“I really liked Vinny. He’s funny and a nice guy. Makes sense why you’ve all kept him around since middle school. He told me some stories about you.”
My eyes narrow. “Like what?”
“How you were captain of the debate team. How every guy in school was terrified of you.”
I laugh, nudging his chest with my foot. “Noteveryguy.”
“I can easily imagine you with teenage confidence and a microphone.”
I roll my eyes but can’t hide my smile. “Okay, fine, I was a little scary.”
“Juliet is aggressive, but I liked her. She asked a million questions, but I guess she’s just trying to protect you.”
“She’s not always the smoothest, but it comes from a good place.”
“I’ve dealt with worse. But Emma?” His smile softens. “How could you not love Emma? She’s the sweetest. Honestly, she might be my favorite.”
“Yeah. She’s pure sunshine.”
Then he leans forward, expression turning serious. “But you were right about her secret crush. Every time Vinny spoke, Emma looked at him all doe-eyed. And it’s not one-sided. I swear I caught Vinny watching her when she wasn’t paying attention, especially when Doug was fussing over her. There’s something there.”
“Right? How does this not end in disaster?”
He blows out a breath. “I don’t know. But I’ll see this through until the end.”
“And Blair?”
“She’s intense. A little scary, like I think she could beat me up, but I liked her a lot.”
That makes me laugh so hard my head tips back. “I love hearing your perspective. Really. It makes me so happy you met them.”
He shifts, his hands still moving lazily over my feet. My chest feels warm and full in a way I can’t quite describe. Each day Hess is in my life, it feels like he’s weaving himself deeper into me—so deep I’m not sure how to untangle the mess we’ve made.
“You don’t have to keep rubbing my feet, you know,” I say, suddenly aware of how long he’s been doing it.
He smirks. “It’s part of my arsenal.”
“You’re arsenal?”
“Yeah, break you down physically until you can’t resist me.” He lets go of my feet and gently crawls up the couch to where I lie.
“I can never resist you,” I whisper, but my lips are already tilting toward his.
The kiss starts soft, teasing, like we’re playing with each other. But it doesn’t take long before it deepens. His hands settle at my waist while mine slide up to his shoulders.
He murmurs against my mouth, “What did your friends think about me?”
The kisses trail down my jaw, to my ear, up to my forehead as I answer. “They were disappointed you weren’t wearing your cowboy hat.”
His head pulls back so I can see his smile. “Are all of you obsessed with cowboys?”
Grinning, I shake my head. “No, just me.” I lift my mouth to his, feeling his rough stubble against my lips.
“So you admit to it.” His words come between soft kisses on my neck and jaw.
“Fine,” I laugh, tilting my head upward, giving his lips easier access to my skin. “I’ll admit it. I have a thing for cowboys. Always have. Always will.”
“I already knew that.”
