Page 60 of No More Spies

“Can I say it, Kala?” Cooper asked quietly.

She wasn’t ready. She couldn’t believe it. Not right now.“Not yet.”

“Just so you know I’m thinking it.”

I love you. The words played in her head as she laythere, surrounded by wonder.

Deep in the night, she woke, the dream flashing through hersystem. It had started with Cooper on top of her and then morphed to theRussian, and she’d looked back and saw a line of hims waiting for their turn.

She shot up and forced herself to breathe.

It was okay. It shouldn’t be surprising she’d had the dreamtonight. She wasn’t going to let it ruin what had been a great night. Sheglanced over, and it looked like she hadn’t woken him.

She eased out of bed. Kala wasn’t sure why, but she didn’thave the dream when she slept with Lou. She had in the beginning, but herbestie would pat her back and talk to her until she got back to sleep, andafter a while she simply slept when she was in Lou’s bed.

She picked up Cooper’s shirt and drew it over her head. Itcame to mid-thigh, so it would work. She would nap in Lou’s room. Then shewould sneak back here, and Cooper wouldn’t even have to know.

Moving quickly and quietly, she slipped into Lou’s room. TJhad recently replaced Lou’s bed with an oversized king they’d had to havecustom sheets made for. Lou barely moved when she eased into the bed. Lou’sroom always smelled like lavender, the scent immediately dispelling the dream.

“Scoot,” a voice whispered.

She managed to not freak out. Cooper had followed her. “Whatare you doing?”

Lou’s eyes opened, and a grin hit her face. “Oh, this isgoing to be fun. I think he’s getting into bed with us. You dream again?”

Kala nodded. “Yeah. I was going to take a nap and go back.”

“I sleep where you sleep,” Cooper said, and in themoonlight, she could see he was in his boxers and nothing else. He slid in andwrapped his arm around her waist. “And keep it down. I don’t want to wake upTJ.”

“Oh, you can’t.” Lou turned her head slightly. “You’re notgoing to wake up, are you, babe?”

TJ sniffled and turned over. “I’ll take two and a side offries.”

Lou snorted. “See. No waking him up. Now pretend you’resleeping, Cooper. I need to talk to bestie.”

Cooper yawned against her neck, the warmth of his breathhitting her skin like a blanket. “I’m already there. But, Kala, I sleep whereyou sleep. Always. ’Night.”

He cuddled her like a teddy bear.

Lou’s hand came out, touching her cheek. “Was he good toyou?”

There were moments when Kala felt like the world was dark,when those voices she had made it feel like she was in a constant storm. Butthen there were moments like this when she felt all the love that surroundedher. When she knew how blessed she was to have these people in her life. Whenshe felt worthy of them.

“Yes,” she said quietly to the woman who had been her bestfriend for half her life. It was a sort of love affair, friendship. In thebeginning it was exciting and new, and if it survived all the changes peoplewent through, it became something soft and precious. It rounded out and becamea foundation to build parts of a life on.

Could she do the same with Cooper?

“I’m so glad,” Lou whispered. “So happy. But now you’regoing to be a complete perv, right?”

Probably. She kind of already wanted to do it again. “MaybeI should have woken him up and fucked him again.”

“She learns,” he said and kissed the nape of her neck.

“Not here,” Lou shot back like she would actually do it.

She wouldn’t. “Maybe in the morning.”

The world was soft and warm, and she fell into a perfectsleep.