Irritated that she knew me so well, I snatched the bottle and glass and huffed my way toward the couch. I needed more liquid courage and took yet another large gulp of my wine at the same time a loud slurping sound replaced Michael’s tantrum.
“Holy shit,” I said as he went to town on his mom. Had to love the kid for supplying a distraction. “I still can’t believe one of us has one of those.”
My best friend raised a brow. “One of those? As in a child?”
“Well, that’s debatable. He looks more like the end of a vacuum hose right now.” Michael’s pulling off his mother’s milk machine with a large pop forced a wince. “Ouch,” I said, while molding a hand around my right breast in self-preservation mode.
Jade rolled her eyes. “You’d think the nine months of pregnancy and six-plus months that he’s been alive would’ve warmed you to me being a mother. One day this will be you.”
“Doubtful.” I needed a man for that, and I wasn’t the type of woman to need a man. “You know I love that kid… but I’ll master the role of being his super fun aunt. God knows your sister doesn’t deserve that title. I’ll be the one he comes to regarding all things that are cool.”
“That’s what worries me.” A sly smile crossed over her pretty face.
“Tell me about Miami.” Excitement bounced off her as she began to fill me in on her last trip down to their second home. Max wanted to swap their condo for a house outside the city, and Jade had been busy looking for the perfect place for them. My tactic worked when she talked and talked, having forgotten about the need for my change in hairdo. As I sipped my wine, I had to suppress a smile at how similar Jade was to a squirrel since becoming a mom.
And then, when her cell buzzed beside her on the table, the Miami home conversation was forgotten, just like that. She shifted Michael over her shoulder and began patting his back while glancing at it. “They’re on their way home.”
“They who? Brad’s with him?” Please let it be Brad… please let it be Brad.
“Nate. He was working out.” Panic hit like a wrecking ball.
Fuck.
I needed to think quickly, because from what I figured, they’d be there in about ten or so minutes. What the hell was I supposed to say to her?
Oh… by the way… I fucked your brother-in-law.
It’d been one week and one day since our tryst, and I haven’t been able to get him out of my mind. I couldn’t tell you what his bedroom looked like, but I could describe every sensation he created within my body.
The man was an arrogant, sexy-as-hell prick… and an honorable mention needed to go to his cock. I may have only gotten a quick glimpse, but I had seen enough as he rolled on the condom to label it a piece of art. Truly something that needed to be revered and admired. Perfection, as far as penises went… and I was picky in that department. I once broke up with a man because of ugly junk. Hey, don’t judge. Seeing something that off-putting had killed this romance writer’s mojo for weeks.
And don’t even get me started on how well Nate could fuck with it. I wasn’t a rose-petals-and-candlelight kind of girl and reserved the romance for my books. Some would consider the entire encounter crude, but for me it was remarkable.
That was pretty much why I freaked out and hightailed it out of his apartment that night. Only to then spend days convincing myself it needed to be a one-time thing.
He obviously felt the same since I hadn’t heard from him, not that I expected to. Once we did see each other, I had every intention of playing it just that way—one and done… thanks for the ride, cowboy.
But in minutes, I had to actually play that part, and things weren’t looking good for me.
Knowing I was about to see him sent my heart rate into a frantic gallop, caused my mouth to go dry despite the wine I sipped, and made my crotch clench in anticipation. What would happen once he actually walked through the damn door?
When Michael released a burp that mimicked a man’s, Jade laughed, and I faked a smile. “On that note, where do you want to go for dinner?”
“I made a reservation at that place Grit and Grizzle that I told you about.” I stood and waved a hand. “In fact, we’re very late. Why don’t I go over and secure our table, and you can meet me there?”
“No, we’ll leave together.” She stared at me as though I’d lost my mind. “And I’m not having dinner at that strip club.”
“It’s more than a strip club,” I said with an eye roll. “It’s a critically acclaimed restaurant. I heard their pork loin special is to die for. I got myself all excited for a double penetration of pork tonight.”
Jade’s eyes bulged over the rim of her water glass before sputtered droplets flew out of her mouth and landed on Michael’s head. “Jesus, Amy.” She grabbed a burping cloth off the table beside her, dabbing her son while coughing uncontrollably. I sat with a smug smirk, waiting for her to compose herself. “Thanks for that,” she finally croaked.
“For what?”
“Almost killing me.” Her attention moved to Michael, who was oblivious that his mother had showered him with backwash. “I don’t need to see strange men gyrating while I’m eating. So that’s a hard no.”
“You’ve become a prude.” I was only half-teasing. My friend had mellowed out in so many ways. No longer the uptight lawyer in stuffy business suits and that ever-present bun at the base of her neck. This Jade was relaxed, easygoing, and dare I say fun… sometimes.
Whenever I wanted to experience something wild, I blamed my work, and God bless her, she came along. Understandably, her life had changed drastically since she’d become a mother and a wife, in that order. And that meant mine had too. Gone were the days I could drag her out to a hot bar in search of a hot guy.
In fact, one of the last times we did something reckless was her birthday the previous June. Stress over vying for a junior partner position at her firm had forced me to force her to have a one-night stand. Let’s say everything changed for her that night, and Jade had absolutely no regrets. She never did get that promotion, but she had met the love of her life because of my antics and given birth to the second love of her life six months ago.
“Why don’t we just hang here,” she suggested a bit impatiently. Instantly, the Nate Navarro nervousness returned… and before I could will it away, the door opened.
“Hey, girls.” Max dropped a duffel bag, beelining for his wife and son. It was a good thing he distracted her, because Nate and I glaring at each other was a dead giveaway something had happened between us.
It should be illegal for men to wear tight T-shirts and flimsy knit shorts in public. Falling somewhere along the same lines as gray sweatpants or a banana hammock. Correction… it should be illegal for Nate Navarro to wear those items in public, because Max had on a similar outfit, and it hadn’t set my lower half on fire the same way seeing Nate had.
Unlike Max and Brad, who lived in casual clothes, Nate favored suits or dress shirts and slacks. I’d only ever seen his hair impeccably styled, and not in that way that looked like he just got out of bed. Remembering how those thick, wavy strands felt between my fingers hadn’t helped my pissy mood. So, I slipped into a childish state of denial… brooding no differently than if I had blown my curfew as a teenager and received a good reprimand.