I thought about the beautiful girl lying in the bed down the hall. The one who’d pushed when I made love to her, tried to force me to face the truth, instead of running from it and burying it in lies and excuses. I was falling in love with her.
“I know you’re right. I’m tryin’ man. Seriously, I am.”
“I know.” His sigh was heavy when he asked, “You at home now?”
“Not exactly.” I was technically on my own property, but the guest house wasn’t my home. And coming clean with Reed seemed like a good place to start. “Charli’s parents invited me over for coffee tonight, then we came back here. Instead of heading up to my place, we wound up at my guest house.”
“Oh yeah. Where’s she at now?”
“In bed.” I sure as hell wasn’t gonna kiss and tell, but I was getting tired of hiding too. “Down the hall.”
“You slept with her, didn’t you?”
I cleared my throat, wrestling the urge to tell him everything. “Yeah, seems to keep happening, even though we keep telling each other it shouldn’t.”
“Well the hell not? You’re both single and Charli’s a knock-out. Not to mention sweet, funny, talented—”
“I don’t need you to list her attributes,” I mumbled, more than a little irritated that he’d noticed how great she was. “I’m well aware.”
“If you know, then get your head out of your ass and do something about it. Tell her how you feel. Tell her you want to be with her, no one else, ‘cause I’d bet a million bucks that’s the truth.”
He wasn’t wrong. “What the hell is this?” I demanded. “We don’t talk about our feelings and shit. Yet that’s all we seem to be doing lately. You back on the estrogen pills or what?”
He laughed, making me smile. “Thanks for that. Didn’t think anyone could make me laugh tonight.”
I wanted to be there for him, to support him the way he’d supported me through my break-ups, but I couldn’t make Brook love him again. Couldn’t force her to give him a second chance. Though if she’d been the kind of girl who could be persuaded by money, I’d tell her to name her price, just to see one of my best friends happy again.
“I should get some sleep.” My gaze drifted down the hall and I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping in my own bed tonight. Not when I had the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes on curled up naked under the covers, waiting for me. “And you should do the same. You know the booze won’t change shit.”
“Yeah, I know.” I could almost see him smirking when he said, “I guess your hot little hunny’s waitin’ on you to come back to bed, huh? You lucky bastard.”
I did feel lucky to be sharing a bed with Charli, but it went beyond that. Talking to her, laughing with her, seeing her smile. That’s what it was all about for me. The sex was mind-blowing, but for the first time in a long time it was just a small piece of the puzzle that seemed to make us fit so well together.
* * *
I walked into my office the next day and found her sitting at her desk with a half-eaten sandwich, pouring over listings on an antique site.
“How’d the interview go?” she asked, referring to a podcast interview my label lined up.
“Okay.” I shrugged. “They’re all the same.” This one had a smaller audience and less experienced host, so they didn’t risk delving too deep into my personal life, which was good.
I stood behind her, curling my hands around her shoulders. “Whatcha doin’, gorgeous?”
We’d fallen into an easy rhythm that morning, knocking half a dozen things off my list before I had to break for the interview. She fit into my world seamlessly. She was a consummate professional when she talked to my contacts on the phone and her love of music meant she fell into the position like she was born to it.
“Looking for a bed to replace the one we broke.” She tipped her head back, a smile teasing her lips. “I think I’ve found one. Since Knox and Cece are going to be back at the farm in a few days, I’m hoping I can talk the seller into a rush delivery.”
My friends could only take a week in Hawaii for their honeymoon and a few days at her family farm before they had to return to the demands of their hectic schedule, but I had no doubt they were making the most of every second they had together.
“Whatever it costs,” I said, reaching into my pocket for a money clip. I set a black credit card down beside her before leaning in to kiss her neck. She smelled incredible, a berry scented body wash we’d used on each other in the shower that morning. “Just get it done, babe. Last thing I need is for Knox to see that bed. He’ll never let me live it down.”
She laughed before reaching back to pat my cheek. “You weren’t solely to blame, if I recall. Couldn’t have trashed that old bed all by yourself.”
“Hmmm.” I was grazing her jaw with my scruff, making her shiver.
We’d agreed to keep our hands off each other during office hours, but that was a promise I couldn’t keep. Especially when she looked so damn cute. Torn skinny jeans and a long-sleeved black scoop neck had never looked so good.
She leaned her head back as I started exploring her neck. “We have to stop,” she whispered. “I have a lot of work to do this afternoon.”
