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Her best friend answered on the second ring. “Oh, thank God. I’ve been sitting here hoping you would call. Do you hate me? Please don’t hate me. I swear, I’ll butt out. I’ll never say anything about you being with Bryan ever again, I promise.” She huffed out a breath. “If he makes you happy, it makes me happy. All I ever wanted is for you both to be in a good place.”
“He wasn’t here when I woke up,” Jill whispered. “He got the call to go back to his team, and I didn’t explain how I felt. I did it all wrong. Then he left. This morning I texted him, but he hasn’t answered.”
Vic didn’t answer for so long that Jill hunched her shoulders and burrowed deeper into the pillows. “He’s backing off because of me,” Vic said flatly.
“That would be an easy explanation, but I think there may be more to it than that. His agent wanted him back in Maryland now for team business. He has a life there.” She dabbed at her cheeks. “And God, I can’t convince him I don’t need his protection from himself.”
“Protection how?”
“All the same things you mentioned. He’s the bad boy, I’m the good girl. Except I’m not nearly that good, and he’s not that bad.” She hesitated, straddling the best friend vs. TMI line. “So, ah, we do stuff in bed.”
“I should hope so. Otherwise, I’d be lecturing you for a different reason.”
“I mean, we play games. Roleplaying stuff. We use blindfolds and toys. And last night, he spanked me.” And she probably doesn’t want to know the rest.
“Wow, you certainly went from zero to sixty in a heartbeat. I didn’t start using blindfolds and toys with a lover for at least six months or so. Though my first sexual experience was at the water tower in the center of town, so I guess I can’t talk. Anyhoo. You’re okay with all that?”
“I am. I’ve always wanted to explore, and it’s Bryan who made me feel comfortable doing it. Everything feels right with him. I’ve known him so long that aside from a bit of nerves on my end, it seems almost natural to fall into the roles we have.” She rubbed her sore eyes. “This is weird. We shouldn’t be talking about this. He’s your brother.”
“Did I or did I not tell you about the hot wax incident?”
“Yes.”
“The tying up in the barn incident?”
Jill’s lips twitched. “Uh-huh.”
“The yoga studio sex that—”
“Okay, stop bragging. I get it. You and Cory are freaks. What’s your point?”
“You haven’t been sharing any dirty stuff with me. Which means you’re overdue. I’ll pretend it doesn’t involve Bryan. We’ll call him Thor.”
“Thor?” Jill couldn’t stifle her giggle. “Well, that is surprisingly accurate.”
“Eww. Eww. Stop. No descriptions of body parts. General terms only. So what kind of roleplaying?”
Jill had made it halfway through the story when her apartment buzzer rang. “Hang on. Someone’s here. Be right back.” She dropped the phone and pulled on her robe before hurrying to the door.
Please be Bryan. Please be Bryan.
She opened the door and glanced down at the white florist box lying on the dingy carpet. Picking it up, she searched for a card.
Thank you for the most amazing week of my life.
Oh God, he’d sent her flowers. How unbelievably romantic. She popped the top on the box and grinned at the two dozen red roses tucked in the tissue paper. She lowered her head to sniff them, then rushed back to the phone, cradling the box to her chest. “Guess what?” She snatched her cell off the bed and let out a delighted laugh. “He sent me a sweet card and roses—”
“Oh no,” Vic whispered. “Not red. Tell me they aren’t red.”
“Why? Red roses are gorgeous. They mean love, right?” Jill tacked on another laugh, weaker this time.
Beneath the vibrant, perfect roses lay one withered, dying one at the bottom of the box. The florist must’ve accidentally missed it.
The dead flower wasn’t a metaphor for anything. It was just some petals and a stem.
“Jill, how many are there?”
“Two dozen. Why?”
