“I thought you were being robbed again,” Nessa said, entering the condo, giving Ronan the stink eye. Lottie had called Nessa this morning to fill her in on the insanity since she left her at the dog park last night. “You know him?” Nessa asked.
Before Lottie could answer, Ronan had Nessa in his arms, her back to his chest, the mace dropped to the floor, his mouth by her ear. “Mace won’t protect you, sweetheart.”
Lottie contained her laugh, nibbling her lip. Nessa’s eyes had never been so wide. Her cheeks beet red. Her lips parted in obvious arousal.
“Then what will protect me?” Nessa asked quietly.
Ronan released her, grabbed the mace and then offered it to her. “Learn to defend yourself first. If someone was planning on attacking you, you wouldn’t have time to grab your mace.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “Unless you want to carry it around in your back pocket.”
“Well, maybe I’ll do just that.” She threw her hair over her shoulder, tucking her mace back into her purse. Then, when Ronan couldn’t see her face, she mouthed,Oh, my fucking God!
Lottie couldn’t fight her laugh and chuckled softly. Yeah. Ronan was hot. Totally Nessa’s type. Except that Lottie was sure Ronan, someone who regularly partook in Phoenix’s shows, wasn’t looking for love. Nessa was on a mission to find her husband to start making babies. Not that Lottie blamed her, Nessa would make a fantastic mother. Leaving them behind, Lottie went back into the kitchen and took the plate off the counter, handing it to Ronan. “Lunch,” she said.
“Thanks.” He took his plate and promptly went back to the window, taking a bite as he continued to stand watch.
Nessa slid onto the stool at the breakfast bar. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, Hunt’s just being Hunt,” Lottie explained.
Nessa’s head cocked, her eyes filling with awareness. “Oh my God, you slept with him.”
Ronan choked on his sandwich. He was wise enough to keep his attention on the street outside and cleared his throat to hide his coughing.
“No, we didn’t sleep together,” Lottie shot back. “What is wrong with you?”
Nessa’s brows went even higher.
Feeling her cheeks burning, Lottie took her best friend by the hand, leading her back into the bedroom. She shut the door behind her, then moved to rest against her gray-stained furniture. Her room wasn’t big enough for much more than a dresser and her bed, but what it lacked in space, it made up for in floor-to-ceiling windows and a stunning view of the skyline. “Seriously, what are you, some kind of mind reader? How did you know?”
“Oh my God, youdidsleep with him,” Nessa said, jumping onto the queen-sized bed, the mattress bouncing beneath her. She laughed, obviously proud of herself. “You blushed when you mentioned his name. You never blush.”
“I really need to do something about my face,” Lottie grumbled. All too often her face showed her emotions.
“Your face is just fine. Beautiful, in fact,” Nessa said with a sweet smile. “So, tell me all the juicy bits.”
“The juicy bits, huh?” Lottie laughed, joining Nessa on the bed. “We didn’t exactly sleep together, but he went down on me.” She grabbed a pillow, hugging her arms around it. “Thatwas out-of-this-world incredible. I can’t even tell you, Nessa, what it was like to actually have him touch me. But today, it’s…confusing.”
“Why?”
Comforted by her best friend, the one person who knew her truly, her heart opened. “Being with Hunt is like something I have never felt in my life. There’s just something so wonderful about him. I feel like we could be incredible together.”
“But your past?” Nessa offered with a frown.
Lottie inclined her head. “It’s hard. I try to say no and remind myself that being with him is a bad idea, but when I’m with him, I forget all that completely.” She paused, considering, trying to get this right. “I’ve never had anyone see me like he sees me or make me feel the way he makes me feel.”
Sadness swept across Nessa’s face as she took Lottie’s hand in hers. “I know why you worry about your past, but if Hunt cares for you, then I’m sure you can get through it.”
“You’re right. He probably would find a way to get past it, but he shouldn’t have to. He shouldn’t have to jeopardize his career for me. Or his friendships. I don’t want to do that to him.”
“So that’s it, then? Last night and never again?”
Lottie sighed. “That was the plan this morning, but Hunt had other ideas.”
Nessa chuckled, her shoulders shaking, cheeks brimming with color. “I like Hunt’s idea better. You deserve to be happy. You’ve crushed on him hard. It’s about time this is happening.”
The young part of her heart that once believed anything was possible wanted to believe Nessa, but that dark, shadowy part of her soul knew where she came from, and what her roots were. Things never worked out. “It seems like you might get your wish, since it’s apparently impossible for me to refuse him.” She’d done so well. For so long. She kept her distance, always toeing the line. But now that they had crossed it, all her barriers against him had fallen.
“I say good on that,” Nessa said, adamant. “So, where is Hunt anyway?”
