It was true.
She was in love with Nico, but she didn’t want him to know that. She didn’t want to screw things up because what they had was a good thing. They were friends, and they enjoyed one another’s company. Not to mention, they were explosive together even though they pretended their sexual encounters were entirely accidental. Stevie didn’t want to lose that.
She’d been a spectator during his relationship with Melanie. No way did she want that to happen to them. Stevie knew Nico had loved Melanie. Maybe not the forever kind of love because there were things he never told her. Things about himself that Stevie knew because not only had she been part of it, but also because Nico trusted her.
Deep down, Stevie wanted the sort of happily ever after that was found in romance books, but Nico could never be that man. He needed something she was incapable of giving him. Something that Stone Jameson had introduced him to, and he’d been forever altered by. Stevie understood that because the same thing had happened to her.
That didn’t mean Stone’s reappearance was a sign they could pick up where they left off. She’d changed. She was no longer the love-struck girl who would follow Stone around like a puppy, craving whatever he was willing to give her. And no, maybe he hadn’t treated her like she was a toy he could pull out and play with whenever the thrill struck, but she’d convinced herself he had. It had been her way of coping with the loss.
Sure, the idea of being with Stone made her blood pump faster than it had in years, but she wanted more than that. Maybe there was a chance she could find herself sandwiched between Nico and Stone one more time, but where would that get her? It certainly wouldn’t lead to a promise of more. Until she found someone capable of making that promise, she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her heart.
Not even for the two men who would forever hold pieces of it.
Four hours later, Stevie was in her office, her full attention on handling the month’s receivables, when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” she said without looking up.
“I’m gonna run to lunch. Want me to get you anything?” Tara Chadwell, the best receptionist on the face of the planet, said.
“No. Thanks, though.”
“I turned on the answering service so you won’t be interrupted.”
This time, Stevie did look up. She smiled. “What in the world would I do without you?”
“Hopefully, you’ll never have to find out.”
No truer words had ever been spoken.
“Have a good lunch.”
Tara flashed a smile and pulled the door closed.
Stevie turned her attention back to her computer. She pulled up her notes app and jotted down a reminder to check on payroll options for the new year. Tara deserved a raise and it wasn’t because Stevie was currently strapped in tight on an emotional roller coaster that had started at the diner. No, Tara deserved a raise because that woman was sometimes Stevie’s saving grace.
Tara had worked for them for nearly two years, shortly after she received her associate degree from Austin Community College. Tara had answered their ad on Indeed, one of at least a dozen applicants interested in the receptionist role. Nothing about her résumé had stood out necessarily, but the moment Stevie met her, she knew she was the one. It was as though the woman had a light shining from within. Even on the darkest days, she had a way of putting a smile on Stevie’s face without even trying.
Tara had proven her worth, taking on more and more responsibilities over the years, and now they all relied on her. The woman never asked for anything, which was why Stevie tried to do whatever she could to show her she was valued.
After jotting down her thoughts, Stevie closed the notes app and got back to work.
Several minutes later, another knock sounded.
So much for not being interrupted.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Nico appeared.
“Hey.” She sat up straight, turning her chair to face him. “What’s up?”
Jäger—yes, that was the name she was officially giving him—trotted in and made a beeline for the small fluffy bed Stevie had gotten him. She’d placed it in the corner so he could sleep in peace, but it was the little toys she’d tossed in it that he was concerned with now.
Nico closed the door behind him, and she knew something was wrong. He never did that.
“The other day in the shower…”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, an image of him standing over her, his cock tunneling in and out of her mouth, flashed in her head. For the past two nights, she’d tossed and turned in her bed, squeezing her thighs together to stave off the need. She fought the urge to slip into his room and join him in that big bed of his. She told herself it was only because he was capable of delivering mind-altering orgasms, but she knew better. She wanted those, yes. But she also wanted what came after. For him to hold her in his arms, keeping her warm and making her feel safe.
