Save the Date

by R. J. Groves

Ouch. ‘Oh.’

  It felt like a fist was clenched around her heart. She’d asked the question. She shouldn’t be disappointed. She should’ve expected that he’d have a few casuals going at once. In fact, she had expected it—from the moment she met him. But somehow, somewhere along the line, she’d forgotten. And, well … it hurt.

  ‘Okay then,’ she muttered, glancing back at the door. ‘Well, I should—’

  ‘I’m not seeing anyone else, if that’s what you’re asking.’

  Her heart started racing, and she suppressed the strange surge of hope that pulsed through her. ‘Oh … really?’

  He took a casual step towards her, and her heart skipped a beat. ‘Yeah, I mean, I’m not into stringing a bunch of girls along at the same time.’ He lifted his hand and tucked a stray lock behind her ear, his thumb lingering against her cheek, his eyes searching hers. ‘No other could compare, anyway.’

  Compare to what? Her? She swallowed. He didn’t mean it. Surely, he didn’t. She knew she wasn’t much to look at. He was just being nice. Still … she wished he truly meant it. Because she was absolutely sure she hadn’t seen anyone who was even on the same scale as him. She dropped her gaze and felt, rather than saw, his body tense. His hand dropped.

  ‘You’re not seeing someone else, are you?’ It was a question, but it somehow felt like a demand.

  ‘N—no.’

  He muttered something that sounded like good, but she couldn’t be certain. He smiled at her. ‘Well, I guess we’re exclusive, then. Exclusive-casual.’

  Her lips parted. She wanted to ask him what casual meant. And she wanted to forget that word ever existed. Exclusive. God, being exclusive with Taylor Ballin would be … incredible. But exclusive-casual? Hell, she was the one who had said it, and she had no idea what it really meant.

  ‘T—ten days,’ she muttered.

  His brow creased. ‘What?’

  ‘Since I saw you last,’ she said, suddenly unsure of what she was trying to say. ‘Or … heard … from you.’ He seemed to consider her words for a moment, as if rolling something around in his mouth and wondering if it was good enough to swallow, or if he should spit it out. Nervously, she continued. ‘I just … I wasn’t sure if you were avoiding me, or who should message first, or who should initiate said … casual … things.’

  He was smiling. A big, goofy, toothy grin. Damn him. He was finding this amusing. She took a shaky breath.

  ‘I’m new to the casual thing,’ she admitted, her arms growing tighter across her chest. ‘I don’t really know what it includes. And what it … doesn’t.’

  ‘Right,’ he said, clearly amused. ‘Basically, no strings attached.’

  She nodded, as though it made sense, but truth be told, it gave her no extra clarity on the whole situation. ‘So, who initiates? And is there a waiting period or something?’ At that, he laughed. She slapped him on the chest, then covered her mouth with the same hand. It had been too easy, too familiar, to slap him like that. She wasn’t even sure if that was allowed.

  He placed his hands on her upper arms, squeezing gently. ‘No limitations. No waiting periods. Either of us can initiate.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘In fact, if it makes it easier, why don’t we just shoot each other a message whenever we’re thinking of each other?’

  She wasn’t sure if he was serious or not, but it all sounded simple enough. Except, it wasn’t. Everything he was describing sounded like a real relationship. Not something casual. Surely, there was a difference.

  No strings attached.

  That was the difference.

  Except she’d already failed on that front. There were strings attached. She couldn’t quite place what those strings were, exactly, but they were there. ‘No strings attached’ didn’t feel like … this. And it also meant she wouldn’t be hurt. Except that she was so dangerously close to it already.

  ‘S—sure,’ she muttered.

  ‘And for the record,’ he added. ‘Ten days is too long, Andie. It damn near killed me.’

  Before she could even process what he’d said, his lips were on hers. Hard, firm. But so tender. The smell and taste of him surrounded her. Him. And mint. And a hint of bourbon. As suddenly as it started, the kiss was over, and she was left breathless and unsure of what exactly had just happened. A no-strings-attached kiss couldn’t feel like that. He started backing away, smiling at her, and that was when she registered the car honking at the curb.

  ‘Connor’s calling,’ he said, nudging his thumb over his shoulder towards the car. ‘Got to go.’

  She blinked a few more times, still processing everything. ‘Why did you come?’ she called out, just before he reached the car.

  He shrugged, his smile still wide. ‘I wanted to see you.’

  He wanted to see her.

  Her breath caught in her throat. Did he mean it? Why else had he come? Her mind replayed the conversation as she stared at the spot where the car had just been. He hadn’t said anything of his own initiation. He’d answered her question. They’d come to some kind of understanding about the whole casual thing. But that couldn’t have been why he came to see her. What was he going to say if she hadn’t asked him a question? What would he have said if she’d kept her mouth shut and waited for him to speak? Or was it merely to sneak a kiss and actually see her, like he’d said?

  Connor had been in the car waiting for him. Obviously, they were headed somewhere. Which meant that he hadn’t planned on staying long. A brief encounter. Perhaps to organise a time to see each other again. Maybe to line something up for when he and Connor were finished doing whatever they were doing.

  But he hadn’t.

  Nothing had been organised.

  The only thing he’d said of the sort was to message him when she was thinking of him, and he would do the same. She let out a long, shaky breath. Hell, if that were the case, she’d be messaging him all the time. And, somehow, that didn’t seem like a casual thing to do. Although, he had said no limitations …

  She heard a laugh from inside, bringing her back to the present, making her realise she had no idea how long she’d been standing there. Alone. Thinking of him. Her fingers instinctively touched her lips. She could still taste him there, still feel the slight bruising of his lips on hers. She heard another laugh and turned towards her house. Why was Harley laughing? Heartbroken Harley, who’d been uncontrollably sobbing only moments before. Laughing. She peered through the gap between the curtains and the window to see Joey sitting close beside her, his arm resting across the back of the couch behind her, seemingly deep in a story. A story that was making her laugh.

  She couldn’t help but think that they looked good together, despite her having just gone through a breakup and Joey heading back to work soon. A smile played at her lips. If only it could be that easy. To have your heart starting to heal straight after having it broken. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to look at the message, her heart skipping a beat when she saw his name.

  Hey.

  One word. That was it. A greeting. Nothing extraordinary. But it had her stomach flipping and her lips quivering into a smile. He was thinking of her. She shot a hey back to him and focused back on her brother and her best friend, who was now clutching her side from laughing. She bit into her lip.

  Maybe it was that easy.

  The human body was an amazing organism, after all. Perhaps a heart could heal quicker than she first thought. Especially when the one helping it heal put the one that broke it to shame. Like Joey seemed to be doing for Harley.

  And like Taylor Ballin had done for her.

  ***

  Tay climbed the last steps of his apartment building and almost ran into her. Literally. One of his arms stretched out in front of her, stopping her from tumbling down the stairs. He smiled when she swore under her breath as he steadied her.

  ‘Taylor,’ she muttered, her cheeks red. ‘What are you doing here?’

  His eyebrow lifted. ‘I live here, remember?�
�� He eased towards his door and slipped the key into the lock, his eyes glancing down at her hands. A bag. An overnight bag. His pulse quickened.

  ‘Right,’ she muttered, her voice shaky. ‘I just wasn’t … expecting you.’

  His other eyebrow joined the first as he turned the key and pushed the door open. ‘You weren’t expecting me? At my place?’

  She laughed awkwardly. ‘I meant there … at the stairs.’

  He turned towards her, studying her face. His thoughts flicked back to the obvious. She’d been leaving. Heading towards the stairs. To leave. ‘You were going.’

  She indicated towards his door. ‘You weren’t home.’

  He tilted his head. ‘Why are you here, Andie?’

  Her lips parted, and she took a deep breath. He could just about see the cogs working in her head, trying to find what she wanted to say. He wasn’t disappointed that she was there. Hell, he’d only been thinking of her all through Connor’s party—that he’d left early, considering he wasn’t enjoying the entertainment as much as the other guys had been. Even Connor had disappeared early to spend the night with Libby—and it was his bachelor party.

  She went to say something, a weak sound escaping her lips, then her mouth snapped shut. She diverted her gaze, breaking the eye contact he’d been holding.

  ‘I … umm…’ she started, taking another breath. She lifted her eyes cautiously, focusing back on him. ‘I wanted to see you.’

  His heart was pounding in his chest, and he tried to control his smile from being too obvious. He moved to the side, waving a hand to let her through the door first. She hesitated briefly, then seemed to relax.

  ‘How’s your patient?’ he said, closing the door behind them.

  ‘Umm … better,’ she said, scanning the room before settling on a place to put her bag. He swallowed. ‘She’s asleep. In my bed. So, I—’ She shrugged, turning slowly to face him. God, she was beautiful.

  ‘Needed a place to spend the night?’

  She shrugged again. ‘Not particularly,’ she said, taking a single step towards him, one arm crossing over her stomach, gripping onto her other elbow. ‘I just—’ She diverted her gaze again. ‘—she’s okay. Joey helped get her spirits up again.’

  He caught a glimpse of something flicker across her face that showed she wasn’t sure what she thought of it. He could only imagine what Joey had done to help get her spirits up. He made a mental note to thank Joey next time he saw him. Whatever he’d done for Harley had sent Andie to his door, and for that, he couldn’t find anything to complain about.

  He took a slow step towards her and registered her eyes widening, her breath catching. ‘So, if you didn’t need anywhere to stay the night,’ he said, indicating towards the bag she’d deposited near the bench, ‘what’s that for?’

  Her cheeks reddened further. ‘A just in case.’

  He stopped moving, unsure whether he could control himself if he was any closer. ‘In case of what?’

  He saw her lips move into a wobbly smile and she shrugged, still avoiding looking directly at him. ‘In case you were home.’ It was almost a squeak, but he didn’t need long to register what she was saying. He already knew why she was here. A small part of him wanted her to say it. But hell, that was as good as saying it.

  He swore under his breath, running a hand over the stubble on his chin.

  She nervously crossed both arms over her chest. ‘I don’t know,’ she muttered. ‘Maybe I was a bit presumptuous, but—’

  He cut her short with his lips on hers. He wasn’t sure how he’d managed to close the distance between them so quickly, but he was also sure that it hadn’t been quick enough. Because he didn’t want to regret the fact that those precious moments talking could have been a few moments longer with her in his arms.

  He kissed her deeply, thoroughly, and felt her arms wrap around the back of his neck as she kissed him back, parting her lips to let him in. The closer she pressed her body against him, the more her scent seemed to engulf him. Her perfume, her shampoo. Clean. Soap. And her. That irresistible, addictive, unique scent that was her, and there was no other way to describe it. He felt the rumble at the base of his throat as her hands slid to his chest, making fast work of his buttons. He let her slide his shirt off his shoulders and pull his singlet over his head. He took the brief moment of space between them to lift her shirt off. All breath left his body.

  ‘God, you’re beautiful,’ he muttered, letting his hands roam over her body, caressing her curves, slipping a hand behind her to release the clasp of her bra.

  Her lips wobbled, but she said nothing. Instead, she pressed herself against him again, kissing him with a fervour almost as desperate as his. Had the last ten days been as painful for her as they had been for him? He felt her bra slip from between them and revelled in feeling her warm soft skin against his. He lowered his hands down her back, over her ass, and gripped her thighs, lifting her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Her lips never left his, and she kissed him harder, tangling her fingers in his hair.

  He carried her to his room, kicking his bedroom door closed behind them, and laid her on the bed, lifting his body off hers to work on the button of her jeans. Her eyes drifted to the door he’d just closed, and she pressed a hand against his chest.

  ‘We’re the only ones here, right?’ she muttered.

  He paused, his thumb seconds from releasing her button from its restraint. ‘Of course.’

  Her eyebrow lifted teasingly. ‘Why did you close the door then?’

  He flicked the button through the buttonhole and pulled the zipper down. ‘Because Libby has a key.’

  He tugged at her pants until they were off, then made short work of his. He ran his hands slowly up her legs, watching as his thumb slid over her knees, her thighs, her waist. He teased the peaks of her breasts with his thumbs and lowered himself back on top of her, kissing her everywhere his lips could reach.

  ‘Are we expecting company, then?’ she muttered, moaning softly in his ear.

  He groaned, kissing her neck. Nibbling. Sucking. ‘God, I hope not.’ Though it was only a matter of time before Connor told Libby about their little detour. A mistake, probably. But now Andie was here …

  Once again, her arms wrapped around his neck, guiding him up to kiss him. Her legs wrapped around him, nudging him closer, and that was all he needed. He made love to her thoroughly, deeply, feeling their bodies meld together like they’d been designed to fit perfectly. Made love, because he couldn’t think of another word to describe it. It felt too right, too perfect, to be called anything else. They moved slowly, passionately, and he left no part of her unnoticed, every inch of her body receiving the gentle caresses and attention she deserved.

  It didn’t matter what was going on outside that room, or anywhere else in his life. Business could wait. Everything else could wait. But as long as he had her in his arms, feeling her kiss him back and move against him, he felt like he could take on anything. Maybe it was just the moment talking. The heat and spontaneity. And the extra bourbon he’d consumed that night.

  Or maybe it was the deepest, most terrifying part of him that he’d suppressed for so long, simmering to the surface once again.

  Instinct was what he acted on. And right now, his instinct was telling him that he needed her. But he’d trusted his instinct on matters of intimacy once before, and it had failed him. Miserably.

  Could he trust it now?

  Chapter 27

  ‘Everything you need is in there.’

  Tay focused on the manila folder in front of him, half wanting to jump straight into it, and half feeling like it might burn his hand off. What the hell had he been thinking? Surely looking into Andie’s ex was a bad idea. It had to be. But there were things he had to know. Things that he felt like he couldn’t ask her without driving a wedge between them. But would looking at that folder drive a wedge on its own?

  ‘Prompt, as always,’ he muttered.

  Phil Clayton—his reg
ular private investigator—nodded, tapping his fingers on the arms of the chair. ‘It was easy enough with this guy.’

  Tay’s brow furrowed. ‘He’s clean, then?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ Phil scoffed. ‘He’s the only person I’ve ever had to look into for two different clients. Not much has changed with him over the last few months. Still up to his dirty tricks.’

  Tay felt a fist clench around his heart, his hands balling, his eyes focused on that folder. What kind of guy had Andie been involved with? And, whatever this bastard had been into, was that what broke their engagement? Did she know? Or was she oblivious, having unknowingly escaped from whatever dangers this guy was involved in?

  He relaxed his hands, then felt them clench again, his mind trying to decide whether or not it was worth looking at the folder. He wanted to know—God, he wanted to know. But there was that part of him that screamed that everything to do with this was wrong.

  Phil cleared his throat, and Tay looked up at him. ‘Are you going to have a look, make sure it’s all you need to know?’

  Tay swallowed. Usually, he’d never hesitated to look at the folders that Phil gave him. Phil had always stayed until he’d at least glanced through it, making sure there was nothing else that Tay needed before the job was concluded. But this …

  Even though Phil knew what was in that folder, it still felt too … private. Which didn’t make sense. Tay had no ties with this guy. He knew everyone who he dealt with in the business, and this guy was not one of them. Except for Andie. Andie was their tie. Joseph was Andie’s history. Tay was her future. He frowned at the thought, mentally correcting it. Now. He was her now. He had no future. Not with anyone. He ignored the niggle in the back of his mind that insisted it might not be so.

  ‘I trust your work,’ he said, clenching his hands once again to stop from flipping the folder open. ‘Who else looked into him?’

  ‘You may pay me well,’ Phil said, an eyebrow raised. ‘But not that well.’

  ‘What if I said I wanted you to investigate whoever had you investigate him?’

  ‘I would sadly have to decline,’ he said, his eyes flickering with amusement. ‘Client confidentiality.’