My brows knit as I step closer, pressing the back of my hand to her forehead. “Can you feel your face? Are you numb anywhere?”
She blinks and I sigh in relief, lowering my hand.
“Say something!” I plead, flapping my hands.
“Sorry, I’m just… processing,” she says, stunned. “I mean, I thought you might be attracted to him, but—”
“There isn’t much to process. Anna’s older brother stuck his hand in me and used me as his own personal finger puppet.”
She drags me back into the sculpture room. “When? Where?” she whispers, eyes darting around.
I run her through all the dirty details of last night. By the time I’m finished, her jaw is tight and she throws me a worried look.
“Please tell me Anna doesn’t know.”
“Of course she doesn’t. I hardly think ringing her immediately after sucking her brother like a lollipop is appropriate,” I answer.
“Is this just going to be a one-time thing?” she asks, ignoring my sarcasm.
“Does the pope shit in his hat?”
“I have no idea whether the answer to that is yes or no.”
“Me neither. Probably no.” I check the time on my phone. “He’s invited me over tonight.”
She drags a hand down her face. “Gemma, I don’t really know what to say. This is—”
“Complicated. I know.” I nod.
“Is this really a good idea if you’re working together?” she asks, her voice gentle but concerned.
“We’re adults. We’ve set rules and will remain professional. And we agreed that once he returns to New York, it’ll be a clean break. No emotions, no attachments, no one gets hurt.”
She gives me a skeptical look. “Anna is your best friend, Gem. I’m worried about what it will do to your friendship if she finds out. She told you what happened with Nicole.”
April’s words slice through me. It’s nothing I haven’t already considered. And usually, I’d never go there with anyone if April or Anna told me not to. But Max isn’t justanyone. If I thought neither of us could hack the arrangement, I wouldn’t have agreed to it. Max views sex the same way I do—as something that doesn’t require commitment and can be just that—a physical release.
If we both follow the rules and conditions of our arrangement, then no one will get hurt in the process. He’ll go back home to his fancy office in New York, and I’ll stay here. It’s not like I need to worry about running into him at the local bookstore.
“We should be allowed to follow our desires. So long as no one else is affected, which they won’t be, then it’s something we can both walk away from unscathed.”
After a moment, April sighs and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I should be the last person lecturing you about who you should and shouldn’t be with. I slept with my ex-fiancé’s brother, for Pete’s sake.” She gives me a determined look. “If it feels good, enjoy it. As long as you both know what you’re doing. I won’t say anything to Anna, because I trust you. If you say this is nothing more, then I believe you. Just… if this goes wrong, then it could blow up spectacularly. Just be careful, okay? Please?”
“I appreciate it. Thanks, hon.” I pull her in for a tight squeeze.
“And be careful with your heart,” she murmurs into my hair. “I’d hate for you to get hurt.”
I scoff as we separate. “Me? I don’t think I’m the one you need to worry about.”
“You do know that Max doesn’t do relationships, right? Not since his divorce, anyway.”
“No one’s getting down on one knee. This is sex, April. A fuck-buddy arrangement with a two-month expiration date.”
She shudders. “This is a little disturbing. You’re both like family to me.”
“We love a taboo romance trope,” I say, nudging her playfully with my elbow.
A ghost of a smile paints her lips.
