So, Megan kept her mouth shut. She didn’t know Rose’s college roommate all that well and was happy to leave it that way.
“That’s what I thought.”
“No fighting, guys. Come on,” Rose piped up. Ainsley made a show of sitting back into her seat and continued to stare daggers at Megan.
Great.
Megan did her best to ignore Ainsley for the rest of their appointment at the spa all the way through to dinner. Instead, she focused on getting to know Theresa better. She hadn’t spent much time with Rose’s newer friend.
If only Ainsley would stop following Caleb around like a puppy. She’d insisted on helping him with the barbecue and found every possible reason to touch his arm.
Megan had to remind herself for the thirtieth time that day that Ainsley could flirt with whoever she wanted, and Caleb could turn her down or accept as he pleased. Of course, if he did say yes to Ainsley’s propositions, it would make him a jerk and she would never sleep with him again.
Theresa was sharing a story about how she and her boyfriend, Matthew – also a groomsman – had met. Megan smiled and tried to listen to Theresa’s words, but her gaze kept drifting to where Ainsley sat practically on top of Caleb on the other outdoor couch. She tried to catch Caleb’s eye, but he was in conversation with Tucker, and Megan really didn’t want Tucker’s attention.
“But he helped me figure out statistics, so the least I could do was take him out for coffee, you know? The rest was history.” Theresa laughed and Matthew beamed at her like she was the sun. The love on Matthew’s face hit Megan like a truck, and suddenly the deck seemed too crowded.
“That’s so sweet. You guys are lucky to have each other.” She took a sip of her water and excused herself to get more.
Megan had to pass Caleb and Tucker – and Ainsley – on her way inside. Caleb looked up at her as she went by, but her chest felt as though it would cave in at any moment.
She couldn’t get her heart to calm down or her lungs to cooperate. It didn’t make sense. She left her glass in the sink and went up to her room, taking the steps very deliberately because her legs felt like jelly.
After she finally made it to her room, Megan sank down against the bed, closed her eyes, and concentrated on the in and out of her breath. In for one, two, three seconds. Out for one, two, three seconds.
The counting helped, and her heart no longer felt as though it would implode, but the invisible pain still ached. Tears fell, and she choked back a sob. Spending even a few days with Caleb knowing there wasn’t a chance for them hurt more than she’d anticipated. The sex was fun, but she’d always wanted more.
There was a small knock at the door, followed by Caleb asking if he could come in.
Megan wiped away tears and took a steadying breath. “Sure,” she called.
Caleb stepped in and made sure to lock the door behind him. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“I wanted a little bit of quiet.” She couldn’t meet his eyes. “It was getting a little bit…much, out there. That’s all. I’m okay, really.”
Caleb crouched next to her, a skeptical look on his face. “Mind if I sit?”
He’d always been able to see through her. She shook her head. He took a seat on the floor close enough that their shoulders touched. Megan leaned against him, her head on his shoulder.
“Thanks for coming to check on me.”
“It’s what I do, princess.” Caleb kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. He’d always paid attention to her mood and changes in her emotions when they were younger.
The realization struck hard.
Anytime one of her brothers or one of their friends said something to upset her in front of Caleb, he was the first to defend her. He’d also always been the one of Tucker’s friends to greet her first whenever he came over.
Megan couldn’t believe she’d never noticed it before.
His attention.
Maybe she’d been too preoccupied with trying to hide her feelings that she never saw his. It was plain as day when she stopped to look at it.
Still, she wasn’t ready to ask him about it. What if she was seeing something that wasn’t there only because she wanted to? So, she fell back on their unspoken agreement for the week. The one piece of him she could have while they were here together.
She stood. Megan met his gaze, and the desire in it matched her own and made her feel powerful and sexy. Caleb didn’t take his eyes off her as she pulled her shirt over her head and stepped out of her sandals.
He stood in a fluid motion and drew her in for a kiss, one hand on her bare lower back. He trailed the other in a smooth line up her side, curving around her bra, and up her neck to cup the back of her head.
