Page 66 of Thunderstruck
“I can wait.”
“Me too.”
“Friends?” I hold out my hand to her, desperately hoping she’ll take it.
She does, tucking her fingers into mine. “Friends.” Her eyes, so warm and electric, lock onto mine and pull me in, and I’m only inches away when we both tug our hands free and retreat to opposite ends of the kitchen. “We should probably avoid touching entirely.”
“Good idea,” I agree.
“And only spend time together while at work.”
“I like that even less than the no touching rule,” I grumble but agree to that one as well. “If anyone asks, we’re friends.”
She giggles. “Wearefriends.”
“Andonlyfriends,” I confirm. “No matter how much I wish otherwise.”
Her playful scowl weakens my resolve to an alarming degree, but I have to stand strong on this. We both do.
I cough, folding my arms again and dropping them once more when Carissa’s eyes trace my arms. “Should we get cooking?” I ask, finally tying the ties of my apron. It’s a good thing Carissa didn’t try tying them for me, or we never would have gotten to the rules. “If we’re late to the get-together at Derek’s, they’ll wonder why, and it’s better if we avoid any questions.”
She nods firmly and puts her hands on her hips, sporting her cardinal and gold apron with pride. “Tell me what to do, Chef. I’m all yours.”
A rush of desire runs through me, and I shake my head. This is going to be the worst friendship of my life.
Chapter Nineteen
Cole
“I was wondering ifyou were going to show up.” Liam greets me with a smug smile that shifts as soon as Carissa steps onto the patio behind me. “Oo, and you brought our new friend!”
“Carissa!” The whole group says her name with the familiarity of old acquaintances, and I am quickly forgotten.
I can’t help but roll my eyes as I sit next to Hank, Bonnie’s boyfriend. I offer my hand to him. “Welcome home. How was the move?”
He chuckles as Bonnie returns to his other side after greeting Carissa with a hug. “Easier than you’d think. I didn’t have much more than books.”
“And he only brought half of those with him,” Bonnie adds, taking his hand. Her broad smile speaks volumes as she andHank lock eyes. They’ve only known each other for a couple of months, but I’ve never seen Bonnie happier. I’m glad they found each other.
I make the mistake of looking over at Carissa, and heat courses through me when she returns my look with one of her own and darts her eyes toward the happy couple. I clench my jaw and force my eyes to Kasey and Liam, who are sharing the chair next to Carissa. “Any news on the movie?” I ask Kasey.
I’m usually better at keeping up with my friends, but the last couple of weeks have been rough.
“Movie?” Carissa asks, twisting in her chair to face Kasey.
Blushing, Kasey leans into Liam’s embrace. I don’t know why they always share a chair when there are plenty of seats, but she’s almost always in his lap. The two of them need to get married already, but Liam keeps dragging his feet. “A screenplay I wrote recently got acquired by a film studio,” she tells Carissa with a shrug. “It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a huge deal,” Liam argues. “And the story’s about me, so you know it’s going to be good.”
Carissa laughs so freely that I can’t look away. I’m glad she’s comfortable with my friends, even if the last time she was here I warned her not to get attached. I was an idiot when I told her to keep her distance. She fits in so well with my friends, and I watch in fascination as she starts asking Kasey questions about the movie and giggling whenever Liam throws in one of his stupid jokes.
“Ahem.”
I turn to find Derek settling in the seat next to mine, one eyebrow lifted so slightly that I almost don’t notice it. “Hey,” I say.
The eyebrow rises higher. “You never called me back.”
Ah, right. I forgot how our conversation ended before I turned off the lights in the training room. “I was…busy.” I wince at the clear guilt in my tone.
