“That’s the thing,we live together. What if it goes terribly wrong and then we’re stuck in this house for months?”
“What if it goes wonderfully right?”
“You can’t know that. You have no way to know if it’ll go well or not.”
I chuckled and adjusted her so our bodies had no inches between us. Her ass rested against my groin, her back on my chest. She snuggled deeper into me, and I adjusted the blankets so we were nice and cozy. “How many times have we grabbed food together?”
“Uh, a lot.”
“Yeah, and was it fine? Did you enjoy grabbing a sandwich at Reds or a burger at Freddys?”
She nodded. “Your point, Preston?”
“This wouldn’t be any different, except I get to touch you.”
Her breathing hitched. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered, her voice sad and filled with worry.
I hesitated. I didn’t like that sadness in her tone. “Doing what?”
“Crossing this line. We’re best friends, Preston.”
“We already crossed the line when I tasted you when you came. We’ve just avoided the line for a while, and now that you’re stuck here with me, we’re gonna talk about it.”
I ran a hand over her back and shoulder, then rested on her neck where her pulse raced. “We have chemistry and trust, two important things. I want to explore them.”
“If I say yes toone dateand then never want another, you’ll back off, and we’ll remain friends?”
I tried deciphering her hidden meaning, the real question she was asking. She wanted to remain friends. The idea of backing off pained me. “Sure.”
She spun around in my bed so she faced me. Her fingers grazed the side of my face, and she stared at me in the dark. I could barely see the outline of her lips, but her eyes were wide open. “I need to know you’ll always be friends with me. Even if this blows up, which it could, because I’m not dateable. But Ineed you to promise me you’ll still be my best friend no matter what.”
I chewed my lip and sighed, finally getting her worry. “You’re worried I’m going to leave you eventually.”
“Of course you will. What else will happen? We marry?” She laughed, the bitter, sad sound echoing in my room.
Her words stabbed me in the chest.
“I’m never getting married, Preston. You shouldn’t want to either, not with your parents divorcing. So yeah, eventually you’ll leave me. Why risk our friendship for that? Our friendship is so fun and easy.”
Fuck.
I thought I had her, but I could feel her pushing away. I could almost hear her mind swirling, holding onto our friendship because most people in her life let her down. I wanted to beat the odds and show her I wasn’t like them, but she had to agree to it. I wouldn’t force her.
“Are you telling me you still believe in love and marriage?” she asked, softly. “How?”
“Of course I do.” I took a second, taking a deep breath to settle my racing heart. The disappointment weighed me down. I foolishly thought she’d say yes and agree to one date, where I’d woo the fucking shit out of her, and we could take us being together step by step. I never thought I’d have to convince her like this. “I believe in finding your person, the one who knows the best and worst parts of you and loves you anyway. That’s what I’ve always wanted, having the person who gets you and supports you. I want a best friend inside and outside the bedroom, someone to match my freak, as you said, and someone to call me out when I’m being a shit. My parents were super happy when we were kids, and something changed, but that’s on them.” My voice cracked. “I hate that they’re tearing up our family, but I refuse to let that cloud my view on relationships.”
Jordan found my hand and intertwined our fingers, her breathing heavier than before. “You really are a romantic.”
“Yeah. I am.”
“I’m the opposite of romance, Charming. I’m not what you want or need. You need someone—” Her voice broke, and she stilled. “No one will ever be good enough for you.”
I kissed the back of her hand, letting go and adjusted her so there was a little space between us. “We should sleep. We got a shit ton of stuff to do tomorrow.”
“Yeah, right.” She cleared her throat and scooted closer to me. “Are we okay, Preston?”
Were we?
