That didn’t seem right at all. Good music was good music. Good sex was good sex. Bad music was like… Well, the point was easy enough.
Except, being up on stage with him had left her hot and bothered and holding her thighs together a little tighter to make the ache dissolve. So maybe…
“In my experience.” Linx rubbed the pad of his thumb along his lower lip. “Yeah.”
“Have you considered that you may be having sex with the wrong people?” Becca asked, as though they were in a therapy session and it was her task to help him see reality instead of his self-created illusion.
She realized what she’d said. Her heart paused.God, no.
Life vacations did not include questions like that. They were not in session. He was definitely not a patient. And that was a horribly inappropriate comment. Heat spread along her cheekbones.
Linx scrunched his face all up.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He nodded. “That’s probable. The sex with the wrong people thing.”
Oh. Okay.
Velma’s mouth opened the slightest bit.
“Guess I’ll just have to keep looking for the right person.” Linx tapped along to the beat of the current song the band played. “Can’t fail as long as I’m still trying.” He grinned like the rock star he was. “What was it Master Yoda said? ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’”
“Did you just quote Star Wars to my friend about your sex life?” Velma asked.
“I did.” Linx nodded.
Velma’s phone buzzed on the table. She grabbed it. “Crud. Babysitter calls.” She tossed an extremely pointed glance at Linx. “Please be careful with her.” Phone in hand, she shook her head and scooted between the throng of the crowd in the general direction of her husband.
Becca guessed they were going to discuss their opinions about what had just happened.
“Becca.” Linx turned so he was face to face with her. “Tell me about yourself.”
“Um…” She slid a sideways glance to her friends. Friends who were pointedly attempting to appear as though they weren’t listening. Becca knew their number, though. They were 100 percent eavesdropping.
“You want to hear about me?” she asked. Repeating his question bought her time, but she didn’t know which parts to divulge. There were many facets of a person. Which ones should she share?
“I do.” He leaned so close they shared the same breath of air.
He smelled of warm oak and earth. Comfort.
Odd, given who he was and what he stood for: a man who lived the rock star life. That should be exciting, thrilling, taboo. Not…soothing.
But Linx was exceptionally calming. Like a lavender-scented bubble bath with a glass of pinot noir and a bar of high-quality milk chocolate. That Tony’s Chocolonely that was her go to when she needed to re-center herself.
Linx wasn’t letting her off the hook. He just stood there, patiently waiting for her response. So she told him about herself. The abbreviated version, anyway. He didn’t need to know about her lack of luck in love or her inability to cultivate her own long-term relationships because the men she picked all seemed to have excessive baggage and used her more as a counselor than a girlfriend. Nope, she didn’t say any of that. Instead, she focused on her job and her family.
“I needed a break from my life. A minute to catch my breath and figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Home seems like a good place to do that. Better than my office in Portland.”
“After you get sorted, then you’ll go back?”
“Maybe.” Becca had submitted her resignation, but the practice encouraged a long, self-care sabbatical instead. When—if—she was ready to return, they assured they’d welcome her with open arms.
They’d even offered a few alternatives to the overwhelming number of in-person sessions on her schedule.
She figured distance would give her time to plan the next steps in her life. Deep down, she didn’t want those steps to lead her back to Portland. The idea made her belly ache.
Sure, she cared about her patients and their well-being, but she couldn’t turn off caring when the session was done, and her work seemed to follow her everywhere. There was no balance. That’s why counseling held about as much appeal as reading the DSM-5 for fun.
