by Joya Ryan
“I’m fine,” she said. “Besides, you said you liked it rough. Turns out, so do I. So don’t worry about it.”
“Penelope.” His voice was soft, and his hands cupped her waist from behind. “I never meant to hurt you. If I did—”
“I’m fine.” She spun to face him. “You think city girls are the only ones who can handle you?” She scoffed. “I may not look the part, but trust me, what you dished out last night was nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“Then why are you upset?”
“I’m tired. You know.” She gestured at the kitchen. “Baking and working today, only to have my friend come tell me that I need a date for the rehearsal dinner because everyone else has one.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. You could have just told me. I know our little agreement has an expatriation, but I never took you for an over-lapper. You didn’t have to hide it.”
“I’m not hiding anything. I don’t have a date for the dinner per say.”
She paused. “But Jenna said that Colt said—”
“Well that sounds like a good string of logic.” He stepped toward her. “Colt and Jenna want me to occupy—”
“The third bridesmaid. I know. Jenna was gushing about setting you two up.”
“You could have just asked me. This whole thing we have is supposed to be built on trust.”
“Temporary trust,” she mumbled.
He stood still, a mask of some dark emotion on his face. Anger? Disappointment? She couldn’t tell.
“Are you setting up a date with someone else the day our time is up?” she asked. That’s what he’d said he wanted, for her to just come out and ask.
“You’re the one who came after me. Wanted something from me. I was honest from the beginning, and you agreed to the timeline.”
“Yes, you were honest,” she said. Yet somehow it didn’t make the ache in her stomach any less. She was falling for him. Hell, had fallen a long time ago. Now she was just falling faster. It was her own fault. Going against the guidelines they’d set up.
Bass ran the back of his fingers along her cheek, and she looked up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut.
“I’ll see you later,” he said. But there was a flicker of longing behind his eyes. Was there hope? Could the self-proclaimed bachelor for life maybe want more? Was it possible he was just afraid? Just needed someone to show him it was worth taking that single step outside his boundaries?
She hoped so, because now more than ever, she knew that’s what she wanted.
So why not go for it? She had just over a week left with him. If she was feeling something for him already, maybe he wasn’t completely immune to her. It was only when she’d pushed him that he’d let his true self out. And she liked that man. Wanted him.
If I want him, I have to push for more.
What did she have to lose? If she did nothing, he would walk away in two weeks anyway. Hurt now or hurt later. Or maybe prove to him that there was more between them than sex.
It was worth a try. This whole situation had started because she’d finally gone after something she wanted. And she wasn’t about to give up now.
A week and a half…could she show Bass that long term beyond that might not be so bad?
She’d sure as hell try.
Because the idea of someone else didn’t feel right. It felt depressing.
This was going to be the biggest challenge yet.
“You could stay,” she said.
He stopped by her door. “No, I can’t.”
“Why?”
He laughed and glanced down. “You don’t want to know.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
His dark eyes met hers. “Because if I stay, I’ll fuck you. And I’m not prepared for that. It wasn’t why I came over. Actually, I wasn’t even going to stop by tonight.”
“But you did.”
“Yeah, and now I’m going.”
“What do you mean prepared? What, you have to do pushups beforehand? Guzzle down a protein shake or something?”
He glared at her, and she put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response. Yeah, she was pretty certain she was the only person in his life that pushed him. Pushed for the truth. Pushed for his affection. Pushed for his trust.
“I don’t have condoms on me. That’s what I mean by prepared.”
Oh. What went through her mind made it to her mouth and out loud before she could call it back.
“I was only with one man, one time before you, and we used a condom. I still got checked, just for precaution, so… I’m healthy, if that’s your concern.”
She glanced at her feet, because his dark stare was too heavy to take. Since she’d put that out there, she may as well go the rest of the way.
“I’m on birth control, too.” When he just stood there, she went on, shrugging and hating how pathetic she felt. “I was hoping that someday, when I was with a man I trusted, I’d be prepared. I just didn’t know when that someday was.”
She’d never admitted that because it sounded lame. Like she was waiting around for prince charming to come sweep her off her feet and carry her to her castle with a white picket fence.
But she’d hoped that one day Mr. Right would show up. And there, standing before Sebastian, it hit her. Deep down, she’d always hoped it would be him.
Now I really sound like an idiot.
“Well…” He cleared his throat. “I’ve never been with a woman without a condom.”
Her eyes shot to his. “Never?”
He shook his head. “Never. And before you ask, I’m clean, too.”
A small smile tugged at her lips. There was something special they could share that was just them. She could feel him, with no barriers, and she could be a first for him in some way. It was a huge frickin’ deal to her. So much that she wanted to jump up and down, cheering. This was a step in taking their trust to a deeper level.
“Goodnight,” he said.
“Wait, what?” She all but leapt toward the door to stop him. “You’re still leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He took a single step toward her and kissed her hard, groaning when he pulled away.
“Because I had a purpose for coming here tonight, and sex wasn’t it.”
He looked her over like he might a fine dessert he wasn’t allowed to eat, and then he finally let himself out. She stood in shock. That wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting, and her heart felt a little heavier than normal. Not with rejection, though. With realization. Sebastian has exercised his control. And if his purpose of stopping by hadn’t been sex…
“He came to check on me,” she whispered to herself. The idea made butterflies dance in her stomach. If it was just about sex between them, he would have taken her up on her offer right then, and that’s what they would have done.
But he cared. On a deeper level than the physical.
She might have a new mission of keeping Sebastian for longer than their two weeks, but in the meantime, she had a feeling her emotions were going to be a torn to shreds trying to figure this guy out.
Whatever walls he’d put up, they were thicker and higher than she’d thought.
…
Sebastian couldn’t get his body to stop pounding like a damn drum. As he drove down the dark road, away from Penny and toward his home, all he could think about was how she’d feel with nothing between them.
That was a lot of power to give a woman.
But to be with her?
No holds barred. No barrier. Nothing but them and passion and opportunity.
He turned down the dirt road that led to his property on the outskirts of town. He did like his privacy. Especially lately, when those private moments were spent with Penny. But the idea of being inside her anywhere, anytime?
That was a heady notion.
It was also a tricky one. He prided himself on being
good at reading women. Penny was a firecracker. Pushed his buttons. But tonight, she’d been upset and tried to play it off like another challenge. But he’d seen it. The glimpse of hurt in her eyes at the idea he had a date with someone else.
This wasn’t just a good time anymore. At some point, it had become something much more. His nightmare scenario, the one he stuck to the two week arrangement to avoid, had happened barely a week in.
What was he supposed to do? End their arrangement early? She was already getting attached. And Christ, he wasn’t doing a great job of not getting sucked in either.
Maybe he could urge her to find a date for the rehearsal. Yes, technically that was supposed to be their last day and night together. He wanted that last night.
But what if they showed up with other people? Then they’d both have a clear understanding that this arrangement between them was ending. Yes, it was either that or end it now.
But the thought of giving her up early? He’d never have this chance again. So he had a new mission: keep Penny for the rest of their time together while putting distance between them…
Sounds easy enough.
Yeah fucking right.
Chapter Nine
Penny dropped off food at table seven, trying not to look over at the occupied booth where Sebastian, Huck, Colt, and Ryder sat.
Ever since last night, she’d been wracking her brain about Sebastian and their predicament. If she were to convince him—without pushing him so hard he ran away—that they could make their relationship work past the two week mark, she’d need a plan. One she hadn’t quite fine-tuned yet.
But it had been damn near twenty-four hours since he’d stood in her kitchen and she’d confessed yet another embarrassing aspect of her life. She didn’t want him to think she was weak. Now, he and the Diamond Rat Pack sat in her restaurant, waiting on their dinner, while she pretended to be thinking of something other than Sebastian’s mouth. More specifically, how it felt on her body.
“Order up,” cook said when the barbecue ribs were ready.
She grabbed the plates and made the long trek over to the booth. Her only plan of action was to take a step back and observe. If she got a better read on Bass, really saw what was going on beneath this surface façade he kept, maybe she could crack it better.
This was the time for her inner MacGyver to shine—sneakily disassembling one man’s commitment-phobia.
His past was working against him. How he’d been raised and the fact that his mother had left weren’t secrets. They’d shaped how he viewed relationships. If she could show him she truly cared, show him that she’d never break his trust, maybe there was hope.
Though she didn’t have much to compare it to, she felt his struggle, his feelings. It was in the way he touched her face. The way his eyes lingered. The way he gave her everything when she begged, screamed, and whispered. He wanted her to feel like a complete woman. And she wanted to make him feel like a complete man.
“Have you been avoiding me?” Ryder said as she set down the guys’ food.
“Of course not.” She smiled at her big brother. “I’ve been avoiding all of you.” They turned their heads in question. “I’m kidding,” she said. “Calm down.”
“Speaking of people you may want to avoid,” Colt said, adjusting in his seat. “Here comes one now.”
There was a guilty look on Colt’s face, then she heard Jenna’s voice ring out from behind her.
“Hello,” she said happily.
She turned to find her friend in exercise clothes with a yoga mat strapped to her back and…oh shit. Finn was walking in with her.
The physical therapist was in exercise clothes too. She guessed they were coming from Jenna’s Yoga in the Park evening class.
Finn smiled. “Good to see you again, Penny.”
“How are you?”
“Great.”
“You’ll never believe this,” Jenna said, “but I was talking to Finn, and he said that he doesn’t have a date for the rehearsal, Colt.”
Penny glared at Colt, and he palmed his baseball cap. The man used to stare down bulls for a living, but he was squirming in his seat.
“Fancy that,” Colt said.
This whole thing smelled of a setup, and she was on the chopping block.
…
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Bass almost let the words slip out, but luckily he caught himself. Penny was getting set up, something she wasn’t taking too kindly to, and frankly, neither was he.
“Do you want to sit?” Huck asked, oblivious.
“I was going to grab a quick drink at the bar,” Finn said, eyeing Penny in a way that made Sebastian’s blood heat. He wasn’t staring down her tits or anything, but he definitely glanced at them for a much longer moment than he liked.
“Well, I was just headed back that way,” she said, and Finn followed her. Like a damn puppy. Which he was. Granted, her ass did invoke men to follow, so he couldn’t blame the guy.
But still.
“What the hell?” Bass asked Colt. “You really are playing matchmaker now, huh?”
“No,” Colt said as his soon-to-be wife slid next to him. He kissed Jenna’s cheek. “This devilish one here is.”
“Look, Penny needs to get out there. She doesn’t have a date for the rehearsal, and without one, I’m afraid she’s going to spend most of the night in the kitchen. I thought Finn would be perfect. He’s single, has a great job, and he’s cute.”
“Cute?” Colt said, frowning.
Jenna smiled and rubbed his leg under the table. At least, he hoped it was his leg. One look from her and Colt’s whole expression changed. She whispered something in his ear, and judging by the look on his buddy’s face, it put him at ease.
Those two were so lovey it gave Sebastian the dry heaves. Surely someone at this table would be on his side.
He turned his focus to Ryder. “You think this is a good idea? Whatever happened to you going ape shit on anyone who looked at your sister?”
Ryder shrugged. “Finn took her out a while back. He’s been respectable in trying to get her attention, and he’s solid. Besides, the rehearsal dinner will be loaded with people, and Finn’s not that type of guy.” Ryder glanced at the bar, and so did Bass. Finn was chatting Penny up, and the heat in Bass doubled. When he’d come in the other week to talk to Penny, he’d noticed Finn talking to her. But this time was different. Because a lot had happened in the short time he’d spent with her.
“What does that mean?” Bass asked. “That type of guy? Finn’s still a guy.”
Ryder took a swig of his drink. “He’s not a real threat.”
“Not a real threat?” he snapped. Didn’t anyone care that she was getting hooked up with…with…
A guy that’s perfect for her.
“Look at him, man,” Ryder said. “He’s her type. Loyal, responsible—”
“How the hell would you know her type? You’re her brother. You don’t know what she’s like—” Bass stopped himself, because his best friend was looking at him like he’d lost his damn mind. Maybe he had.
Hadn’t he just thought to himself that Penny needed a date for the wedding? It would put both of them in the right mind. Remind them that what they had was temporary. But seeing the safe, respectable choice of a man that Ryder approved of for the sweet girl next door was too much to take.
Because that made it more clear than ever that he was not that type of guy.
AKA: Not Penny’s type. No matter how much that truth stabbed his gut, he would be wise to follow through with his plan and push her away. Rather, push her toward someone else. If they both had a date for the rehearsal, that would be golden confirmation that their two weeks were done.
“What is your problem?” Ryder said. “Finn practically walks around with a boy scout badge on. He’s not the cheating kind. He doesn’t abandon women. He’s long term, and that’s what Penny deserves. I’m not trying to make my sister a celibate misery case. I just w
ant her to find what she’s looking for.”
“And you think that’s Finn?”
“I think he’s as close as it gets.”
Bass took another look at the tall, lean man. He was generic, safe, and steady. Likely wanted the same things Penny did. A commitment, house, and kids. The guy would probably run his future son’s little league team someday.
Another jab of pain sliced through his stomach. Finn was perfect for her. But Penny Diamond went beyond generic. She was incredible. He knew this first hand, but he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
So he sat there, fuming at the fact that he wasn’t good enough for her. A fact he’d always known but never had to stare down until that moment.
If anything, he was standing in the way of what she wanted. It would be selfish of him to keep her from the long-term happiness she deserved.
Two weeks was all he had with her. That was it. Then they were friends.
No reason to make her miss out now.
When she walked back to the table, her smile turned to a frown. She leaned in close to Jenna and in a harsh whisper said, “What are you doing?”
“Looks like she’s setting you up,” Huck said, taking a bite of his burger.
“No kidding. But I told you I don’t need a date for the rehearsal.”
Jenna’s eyes went wide. “So he asked you?”
“Yes, he did. What am I supposed to say?”
“You’re supposed to say yes,” Sebastian said, and her green eyes shot to him.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, darlin’.”
“You want me to say yes to Finn for a date?”
He swallowed hard and kept his mouth shut just long enough for Ryder to give his two cents. Which he did.
“He seems like a nice guy,” Ryder said.
“Well, thanks for your input, brother, but—”
“Finn is your type,” Bass said. “You should take him up on his offer. Never know, could be the start of something real.”
She looked as though she’d just been slapped, and Bass felt like he’d just been shanked in the gut. Those green eyes looked at him with such pain.
Before he could take back what he’d said, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
