Page 48 of The Keeper

That freaking kiss. It was seared so deeply into my brain I could still taste him every time I closed my eyes.

Warmth curled in my stomach. I shifted positions, hoping to shake the memory of his mouth against mine, but it was stubbornly lodged at the forefront of my consciousness. I’d gone in for a chaste peck, and he’d turned it into…I didn’t have the right words to adequately describe it. Something deep and heated and intoxicating.

I’d never been kissed like that before. I was sure I’d never be kissed like that again.

“Same. I love Vincent, but I need more girl time,” Brooklyn said, drawing my attention back to my friends. Asher and Vincent were busy doing guy things in the game room, so it was just the three of us in the living room. “We should go on a girls’ trip soon. Maybe after the World Cup?”

“We could go to the World Cup,” Scarlett mused. “I’m planning to travel there anyway, and I’ve never been to South Africa. It’d be fun.”

“It would be, but there’s no way I can afford a World Cup trip,” I said, grateful for the opportunity to focus on something else besides Noah. “Plus, your wedding’s only two months after the tournament ends. Maybe we can do a trip later in the autumn instead?”

I was in a good place financially thanks to how much Noah was paying me, but I didn’t want to blow my extra cash too early, too fast. It made sense for Scarlett and Brooklyn to be at the World Cup given Asher and Vincent were playing for their respective national teams, but I didn’t have any skin in the game.

“Maybe. It’ll have to be after the reception,” Scarlett said. Her wedding ceremony was in September, but the reception wouldn’t be until late October.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she’d be married soon. I was thrilled for her. She’d been through a lot, and I was genuinely happy she’d found true love with Asher, who treated her like a queen. But her impending nuptials were a sign that we were growing up and entering a different stage in our lives. It was terrifying.

“I guess you’re right,” Brooklyn grumbled. “We should wait to go on vacation, especially since work is kicking my ass. I love my clients, but some of them are grade-A divas.”

After Brooklyn finished her internship with Blackcastle, she’d shifted to one-on-one work. She was now a private nutritionist whose small but growing client list included several up-and-coming sports phenoms.

“Speaking of work, how are things with Noah and Evie?” Brooklyn asked me. “Is it weird living with them? I feel like sharing a house with Noah is similar to attending boot camp.”

I hesitated. My friends didn’t know about Budapest or my feelings toward Noah outside of work. I hadn’t wanted to embarrass myself by reading too much into my interactions with him. But tonight’s kiss was definitely share-worthy news, and my NDA only prohibited me from disclosing details about Noah’s career, family, and anything I learned while working for him. Our personal relationship didn’t count.

“He’s not that bad, but it’s been a little weird,” I said. “I, um, kissed him tonight.”

Brooklyn erupted into a fit of coughing while Scarlett gaped at me. “What? How did that happen?”

“Wait!” Brooklyn wheezed. Literal tears filled her eyes. “I want to”—cough—“hear every”—cough—“word. Give me a sec.”

I rubbed her back while Scarlett fetched her a glass of water. Once she stopped choking on air, she gave me the go-ahead, and I filled them in on everything that’d happened, including Budapest, our contract’s no-falling-in-love clause, Noah’s accidental Instagram like, and my proposition at the Angry Boar. I finished with our kiss and Noah’s immediate departure.

My friends listened in silence, their expressions nearly comical in their sheer disbelief. I was afraid Brooklyn would start choking again when I mentioned how Noah fisted my hair, but she managed to keep herself under control.

After I finished, a full thirty seconds ticked by before they spoke.

“Did it work?” Scarlett asked. “Did you get him out of your system?”

“Forget about that. Was he a good kisser?” Brooklyn cut in. “Like, did you want him to continue the kiss, or were you like, ew, get away?”

“Yes?” I ventured.

“Yes, it worked, or yes, he’s a good kisser?” she pressed. “Or is it yes, you wanted him to go away?”

“Both? I mean, I didn’t want him to stop…” I trailed off, unsure of what I was trying to say.

My friends exchanged glances.

“You don’t sound convinced,” Scarlett said.

“Because I’m not.” I flopped back onto the ground and groaned. “It was a very good kiss. I think it was the best kiss I’d ever had.”

It was also the worst idea I’d ever had. I’d hoped my feelings toward Noah were nothing more than the allure of the forbidden. I wanted him because I couldn’t have him, blah blah blah. A kiss would break that tension and kill whatever ridiculous fantasy I had in my head. If I were lucky, he’d have been a terrible kisser, and I’d no longer be able to look at him without picturing a slobbery dog.

Except it’d backfired. Terribly.

“Snap out of it!” Brooklyn barked.