Page 14 of Keep On Loving You
Annie: Andy’s bed.
A laugh bubbled up from her throat, but Kat covered her mouth quickly. Annie knew her too well. As her best friend for pretty much her entire life, Annie had been subjected to far too manyI’m so in love with Andyconversations and late-night text messages. She’d also been the one to encourage Kat to finally put her infatuation with Andy behind her. No matter what it took.
Which was a big part of why Kat had found the courage to…well…it was pretty much the entire reason she was there.
Kat: His bathroom. I just woke up. Next to him.
Kat could practically hear Annie squealing from miles away. Still, she didn’t want to give her the wrong idea.
Kat: We didn’t have sex. I fell asleep.
Annie: Seriously?
Annie’s response came with a wide-eyed emoji.
Kat: Can’t talk.
Kat typed quickly.
Kat: I need to get back.
She put her phone down and rushed through a morning routine in Andy’s bathroom. She used a squeeze of toothpaste on her finger to freshen her mouth and splashed some water on her face. It was only when she was about to leave to return to Andy’s side that she picked up her phone again and saw Annie’s text.
Annie: Maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe it’s not a good idea, Kat.
Not a good idea? It was the best idea. Besides, she was already feeling lighter, like she could successfully move on from the childhood crush that had held her back for far too long. That was the whole point of this, after all. She’d already managed to convince herself that she was fine never getting her happy ending with Andy, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t see this through.
The click of the bathroom door woke him up. Andy took a few minutes to blink the sleep from his eyes and come fullyawake. He stretched his arm across the bed. The sheets were still warm with the memory of Kat’s body.
Falling asleep next to her had been…too damn good. In fact, he’d fought sleep for hours so he could watch her and memorize the slight rise and fall of her chest, and the cute way her breathing got deeper until she woke herself up with a little start. Not quite a snore, but…damn, it was sexy.
Not as sexy as it would be to have her beneath him while he?—
His phone chimed on the bedside table where he’d left it plugged in the night before.
The second he looked at the screen, Andy regretted it.
Craig. Kat’s big brother. And his best friend.
Craig: Hey. Were you able to see Kat last night?
Did he ever?Shit.
Andy: Sure did. Cooked her dinner.
There was no point to add unnecessary details.
Craig: Thanks, man. I know it’s dumb, but I worry about her in the city alone. Glad she has you to look out for her while she’s there.
Andy couldn’t bring himself to respond. Instead, he put the phone down face-first on his nightstand as guilt flooded through him at what he’d done.
How had he talked himself into what had happened? He knew better.Dammit.He’dalwaysknown better.
But Kat had looked so damn good and so grown up and…they weren’t kids anymore, and…
It didn’t matter how he tried to justify it. He’d crossed a line with Kat, and he knew it. Hell, he’d known it when it was happening.
He couldn’t change what had happened. But hecouldprevent the situation from getting worse. There were certain things he’d never be able to come back from.
