by Laura Pavlov
“Listen, I came here so we could both get closure. I’m not sure how we jumped to the topic of children when we aren’t even together.”
“Are you seeing someone else?” His gaze narrowed.
They’d been broken up for all of two weeks. How the hell would she already be seeing someone? Warning bells went off. This was exactly what Will Sanders used to do. Well, Will was worse. If his lips were moving, he was lying. But he was paranoid as all get-out. The man accused her of cheating on him every chance he got. In the end, she learned he was a serial cheater throughout their relationship. Edward questioning her was a red flag.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We just broke up. Are you seeing someone?”
“I’ve been on two dates since you ended things with me, and the entire time I thought of you. I miss you terribly.” He lifted his coffee mug to his full lips before taking a sip.
Well, kiss my go-to-hell—here the man talked marriage and kids and he’d already been out on a date? Two dates, actually. Obviously, France offered more opportunity than Lake Tahoe. She’d spent the past two weeks with the most unattainable guy on the planet, all while pretending to still be in a relationship, and Edward had been out on a dating spree.
“Wow. You don’t waste any time, do you?” She reached for her tea.
“Do you want me to lie?”
It stung that she’d been so easy to get over. But at least he wasn’t a liar. And oddly, she didn’t care. She hadn’t missed him. Taking a break from everything and everyone these past few weeks was delightful. Even spending time with Maverick—was nice. Fun, even. She’d laughed with him the way she did with Peyton and Dani. Edward rarely laughed. He was chivalrous, and gentlemanly, sure. But funny. Not so much.
“No, of course not. Were you on a date when you sent me all those flowers?”
“Listen, Elle. You ended things with me. I’m not a man who likes to be alone. I won’t deny it. I went on two dates, setups, and I had a terrible time. They both ended with a kiss on the cheek. No fireworks. I missed my beautiful, brown-eyed girl.” He reached across the table to clasp her hand.
He knew how to say the right things, but there were no fireworks. No passion. Maybe she was cursed to a passionless life.
“I appreciate the kind words, I do. But our issues are too big, Edward. We don’t even live in the same country, for God’s sake. The entire time we dated, we were on a vacation. It wasn’t real life. As much as I love a good fairy-tale, this one isn’t realistic. Your daughter despises me, and you’re always going to side with her. And you should, you’re her father. But I want a partner who stands up for me. A partner I will someday marry and start a family with, and that child becomes our priority. Together.”
“I can give you all those things. I know you don’t believe me, but I’m not ready to give up on you. I’m going to prove it to you. I spoke to your mother this morning. She didn’t mention anything, so I’m guessing you haven’t told her, which is a good sign.”
It was not a good sign for the reasons he thought. Mama would chastise her for ending the relationship. She’d insist Elle look past Sophie’s issues. Edward was a wealthy and powerful man, exactly what Mama wanted for her.
Her phone vibrated on the table, and she glanced down to find a selfie of Maverick and Daisy. She couldn’t help but laugh. The caption read: come back. We both smell like soy sauce and urine. Her stomach did little flips.
She dropped the phone in her purse and faced Edward. “I appreciate the effort, but I really think it’s best we move forward as friends. I haven’t told Mama, because I’m not ready to hear what a disappointment I am to her.”
He smiled and it reached his hopeful gaze. “Maybe Mother knows best?”
He meant it as a tease, but it rubbed her wrong. Edward fit in with her mother much better than Elle did.
“We can agree to disagree,” she said.
“Okay. Friends it is. I’m going to be the best friend you’ve ever had.”
She forced a smile. “Okay. I really do need to get on the road. I have a crisis at the house.”
“Okay, darling. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I’ll call you this evening to make sure you made it there okay. You know, a friend checking in on a friend.” He winked as they both stood.
She gave him a hug and he kissed both her cheeks, holding her stare for longer than usual.
“Drive safely, darling.”
As she pulled away from the curb, she looked in her rearview mirror. Edward watched her drive away. And now he was in her rearview, exactly where she intended to keep him. She looked ahead and merged onto the freeway. Surprise hit her when she realized how excited she was to get back to Lake Tahoe. The place where she had one amazing house to design, one stinky dog, and one charming manwhore waiting for her.
And there was nowhere else she wanted to be.
Chapter Ten
Maverick’s Playbook
Keep your eye on the prize!
Fucking Peaches. The girl would be the death of him. Why did she insist on rising to any challenge that came her way?
“Get off the goddamn ladder.” His tone made it sound like a command.
She stood on the top step of the ungodly tall structure, wobbling about like she was moments from plummeting to the ground, yet her stubborn ass stayed put.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Wallace. Thomas said it was fine,” she said, placing one piece of stacked stone against the adhesive on the wall. He turned to glare at Thomas but remained beneath the ladder in case he needed to catch her.
“Hey, she told me it was good luck for the designer to contribute a little.” Thomas held his hands up in front of him in defense.
“Who exactly is she quoting? Who in the hell says it’s good luck for the designer to stand on a twelve-foot ladder in high heels and put the last piece of stone on the highest point of the wall?” he said, unable to hide his irritation.
Her head tipped back, causing him to reach for the ladder, but she was just taunting him with laughter. “These are not high heels.” She lifted one foot and dangled her leg in the air. “These are wedges, you fool. I could run your ass into the ground wearing these. Just like I did this morning.”
He rolled his eyes. She’d hardly run his ass into the ground this morning. Maybe he’d thrown up a little in his mouth at the end, but it was because he’d done a full workout with his trainer before they’d gone on their run. He was undoubtedly in the best shape of his life, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit his decorator was contributing to it. They didn’t go on leisure runs—they were full on five to six-mile all-out races. Now the little tartlet wanted to join him with his trainer to see what all the hype was about. She had no idea what she was in for. She may be some sort of freakishly fast runner, but his workouts were for top-notch NFL players.
“For God’s sake, Peaches. Get your ass down here so we can call it a day.” He ran a hand through his hair.
The woman was exhausting, yet he couldn’t get enough of her. Since she’d returned from her trip home, they’d been inseparable. Putting in long hours at the house, working out, and everything in between. Today he offered to take her for a ride on his boat. She hadn’t been out on the water yet. Mimi insisted on making them sandwiches so they could eat dinner on the lake.
“Well, bless your pea-pickin’ heart. Is that concern I hear in your voice?” She took one step at a time and made her way down. Shaking her hot little ass in his face the whole way down.
“Don’t mistake concern for irritation,” he said dryly.
“All right, well done, Elle. Sorry, Mav. The guys and I are taking off. You two be careful out on the boat and try not to kill each other,” Thomas said with a wink.
“Thanks for trusting me with the final stone. I feel like I’ve blessed this house in a way now. Like I gave this place its own little baptism,” Elle said with a cocky smile.
“Are you drunk? Now you’re a pastor?”
Damn, he loved messing with
her. They laughed and bantered, and hell if he didn’t enjoy it. He’d never had a relationship like this with a woman. They’d grown so close, there wasn’t much he couldn’t say to her. Only his dirty thoughts were off-limits. God knows she’d cut off his tongue if he voiced all the things he wanted to do to her.
With her.
For her.
Fuck. He was horny as hell. The worst part of being platonic besties, as Peaches liked to call them—he hadn’t been with a woman in three weeks. It had to be some kind of record. Hadn’t so much as touched a woman. Her crazy ass had put some sort of no sex spell on him, and he didn’t want anyone else. He’d take no sex with Elle Fiore over sex with anyone else. How fucked up was that?
“Why? Do you need to repent? God knows you’ve sinned. But I think you’re going to need some sort of exorcism, which is a bit out of my expertise.”
His laugh echoed through the empty house. “I didn’t think anything was out of your expertise.”
They walked up to the house to change clothes and grab the sandwiches at his grandmother’s. Even being away from Elle while he changed his clothes made him anxious. He found himself rushing, so he could get back to her. He’d become Elle Fiore’s bitch. He didn’t do this with women. He didn’t even really date. Not the traditional way at least. Dinner. Sex. And catch ya next time.
No sleepovers.
Ever.
He knocked on the door to the guesthouse. Daisy scratched frantically. Damn if his dog didn’t have it as bad as he did. When the door swung open, his jaw hit the ground.
“What the hell are you wearing?” he said.
She strode past him in white short-shorts which showed off her tanned, slim, running legs, a white tank top with a blue anchor in the center, and the icing on the cake—a goddamn navy-blue captain’s hat. Sexy as fuck, but there was no yacht in sight.
“Aren’t we going on your boat? This is my boating outfit,” she said with a shit-eating grin, and something fluttered in his stomach. He didn’t do butterflies. He didn’t get nervous. Maybe it was infatuation, the hell if he knew. But Elle Fiore was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Inside and out. She tried so hard at everything she did, and he loved it. Correction. He liked it. He liked it a lot.
“Well, the Skipper called. He wants his hat back,” he said.
She laughed as they walked down to the water. “Ah, thanks, Gilligan. I’ll return it when we’re done.”
They climbed aboard, and Daisy sat beside Elle while he drove the boat out to his favorite place to watch the sun go down. When she looked out at the water, he stole a glance. She pulled off her captain’s hat and held it, and her long blonde hair blustered in the wind. The sun shone down on her olive skin, causing it to glisten and sparkle. A few freckles scattered along her nose and her pink lip gloss accentuated her plump lips. He cut the engine and reached for her hand.
“Come sit over here. It’s the best spot on the boat,” he said, and she dropped down on the white leather bench beside him. Daisy liked to stand on the nose of the boat once it stopped moving and look out for anything fluttering in the water.
He grabbed the picnic basket Mimi made and set it between them.
Elle opened it and laughed. “This is her idea of a few sandwiches?”
He rolled his eyes as he took in the packed basket. Sandwiches, chips, fruit, cookies, and two large bottles of Pellegrino.
“Yeah, she’s something else. You sure spend a lot of time with her, huh?”
“I love Mimi. She’s a wealth of knowledge. She’s teaching me how to make homemade pies tomorrow after work. Marley’s coming too,” she said.
His family took to his decorator like they’d known her their whole life. Usually it would’ve bothered him, but he liked it. He wanted her to be comfortable here. She didn’t have a good relationship with her own mother, and he got the feeling she craved it.
“Yep, she’s an amazing lady.”
“Sure is. Wow, it’s beautiful out here,” she said. Specks of gold and amber danced in her topaz gaze when she looked out at the turquoise water.
“It’s my favorite place.”
“Thanks for bringing me out here.” She looked up to meet his stare. “Honestly, thank you for everything. Letting me stay in your guesthouse and introducing me to your family.”
She played with her napkin. Fucking adorable. Sometimes she exuded confidence and other times her vulnerability caught him off guard. The girl was real. What you see is what you get. It was a rare quality these days, and he admired it.
“Of course. I’m glad you don’t hate me anymore.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry about that. I mean, I was bitter about our so-called date.”
He wanted to explain why he behaved like such an ass, and what better time than the present? “I deserved it. I know it wasn’t what you expected. Asking you to dinner was a mistake.”
She leaned back and studied him. “Why did you even ask me out?”
“You want the truth, Peaches?”
“Always,” she said.
“Well, I’d had a hell of a night with you at the wedding. I mean, that was some kiss.” He shook his head at the memory.
She buried her teeth in her bottom lip and nodded for him to continue.
“I didn’t want it to end, and you weren’t even considering taking me home with you. I wanted to see you again, so I asked you to dinner the following day. Then Jackson pulled me aside at the end of the reception and told me you were like family to them. You weren’t the kind of girl to put up with my shit. I’d need to go all in or call it off.”
“So why didn’t you just call it off?” she said, her voice just above a whisper.
“I wanted to see you again. Guess it makes me a selfish prick. A part of me hoped you’d be okay with the way I am. I don’t know.” He took a bite of his turkey sandwich and gave her a chance to respond.
“You thought I’d be okay with dinner and a quickie?” She lifted her chin in challenge.
“Well, come on, Peaches. You don’t ask someone for their life’s plan on a first date. You weren’t exactly helping the situation,” he said. The words came out more defensive than he planned.
“I asked you where you saw things between us going. Keep in mind, I also got the lowdown on you at the end of the reception. I was on edge. I didn’t want to be used. I’m not a one-night stand girl, it’s just not who I am.”
Her honesty was refreshing. Even when she said crazy shit. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her. He respected it.
“I know. I don’t even remember what I said to you, but I remember being an asshole.”
“Let me replay the conversation for you. I asked where you saw this going,” she said, motioning her hand between them. “You replied I see this ending with you naked in my bed. That’s as far into the future as I like to go.” She stared at him with disapproval.
His laughter bellowed off the water and his head tipped back. “Well, I sure laid it all out there. I really did want you naked in my bed. You know, there are a shit ton of women who enjoy that sort of arrangement.”
“And then, what? You could just kick me to the curb after? Sorry, but that dog won’t hunt. You made me feel like some sort of prostitute,” she hissed.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, but something in his chest tightened because he knew he’d hurt her feelings. “Jesus, Peaches. I wasn’t offering to pay you for sex. Why would you think that?”
“Well, you bought me dinner and expected sex, did you not?”
Goddamn, she was adorable. Even when she acted batshit crazy, he found her charming as hell.
“I never expected sex from you. But yeah, I wanted it. I guess I hoped you’d want it to. Once I realized it wasn’t your thing, I knew you shouldn’t waste your time with me. I mean, I’m no prince, Peaches. There’s no white horse. And knowing you the way I do now, I’m glad I walked away that night,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because you’re so—good. Y
ou deserve all the things you want, and then some.” He wanted her to know because it was true. He wished he could be that guy because she’d be worth changing for. But he sure as hell couldn’t tell her the whole reason he’d drawn a line in the sand. After Jackson’s little talk, he knew he couldn’t up and leave her if she’d invited him back to her place. So fate decided for him.
Her pretty gaze welled with emotion, and she blinked a few times. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. You’re not so bad yourself, Wallace. I think we can call it even. I believe I racked up a pretty hefty bill that night if memory serves.”
He reached over and caught a single tear as it made its way down her cheek. “That’s an understatement. Not to mention the hour and a half you sat there in silence, refusing to speak to me while you ordered one of everything on the menu.”
She laughed. “It was a great exit though, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, yes. You took the last bite of cheesecake, tossed your napkin on the table, pushed back, and faced me. I can still picture you in the gorgeous pink dress with the spaghetti straps. Fucking beautiful. You had your hair in a cute ponytail, and you pointed your little finger in my face. So close, I wanted to bite it. I believe you called me a manwhore, turned, whipped me in the face with your hair, and stormed out the door. I’m surprised you didn’t drop the mic before you left. It was very gangster, Peaches.”
Her mouth fell open. “Wow. You’ve got quite the memory. I can’t believe you remember the color of my dress.”
“Trust me. It was memorable.”
She wrapped her arms around her body, and he didn’t miss the tremble in her shoulders. The air had cooled over the last hour. He leaned back, wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She didn’t acknowledge his hand as it rubbed up and down her arm to warm her. Her skin was soft and smooth.
