“Oh, we’re gonna have fun,” I say. Then I search her face, more somber now. “Thank you. For being so cool.”
“You’re welcome.”
She shifts again, leaning back against the couch and scooting in closer. She wraps her arm around mine and lays her head on my shoulder. “P.S., I don’t know if you’ve seen this place, but I hear there’s a hot tub and a pool on the balcony.”
I chuckle. “Oh, yeah? You excited about that?”
She nods. “Mhm. Heard the guy that lives here is about to become a billionaire. Some big shot.”
I shake my head, my chest warming.
“He’s hot too,” she adds.
“Is he?”
“Yeah. And you want to know the best part?” She looks up at me with a tender smile, eyes soft, that deep stare that always pulls me in.
“What’s the best part?” I ask, my voice rough.
“He’s one of the best people I know.”
It hits me somewhere I’m not prepared for. Not my ego. Not my pride. Somewhere deeper. Somewhere I can’t quite place.
I’ve been so caught up in logistics. In guilt. In worrying that I’m ruining her life, dragging her into my mess. And with one simple sentence, she releases something heavy I didn’t even realize I was carrying.
Maybe I’m not a shitty person for doing this to her.
My lips twitch, and I pull her closer, my arm settling around her shoulders. My pulse climbs into my throat, and I take a slow, shaky breath, letting myself lean into her.
The hard-on?
That’s nothing. Manageable. Temporary. Something I can deal with behind closed doors.
But this right here?
Having her relaxed against me, choosing me even when I’ve been acting selfishly.
That’s the real problem.
Because my body is reacting in ways it hasn’t in a long time.
Not since the last time she was here.
And it’s way too soon to be feeling this fucked.
Chapter Twenty-Four
JORDAN
I startle awaketo my least favorite sound as it blares through the room. I blindly smack at my nightstand for my phone.
Where is it?
My fingers fumble across the surface a few seconds longer before I let out a frustrated breath and push my sleep mask up. I blink, letting my eyes adjust to the dark.
Oh yeah.
I’m at Matt’s.
