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I set my elbow on top of the back cushion of the couch, holding my face with my palm. “What the Celebrity Alert didn’t show was that there were three other dudes on that boat with him. He wasn’t there alone with six other women. So, yeah, it was bad, but not nearly as bad as the way it was portrayed.”
“And you believe him?” Her tone told me she didn’t.
“He showed me photos of him and the other guys on the boat.” My voice softened as I added, “Yes, I believe him. And he feels like the biggest piece of shit for everything that went down.”
She guzzled at least half her beer. “So, let me see if I understand this. He met you for breakfast with his tail between his legs, and I’m assuming, by the way you’re looking at me right now, that he wants a chance with you. Please, for the love of God, tell me you told him to fuck off.”
“I didn’t.”
Her head shook while she stared at me. “Why, babe? Why are you giving this man even a second of your attention? He doesn’t deserve it.”
This was my chance.
An opportunity to make a Sloane breakthrough, especially since this was the part that wasn’t a lie.
Every word I was about to speak was the truth that lived inside me.
“Because when I left his condo, I felt it. And as I stalked his social media between our first and second encounters, I continued to feel it. And when I waited on his table the other night, I felt it even more. And when he took me into the hallway by the restrooms and pressed our foreheads together instead of kissing me because he didn’t think he’d earned the right to put his lips on me again, I felt it the most.” I reached across the cushions and put my hand on her shoulder. “I’ve never felt anything like this, Sloane. Never, ever. And I know the start was rocky and much more turbulent than I wanted”—I swallowed, feeling my throat tighten as I said and really processed those words—“but I know in my heart that this is right. That I have to give him a chance. That I have to see where this goes or ...” My voice lowered as I said, “I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
She was silent for several seconds. “Well, shit. I can’t exactly fight you on that, can I?”
“I mean, you could. But that would be dickish.” I winked.
As I pulled my hand back, hers extended and landed on the visor of my baseball hat, lifting it so she could really take in my eyes. “Does this mean I have to be nice to Grayson the next time I see him?”
“That’s probably going to be very soon, and yes, that’s exactly what it means.”
She let out a long, drawn-out breath. “Fine. But I’m still going to give him an extremely strict warning that if he hurts you or breaks your heart, he’s dead.”
I smiled. “I expect nothing less.”
“Good.” Her eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t mean I’m happy about this.”
“You don’t have to be. You just have to trust that I know what’s best for me and that I’m following my heart and that Grayson Tanner—despite how much we used to despise him—is the perfect man for me.”
Just as I finished speaking, a chime came from my phone, a sound specific to incoming texts.
I pulled out my cell and looked at the screen.
Unknown: It’s Grayson. Laura gave me your number and said you were signing the contract tomorrow. That means we need to set up our first date. I’ll be in touch with the details.
“That’s him, isn’t it?” Sloane asked. “I can tell because you have that goddamn smile on your face again.”
I made sure she couldn’t see the screen while I read his words once more and then shoved the phone back into my pocket. “I can’t help it. He makes me swoony.”
No matter what he said, like the professional text he’d just sent, or the directness that spewed from his mouth every time I was around him, it was all thrilling. Of course, sometimes more than others, but it still had the same result.
Grayson caused me to react—my heart, my body.
Every single bit of me.
“Swoony.” She groaned. “For the record, that word should be banned. Forever.”
I gently shook her shoulder. “Come on, you’re going to love this and you’re going to fall for him just like I have.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She finally gave me a smile. “We’ll see about that.”
CHAPTER NINE
