I pick up my skirt and smile sweetly.

He shakes his head and turns away.

Whoopsie.

 

Chapter Twelve

The walls are done. The floors are done. The bar area is almost complete.

It’s starting to resemble something that doesn’t look like a hurricane whipped through it.

I walk to the bar and grip the plastic surrounding the glass top, then tug. The creaks of it as I pull the coating away are oddly satisfying.

“So… what does that mean, exactly?” Charley asks, walking to the other side of the bar. “You’ll ‘see where it goes?’”

I shrug. “I’m kinda hoping it’ll end up in bed, and that’s about it.”

“So why agree?” She catches a bit of plastic that’s still stuck to the bar with her nail and peels it off. “Why don’t you just be fuck buddies?”

I don’t answer. Honestly, I don’t really have an answer. All I know is that, yesterday, in his room, in his house, after those deep conversations and sex, something made me agree. In fact, it barely crossed my mind not to agree.

Apparently I can be swayed by books and dirty, glorious sex.

Could be worse, I guess.

“You like him, don’t you?” Charley asks, stopping.

I swat at her hand so she doesn’t get the top of the bar covered in fingerprints. In hindsight, maybe leaving the plastic cover on was the better choice. “He’s very charming.”

“Charming? What are you? A romance heroine from the nineteenth century? Fuck!” She laughs, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “Charming my ass!”

“Fine!” I turn to her. “Yes, I like him, all right? He’s fucking infuriating, but he makes me feel good. I’m learning more about him and he’s not that much of a bad guy.”

“Still think blind dates are a dumb idea?”

I glare at her.

She laughs. “He doesn’t happen to have a brother, does he?”

“No, just a sister.” I laugh back. “But I’m pretty sure she doesn’t swing that way, and I know you sure as hell don’t.”

“Depends. For the right price I could.”

“That’s called porn.” I snort and reach behind me for my purse. “I’m so ready for this to be done. It’s so close now.”

“What’s left?” she asks, looking around. “Just furniture?”

“And a few other bits the builders are installing this afternoon. The restrooms are done apart from fresh flowers and a new mirror.”

“You’re getting antsy for something new, aren’t you?” She smiles knowingly. “And perhaps knowing that you can spend time with your client when he isn’t your client?” Her eyebrows waggle suggestively.

“That has nothing to do with it.” Mostly nothing to do with it. “But, yeah. I’m dying for something new. Ten days feels like an age. This is why I stick to houses, mostly. Rooms don’t take that long to redo.”

“Well, you said yourself the dining room could do with some work.” Carter’s voice rumbles across the restaurant, and I look up to see him standing in the doorway between the bar and the restaurant. “Do you have a moment?”

“Sure.” I turn to Charley. “I’ll call you later?”

Her eyes flick between us. “Mhmm.” She grabs her own purse from her feet and looks at Carter. “Nice to see you again, Carter.”

“And you, Charley.” The smile on his face reeks of amusement, and I wonder if he’s trying to contain his laughter.

Charley gives me an ‘ooh la la’ kind of look, with her lips pouting and her eyebrows arched. I roll my eyes, smiling myself.

My best friend is bonafide crazy.

The door to the restaurant shuts, and Carter pushes off from the doorframe. “It looks good in here. Really good. I love the bar.”

“It’s my favorite part, too,” I agree, running my finger along the rounded edge of it. “Looks much classier than that old thing you had in here before.”

“You wound me,” he teases, his hand flattened against his chest with mock drama. “Will you be here much now?”

“Most of the time.” I drop my hand from the bar and meet his eyes. “I need to make sure the builders install everything correctly, and then the furniture will be here tomorrow. And trust me when I say I’m the one that needs to make sure that all goes in the right places.”

“Really? I can’t imagine why.” His tone is dry, but laughter flickers in his gaze. “Do you need any help?”

“With what? The furniture? I guess.”

“Good. Because my sister wants to come and see the restaurant… and meet you.”

“Well, this went from blind date to what the fuck real quickly.”

He pauses, then laughs deeply. “I’m choosing to go with her reasoning being you’re the designer.”

“Damn. You’re better at this than me.”

“I’ve had more time to practice. I’m older than you are.”

“You make it sound like we’re playing baseball or something.”

“We kind of are,” Carter rumbles, rounding the side of the bar and coming to me. He softly brushes some loose hairs from my face with his fingers. “All I know is that I want you, Bee. That’s it.”

My tongue darts out across my lower lip. “Do you think that’s enough?”

“Dunno.” He leans into me and brushes his lips across my jaw. “Is it for you?” He flicks his tongue against the tender spot beneath my ear.

I inhale sharply. Could want be enough—just want by itself?

I don’t know, but it’s a damn good start, isn’t it?

“I think so,” I breathe, my fingers brushing against his white shirt.

He pulls back and moves in to kiss me, but the moment is broken by the sound of his phone ringing from his pocket. He stills, sighs, then steps back. I laugh quietly and grab the folder containing my plans.

“Hello… Already?... Jesus, Izzy… I know that, but I thought you were coming tomorrow… I didn’t say that, did that?... So sue me… All right, all right. I hear you… Yes, Izzy…. I said all right.” He rubs his hand across his forehead and blows out a long breath. “I’ll see you soon.” He hangs up and slips his phone into his pocket, fixing me with a grim look.

“What’s up?” I ask, glancing up at him.

“Remember how I said my sister would be stopping by?”

“Yes…”

“She’ll be here in five minutes.”

***

This really has escalated kind of quickly.

It was one thing to know that she might stop by before he left for California, when Carter was nothing more than a bit of a mistake and a temptation to be overcome. Now, though…

God, sex changes everything, doesn’t it?

It’s a miracle I’ve used it so casually for so long. It’s never made a difference to my life or affected me until Carter.

Maybe it isn’t so much that sex changes everything.

Maybe he’s the person who’s changed everything. A chance meeting that lead to another, and eventually to where we are right now.

The worst part is that I don’t know if I’d change it. I can’t think of a scenario in which the last two or so weeks of my life would have been the same if we hadn’t have slept together that night. I’m almost glad we did. I kind of want to hug my inner slut, because as crazy as it sounds, I can’t help but feel like Carter understands me.

And really, we make quite a lot of sense, don’t we? We’re both independent. I don’t see money or expensive things when I look at him because I have my own. He doesn’t look at me like someone who needs him to look after them, because he knows I can do that, too.

In a crazy twist of fate, we’re so alike in what we want, that we’re just about perfect for each other.

“Hellooooo?” a woman’s voice sings out from the front door.

Carter and I turn at the same time. My first thought is that Carter lied, and she’s actually his twin, because aside from the fact her features are more delicate than his and her hair is much longer, she looks exactly like him, even down to the stunning green eyes.

“Izzy.” Carter walks to her and embraces her.

“Carter!” she squeals, hugging him back tightly. She releases him and looks around. “Ooooh, it’s so much prettier here now!” Her eyes fall on me. “And you must be Bee!”