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Paisley, of course, didn’t hesitate, taking me by the hand and leading me towards the bed before she collapsed into it, patting on the bed to gesture me to join her. I raised my eyebrows, playing it cool.

“You’re a bit overdressed for going to bed, don’t you think?”

She grinned, and my thoughts went careening when—not a drop of hesitation, she pulled the skirt up on her dress, tugging it up her waist. The deep jade green underwear she had on wasa bit too… nice to be regular underwear. “What, want me less dressed?”

“No! I mean—I was—”

She laughed, eyes sparkling, as she dropped her skirt back down. “You’re so cute when you blush. Come on, you goof,” she said, and she grabbed me between two buttons on my blouse, pulling me into bed with her. “I want to cuddle. And you’re going to oblige.”

“Oh—decided that for me, huh?”

“Like that’s new for me?”

It wasn’t like I didn’t want to, embarrassingly. And my heart was still pounding at the thought of Paisley’s… well, what she was wearing. And whether she’d stop wearing it.

I couldn’t be like this after just having been thinking aboutthat name.But I was putting it out of my mind anyway, as far as it would go.

Paisley won the battle of wills, to no one’s great surprise. I ended up tangled up in the bed next to her, wrapped up in each other’s arms, her head on my arm and lying lightly on my collar, and I felt my heart beat slow, breathing in the faint scent of her. And…

“Are you wearing perfume?”

“I think it’s supposed to be cologne, technically, but… who cares? I like it.”

Sandalwood, maybe? Something woodsy, complex, faintly sweet. I could get used to it…

“It’s nice,” I said softly. “It suits you.”

“Mm.” She nuzzled her face against my collar. “See how easy it is to compliment me properly?”

“I love seeing how… good you feel in the clothes you’ve been wearing recently. You’re gorgeous. And there’s this… sparkle you have like you actually know that you are. It’s really breathtaking.”

She giggled lightly against me. It drove me out of my damn mind how perfect she was—small and sweet and precious, pulled tight against me, our bodies flush together. “Better,” she said. “You’re on a roll.”

“Hey—” I pulled away a little, meeting her eyes. “Did you go out dressed like that to buy a pie?”

“No, I shed all my clothes in a bush and went naked.”

“Please. You are the one person that sounds like a credible threat from.”

She laughed, but she avoided my gaze. “Yup. Bumped into Chris Danson there. And you know what that asshole did?”

“Tell me?”

“He didn’t even compliment me! Asked if I was out on a date but didn’t even tell me I looked good!”

I laughed, something in my chest that I couldn’t name, couldn’t give voice to. She was showing people. Getting more comfortable dressing like she wanted, letting people see. Maybe that was another part of the… happy legacy I could leave here. Something good I could leave in my wake.

“Well,” I said, “sounds like he’s on the list now. Enemy of the people.”

“You can say that again,” she said, and then, like it was the most natural thing in the world—and I think it probably was—she kissed me. Sank against me, her lips finding mine, and I didn’t want to fight it.

I wanted her. And I think she wanted me. Tomorrow didn’t matter. Today did. I kissed her, long and slow and sweet, and I let everything else fade away.

Chapter 18

Paisley

Aria had the absolute nerve to be standing in the way when I barreled for the door, and she only narrowly managed to step to the side so I didn’t plow into her with my armload of snacks.