“That’s fucked up, Logan!” She chokes out. “I should have told you to stop!”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because I didn’t want to.” She covers her face with her hands. “I don’t know . . . It just—it made everything so much hotter. But now that it’s over . . . He’s never going to look at me the same again.”
I kneel in front of her, and she props herself up on her elbows to stare me down, waiting for answers. I place a palm on each of her thighs, spreading them. “I respect you. Casper respects you. If he cared he would have flinched when he saw us.” I press my lips to the inside of her thigh, placing a kiss to the tender flesh, then repeat the movement on the other side. “He’s never going to mention it.”
I know that look, she’s overthinking, half present in her head. She needs to be anchored.
“Hey, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.” Her glassy eyes refocus on me. “Don’t turn what we just did into something ugly. You trusted me enough. You were honest with your body and emotions. You surrendered—and your surrender was beautiful. You are the most powerful woman I know. Never feel ashamed of what you want.”
She nods, a small smile replacing the worry and unease that lingered in her gaze moments ago. I stand and lean forward, capturing her mouth. Her hand snakes behind my neck and brings me closer.That’s my girl.
“One more thing . . .”
She stares back, with swollen, parted lips. God, she’s gorgeous.
“Saturday night, you’re mine. Frankie is going to reschedule anything on our calendars after five p.m.”
She smiles wider.
“You deserve a night to be spoiled.”
After all the bullshit with the flowers, I realize Kelly and I need a break. To be alone. Together. We need a night to forget all this shit. I need the distraction and so does she.
“It’s so great to see you again!” I say, hugging Rosa at the hotel bar. The upscale bar is sequestered off the hotel lobby and below a large crystal chandelier. The lounge is swathed in gold and amber hues. Small clusters of upholstered high-back chairs and low tables are spread out across the space.
“Same!” We snag one of the intimate seating areas for ourselves, sitting side by side and leaving the love seat across from us empty.
The hostess drops off a couple of drink menus and announces their specials. We smile and nod until she departs. “What are you thinking of ordering?” I ask. “The cocktails look amazing.”
She taps her red fingernail to her chin while flipping one of the pages on the menu. Then claps it shut. “Ketel One martini with ten olives. You?”
I’ve become more familiar with bourbon, thanks to Logan, the smell especially, and I think tonight calls for something strong. “That old-fashioned is looking pretty good,” I say, closing the book and setting it on top of hers next to the small lit tealight on the table. Our server shows up right at that moment, and we place our orders. Service is speedy.
A buzzing noise has Rosa pulling her phone from her wristlet. “Logan just texted me,” she says, chuckling. “The package . . . is . . . secure . . .” she mutters, tapping a message back out. “Hydration . . . en route.”
I wince and cover my eyes with one hand. “Ugh, I’m so sorry about that!”
“As long as you’re fine with it, I’m fine with it,” she says, shrugging. “Wanna tell me more about what’s going on, though?”
When I texted Rosa to ask if it was okay to give Logan her number, she was a bit apprehensive at first and wanted to make sure she wasn’t enabling a controlling boyfriend. The optics aren’t great, but he wanted to cover all his bases in case he was unable to reach me for whatever reason.
I reassured her this was a special circumstance. It’s a little like being babysat, but I’d have agreed to any concessions as long as it got me out of the house. Thankfully, Rosa was very understanding, and I kinda love that she’s giving him some shit about it; it makes the whole thing feel less crazy.
I sigh. “Yeah, it’s a long story, so strap in.”
I give her the rundown of everything that has happened thus far, right up to the stupid roses that may or may not have something to do with this? When I tried prying him for more information, he seemed to let it go. Who fucking knows.
“Wait, so you have no idea if the flowers are even part of this?”
I shake my head. “The flower delivery is an anomaly. I told Logan it was simply a mix-up. The message didn’t match the others—it didn’t even make sense! We’re not married! I have a feeling the wrong card got put on the wrong bouquet and they sent them out for delivery.”
“What about your ex? He gave you roses too, right?”
Our server shows up with our drinks, and I accept mine with a smile, taking a healthy gulp. I nod to Rosa. “Yeah. That’s another issue. Logan seems to think Jason is behind all of this.”
“Do you have any reason to doubt him?”
