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“Are you doing anything about liking her?” Rafe asked.
“Do you still hate her?” Bass asked back.
Rafe thought about it for a minute. “No, Ineverhated her. I don’t fully trust her, but she’s worked hard on this project, and I can respect her for that.”
“She has worked hard. I trust her when it comes to Nana Bee and when it comes to her and me. She says we’re just having fun, like two ships passing in the night and our lines are all tangled up. I don’t know though. I’ve never had a relationship like this before. Heck, I don’t think anything I’ve had before could be considered a relationship. I like being with her. I don’t like it when she’s gone,” he said.
“Maybe you should make it more then,” Shane suggested as if that was the easiest thing in the world to do.
“What if she doesn’t want more?” Bass asked. He was trying to act as if that wasn’t a big deal, but he knew it was. He’d never been afraid to go after anything he wanted, but it was different with Ella.
“I can’t believe you’re saying that,” Rafe said with a laugh.
“I know I’m a catch, dammit,” Bass said. “I just don’t think Ella is sending out the fishing line.”
This made both Rafe and Shane laugh. It really did feel good to be back with the guys. The topics had changed quite a bit, but he’d always felt like he could talk to his two best friends. If he got nothing else out of Nana Bee’s will, that was fine by him. All he’d ever wanted were these friendships, and it looked like that was well and truly healing.
“I guess I’ll keep doing what we’re doing and see where it heads,” Bass said after a while.
“Or you could kidnap her and make her realize she can’t live without you,” Shane said with a wicked grin.
“Is that what you did with Lia?” Bass asked as he looked between the two men. Rafe glowered while Shane smiled.
“Oh, get that look off your face, Rafe. It wasn’t as if you were an angel when it came to Ari. As a matter of fact, you were quite the dick if I do recall,” Shane said.
Bass laughed. “Even if I wasn’t around, I know that much is true.”
Rafe glowered at them both. “We all have our moments,” Rafe said.
Another round arrived, and their topic lightened. They spent the next few hours at the bar, laughing, reminiscing, and moving forward at rebuilding a friendship that he realized could never be fully severed. It might not be a path without bumps, but it was a road that was always repairable. He’d been a fool to not try sooner, to not push for Rafe to speak to him. If he thought Rafe had cheated with Ella he’d have been furious too.
He’d looked at the situation only through his eyes, not his best friends. It had cost him a lot by doing that. He’d never let something like that happen again. From this moment on, he’d speak with his heart, and he wouldn’t let lies come between them.
By the time he left the bar, he felt damn good. He also realized there was only one place he wanted to go. His friends had suggested he get the girl. Well, dammit, that was just what he was going to do.
Chapter Twenty
Ella
Ella couldn’t figure out what she was doing. Bass had called, obviously tipsy, and insisted she come to the hotel. She hadn’t hesitated. She’d called an Uber as her car was having trouble, and she headed straight to his place. She didn’t want to play hard to get.
She told herself on the way there, though, that the two of them were going to talk. They’d been in this non-relationship for over a month and it was too uncertain. She didn’t need an absolute definition of what they were, but she didn’t want to continue sleeping with him while he was sleeping with other women. Call her old-fashioned. Then again, when would he have had time? They’d barely spent a day apart since they’d first made love.
She had the key to his suite, so she went up the elevator and let herself in. No one was in the entry when she walked inside. Her shoes clicked on the beautiful marble flooring and the space opened into the living area. She found him at the window, gazing outside.
He was wearing a jacket and painted on jeans. He turned and literally took her breath away. How in the world was she expected to look at a man again after being with Bass? He owned her, body and soul. If she stayed with him for too long, she feared she’d be ruined for the rest of her life.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, immediately coming to her. He pulled her against him, placing one hand on the curve of her hip while threading his other hand in her hair to hold her in place.
He kissed her. It wasn’t a gentle kiss, but an expression of possession. He parted her lips and claimed her mouth with bold, possessive stokes of his tongue, taking her breath away and making her entire body go up in flames. He could make her forget her own name with one touch of his masterful mouth.
She fought for air as his fingers crawled from her hip and climbed up her torso, sliding over her shirt. His palm cupped a breast and he squeezed, his fingers tightening and kneading as he molded the flesh. She clung to him, afraid she’d fall over. She forgot she’d meant to talk to him, forgot everything other than her desire to have him bend her over the couch and slide deep inside of her. She was ready, her body wet and hot. She was dang glad she’d worn a skirt, giving him easier access.
Just when she was ready to beg him for more, he pulled back. His lips were slightly swollen from the brutality of the kiss, and she imagined she looked thoroughly loved, even though she wasn’t nearly satisfied enough. He smiled as if his entire world hadn’t been rocked as hers had.
“Thanks for getting here so fast. I was out with Shane and Rafe and I realized I wanted to be with you . . . only you.”
She didn’t know what to take from his words. Her brain was too fogged for her to form coherent thoughts. She was a puddle at his feet.
