I let my gaze drop to the pattern of the throw, tracing a loose thread with my fingertip. “We’re friends first. I don’t want any of that to change.”
Her face lit up with a warm, reassuring smile, and she pulled me into her side for a hug. “Look, babe. I love you. Nothing that happens with you and East will change that, okay? I promise.” She squeezed me tight before leaning back. “I’m not going anywhere. We’re besties.”
Relief loosened something inside me, and I sank deeper into the couch beside her, the night settling around us like a protective cocoon. For the first time since East’s lips had touched mine, I let myself breathe.
Maybe they didn’t see it as a big deal. Their family was tight (and big). Me? I had nobody now that Grams was gone, and even before that, I never had any siblings or extended family. Friends were precious. Especially friends like Sage. Losing any friends over a man … not an option. Even if he was great in bed, and had … potential.
Sage wiggled her eyebrows again. “So, dinner with East, huh? Bet you he either takes you somewhere nice. Steakhouse vibes. Big portions, leather booths, the works. Or he’ll take you somewhere for takeout.” She laughed. “I’m not sure that man knows how to take a girl out on a date.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You really think he’s a steakhouse guy? I’d vote for pizza. I’m never the girl who wants to go to a steakhouse.”
“We’ll see. East always surprises me. Underneath, he’s plotting. East doesn’t do anything halfway, especially not when it comes to people who matter.” She poked me in the side. “And you matter.”
Her words hit me harder than I expected. My stomach fluttered, a mix of excitement and nerves. That little worry gnawed at me—maybe I hadn’t mattered enough to my father for him to stay. Maybe I hadn’t mattered enough for Derek to treat me the way he should. Perhaps this whole thing with East was just a quick hookup.
“What if I say the wrong thing? Or it feels weird?”
“Then you shrug it off and order dessert,” she said firmly. “Chocolate fixes everything. Well, chocolate and wine, but I’m guessing he’ll spring for pie or cheesecake.”
I groaned, burying my face in the blanket. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’ve got a crush on my brother.” She grinned at me, sharp and playful, but her eyes were soft. “Don’t deny it, I can see it written all over your face. Or horny.” She held up a hand. “Gross.”
I pulled the blanket higher, pretending to hide. She tugged it down with a laugh.
“Fine,” I admitted, my voice muffled but honest. “I might have a little crush and be a tiny bit horny. God, I almost begged him to stay tonight.” I covered my facewith my hands in embarrassment. “He had to go home to be there for Maggie. I would have been a terrible person to ask.”
Sage clapped her hands together and leaned back triumphantly. “Called it. Oh, this is going to be fun. I get front-row seats to watch my best friend fall head over heels for my grumpy brother.”
I tried to glare at her, but the corners of my mouth betrayed me, curving into a smile.
23
Easton
The call came just after midnight.
I’d been upstairs in my old room at the farmhouse, lying across my old twin bed that no longer quite fit me, pretending to study a blueprint draft for a house remodel in Boise that Jett sent me. I wasn’t really reading anything. My mind kept drifting back to the taste of Lila’s pussy, and how her body had pressed against mine.
Dating … God help me.
The last time I’d been on a date was in high school, and that’d been an abject disaster. We’d been sort of going steady if that’s what you’d call it. She went to my baseball games and we’d kissed under the bleachers, but then one night she’d asked too many questions about being a foster kid, and I’d freaked out on her. She told all her friendsabout it, and that was the last time I’d thought about trying “dating.”
Since then, I kept things casual—just hookups and superficial meetups. But Lila? She wasn’t like that. She was special, and I couldn’t treat her as if she were anything less.
Still, leaving her there at her house and not staying the night had been one of the hardest things I’d ever done. Maybe we could have gone for another round. Just thinking about it made me hard. Lila had been everything I had imagined, all soft and pink. Her moans were sweeter than anything I could have dreamed.
When my phone buzzed against the nightstand, I grabbed it quickly, not wanting to wake Maggie. Wade’s name lit the screen.
“Yeah?”
His voice was clipped, urgent. “East, you need to get down here. It’s Lila’s place. House fire.”
I shot upright, blood already roaring in my ears. “What?”
“Neighbors called it in a few minutes ago. Engines are already on scene. I’m heading there now. Thought you’d want to know.”
“Yeah, I want to know. Fuck. I’m on my way. Thanks for the call.”
