by Carina Adams
“I tried to see you this morning, but you were already gone when I got up.”
“I went to the gym early.”
My eyes narrowed on his hair, the tips still damp from a recent shower. The jackass was lying. I knew his habits as well as my own. He always showered directly after his workout. “You weren’t there when I finally crashed last night, either.”
He picked a pen up, refusing to look at me. “Late night. Lots of work to catch up on.”
Bullshit. He hadn’t come home. I wasn’t stupid.
I watched him closely. His shoulders weren’t tense and his face wasn’t twisted in it’s usual scowl. As he concentrated on the paper in front of him, I could see that he was more relaxed than he’d been in months, almost as if he didn’t have a care in the world. For a moment it felt like old times, when we would sit in the same spots we were now and study for hours. It felt like my friend was back.
It didn’t take a genius to put it all together. Nights he didn’t come home, his calm demeanor, his annoyance with me. I lifted a hand and examined my fingernails as I attempted to keep my tone casual. “How’s Brooke?”
“What?” He hissed.
I met his cold stare. “I’m not an idiot.”
“Right now you sound like one.”
“You either come to the house after I’m asleep, or not at all. You’re working here again. You clearly got laid. All of it adds to one thing. Brooke.”
His jaw ticked. “If that’s how you’re deductive reasoning works, you’re going to make a shit lawyer.”
“Reading people is what’s going to make me great. You’re not nearly as clever as you think.”
He smoothed down his goatee. “Ya know, as fun as spending the rest of the day arguing with you sounds, I have shit to do.”
“Why hide it? It’s not like you haven’t been moping around here, pathetically sad for the last few months. If she’s dumb enough to take your cheating ass back, then that’s on her.” I clenched my teeth to keep myself from saying more. It didn’t work. “Maybe now you can get your head out of your ass.”
If he’d been anyone else, or maybe if I’d been someone other than me, the hatred that crossed his face would have been intimidating and I would have cowered. I’d rarely seen him as angry as he was in that moment, red tinged his cheeks and his nostrils flared. Yet, we had too much history, I knew him too well, to ever be scared of him. If he wanted a physical confrontation, I’d knock him back so fast his head would spin. I was bigger than he was, stronger, even if smoke was about to come out his ears.
“Get out of my office.” The words were spit through clenched lips. “Now.”
I wanted to laugh at him, to summon that piece of me that I let the world see, to play the role of careless, heartless asshole and act like nothing he could say would upset me. Yet, this was Roman. If there was anyone in this world I could be real with, it was supposed to be him.
For once, I didn’t hide. “Your office?” I swung my arms wide. “You mean our office. A space paid for with a loan I gave the company because I wasn’t stupid and saved while you wasted every cent you earned trying to impress a girl. You want me out, you know my price. I didn’t grow up with your silver spoon, but I can guarantee I won’t die without one. You may have gotten the girl, but you lost everything else along the way.”
He’d hurt me for years. I’d tried to bury it deep, and most days I’d thought I’d let it go. Then something simple triggered it and I became an insufferable bastard who said things I didn’t mean. I knew in the moment it was wrong and that I needed to shut my damn mouth, yet I never could hold my tongue.
We glowered at each other the way only two people who had shared so much could. A thousand words were exchanged in that silence. Regret laced with pain and the wish that we could go back and do it all differently, released in every breathe.
Before he could respond, there was a light knock behind us, causing Rome’s eyes to jerk toward the back of the room and me to twist around in my chair.
Ruffles stood in the open doorway, a gym bag slung over her shoulder, dressed in baggy sweats and an oversized tee, damp hair cascaded around her face, features pinched in either worry or confusion. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she started softly, then cleared her throat as she lifted both shoulders. “Sorry.”
“You can always interrupt, Beautiful.” I assured her before the jackass behind me had a chance to yell at her or drive her away.
“You’re a welcome distraction,” Roman added. If Ruffles hadn’t been there, I would have turned to gape at him.
Her eyes darted from Roman to me, an eyebrow cocked. “Hi Reid,” her lips spread into a sexy as sin smile that made me forget everything but her.
“Ruffles,” I stood, walking toward her. “If I’d known I’d find you here, I would have come much, much earlier.”
She chuckled and shook her head slightly, as if she didn’t believe a word I’d said. “Funny thing is, I work here. I’m kinda always here.” As she lifted one hand to push a section of mahogany hair behind her ear, I noticed it shake slightly.
Her gaze moved back to Rome and her hands fidgeted and twisted together, clearly uncomfortable. He had that effect on most people, however maybe this time it was me that made her nervous. I hoped it was me.
I let my eyes roam over her, soaking her in. Jesus, she was a sight for sore eyes. Even without a stitch of makeup on, hair a mess, dressed in clothes that concealed her delicious curves, she intrigued me. Possibly more than she had. It made me want to know everything about her.
“You leaving?” I probed, just to get her attention on me again.
She met my eyes. “Yeah, I’ve got to get to class actually.” She shifted her attention to Roman. “Thanks for your help today.”
I heard him move towards us, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“Help?”
Ruffles nodded, smiling at me once again. “Roman’s been teaching me technique.” She tipped her head and twisted her lips, her nose wrinkling in the cutest way. “Trying to teach me, I should say. He’s an amazing dancer. And very patient with me, even though he’s been spending all his free time trying to drill it into my head.” She laughed, and glanced at him. There was no hint of irritation in her voice as she said, “I know you’re busy. I appreciate the help.”
“And I told you,” he answered in a tone I barely recognized as he reached out and tugged on one of her stray curls, “it’s not a big deal. Partners, remember?”
I tensed as her face softened and she beamed at him. There was more to that smile, a secret they shared. I knew that look too well. I’d seen it on plenty of women over the years. It was the first sign when a woman had become enamored with my best friend.
No. Fuck, no. Over my dead body would that happen.
She was supposed to be snapping at him. Rolling her eyes each time he dared to breath around her. He should be barking out orders and yelling at her about how much of a pain in the ass she was and how he didn’t have time to deal with her shit. That’s the kind of relationship they had. Not this one.
The pieces clicked together. The dickhead hadn’t been sleeping with Brooke. He hadn’t denied it, which meant part of him had wanted me to believe he was. This reality was much worse than my imagination. I’d made it clear Ruffles was off limits.
I moved closer, pushing my way into their bubble. Rome was the intruder here, not me, and it was time to remind him. “I can help you, too.” I offered before I realized what I was saying. “Roman and I took dance classes together when we were kids, and we’ve both seen and done more than you can imagine. You’re right, Rome’s got a ton of stuff to do around here, but I only work on the weekends. Let me help.”
She arched an eyebrow, clearly unsure of what to think. “Don’t you have classes, though? I’ve heard you’re studying to be a hotshot attorney.”
“I am. But I’ll always make time for you.”
“I don’t want to be a bother.”
“R
eid, that’s not—,”
“Never,” I cut Roman off before he could make matters even worse. “It’ll be fun. Soiree only succeeds if our dancers put on one hell of a show.” My hand found the small of her back and turned her toward the hall, ignoring the way Rome followed. “Violet and I used to spend hours in the studio, repeating the same moves until she got them right. There were times she thought she’d have to quit.”
She frowned as if she couldn’t believe what I was saying. “Vi’s amazing. A natural.”
I grinned. “She is now. We all start somewhere. Burlesque isn’t easy.”
“You still dance?”
I laughed. It was the equivalent of asking a fish if it still swam. “Always.”
“You really don’t mind?”
I shook my head. That earned a smile from her. “I’d get to help you and Roman at the same time.” And keep him away from you. “Nothing would make me happier.”
“That would be amazing! I’ll figure out some way to pay you back.”
Before I could tell her that spending time with her would be enough, or point out that if she really felt the need, she could repay me with sexual favors, Cady glanced down at her phone. “Shit! I’m late. We’ll talk more later?”
I nodded. “We will.”
“Thank you both,” she turned and ran down the corridor and out the door.
As soon as she left, I crossed my arms over my chest and turned to face down my business partner. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Roman narrowed his eyes, crossed his own arms over his chest, and mirrored my stance. “My job, asshole.”
I chuckled, even though the only thing I felt was fire burning through me. “I always thought you fucked my girl because you were a dick who was ashamed of who he was and was trying to hide from the world. I never realized you thought of it as work.”
“Ashamed of who I am?” He snarled, face full of fury. Before he let himself say anything else, he snapped his teeth closed. His jaw ticked as he demonstrated way more self control than I had, and swallowed whatever he’d been about to say. After a long sigh, he finally spoke again. “I’m helping her learn so she doesn’t quit. You should thank me.”
“Ruffles is off limits.”
“Ruffles isn’t yours. You don’t get to make demands.”
Self-righteous dick. “She’s not yours either. You can’t stand her, remember? She’s nothing like the picture perfect, fake women you insist on sleeping with.”
“Which is why I’m not fucking her. We work together, that’s it.”
“I’m not stupid. You never put in this much effort unless you’re getting something back.”
He lifted a finger and pointed at me. “Then you don’t know anything and you sure as hell don’t know me as well as you thought.”
“You’re lying to yourself now, then, along with everyone else. She’s not some placeholder for Brooke.”
He’d started to turn away, but stopped and glared. “That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? It always comes back to her.”
“Do you really hate me that much? Is that what this is, some passive aggressive bullshit? Or is it that you hate yourself so much that you need to fuck with everyone else?”
He at least had the sense to look ashamed. “You’re being extremely neurotic today. Are you not sleeping?”
I wasn’t going to let him change the subject, especially not with fake concern. “Stay away from Ruffles.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t want to work with her. That left me. I told you she wasn’t interested in what you had to offer. You didn’t listen. That’s on you.”
“For someone who has no desire to fuck her, you’re incredibly defensive.”
He stepped closer, his jaw tight. “Did you ever think that maybe I’m trying to protect you?”
“Because you care about me so much?”
He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at the strands. His temper barely restrained. “Because through it all, everything we’ve done, you’ve always been my best friend. That will never change. We let a woman come between us once. I’d never make that mistake again.”
I watched him closely, torn. This conversation was long overdue, and I wanted to tell him everything I’d held in for years. Instead, anger pushed its way through. “You let Brooke come between us, not me.”
“Ruffles isn’t Brooke.” His words were low, almost sad.
“You’re right. She’s nothing like Brooke. I want her. So back off.”
“You can’t be serious. You don’t even know her.”
“Neither do you.”
“You realize we’re arguing about a woman who has worked for us for a week, right? You’ve talked to her twice.”
“No, we’re not. If that’s really what you think, you’re right. I don’t know you anymore.” Disgusted and disappointed, I snapped my jaw. This wasn’t about Ruffles. It was about us, friendship, trust, betrayal, and letting go.
I turned and walked away before he could say anything else. I needed to find Violet. She’d understand. The two of us could deal with what happened on Sunday another time. I needed a sympathetic ear.
As I headed to the parking lot to wait for her, I thought about my options. I could offer to let Roman buy my half of Soiree. He could take out a loan. Or make payments.
I’d never imagined actually selling to him. I thought we’d eventually move on and run Soiree together forever. For the first time, I didn’t think it was possible.
The only thing that kept me from grabbing the phone and calling him was the picture of Ruffles in my mind. I didn’t know what it was about her, but I hadn’t been so attracted to anyone in a very long time. She fascinated me and I needed to know more.
I would stay for now. For Ruffles. At least that’s what I’d let myself believe.
Thirteen
Cady
I was so incredibly late.
As I ran down the stairs, I scrolled to Livie’s picture in my contacts and hit send.
“I’m sorry!” She answered on the second ring, completely out of breath, her voice full of remorse.
“No, I’m sorry.” Relieved she wasn’t on time for our pre-class coffee date either, I hurried toward my car. “I’m on my way now.”
“You’re not there, either?” She asked with an amused laugh. “Did you oversleep? Where are you?”
“Just leaving the studio,” I explained as I unlocked my door and tossed my bag into the passenger seat.
“You didn’t go home to nap?”
“I didn’t have time. I’m—,”
“Acadia Knowlton!” Livie scolded angrily. “We talked about this. You cannot work around the clock. If you’re going to be at the studio at the ass crack of dawn, you need to nap before afternoon classes. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
“I know,” I sighed. I was exhausted. And running on caffeine. I didn’t know how I was going to stay awake since I didn’t have time to grab a refill before class. “Roman spent the morning helping me with the routine and time just slipped away.”
“I bet it did,” her suspicious tone wasn’t new. Whenever Roman came up, she watched me closely. It felt like she knew something had happened, no matter how hard I tried to play it cool. “I’m almost at Perk Up. I’ll grab us both a venti with a double shot of espresso. If you drive straight to campus, you’ll make it before the lecture starts.”
“You’re an angel.”
She snorted. “And you’re lucky I love you. Do you know which room we’re in?”
“I… ugh…” my mind drew a blank. Most of my classes were held in the accounting wing of the business hall, yet because it was my senior year, I’d needed to take a few electives. For the life of me, I couldn’t even remember what class we were headed to, just that I’d been excited to find Livie had the same one. God, I was tired. “I don’t even know what class it is,” I admitted sheepishly.
“Business Presentations,” Livie offered with a sigh.
Tha
t’s right. A bullshit follow-up to a one-hundred-level English class, full of group work and useless information I wouldn’t remember in six months. I knew I’d hate every second of it.
I groaned. “Why are we taking this course?”
“So we can graduate. At least we can support each other through the torture.”
That was the only good thing about it. I’d been so busy at Soiree lately I hadn’t had time to think about my school schedule. The normal first week of school jitters hadn’t hit me yet, but the idea of being late for class had my stomach in knots.
“Hold on, I’ll check.” For a few seconds all I could hear was background noise and I pictured my scatterbrained friend stopped in the middle of a sidewalk, frantically searching around in her bag. “Lecture Hall Four.”
That made me feel better. The lecture halls easily sat a hundred students. There was a good chance only half that many had registered for the pathetic excuse for a subject.
“I’ll be there in twenty. Fifteen if traffic cooperates.” I flipped on my blinker, turned right, toward the campus, and pushed the pedal down, desperate not to be the girl who walked in when the professor was mid-sentence.
“I’ll grab us coffee and seats and meet you there.”
“Thank you! I owe you one.” Okay. At this point, I owed her thousands.
“Yeah, yeah. See you in a bit.”
I dropped my phone onto the passenger’s seat, took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. Liv would get us seats and I’d have just enough time to park and run to class. It would be okay.
Yet, the nerves wouldn’t ease up.
I turned the tunes up, listening to the catchy Top Forty station, and made myself think about the lesson I’d had with Roman a few hours before. I mentally walked through my routine and made sure I heeded every bit of advice he’d offered. Before I’d gotten very far, Reid invaded my mind.
