Page 100 of Chasing the Dream

She was flummoxed, afraid to believe him yet hopeful at the same time. “You did?”

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, yeah. We hardly talked back then, and whenever you spoke, it was usually to tell Maria and me to get lost.”

He chuckled and shifted to lie down beside her. Then he leaned in and gently kissed her lips. He’d been in a huge hurry to get her home, but now he seemed content just to talk to her. He’d surprised her at every turn, and it was throwing her off-kilter.

“As my sister’s best friend, I knew you were off-limits. But that didn’t stop me from thinking about it.”

“But I was skinny, pimply, and flat-chested.”

He cupped her cheek. “I didn’t see you like that.”

“The girls you dated were the total opposite of me.”

“Yet who am I with right now?”

She locked eyes with him and swallowed hard. Then he pulled her closer and covered her lips with his. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply while still trying to process what he’d said. His hands caressed her back, sending tingles up and down her spine, and his erection nudged her abdomen.

Her body was responding, but her brain was still trying to catch up. She broke the kiss and tried to catch her breath.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, looking concerned.

She shook her head. “I have a confession to make too.”

“Uh-oh.”

She placed her hand on his chest and felt the rapid beating of his heart. After his admission, she’d thought this would have been easier, but it wasn’t.

“Tell me,” he whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I dreamt about this a lot—about us being together.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “You had the starring role in my fantasies when we were teens.” He still did, but she wasn’t quite ready to admit that.

“Wow. I’m honored.”

“I thought that’s all it would ever be—a fantasy. And now here we are…”

He looked down and added, “Naked as the day we were born!”

She felt naked in more ways than one. She might have returned home without ever telling him, but he’d opened the door, and she’d stepped right in.

“Does anybody else know about this?” he asked.

“Nobody.”

“Same here.”

“So, it’s our secret.”

“For now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I still think we should tell Maria. Lately, I get the feeling she wouldn’t mind us being together.”