“Don’t say that. It’s not true.”
“It is true. Your dad blamed his lack of business acumen on you and cut you loose. And you took it, shouldered it all. Then you started again. That takes courage.”
Her words are like lines on a ship, fixing me to her shore. Keeping me close. Safe.
“No, that was Ed. If it hadn’t been for him, I never would have started Portis. I would be working in a bank somewhere.”
She looks at me as if she can’t quite believe what I just said. “You pickedyourselfup and went and got yourself a job. I would have been in a ditch with a bottle of wine. Ed didn’t do you a favor by asking you to go into business with him. Ed is a great guy, but he’s no dummy. There’s no way he’d have suggested going into business with some worthless dropout who sinks businesses. He knew you were smart, self-motivated, and trustworthy.”
“I know, but he took a chance on me,” I say.
“Of course he did. But he didn’t do it out of pity or charity. He did it because he knew you’d be a good fit for each other. And you know what? You deserve credit for saying yes. Because if what happened to you had happened to me, I don’t think I would have trusted anyone enough to make me a Big Mac and fries, let alone run a business with me. Kudos for taking a chance.”
Her words echo inside me, filling up all my empty spaces. She sees things through fresh eyes. I’ve always thought of Ed as someone who saved me. But Lucy is right. I’ve learned a lot about Ed since going into business with him. He’s not a guy who makes business decisions from a place of emotion. I think he did believe in me. Maybe he knew I’d shoulder the burden when he decided to take a step back.
“I like the way you see the world,” I say.
“Oh, I don’t know. I was ready to write you off the first time I ever saw you. I can jump to conclusions.”
Despite all the emotion running through my body, I manage to laugh. “You were protecting your sister’s happiness. You’re very good at doing that.”
She smiles. “Thank you.” She slides her hands up my thighs, and the air between us goes electric. “You know what else I’m good at?”
If we weren’t in a bar full of people, I’d spin her around, yank down her jeans, and be balls deep into her before she had a chance to tell me.
“Let’s get out of here,” I say, pulling out my wallet.
“Great idea.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lucy
Every minute I spend with Hunter, I like him more. He’s not the man I thought he was when we were first introduced. He’s not even the man I thought he was before our date tonight. He’s sweet and sensitive and underestimates himself. And I want him all to myself.
“We didn’t eat,” I say as we tumble into his apartment.
“You’re right,” he says. “I’m going to have to feast on you.”
He has such a dirty mouth, but it’s never too much. He always knows exactly what to say when.
He catches my wrist as I walk by him, and he pulls me back to him. “Take off your jeans,” he hisses. “Right now. I want to see you in nothing but that white T-shirt that’s been driving me wild all night.”
I glance down at my plain white tee. “This?” I pull at it. His eyes flare, like I’m in crotchless panties and pasties. I shift from foot to foot under his gaze and get an idea. If he likes the T-shirt, he’s going to like it a lot more if I deaccessorize.
“I’ll meet you in the bedroom,” I say, cocking my head in a way that says,Please, I’ll make it worth your while.
He holds my gaze, starts to undo the buttons of his shirt, then backs toward the bedroom.
Working quickly, I pull down my jeans, slip off my panties, then unsnap my bra and pull it off while keeping my T-shirt on. The T-shirt is fairly long, and if I were wearing panties, it wouldn’t show them.
I scamper across the living space and into the bedroom. Hunter’s on the bed, naked. Just how I wanted him.
“Hey,” I say, leaning against the doorframe, the T-shirt riding up. I’m not sure if he can see I’m not wearing panties, but he’s craning his neck trying to figure it out.
He’s left his clothes strewn on the floor, clearly eager to be naked as soon as possible. I spin around so I have my back to him and, keeping my legs straight, I bend to pick up his shirt. “Honey, you dropped something.” The cool air against my pussy tells me he can definitely see everything now.
“Fuck, Lucy,” Hunter spits. “That T-shirt should be illegal.”
