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Liam wore a shocked expression for so long I snapped my fingers in front of his face. “Sorry to say, Miles, she’s right. You’re not friends. You are two people who had a one night stand and then you ghosted her.”
“But I’m back now.”
“Now being the problem. I pulled that with Olive, and it took me valuable time we could have been loving on each other and preparing for the baby, just to get her to speak to me.” Liam sighed and raked a hand over his head. “Maybe you can be friends later, when she’s not so hurt by being forgotten.”
“I didn’t forget her!”
“You did and now you feel guilty about it. What’s the big deal if you don’t want more than friendship?”
“Neither of us wants more than friendship and a good time. That’s why she’s perfect.”
“Then maybe you should have treated her like she was perfect, Miles. You’re charming but you’re not that charming.”
“Bullshit. I’m the most charming guy we both know.”
Liam laughed. “I don’t know that many people and Xander may have you beat.”
“Yeah well, thankfully he’s got Mara.”
Liam shrugged. “If you think you’ve got a chance, wear her down. Be the friend she thought she was getting until you went and screwed it up. Prove you’ve got the charm you think you do.” Without another word, Liam turned and walked away, the whole box of stuffed croissants tucked under his arm.
I smiled at his parting words. I was a man always up for a challenge and Shannon had just thrown down a gauntlet I couldn’t resist.
Operation Charm would start.
Soon.
Shannon
For the past week, Miles had given me exactly the space I asked for, and I was completely bummed out about it. He hadn’t stopped in at the bakery, or if he had it was on those rare occasions that I was someplace else, like Stone Cold Fitness working out, the wine and cheese shop or the post office—exciting life I lead—which was even more depressing. He was avoiding me, which shouldn’t have surprised me the way it did, or sting as bad as it did, but emotions were stupid and complicated.
Just like me.
The only good thing I could say about the past week was that my lonely nights weren’t as bad as they could have been without the memories of those amazing orgasms and an impressive collection of vibrators. Thank goodness for small favors.
In fact, that’s exactly what was on the schedule tonight since Mara had plans with Xander and all the other couples were spending romantic evenings together doing things couples did when they were alone together.
Nights like this made me really miss the city. Even though I didn’t spend a lot of time with my so-called friends in Los Angeles, there was always somewhere to go, someplace you could go and be surrounded by people even if you were alone.
Completely and totally alone.
Just like me. Tonight.
But there was a pizza menu on the coffee table next to a fresh bottle of Bordeaux, the perfect way to spend an evening on one’s own, at least according to me. The wine had plenty of time to breathe so I filled up a glass and perused pizza toppings, deciding on mushrooms, sausage and peppers just as the doorbell rang. “If that’s the mind-reading pizza delivery, I’ll be at church bright and early on Sunday morning.”
It wasn’t the pizza deliver kid I’d gotten too familiar with over the past month, instead it was a different unexpected visitor. “Miles. Why are you here?” And why did my body want to sing and smile at the sight of him on my porch?
“I brought dinner and drinks.” He flashed that sexy smile that tugged the corners of my mouth into an answering smile as he held up two boxes on one hand and a bag in the other. “I figured we could watch a movie, something gory or action-packed, you know, like friends do.”
I folded my arms, effectively blocking his path into my rental. “I watch romantic comedies with my friends, sometimes sappy romance or sad films.” I don’t know why I felt the need to challenge Miles when I was happy to see him.
He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily in a perfect imitation of an annoyed teenager. “I worked too hard to ruin my eye makeup, but if you want to see a tearjerker, I’m down.”
He could be so laid-back that I actually believed he’d sit through a two hour crying jag just to prove he could. But, he was also ex-military and macho as hell. “Because pizza makes even the grossest of emotions palatable?”
“Not just pizza, Shannon. There’s also wings and garlic bread, so yeah, I’m prepared.”
I’ll just bet. “And what’s in the bag?”
“Drinks. Beer, for me. Wine for you.”
Well damn. “You came prepared, didn’t you?” He came prepared to make it impossible for me to turn him away.
