Forever in Cape May (The Sunshine Sisters #3) - Jennifer Probst Page 0,1
out specifically to celebrate your freedom, remember?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Oh yeah.”
“You’re hopeless.” But his words were softened with humor again, and she knew she was in the clear. “But I forgive you. Unless you think we should try once more in a few years? Maybe third time’s the charm.”
“Doubt it. Besides, it would be awful if we ever hooked up. If we had a fight, who would I call? It couldn’t be you.”
“Your sisters?”
“Ugh, I never tell them anything. I love them, but they chose lifestyles I despise. Bella’s having a baby, and she’s so young! And Avery is going for her PhD, which is boring as hell. No, thanks.”
“Okay, how about we make one of those marriage pacts? If we turn thirty and we still haven’t married, we marry each other.”
“I’m not getting married at thirty! Maybe thirty-five.”
“So we’ll make it thirty-five.”
She pulled lightly at the crisp hairs on his arm. “Nah, that’s so tropey, like that movie My Best Friend’s Wedding. Best friends always vow to marry when they get super old. We should do the opposite.”
“What do you mean?”
The idea hit her, and she nodded with satisfaction. “We vow to each other that no matter how old we are, or how tempting it is to have sex, we never hook up. We swear friends till the end—nothing more, nothing less.”
Pierce shifted his weight and shot her a funny look. “What if we change our minds? Hell, what if we want to have sex one day? Or decide to become fuck buddies?”
She glared. “We won’t—we’re better than that crap! We tested it twice already and know we’re safe from the spark thing. It will be a way to protect our relationship forever. What do you think?”
He cocked his head. His long dark hair had escaped from its tie and now fell loose against his cheeks. “Never thought about it like that.”
“Let’s do it. Make it official.” Taylor jumped up and grabbed a safety pin from her desk. “Stick out your hand so we can do a blood pact.”
“You’re freaking me out. We’re not the kids from IT. I don’t want a scar on my hand.”
She grabbed his hand impatiently. “I’m just going to prick your finger.”
He raised his thick dark eyebrows, which gave him an adorable Groucho Marx look. “Why are we doing this again?”
“Because you’re important to me, Pierce. You’re my best friend. My ride or die. I never want us to jump into bed on impulse and ruin the best relationship I’ve ever had. Okay? Are you with me?”
His features softened. “You’re such a dork,” he said with affection. “Be gentle.”
She made the strike short and quick, then repeated the move on herself. They lifted their index fingers in the air, pausing a few inches away.
Their gazes met and locked.
The air shimmered with a current of energy.
They said the words together, their voices melding in perfect harmony.
Then touched their fingers together.
A hot bolt of fire shot through her body, crackling into a shock like she’d just touched a wet electrical outlet. She gasped and jerked back, her finger throbbing.
He yanked his hand away, glaring at her. “Hey, I told you not to hurt me!”
“I didn’t.” She stared at him, cradling her wounded hand, but when she shook it out, there was just the tiniest dot of blood from the safety pin. The air in the room eased, and she breathed deep. Probably the alcohol. She was imagining things. “Sorry, I must have pressed harder than I thought. I’m still tipsy.”
His face relaxed, and he grasped her wrist loosely. “Come on, let’s sleep it off.”
They cuddled together on the bed, fully clothed, her head tucked in the crook of his shoulder. “Pierce?”
“Yeah?”
“Where are you going after graduation?”
His heart beat steadily against her ear. “I want to get into photography, so maybe I’ll take on an assistant position. Learn some stuff before I branch out and do my own work. What about you?”
“Anywhere but Cape May,” she murmured sleepily. “I want to travel. London, Paris, LA. I feel like the entire world is out there ready for me to explore and conquer. Do you feel that way?”
He was quiet for a while. “Not really. I like Cape May; it’s my home. I wouldn’t mind settling back there if I had a place and work that was all mine.”
“Not me. I’m never going back.”
She drifted off to sleep with big dreams swimming in her head, the future mapped out like an adventure with buried treasure at the