Page 65 of Slow Burn


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“Wow! The dam really has been breached, hasn’t it?”

It might have seemed ridiculous, but with each curse, I felt more... empowered. Like I was taking something of myselfback. There was no telling the kind of woman I would have been had I not been trapped within the Fellowship. But my gut was telling me that she would have been a curser. Laeth was right. Itwasfun.

“Anyway,” I stressed, pushing us forward, “no, I’m not breaking up with you. You’re one of my top two friends. Granted, I only have two friends, but still.”

She leaned over, bumping her shoulder against mine. “That was funny. It’s a good sign you can be funny while suffering a hangover. Means you’ll make it. So, what happened this morning that has you all wound up and stressy?” She leaned in and whispered, “Does this have to do with the hot cop from last night?” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “You know, the one you locked lips with?”

We’d talked about the kiss last night when she drove me home, and I’d confessed that, as much as I’d enjoyed it and wanted to feel a spark, something was lacking.

“Well... kind of. But not in the way you’re thinking.” I glanced around, making sure no one was within earshot as I detailed how things went down with Laeth earlier that morning, everything from him telling me he knew about me kissing Holt to him pinning me to the wall to what he said in closing about some game ending.

By the time I finished, her eyes were so wide it was a wonder they hadn’t fallen right out of her skull. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth while I waited for her to process everything.

“He really said that?” she asked. “That you gave that cop a kiss that was supposed to be his?”

I nodded, remembering the intensity in his stormy eyes as he said it and the way it made my core pulse. “What do you think he means about that whole game thing?”

A slow, knowing smile pulled at her lips. “Oh, honey. This man is gone for you. I think it means you’re in for one hell of a night when he gets home.”

It was my turn to bug my eyes out. “You mean...”

She nodded. “If that’s what you want, of course. If not, that’s your call to make, and there’s nothing wrong with making it. Don’t let him pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to do.”

“But I think, maybe I want to?” I confessed quietly.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I think so. There’s just... something between us. You know how I talked about that spark missing when Holt kissed me last night? Well, with Laeth, it’s so much more than just a spark. All he has to do is stand close to me and I feel like I just grabbed hold of a downed powerline with my bare hands.”

She sat back, fanning her face with her hand. “Ooh! I know what you’re talking about. I haven’t felt that in a very,verylong time, and hearing you talk, I’m starting to really miss it.”

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I mean, it could get messy.”

“Sometimes the messy ones are the most fun.”

“Maybe, but—”

Lyric reached over to put her hand on top of mine, cutting me off. “Babe, do you want me to talk you out of this? Is that what’s going on here?”

I shook my head, my thoughts muddled and tangled. “No. It’s not that. I’m just... nervous. The things he makes me feel scare me.”

Understanding slid across her features. “Day, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that you’re one of the smartest women I’ve ever met. You need to have more faith in yourself. Trust your instincts, listen to that little voice in the back of your head, and you’ll know what to do. But can I tell you something from experience?”

I nodded eagerly, desperate for her insight. “Please.”

“Feelings like what you just described, most people are lucky if they get to feel that once in a lifetime. Yes, it can be scary, but you’ve been through scarier and came out on the other side. You deserve great things.” She clasped my hands in hers and squeezed tightly. “Take risks, babe. Jump off that ledge, try new things. Justlive.”

I leaned into her, resting my head on her shoulder. “You’re amazing. Do you know that?”

“I do, but it never sucks to hear it from other people.”

We both broke into laughter, effectively sticking a pin in the bubble of intensity that had been surrounding us.

Lyric had to get back to the library, so I decided to join Cash on the playground to see who could push who higher on the swings.

“Day-Day! Look at me!” he called out as I pushed him higher. “I flying!”

“I see that, little bug. You’re going so high!”

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