Page 38

Cam laughs. “Glad we made such a great impression on you.”

“As a woman, you can’t be too careful.”

“Yet we managed to lure you to our home with a trail of marshmallows,” I say.

At our house, we make hot fudge cookie sundaes. Stella’s is small, while Cam and I put several scoops of ice cream in our bowls. We take them into the living room to eat, and they’re good, but when I catch sight of Stella licking fudge from her spoon, I’m nearly too distracted to finish my dessert.

We don’t talk much as we eat, but all three of us are watching each other and saying things with our eyes.

At one point, Stella’s shoulders quiver.

I set my bowl down and put my arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. “Got a chill? Did the ice cream make you cold?”

I’m not sure she’s telling the truth when she says, “I guess so.”

I take her empty dish and set it on the table, then pull her to me, wrapping my other arm around her in a hug.

Then I pull the throw blanket from the back of the sofa and cover her with it. I settle her back against me so that her head is resting on my chest, and a sense of calm falls over me.

This is where she’s supposed to be.

I continue to rub the side of her arm and savor the nearness of her for several long minutes.

“I’d better not lie here like this, I might fall asleep.” Contrary to her words, she curls closer. Her body is relaxed, but when she looks up at me, her eyes are saying something else.

Cam gets up and moves next to her, sitting on her other side. “We can’t have you falling asleep on your date. You’ll think we’re boring.”

She shakes her head. “The last thing you are is boring.”

When he tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and leans closer, she asks, “What are you doing?”

“It looks cozy over here. Thought I’d join you.” I expect to be bothered as he settles in beside her, but surprisingly, I’m not. Not as long as Stella’s still in my arms.

As he continues to toy with her hair, she says, “Remember. No kissing.” She sounds breathless.

“No kissing on the lips, right?” Cam touches a spot on her neck. “How about here?”

Sometimes my friend is so clever.

CHAPTER26

STELLA

Ican’t believe Cam wants to kiss me while I’m lying in Wyatt’s arms.

And Wyatt isn’t saying anything to protest. In fact, he’s stroking my arm and nuzzling his nose in my hair. I’m suddenly surrounded by the two of them, and it’s overwhelming in the very best way.

But persuasive as they are, they’re not forcing anything on me. Their easygoing demeanors make me certain that if I said I wanted to leave right now, they’d stop what they’re doing and take me home.

I feel like I’m on a very slippery slope right now. Actually, I’ve been slipping and falling ever since I first kissed them, and now that I’m in their arms, momentum is building.

“Can I kiss you here?” Cam asks again, swirling the tip of his finger on a spot on my neck that I never knew was so sensitive.

I nod, desperate to know how his lips will feel on that spot. He kisses me there, softly at first, but then he uses the tip of his tongue and then his teeth to nip gently and turn me into a puddle.

Meanwhile, Wyatt slips his fingers under the bottom of my shirt, the warmth of his hand rough on my skin.

Cam traces his finger over to a spot on my collarbone. “How about here?”