Page 74 of She Was Made for Me

“What…” Sadie leans in closer, her eyes narrowing. “Is that ahickeyon your neck?”

Oh, Christ.

I slap a hand to my hot skin, turning away from Sadie.DidKyle give me a hickey? I didn’t notice, but I do remember his mouth all over me last night. I stifle a giggle at how we’ve been acting like high schoolers since the crew left yesterday, unable to keep our hands off each other.

Sadie’s wild red curls bounce as she laughs, attempting to get another look at my neck. “It is! Oh my God, Vi, what the hell?”

“It’s… Um…” Ugh, she’s not fooled for a second. “Okay, yes,” I say, lowering my voice and glancing at the line of people around us. “It might be a hickey.”

Sadie’s grin is as wide as her eyes. “Please tell me your dad’s hot friend gave that to you?”

“Shhh!” I smack her on the arm. “Don’tcall him that. His name is Kyle.”

“But it was him?”

“It… might have been.” I’m trying for nonchalance but my mouth betrays me by hooking into a giddy grin.

She lets out a little squeal of delight. “I can’t believe this! Oh my God. Tell me everything.”

I give her a shortened version of what happened in the garden at the concert, the date with Owen, and everything that followed after that. Sadie is positively vibrating with excitement as we follow the line into the bookstore—a long space lined with bookshelves under a ceiling of solid oak beams.

“Wow. That is so hot.” Sadie shakes her head in disbelief. “What about your dad?”

“My folks are out of town for a couple weeks. The plan is to just… I don’t know, be together for that time, and then…” I trail off, gnawing on my lip as I contemplate what will happen, two weeks from now. Will we go back to working as we were before? I think of Kyle’s words from yesterday—I don’t want to go back. I don’t think I could—and wonder what his plan is for when my parents return to the city. And we’re both going back to our real lives in a month or so anyway, and…

I shake the thought from my head. I’m getting way too ahead of myself here. And more importantly, I’ve taken my eye off the goal: doing an awesome job with this project so I can secure a proper project management job afterward, and prove to my dad that his belief in me all these years hasn’t been for nothing. Unease billows through me as I consider how distracted I’ve been.

“And then?” Sadie prompts, but we’re at the front of the line now and she’s distracted by handing her books over to be signed, and gushing all over the author.

I step back with a smile, watching my friend chat with Tessa as she signs Sadie’s books. Sadie is one of those people who’s always upbeat, always sunny and positive. She knows who she is and what she loves, and never feels guilty for having fun. Sometimes I wish I was more like her.

I wander through the bookstore, perusing the tables laid out along the center. A small book about Brooklyn Heights catches my eye. It’s full of beautiful pictures of the neighborhood, with quotes from well-known writers who lived there, like Walt Whitman, Truman Capote, and Henry Miller. I flip to the inside cover, surprised to find it signed by the author, who is also local, and know instantly I have to get it for Kyle. A smile plays on my lips as I glance up to find Sadie turning away from Tessa. She’s glowing as she weaves her way across the store, arms laden with even more books.

“That was so cool,” she says when she reaches my side. “She was just as nice as I thought she’d be.”

“I’m glad. There’s nothing worse than meeting your hero and finding out they’re an asshole.”

Sadie gives a solemn nod. “Exactly. But she was awesome! They call her the Queen of Dirty Talk.”

Dirty talk.

You’re such a good girl, taking my cock like this… You want me to fuck you here? Make that pretty little pussy of yours come in the back garden?

Kyle’s dirty words from yesterday flash through my head and I huff out a breath, feeling heat curl through me at the memory. No man has ever talked so filthy to me and it’s the hottest fucking thing. Everything about him is hot, from the way he takes control in bed, to the way he holds me close and kisses me, feather-soft, afterward.

Sadie’s eyes are glittering with mirth when I finally glance back at her. “You’re thinking about Kyle again, aren’t you?”

I chuff a laugh. “Is it that obvious?”

“It is,” she says affectionately. “I saiddirty talk, and you were away with the fairies. Does Kyle talk dirty?”

I nod, my cheeks warm.

“Ugh, I’m so jealous. I bet he likes to be in charge, too. He’s a real stern brunch daddy.”

I laugh again at that term. “Tim isn’t like that?”

She lifts a shoulder, her gaze sliding away. “He’s sweet, but sometimes I wonder if he’s… I don’t know,enoughfor me.”

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