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Then he bent his head and brushed his mouth against hers.
Chapter Six
Mia swayed forward, closing her eyes on instinct, and sank into Drew.
He had incredibly soft lips. Relaxed and soothed, she drifted, floating off the floor. It was a nice sensation. Alive and exhilarating. Drew didn’t demand, but coaxed, tempting her to give more.
He tasted faintly of … beer.
She pul
led back. "You have to go," she gasped and covered her betraying lips with trembling fingers.
For a moment, he merely swayed, his eyes still unfocused and hooded. Then his brow wrinkled, and he blinked. He stepped forward. "Mia—" He reached for her but she put up a hand, tears welling.
Her control shattering, she held fast onto the last few threads of composure. "You shouldn’t have read that note," she whispered, shaking her head furiously.
He froze. "But—"
"If you thought I’d betray my best friend to you over a kiss, you’re delusional."
"What?" His mouth fell open, and shock rose, evident on his face.
She shook her head. "Just leave me alone."
Spinning away, she ran all the way to her room, slamming the door and throwing herself on her bed.
He was still in the house. His presence overwhelmed her like a barbell pinned to her chest. But he didn’t stay long. Her ears strained as she listened to the soft tread of his shoes fade and then the front door squeak open and then close again. Finally, the pressure on her lungs eased and she sucked in air.
Her face burned from the strength of her tears and she buried her scorching cheeks into a cool pillow. Wrapping her arms around the cushion, she squeezed her wet lashes together and tried to imagine herself somewhere else. Her happy place.
It was a technique Dr. Higgins had taught her.
Escape.
Man, she was pathetic.
Yelling at him for reading Piper’s note had really only been an excuse. In truth, she’d been petrified. For three years, she’d struggled to feel real again. But here, the first moment it began to actually happen, she ran away like a little baby. Like a coward.
Drew had been her first kiss since Ryan.
•
Drew slapped the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. He scowled at the front door of Mia’s house and contemplated getting out and going back inside. He wanted to know what had gone wrong … what he’d done wrong. That kiss had just been starting to get good and then, wow, she’d burst into tears on him.
Confused and frustrated because he had no idea what had gone awry, he continued to sit there, scrutinizing her house until his phone rang. He groaned, not ready to talk to Mandy at all. Digging the cell out of his pocket to cut the ring, he glanced at the caller ID, only to discover it wasn’t his sister after all.
It was worse.
His father.
He swallowed, wondering when he’d last talked to the old man. Hmm. It’d been … Christmas? Yes, Christmas. Mandy had badgered him into going with her and her kids to their father’s on Christmas Eve.
Blowing out a breath, he flipped the phone open and pressed it to his ear for a good three seconds.
"Hello," he finally said.
"Hey … Drew?" the almost unfamiliar voice of Don Harper spoke. He sounded confident enough with the "hey," but by the time he added Drew’s name, he lacked conviction. "This is your dad."
