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Then I jerk back in surprise when Kat drops a plate on the table in front of me.
“Enjoy the lemon zesty burger.” She shows off a grin that verges toward feral, before turning on her heels and striding away.
Stunned, my eyes follow her every step. Her swaying and perfect backside, and her narrow waist, naturally tapered in the way most other women wish they could achieve, if not with a corset, then definitely with a surgeon.
“Hannah?” Vivian drawls, dragging my attention back to her. “Earth to Sullivan. You there?”
“Yeah.” I shake my head and glance across at a waiting Axel. “I’ll call Raul now and straighten this out. Then you’ll have the couch back, and a couple of hours to fantasize and buzz your way to happiness.”
“And that’s what makes you the real MVP,” she smarts. “Privacy, new batteries, and a memory sitting fresh in my mind. I might even remember you sitting on me earlier. See if I can switch things up and make us a threesome.”
“You wish.” I grab a fry and smile for Axel. Because he’s being exceptionally patient. Uncharacteristically understanding about my rude phone call in the middle of our date. “Go, have fun. I’ll call him now and get this sorted. Then leave me alone. I kinda wanna orgasm before you do.”
“This isn’t a competition, ya know!” But her huff comes with a grin, then the line disconnects, and I’m left staring at… my boyfriend? My ex-best friend?
Geez, what is he, besides the man I like to have sex with?
“I’m sorry.” Taking the phone from my ear and scrolling to Raul’s name, I hit dial and bring it back up. “Just one more,” I plead. “Two minutes. Then it’s going away.”
Axel twines our fingers and lifts a brow. “Everything okay?”
“Mmhm.”
The line connects, so I bring my eyes down again. “Raul?”
“Hey, Hannah.” His voice is somewhat shy. Intimidated. “I’m sorry. I kinda mistook your ‘I’m not feeling great’ for an opportunity to come over and help out. I didn’t realize you were on a date.”
“It just kinda came up after I spoke to you.”Why do I feel guilty? Why do I feel the need to explain myself? “I wasn’t trying to blow you off, I swear. I fully intended to stay home, but then Axel came over and asked me out.”
“It’s cool.” I hear the rustle of a plastic bag on his end of the line. The jingle of keys. And then the click of a door opening. “You sound like you’ve found a better headspace anyway. That’s all that matters.”
“Thanks.” A long, lazy smile inches across my lips. Because my better headspace is due to the man I could have sworn I would never trust again. To the man whose fingers on my skin send shivers right to the base of my spine and, for the first time in seven months, allows me to relax.
“Oh, and since I’ve got you.” My pulse jumps faster when a memory pops into my mind. “My mom texted me back!”
“She did?” It’s like I can hear his smile curl up. His enthusiasm for my happiness rolling along the line. “No way. What’d she say?”
“That she loves me. And I guess we’ll talk it out in a couple of days and see where we end up.”
“I mean… That’s great.” The squeak of a car door scrapes through our call. Then the slam of it closing right after. “I’m really glad she made contact. I know that was messing with you.” Finally, I hear the rumble of his engine starting up. “Well, I’ll get going then. I’m sorry for interrupting your evening. It wasn’t my intention.”
“No, it’s fine. I promise.” I study my plate and select another fry. “Everything going okay with you and Gina?”
He pauses long enough to make my stomach jump. “Yeah, why?”
“Because you mentioned a barbecue with her tonight. But now you’re at my place…”
“Oh. Yeah.” In my mind, I see him wave me off. “I thought you needed a mental health break. Like, a chill night with a friend. So I canceled our dinner and headed over to yours.”
“That’s not very nice. Bailing on her to hang with me is not a great way to convince her that our friendship is just… a friendship.” I study Axel’s large hand wrapped around mine, then glance up to his kind gaze. “A woman wants consistency, Raul. She wants honesty, and then follow-through on actions to prove you’re a man of your word.”
“I know. I was just—”
“You should call her,” I cut in. “Apologize. Take that Chinese to her place, and hope she lets you in. If my boyfriend did that shit to me, I’d be pretty pissed.”
“But you don’t have a boyfriend,” he argues. “Which was the whole point of inviting you over to meet Gina’s brother.”
“Axel’s—”
