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She didn’t know if he meant it was too late tonight or too late overall but either way she supposed he was right.
“Good night.”
“Good night.” She watched him go even though part of her wanted to chase after him. The stupid part of her that forgot what life was like when they’d been married.
He’d been opinionated and stubborn. He didn’t listen when she spoke. He thought he knew best. He made decisions for her instead of with her. What made her think he’d changed?
Upstairs the light in his bedroom window turned on and then off. He was in there now, with Natasha. He hadn’t slept with her. Not yet. But like with their marriage, Gia was out of time. She’d had her chance to have him for herself. And it would have been amazing.
But then what?
Inside, a staff member rushed to take the dishes from her hands. Gia headed upstairs to her date, bypassing Jayson’s bedroom door and doing her best to shut out what might or might not be happening beyond it.
Denver was sprawled out and snoring, where she’d left him. She crept through the darkness and bumped into his foot hanging off the end of the bed. Grabbing her pillow, she snagged a quilt off the footboard and went to the armchair in the corner.
Looked like she’d be sleeping here tonight while Prince Charming hogged the covers.
Natasha turned pouting into an art form.
Jayson had never seen anything like it. He’d gone back to the room last night and had tried to negotiate for one of the pillows. She’d kept all four. He could see the argument forming in midair between them, so he’d smiled and assured her he was good on the floor. Which was where he slept, his tuxedo balled up into a makeshift pillow while he slept in his shorts.
Now morning, he was feeling every inch of that hardwood floor on his aching lower back. He needed a cup of coffee more than a shark needed seawater. The outdoor patio was bustling with wedding guests who’d stayed over. They were making their way through the breakfast buffet and from the looks of it, the food supply was nearing depletion.
He squinted through the windows against the bright sunshine, his eyes adjusting and catching sight of Natasha in a royal blue dress. Her plate was piled with fruit and she was carrying a glass of green liquid.
Yeah, he’d skip socializing outside, thank you very much.
He tipped the last of the coffee into a mug, grateful not to have to mingle to acquire a much-needed caffeine fix. He couldn’t talk to Natasha without at least being mildly alert. He raised the mug to his lips, but before the blessed moment that first hot drop hit his tongue, Gia appeared out of the ether.
“Is that the last cup?”
She wore the same cutoff frayed shorts and pink top from last night, only today she’d strapped on open-toed sandals. They added to her height, which brought her lips closer to his. At least the sandals were what he was blaming on his inability to look away from her mouth.
“You look like you slept better than me,” he told her. She looked rested. Damned good. A little too rumpled for his pleasure, like Denver had slid his busted fingers through her hair this morning.
“There’s more coffee outside.” Jayson scowled and lifted the mug to his lips again. This time she wrapped her fingers around his at the handle.
“Then go outside and fetch yourself a cup. This is my house.” A feral spark lit her dark eyes as she tugged on the mug.
“This is your parents’ house. My employers. Plus, I was here first.” He pulled up on the mug while she pulled down, each of them careful not to spill the precious liquid that would deliver morning pep.
“I can’t go out there,” she said with a frown.
“Why not?”
But then he turned his head and saw Denver lounging at the carafe, chatting to a couple Jayson didn’t recognize.
“Did you two have a spat?” Jayson’s smile was incurable at the idea.
“If by spat you mean did I sneak back into our shared room on tiptoes so I wouldn’t have to wake him and have an awkward conversation this morning about how I wasn’t going to sleep with him, then yes. We had a spat.”
Shocked by that, he temporarily forgot to hold on to the mug. She easily removed it from his hand, doctored it with some half-and-half from the fridge and leaned on the wide, stainless steel doors. She took the first coveted sip, closed her eyes and hummed.
“You mean have an awkward conversation about how you weren’t going to sleep with him again?” Jayson asked, fairly sure that’s not what she meant. Sounded like she hadn’t slept with Pip at all. If so, that was good news.
“I didn’t sleep with him. Do you think I’d sleep with a guy on our first date or something?”
He tilted his head and watched her with his eyebrows raised.
