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Hadley looked like a person surrendering in embarrassment. “Shehas.”

She chalked it up to a small victory. “I won’t ask for any moredetails. What I would like to know is what you were about to say before we wereinterrupted.” But now it felt a little like the magic bubble had been popped.

Hadley nodded, and attempted to take them back there. “I don’thave the answers, Spencer, okay? But I know that we seem pretty far apart interms of what we want in life. That’s scary for me. The kissing? Not so scaryat all. That part is full on amazing. No complaints there.”

“I agree on both counts.” She kicked at a rock on the sidewalk.“What about this? I can try and keep an open mind if you can. No one has tocompromise anything at this point.” Spencer had never been one to gravitatetoward intimate confessions, but this moment felt like a necessary exception.She geared up, softening as a wall came down. This part wasn’t easy. “When I’mwith you, a lot of what I thought I knew dissipates. I’m willing to admit that.So, who am I to make any sort of grandstand on what my future may or may not bewhen it comes to us? I’m feeling things that, quite frankly, have me shocked.Maybe there’s more shocking ahead. I don’t know.” She held out her hands insurrender and let them drop. “I only know that I’d like to find out.”

The smile took shape slowly on Hadley’s face, and its maturationsent a chill right through Spencer. Hadley was an angel, through and through.Just look at her, standing there, haloed by the street lamp, looking morestunning than any woman on the planet.

“So, you’re saying you’re open to the chance that this couldblossom into something…lasting?”

Spencer hesitated. She didn’t want to give Hadley false hope, butin that moment, she was open to the sliver of a possibility that there could bea forever waiting. With the right person. Hell, who knew? “I’m saying I can tryto be.”

“I’m thirty years old and not looking for another good time. You shouldknow that straight off. No surprises.”

Spencer’s entire body relaxed. “You could never be just that,Hadley. Never.”

In response, Hadley placed her hands on the lapels of Spencer’sshirt and pulled her in for one more wild kiss. Spencer heard herself moanquietly as their mouths clashed. She caught Hadley’s tongue lightly with herteeth, encouraged when Hadley murmured back, her arms around Spencer’s neck.She kissed Hadley long and slow, realizing that she could do this for hours,days. She rested her forehead against Hadley’s and enjoyed breathing in thesame air. Even that got her going. Nope, chemistry would not be a problem. Noteven a small one.

“I need you to be honest with me as we go,” Hadley said, her mouthstill inches from Spencer’s, “and if you ever get to a point where you think‘This is nice, but maybe only in the temporary,’ that you’ll say so.”

“I will,” Spencer said. “You, too.”

Hadley nodded. “That will be our plan. We’ll just be, you know,honest. No hard feelings.”

“No hard feelings,” Spencer said, and stole another kiss. It wastime to say good night, that much she knew, but she liked where this washeading. They’d constructed a straightforward strategy, eliminating invisiblestrings, and were proceeding with reasonable expectations. “Can I see yousoon?”

“I was hoping you’d say so.” Hadley’s blue eyes sparkled onceagain with hope. Spencer didn’t ever want to be the one to dash it from thoseeyes, but they’d have to take things one step at a time. She was willing to tryif Hadley was. They’d come together in a rush all over the course of a shorttime period, but what they had between them wasn’t something Spencer couldminimize. Hell, after two dates, Hadley Cooper had her world standing on itsside as she struggled to hang on one finger at a time. That’s the kind of powerthis unsuspecting woman wielded.

“I guess it’s good night for now,” Spencer said.

“For now,” Hadley repeated. She brushed her lips over Spencer’ssoftly, sending every nerve ending Spencer had into high alert. Hadley stood onthe curb and watched as Spencer drove away. She glanced one last time in herrearview mirror, awestruck at Hadley and her windblown blond hair, what shemade Spencer feel, and the concession she was able to pull from her, aconcession Spencer never thought she’d make.

When it came to Hadley, she wanted to push her own boundaries.Well, she was at least willing to try. Time would tell if she was trulycapable, and she did have her concerns. She didn’t want to angle her waythrough it, or play any kind of games, because Hadley deserved much more. Nowall she had to do was figure out how to undo years of intellectualconditioning. Shouldn’t be too hard. She flipped on the radio to drown out themurmurings of self-doubt that whispered loudly in her ear.

Chapter Eight

When Hadley pushed open the door to the Cat’s Pajamas the next day,she saw three large pairs of eyes staring back at her in eager expectation.Autumn rocked Will in her arms and Gia gently pushed Carrie back and forth inher stroller. Isabel stirred her coffee in time. They were primed and ready, achorus demanding their pound of gossip.

“So, I take it you heard,” Hadley said, approaching their tableand making eye contact with Isabel, who was no doubt the town crier in thiscase.

“Did we ever,” Autumn said, shifting a sleeping Will. “We’vegathered, we’ve waited, and now we’re ready for the hot and heavy details, anddon’t you dare balk, because you’d demand them of any one of us.”

“Every step of the way,” Gia said, pointedly. “Sit and talk.”

Isabel slid Hadley’s waiting caffè mocha her way and pulled herhands away slowly as if to not disturb the force. “And go.”

Her three friends relaxed into matching smiles and Hadley knewbetter than to protest, because Autumn was right. She would have never let theothers off with anything less than a full debriefing. When it came to romanticstories, or sexy stories, or kissing stories, she was a maniac for details, andthe juicer the better. It just felt different when they wereherdetails. “Spencerand I had a nice night last night,” she said conservatively, and took a daintysip of her mocha.

Isabel made a loud buzzer sound. “Wrong. That was so much morethan a nice night.” She turned to the others full of energy, gesturing wildly.“When I pulled up, they didn’t see me. They were climbing each other likeanimals.”

“Oh,” Gia said, nodding along, entranced.

“It was hot and bothered and like nothing I’ve ever fuckingwitnessed. I’m getting heated just thinking about it.”

“Well, well, well,” Autumn said, entirely scandalized. “LittleMiss Hadley, I do declare.”

Hadley shrugged. “I’m a human being, you know. Not all daisies andcupcakes like you guys seem to think.”