Page 22 of In It to Win It

“Down, Byron.” My voice is sharp as I tug the leash, displeased with Byron’s affection for this jerk. “You guys are eating dinner, sorry—we’ll take off.”

“No, stay and keep me company!” Lacey says. “I’ve already eaten. How about you?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“Let’s have a glass of wine while they eat, then.” She turns back into the house.

“Byron, sit.” He obeys my command, his nose twitching at the scent of the meat on the guys’ plates.

“Have a seat, Taylor.” Théo waves to the patio furniture grouped near the glass dining table they’re seated at.

“Thanks.” I perch on the edge of a chair, wishing I could make a getaway. I don’t want to hang around with JP.

Even though he looks so damn good . . . tanned and healthy, his dark hair thick and shiny, dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt that hugs his shoulders and chest. I remember what his hair felt like when I slid my fingers into it, how that big, hard body felt against mine as he thrust into me . . .

Heat washes over me and I resist the urge to fan myself, instead reaching down to pat Byron, letting my hair fall forward to hide my burning cheeks.

I haven’t told Lacey about what happened the night before her wedding. And the nightofher wedding. Not the fight—obviously she knows about that—but why Manny went nutso and jumped JP while we were dancing.

Or maybe she already knows. Manny certainly figured out what happened.

My guilty conscience pokes at me again. When Manny and I made eye contact on the patio and then I left with JP, Iwantedhim to know what was happening. I wanted him to be jealous, to see what he was missing out on after dumping me without a word.

I feel like I was using JP for that, except . . .ugh.I kind of was. But really . . . I was so attracted to JP, I wasn’t going to say no to sneaking away with him to his room even if Manny hadn’t been there. After what happened the night before? Maybe my vagina was taking over for my good sense, but I wanted more of that. I definitely wasn’t thinking about Manny when I was with JP. JP completely seduced me and pulled me under his magnetic spell. I was only thinking of him . . . and I’ve only been thinking of him ever since. Dammit.

Maybe JP told Théo all about it, and he told Lacey. Maybe JP told them I spent the night before the wedding in his hotel room, where we did dirty things to each other.

I was the reason for that whole shit show. I should have resisted the temptation of JP and his sexy smile and hard body and bad-boy charm. And now, I don’t even want to face him.

Awkwardness holds me in a tense grip as Lacey hands me a glass of wine. “Thanks.” Even my voice is stiff. I’m on alert, jumpy, waiting for someone to say something.

Lacey sits too. “Look at poor Byron. He’s dying for some steak.” She relaxes into the chair cushions, clearly not feeling the same discomfort I am.

“Can he have some?” JP asks.

“Oh. Um.” I’m tongue-tied and self-conscious. I swipe at my hair. “Not until you’re all done. Otherwise he’ll learn to beg at the table.”

“He’s very well trained,” Lacey says approvingly. “I’ve almost got Théo convinced to get a dog. I’ll need tips from you on how to train her.”

My lips tick up into a smile, my unease lessening slightly. “Her?”

“I want a girl dog.” She nods. “I don’t know what kind yet.”

“I haven’t agreed to a dog,” Théo says mildly.

Clearly, it’s a done deal. Pretty sure Théo would do anything for Lacey.

I swallow a sigh. I’m only twenty-four. Too young to give up on love. But I’m definitely discouraged. What Lacey and Théo have is so beautiful. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but it also makes me feel a pang of . . . yearning. And that has nothing to do with JP. Nothing.

I take a gulp of my wine. “I’d love to help train a puppy.”

“Get a Great Dane,” JP suggests.

I shoot him a wide-eyed, what-the-fuck look, but Lacey bursts out laughing.

“Maybe a bloodhound,” he adds. “Those are cute.”

“Those dogs are ugly!” Lacey keeps laughing.

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