Page 25 of The Boyfriend Effect (Frisky Business 1)
Holly makes a pleased sound when she sees me working in the kitchen. She was always that way, exuberant about the smallest things. After she steals a handful of potato chips, she thankfully disappears upstairs.
I keep my eyes downcast on my task so I don’t have to look at Maren right now. I have maybe an hour, tops, until everyone remerges freshly showered and no longer sandy, and then I’ll have no choice but to face her. And I have no idea how to apologize for what happened in the water.
“You okay?” a husky voice asks from behind me.
I turn and see Wolfie, his expression impassive. While that’s not abnormal for him, part of me wishes he were smiling, that he’d give me some signal to let me know we’re okay and that he’s not secretly planning my demise. But that’s not Wolfie, and I can’t expect him to change his stripes just to appease my fragile ego.
“Yeah,” I lie. “Fine. Just thought I’d make myself useful.”
I’m stiff and can’t meet his eyes, but Wolfie doesn’t call me on my bullshit. Instead, he just nods.
It’s tradition for me to grill our first night here, so this isn’t out of the ordinary. Me spending all of fifteen minutes at the beach, however, is unheard of.
But Wolfie doesn’t call me on it, and for that I’m grateful. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep lying to him, but I have to. I have to act normal and try to carry on, have to laugh with my friends. And most importantly, I have to keep my eyes off Maren’s tits in her bikini top.
To be honest, I’m not sure how it’s possible that Wolfie doesn’t know. I feel like every emotion and bolt of lust I have about Maren must be written all over my face.
It turns out, grilling for everyone is the perfect thing to do with my hands since they can’t be used for the thing I most desire—groping Maren’s curves. When the food is done, everyone grabs a plate and lines up at the grill on the back deck. Donning a spatula and a smile, I serve up the food. All I’m missing is a chef’s hat and apron.
Maren is one of the last through the line, and when I place the portabella mushroom burger I made just for her onto her plate, she smiles, and I notice how soft her eyes are as she looks at me.
“Thanks, Hayes.”
“Of course.” I nod once.
She doesn’t budge. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
She shifts, looking uncertain. “If I did something wrong back at the beach . . .”
“You didn’t,” I say quickly. “I’m sorry I ran off like that.” I look down, flipping a burger that doesn’t need turning, just so I have something to do with my hands.
“So, you’re not mad at me?” she asks, her voice low.
A pang of guilt zings through me. “No, of course not.”
The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel bad. None of this is her fault.
Before I can figure out how to articulate any of that, Holly appears out of nowhere.
“Can I talk to you?” She meets my eyes with a serious expression.
I open my mouth to reply, but Maren is ducking away with her food, heading off to join her brother and Penelope at the picnic table situated on the lawn under a cluster of birch trees.
“Sure,” I say, grabbing a plate for myself.
“Somewhere private,” Holly adds.
With renewed patience, I turn off the gas to the grill and carry my plate, following Holly around the side of the house. She stops to lean on the porch railing, setting her plate aside.
“If my being here is a distraction, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any problems.”
“It’s fine, Holly. I just . . .” I release a slow breath. “A heads-up would have been nice.”
I haven’t seen or spoken to Holly in more than six months. Once upon a time, we filled a void in each other’s lives. But that was a long time ago. Our chemistry was good . . . until it wasn’t.
Holly made it clear she wasn’t interested in settling down and popping out a few kids. Which was fine, at first. But when I realized our goals were never going to align, I lost interest. She was fun and easy to be with, but I knew I wanted more than just a good time.
Eventually, I wanted a real commitment. A family. And that just wasn’t Holly. But I couldn’t blame her for that. She knew what she wanted and was honest about it.
But coming here today at Wolfie’s merest suggestion? It’s typical Holly, always down for a good time. Maybe she thought I’d be single and horny, and we could just pick up right where we left off.
Hell, maybe that’s why Wolfie invited her, thinking I needed to take the edge off with some casual sex. Too bad that’s the last thing I need right now. I need to focus, and not be thinking with my dick. Especially since it seems intent in getting me in trouble.
