Page 8 of The Doctor

“Mixed signals,” I laugh. “Have you seriously been trying to gauge my mood all week in the hopes of knowing how it went?”

“Maybe,” she shrugs with a smile. “You looked happy when you left the gallery, and there are occasions when I catch you lost in thought with a smile on your face, but most of the time, you seem… sad. What happened, Raine? Did he hurt you?”

“No, god, no,” I say a little too loudly. Everyone around us is looking in our direction.

“Then what happened? Was it good?” She leans in, ready for me to spill my guts.

“If I talk to you now, will you promise to never bring it up again and to never ask about my sex life?” I know she’s never going to give up.

“If that’s what you need in order for you to talk, then yes, I won’t say anything after today.” She taps her fingers on the table. “Now, spill.”

“It was good. Better than good. That night with Kade was single-handedly the best sex of my life,” I sigh, wistfully thinking about the amount of pleasure Kade brought me.

“I don’t understand what the problem is then.”

“You probably wouldn’t understand,” I grumble.

“Why do you say that? Was he into some really kinky stuff because Ryder and I—”

“Nope, we’re not talking about what kinds of kinky things you do. And no, there wasn’t anything kinky about the night unless you count the ice cream, but I liked that. It was fun.”

“Okay, you’ve got me confused. Was he an asshole the next day? I’ve had my fair share of those.”

“I didn’t give him a chance. I left before he woke up,” I dip my chip into the guac, not wanting to meet her eyes.

“You stayed the night? He can’t be that much of an asshole then if you slept there.”

“He wasn’t an asshole. In fact, he was perfect, and I wanted to keep it that way.”

“I’m not sure why you’d leave then without getting his number at least. He seemed like good boyfriend material.”

“Because I’m not confident about my body like you are.” When I see she’s about ready to question me, I continue. “I left before he could ask me to leave. I didn’t want to see the rejection in his eyes when he saw who he was in bed with.”

Dropping her chip that was halfway to her mouth, Lexie scoots her chair beside mine and grasps my hand in hers. “You have a great body. It might be in a tiny package, but that doesn’t matter when you’ve got a rocking body like yours.”

I shake my head, not believing her. “You’re just being nice because you’re my friend.”

“No, I’m not. Have I ever lied to you?”

“Not that I know of.”

“If you want, I can call Ryder. He’ll tell you you’ve got a great body.” She picks up her phone, and I see Ryder’s name on the screen.

“No,” I shout and take her phone from her. “I don’t want him brought into this conversation. It’s embarrassing enough as it is just telling you.”

“But why? We’re friends. You know you should really listen to me. I look at bodies day in and day out, and I’ve seen it all. You’ve got perfect-sized breasts, and your body is lean and toned. When you have your hair down like you did the other night, you’re beautiful.”

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I don’t have his number, and I’m never going to see him again.”

“You know, I bet I could ask the director of the event for the guest list, and we could figure out who he is.”

“No, that’s not an option,” I hold my hands up for her to stop that line of thinking. “I’m already too embarrassed as it is. I don’t need him to think I’m a crazy stalker.”

“So, are you saying you never want to see him again?”

“Of course, I want to see him again, but I’m sure he’s moved on, and I need to as well.” Even though it’s going to be next to impossible, and I know after our one night, I’m going to compare all other men to him. The worst part is I don’t think anyone else will ever measure up.

“I wish I understood why you want to give up on him so easily. I should have taken a picture that night because you two looked so good together. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought you were a couple with the way you both looked at each other.”

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