling, he glances at the daylight fighting the blinds to sneak in. “It’s almost noon.”

A quick check of the clock verifies the truth. Snuggling the blanket to my chest, I roll to the side, having a hard time not grinning while looking at him. “I guess that sex, cooking, fighting, making up, and making love took it out of me.”

“Yeah. Me too.” He angles toward me and rests his weight on his hand. “I was thinking about how you asked me what I was doing today. Are we still on?”

With all that went on last night, I’d almost forgotten. He didn’t, and that makes me swoon a little. “Definitely.” I sit up and crawl to him, bare naked, and sit on his lap.