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He smiles, pushing his hands into his pockets. “Some other time.”
“Okay. Well, we’ll keep it down,” Keith adds.
“No need. I sleep with AirPods in my ears. It was nice meeting you. Goodnight.” Aleck leaves the kitchen, his arm sliding across my back as he passes behind me.
I’m happy to see my friends.Sohappy actually. Being here without them has made me feel like I’m on an island. But when Aleck disappears around the corner, now completely removed from the room, I feel a hollow ache in my chest I wasn’t expecting. I want to follow him and climb into his bed, even if all we do is sleep.
What the hell?
No. I shouldnotbe feeling that way. Aleck is a nuisance. I donotwant to sleep next to him for god’s sake. He’s an Ace in the bedroom—or the kitchen—I’ll give him that, but he’s an asshole. Evenheknows that.
After turning on the gas firepit on the terrace, Dottie, Keith, and I settle into the circular outdoor sofa. Which is ten times more plush, and softer than the indoor one in my living room and twice as big.
“My god, Win.” Dottie shakes her head, fake fanning herself. “How do you even exist in this space? Aleck is so gorgeous he sucks the air out of the room.”
“Yeah, but he replaces it with the hot air coming from his mouth. He’s an ass. Trust me.”
Dottie looks over her shoulder, sipping her wine. “Shh, girl. He’ll hear you.”
“Dot, I could tell this man he has the face of a hemorrhoid and he’d laugh. He doesn’t care what anybody thinks about him.”
“Just another thing that makes him perfect,” Keith says, smiling into his wine glass.
“Enough about Aleck. Has anyone talked to Sondra today? I should have checked in, but we were pretty busy.”
“Yes.” Dottie leans back against the pillows. “She’s over Preston’s family. I think she just wants to have all of this behind her, including the wedding. Then she and Preston are off to Turks and Caicos working on their tans.”
My phone lights up next to me, so I flip it over to see a text message.
Unknown: In case you were wondering, it took me 0.04 seconds to rub one out.
Aleck.I can almosthearhim saying that. Still, I better check before I havethisconversation. Especially since Aleck and I never exchanged numbers.
Me: Aleck?
Unknown: No, it’s Aladdin. Just letting you know how long it took me to wake the genie. Yes, it’s Aleck, dumbass. The Aleck that just had his tongue so far up your pussy I felt your heartbeat.
Me: I already regret it.
Aleck: You don’t, but keep lying to yourself. I’d tell you to climb into my bed when your friends leave, but that would be breaking two very important rules of mine.
“Earth to Winter!” Dottie snaps her fingers from across the fire.
“Sorry, Dot. I was just… just responding to a work thread.”
I hate lying to my friends, but they notoriously try to set me up with available men. If there were anyone less available than Aleck, color me surprised. So thelastthing I need is them getting involved. And theywouldget involved, that’s what they do.
Honestly, this thing with Aleck isn’t athingreally. It’s a blip, a hiccup, bad judgment on my part. It’s going nowhere, so letting my friends in on the tea party would only make more work for me when I convince them it was only about getting off. Which I did and more intensely than I ever have before.
“I was telling Dottie we should kidnap Sondra the minute she checks in for a spa day so she can detox,” Keith says.
“Oh my gosh, yes. She would love that. Plus, I could use a massage,” I say before casually lifting my phone to respond to Aleck.
Me: One is the no sleeping together rule. What’s the second?
Aleck: The no repeats rule.
Me: Of course you have a no repeats rule. Cue the eye roll. Anyway, you only went down on me. No sex. Can’t repeat something that never happened.
