I could feel the heat creep up my neck listening to his confession. Me? Addictive? I thought about what he said and the truth was, I wanted him just as badly. And I already knew I wanted more of those heart pounding, turn my vagina inside out, nights, even if only temporary.
“Sex comes with the situationship, friends with benefits, and the way I see it, maybe it’s that.”
“You sure you’re okay with a situationship?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
He glanced over at me. “Because, you are a relationship girl.”
It was cut and dry, and he was right. But I was a woman who knew what I wanted, and this no strings and all the perks, was it.
We drove in silence as we crossed through the main roads of town. The thought of us having lunch as a couple with Jake and Millie seemed odd, but somehow, exciting. “So, where do they live?”
“Over off Cove Street.”
“Oh, that’s the nice part of town.” Not that I should be surprised, considering her family, and that Jake’s on the Twisters. He had his own family fortune, long before baseball, which was a hobby until he showed potential. Some people get all the cards in life.
Josh slowed down once he turned onto the street. My thoughts refocused on the fact that we were about to embark on a couple’s lunch. My hands nervously smoothed out my maxi skirt, and I was glad I’d worn it instead of my joggers.
I stared at tall oak trees creating a hint of privacy from the relentless summer sun. The houses in this area were set back away from the street, unlike the new construction homes, and there was a vast difference in the styles. A mix of everything between rebuilds and original one-story cottages. Near the end of the street, stood a white one-and-a-half story house with a navy-blue roof and doors. The porch stretched acrossthe entire front with a big swing and potted flowers all down the steps, leading up the walkway.
It was quintessentially small-town charming. I saw the appeal of why Jake loved coming here so much. It was ideal for family life and since Jake had three little girls, this was picturesque. “This is Jake’s?”
“It was Millie’s family’s first. She renovated it right before they got together.” Josh nodded towards the path to the house.
For the wealth and status the two of them held, I was expecting more of the large beach houses overlooking the cliffs to the lake, not this. This was homey, and cozy, and everything I’d hoped for one day. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my pie-in-the-sky in the city, the way you felt like you were in the stars on a clear night. The low-key upkeep, the amenities, but I could live without the traffic and the constant noise.
As Josh tugged for the handle of his door, I gripped onto the elbow of his shirt, pulling him back. He quirked his brow at me.
“Uhm, I was just wondering, what exactly our story is?”
His face scrunched up for a split second until he caught on to what I meant. “Feeling nervous?”
I teetered my hand back and forth.
“It’s just that, these are people we know. Work with. And our dating story may have worked for my family, because they are truly clueless about my life. But this is…” I paused, trying to figure out exactly where it was I was trying to go with this conversation.
He reached over and took my hand in his, gently squeezing my fingers. “Relax. It’s Jake and Millie, andweare simply having lunch with our teammates.” I didn’t at all miss the rise in his voice when he saidwe. “Look, this is a good test. We have to see if we can pull off dating. Millie is like a human lie detector.”
I scoffed. “Wonderful.”
He stepped out of the car and around to my door. Once I stepped out, he gently nudged me back against it. “Before we go in, I want to say something. I like you. I know this is an arrangement between us, but I genuinely like being with you. This situationship is for both of us.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Then let’s couple.”
He unleashed a grin so good, my knees wobbled. Oh lord. Good thing I was leaning against the car. “We’re going to be just fine.”
A tap on the window by the front door made both of us jump. It was Jake, standing there in jersey shorts with the Twisters team logo on the left leg and a matching dark-blue t-shirt. If he was shocked to see us together, he had a great poker face. “Lovebirds, are you staying out there or coming in?”
“Lovebirds?” We’re screwed.
Josh flipped him off and tugged me towards the house. Jake shot me the tiniest smirk. “April.”
“Hey. Nice house,” I stumbled on my words nervously.
“Thanks. It was all Millie.”
I smiled at how he beamed when he spoke about Millie. That man was clearly still in love with her. I remember meeting her way back when. It hadn’t gone well. My fault, not hers. I was with Jake, ironically, heading out with some of the team to the Ribfest. He had just been traded to Toronto not long before that, and I thought maybe I’d had a chance with him, but the second she was seen, that was it for me. Turned out, they had a bit of a secret history, and fate seemed to have a hand in bringing them back together.
