When I had gotten home and found a note from Kat on my pillow, my heart had dropped. I am a calm and calculated person. I try to be logical and think of the possibilities. But I lost all control. What-ifs immediately took over my mind. What if she decided it was better for her to stay with Nic? What if she regretted what we’d done? What if I’d imagined her feelings?
My mom filled me in on their conversation, which made me feel better for a second. But I decided I would show Kat how I felt in person. Waiting on the sidelines to see if she would come back was not how I’d show her. I’ll show her by being here on her doorstep, ready to get on my knees to tell her how much she means to me.
Footsteps approach the door, and I hold my breath in anticipation. I hear the door creak right before it opens, and warm air embraces my body like a hug.
Her voice is shaky. “What are you doing here?”
My mind takes a backseat to my heart. “I—you—”
I take a deep breath, and she reaches out and takes my hand, pulling me inside.
“Hey, what happened? Is everything okay?” Kat asks me with such concern in her voice.
Nodding, I attempt to calm my racing heart and set Muffin down, who immediately makes herself at home on the couch. But use. My heart is an absolute wreck.
“I got home, and I found your note and your painting. Your absolutely beautiful painting will hang in my office at home forever. And all I wanted was to find you and kiss you senseless. But you’d left.”
Her eyes soften. “I know. I’m sorry. It couldn’t wait.”
“Where’s Nic?” I ask, holding on to every minute movement of her lips, waiting to hear the answer.
“He’s gone. Got on his plane to go back to his parents’ for Christmas,” she says as she pulls me to the living room couch and pushes me lightly onto a cushion.
“By gone, you mean …” I ask as she steps between my parted legs.
“I mean, I rushed back here because he had the divorce papers ready. He’d called me when he got home, and I was gone. That’s not important right this second. I’d love to tell you all about it later.” She drops a knee down onto the cushion to the left of my legs. Her other knee drops to my right, and she lowers herself down to straddle my lap.
“Wh-what are you doing?” I stutter with nerves.
She cages me in as her arms lean against the back of the couch on either side of my head. “You always make the move. You always have the upper hand. So, I thought it was my turn.”
“Kat, I don’t want to rush into anything you don’t want to do—”
“Don’t interrupt me, please.” She places a finger over my lips, pulling it away a second later.
My eyebrows furrow at her words.
“The first night I saw you, I couldn’t get you out of my head. You burrowed your way into my mind and refused to leave. You made me look at everything differently, in the best of ways, including myself. You showed me to love myself. And,dammit, I deserve to find someone to be happy with, to love. I know you asked me to be your fake girlfriend for your family. But it was the best thing to ever happen to me. Not a minute between us was ever fake to me, not one. I meant every glance, every touch, every kiss.”
Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth, I bite back the biggest grin.
She continues as I slide my hands onto the backs of her thighs and pull her closer to me, “Noelle, I don’t want fake with you. I don’t want a countdown clock to the end of us. I want more. I think you do too. Will you give us arealchance? No fake anything this time.”
Squeezing her thighs, I fight the burn behind my eyes. “Why do you think I invited you in the first place? It wouldn’t have been that hard to just say Katy got sick. But that night, you were in that tight red gown, looking up at the sky, and I wassoscrewed. Because I cannot think straight when I’m near you. I can’t breathe properly. You utterlywreckme. I’m yours, Kat. I have been since the first night I saw you.”
I chuckle as my eyes well up with happiness. Her lips crash down onto mine. Tasting her sweet kiss, I moan into her mouth and tighten my grip on her hips. Kat is the best gift I have ever received. And I plan on unwrapping this one slowly, exposing her piece by piece.
Reality annoyingly seems to seep into my mind. Pulling back from her, I ask her, “How are you even doing? Please don’t feel like we have to do anything tonight, love.”
She looks at me like she is starving and I am the most delicious meal. “Oh, I know. I won’t do anything I don’t want to. And if you’re worried about me because of Nic, don’t be. It has been a very long time since anything between us was romantic. We’ve never even done anything sexual in this house. So, please, stop talking and put your mouth to use elsewhere.”
My jaw drops at her forwardness. Where did my shy Kit Kat go? “Do you have in mind any specific place you want my mouth?”
She wets her bottom lip. “I have a few ideas. But I have something I want to do first.”
Raising my eyebrows at her, I reply, “Anything.”
“Follow me,” she commands and hops off of my lap.
