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Oh hell, now I’m quoting article headlines like a groupie.
“Great choice. Your boobs are going to look incredible in this.”
Mal throws herself across my bed and smiles at me. I try to smile back, but it feels like more of a grimace because her comment has me thinking about Dominic kneading my breasts with just the right amount of roughness while he licked into my mouth with hungry strokes of his tongue.
“Thanks,” I say weakly, spinning my wedding ring around my finger absentmindedly. Light catches the diamonds in the pear-shaped setting, sending luminescent shards glittering throughout the room with every revolution. She tracks each spin with her eyes but doesn’t say anything for a long moment.
“Are you going to take it off?”
Our eyes meet, and I see an uneasiness there that I’ve been expecting for a while now. She’s been going out of her way to be cheerful and supportive of me dating, but I know this has to be difficult for her. I move over to the bed and lay next to her, taking her hand in mine.
“No. I’m not taking it off even though I probably should. I mean it’ll make the whole dinner thing awkward, but I don’t want to be with anyone who doesn’t understand what Eric meant to me. What he’ll always mean to me.”
Relief smoothes over the lines in her forehead. “It’s weird right?” She turns her head and looks at me. I raise a brow, not understanding her question “Me being sad about you dating….it’s weird.” My lips part, ready and willing to dole out some reassurance, but she shakes her head. “Don’t lie and say it isn’t. We both know it makes it seem like I don’t want you to move on even though I do.” Her fingers thread through mine, and she gives my hand a light squeeze. “I do want you to find some happiness, Sloane.”
“I know that Mal.”
And I do, she’s been my biggest cheerleader through this whole process. Hell, I would still be skimming through the prospects on Tinder if it wasn’t for her. She nods, and I can tell my words have soothed her a little, giving her just enough strength to say the last part.
“But being here with you, seeing you get ready for a date, it just makes him being gone so…”
“Real.” I finish for her, understanding exactly what she means. It was the hardest part about Tuesday. Realizing I didn’t do anything wrong because the only person I could have technically betrayed was no longer here to be hurt by my actions. I glance at Mal. Well, maybe not the only person.
“Yeah,” she breathes. “It makes it all too real.”
“I don’t have to do this if you’re not ready yet, Mal.” I sit up slightly, so I can look her in the eyes. She searches my face, amber eyes roving over every one of my features to gauge my sincerity. If we weren’t having a rare serious moment, I would be annoyed that she’s doubting me. Doesn’t she know by now I would do anything to keep her from hurting? Including, but not limited to, canceling this date with Ash.
Doing so would bring Mission Defeat Sloane’s Skin Hunger to a grinding halt, but I don’t think it matters now that my attraction to Dominic is no longer an issue. Okay, the attraction is still there, but it’s not like I’m ever going to act on it again. Maybe him acting like I don’t exist is exactly what I need to put this thing to bed; if his touch ignited the flame, maybe his ice is enough to kill it.
A tiny bubble of hope springs in my chest, but bursts immediately when I catch sight of the drawer of my nightstand. It’s not closed all the way, which means when I used my vibrator last night after waking up from a particularly explicit dream about Dominic I was too blissed out to secure it properly. The view is all I need to accept that my skin hunger, and treacherous brain, are still alive and well.
Fine. That just means I’ll have to find a way to handle it that doesn’t hurt Mal.
“No!” Mal shoots up from the bed and stands over me. Her hands are back on her hips, and the blonde bob she’s been sporting since she took out her braids swings from the motion. “You said you wanted to do this, and I said I was going to help you, so this is happening.” She grabs my hand and yanks me up onto my feet before continuing. “Plus, Ash is sexy as hell, and I happen to know for a fact he’s amazing in bed.”
I scrunch my nose. “How do you know that? Please tell me this isn’t one of your left-over one-night stands, Mal.” She laughs mischievously, and I pin her with a hard glare. If she’s slept with Ash, then we might as well call him right now and tell him to stay home. I’m not planning on having sex with the man tonight but having dinner with him seems like a waste of an evening if there’s no chance of it happening at all.
“Relax, will you?” Mal smacks my arm. “You were clear about not dating one of my exes.” I narrow my eyes at the emphasis she placed on “my.” The bit of tension I’ve been carrying in my shoulders all week increases tenfold when I realize Mal never told me how she knew Ash. I know it’s not from college because I would have met him too, and it can’t be from work because Studio Six doesn’t deal with anyone I don’t know.
“Mallory Pearl Kent.”
“Oh my, god!” She rolls her eyes. “He used to date Jasmine. You remember her, right? She was my suitemate freshman year.”
The name is familiar, but I can’t picture the girl’s face. I didn’t even know she and Mal were still in touch, let alone swapping exes. Lord, do I really need to do this?
“Yeah,” I mutter, twisting my ring around again. “I remember her.”
Mal pads over to me, stilling my fidgety hands with her surprisingly steady ones. “Don’t freak out, Sloane. They broke up right after he got injured because she didn’t want her name attached to a washed-up athlete. Her words, not mine.”
I shake my head, suddenly remembering the snooty, rail-thin girl with resting bitch face who was preoccupied with marrying rich. Throwing a man to the side as soon as he wasn’t useful to her anymore sounds on-brand for her, but it’s too bad she didn’t have the foresight to hang in there for Ash’s second act.
“She sounds like a dream.”
Mal snorts. “Please, she’s a money-hungry bitch who lacks empathy and basic decency, but her loss is your gain tonight, babe. Now get dressed because your date will be here soon!”
At that exact moment, my doorbell rings, and Mal’s eyes go wide with a surprise I thought I was going to feel when my date showed up. I actually feel fine. Nothing but a little flutter of nerves that’s easily tampered with a deep breath.
“Get dressed!” Mal hisses while she’s running out of my bedroom. “I’ll let him in.”
