Page 106 of Ace My Heart

The breath hissed through Brad’s teeth. I gulped. He wasn’t going to let me off easily, that much was for sure.

“I don’t wish you hadn’t kissed me back,” he muttered darkly.

“Well, I’m sorry anyway. You’re one of my best friends, Brad, and you’ll always have a place in my heart. But … I don’t think I’m ready for what you want.”

There was a silence on the other end of the phone. I felt the hope just oozing out of me. Then he spoke, and his voice wasn’t cold or angry anymore.

“Do you think you’ll ever be ready for that?” he asked tentatively. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“I don’t think … this isn’t a conversation for over the phone, in different time zones.”

Brad sighed. “You’re probably right. Dinner when you get back?”

I sighed in relief, and I’m sure he could hear it in my voice when I replied, “Dinner would be great, Brad. But before I go I need to know … we’re still friends, right?”

Another silence. Then, “Of course we are, Smellie. Friends always and forever. No matter what.”

“I’m so lucky to have you, Brad,” I whispered. “See you soon.”

“Good luck, Mel,” he murmured and hung up.

I lay back on the bed and breathed out all the air in my lungs – it felt like the first time in over a week that I’d been able to do that.

There was a knock on the door, but before I said anything, Joel waltzed in. I looked up at him from the bed, a little crossly, but I couldn’t be truly annoyed now that I’d cleared the air with Brad.

“You were listening,” I accused, but it came out teasing, not really angry.

Joel grinned unapologetically. “Of course I was, Stink. I have to make sure that my star pupil is in winning form.” He winked at me.

I sneered cheekily at him. “Uh, I’m youronlypupil, and I don’t think that’s the right word really.”

He chuckled and shrugged. “Well, what are you then?” he asked me, lying down on his stomach on the bed beside me and propping his head up in his hands.

“Um, well I guess you’d call me … I don’t know, Joel – you’re the educated one, you tell me what I am!”

His eyes danced merrily. “I can think of a lot of words that describe you, Stinky. I’m just not sure you’ll want to hear them.”

I rolled onto my side and propped myself up on one elbow. “Tryme,” I offered. Joel watched me carefully. I raised one eyebrow at him and waited. He smirked back.

“Okay. Let’s see. You’re naive, feisty, sometimes very silly … entertaining, impulsive … this could take a while, you know, there are tonnes of adjectives out there.”

I tapped my fingers on the bedspread and grinned antagonistically at him. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

Joel looked away – not his usual style – and traced the pattern on the bedspread with a fingertip. Then he turned back to me and his eyes were blazing.

“Well, you’re very fit … and I don’t just mean that in the athletic way …” I felt my breath hitch up a notch. Joel grinned at me – he knew he was getting a reaction now.

“In fact, I’d go as far as to say that you’re beautiful … especially when you’re naked.” He winked at me and I felt the blush spread on my face.

He jumped off the bed. “And you’re about to be very excited.”

I went from breathing too fast to not being able to breathe at all. What kind of excited did he mean?

“Get up and get dressed – we’ve got plans tonight.”

I looked at him curiously as I clambered off the bed and opened my suitcase, pulling out a pair of jeans. I was getting used to Joel springing ‘surprises’ on me like this.

“Do I need to dress them up or down?”

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