“Sorry.”
“No. No need to apologize. Two years with no Patrón is a small price to pay for…” Kate dismissively waves her hand in the air. “Fuck that, it sucks. I’m going to have to live vicariously through you again, so let’s move on to the fun stuff. How big is his dick?”
I blink slowly, sure that my dear, sweet friend did not just ask me that. I glance toward the stairs to make sure that Jake hasn’t strolled down for a glass of water, and then to the back door to see that neither Jack nor Miles heard from out on the patio. I suck back my entire drink. The tequila burns, and the grapefruit juice pulls my lips into a serious pucker.
I choke out, “What?”
“Come on, Chloe. The man has been all up in your plumbing, hasn’t he?”
“Don’t be silly, Kate. No. Just my actual plumbing.” My right shoulder pops in a shrug. “He’s nice. He just…” My gaze drifts to where he sits outside with Jack. His profile lit by the soft glow of the streetlights behind him. I love that they’re talking, getting to know each other. Miles has done a lot for me. The way he’s connected with Jake. How he takes care of the little things that, to me, would be huge. “He’s a friend.”
“A friend you should totally get naked with. I mean, did you see him in those tiny shorts he was wearing earlier? They barely fit around his thighs, and they sure as hell didn’t do much to hide what he’s packing.” She laughs.
There’s nothing I can say to that; she’s not wrong. Miles has strong, thick thighs and muscle padding his shoulders and chest. His back tapers in a V that’s quite possibly the most delicious thing I’ve ever seen. It might even be better than the V cut into his hips, but I only caught a hint of that one.
“Chloe? You have?—”
“Nope,” I tell her crisply.
“Sweetie, I thought you said you were ready. Did something happen to change your mind?” Kate does her best to lean toward me, but she ends up flopping back into the corner of the couch, her hand on her bitty baby bump.
A loud crack sounds as I bite down on an ice cube, my head tilting side to side. “No. It’s just been a really long time, you know? And, I’ve totally been a one-man woman.”
“Right,” Kate says, nodding. “But you want to, right? The opportunity has presented itself.”
“It has.”
Jack throws his head back laughing and Miles turns, catching my eye as he smirks.
“And you’re ready otherwise? Aside from the nerves about getting back on the horse?”
My brows pop high, and I purse my lips. Miles mimics my expression, and when my gaze flits back to Kate, I don’t miss the approving look from Jack.
Light from the screen of Kate’s phone casts a soft glow as she taps at the screen. “There. You have a waxing appointment in the morning. We’ll take Jake to get doughnuts to celebrate before we hit the road.” She taps her screen and then drops her phone to her lap as mine buzzes on the coffee table.
“What the hell, Kate?” I say, glancing at the notification. “Puss ’n’ Pits? You scheduled a Brazilian for me at a place called Puss ’n’ Pits?”
She pushes to her feet and stretches. “It has great reviews. I’m sure it’ll be fine, but life’s an adventure, right? How bad can it be?” She snickers as the guys come through the door. “I’m exhausted from growing your spawn. Will you take me to bed?” she asks Jack, batting her lashes.
Jack wastes no time getting to his wife. He threads his fingers through her hair and cups her face reverently. “I would love nothing more,” he says, before kissing her soundly,almost embarrassingly. But when Jack fell in love, he fell wholeheartedly. “Miles, it was great talking with you. Chloe, we’ll see you in the morning.” He shakes hands with Miles and hugs me tight, whispering, “He’s a good guy.”
Miles and I watch the couple climb the stairs, leaving us alone.
“How was your interrogation?” I ask, leading Miles away from the foot of the stairs.
He steps into my space, crowding me. “I’ve been through worse, but I’m pretty sure I at least improved on my first impression.” His fingers ghost along my skin as he pushes one of my curls off my forehead.
I want him to kiss me. The quick peck this afternoon is not enough.
Miles dips his head, but instead of his lips brushing mine, he sighs. “I think I owe you an apology.”
“Why?” That’s generally one of those phrases that doesn’t lead to good things, like “It’s not you, it’s me,” or “We should talk.”
He bites his bottom lip and stares past me mumbling, “Jesus, this is embarrassing.” Finally, he meets my eyes. “I might have screwed up when I fixed your shower. I… uh, shouldn’t have assumed that I could just swap out the type of shower fixture without asking. I didn’t realize that?—”
“Stop.”He is not bringing this up again.
“People can be very… attached to?—”
