Page 155 of My Real Love Affair

Rodney whistled. “Damn. She must be something special.”

“She is.”

My drink arrived. I took a sip, letting the burn settle me. I’d been on edge since we got back, and I couldn’t quite figure out why. Everything was fine. Great, even. Melody and I were official. We’d made plans to have dinner tomorrow night. She’d agreed to come to the next Bancroft family event with me.

So why did I feel like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop?

“So give me details,” Rodney said. “Private yacht. Paradise. Beautiful woman. I’m guessing there was a lot of naked time.”

“We’re not talking about that.”

“Come on. I need to live vicariously through you.”

“Get your own girlfriend and you can have your own stories.”

“Pass. Too much work.” He took a drink. “But seriously. You’re really into this girl, aren’t you? Have you ever vacationed with a woman before?”

“No, I haven’t. And yeah, I really am into her.”

“I never thought I would see the day Austin Bancroft got himself hitched.”

“I’m not hitched.”

“I’ve been following her on Instagram. I get what you see in her.” He made a vulgar gesture with his hands in front of his chest, grinning. “She’s got an amazing rack.”

I punched him in the shoulder. Hard.

“Ouch!” Rodney yelped, immediately rubbing the spot. “What the hell, man?”

“Never again,” I said, my voice flat and dangerous. “Don’t talk shit about her.”

“It was a joke. And I wasn’t talking shit. I was giving her a compliment.”

“Never. Again.” I held his gaze until he looked away. “I’m not kidding, Rodney. Don’t talk about her like that. She’s more than just a great rack.”

“See you think so, too.”

“I think about a lot of things,” I said. “Not just her boobs. If you actually spent any time with her, you would know she was more than just a beautiful woman.”

“It’s not like you’re bringing her around,” he muttered.

“And with bullshit comments like that, you wonder why.”

“Alright, alright. Jesus.” He held up both hands in surrender. “Fuck. Since when are you so touchy?”

“You’re a pig.”

“Wow. Okay.” He took a long drink of his beer. “You’ve got it bad.”

“I know.”

We sat in silence for a moment. Rodney seemed to be processing this new information, and I focused on my whiskey, trying to shake off the irritation. I wasn’t sure what jealousy felt like, but I was pretty sure it was this strange feeling that made me feel just a little nauseated.

“So what’s the plan?” Rodney finally asked. “You going to marry her or something?”

“Maybe. Eventually. I don’t know.” The words came easier than I expected. “But yeah. I could see it. With her.”

Rodney made a sound in the back of his throat, something between discomfort and amusement.