“I was only kidding about the stalking thing, Tucker,” I hear from beside me.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t,” I tease back.

Maura chuckles and rests her arms on the table. My eyes automatically fall to her mouth. All I’ve been thinking about since I woke up this morning is kissing her again. And again and again and again. Because last night was not enough. Not even close.

The way she felt in my arms was so good. Exceptional. Marvelous. Magnificent. Insert adjective here, and that’s exactly what it was. But then my head cleared during our alcohol-induced make-out session long enough that I insisted we stop taking off each other’s clothes until we were both sober. Chivalrous and stupid, that’s me.

All I’ve wanted since I woke up was to kiss her more, and I was supposed to do so this morning. But that never happened because she ran out crying. And then we had our talk, and that was that. It wasn’t long after we finished our coffee that I took Maura home, where she basically bolted for the door while the car was still running, leaving me sad and confused.

“What’s up, boys? You just hanging around or what?” she asks, snapping me out of my haze.

Hudson and I decided to go out for beers and wings tonight rather than during the week, since I’ve got my meeting and he’s got softball practice all week with Joey.

“Rae and Joe are having a girls’ night so we thought we’d sneak out tonight while we can,” Hudson answers. He scans the bar with shifty eyes. “She’s not here, huh?”

He’s referring to Clarissa, the super slutty waitress who creeps us all out. She was rather pushy with Hudson in the past, so he always tries to avoid being anywhere near her.

“You’re safe. She’s off tonight.”

“Yeah, off sucking dick probably.”

“HUDSON!” I shout.

“Fuck. Was that out loud?” he groans, dropping his head into his hands briefly before whipping it up and glaring at Maura. “It’s all your friend’s fault!”

“My friend? You live with her!”

“I only asked so she’d stop being so mad about the brownies,” he lies. Because let’s face it—he’s so fucking in love with Rae it’s sickening.

Maura laughs and moves on. “Sure. What will you guys have? Beer, cheese fries, and wings?”

“Yeah,” we say at the same time.

She taps the table twice and backs away.

As she walks away, Hudson drops his easygoing grin and stares at me. Hard. Like he’s searching for something.

I shift around nervously under his scrutiny. “Fuckin’ what, dude?”

“Trying to figure out what the hell happened to your face.”

Oh, yeah. My black eye. I almost forgot about it again.

“Tanner,” I mumble.

“Details. I mean Rae said you got hit, but I want the details. And then I want you to let me know when it is I get to punch Tanner back.”

I laugh because I know Hudson has been dying to punch Tanner for years, since they hate one another. Tanner hates that Hudson and I are more like brothers than he and I ever will be. And Hudson hates Tanner because, well, Tanner’s a fucking asswipe ninety-nine percent of the time.

“I love that nothing is private in this group,” I mock.

“Right? Keeps shit interesting,” he says, like I meant what I said.

“Anyway, I took Maura to her shitty parents’ shitty dinner last night. Tanner decided to show up, and then he punched me.”

“Because he knows you love his girl.”

If it were anyone else sitting across from me, I’d probably puff my chest and deny my feelings because men don’t talk about their feelings or something like that. I’d play it off and move on. But it’s Hudson, and he’s the last person I’d ever do that shit with.

“Basically.”

“And you didn’t hit him back because…” Hudson trails off.

“Because I was knocked flat on my ass? Dude has been hitting the weights or something,” I say, running my fingers lightly over my swollen face.

It takes Hudson a moment to respond to my smart-ass comment, and when he does, it’s not what I’m expecting to hear.

“You know it’s okay, right? You loving her is okay. It’s also okay that she loves you.”

My eyebrows crease and my lips screw up in confusion. “But how? How is any of that okay?”

Hudson shrugs. “Because love is shit, Tuck. It’s absolute shit. When love hits, it doesn’t fucking care where you are in life. It doesn’t give a shit if you’re in a relationship with someone else or not. Love just knows it needs to be felt, acknowledged. Love just want to be. And that’s okay. You need to let it. No matter what.”

I stare blankly at him, still not getting it.

He huffs. “Remember when I met Rae? I was trying to move into my own place and juggle Joey and the shop and everything else. I wasn’t ready for a relationship. But I got one. Love made me its bitch, and I’m so fucking thankful for it. I needed it. I needed her. Looking back on it, I think she came at the best time. And remember how much she didn’t want children? The other night Joey asked about maybe having a baby in the house someday, and Rae didn’t freak out. She didn’t fucking freak out.”

He pauses, smiling like the sun just rose for the first time in days.

“Love is a goddamn miracle worker,” he continues. “And your worst nightmare. But in the end, it’s inevitable, because the instant that little Cupid fucker finds you, you’re done for. It’s not going to be faultless, but it will be yours. So take it for what it is.”

I nod, understanding him a bit more now. Love doesn’t care. It only wants to happen, and what’s happening with Maura and me can end up being good for both of us. I can’t help the way I feel any more than she can. We need to roll with it and move forward. Everything will fall into place if it’s meant to be.

“Thanks, man. I have a feeling I may need a few more of these pep talks.”

“Oh my God. I get into one relationship and suddenly I’m that guy,” he jokes.

I toss a sugar packet at him. “Shut up, asshat.”

A runner comes by and drops our beers off real quick. I don’t have time to think about where the hell Maura is before Hudson is back to badgering me.

“Now tell me about Wednesday.”

“For the love of—how fast do these two girls relay info to one another?”

“Fast, man. I’m positive I caught Rae texting Maura when we had make-up sex one time. During it.”

My mouth drops open in shock. “Seriously?”

Hudson busts out laughing. “No, you numbnuts. But really, it’s like within hours of the info coming out.”

I whistle low. “Damn.”

“Yep,” he says. “So. Wednesday.”

With a slight cringe, I tell him, “Got an introduction meeting. I’m nervous, but I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

“You gonna get your lips off my ass and leave this time?”

I blanch because…what? How does he know?

Hudson gives a small chuckle. “What? You think I don’t know you stuck around to help me clean up my shit life? I know. And I love and hate you all at the same time for it. But now it’s time for you to move on. Or else, fucker.”

I can’t help but laugh at the “or else” part. I meet his stare and say, “I see you.”

“I see you, too.”

* * *

“You sure you don’t mind if I take off?” Hudson asks.

Rae called to tell him Joey was out for the night, and well, when your eight-year-old kid is asleep for the night, you fuckin’ take advantage of it.

“Nah. Have fun,” I say, wiggling my eyebrows at him.

He narrows his eyes. “Want that other eye to match?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“It’s cute that you think that, Tuck,” he says, clapping me on the back as he throws down cash and heads toward the door.

I shake my head as my best friend goes off to get him a little action.

After about another ten minutes of sitting around and not seeing Maura, I figure it’s time to head out before I start looking desperate. Or more desperate. Whatever.

As I’m about to push open the final door, a small voice speaks up from beside me.

“Did you think you could sneak off without saying goodbye?”

“I was hoping not to.” I grin and then press my luck for the night. “Think I could maybe snag a goodbye kiss?”

She takes a moment before answering. “Only because we’re kissing friends.”

That’s all it takes. I spin toward Maura and grasp her small face between my hands, tilting it up toward mine. A soft moan leaves her lips as I crash mine to hers. They’re so soft, like satin, and they taste like heaven. There’s no other way to describe how much I love kissing her. It’s euphoric and mesmerizing and addictive. Everything.

Kissing her is everything.

A touch to the lips is all it takes, and then our tongues are meeting in a slow, sensual duel. All we do is hold on to one another and kiss. No groping or pulling at one another’s clothes. Nothing. Simply kissing.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t want more, because I do. I don’t want to get too carried away, since we are technically still in her place of work, and she is still on the clock. I think.

“Wow,” she says breathlessly as I pull back from the kiss.

“You off already?”

She shrugs. “Do you want me to be off?”

“Yes?”

“I love that that’s a question, but yes, I am off.”

My heart leaps into my throat, and my mouth goes dry, because I’m suddenly nervous. Do I ask her to stay the night again? Is that moving too fast? Friends stay over at each other’s houses, right? Maybe as middle schoolers, you idiot. Maybe I should ask her to come hang out. Is that creepy? Too high school? Why am I thinking about this so much?

“I can tell you’re struggling. Yes, Tuck. I’d love to hang out with you.”

I expel a relieved breath. “Cool.”

Cool? Are you fucking thirteen again, jackass?

She gives me a teasing smile and says, “Cool.”

I step back and hold my hand out to her. She takes it, and all those nerves I was feeling evaporate immediately because being with her does that.

Everything with Maura is invariably right.