Page 17 of Take A Number
“I’m not talking about my conquests.” He squeezes my hand so I look back at him. “I’m talking about Kate and Lynsey. They’ve been my best friends for years, so hanging out with women like this is no big deal.”
I nod. “Ah yes, your sister wives.”
Dean frowns at that remark. “If they were my sister wives, doesn’t that mean I should be getting laid?”
I balk. “Don’t tell me you’re not getting laid.”
He shoots me a dirty smile. “Oh, I’m getting laid…but not by them.”
“So, you’re cheating on your sister wives.”
“They’re my closest friends, Norah, and I’d have to be in a relationship with them to cheat except I’m not a cheater.” Dean tightens his grip on my waist, and I swear I see a flicker of hurt in his eyes. “What exactly are you insinuating?”
I lift my hand in surrender, horrified that I could be coming off like a creepy, jealous fake girlfriend. “Sorry, nothing. I’m just curious about how you met them.” I exhale a shaky breath and try to get a grip. Being this close to Dean, in his arms, wrapped up in his scent, it’s…confusing. It feels briefly like a real date, but it’s not, no matter how good his hands feel on my sides. This is just two friends talking.
Dean inhales deeply. “They were my neighbors, and they were fun. That’s pretty much it. Plus, Kate’s one of those girls who if she wants you to be her friend, you will be. End of discussion.”
His jaw seems tight when he says that, so I pry a little further. “So, you never dated either of them?”
“Define dated.”
“Oh jeez, this is worse than I thought,” I reply with a groan.
Dean’s chest vibrates with laughter. “I haven’t slept with either of them if that’s what you’re tiptoeing around.”
My brows furrow. “Sooo, what then exactly?”
He licks his lips and rubs them together for a moment. “Lynsey and I dated for a time. We realized pretty quickly we were better off as friends…and Kate…” His voice trails off as he looks away.
“What about Kate?”
I follow his gaze; he’s watching my parents with great fascination. “God, your parents are legitimately in love, aren’t they?”
I shake his shoulder to redirect his attention. “What about Kate?”
He levels me with an unamused look. “Kate’s more complicated.”
“How so?” I ask, my mind drifting to all sorts of scenarios. “Are you…into her?”
“No…not anymore.”
My eyes widen.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Suddenly, he pushes me out from his grasp into a surprisingly effortless spin and pulls me back, tight into his body, and I have to tell my heart rate to settle down. “I had feelings for her at one point. They weren’t reciprocated. End of story.”
My jaw drops. “Dean Moser rejected by a female. Alert the presses.”
He scoffs. “You reject me every day.”
“That’s not real.” I pin him with a knowing look. “I know you’re not truly into me. You’re just a big flirt.”
His brow furrows, but he lets it go. “If you saw my current text chain with Kate and Lynsey right now, you wouldn’t have any doubts that they’re more like annoying sisters than sister wives.”
“What’s going on?” His reaction about his friends is so unlike him and has my interest in their relationship piqued.
His jaw tightens as he grumbles out a frustrated sound. “They’re trying to set me up. They keep texting me pictures of girls like I’m on some horrible episode of Boulder Bachelor. You think your mom is bad? Try fighting off Kate and Lynsey after they’ve had a few tropical drinks. There’s usually wrestling and bloodshed involved.”
I can’t help but laugh at that image. “Why do they want to set you up so much? I wouldn’t take you as a man who sleeps alone often.”
