Complicated Relationships (The Southern Devotion Series Book 3) by Amy McClung Page A

girlfriend." 
    "It's more than okay."
     
    Lanie took a shower while I started fixing us a snack of some of the fresh fruit MJ had packed. Picking up my cell phone, I sent her a text to let her know they could come back whenever.
    Me: Thanks for the time alone.
    MJ: Is everything good between you two?
    Me: Better than good. We're officially exclusive now.
    MJ: That's great! I think you two are cute together
    Me : She may just be the one, MJ.
    MJ: Aww, T, that's awesome. I'm happy for you.
    Me: Thanks. I'll see you guys soon
    MJ: K. We're about to start our hike back up so we'll be at the cabin in another hour or so. Love you
    Me: Love you too.
    Once the message was sent, I realized that it didn’t hurt to say that I loved her anymore, and that was a big accomplishment. It felt like a new day; the sky seemed bluer, the lake clearer, the trees a deeper shade of green.
    As Lanie strolled out of the bedroom, even she seemed clearer to me. The deep auburn of her hair against her pale porcelain skin, the shape of her breasts, her hips, her toned calves. There wasn’t a flaw that I could find on this girl. I appreciated everything about her down to the spattering of freckles under her eyes.
    "You're staring," she said with a smile that met her eyes. She's happier than I've seen her since we met. It made me feel good to know I put that smile on her face and that she's finally beginning to trust me.
    "You're beautiful," I replied stepping up to her.
    "Good response. Do you still want to go for a hike or stay here and get to know each other better? And by better I mean talking," she said with a knowing grin as to where my mind went.
    "Let's stay here. I do want to know one thing about you first."
    "What's that?" she asked.
    "I noticed your tattoo last night when you were sleeping, and I wanted to see the full picture."
    She grinned and swiveled around to raise her shirt and display the intricate wing design that spanned across her lower back.
    I traced my fingers over the design causing her skin to tremble at my touch. "How long have you had this?"
    "Since my eighteenth birthday. It was a spring break girl's bonding thing. My best friend and I each got one. She got the name of her boyfriend, whom she broke up with a year later, and I went with these wings."
    "Why'd you choose a tramp stamp?"
    Lanie cringed and lowered her shirt, "I hate when people call it that. I wanted it somewhere unnoticeable by most people. A place of intimacy for my lover I suppose you could say."
    "You can see it when you're wearing a suit though?"
    "Did you notice it when I was in my bathing suit yesterday?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. When I stopped to think about it, I hadn't noticed. Her small bikini shorts went a bit high on her hips covering it from view.
    "It's very sexy," I purred against her ear.
    We curled up on the couch; I laid back, and she sat with her back against my chest. Her fingers intertwined with mine as she compared our hands.
    "Tell me about your roommate. You never mention her."
    "Angel?"  Not the topic I wanted to explore because there are too many secrets that I've promised to keep for her. "She's Mary Jane's best friend. They lived together down in Florida and originally we planned to all rent a place when we moved here. They lived in Nashville for years and only moved for MJ's internship at Disney.  Derrick proposed after MJ came home, and that left the two of us to figure out our housing. Angel and I decided to go ahead and live together so we could afford a nicer place. She's now one of my best friends, practically a sister." Saying she's like a sister has a bit of a creep factor to it since we slept together, but it's not something I want to get into with my new girlfriend.
    "So…nothing romantic has ever happened between you two?"
    The last thing I ever want to be is a liar, especially when it came to my relationship with Lanie. The tough part is that I promised Angel I wouldn't tell anyone about our drunken roll in the