Page 58 of The Exception

Trav didn’t know how to respond to that other than to think that Sonya’s group of friends was pretty awesome. They’d welcomed him into their little group simply because she’d asked them to and all they asked in return was for him to be good to her as a friend—and anything else that might come along. He didn’t want to think too much on that “anything else” part, but every minute he’d spent with her since that kiss had him wondering if telling her he wanted to stay friends was the right decision.

He gave them a single nod. “Got it. I’m protective of her too,” Trav admitted.

Dylan grinned and slapped him on the back. “Good. Let’s eat.”

* * *

The girls were quiet, taking in the details Sonya shared about how close she and Trav had become. She’d stopped before the kiss, knowing she’d have to tell them about it eventually, but wanting to keep that stolen moment to herself for just a little bit longer.

Dani broke the silence. “And after all that, you’re still not sleeping with him?”

Sonya groaned and dumped some sugar into her fruit mixture. “For the last time, I’m not sleeping with him.”

Dani squinted. “So why is he so glad that you two canstayfriends? What happened to make him think you couldn’t?”

Of course Dani had heard Trav say that while he was putting his bag in the car and of course she’d saved it for the perfect moment. It was weird being at the center of one of these friend-terventions. She was used to being on the outside, pushing for information and giving advice, but being on the inside was completely different.

Trying to stall, Sonya argued, “I thought Cat was the lawyer of the group.”

Cat shook her head. “No, I approve of this line of questioning. You may answer.”

Sonya took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I may have accidentally kissed him the night of the benefit.”

A victorious smile spread across Dani’s face. “I knew it!”

Cat frowned and swiped one of the strawberries from the bowl. “How did youaccidentallykiss him? Did you just trip and fall into his lips?”

“Besides, you neveraccidentallydo anything,” Emma added.

“Fine! I’d thought about kissing him but I hadn’t actually planned on doing it so therefore, it was an accident.”

“Is he glad you can stay friends because he’s not interested in you? Because if that’s the case, el es estúpido and not worth your time.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Cat? Did you not catch the fuck me stares they were giving each other earlier?”

“Were there no sparks?” Emma asked.

Sonya really would never hear the end of it if they knew that kiss had sparked a whole Fourth of July fireworks display that still had her tingling over a week later.

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. We talked about it and we both think that preserving our working relationship and our friendship is too important to jeopardize.”

Emma’s arms folded over her chest, and from the look on her face, she was about to go into full-on therapist mode. “Did you invite him on this trip after kissing him?”

Sonya frowned. “What difference does that make?”

“That’s a yes,” Cat muttered.

Emma frowned. “Did you invite him just to prove to yourself that you could be just friends with him?”

Hearing it said out loud made Sonya cringe. That wasn’t theonlyreason she’d invited him but that didn’t stop Emma from looking at her like she didn’t recognize her.

“I invited him because he’s a good guy looking to expand his circle and I knew he’d fit right in with Adam, and Josh, and Dylan.”

“That may be true but I know you, Sonya. You like him and that scares you because liking him doesn’t fit into your plan. Not to mention whenever something scares you, you turn it into a challenge to be overcome,” Emma argued.

Defiant, she shook her head. “That’s not what I’m doing and please don’t psychoanalyze me, Em.”

“Deny it all you want but it’s exactly what you’re doing, and you know it.”

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