Page 31 of One More Shot
I don’t particularly want to. But I could.
‘Getting married means you’ll have to stick with someone for more than three weeks,’ Bailey says pointedly.
‘My record is six weeks, actually.’
I force a smirk as Bailey rolls her eyes. Six weeks isn’t strictly true, anyway. I have had two long-term relationships, and neither ended particularly well. But Bailey doesn’t know about them. The only person who does is Cash. When they first started dating, I briefly wondered if Cash might suddenly start sharing all my deepest secrets with Bailey but, given her response right now, it’s safe to say he hasn’t.
I glance over at him and he meets my gaze with an almost imperceptible lift of the brows. It’s a silent question.
You good?
I give him a small nod in response. It’s been a long time since I let myself wallow in the memories of my failed attempts at love, and I’m not eager to restart now. Some people – the Cash and Baileys of the world – are meant for love. They’re meant for weddings and fairy tale happily ever afters.
And then there’s the rest of us.
I’m not mad at it. It’s just an immutable fact of life.
Love is not for me.
Bailey’s phone suddenly lights up and she reaches for it with a grin. ‘Nice. Eliott’s just sent over her invoice for the deposit payment.’
Eliott.
Love may not be for me, but a little fun? Yeah, that’s definitely something I can handle. Especially with someone like Eliott.
It’s taken a few years of trial and error, but I’ve pretty much got it down to a science at this point. A couple of weeks exploring the flame we first lit two years ago before we go our separate ways. No hard feelings. No awkward goodbyes.
Just the way I like it.
Eliott and I could be enjoying each other’s company right now, if she hadn’t so spectacularly shut me down. There’d been a moment back at the restaurant when I thought she was about to agree. When I was sure our impromptu night together was most definitely going to end in us heading back to my place for round two.
And then she went ahead and did simultaneously the most frustratingandsexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
Or should that be felt?
Because, even a full week later, I can still feel the feather-light pressure of her lips ghosting against mine. Every time I close my eyes I see the little smirk she gave me as she pulled away, and— Fucking hell.
Just the thought of it sends heat rushing straight to my dick.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone as badly as I want Eliott Rayne.
I don’t sleep with the same person twice.
A completely irrational twinge of anger hits me. What bastard is responsible for that rule? Because it’s obvious that she’s been hurt. That someone – someone she probably cared for – has filled her head with the worst kind of bullshit and forced her to put up these boundaries around herself.
A shame. A real shame.
I let myself enjoy the memory of Eliott’s half-lidded eyes and that full, sultry smirk one last time before I push it away, banishing it to the recesses of my mind. There’s no point in dwelling on what could have been.
Though it definitely would’ve been fun.
The whole ‘Forget about Eliott’ thing isn’t going as well as I’d like it to.
For one, Bailey can’t stop singing her praises. At dinner with our parents on Sunday, Bailey and Mum spend most of it fawning over the engagement party photos. They are, to be fair, pretty amazing. But hearing her name every five seconds doesn’t really help with the wholepushing Eliott from my mindthing.
And secondly, and I guess this is the most pressing issue right now, she’s standing right in front of me.
I’ve never been one for believing in karma, but I decide that I must have donesomethingto rack up some positive points with someone somewhere. Because Eliott has been playing on my mind non-stop since the engagement party and somehow, here she is.
