Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable #6) - Heather Long Page 0,9
least one of them has to have a kink. I mean, having four partners is a kink all its own.” Rachel tapped her lower lip. “Even if they’re not, sooner or later, multiples are gonna happen at some point. So in that case, sex toys might help ease you into it.”
Yep and on that note, I rolled forward to bury my face against the pillow. How did she do this to me? I was talking to her about her, and now we were talking about my sex life.
“Frankie Curtis, you bad girl! You’ve already double dipped, haven’t you?”
I peered at her. “You want to know that, you gotta give me a truth for a truth.”
She snorted. “I should never have sent you those books.”
“But you did, and I read them, and I loved them. So, truth for truth.”
“Fine, what do you want to know?” Her expression locked down some and her eyes tightened, as if anticipating how bad this whole conversation was going to go. I didn’t want her to dread it. I mean, I got protecting myself.
“If you don’t trust me enough to talk to me about whatever it is, I won’t keep pressing.” I could offer that much. “Right now. But you were right when you said I needed a friend and you decided you were going to be my friend. That meant a lot to me. More than I realized then. But I’m right when I say friendship is a two-way street, and I’m going to be your friend, too. That means all the nitty gritty and irritating stuff, like talking about our feelings and listening to each other bitch about everything—boys, girls, parents, college, school—and whether Avery should choose Aodhan or Atticus. I mean it. Everything.”
Rachel snorted. “In what world does she choose Aodhan over Atticus? Please.” It was an out I was offering her and she toyed with it, but the reticence in her expression softened some. “And you’re right, a truth for a truth. You are my friend. Even if you don’t think you are. You give me something to fight for. You accept me for exactly who I am and don’t expect me to change.”
“You might be the whole damn cactus, Rachel Manning. But you’re my cactus, and I’m keeping you.”
She grinned and turned her head away as she shifted as though needing to get in a more comfortable position. I didn’t miss how she wiped at her eyes, however. Clearing her throat, she faced me once more and then said, “After the Halloween party and everything went down, Skylar wouldn’t let go of asking me about you. And she decided I was spending too much time with you, and that’s why we broke up.” A lift of her shoulders tried to make light of something that wasn’t. “I’m not going to apologize that you’re my favorite, just like I’m not going to turn my back on you because my girlfriend decides that you’re competition.”
I winced. “Rach…”
“Nope,” she said. “I liked Skylar. A lot. We were good, but if she can’t accept my friendships, then we’re not that good. Even those four idiot boys of yours are okay with it. Or at least working on being okay with it. I get it. I see it. I might almost like them, but I’ll deny it to my grave if you tell them.”
“Your secret is safe with me, and for what it’s worth…I’m sorry. Would it help if I talked to her?”
“Oh fuck no,” Rachel said. “The thing is…once we broke up, I really didn’t miss her all that much. It’s just like before, I miss the sex but…” She motioned to her drawer. “I’m not going to die when I can get myself off.” A sigh escaped her. “Just sometimes it would be nice…to be able to trust it, you know?”
“I do and I don’t,” I told her, but I reached over to squeeze her hand. “I’m the worst at dating advice. Even if I’m getting a crash course in it from the guys right now. I mean, apparently, they were trying to date me and I didn’t notice. Probably not the best one to be able to say I get it all the way. But…I really love that they are there for me, and I know they’ll be there tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.”
I could trust it.
I did trust it.
If everything the last few months had thrown at me proved anything, it proved that.