We’re lying in her bed, side by side, having our own form of pillow talk. It’s been endless conversation since we woke up, our limbs tangled together like lost ropes and the heat of the other’s body a comfort. I fell asleep with Cassidy in my arms and woke up the same way—fucking heaven. As she slept, I stared down at her, not muttering a sound, and admired the woman who’d been stealing my heart little by little, day by day.

If someone had told me before the party that this was where I’d end up this morning, I would’ve told them to shut the fuck up. No way did I think I’d finish the night with my tongue between Cassidy’s legs, tasting her sweet pussy, and then wrapping her in my arms.

What led us here?

Hours upon hours of conversation.

Random phone calls and movie nights.

A bond stronger than a diamond, shaped from friendship to intimacy.

Sense of humors blended together like an expensive painting.

Never has a woman understood, gotten me, or matched my personality better.

I inhale a series of deep breaths as Cassidy curls up closer, her chest nearly pressing into mine, and I drape my arm over her waist.

She sighs, resting her chin on my forearm to stare at me. “Remember when I asked what your favorite breakfast was all the time?”

I chuckle at the memory. “Oh, I remember.”

I always laughed and blew off the question, claiming she was crazy. Her interest wasn’t only on breakfast either. Over the course of us knowing each other, we revealed our front-runners of everything—breakfast, lunch, TV shows, movies, sexual positions.

If Cassidy was curious about something, she asked.

The same went for me.

She smirks before dropping a kiss to my arm. “I have maple, strawberry, apple butter, and raspberry.”

I raise a brow in question.

“Pancakes are your favorite breakfast, but you never revealed your favorite syrup, so I bought a variety pack for when this morning came.”

My gaze lingers on her, as I’m mesmerized that she took the time to do such a thing. “All this time, I assumed you were fucking with me.”

“In the beginning, it was more of a flirt-buddy situation. I had recently been screwed over, so I wasn’t looking for a relationship. Guys were the last thing I was worried about … what I planned not to be worried about until you bulldozed your way into my life.”

“Until I did? Babe, we know you came barreling into Twisted Fox, ready to set my world on fire.” I squeeze her waist. “And who screwed you over?”

My mind wanders back to the day she asked if I’d ever loved someone I shouldn’t. A gloominess shadowed her that week, an anguish when she walked into work, and whenever I asked if everything was okay, she blew me off.