She blinks. “Of what?”
“Of me.” I let a cocky grin grow across my face. When in doubt, deflect. “You want to stay out all night.”
“Maybe I do.”
“So call Ryan. He asked for your number.”
That doesn’t sound insane at all.
“Maybe I will,” she fires back before she shoves me off her. I roll to my back and blink up at the sky.
Holy shit.
“You want some water?” She snags the water bottle she dropped in the grass and takes a long swallow. When she finishes, there’s a drop of water on her lip. Her tongue dips out to pick it up.
My whole body tightens.
I jerk my gaze away.
“Nope.”
I wanted to lick that drop. My tongue, her mouth. Iflatten my palm against the grass. This cannot be happening.
I can’twant her.
It’s a cardinal rule of friendship—you don’t lust after your friends. It ruins everything. I force myself to think logically and ignore the heat inside me.
A brief flash of want means nothing. It’s hormones and symmetry. I read a study about how babies will prefer symmetrical faces over others. That’s all this is. Bailey is just incredibly symmetrical.
I’ve always known it, but I’ve never felt it. I’ve never felt like my stomach was being jerked out of my body just watching her sip water. Her looks have never mattered, and now, as I chance another glance at her—fuck. They still don’t matter.
I need to deal with this. I need to be normal.
“Do you have his number?”
“What?”
“Ryan’s number. Do you have it?”
“Yeah.” I scrub a palm down my face before I sit up and pull my phone from my pocket. I’m lucky it’s not cracked. My shirt is torn and my jeans are muddy.
Adrenaline is fading slowly, leaving me shaky and exhilarated at the same time. “You want it?”
“No. But can you send him mine?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Yeah, sure.” I don’t want to give it to him. I don’t like Ryan all that much and Katie deserves the best. “You want to stay out all night with him?” My words come out with an odd bite. I’m tired. Grumpy and tired from staying out all night myself.
She pulls her lip into her mouth and I watch the soft flesh give under her white teeth. There’s a free-falling sensation in my stomach. “Yes. I do. Maybe I’d finally get laid.”
I choke on air. “Excuse me?”
She lets out a big yawn and hops to her feet. “Walk and talk. I need coffee.”
I dog her steps. “You want to get laid?”
“I’m twenty-six.” She shrugs and starts jogging toward the building where Alexis and her catering team work.
“So?” I can barely keep my voice even. I didn’t know Katie wanted this. This doesn’t square with the Katie I know. I let my eyes drift down her body. She’s not going to have any trouble getting laid, but I’m not sure she realizes that.
