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“Oh my God, Tamara!” My voice was hushed and reverent. “It’s...” I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut, like I couldn’t find the right word.
I loved it, but I couldn’t resist dialing up the drama a bit. The clean, natural thing on most people looked like business as usual with a nude lip thrown on, but Tamara had worked her magic. My skin glowed, my eyes popped, and my hair, pulled over one shoulder, a fishtail braid weaving down to my waist, looked causal, yet intricate. Makeup was generally a special occasions only event for me, but now I understood why her old customers hounded Tamara for her schedule, making sure they didn’t leave it to chance.
“It’s...” I dropped my eyes to my lap.
Tamara looked ready to meltdown, her eyes huge and straining, her eyebrows lifted and expectant. “It’s what? I swear if I wasn’t worried I’d mess up your hair, I’d shake you until the words tumbled out!”
I decided to put her out of her misery before she assaulted me. “It’s beautiful! The braid, the shimmery gold dust stuff-”
A sound that was definitely a doorbell chiming put a swift end to my five star review. Tamara was still soaking up the praise but I scrambled, knocking over her kit and just narrowly catching my cell before it ended up in the toilet.
“It’s 7:05!” I hissed, flying from the bathroom. I was still in my ratty t-shirt and leggings. I dashed into the bedroom, needing her help again. “Can you let him in? I just need to change real quick.”
“I got you,” she called after me, skittering into the living room, more excited than I was that Jason was here.
My fingers froze as I gripped my plaid button down shirt, realizing that my best friend, who was really good at oversharing, would be alone with him.
I’ve never gotten dressed so fast in my life.
I’d laid out a couple of options for what would be beneath the button down, ranging from band tees, to solid colored tees, and even a few strappy tanks. I opted for a plain white t-shirt, knotting one end so it hinted at my curves.
Tamara’s laugh cut through the closed door and I shot like a rocket to my dresser, pulling out my favorite pair of black skinny jeans. They were one of few that retained its shape. Putting them on anywhere except on my bed was problematic, but I hustled to the door, pressing my cheek to the wood as I tried to wiggle one of my legs in.
“So, Jason,” Tamara’s loud voice flowed right into my wary ears, like I was sitting awkwardly beside her on the couch and not in the next room. “I’m curious: are you serious about Natalee or am I gonna have to bust your kneecaps?”
I gasped, let out a ‘fuck!’ as I stumbled backward. My foot connected with my sleek, sexy pair of skinnies and I felt the world go topsy turvy before I went crashing to the floor.
I laid there for a second, trying to get my bearings when a thought more terrifying than my best friend grilling my date spun through my head.
But she wouldn’t.
She couldn’t come bursting in here when she knew I was getting dressed.
And if she came to my rescue, I had a feeling that Jason wouldn’t be far behind.
My eyelids fluttered and my breath came out in slow, steady puffs. Maybe my squeal and fall weren’t as loud as I thought.
My vision adjusted to the current state of affairs, which was me on my back, my pants around my ankles. I looked up at the ceiling, the light blinking. An eclipse was blotting out the sun because there was a shape that looked suspiciously like a head, hovering above me.
Oh God.
I squeezed my eyes shut and made a wish. A wish that the ground would swallow me up because the blue eyes that were shining down on me, round with concern, were not Tamara’s.
They were the eyes that managed to lasso my heart and tug. That made me want to say to hell with getting to know each other and just do the thing I knew we were good at since I was already half undressed, anyway.
I was in a daze, a daze that quickly evaporated when a second set of eyes appeared, Tamara crouching down beside me.
“Are you okay, Nat?”
I scrambled to pull myself up, embarrassment filling me up and spilling out of my lips. “I’m fine. What are you doing?” I gave her the look, trying to cut past her worry to the reality that I was in the least sexy position I could think of.
“Oh! We just-” She wisely stopped herself and got with the program. “Uh, Jason, why don’t we let her finish getting gorgeous?”
Jason didn’t look anxious to leave my side. His handsome face was creased with worry. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should take a look at your head-”
“Tech mogul, restauranteur, philanthropist, and you’re a doctor?” I quipped, trying to cover my naughty bits. “Where do you find the time?”
He cracked a tiny grin, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “I’m a regular renaissance man. I’ll be in the living room.”
