He couldn’t know.
“Why is that?”
Craig laughed, the serious expression on his face melting into one of humor. “Are you seriously going to bring women home to Kat’s apartment? I can’t even imagine the hard time she’d give you.”
He blew out the breath he was holding. “Right.” Andy forced a laugh. “That probably wouldn’t go over very well.”
No probably about it, Andy thought as he drove away. It wouldn’t go over well at all. But he had no intention of dating another woman. Andthatwas the real problem, because there was only one woman who occupied his thoughts.
He was in trouble.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kat somehow managedto wrestle all her new gear through the plaza and up the steep steps to her apartment. Kane had been more than happy to supply her with everything she would need for her trip, including—and probably most importantly—his excellent advice.
He’d pulled out a map and shown her a few trails that would be good for her skill level and done his best to reassure her that she was more than capable of hiking in everything she’d need for a night or two on her own. He even tried to convince her that she would enjoy it.
He wasn’t successful in his efforts, but if nothing else, Kat felt slightly more prepared. At least when it came to the appropriate gear.
As for emotionally prepared, well, she didn’t think she’d ever be ready for it.
The door was unlocked and Andy’s shoes were at the front door, which meant he was home from his workout. Shefelt the familiar thrill race through her knowing he was already home.
“Hey,” she called out, unable to see past the pile of things she was carrying. “Guess what I did today? Look what I?—”
“Hey, Kat. We have company.”
“Company?” The question was no sooner out of her mouth than Andy had relieved her of her packages and Kat had a clear line to the visitor sitting at her kitchen table.
“Jess.”
The beautiful brunette looked up and gave Kat a warm smile, which only made her feel like an even bigger bitch because dammit, Jess was a lovely woman and she knew that logically. Still, there was nothing logical about the jealousy that instantly consumed her.
“Hi, Kat. I was just?—”
“On a date with Andy?” Oh God, she could hear the cattiness in her voice, but she was totally unable to stop herself. “In my house. Yeah. I can see that.” She nodded and without a glance in his direction, she left Andy holding her things.
“Kat, that’s?—”
“Inappropriate?” She shot the word like a dagger in his direction and marched straight through the kitchen to the staircase. “It really is.”
It wasn’t until she got upstairs and shut her bedroom door—with a little too much force—that she released the breath she’d been holding.
Kat leaned back against the door and dropped her headin her hands. She’d been a first-class bitch to a woman who did not deserve it.
Andy didn’t belong to her. He could date if he wanted to. Besides, she already knew that he was interested in Jess. Not that it made it any easier to see with her own eyes. Somehow she’d managed to push the thought of them together completely out of her head. And that only made it all so much worse when she’d walked in, because not only did she feel like an idiot, but it also became crystal clear to her that despite all the lies she’d been telling herself for way too long, Andy meant a lot more to her than just ahappy for right nowsituationship, friends with benefits, or whatever stupid label she’d tried to put on it.
Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, but she refused to cry because she was the only person responsible for all of this. She’d done?—
“Kat?”
The knock on the door startled her.
“Can I come in?”
“No.”
She heard him sigh. “Well, I am.”