Willow: If you were here, I could taste you. I bet you would like it. It’s like riding a bike. I could ride a bike for a long, long time.
I smile and turn to my side, pulling the covers over my shoulder.
Kane: I’m two seconds from driving over there. What would I find, Willow?
I read his message back a few times. What would he find? Well, uh … duh, me. Oh!
Willow: I’m in bed. Are you in bed? I want to see your bed.
Kane: You’re in my bed.
Willow: Uh, no, I’m not. I think I would know if I was in your bed.
Kane: Fuck, you’re adorable.
Willow: You’re really, really hot. Do you have your shoes on?
I wonder if he’s wearing panties too. Just panties. No. Kane wouldn’t wear panties. Boxers. No, boxer briefs. Wait. Maybe he doesn’t wear anything at all. That would explain why I felt him so well when he dropped me off. It was almost like I could picture exactly what he looked like just by feeling his erection against my body.
Willow: Do you wear panties?
The dots start. Stop. And start again. He doesn’t respond for a solid minute, making me wonder if he went to bed. It’s not late, but maybe he’s sleepy. I’m so sleepy.
Kane: No, baby, I don’t wear panties. LOL. Do you?
Willow: Right now that’s all I’m wearing.
Kane: Fuck.
Willow: That would be nice. I really want to taste you, but that would be nice too. I mean, I’m not sure I’m ready for THAT, but I really, really think it would be really nice.
Kane: Nice isn’t the word I would use. You might not be ready for that, but Willow, I really, really want to sink my cock inside you.
Willow: Oh, boy.
Kane: Go to sleep, sweetness. I’m going to take care of the ‘big, huge’ issue I have pressing against my stomach now. Tomorrow, after we’re done filming, you’re mine, and this ‘big, huge’ cock will be waiting.
Holy … wow. Well. Does he mean what I think he means? What do I say to that? Looking at my phone, I reread his message and figure I’ll just play it safe.
Willow: I think I’m already yours.
I drop the phone on the nightstand and roll over. I don’t hear a responding buzz from my phone, so I slip off to dreamland with a smile on my face and arousal burning through my veins. I spend the rest of the night in a restless sleep with dreams about bikes, shoes falling from the sky, and bizarrely enough, Kane in my panties.
WHY DID I DRINK SO much last night? To be fair, I’m not even sure we realized we had put away so much wine. We normally have Eddie there, so the bottle goes quicker—we drink less—but Kirby and I were clearly so lost in our chat that we didn’t even question why the bottles were piling up.
I finished my hair, blowing it dry and running my straightener through my long locks, before walking into the bedroom and dropping my towel to get dressed. My head is pounding, but hopefully, with something light in my stomach, that will pass. I’m not sure I could get through a long day on set with this hangover. I haven’t had one like this since college.
I pull on one of my favorite pairs of jeans; the dark denim always makes me feel like my legs are longer and slimmer than I know they are. I grab a white long sleeve shirt from the closet, and after settling it on my body and tucking it in, I grab my gray three-button vest and push my arms through. I had forgotten all about this outfit until Kirby had mentioned it when we were unpacking. I had brushed her off, initially thinking I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it, even as she assured me that it made me look phenomenal. Her words, not mine.
I admire the way the vest fits while looking in the floor-length mirror set in the corner; it gives my figure an hourglass shape, disguising what I normally see as too round of hips and more fuller than flat stomach. Instead, the two buttons give spotlight to the narrow sides of my torso and put my large chest as the accent. Matched with my jeans, the whole look makes me feel pretty. I don’t see what I normally see. I’m not sure if it’s because, through Kane, I’m now seeing myself in a different light, or because I can actually—finally—see a change in my body.
I never would have been caught dead wearing this a year ago, when my marriage was at the tail end of its destruction, but something about the way Kane looks at me makes me take a longer look at myself. Instead of seeing what I hate, I look for what he finds attractive.
And … dare I say … I think I like what I see.
My cheeks have a slight blush to them that I know just the thought of him induces. My normally dull eyes are bright and shining. Bottom line, I look happy and carefree.
I twist around, grab my knee-high boots, and sit on the long bench at the end of the bed to pull them on. One last look in the mirror leaves me satisfied with my look and I’m walking down the long hallway to the back staircase that will take me to the kitchen. I hear Kirby chatting with Rob, and Alli laughing at the cartoons playing softly in the background. I smile.
Today’s going to be a good day.
Even with a hangover from hell, I know it will be. I’m excited to see Kane today. I don’t know what it was about our chat last night, but when I woke up this morning—even through the hangover—I felt as if a calm had settled over my soul. Sounds ridiculous, corny even, but I’m at peace with my decision to go forward and not look back. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I’m ready and eager to see what every future second holds.
“Good morning,” I tell Kirby and Rob when I walk into the room.
Rob gives me a nod and looks back down at his iPad. I know he was able to get vacation from work to come here this week, but I’m sure he’s going insane not being able to keep up with the demands of his law firm.
He’s been expanding his firm for the last five years, and even in New York, a town saturated with the who’s who, he’s managed to make a name for himself in entertainment law. A part of me hopes he might have even more clients knocking on his door with Kirby’s new job.
I move around the island, but before I can get a few steps, Kirby grabs my face between her hands and smacks her lips on mine. Full-on contact, closed mouth, eyes open. Surprise holds me still and confusion captures me dumb.
As quickly as she grabs and attacks, she pulls back, standing in front of me with the oddest expression on her face.
“What the heck, Kirb?”
She cocks her head to the side, that curious expression getting even more inquisitive as one sharply sculpted brow rises before falling again. Her blue eyes, wide and vivid, dance with mirth deep within their depths. She stands there a beat studying my stunned face before quirking one shoulder and turning to walk back to her bagel.