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She’s off-limits.
That was the whole point of this fake relationship act: To pick someone safe, to impress Zelda, unlock my trust, and then go back to my regular bachelor schedule—with zero risk of mess or complications along the way.
Well, I’d say that kiss last night was pretty damn complicated.
And pretty damn combustible, too.
I feel another surge of heat, and wonder for a moment if Callie would be willing to upgrade our arrangement to fake-girlfriend-with-benefits…
But nope. She’s made those ground rules perfectly clear. And judging by the way she fled the scene of the crime last night; she’s not changing her mind any time soon.
I’m just going to have to show some damn self-control, that’s all.
I roll over and head to shore. When I reach the dock, Piper is sitting on the edge, dangling her bare feet into the water.
“You’re up early,” I say, hauling myself out, dripping water all over her.
She squeals and shoves me away. “I could say the same about you. You’re usually not out of bed before noon.”
“Needed to clear my head,” I say.
Piper raises her eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “Everything’s great. Well, apart from Zelda being Zelda,” I add, toweling off.
Piper grins. “What did you expect? You’re going to owe Callie. You brought her right into the lion’s den.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I like her,” Piper declares. “She’s definitely an improvement on the girls you bring around the bar, swooning all over you like you’re God.”
“Callie doesn’t think I’m God,” I agree.
“You’re good together, too.” Piper’s smile gets wider. “You’ve been alone for way too long. It’s nice to see you happy.”
I feel a shot of guilt. Telling a tiny fib to Zelda seemed fair game, but I didn’t stop to think about how it meant lying to my sister, too. And as much as I like to give her a hard time, there’s nobody I’m closer to in the world.
“Honestly? I’d rather not talk about it.” I say, trying to steer the conversation away from my lie. “I don’t want to jinx things.”
“Typical, denying me all the good gossip.” Piper pouts. “Although, I get the part where you’re worried about jinxing things. It’s a miracle that you were able to convince a woman like Callie to give you the time of day.”
“Gee, thanks!” I protest, laughing. “And what about you? Who’s the new loser of the week that you’re dating?”
“I don’t date losers,” Piper cries, smacking me on the arm.
“I beg to differ,” I grin, walking back to the house with her. “That hedge fund guy? Loser.”
“He earned high six figures.”
“And couldn’t stop telling us about it,” I remind her. “Loser. And the guy running for city council—”
“—was incredibly successful. Elected in a landslide—”
“—and a self-important jackass,” I correct her. “Seriously, these stuffed shirts you pick are the worst.”
“Well, maybe if you and the rest of your friends didn’t scare off any guy who tries to talk to me, I’d have more options,” Piper says with a scowl. “Seriously, I can’t hang out at Mavericks anymore. The last time I was there with my girlfriends, Flynn threatened some guy just for offering to buy me a drink.”
“We don’t threaten,” I insist. “We simply… Warn them that you’re not to be trifled with.”
