Page 83 of Sweet Distraction

“Jesus, Lil.” I bark out a cough. “You’re incorrigible.”

Lily flashes me an unapologetic grin and slaps my thigh. “Don’t act like you didn’t look that good on purpose. You knew what you were doing.”

“And what was I doing?” I play along, acting way more innocent than I am.

“No doubt he’s in there having a heart attack right now over that dress. Or he might be in an ice-cold shower using you as his own spank bank.”

I shake my head but then think about what Rocket was overseeing today.

The pool fence.

He put in a pool fence.

Not because someone made him. Not because it was convenient. But because of Poppy.

Because he thought of her.

Because he wants her safe.

Because he gets it.

And that’s real. That is sexy. Well, not any sexier than the way he looked at me. The way the scrape of his eyes over my skin made me feel. The way his Adam’s apple kept bobbing as if I’d personally offended him by looking this hot on my night off.

My grin’s relentless at the thought. The anticipation war I waged?

I just won. Hands down. No question.

“Hello? Earth to Willow?”

“Sorry. I . . . I was distracted.”

“No shit? Everything good with Poppy? She’s not upset—”

“No. She’s good. We’ve done practice runs with me going to the store a few times and talked about it repeatedly. She was completely fine with me leaving.” More than I expected.

“So it’s not Poppy. But your cheeks are flushed, and you’re grinning like someone just licked your neck and if he did and you’re holding out on me, so help me God, Willow—”

“No.” I snort. “Nothing of the sort has happened.” Yet. I squeeze my thighs together to abate the ache his looks just gave me and hope she doesn’t notice.

She typically notices everything.

With one last look at the front door in hopes of a peek at Rocket, she puts the car in gear, and I breathe a sigh of relief that she’s so preoccupied she didn’t notice. “Do you have any idea how many gates and security booths I had to go through to get in here? Thank God you cleared me with security. This neighborhood is like Fort freaking Knox. I half expected a retinal scan back there.”

I laugh and roll my eyes . . . and that’s when I see it. The little green Venmo notification on my phone screen:

Payment Received: $300 from Rocket Caldwell.

Three hundred dollars? What the hell?

I can’t open the app fast enough to see why or what or . . . again, what the hell?

Within seconds, it’s open, and I startle when I see the note that went with the payment:

Memo: Because I’m the only one who’ll be buying you drinks tonight.

I freeze and love that something deep down in me burns brightly. “Oh my God,” I say, not really thinking.

Lily slams on the brakes. “What? What’s wrong?”