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Because she wasn’t sure what she wanted, and knew even less what she needed. The only safety net she had left was the status quo. That was her security.

Not him. Not any longer.

“Is it?” she asked softly. “It sure doesn’t feel that way right now.” She huffed out an impatient breath and shut her eyes to give herself a reprieve from having to meet his gaze. “We aren’t supposed to be about this. We were proving everyone wrong. That guys and women can be friends, and it doesn’t have to be about sex. Now everything is all mixed up, and I don’t even know why you did this. All I know is it can’t happen again.”

His hands tensed on her legs. “You don’t know why I did this,” he repeated. “As if it was just me on that roof. Just me in that hotel room.”

She opened her eyes. “You started it,” she said defensively, and wished she could punch herself in the mouth. Jesus. She was making everything worse.

“Yeah, I guess I did, if you want to get technical about it. But I thought maybe we’d been moving toward that spot for a while. Not so much, huh?” She felt the loss of his body warmth even before he pulled his hands away from her knees. His temperature had already dropped a zillion degrees. “I got it. You have regrets. Hearing you loud and clear. Sucks you didn’t hear me, but you know, can’t have a conversation if only one side is listening.”

“I’m right here, aren’t I? I’ve been trying to get you to talk for weeks, and you’ve disappeared a million times and shut me out. That half-assed story you gave me last night won’t cut it, even if you follow it with a sweet dick chaser. I’m your friend, which means I don’t take your crap. Isn’t that in my job description?”

He was already turning away. “Yeah, maybe, if I didn’t know you were way more worried about the signature on your paycheck.”

Her shoulders stiffened. He didn’t know. He couldn’t. It was just a turn of phrase. But shit, adding that worry on top of the rest just made her exhausted. She couldn’t think of any of that right now.

“Of course I’m worried about my job. It matters to me. Just like yours matters to you. Or is mine somehow less important because I’m a little woman and hey, just a lowly bus driver, so no comparison to Mr. Big Deal Rockstar?”

“Don’t,” he gritted out, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Don’t try to make me into an asshole and put words in my mouth so it’s easier for you to slot me into the temporary fuckee slot.”

“Ugh!” She let out a growl of frustration and tipped back her head. “This is why you don’t do stuff like this. We’re already so fucked up, and it was just one night.”

“We aren’t anything. You don’t want more, so it’s done. Back to the way it’s always been. That’s w

hat you want, isn’t it?” He flashed her a grim smile. “As you wish.”

He jogged off the bus and across the parking lot to the fast food restaurants before she had a chance to answer. Or to recover from the glacial chill in his expression.

She shifted back to face forward in her seat and dropped her head in her hands, barely registering the aches and pains that followed. Her sex battle scars scarcely made a dent in her consciousness. Her chest was far too sore.

Hurting Ryan was worse than hurting herself. Especially since she wasn’t even sure how she’d done it. He couldn’t really want more with her, could he? Good sex wasn’t the foundation of a relationship.

Yeah, like you don’t have anything else together, you dolt. Like laughter and friendship and comfort.

But they worked together. This was a conflict of interest, or it could be. She’d signed on the dotted line that she wouldn’t become involved with the talent. Of all the mistakes she’d made, she’d vowed never to make that one.

And she still had misgivings about the whole gambling thing. He might not have come clean, and even if he had, she couldn’t be certain he had it all under control.

Insisting they stay friends was the only thing that made sense. He might not see that now, but once he got over how good it had been, he would.

Besides, last night had just been an anomaly. It had to have been. Patient, even Ryan couldn’t rock her world like that on the regular.

Even if he hadn’t seemed all that even today. Hell no.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Her head jerked up and she swallowed a gasp as her eyes connected with Mal’s in the rearview.

Shit. She hadn’t noticed he hadn’t left the bus with the others. Of course not. Today was the day he just had to stick around to mess with her. To overhear…everything.

Slowly, she swiveled in her seat to face him. “Break’s almost over.”

“You know better, Brownie. Screwing a guy who plays with things that make pretty noises is a recipe for trouble.” Mal sprawled on one of the couches, stretching out his long legs and opening his massive thighs in a way meant to make others uncomfortable. But not her. She knew his type. He was about as subtle as a blade in the gut.

It was the sly, slick ones who sneaked up on you who were the real threat.

“Whatever you think you heard, you clearly misconstrued.” She rose and tried not to grimace. Looked like she’d be grabbing some Advil to go with her takeout espresso.

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