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Not fucking now.

I watch as she slips under the comforter and turns to face me, her auburn hair cascading across the crisp white pillow. She’s fucking breathtaking. Inside and out. It’s like there’s an aura around her that radiates light and happiness and makes everything, even the most mundane parts of life, shine with wonderment.

“You don’t snore, do you?” she asks, shifting the covers under her chin and staring at me with a slight tinge of nervousness in her coffee-brown eyes.

I pin her with a playful glare, trying to relax her,and perhaps myself, as best I can. “Not that I’m aware of. Do you?”

“No.”

“So, you don’t snore, but do you snuggle?” Fuck, do I want to snuggle her. My heart thumps against my ribcage as I wait for her answer. I’ve never been this nervous around any woman before.But then Luna isn’t just any woman to me, and the waymy body responds to her tells me my head isn’t playing any tricks.

“I mean, I haven’t shared a bed with anyone in a long while, but I guess. I’m definitely a touchy-feely person.”

My heart thumps harder at the thought of touching her, but still, the fear of ruining our friendship holds me back. I feel like I’m standing at a crossroads, my heart screaming to take a left and dive headfirst into whatever this is, just like I’ve always done with women. I trust Luna more than I’ve ever trusted anyone before, and I know she’s nothing like Amie. But despite that, my head keeps slamming the breaks, reminding me of all the complications I’ll potentially invite into my life, and after this past six months, fuck knows I can’t deal with anymore.

Jon’s words continue to ring in my head. The bombshell he dropped about me wanting her, even if I wasn’t prepared to admit it myself. It’s like that ten-minute conversation has opened the floodgates to my feelings. I was questioning everything before he said it all out loud. But now it’s out in the open, and it’s harder to ignore or even deny.

I want Luna Johnson in my bed, and not just because it’s the only one available to her tonight.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LUNA

Icrack an eyelid open, and as the light filters through the blinds on the patio doors, it takes me a moment to realize where I am. At Zach’s, wrapped in his sheets.

The last thing I remember was him pulling me into his chest and snuggling me from behind, but we did nothing more than that. The ache inside me wanted to kiss him so badly. His heavenly scent enveloped me all night, and it’s highly doubtful that it being the best night’s sleep of my entire life is coincidental. I wonder if he felt the same way or if, for him, it was simply sharing a bed as friends and out of convenience. Probably the latter.

Don’t let yourself get wrapped up and carried away, Luna. Look what happened last time you tried to kiss him.

But this morning, his side of the bed is empty. I can hear movement coming from the kitchen, so I whip off the covers and swing my legs around, grabbing a tie from the nightstand and throwing my hair up into a messy bun.

I pad through to the kitchen, where I find Zach making a fresh pot of coffee. All the while, he’s tracking my movements as his eyes ascend my bare legs.

“Ah, that smells good,” I say, climbing onto one of the stools at the counter.

The heated look in his eyes makes it hard to know where I stand with him. One minute, I know I’m firmly in the friend zone; the next, he looks at me likethat. A look I know isn’t reserved for his friends.

Clearing his throat, he grabs the pot and raises it slightly, offering me a drink. “Sleep well?”

I smile sleepily and stifle a yawn. “Better than I can ever recall.”

Setting a cup in front of me, he automatically adds the two sweeteners he knows I like. “Yeah, me too. Turns out you don’t snore, but you do steal the covers. Just so you know.”

“Oh, is that so? And I was just about to compliment you on giving great snuggles.” I take a sip of the piping hot coffee and eye him over the rim.

His eyes darken slightly at the flirtatious tone I can’t seem to help. “I aim to please.”

Determined to break free from my fantasizing and ultimately futile trance, I set down my mug and slap the countertop, sliding off the stool to make my way back to the bedroom. “Well, mission accomplished because I’m rested and ready to paint that bedroom of yours. But first, I need to grab my things and head back home to get changed. I’m desperate for a?—”

But before I can get any further, I feel a hand gently tug at my arm, pulling me back until I flip around and crash against his chest.

I look up to find Zach’s eyes hooded and searing straight through me as heat pools in my core.

Jesus.

He brings a hand under my chin and for a long moment, he stares at my mouth before he wets his lips on reflex.

“Zach, I, it's okay. We agreed to carry on as we were. I’m okay with that.”