Page 17 of Bride ’N Boots

That still chafed. Ethan was incredibly selfish in bed. And whenever I brought up the fact that he never made me finish, he made it seem like it was my fault.

“So, I’m guessing I won’t be seeing you back at the apartment tonight.”

The idea of sleeping with Stratton and then having him immediately drive me back to Coeur d’Alene would be the worst walk of shame in the word. It wouldn’t even be a walk of shame. It would be a drive of shame.

“I don’t know,” I said morosely.

“Hey, stop being in your head about this. Go have lunch with him. See where the afternoon takes you. And I’ll see you when I see you.”

I finished getting dressed. “I have to talk to Ethan before anything happens with Stratton.”

“Something already happened,” she pointed out.

“I feel awful about it.”

“Do you?”

I blushed in shame. “No.”

“Why not?” When I didn’t reply, her expression morphed into understanding. “You and Stratton . . . this isn’t just going to be dating for a while, is it?”

“I don’t think so,” I said quietly.

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Which is why I owe Ethan a phone call. I talked to him earlier, but we didn’t get into anything important.”

“Oh, so that was the cause of your bad mood when you came outside.”

I nodded. “He was preparing for a meeting.” I looked at the clock on my phone. “I wonder if he’s done yet.”

“Stratton teased you out of it. Your bad mood, I mean.”

“Noticed that too, did ya?”

“Good trait to have in a husband.”

“Gremlin whisperer?” I asked with a laugh.

“Exactly.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Let me just say goodbye to Jo and thank her,” Arden said after I helped her load up the SUV.

Nodding, I followed her into the house. As I walked in, I heard Jo and Stratton talking, along with a few other male voices.

Three strapping, large men were in the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets while Jo’s head was in the fridge.

I looked at Stratton in confusion.

He smiled. “Jo refused to let us go out for lunch. She’s feeding us here.”

“Oh, that’s nice of her,” I said.

“You must be the bride,” one of the men said.

My hand immediately went to my hair and then I remembered I’d forgotten to wipe off the heavy bridal makeup—and that my lipstick was smeared.