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Walking naked through my living room made my skin tingle. The sweat that beaded down my body from the physical work being hit by the cool air of a temperature-controlled room was part of it. The other part was thinking back to that hug that I’d shared with Mark. I tried not to think about it too much, but as I passed a mirror and glanced at myself, I couldn’t help but think about how good he felt against my body. I wondered if that thought went through his mind too.
Four whole days in a cabin on an island. Just Mark and I locked in a tiny space, with the whole world expecting that we were an item. That we would be sleeping together. There would likely be a moment just like now where I would be naked and getting in the shower and Mark would be just on the other side of the bathroom door. The only thing that would separate us was a thin piece of wood and a doorhandle.
I shook my head. Enough of those kinds of thoughts. Mark was going to accompany me to the wedding as a friend and as a favor. He probably was only doing it because he felt the obligation after my brother invited him to stay on the ranch and live there while he got his feet under him Murdock again.
The shower was hot, but thankfully, the tension being released in my shoulders was enough that I could focus on that and not where my mind had been going. I got clean and felt a little bit of the rocks in my neck loosening and got out before I got too comfortable in there. Before I did something I would regret.
I got dressed and headed into work, ordering takeout for delivery to the office. I got there with an hour or so to spare before the first meeting, and the food arrived moments after I did. It gave me a chance to eat in peace and go over files to prepare for the meeting.
In between meetings, I kept digging into Mark’s case. There were certainly options to explore there, but it was going to take time. And focus. That being something I didn’t have a ton of that day.
The wedding was looming large in my thoughts. It was only a couple of weeks away, which just made the whole situation much more awkward. I was clearly not in the initial invitations and had been added at the last minute. Whatever plans Jade had created for the guests was going to have to be modified now that I was going to be there.
Which I was sure she was delighted by. Jade was either completely oblivious to my feelings about her and Trevor being together, or she was looking forward to rubbing it in my face. I wasn’t sure which one was on deck, but it wouldn’t be long before I found out.
I had just sent the last client out of the door when a knock got my attention. It was well after seven, and I wasn’t expecting anyone else. I assumed it was my last client, having forgotten something.
“Just a second,” I said, heading to the door. “Did you leave something, Mr. Watts?”
I opened the door to see not Bill Watts standing there, but Mark Murphy. He was holding a pizza and a bag with breadsticks and a two-liter of soda in it. He shook the bag and grinned.
“Not sure about Mr. Watts, but I thought we should get to know each other a little better. Since we’re going to have to be a couple for a few days.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes, stepping aside so he could come in. A little voice in my head reminded me of all the thoughts I’d had to push away in the shower earlier, and I tried to shake them off. Thankfully, the pizza smelled so good, it did part of the job for me.
“You got pizza,” I said. “How did you know?”
“How did I know what?” he asked, putting the pizza down on one of the coffee tables in the waiting area.
“A, that I hadn’t had dinner yet, and B, that pizza is my favorite,” I said.
“Well, you are your brother’s sister,” he laughed. “And I do have some memories of you from years ago. If I’m not mistaken, you liked mushrooms, pepperoni, and pineapple, yes?”
My jaw slid open and hung there for a moment.
“You remembered that?” I asked. “How? How in the world did you remember that?”
“Camden’s sixteenth,” he said. “I happened to be the one to order the pizza for the party. I asked what everyone wanted, and that’s what you said. Then it came, and…”
“They forgot the pineapple,” I finished for him. “Oh wow.”
“Yup,” he said. “We ended up finding some pineapple chunks and draining them and putting them on your pizza for you. And I decided to try it on mine. I’ve been eating it on pepperoni and mushroom pizzas ever since.”
