What the actual fuck? I present the screen to Bryn.
“Does this mean our app sucks? I think this means our app sucks. Or hopefullyIjust suck at love. I’d be much happier to accept that than the alternative.”
Bryn bites her lip and does the tummy rub thing again. “It means love is complicated. Who knows what happened. Maybe he freaked out at the last minute, or he met someone in real life. Speaking of which…Holly…I want to talk to you a bit more about Cole. I wasn’t as surprised as you thought I’d be when you told me about what happened with him. I saw you guys at the tea shop last weekend, and there was something between you.”
“The zip,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I told you as much.”
“But the zip is pretty rare… Don’t you think you should maybe see where it leads?”
My mind flashes on an image of Cole’s mouth, of those arms he keeps hidden beneath his shirts now that it’s fall.
“Wait,” I say slowly as the image sends a blossoming heat through my body. “Do you mean that I should have, like, an enemies-with-benefits thing going with him? Like maybe I should enjoy the zip and not worry about catching feelings?”
She frowns and does another tummy rub. “No, I’m fairly certain that isn’t what I said.”
“We both know Cole isn’t interested in having a relationship. He hasn’t gone on more than a couple of dates with the same woman since Millie died.”
I feel a familiar burn in my throat.
“Maybe that’s because he hasn’t found the right woman,” she says, giving me a significant look.
But it’s ludicrous to think he’d considermethe right woman. The only thing he seems to like about my mouth is kissing it.
Kissing.
Hell. I want to do more than kiss him. I want to feel him inside of me. I want to come on his tongue.
Enemies with benefits.
My mind has caught on to the idea, and it likes it quite a bit. Because I have wanted Cole Garrison for over fifteen years, and it would mean that I get to have him.
Keep emotions out of it.
I can do that.
In fact, I excel at it.
* * *
“I don’t like this,” Rowan says, rubbing his whiskers. He’s watching me work on Jane’s computer on the oversized dining room table. We’ve sort of made it a way station since we’re not the dinner party types, and it always has at least half a dozen random things on it.
I snort-laugh while I work. “Yes, you made your thoughts on my special project very clear when you willingly went over to Nana’s last night to help her humiliate Tina’s friend. Congratulations, by the way.”
He makes a face. “I didn’t go over because of the chair. Or just to get away from you. I was trying to put a bug in her ear.”
This interests me, and I set down my tools and glance at him. “I assume you mean that metaphorically? Or did you find a new, interesting way to torment her?”
He grins a little, like he’s trying to suppress the wattage of his smile and doing a shitty job. “The first.”
“And what kind of bug was it?”
He does another pass over his whiskers, his eyes getting shrewd. I know this face. He’s going to try to pull one over me.
“I’ll tell you if you tell me what your plan is for this computer.”
I sigh, reaching for a slim screwdriver and rolling it back and forth between my hands. “I told you, it’s for Cole’s daughter. But I won’t lie to you. I’ve decided to fuck him.”
His hand drops and he glares at me. “Jesus, Holly. Why would you say a thing like that?”
