“The app is done now, right? Isn’t it time to put it into effect?” Nadia had clicked her tongue and leaned against the side of the partition. “You’re the pro, right?”
“Oh yeah.” Abbi had nodded sarcastically. But a spark of defiance had been lit in her. “I am.”
She just had to get on with life. Surely the sooner she got on with it, the sooner she’d get over Joe. And she really needed to get over him. She needed to quit the whole “lying in bed aching and wanting and hurting for a man who was off-limits”.
“Attagirl.” Nadia had stepped forward and bent to hug her. “Go you.”
“Yeah.” Abbi’d rolled her eyes and turned back to her screen. “Go me.”
Nadia, with all her insight, had known not to push for the reviews on the sex products. Instead she pushed the chocolate toward her. And then the glam makeup. She’d dress up. Cover up. Carry on.
It was time to party.
Now, two hours into it, she was still heartbroken, but at the same time was really proud of herself for making the effort. She’d smiled. She’d made eye contact. She asked questions and listened. There were some serious hotties, too. And nice guys.
That’s what really brought it home. All the new skills and confidence she had? All the great lessons she’d learned from her tutorials?
It wasn’t the moves Joe made that did it for her, but Joe himself. Only him.
Now she knew the difference between hot sex and hot sex with someone you loved. She’d had both with Joe. Both had brought her amazing awe-gasms. But that last time? When she’d known she loved him? When she’d tried not to love him?
The whole thing had been a fuckup. How had she thought she could handle such a sex-lesson scheme? And why couldn’t she think of some way to try to fix it?
If she could ask for what she wanted in bed, why couldn’t she ask for what she wanted outside of it?
Maybe she’d made a mistake in not letting him into the rest of her life. Or not confessing her growing feelings until her mad go at him last night. This could have been so much more than a few rounds of superhot sex.
But he didn’t want anything else. He liked his lifestyle—short-term flings, with his work as his one real passion. He didn’t want any more complicated. And maybe, given his background, that was fair enough.
It was his choice.
And she couldn’t bear the thought of him rejecting her again. Last night had been bad enough already; she didn’t need to make it worse by adding in some kind of plea from her and another dismissal from him.
She just had to toughen up. She’d have a fulfilling, fun sex life. Eventually.
Once she’d recovered.
She glanced around the room filled with beautiful people. The bubbles were flowing freely, the DJ was spinning outstanding tunes; it couldn’t be more cool. And it was time for her to leave. She’d put in enough of a show. She was too tired for more. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone tall. Ultra-tall. No way. She looked. Yep, ultra-tall, ultra-broad-shouldered. Ultra-hot.
He was here?
For a second she’d thought he was there for her. But of course he wasn’t. He was there talking to Tracy, the model he’d manipulated into position for that photo spread. So of course he was here. He was the online exer-freaking-cize columnist. He wasn’t here for her at all.
And oh crap. He’d caught her eye. Seen her and now he was walking…
She spun her back to him and grabbed Nadia. “Hide me. Please.”
Where was the exit? There was no dignity now, only the desperate need to escape.
“From…?” Nadia spun around to face what Abbi had turned from. “Oh, hi, Joe. You here to party?”
“There’s only one reason I’m here,” he answered, staring hard at Abbi.
“Oh.” Nadia paused.
Joe didn’t offer anything more. Just kept his gaze locked on Abbi.
“Okay then. Well, great. I’ll just let you two…oh forget it.” Nadia vanished.
Joe stepped closer. Too close. He reached for her. “You were right. And wrong.”
Pulse flying, instinct telling her to flee, she stepped out of his reach. His hands dropped.
“Right and wrong?” she asked. So not going to lose it here.
“No. Yeah. Maybe.”
She frowned. Joe was never this indecisive.
“Okay.” She pulled herself together. “How can I help you?”
He clenched his jaw for a second, then visibly relaxed. “You want to get out of here?”
She hesitated.
“We could go somewhere for a quick drink, or something? Coffee? Beer?” he added quickly.
She licked her dry lips, disappointed and grateful and surprised. And totally unable to say no. “Sure.”