by C. Morgan
It was a hand dangerously close to my face. I scooted back an inch or two to save myself from a broken nose and to get a better view.
She was on her back, her mouth hanging open and her hair fanned out around her. There were black smudges under her eyes. Her lips were still red and a little chapped. That was my fault. I had kissed her a lot, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
It was a little strange to wake up next to my one-night stand, but we were up late. Really late. And it wasn’t all sex. We actually talked. Rather, she talked, and I listened. When she wasn’t crying, she was laughing. She was a pretty funny woman and just a little neurotic.
I never talked that much to the women I took to bed. I found it to be pointless. What was the point of getting to know someone you never planned on seeing again?
I told myself it was different with Trinity. She was Naya’s best friend. My brother’s wife’s best friend. There were likely to be future occasions when we would see each other. She’d be at the birth of their first child, birthdays, holidays, and so on. It was okay to be friends with her.
I flopped back down on my pillow and looked up at the ceiling before turning to look at the clock. “Shit,” I muttered. I had no idea it was so late already. I nudged her arm. “Hey.”
“What?” she groaned.
“We have to get up. The brunch.”
“Shit. Is that today?”
“Is it the day after the wedding?”
“Don’t be an ass.”
I smirked and threw off the blanket. “I’m getting in the shower.”
“Shhh,” she hissed. “I have a headache. I need ten minutes.”
“You’ve got exactly ten and then you need to get that sexy ass up and in the shower.”
“I don’t want to shower.”
“You look like you’ve been up all night drinking and fucking.”
Her eyes popped open. “That is so rude.”
I grinned. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great look on you. I’m super into it. I just don’t know if the other guests will be cool about it.”
I noticed the moment she saw me standing nude beside the bed. I let her look. I worked hard to keep my body in good shape. It would be a shame to hide it from the world.
“Do you want to join me in the shower?” I offered.
She threw a pillow at me. “No! I need to sleep.”
“You can’t disappoint Naya.”
“I know, I know.”
I left the room and got in the shower. When I got out of the shower, she was gone. I knew she had a room in the hotel. I just wasn’t sure where it was.
I was a little disappointed she was gone, but that was the way of it. I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. When I stepped onto the elevator, I heard someone shout my name. I reached out and held the doors open.
“Thanks,” Trinity said, slightly out of breath, as she rushed into the elevator.
“Always in a rush,” I teased. “In bed and in life.”
“Shut up. Don’t talk about that. It was a drunken moment.”
“You weren’t drunk when you got to my room. You weren’t even drunk the first time.”
She rolled her eyes and slapped the button for the lobby that had already been pushed. “Whatever. I’m not talking about this with you.”
I smirked again. “You didn’t mind talking last night.”
She whipped around and glared at me. “Don’t you know it’s rude to talk about this kind of thing the morning after?”
“Nope.”
She growled and cursed under her breath before staring straight up at the elevator numbers. I said nothing more as we made our way to the dining room. When we walked in, everyone else from the wedding party was already there.
Ryan saw me come in with her. The look he gave me did not require words. Twin-speak was enough to say it all. He was not pleased to see me with his wife’s best friend.
Too late.
“You made it,” Naya said as she stood from her place at the end of the table beside her husband. Her tone was full of the disapproval she obviously felt. She hugged Trinity first before looking at me.
Yep, I was in deep shit. “You look radiant this morning,” I told her.
She smiled and gave me a hug before kissing my cheek. “You better be nice to Trinity or I will neuter you.”
I almost choked as I pulled away. I gave her a smile before patting Ryan on the shoulder and then moving to greet my mother.
Trinity was already in her seat. She looked rough around the edges. Her wet hair was pulled into a ponytail and her face was devoid of makeup.
We might have been able to get away with our little rendezvous but the matching dark circles under our eyes that we were both sporting was telling. That and our tardiness and both of us showing up with wet hair, looking slightly disheveled.
Ryan leaned over once everyone was involved in their own conversations. “What are you doing?” he hissed.
I sipped my coffee. “I’m getting ready to dig into breakfast. What are you doing?”
“Do not make my very happy marriage unhappy,” he warned. “I told you she was off limits.”
“Little brother, you are not the boss of me.”
He rolled his eyes. “You have said that for twenty-nine years.”
“Probably only twenty-eight. I did speak first, but I don’t think I talked until I was a year old.”
“You’re always so flippant. Please, please, please take this seriously. My wife thinks of her as a sister. Do not make me kick your ass for mistreating her sister. Because if she asks me to, I will.”
I guffawed. “You’ll try.”
“Just please promise me you will not ruin this for me.”
I grabbed the orange juice and took a drink. “If me sleeping with her best friend ruins your marriage, you’ve got worse problems.”
“You know what I mean. You know how women can be.”
I slowly shook my head. I was too hungover to deal with this craziness. “Women can be crazy. Trust me, I know that.”
“No, women are loyal to their friends. She will put me in the doghouse to punish me for what you did to her friend.”
Now I was amused. “Punish you? How? Is she going to spank you? Because if she is, I will do you a big favor and I will do whatever is necessary to get you in trouble. Trust me, you want to be punished.”
“You asshole, not that. She’ll cut me off.”
Our first course was delivered. “It was one drunken night. It isn’t like we are the first two people in history to hook up at a wedding.”
“Be nice to her,” he said and took a bite of the parfait. “She’s a really good person. I like her. I’ve gotten to know her and she’s special.”
“I got it. Now, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“How was your night?” I said with a grin.
“I am not going to discuss that with you.”
“Loser. When do you leave?”
“Three hours,” he said with a smile. “I would love to get out of here right now. Last night was not nearly long enough with my new bride.”
“I envy you,” I told him. “Not the wife thing. I don’t need one of those, but I wouldn’t mind a little trip to the Maldives.”
“You could go anytime you want. You work too much.”
“I like my job and right now I can’t just jet off around the world. One of these days, though.”
“You’ve been saying that forever. You always talk about taking a year off and touring the globe. You never do it.”
“I have too many clients. I can’t just up and go.”
“Don’t wait too long. Life is like a freight train. It stops for no one.”
“And just like that, he gets old overnight. Give the man a wedding ring and a marriage certificate and he turns into an old man.”
“I just want you to have the same kind of happiness I have.”
“No. I am not getting married. Thanks
anyway.”
“You’re missing out.”
“You’ve been married about five minutes. Let’s talk in a year and see how you’re feeling about this thing.”
“I’ll be even happier.”
I was going to take his word for it. The last thing I needed was a wife. I had a great life. I owned my own business. I had my looks—for now. I felt like I was too young to settle down with one woman.
There were just too many beautiful women in the world to pick just one. I understood why Ryan did it. That was his way of doing things. Not mine.
After brunch, we said our goodbyes and wished them well, and we were finally released from their service. I grabbed my bag and headed for the front exit. I handed my ticket to the valet and waited for him to bring my Jag around. I heard the wheels of a suitcase on the cement and glanced back.
It was Trinity. “Hey,” I said, suddenly feeling a little awkward.
“Hey.”
“Are you happy to be done with this whole circus?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Am I terrible friend if I say yes?”
“Nope. Does it make me a terrible brother if I feel the same way?”
She laughed. “Well, at least we’re terrible together.”
“I was only the best man. I can’t imagine the stress you’ve been under as the wedding planner, maid of honor, and best friend.”
She smiled and released a sigh. “It was stressful, but I’m going to miss her.”
“She’ll be back in a week.”
“I mean I’m going to miss hanging out with her. She’s a married woman now.”
I nodded with understanding. “I get it. My little brother isn’t going to be my drinking buddy anymore.”
“Was he ever?”
She was right. “Maybe not so much.”
“Well, uh, I guess I’ll see you around,” she said.
It was a weird moment. I wasn’t quite sure how to navigate it. I stepped forward and hugged her. “Goodbye,” I said for lack of anything cool to say.
“Later.”
She walked away and got into a cab. My Jag pulled up, but I barely noticed. I watched her as the cab drove away. I didn’t think I’d see her anytime soon, and I was a little bummed out by that realization.
Interesting.
I took my keys and tipped the valet. On the drive back to my place, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Now that I had a good meal in my belly and the hangover had subsided, last night became a little clearer.
She was a lot more than the frantic woman I had met the first time. She was smart and funny. I must have met other women that were funny and smart, but maybe I had never let myself get to know them.
Last night had been more than just great sex. It was like hanging out with a friend but a friend that gave some great sex.
Chapter 5
Trinity
I was going to have a nervous breakdown. It had been a week since the wedding. A week since I lost my job. I was going to be homeless if I didn’t find something soon.
Of course, I would lose my job after I moved into my own apartment. I couldn’t afford the apartment I shared with Naya on my own. She was moving in with her husband and our sweet two-bedroom was just not affordable for my income alone.
I got myself a decent but smaller apartment that I could afford on my salary from the magazine. I loved working for the editor as his personal assistant.
The job was never dull. I liked doing something a little different every day. It had been the perfect job. I loved it. I loved getting to be helpful, and the pay was pretty damn good.
And then the magazine downsized, and the editor no longer got to have a personal assistant. Translation, I was jobless. All I wanted to do was crawl under a blanket and hope the rest of the world just faded away.
I had been pounding the pavement all week, and nothing was out there. In the back of my mind, I could hear my mother lecturing me about how important it was to go to college. Technically, I had gone to college, but it was expensive, and my parents couldn’t afford to help me out.
I got the magazine job and it just seemed easier to work than go into debt to earn a degree I apparently didn’t need. My mother would have been disappointed, but if I ever got the chance to talk to her again, I would explain my reasons. As if they mattered after life was done and over.
“Until now,” I groaned. It sure as hell mattered right now.
I was on my own. I couldn’t even whine and complain to Naya. There was no way I was bugging her on her honeymoon. She deserved to be happy and carefree and didn’t need to worry about me and my troubles.
I threw off my blankets and got out of bed. I was keeping the heat low. Really low. I couldn’t afford to pay a high electric bill. Hell, I couldn’t afford to pay an electric bill at all. I took a quick shower. No more long, luxurious hot showers for me. That was all money I didn’t have. I had to tighten the purse strings in a big way. I had exactly enough money in the bank to pay rent next month and maybe buy a case of ramen to live off of.
I dressed in a casual outfit that was professional, but it didn’t look like I was trying too hard. I had to find a job today. Period. If I didn’t get something in the business world, I was heading to every fast-food restaurant within walking distance of my new apartment.
I couldn’t survive without income. I would happily ask if they wanted fries with their burgers while I continued to search for a job I really wanted. If I was going to consider a job mopping floors and cooking fries, I was going to need encouragement.
I was going to treat myself to one last cup of the really good coffee from my favorite coffee shop. I needed the morale booster to get through the day.
It sucked being told no over and over and over. I was barely holding on to my self-esteem. Five bucks was not going to mean the difference between paying rent and not paying rent. I bent down to grab my favorite boots and winced.
“Dammit,” I muttered. “Good sex comes with a price tag.”
After being bent like a pretzel for most of the night I’d spent with Ryker, my back had paid the price. As my late grandmother would say, I had a hiccup in my giddy-up. It only hurt when I moved just right, and apparently, bending over was the wrong move.
I was twenty-four. That was too young to be walking like a hunchbacked grandmother. I rubbed my lower back and did a few stretches to work out the kink before pulling on my boots.
My mind was somewhere else as I walked down the sidewalk. I had walked the same path every day this week on my search for a job. I could do it with my eyes closed at this point. I glanced down at my phone without stopping my walk. Searching the classifieds while walking was something I had become adept at. I reached for the door of the coffee shop and stepped on a ball or a rock or something that moved under my foot.
I screamed as my legs went out from under me. I flung my arms out to try and catch my balance and tweaked my back once again. I felt like a windmill. A falling windmill.
Just when I was prepared to fall on my ass, a pair of strong hands from behind me landed on my waist and pulled me upright. I felt heat and confidence and a sense of safety that was unfamiliar.
“Woah.” I heard the voice and wanted to die of embarrassment. It couldn’t be. Fate was not that twisted.
I turned around and confirmed the voice matched the face. “Ryker?” I asked with the hope that maybe it was Ryan. I knew it wasn’t, but it sure would have made the moment less humiliating.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
He bent down and picked up a marble. “This is a hazard. Who the hell leaves a marble on a sidewalk?”
“I’m sure it wasn’t intentional. I just wasn’t paying attention and didn’t see it.”
He stuck it in the trashcan next to the door. “That could have been bad.”
“Thanks for saving my ass literally.”
“No problem. Are you going in?”
“Are you?”
He fla
shed that familiar sexy smile. “That was my intention.”
He reached for the door and opened it for me. I walked in, trying to move slowly. My back hurt. I was embarrassed and didn’t want to let on that my little flailing of my arms had wrenched my back.
“Thank you,” I said and walked ahead of him to get in line.
He stood next to me like we were together. “Is this a usual haunt for you?” he asked.
“Yes. Not daily, but when I’m in the mood for good coffee, I stop by. What about you? Why are you in this area?”
It was blunt but I didn’t live in the neighborhood I imagined he lived in. He didn’t appear to be offended by question. “I was passing by and wanted some coffee. I didn’t have time this morning to make my own.”
I wasn’t going to flatter myself and pretend he followed me. He didn’t know where I lived and wouldn’t have purposely put himself in my neighborhood. It was just a coincidence. “I see,” I said and stepped up to order my coffee.
The cashier assumed we were together and looked at him after I placed my order and before I paid. He told her what he wanted, and I was faced with a dilemma. Pay for both, or make an ass out of myself and ask for the orders to be split. I didn’t have to fret for long. He whipped out a card and paid for both of our drinks.
“Thank you,” I told him.
“No problem.”
I winced again when I turned around. He put his hand on my elbow and steadied me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Thank you. Thanks for the coffee and keeping me from splattering on the sidewalk.”
“No one wants to see a beautiful woman splattered on the sidewalk.”
I smiled, nodded, and carefully stepped away from him. He flirted without even trying to flirt. I wondered if he realized he was even doing it. I walked away and sat down at one of the little tables with my coffee in hand. Even sitting hurt.
He sat down at my table. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“What?”
“You’re obviously in pain.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Trinity, what happened? Did you hurt yourself when you almost fell?”
I sipped my coffee, and because I was in a bit of a mood, I found myself being just a tiny bit snarky. “No, I hurt myself last week.”
