Page 38 of Next to You

“It’s you.” I blurted.

“What?” Curiosity shone in her eyes. She inhaled a sharp breath, holding it as she waited for my answer.

“In the bathroom, when we were joking around about our relationship flaws, I left something out.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Tell me. I won’t judge you. This is a safe space.” Her smile was as kind as it was beautiful. I knew right then I could tell her anything.

“I’m not romantic,” I confessed. “Not one bit. I’ve been called cold. Good at orgasms and bad the romance.”

“Noooooo. I don’t believe that.” She slapped a hand on the countertop. “The hell you say.”

“I’d given up. New Year’s Eve last year didn’t go well. We broke up for petty reasons not even worth mentioning, and that was it. The next day, I went to the shelter down in Sweetbriar and got a dog for company. I don’t like living alone, and I was done trying to find someone to be with; it was going to be just him and me. We go for slow jogs every morning; he loves watching football with me, and yeah, he’s great.”

Her head jerked back on her neck. I’d surprised her. “No shit?”

“None. Zero shit.”

“Where is he? Is he okay?”

“Yeah, Tucker—brother number three—picked him up for me. He’s hanging at his place with him and his kids until I get back home. He loves kids.”

“Okay, good. I was thinking of getting a dog for the same reason—I’m supposed to be on a man-ban, but clearly—” She gestured to me, then back to herself, then around the room with a wave of her hand. “I’m not good at sticking to any sort of rules. Anyway, I also thought about getting a cat but couldn’t decide, so I got some fish. I have a big-ass aquarium in my living room.”

“That’s cool.”

One of the things I liked best about Lucy was how we could talk about anything. Jumping from subject to subject, serious or not, without missing a beat.

“It really isn’t. Fish are boring as hell. You’d better stir that pasta, Spencer.”

“Oh yeah.” I turned back to the pot. Luckily, it was not stuck together too badly and was ready to drain. I dumped it in the colander and gave her a smile while I was at it.

“What’s your dog’s name?”

“Larry. He’s a Newfoundland. He might be bigger than you are.”

“Hey, just like my Larry the Llama stories!”

“Yeah, I named him after your Larry. Tucker’s kids love your books.”

I paused, taking in the way her face was lit up, and my heart jerked in my chest. “Damn, Lucy,” I whispered through yet another subject change. “I want to kiss you so bad right now. But if I do, I’ll never be able to stop.”

She leaned forward across the counter. “Why would we have to stop? I understood your reasoning on the first day. You’re so sweet. And respectful and protective, and—okay, I’ll stop gettingsidetracked by listing all your awesome qualities. You didn’t want to take advantage of me. But it’s different now. You know it wouldn’t be taking advantage, right?”

“It’s because we don’t have any protection here.”

“Huh?” Her brows dropped down in confusion.

“Condoms, Lucy. I kept a box in the bathroom cabinet, and they’re gone. Believe me, my brothers will hear about it when I get back.”

Her eyes widened and she flopped back in her stool as the realization that now we were bound to our agreement and couldn’t change our minds hit her.

“Well, damn. Okay. Crap, this changes things. I mean, I wasn’t going to try to tempt you on purpose. But I admit, I was halfway hoping you’d change your mind.”

“I have to be honest with you. I changed my mind when I went looking for the condoms. Or at least I was more open to seeing where things between us could go. And for the record, I didn’t expect sex from you, but I also didn’t want to, uh, get something going and not have the option if the need arose.”

She huffed out a disgruntled breath. “Maybe I’ll join you whenever you have a chat with your brothers. I’m not on the pill or anything. I’ve been tested and all that, but—how sad for us. We deserve so much pity right now.”

“We need one of your silver linings,” I said. “We have the pasta? Speaking of—” I added butter, a bit of olive oil, some seasonings, and minced garlic to the pan heating on the stove. “It’s the fourth best thing after sex,” I informed her as I stirred.

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