“Fair,” she said with a nod. “And same.”
“Okay…” I nodded. “Glad that’s settled.”
“Yeah…” She turned, reaching for a hair tie from her vanity.
As she reached back and gathered her long hair to put it up, I couldn’t help but look at her again. The slope of her neck became visible, and I could just see her reflection in the mirror, watching her plump lips part slightly as she wrapped the tie. Then my eyes dropped; with her arms raised, the T-shirt she had on lifted, barely keeping her perfect ass covered.
I cleared my throat, looking away, for what I didn’t know. How the hell had little Haley Callahan grown into this fucking stunner of a woman? With the thought came more guilt, so I quickly shook it off. It didn’t matter. She was Wes’s younger sister, making her entirelyoff-limits. And even if that weren’t the case, nothing would come of what happened last night.
I couldn’t—wouldn’tgo down that road, not just with her but withanyone. Never again would I risk what happened before happening again.
Haley’s voice broke through the silence. “Can I, um…can I get you some coffee? Breakfast?”
“Oh, uh…” I looked at the clock on her nightstand, seeing that it was almost nine o’clock. “No. I should get going. Thank you, though. I’m just gonna…head back to the bar and get my car.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
We walked out of her room and down the hall. When we gotto the front door, she turned and looked at me. “Don’t you need to grab your car, too?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m going to head that way in a bit.”
I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. “Alright, well…” God, why was this so fucking awkward?
She smiled. “Uh…I guess I’ll see you around?”
“Yeah, yeah…I’m sure our paths will cross. Especially with the wedding. You’re one of Callie’s bridesmaids, right?”
She chuckled. “I am.”
I cleared my throat. “So, yeah. I’m sure we’ll see each other.” She nodded with another smile. “Alright, well I’m gonna…” I trailed off, gesturing toward her door before I turned and opened it, but before I stepped out, I looked back at her again. “Look, I’m sorry again about last night…not recognizing you. I feel like a dick.”
She smirked. “Don’t be sorry. Really, it’s fine. Plus…” She met my gaze. “Had you known, it more than likely wouldn’t have happened. And I can’t say that I regret it. I had fun.”
A small laugh left me. “Yeah…me too.” I held her stare for another moment. “See ya around.”
“See ya.”
I stepped out, closing the door behind me before I began my walk of shame back toward the bar. Alone, away from her and the distraction she’d provided, my head began to clutter with its usual thoughts.
And with them? A new added weight of guilt.
Chapter 8
I shutthe door after Blake walked out and leaned against it. My heart was pounding as I blew out a shaky breath and ran my fingers through my tousled hair.
Blake Pierson. My brother’s best friend. And my one-night stand.
Wes would lose his ever-loving mind if he ever found out. I couldn’t even imagine the firestorm—would he rage at Blake forunknowinglysleeping with his sister, or at me for deliberately betraying his trust by sleeping with his best friend?
In my defense, I genuinely thought he was just fucking with me last night. I hadn't seen him inthirteen years, but that seemed like the sort of thing Wes’s friend would do—the one I remembered, anyway.
Blake was always around when I was younger. He and Lucas grew up in the same gated community of Cliffside Village—the Piersons lived across the street from us. Wes, Blake, and Lucas were five years older than me and were practically brothers inevery sense of the word, except blood. And I remember how playful they were.
They were always messing with each other, pulling pranks. Lucas and Blake would tease me—not in a mean way, but in an honorary little sister way. And I can very distinctly remember a time when I was ten, trailing behind the three of them in our backyard, wanting to hang out, and they acted like they didn’t know who I was. They’d tried convincing me that they’d never met me before in their lives, and I must have woken up in some alternate universe and had mistaken them for someone else. I actually believed them for a solid five minutes, until they finally laughed and ran off, and my little legs were no match for their size and speed.
I never even considered that Blake didn’t remember me. I still felt every bit of the invisible girl in their orbit, just older. So imagine my surprise this morning when he didn’t end the game of pretending.
I dragged a hand down my face, a small bubble of laughter escaping me. Pushing off the door, I staggered down the hall to my kitchen. What else was I supposed to do other than laugh it off?
