I was getting to her. Correction, the fact that I was keeping her at arm’s length was getting to her. I hadn’t so much kissed her and that was a new record for us. We didn’t see each other often, but when we did the gloves and clothes usually came off, in that order.
“Water’s boiling,” I said, when she returned. “You want me to put the pasta in?”
“I’ll do it,” she said, nudging me out of the way.
I leaned against the counter, watching her work. I could practically see the thoughts racing through her head and just when I was wondering if she’d ever spit it out, she said, “Have you ever been in love?”
“Uh…” I couldn’t have been more surprised. Briar didn’t talk about feelings. She didn’t get all soft and wax poetic. I wasn’t even sure she believed in love. “I don’t know.” I rubbed the scruff on my jaw. “There was that girl in college. Michelle. Remember her?”
Michelle and Briar hated each other. I assumed it was because I’d made the mistake of telling Michelle I’d been Briar’s first the year before we started dating.
“How can I forget the human mattress?”
Admittedly Michelle had a bad reputation. She’d dated a lot of my friends, including Drew, but the rumours were grossly exaggerated. According to her, she’d only been with three guys, including me.
“You’re brutal. I thought women were supposed to be all about lifting each other up these days, not tearing each other down.”
She opened her mouth before snapping it shut. “You’re right. That was a really bitchy thing to say. Sorry.”
I hadn’t meant to make her feel bad. I just wanted to remind her you couldn’t always believe every bullshit story you heard about someone. I might be a little sensitive about that, because plenty of lies had circulated about me over the years.
“Anyways, she’s married with a couple of kids now. Working as a third-grade teacher, so I guess she got all of the crazy out of her system.”
She regarded me for a minute before adding the pappardelle to the pot. “Have you got all the crazy out of your system yet?”
I laughed. “I don’t know. You?”
“I still like going out with the girls,” she said, sounding thoughtful. “But I’m really picky about the guys I give my number to now.” She shuddered. “And after this experience, I may swear off men altogether.”
I moved into her personal space. “I don’t buy it. You like sex way too much.”
“You might be right.” She gave me a thorough once-over. “So maybe I’ll have to stick to guys I know, like you, instead of rolling the dice with strangers.”
Was she actually suggesting an exclusive sexual relationship withme? “You have any other relationships like this,” I asked, gesturing between us. “You know, with other guys?”
She shook her head. “Uh, no. I’ve never been big on the whole friends-with-bennies thing.” She smiled. “Or in our case frenemies-with-bennies, right?”
I grinned. “I guess you could call it that.”
“How about you?” she asked, nudging me aside with her hip so she could check on her bread. “Anyone else you call when you’re feeling… lonely?”
We’d never had the kind of relationship where I could pick up the phone and call her to come over on a Friday night or drunk dial her at midnight and tell her I was stopping by. I suddenly wished we had. If we’d spent more time together, we might have sorted this shit out years ago.
“I have a few friends… that I have some history with.”
She dawned her poker face as she tossed the hot loaf pan on the stovetop. “Good to know.”
“No one like you though.” Those girls liked sleepovers and I was always the one to bail.
“Is that right?” She didn’t sound impressed. Pointing to the cabinet behind her, she said, “Pasta should be ready in a few. Can you grab a couple of bowls, please?”
She was getting frosty now. Thankfully I was an expert at thawing her out.
ChapterFive
Briar
I got over being mad at Rhett when I realized I had no right to be. So he had otherfriends. So what? He was a rich, single, good-looking guy. Why shouldn’t he have pretty girls on speed dial when he got an itch that needed scratching? So what if he’d never once called me to ask me out on a date? Not that I would have gone out with him. We didn’t have that kind of relationship. For us it was all about the sex. I’d decided a long time ago it was safer that way.
