Page 7 of Curvy Perfection

Ward didn’t know if he would be able to contain it. “Kirsty and I kissed Saturday night.” He took several steps toward his friend. “And no one is to find out about that. You’re the only one I’ve told.”

Christopher opened his mouth, closed it, and then he smiled. “And, how was it?” he asked.

“How was what?”

“Kissing her?”

“I’m not going to talk about it.” The kiss had been so unexpected, he hadn’t known what to say to her, so he’d left. Not his finest moment, he’d admit, but even still, it could have been worse. “Tell me about this bet. I want to know everything. Every single detail.”

“I don’t know all the details. All I know is that you and Kirsty are considered the ideal couple.”

Ward frowned. “Do you have any idea how messed up that sounds? We have nothing nice to say about each other, not a single thing, and you think that’s good?” he asked.

Christopher sighed. “Okay, first of all, you didn’t allow anything bad to be said about her. None of the guys were allowed to be mean to her, not to mention the fact that they also weren’t allowed to date her. Do you remember any of this?”

“Yeah, of course I remember telling the guys they weren’t allowed to date her. In my defense, it wasn’t like any of them were good for her. They were screwing half the cheerleaders, and you know, other girls. They even had a little tally going on, you know, so I will not be … I don’t know what I was going to say, but I was being protective of Kirsty. That was all.”

“And no other girl earned that protection?”

“I stood up for Bethany.”

“Randall stood up for Bethany, you joined him, but you’re the one who put the no-touchy on Kirsty. Everyone, but you and Kirsty, knows that you and she are going to end up together. It is inevitable.”

He wanted to argue with him, but there were just no words.

****

Kirsty loved barbecue chicken cutlets. They were one of her favorite things to eat. Add a buttered toasted roll and a side salad, and she was set. It was why she always purchased more chicken cutlets, because she loved to marinate them in many different seasonings.

She didn’t know why she was thinking about chicken cutlets.

It was nearly Friday. Thursday was a rare day where she didn’t open the bar. She lived above her bar, which is where she grew up. This place was her family’s home, and now it was her home.

With the chicken cooked, she placed it on the prepared bun, then added a few slices of cheese and put it under the broiler. Her mouth was watering, and she couldn’t help but think about Ward.

This was insane. He was the last person she should be thinking about. That kiss meant absolutely nothing. It wasn’t like she’d been thinking about it Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and of course Wednesday. Nah, it was just a kiss. She’d enjoyed plenty of kisses through her time.

Removing her plate from under the broiler, she couldn’t help but pause. Yes, she’d enjoyed plenty of kisses, but that was all she had done.

She would be completely mortified if Ward was to find out that she was a virgin at thirty years old. Who remained a virgin at this age?

For some reason, sex hadn’t entered the equation for her. It had been the last thing on her mind. In fact, it hadn’t been on her mind at all. Between studying hard through high school, then college, her sick parents, taking over and running the bar. There had been no time in her life for dating or romance.

She didn’t trust easily either. That probably didn’t help at all.

Crap, she was screwed. Well and truly screwed.

She ran fingers through her hair and blew out a breath.

Everything was going to be fine.

Then, she couldn’t help but think about Ward’s lips on hers. The hard feel against her lips.

There were people who had bets on them. She didn’t even know if it was limited to their peers, or if there were people older and younger. That had to be embarrassing. Surely there were no younger people placing bets.

A sudden knock on her door stopped her from taking a bite of her sandwich. She wanted to ignore it, but if it was important, she’d feel bad. Putting her sandwich down, she made her way toward the separate front door. There was an entrance and exit for the main bar, but for her home, she also had a different front door. For her apartment, the exit was her main front door.

She checked to see who it was, and sure enough, Ward stood on her front step. “Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me,” Ward said.