Page 19 (2/2)

"You don’t even know hihed

"I just don’t," he said, now turning his gaze tothe power of the baby blues

"Oh, please, you’re just a stinky boy" I laughed, ruffling his hair Wrong move It sure was soft…

"I don’t stink You said yourself I was April fresh," he protested, lifting his ar

"Yes, Si the air around her on the pillow, and I knew if I rolled just a little I could slide right on into the nook He looked atwhat I was thinking?

Did he want to nook me?

Did I want to nook hi into the nook," I announced and went full snuggle: head nestled in, left ars I kept to myself--I wasn’t a total fool

"Well, hello there," he said, sounding surprised Then he curled hiain, wrapped in boy and voodoo

"What brought this on, friend?" he whispered into my hair, and I shivered

"Delayed reaction to Linda Blair I need some nook time Friends can nook, can’t they?"

"Sure, but are we friends who can nook?" he asked, tracing circles on er circles…

"I can handle it You?" I held , but…" he started, and then stopped

"What? What were you going to say?" I asked, leaning up to look at him One piece of hair uncurled froreat care, he pushed it back behindthat pink nightie? You’d be in a heap of trouble"

"Well, it’s a good thing we’re just friends then, right?" I forced myself to say

"Friends, yes"

He stared into my eyes

I breathed in, he breathed out We traded actual air

"Just nook rinned

"Come on back down here," he said and coaxedwhere I could hear his heart beat He folded the afghan over us, and I noticed again how soft it was It had served han, but I have to say it doesn’t really fit your apart on," I reen and very retro He was silent, and I thought maybe he had fallen asleep

"It was rip onto say after that

Siht in the entire place on

Clive and his hangnail stayed away

Chapter Eleven

I WOKE UP A FEW HOURS LATER, startled by the warer than the cat usually nestled against my side I rolled carefully onto my back and away from Simon so I could see hi with all hting back the evils of that awful movie

I rubbed my eyes and inspected h I was still in theood it felt to nook with Si with Sireement That was definitely a very, very slippery slope And though the i a slippery Simon that immediately came to mind were far from innocent, I pushed thehan tangled between his legs--and mine, for that ht of his sweet, tiet with me He didn’t know I’d talked to Jillian about his past, that I knew his parents were no longer alive The idea that he still clung to his ain my heart broke open

I was close with rown up, in a sreat parents, and I saw them as often as I could, which is to say holidays and an occasional weekend A typical twenty-so, I enjoyed my independence But my parents were there when I needed them, always there The idea that I would souided guidanceboth of theood friends and such a powerful advocate as Benja out for him But as close as friends and lovers could be, there was soave you roots--roots you soainst you

Siain Hethat I couldn’t quite pick out, but it sounded a little like "ers to slip into his hair, feeling the soft silk tousled on ood meatball

As I stroked his hair, my mind wandered to a place where led to an to return, and I nestled back down into the nook As I felt the comfort that only warm boy ar et too close I had to be careful

Clearly ere both divinely attracted to each other, and in another space and ti out across the land and around the clock But he had his harem, and I had my hiatus, not to mention that I did not have my O So friends ould remain

Friends who meatball Friends who nook Friends ere headed to Tahoe very soon

I pictured Si in a hot tub with Lake Tahoe spread out in all its glory behind hilorious rehtly when Sih it was barely above a whisper, I heard it He sighed my na I felt a persistent poking at my left shoulder I brushed it away, but it continued

"Clive, stop it, you asshole," Imy head under the covers I kneouldn’t stop until I fed him Ruled by his stoh--quiet and definitely not Clive

My eyes sprang open, and the night before came back to me in a rush: the horror, the pie, the nook I reached backiththe bed until I felt it stop against soh I was now more sure than ever it wasn’t Clive, I poked with her until I heard another chuckle

"Wallbanger?" I whispered, not wanting to flip over True to foronally across the entire bed, head on one side, feet practically on the other

"The one and only," a delicious voice whispered in my ear

My toes and Lower Caroline curled "Shit" I rolled onto e He was huddled in the one cornerhabits had not i at han I’d left hiround rules"

"This won’t be happening again This was in response to a terrible ," I stated fir breath was I cupped ave a quick sniff

"Roses?" he asked

"Obviously" I smirked

I looked at him, exquisitely ruhed I allowed e in a fantasy where I was then quickly flipped and ravaged to within an inch of ot control of ht?" he asked as I sat up and stretched

"I won’t," I threw back over et scared?"