Page 58 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
But the only thing I truly knew was now that I had a taste of her, there was no chance I was going to let her go.
“When did you get to bed last night?” I asked Sebastian the next morning as we sat at the table by the pool, sipping our coffees.
“I think three?” Sebastian’s forehead creased, a clear sign he was squinting, despite the sunglasses protecting his eyes from the sun.
“What’s going on with you and Roxie?” When I left Sebastian’s and my room this morning, their door remained closed, and no light seeped from under it. I wasn’t sure if I should feel relieved or sad to have more time before I had to face Hallie after last night.
“Nothing’s going on with me and Roxie.” Sebastian’s voice matched the stiffness in his shoulders at the mention of Hallie’s best friend. “We were simply enjoying a beer together.”
“Pretty sure it was more than one beer,” I corrected him.
Sebastian waved me off. “Semantics.”
“I’m not sure it’s nothing when every time she stares daggers at you, you smile like you get some sort of sick joy from it.”
Only proving my point that he was some sort of sadistic asshole. He smiled.
“Roxie fascinates me.” He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “That’s all.”
“Whatever it is, don’t use her and toss her aside once you grow tired of her, like you do every other girl you’ve ever been with.”
Sebastian clutched at his heart. “You wound me, James.”
“And you act like I’m over-exaggerating.”
The sound of dishes clattering drew our attentiontoward the kitchen. Roxie and Hallie had finally emerged, showered and ready for the day ahead. “Roxie King is an enigma, James. One that I intend to understand. But what about you? What time did you go to bed last night?”
The lift of Sebastian’s eyebrow was a sure sign that he wouldn’t believe me if I told him I’d gone to bed after we’d returned from dinner. And while thatwasthe truth, it was the truth with the most important moments of the night left out.
Normally, I shared everything with Sebastian. I bounced ideas and questions off him, with his vast experience with women. But those moments were between me and Hallie. They weren’t for Sebastian to dissect or pass an opinion on.
I plastered on a smile and ignored the look on Sebastian’s face that told me he knew I was lying. Thankfully, Roxie and Hallie saved me by joining us for breakfast before Sebastian could make me tell the truth.
“Good morning,” Hallie greeted the two of us. I’d half expected her to avoid making eye contact with me after last night. But to my surprise, she smiled at me like she hadn’t rejected me mid-make out.
“Good morning. How’d you sleep?” I watched her over the rim of my coffee cup. Waiting to see that same flash of regret I’d seen in her eyes last night. To see some semblance of acknowledgment of what had happened between us. Instead, she looked at me like last night had never happened. She smiled at me with the same sincerity she’d had before we’d arrived home from dinner.
It almost made me wonder if I’d dreamed everythingthat had happened between us. Maybe my mind had just done a really good job of imagining how Hallie tasted. How her lips felt against mine. How her hands roamed across the muscles in my back and along my stomach.
“I slept great. Thanks for asking. So, what did you have planned for our second day?”
“I thought we’d take the sailboat out. Have either of you sailed before?”
Roxie perked up. She had yet to speak a word since joining us and her silence was off-putting. I’d come to know Roxie’s vibrant energy during the past couple of months of shared moments, her cheerful voice a constant presence among us. While Hallie was still bubbly and outgoing in her own right, she always hung back when Roxie was in the picture. She followed Roxie’s lead, never attempting to take the lead on purpose. It was like watching a well-oiled machine, their movements precise and effortless, a dance honed by years of friendship.
Roxie’s usual confidence was gone the second we walked in.
“Roxie and I can go pack some sandwiches while you guys get the boat ready, if you’d like?” The smile that Hallie gave me had been hard enough to witness before without wanting to wrap her hair around my fist and yank her mouth to mine. But now, it was nearly unbearable.
“That sounds great.” My voice came out softer than I intended as I stared at the girl who I’d spent all night thinking about.
The second that I’d closed the door to the primary behind me last night, leaving Hallie on the other side, I’d replayed everything that had just happened. Even afterSebastian had stumbled into the room, plastered from how much he’d drunk with Roxie. Even after Sebastian had gotten up to puke his guts out. I’d only shut my eyes for a few brief hours before the sun broke through the curtains. I’d woken up with the same person on my mind, like an endless loop.
Watching Hallie attempt to flirt with my peers in Whiskey Locker had been torturous. Finally, getting to kiss the woman that I thought I’d have to figure out how to get over once this deal was done had been wondrous. Being forced to pretend that none of it had ever happened … I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through the rest of this weekend.
21
Hallie
