Page 73 of Nothing to No One

“The sun which my world revolves around?”

“Not about us, Skippy. About them.”

The guy smiled and tossed an arm around his woman. “Bambi Bennett,” he said. “I’d say ‘I assume’ but I know who you are.”

“Right, right. Yes.” Roxie patted the guy’s stomach. “This is Z. Zairn, my Zairn.”

“How many Zairns are there?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Don’t you and Tripp know everyone between you? Count them.”

“You’re engaged.” Man, she was slow. “You’re her—”

“My Casanova.” Roxie rested her head against him for a brief second.

“I’ll get drinks.”

Zairn kissed Roxie’s hair and went outside.

“This is an incredible place.”

Roxie swept up her hand, using the loose connection to guide her over to the couch she been sitting on when Bambi came in.

“I’d say thank you, but it’s not mine.”

“Jane’s. You said it was Jane’s. Is she here?”

If she didn’t meet the woman to say thank you, continuing to squat would be inappropriate. She didn’t want this Jane to think she was rude. That and, you know, her mom would disown her.

“Dinner with the in-laws. Which is just as well because Jane’s all about the romance. She’d love your star-crossed lovers thing. Did you speak to him today?”

“Struan? For a minute. It never seems like enough.”

Roxie hooked an arm on the back of the couch to support her head on the heel of her hand and folded her legs up at her opposite side, holding them there with the other arm.

“Z and I have been together for almost a year, officially/unofficially, depends which version I tell. I have full access to him anytime I want him. And I can tell anyone in the whole goddamn world that he’s mine. I can walk into any room, do anything to him. Touch him, kiss him, whatever I want.” The woman’s smile grew. “But I still feel exactly the same way abouthim.” The joy quickly faded. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I can’t imagine what it must be to…”

Zairn came in, three glasses grouped in his hands. Roxie took the first and she took the second. Somehow, though there wasn’t exactly much space, he sat between Roxie’s back and the arm of the couch.

“This girl time?” he asked and kissed Roxie’s head again as the woman adjusted to let his free arm curl around her waist.

“It never seems like enough,” Roxie said, semi-turning her chin his way. “The time we have together.”

“This another dig about me going overseas?”

“No,” Roxie’s retort was a high-pitched rebuke. “Stop flashing your ego at our new friend. We were talking about Bambi and Struan, how little time they get together, because no one can know about them.”

“We’ve been there.”

“Have we though?” Roxie said. “We were a secret because it was a bad idea and you and your whole, ‘best suited to ride your cock’ thing.”

“And after New Year?”

“I was oblivious, kidding myself. And it might not have been enough for us, but I didn’t belong to anyone else in that time. Struan has to watch her with Roman. Imagine if you had to watch me with one of your boys all the time. What if I was going out to dinner with Ballard and the entire world thought we were in love?”

“You never could’ve sold that.”

“We could’ve sold it,” Roxie said on sort of a sneer, which cleared in an instant. “I can’t even imagine it now, being near you without having you, without owning you.”

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