Page 13 of Cuffed (Everyday Heroes 1)
“I mean it. I have plenty of men I can call up if I want a good time. I don’t need your help in that department.”
“Yeah. I’m well aware.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I narrow my eyes and stare at her until she looks my way.
“It means you purposely pick men you don’t want to stick around.”
Here we go again.
“And there’s a problem with this . . . why?”
“Because, at some point in your life, you’re going to want a guy who is around longer than just a couple of orgasms, that’s why.” Her tone is serious when I want to be anything but.
“But damn, those orgasms feel incredible.”
“I’m serious, Em. What’s so wrong with settling with one man instead of having many?”
I sigh audibly to let her know I’m done with this conversation. “Many? You make it sound like I sleep around. It’s one man at a time . . . even I have standards. And nothing’s wrong with settling down; it just isn’t for me. You know me—no rings, no strings.”
“You sound like a guy.”
“I sound like me.” I shrug. “Promise me, Des.”
“Ah look, Leo’s here. I’ll get the door.”
“Don’t knock it till you try it, Cassy,” I say to one of Desi’s friends.
“There is no way in hell you’re going to get me to jump out of a plane. No way, no how. I’d have to have about fifteen more of these to even consider it,” she says as she raises her empty glass of wine and shakes her head.
“Drink up,” I tease. “The offer stands, though. You wouldn’t have to do anything other than enjoy the ride since you’d be strapped to me.”
“That sounds like a bad porno, but it still won’t get me to change my mind,” she says through a laugh.
I lean back in my chair as the conversation wears on. Leo talks about his most favorite dive in Machu Pichu. Desi flits between the twenty or so guests, making everyone feel at home with her easy charm. The fairy lights in the trees add a soft glow, there’s a welcome chill to the summer air, and the Carne Asada cooking on the grill smells like absolute heaven.
Even better, she’s kept her promise. I don’t see any unfamiliar faces she can try to set me up with. And while I don’t know most of them other than a casual hello, I’ve at least seen them before. It’s the perfect night.
“Don’t you think, Emerson?” Leo’s voice pulls my attention back from my thoughts, and I find eight pairs of eyes staring at me waiting for an answer.
“I’m sorry. I was in La-la Land. What am I supposed to be opining about?”
“We were talking about—”
I don’t hear another word he says because, just over his left shoulder, I see Grant Malone standing in the frame of the door. He’s wearing shorts and a cream-colored Henley, and his hands are shoved in his pockets while his eyes are trained on me.
I hate that the sight of him makes my breath catch and causes a flutter somewhere deep inside me. I despise that when I meet his eyes, I want to see the little boy I once knew instead of the achingly handsome man he’s become. More than anything, I hate that he needs to go when all I want him to do is stay.
There’s an awkward moment where everyone notices my blatant distraction and falls silent. They shift to look at Grant before, almost as one, they turn back to stare at me.
“Excuse me,” I murmur as I rise from my seat, a mixture of anger and confusion rioting through my veins.
Desi broke her promise. And not only did she break her promise but she did so with the one man who made the dreams I haven’t had in years come back. Last night, I woke in a blind panic: Pillow soaked with sweat, hands gripped in the sheets, and heartbeat out of control.
My rational self knows it isn’t his fault, and yet, I blame him for scraping up the past, which is better left dead and buried.
If looks could kill, the one I shoot Desi would put her six feet under. The other guests murmur about who the stranger is as I make my way toward him.
“What are you doing here?” He smells incredible. Like soap and mint and why am I even noticing?
