I raised my eyebrows to ask silently for more.

“And that you were one of the most beautiful women she’d ever met,” Shane continued.

Alice cut in, “She’s right, by the way. You are stunning. Gorgeous.”

I blushed again.

“And may I say,” Shane added, “That blushing thing of yours is utterly charming. Captivating, even. I just can’t look away from you when you blush. What am I saying? I can’t look away from you. Period.”

Aerin had leaned over the black railing that separated the outdoor seating area of the café from the sidewalk, in the meantime, and exclaimed now, after hearing what Shane said, “What?!”

She removed her sunglasses and looked at Shane with a frown. “Are you hitting on my …”

I cut in, “Girl? Your girl, Aerin?” and smiled sweetly. “That me?”

She pushed back from the railing and opened her mouth to say something when I interrupted her again, waggling my eyebrows, “How would they know that if you haven’t kissed me, yet, even if we’ve been sitting together now in this café for nearly an hour and a half …”

“She hasn’t kissed you?!” Alice asked with an incredulous tone. “Now that is impossible. I mean, I know we were in and out for a bit about twenty minutes ago, but, not even then, when we couldn’t tease you? ”

“Not. Possible,” Shane agreed, sounding grateful for getting out of the hole she’d tripped into. And then proceeded to fall into another one, “I’d definitely have kissed you by now, even with some teasing from these girls. At the very least within ten minutes of seeing you, a quick smack, even, or um….” her voice petered out.

“Losing your touch, Aerin?” Alice asked, teasingly, to distract Aerin’s annoyed glances at Shane. “I mean, all those other chicks were into the whole PDA thing, right?”

“I’m walking over there and will fix this right now,” Aerin answered exasperatedly, blowing a breath out.

I giggled.

Helen shook her head, and asked with a smile, “Learning what buttons to push, already, huh?”

I shrugged. “Long story.”

“About what?” Alice asked.

“The kissing,” I answered, and looked up at Aerin, who was fast approaching from the inside of the cafe.

She barely broke stride until she got to me, and then bent over to gently pull my chin up. I could not break my glance away from those amazing breasts teasing me not two inches from my lips. I barely heard her ask me softly, “Do you want a kiss, Harley?”