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“Oh, uh, here, let me grab your clothes for you.” Charlie shuffled to the drier with trembling hands and breathed through her nose to calm her screaming heart. She needed to settle down before she hyperventilated. Her skin was prickled and sensitive. She swiped a fingertip across her pulsating lips, feeling dizzy and dreamy. And terrified.

I can’t believe that happened.

The warmed clothes soothed her shakes, and she tumbled out of the hallway and shoved them into Mack’s arms.

“Here you go! All warm and roasty and toasty.”

What the hell am I even saying?

“Now that the rain is all done, I think I’m free to fly solo again.” Charlie giggled, or at least she tried to giggle, but more of a high-pitched, record-scratching squeal was released. “Thanks for being such a great escort. Do I owe you for babysitting fees?”

Seriously, shut up.

She said so many things to Mack.And they kissed!She was just barely over Jess.Finally.Healed and whole, and she wanted to screw it up? Open herself up again? What was she thinking? So dumb. Irresponsible. Her heart hated her right now, and pleaded for her to protect it.

Flames crawled up Charlie’s face when Mack grabbed the clothes, stared at her for too long, and said, “Funny.”

Just… funny.

Not,are you as nervous as me?Or,are you thinking the same scattered thoughts?How about,did that just effing happen?

As Mack got dressed, Charlie scooped the mugs and brought them into the kitchen. The click of the bathroom door opening was like a sonic boom, and Charlie jumped.

Standing against the wall, Mack tied her shoes. Time ticked by at the speed of a glacier as Charlie avoided eye contact.

“Are we good?” Mack finally said after a hundred trillion moments of awkwardness passed. “Sorry, is this weird?”

Her cheeks flamed. “No, I’m weird. I’m so weird right now and don’t know how not to be. It’s me, not you.”

Regret seeped into Charlie. But regret for what? What was happening here? They were single. They shared a kiss. Okay, a knee-buckling, earth-moving, heart-attack-inducing kiss. But they were friends. Attraction was fine, right? Normal, even.

No. Yes.Gah!

“Can I get your number?” The words flew out of Charlie’s mouth before she could pull them by the tails and stuff them back in. She just asked for a woman’s number. She was heavy and light, and her belly was doing Olympic-size somersaults.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Mack’s eyes twinkled along with her voice, and Charlie flushed.

They swapped phones, and a call popped up on the screen when Charlie put in her number. With a flame icon as the name.Odd. And none of my business. One kiss does not give me all rights to Mack’s private life.Charlie handed the phone back to Mack like it was burning. “Do you need to take this?”

Mack looked at it with a frown and hit decline. “Nah, I’ll call her back.”

An instant ping of jealousy pounced through Charlie.Thiswas why she didn’t make out with random people. For all she knew, flame icon could be her hairdresser, and she shouldn’t have this level of fire in her belly.

Nope. She was not doing this. Tonight was fun and satisfied the itch of needing to know what Mack’s mouth tasted like.

But now Charlie could let it go and resolve to be friends.

THIRTEEN

MACK’S DRINK SPECIAL: LINGERING LOTUS LATTE

Mack slid into her bed and licked her lips to taste the remnants of Charlie’s lipstick and honey tea. The sensation of Charlie’s mouth locked with hers lingered, and her body burned from the kiss. Her arms were vacant, almost sore. They wanted to touch Charlie, hold her, and tell her she was safe. Mack closed her eyes, slid her hand across her chest and down, and rested it on her lower belly to relive the sensation of Charlie’s body on hers before it ghosted.

Ten minutes later, she grabbed her laptop.

Her strawberry gloss fills me, burns down to my toes. I want to feel her, to touch her, to taste her. As if drawn together by an intoxicated force, I stumble towards her. My body aches to connect with hers, steal me away, and make me forget the demons inside. Tonight, there is no internal hell. Only the scent of her vanilla skin.

Mack hadn’t planned on a sex scene. She hadn’t even planned on addressing the sexuality of her characters. But emotions were high, and her mouth and fingers were heavy with want. She pounded against the keyboard, rejected her parents’ offer for food, and continued to translate her developing feeling for Charlie onto her character for the next two hours.