Free Here With You by Kate Perry

English."
    She frowned. "I don't love English."
    "Yeah, you do." He struck the flint and lit the burner. "You pretend like you don't
     care and aren't paying attention, but you do. I can tell by the look of disgust on
     your face when you disagree with something Michael says."
    "I don't have a look of disgust," she protested.
    "It’s like this." He lowered his head and scrunched his face.
    A rusty laugh escaped her lips before she could bite it back. "It's not."
    "I'll hold up a mirror next time I see it." He grinned at her. "Who do you have dinner
     with usually?"
    It took her a moment to follow the shift in the conversation. She shrugged. It seemed
     pathetic to say that she usually ate a bowl of cereal standing up at the counter.
    "Then maybe you can come over for dinner first before we work on my essay," he said,
     lining up the test tubes. "I make a mean frozen pizza."
    "Maybe." She handed Aaron tongs, realizing her lips felt funny. It took a moment before
     she realized she was smiling.

Chapter Ten
     
    "Right at this moment, Valentine and the Hulk are getting it on. " Marley winked as she lifted her coffee cup. "Have you thought about that?"
    "I try not to think about my friends getting it on , " Nicole said, shaking her head and returning her attention to her sketchpad. On impulse,
     she gave the woman in her drawing red hair, for Valentine, because her friend would
     look awesome in this romantic pink bustier.
    "But she's getting it on with the Hulk . It boggles my mind."
    "They're on their honeymoon, but they may not be getting it on." As she drew in pink ties on the sides of the panties , she wonder ed what Marley would say if she knew Griffin Chase was hanging out in her apartment.
     Or that he'd kissed her and held her hand.
    "Are you serious? Did you see the way he looked at her? At the wedding, I seriously
     thought he was going to eat her up."
    "I know. It was so sweet. That was a romantic night."
    "What are you doing?"
    "Just doodling." She closed the sketchpad and put the pencils aside before her friend peeked .
    Marley tapped the table, staring at her expectantly. "So..."
    She shook her head. "What?"
    "What the hell, Nicole?" Her friend threw her hands in the air. "Are you going to
     tell me wh y Griffin Chase came and pulled you out of the reception or not? I've been waiting days . Do you know how hard it's been to respect your space and not demand an explanation ?"
    She sighed. "You recognized Grif ?"
    "Is there anyone in the world who wouldn't recognize him?"
    "I'm sure not everyone is a fan of his music."
    "Forget his music. The man is hot . Have you looked at him? He oozes charisma and sex. He swaggered into the room and
     stole every woman's breath , in a cowboy hat no less. He should have just looked ridiculous. "
    Nicole frowned.
    "Were you immune?" Marley narrowed her gaze with suspicion. "Don't lie to me."
    She lowered her gaze to her teacup. She normally drank coffee, but she'd thought she'd
     try chamomile tea. If there were ever a time when she needed to be calmed, it was
     now with Grif back. "It's not like that between me and Grif."
    "That's not how he looked at you," Marley said.
    Her belly fluttered , but it was probably indigestion . "How did he look at me?"
    "Like you were a Stradivarius and he wanted to run his hands all over you."
    She swallowed. "He plays guitar, not the violin."
    Marley raised her brow.
    "He kissed me," Nicole blurted, unable to hold it back even though she knew she should.
     "He came back into my life, told me he wanted me to help with his music, and then
     he kissed me."
    "Wait a second." Marley held up a hand, thinking. Finally she shook her head. "Okay,
     I'm not sure which of those statements to attack first."
    "Tell me about it." She slumped on her elbows, her chin resting on her hands. "I've
     been grappling with it all for days now."
    "How do you even know him?"
    "He was my best friend, but that was before he became a rock star."
    "I can't believe you never