Page 38 of Wanting the Winger

I move to stand with my back against the counter so I can see his face.“Did Eric tell you?”

“About him calling you to talk about Shane?We talked before he did it.”

My brows shoot up.“Wait.Did you tell him to tell me?”

He shrugs.“What matters is that you know.”

My heart swells and aches at the same time.“You did.You knew this whole time and that’s why you’ve been trying to convince me to leave him and have it be my idea.”

He frowns.“Not exactly.I’ve never thought he was good enough for you.”

I rub my forehead.“I have the most killer headache.”

“Get some juice.Seriously.And there’s Tylenol in one of the island drawers.”

“I will.”I run my hands through my hair, suddenly self-conscious.“Hey, how bad do my eyes look?”

He looks at me and then considers for a beat, making me laugh.“That good, huh?”

“They’ve looked better.”He grins.“But you’re still beautiful Brainy Lainey.”

My heart does a little flip.“It was just Brainy Lainey, you know.You guys never called me beautiful.”

“Be kind of weird for your own brother to say that about you, wouldn’t it?”

His gaze on me is warm, but not in the usual way.I swear he’s looking at my mouth.I can’t let myself fall into my old, Bash-infatuated ways.

“I guess it would be weird for my brother’s best friend, who thinks of me like a sister, to say it too,” I quip.

Something flickers in his eyes and he turns back to the bacon.I push away from the counter.

“I need to go take a shower.Thanks for being such a good friend.”

“Hey.”

I turn to look at him.

“Have you called Shane yet?”

My former fiancé’s stunned but not stricken expression when he got caught bringing a woman home flashes through my mind.He asked, “What are you doing here?”like I was the one who owed him an explanation and not the other way around.

“I went to Columbus last night.Shane and I are over.”

Bash’s expression lights up with happiness that he quickly masks.“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Later.I have to go into the lab for the morning, but if you’ll be around this afternoon?—”

“Yeah, of course.Can I take you out for lunch later?”

God, he’s so damn nice.Next time I fall in love, I’m going to look for a man who’s nice and also hot for me.If that combination even exists.There are more than four billion men in the world, so mathematically speaking, it should be possible.

“Yes, that would be nice.And then I’m going to make some sourdough bread.That’s always therapeutic.”

He nods approvingly.“I’ll eat the fuck out of it.”

I smile.“You don’t have to.I know you have to watch your diet.”

“I’m all over it, Lane.Better make two loaves.”

---