Rock Bottom

by Emily Goodwin

  “Wait, why would Quinn mastermind you coming to Miami?”

  “She knows you’ve piqued my interest.”

  “Piqued your interest?” Rory repeats. “So she’d want you to come all the way to Miami for someone you’re interested in?”

  “She’s always trying to set me up with someone and she knows I like you.”

  There I said it. Both to her…and to myself.

  “Does that matter, though?” The bartender set some sort of frozen pink drink in front of Rory. “Ohhh that looks good. Thank you!” She takes a sip and looks at me, waiting for an answer.

  “Does what matter?”

  “If you like me or not. You said you’re not into relationships or whatever. So what does it matter if you like me or not?”

  “Because I’d like to take you out.”

  Rory takes a sip of her drink. “I’m confused. What do you want from me?”

  “I want you to give me a chance.”

  She takes another drink, brows pushing together. “I’m gonna be honest here. My last boyfriend broke up with me because he decided I wasn’t worthy of committing to. So, sorry if I’m a little leery.”

  We’re all damaged.

  “No need to apologize. And let’s start slow. Have a drink with me?” I hold up my Jack and Coke.

  “Sure. Can we move into the sun first? I almost forgot what warmth feels like.”

  I laugh and get out my wallet, paying for both our drinks despite Rory’s protests, and take our drinks onto the patio by the pool.

  “Why don’t we live here?” Rory leans on the railing and looks out at the ocean.

  “We like torture?”

  “I think so. I never thought I’d be able to leave Silver Ridge because the thought of leaving my family was scary. But then I took the job in Eastwood and I regret not getting out of that town sooner.”

  “Why did you want to get out of town?”

  She takes a slow drink and looks up at me. I’m having a hard time not checking out her ass, which is bent up in the air a bit from her leaning over. She really doesn’t have a clue just how banging her body is, and it makes me all the more attracted to her.

  “This might shock you,” she says sarcastically, “but I wasn’t one of the popular girls in school, and the mean girls never lost their, well, mean girl mentality.”

  “How were you not popular?” I ask.

  “Let me guess: you were?”

  I shrug. “I guess so. I was on the football team and—”

  “That’s all you have to say.” She looks back out at the ocean again. “I liked nonconventional things, so I didn’t fit in, but I think the fact that I didn’t want to fit in bothered the bullies the most.”

  “You were bullied?” High school was years ago, but the thought of someone bullying Rory makes me angry.

  “Yeah. Amber McMillan was the crux of it, and she still lives in Silver Ridge and is just perfect. Don’t worry, I’m not carrying around ten-plus years of baggage, but it’s nice being in a new town where people don’t refer to me as Weird Rory.”

  I playfully nudge her. “What if I like Weird Rory?”

  “Then I would think you’re much cooler than I gave you credit for.”

  “We’re all weird. How much you show it depends on how comfortable you are in your own skin. Amber McWhat’s-her-face was probably jealous you were able to be you.”

  “My mom says the same thing,” Rory laughs. “But yeah…I can’t imagine not being me.”

  “Like I said, you made an impression on me.”

  “No, Blaire did,” she says seriously and we both laugh. A few minutes pass by before either of us speak again, but the silence isn’t awkward. It’s peaceful.

  “Can I take you out?” I ask her. “Tomorrow.”

  She smiles. “I have panels to sit in on, but I’ll be free around five.”

  “It’s a date then.”

  Her smiles grows. “What are you going to do all day? You’re not going to pretend to be Dr. Jones and lead a discussion on surgical techniques, are you?”

  “I wasn’t, but that sounds fun now.”

  She laughs and stirs her drink with the straw.

  “I’ll probably do nothing,” I tell her.

  “That sounds nice.”

  My brows furrow. “Maybe. I haven’t done nothing in…in a while.”

  Rory twists her body toward mind, eyes meeting mine. “Because of work?”

  I lower my gaze, wrestling with the words inside. “Partially, but also because…” I look up, breath hitching when I meet her beautiful eyes again. “My wife cheated on me and I walked in on her with another man. After the divorce, doing nothing was when I’d remember how fucked-up my life was.”

  “Oh, I’m…I’m so sorry, Dean. You mentioned being married, but I didn’t know you still had feelings for your—”

  “I don’t,” I interrupt. “Things were over between us long before they ended. We were both too stubborn to admit it, and I’m not ashamed to admit there was part of me that didn’t want to face the truth. I’d rather ignore it than say I’d messed up and ask for a separation even though it crossed my mind multiple times.” It’s the first time I’ve admitted that to anyone. Archer knew a little about the issues Kara and I had, but I didn’t want to burden him with a secret he had to keep from Quinn.

  So I kept it all to myself.

  “And in hindsight, we should have split shortly after we got married. I’d ignored the signs. I did what I was supposed to do, but not what I wanted to do. We dated, I proposed, and we got married. I wanted to stick with the marriage. Make it work.” I shake my head. “Doing nothing forced me to think about how much grief I could have saved myself—and my family—if I’d followed my heart all along.”

  “Well,” she starts. “It’s never too late to start over, right?”

  “Right.”

  I look her over, cock jumping and heart skipping a beat in my chest. She’s so fucking sexy, but there’s more to her, and it hits me right then and there that I’m going to do whatever it takes to prove to her that I want more than just one night.

  Chapter 25

  Rory

  I roll over, pulling the pillow down on my face. JoAnn has been snoring for hours, making it impossible to sleep. I already feel uncomfortable falling asleep with a stranger in the bed next to me, and the constant, loud snoring is driving me up a fucking wall.

  Knowing I had to get up early tomorrow, I tried going to bed early. And now that I can’t fall asleep, the anxiety of being tired and falling asleep during the panel is making me too wired to sleep. I need to get up and get out of this room before I snap and pull the Bible out of the nightstand drawer, chucking it at JoAnn.

  It’s going on one AM, and a quick look down at the pool area lets me know the nightlife is going strong. I go into the bathroom and pull on the sundress I wore this evening. I rake my fingers through my hair, don’t bother with makeup, and grab my shoes and purse. After double-checking I have my room key, I quietly sneak out and pad down the hall, letting out a breath of relief when the elevator doors ding.

  I’m not really sure what my plan is but sipping on another strawberry daiquiri while listening to the ocean sounds so nice right now. I cross through the lobby and head to the bar by the pool.

  Dean walks in right as I get to the door. He looks tired, and I think about what he said before. I feel for him, and understanding what he’s been through explains why he’s reluctant to start a new relationship again.

  “Hey,” he says, slowing to a stop. “Going out to party?”

  “I wish.” I run my hand through my hair, wishing I’d brushed it. “I have a roommate who, well, I’ll just say she isn’t someone I’d be roommates with. She’s friends with the nurse who was originally coming. Sorry, I’m rambling. I’ve never met someone who snores louder, and it was either come out here or be arrested for murder in the morning.”

  Dean laughs. “You made a wise choice. Want some company? I couldn
’t sleep either.”

  “Yeah. Is the bar still open?” I rub my eyes. “I’m already tired, so I’m hoping a drink will be what I need to fall asleep despite the snoring.”

  “You’re welcome to crash in my room.”

  Heat rushes through me at the thought of getting in bed with Dean again. “Seriously?” I ask, after taking a second to remind myself to calm my tits. He just admitted to liking me and now he’s trying to get me to sleep with him again.

  I should have known better.

  “I have a suite with a pullout couch in the living room. I’ll take that and you can have the bed.”

  “Why do you have a suite?” I ask, buying myself more time before I answer. I’m more comfortable with Dean than I am with JoAnn, who I know nothing about. I don’t completely trust Dean’s intentions, but I know he’s a good guy.

  He’s not going to smother me with a pillow in the middle or the night.

  “Archer got it with the intention of bringing Quinn as a surprise. I don’t know why they needed such a big room, but that’s kind of what they do.”

  “Must be nice.”

  “Yeah. The room is impressive. I even have a mini kitchen. There’s nothing in it, though.” He brings his hand to the back of his neck. His demeanor has changed, and this time, he’s not trying to seduce me in any way. He’s just being nice.

  “I’d really like that, then. I’m exhausted and just the thought of chugging another sugary drink just to fall asleep makes me feel sick.”

  He holds out his arm for me to take. “Then let me take you to my room.”

  “It’ll be seven hundred for the night,” I say loud enough for a group of young twenty-somethings to hear. “Plus an extra hundred to let you call me Mommy.”

  Dean laughs. “It’ll be the best eight hundred bucks I’ve ever spent.” We go back into the hotel and get in an elevator. “Do you need anything from your room?”

  “My jammies. And my clothes for the morning.”

  “Let’s stop there first. I want to hear how bad this snoring is.”

  “You’ll hear it from the hall, I promise.”

  I hit the button to go to my floor. Dean walks with me to the door, and JoAnne’s snores can really be heard from the hall. Dean snickers and stays outside while I dash in to grab what I need for the morning. I stuff it all in my carry-on bag and lock my suitcase back up.

  “Tick-tick.” Dean taps his watch when I come back into the hall. “If I’m paying by the hour, I want to get my money’s worth.”

  “Ohhh, there’s a rush fee too.”

  “I don’t think you know how this works.” He hits the up button for the elevator.

  “And you do? From experience, right?”

  “I have never paid for sex,” he says right as the elevator doors open. We step inside and go up three more floors. The exhaustion I was feeling before is starting to turn into jittery nerves.

  I don’t trust Dean’s intentions, but I trust Dean. Does that even make sense? He said he’s going to sleep on the pullout couch, and I know that’s where he really will sleep.

  Is he still trying to get in my pants? I’m sure. In fact, if I suggested we have sex he’d be all over it. I know my own limits and refuse to sleep with him again unless something more transpires between us.

  Dean opens the door to his room and steps aside, letting me in first.

  “Wow. You weren’t kidding. This is a nice room.” I’m standing in a small foyer, looking into a living room. There’s a kitchen off to the side, and it’s bigger than what I have in my apartment. “And the view!” I cross the room, going to the balcony.

  “There’s another balcony off the bedroom,” he tells me, coming up behind me. I set my bag down on a chair and put my hands on the railing. We’re only one floor away from being on the top of the building.

  “I could live on this balcony.”

  Dean stops just inches from me, and I can feel his body heat coming off in waves. Everything inside of me begs me to lean back into him, to let him wrap his arms around me. I’d spin in his arms, and one kiss is all it would take for us to stumble into the room. He’d carry me into the bedroom, and we’d make love before passing out in each other’s arms.

  And then I’d wake up, feeling like we’re going to be together forever, and he’d tell me he’s meeting someone else for lunch.

  Nope. Not doing it.

  “I should get to bed,” I say, and my words physically hurt me. I turn too fast and smash myself right up against Dean. He shouldn’t be allowed to feel this good.

  “Right. Me too.”

  A fresh ocean breeze blows my hair over my face and Dean pushes it back. His fingers hover on my neck, and he leans in. My heart speeds up and I’ve lost all willpower to move away.

  Kiss me.

  His eyes close and his lips part.

  Kiss me, now.

  Then he inhales and steps bad. “Goodnight, Rory.” Turning sharply on his heel, he disappears into the hotel room. I let my eyes fall shut and exhale heavily.

  I knew I should have brought my vibrator.

  “Shut up,” I groan, reaching for my phone to silence my alarm clock. I hit snooze, and I swear, only two seconds later, the stupid thing goes off again. Once I finally fell asleep, I slept peacefully. I left the balcony door cracked so I could hear the sounds of the ocean. And this bed—holy crap, this bed! It’s so comfortable and the sheets are impossibly soft. I would stay in here all morning if I could.

  But, dammit, I get to go sit in a conference room and listen to someone talk about surgery. I stretch out, smiling when I remember last night. Dean was a perfect gentleman, but I don’t want to read too much into it.

  Giving myself one more minute, I finally get up and drag myself out of bed. I take a quick shower, get dressed, braid my hair, and put on just enough makeup to look put together.

  I smooth out the sheets and comforter on the bed and gather up my stuff, putting it all in my carry-on bag again.

  “Dean?” I whisper, stepping into the living room. He’s on the pullout couch and kicked off the blankets in his sleep. He’s only wearing boxers, and while I’ve seen him naked before—and had that gorgeous cock inside me twice—I feel like I’m stealing forbidden glances as I look him over. The air conditioning was running all night, making it a little chilly in here. I pick up a fleece blanket and drape it over Dean before heading out.

  I send him a text when I get into the elevator, thanking him for letting me sleep in his room for the night. I left my agenda in my room, and I debate going to get it or just winging it. I’d rather wing it and not miss breakfast. I’m starving.

  I have to sign in and get a name badge before I can go get my food, and the smell of bacon is calling to me. The line to sign in is long, and I don’t want to miss any food. Finally, I’m signed in and make a beeline to the breakfast buffet.

  “Rory!” JoAnn calls, standing up and waving. Her hair is fluffed to the heavens and her eyeshadow is bluer than the ocean. I’ve just filled my plate and am looking for a place to sit. “I saved you a seat, dear!”

  Forcing a smile, I go over and sit between her and another woman who looks like they exchanged makeup tips.

  “Where were you this morning?” JoAnn asks. “With a man?” She wiggles her drawn-on eyebrows.

  “I actually ran into a friend,” I say and take a bite of bacon. It’s just as good as it smells. “I crashed in his room.”

  “His. Ohhhh.”

  “We’re friends,” I press. “Though I think he might want more.” I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you want?” JoAnn nudges my arm.

  “I don’t know either,” I say, finding it easy to talk to her. After these few days are up, I’ll never see her again. “He’s very easy on the eyes and is a good guy. But he went through a divorce like a year ago and seems reluctant to commit, and I’m the type of person who loves commitment.” I lift my shoulders up and down in a shrug. “And I also get attached easily. I
don’t want to get hurt, that’s what I want.”

  “But if he would commit, you’d bed ‘em and wed ‘em?”

  I stifle a laugh. “Yeah, I mean, in time, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

  “Smart girl,” the woman next to me says. “I believe you’re talking about what my daughter told me is the friend zone, right?”

  “Yeah,” I say, not wanting to explain the weird nature of my relationship with Dean. We had hot, raunchy sex within hours of meeting each other, and now I’m refusing to entertain the thought of his lips on mine…even though I really, really want his lips on mine.

  Be strong, Rory.

  “So, tell me about work! I’ve been with the same podiatrist for twenty years. We separate a lot of webbed toes. You are a nurse, correct?”

  “Yes, and I’ve been in general surgery for a few years now,” I tell her, wanting to stop talking so I can snarf down the rest of my food before the first panel begins. “I like it. We, uh, do a lot of appendectomies.”

  “RN and cosmetic surgery here,” the other woman says, raising her hand. “We do a lot of breast implants.”

  JoAnn has the rest of the table go around and talk about what we do for a living, and I barely get all my food down before it’s time to go. I don’t mind JoAnn so much—while we’re awake. I’d still prefer to sleep in Dean’s room tonight, but this time I’ll take the pullout couch and he can have the bed.

  My mind drifts to him throughout the first presentation, and I wonder what he’s doing. Having a day to literally do nothing but soak up the sun would be amazing.

  I’m distracted the entire morning, but at least I don’t fall asleep. We break for lunch and are given an hour to get something from the provided buffet or go out and buy from the hotel or one of the nearby restaurants. I check my phone when the presentation is wrapping up and smile when I see a text from Dean, asking if I want him to get me something for lunch.

  “Texting your non-boyfriend?” JoAnn loudly whispers, looking over my shoulder.

  “Maybe. I’m not sure what he’s doing or where he is right now,” I whisper and tell Dean I’ll be able to grab something here, but thanks. I eat with JoAnn and Brenda again, and this time we sit next to a surgeon who spent last year traveling to third world countries, offering free training. Her stories are so inspiring and make me want to spend a summer in Africa, lending my nursing skills to those who need them.