Archer’s beam is enough to power Brooklyn, and I’m tempted to slap my hand back over his grin.
“Has anything happened between you two?”
The faintest hint of nutmeg wraps around me. It would’ve been so easy to seal my mouth over Billie’s that first night in her apartment, just to see if she’d kiss me right back. Whenever I’m around her, the urge to be reckless with my heart and body grows stronger. I’m desperate for this girl in every way possible, my willpower dangling by a thread.
Shoving away temptation, I shake my head at Archer. “Of course not, and it never will either. What started out as a good friendship has turned confusing since she returned from college in February. I should’ve kept my distance, but circumstances keep bringing us back together, and …” I massage my temples, attempting to alleviate the stress headache building behind them.
“And you went and caught feelings.”
“I haven’t got feelings for her.” My answer is immediate and a lie, even if I’m standing here, trying my hardest to deny it.
Archer looks doubtful. “Okay, Emmett. Whatever you say. Because if it was a case of banging her, then you’d definitely be staring at your phone, and you’ddefinitelybe this relaxed about it all.”
“I just got a divorce,” I grind out.
“And I just told you that the best things in life come at you when you least expect them.”
I grab my wash bag, throwing my arms out to the sides. “Nothing about this situation is good.”
Guilt slams into me. Everything about Billie is good. Whenever I’m around her, I feel good, happy, at peace. I feel like I’m in my early twenties, not taking life too seriously. Even after our awkward exchange, we still ate pineapple pizza together and laughed over the loose cupboard doors and the flickering light in the fridge.
She’s freaking perfect.
My eyes drop to the floor, and I close them slowly.
“Everything about her is flawless. What’s not ideal is our circumstances.”
Archer’s hand lands on my shoulder. Even though he’s several years younger than me, it feels like he’s the experienced one in life.
“Then you have your answer …”
He pauses just long enough for acid to rise up my throat.
“Despite your attraction, it isn’t worth the collateral damage it would do to your life if her family ever found out that you were sleeping together.”
A protest is right on the tip of my tongue, begging to be voiced.
It would be worth the damage. She’s already dismantling me. Piece by piece.
“You’re an NHL star and almost as good-looking as me.” He grins. “If it’s sex you’re after or even the feeling of being close to someone, then go on a few dates. There are plenty of other ways to scratch an itch without risking long-term friendships and …” Archer presses his lips together, hand squeezing around my shoulder. “Imagine Maria’s reaction if she found out that you were sleeping with her best friend’s daughter. I don’t know Maria that well, but from what I’ve worked out over the years, she isn’t the type of woman who would go away quietly.”
He’s right about Maria, but wrong over Billie being an itch toscratch. I could never get enough of her, and that right there is going to be the death of me.
I swallow down more obsessive thoughts about the redhead I can never have. “Sawyer advised me to keep my distance a few weeks back, and that’s exactly what I told her. I made it clear that we could never go there.”
Archer nods. “Listen to Sawyer, and you won’t take a wrong turn.”
Reaching over to my bag and pulling out my phone, I reopen the text thread with Scott, pausing to look up at Archer. “If I decline the invitation to this dinner, it’ll be obvious that something is off.”
Archer just shrugs. “Then don’t. Reply, confirming that you’ll be there, and then play the greatest game of poker you’ve ever played. If this girl …” He trails off, realizing that I never gave him her name.
Go big or go home, I guess.
“Billie,” I confirm.
He gives me a single nod. He met her once at a game before she went to college, but in typical Archer fashion, he probably can’t recall who she was, likely too busy with the girls in his lap.
“And if this girl tries to tempt and get all sexy with you, then you need to shut that shit down. I’m telling you, Emmett, if this truly isn’t about feelings and it’s more about your dick and its lack of action lately, then no girl—runway-model hot or not—is worth losing your mind over.”
