As blood rushed to my dick, I looked down and realized that she had been wrong earlier. I was definitelynotalways soft around her.
Shit. I’d have to chalk this up to exhaustion. I wasn’t thinking straight.
I avoided biting out a groan as she continued to shower obliviously next to me.
“Not a shower singer, huh?” she asked in that sing-song voice I was so used to by this point I could pick it out in any crowd.
“Nope,” I grunted, trying everything to hide my internal battle from her. If she knew she had affected me this way, I’d never live it down. Suddenly I was eternally grateful that we wouldn’t be living out the one-bed trope. Earlier today I would have sworn up and down that I could share a bed with this woman without batting an eye. But now... now I wasn’t so sure.
But I couldn’t allow there to be confusion. I quickly switched off the shower and toweled dry. I needed to get the hell out of there and back into the room, where I could breathe and think more clearly. Lila was a beautiful woman, there was no question about that. My body had just been thrown off because she was literally naked right next to me. It didn’t mean more than that.
Because one thing was for sure: Lila was undoubtedly, indisputably,notmy type.
ELEVEN
Lila
“Charlie,it’s seriously fine. Don’t even worry about it.”
“Are you sure? We can get you a reservation someplace else. I feel terrible.” The video shook as she threw on her sunglasses. I saw a flash of a stunning turquoise pool behind her as she readjusted on a chaise lounge.
“I’m positive. The woman that owns this place is so sweet; she’s already given us a million recommendations. And you know me, I love to support a small, family-owned business. Seriously, I want to stay.”
When I woke up this morning, just after seven a.m. local time, I removed my sleep mask to find that I’d already received several texts from Charlie instructing me to call her immediately. The only message I’d sent her last night told her there had been a slight change of plans, but we’d figured it all out. She still panicked, though.
I’d padded out of the room quietly, careful not to wake Harrison or the other sleeping forms in their beds. For being stuck in a room with strangers, there was surprisingly little snoring—either that, or I’d been too tired to notice.
Now, I sat on the pool deck, watching the sun rise over the horizon. It was official: you definitely didn’t need to be at some fancy hotel to appreciate the beauty of this place.
“Is that Lila?” I heard a woman say before Skylar poked her head onto the screen. “Hi.” She waved at me and smiled.
“Hey.” I smiled back, ignoring the dull ache of jealousy I felt while I heard Skylar say something to Charlie off-camera.
Charlie laughed before saying, “I’ll be down in a sec.”
For the longest time, it had just been Charlie and me. That’s why we’d started a business in the first place: to connect with other women. But through it all, the two of us had always been more like family.
But now here Charlie was, marrying the love of her life, adopting his friends as if they were her own. Even Oliver. He was one of my closest friends, but soon he would be Charlie’s new brother. She was growing and expanding her world so much, while I was just the tag-along.
It made me feel a little queasy.
“Is Harrison being an ass? Be honest. I can have Oliver call him and sort him out.” Charlie’s question pulled me down from my escalating thoughts.
“He’s fine. I think we have an understanding.” I hoped that he would at least attempt to have a good time on this trip. “It’s weird being here with just him, though. It feels so intimate to be on vacation with someone, and now here I am with Harrison, of all people.” I kept my voice low even though I knew that Harrison was still completely passed out. When I had tiptoed out of the room, he had looked so dead to the world that I had stopped to place a hand over his nose to check for breathing.
“Maybe, after being stuck together for a few days, you two will start a torrid affair,” Charlie whispered teasingly.
My lips fell open before I snapped them shut again. “What?” I asked, trying and failing to sound both casual and confused.
Charlie and I told each othereverything. But I would never admit to her that I felt anything other than total and utter indifference toward Harrison. In fact, I couldn’t think of a more embarrassing revelation. Which was why I’d thought my little secret crush was just that—a secret. If I hadn’t so much as hinted at the subject to her, the person to whom I told my most embarrassing truths, then I figured no one would ever be the wiser. If a thought was never spoken, did it even truly exist?
“Come on. I know you,” she pressed.
I shook my head. “Exactly. You know me. So you’d know that I’ve never said anything about being interested inHarrison.”
She waited for a moment, waiting to see if I’d reveal more before letting out a sigh. “I know, but Oliver and I were talking?—”
“You were talking with Oliver?” I snapped, now sitting straight up. “Why would you two be talking about Harrison and me?” Something like horrified interest washed over me.
