“With my mouth.”
“Kaia.”
I groan.
“It was after a nightmare. He came in because I was apparently making noises in my sleep, and I woke up scared, and he held me, and then I kissed him.”
Joyce’s expression changes.
The teasing fades.
“And?”
I look at my pie.
“He kissed me back.”
Her eyebrows rise.
“Really kissed me back.”
“How really?”
“Please do not make me quantify this.”
“Was there tongue?”
I stare at her.
She grins.
“Fine. Continue.”
“He stopped.”
Joyce sobers.
“Okay.”
“He said he should not have done it because I had been through too much and he did not want to take advantage of me.”
She nods slowly.
I stab the pie again.
“And then he told me I did not know how much of what I felt was because he rescued me.”
Joyce winces.
“He was an idiot.”
“Thank you.”
“A respectful idiot.”
“I take it back.”
She reaches across the table and steals my fork.
