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“I love you for saving me, but you’re kind of interrupting.”
She glanced at her phone, then looked at the ceiling as she counted on her fingers. “We’ve supposedly been together for four hours. I’m sure you’ve had more than enough time for me to interrupt.” She settled deeper into the couch and made an unapologetic face. “I’m not leaving your side in case they come to check on you.”
A frustrated laugh left me as I met Connor’s concerned stare. “So, Amber’s staying. You might want to get another shirt because I’m not taking this one off.”
“Oh no,” Amber said loudly, “he doesn’t need to put on a shirt. I’m enjoying the view.”
“Amber,” I groaned, then pushed at Connor’s chest. “Seriously, go put on a shirt. I need to put on pants.”
Connor offered me a ghost of a smile and placed a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth before helping me off the counter. “I’ll be right back.”
As soon as he was gone, I turned to glare at my best friend just as she practically shrieked, “OhmiGod, he adores you. Did you see the way he was looking at you?”
Heat rose in my cheeks as I wondered what Connor and I looked like from the outside—as his indescribably coveted words clashed with others that were quick to bring me back to reality.
“We’ll see.” I shrugged, failing miserably at the nonchalance I’d been going for.
“Oh, whatever.” She waved me off. “Go put clothes on. It’s fun to look at him half-naked. You...not so much.”
I flipped her off as I began walking toward my room, sarcastically calling out, “Love you too,” as I went.
I wasn’t thrilled to spend my night with Connor with Amber as well...but I loved her for being excited for me and for having my back with my brothers. And as soon as I made it back into the living room, I let her know by tackle-hugging her on the couch.
MACI
“Tell me more,” Amber prompted a week later, and I smiled against the lid of my cup of coffee.
“There isn’t much more to tell.”
“Come on,” she whined, drawing out the last word. “I just finished the worst shift ever, other than the time some drunk bitch vomited all over her birthday shoes, and that’s all you’re going to give me?”
I pointed a finger at her and kept my voice soft so the people near us in the café wouldn’t overhear. “You can’t keep using that night against me.”
She lifted her hands in mock surrender. “All I’m saying is I want to hear more about your crazy hot sex with cop man.”
The old man at the table next to us turned to eye us disapprovingly before returning to his paper.
“Detective,” I reminded her in the same hushed tone. “And you do realize not everyone is as lucky as you and Aaron? Connor’s schedule is all over the place—there are days he goes in and is home not long after I am, and then there are nights he doesn’t come home from work at all. So, excuse me for not having enough stories for you because I don’t practically live—and work—with my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend? You just said ‘boyfriend,’” she said, excitement lighting her face as she leaned closer. “That’s a detail you conveniently left out.”
“No.” I sighed and sank deeper into my chair. “No, it isn’t because Connor and I aren’t...anything really. I was talking about you and Aaron.”
She pushed her empty cup at me. “You aren’t going to do the same thing with Connor that you did with Bryce, are you? Because as much as I love you, your whole can-only-stay-friends thing is bullshit.” Amber held up her hands again when the old man turned fully to look at us. “Sorry.”
I mouthed an apology, then focused on my friend. “I’m not doing anything or making us stay anything...we just aren’t anything. Big difference.”
“There’s a big difference, all right,” she mumbled as a wry smirk stole across her face. “In them.” Just as I started rolling my eyes and putting that shield around my heart the way I had been all week, Amber added, “The way Connor kept looking at you and touching you like he was making sure you were still there? The way he talked to you like he actually cared about you and had you in that nauseatingly happy state? All of it was the opposite of every encounter I witnessed of you and Bryce and exactly what you deserve. It was also crazy hot.” She sat back in her chair with a shrug. “I was getting turned on just being near you two.”
“And that’s one of the more awkward things you’ve said this morning,” I said as I checked my phone for the time.
“It’s true,” she said shamelessly.
“Go home and sleep,” I said as I grabbed my purse and stood to leave. “I need to get to work before my brothers start hunting down random guys.”
“I’ll see you tonight for a repeat of last week,” she called out when I started walking away, not caring at all that everyone in the shop looked at us when she did.
“Please don’t interrupt us tonight,” I begged, my voice barely more than a breath as I stepped back to the table. “I haven’t seen him since Wednesday.”
