“Huh?” I followed her eyes as she glanced over at the chick I’d just been tongue-wrestling—she was there, talking with some other girls, who were stealing glances my way. I recognized her tats and her tits, but that was about it. So maybe I could pick those out of alineup.
“Candace?” Elle said, her gray eyes scanning me. “Summer’s cousin? From New York?” She frowned. “Is any of this ringing a bell withyou?”
Not really. Though that did explain why she kinda lookedfamiliar.
“So?”
“So… maybe you remember her from such events as Thanksgiving dinner lastyear?”
I just stared at Elle, blankly. It was kinda coming back to me now… But who cared? Summer was hardly gonna give a shit I’d made out with her cousin. She never gave a shit who I hooked upwith.
“If you don’t remember her,” Elle went on, “maybe you remember her husband? Or theirson?”
Oh.
I shrugged. Wasn’t exactly my fault the girl was married and didn’t give a fuck about it. I didn’t make a practice of screwing around with married chicks, but she didn’t exactly shove her wedding ring in my face when she had her hand down mypants.
Elle sighed. She had one hand, maybe unconsciously, pressed flat to her stomach. Holding her baby; like she was soothing it. Protecting it from the ugly scene in front ofher.
I swiped my beer bottle from the ledge, where I’d placed it to free up my hands so I could squeeze that chick’s tits, and tipped it at Elle. “Have a good one.” Then I started to walkaway.
“Hey,” Elle said, stepping into my path. I stopped short, not quite bumping into her. She peered up at me. “Can wetalk?”
“Nope. Not if you’re gonna lecture me on where I put mydick.”
She winced a little. “I’m not. Let’s just sit down,okay?”
She looked weary; I noticed that now. Under her makeup, the delicate skin under her eyes looked a bit dark. She looked fragile,vulnerable.
Pregnant.
“Fine.” I turned abruptly and dropped onto the bench against the wall. The one I’d briefly considered screwing Summer’s married cousin on. I sank some beer and stared straight ahead at the bodies writhing on the dance floor as Elle sat down next tome.
“I know this may not be the best time to say this…” She trailed off, and I looked over at her. She was sitting at a slant, facing me, her gaze intent on my face. Her eyebrows had pinched together a bit. “It’s just… with everything that’s going on, I’m not sure when I’ll get another chance. I’ve got some obligations down in L.A., and after that Seth and I are going back to Hawaii for a bit. Taking a bit of time together, you know, without the media circus all over us, before Dirty gets together to finish thealbum.”
“Great,” I said, automatically. “Sounds like you guys have it all workedout.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Ash. I just… I want to say I’m sorry. If I hurt you. I hope you know that was never my intention. I definitely didn’t mean to. I just didn’tthink—”
“It’s fine,” I said. “We’re friends. That’s all we ever were,right?”
“Wearefriends,” she said. “And I hope we’re always going to be. I care about you, Ash. You knowthat.”
“Yup.” I took a swig of my beer, holding her gaze. “‘Friends forever,’right?”
Friendsforever.
That’s what she’d said to me, all fucking sarcasm, just before I rammed my dick into her for the first time. The night of Jesse’s wedding. When I’d—stupidly—offered to fuck her to help her get over him. When I’d insisted that we stay friends, and not fuck with the friendship if wefucked.
Clearly, she remembered thatmoment.
Her mouth twisted a little as she bit her lip. I could see the concern in her eyes, and all I wanted to do was run fromit.
“Don’t worry about it,” I told her. “You win some, you lose some,right?”
“Ash—”
“Seriously. I’m happy for you. That baby’s gonna be hella cute. And Seth’s back with Dirty. It’s all good. I’ve got women lined up around the block, right?” I punctuated that with a swig of beer and gestured vaguely at the packed bar. “Who’scomplaining?”
