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Cedar pulls on a pair of sweats before opening the door. My little diva rushes into the room and prances to my side of the bed. I cover myself with a sheet because someone thinks any dangling bits – including boobs – are toys for her to play with before helping her onto the bed. She runs in circles before finding a spot to settle down near my stomach. I scratch her ear.
“Where are you going?” I yell after Cedar when he ducks out of the bedroom. He doesn’t respond. “It better be coffee!”
I open my eyes when I smell the delicious scent of coffee wafting toward me. I sit up and Cedar waves a cup underneath my nose.
“I thought this would wake you.”
“Coffee now. Teasing later.” I snatch the mug from his hands and down most of the scalding liquid.
“How the hell do you guzzle coffee without burning your mouth? Is your esophagus made of asbestos?”
I start to shrug but stop when I notice he’s holding a package. A wrapped package.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a present.”
My nose wrinkles and I inch away from him. “A present for what? It’s not my birthday today.”
He rolls his eyes. “You know what day it is today.”
I do, which is why I’m confused.
He offers me the wrapped gift but I’m done inching away. I need out of here. Pronto. I scramble toward the other side of the bed. My boobs jiggle. Damn it. I’m naked and my clothes are on the other side of the room.
“Cassandra,” Cedar grumbles.
“What?” I ask as I eye my clothes. Can I grab them and Diva before Cedar gives me the gift? Probably not. He is wicked fast.
I stare at the door as I consider whether I can run through the woods naked. I mean, I can. It’s more a question of whether I want to considering all the wild life. Will a skunk attack me if I’m naked? Don’t laugh. I’m a city girl. I don’t know these things.
“Are you seriously considering running through the woods naked to avoid accepting a gift?”
I glare at him. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“Because I know you.”
“Oh yeah? What am I thinking now?”
“You’re thinking about kicking me in the gonads and ensuring I never have children.”
Damn it. How does he know me this well? Am I transparent? Ugh! I knew – knew! – I needed to pull back from this relationship. No, not relationship. Friendship. We are not in a relationship. We’re friends. Nothing more. Friends with benefits but still… Friends.
Cedar’s done waiting for me. He prowls toward me until he’s close enough to grasp my wrist. He hauls me to my feet and shoves the gift into my hands. I try to drop it, but he won’t let me.
“What is wrong with you? It’s a present, not a nuclear bomb.”
“Can they make nuclear bombs this small?”
He cups my chin. “Open your present.”
I look down at the wrapped gift in my hands. “We agreed on friends with benefits. Friends don’t give each other Valentine’s Day presents.”
He frowns. “Friends with benefits?”
I poke him in the chest. It feels good, so I do it again. “Don’t you dare say you forgot about our arrangement.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, and I need all my willpower to keep my eyes focused on his face. His chest should grace the cover of fitness magazines the world over. It’s hard but the skin is soft and…. I shut those thoughts down before I tackle him to the floor. It wouldn’t be the first time.
