Chapter 23
Crossing Lines
Neve slid under thethick covers, grateful for the cocoon of warmth. She’d turned on her electric blanket hours before, anticipating she’d be in bed long before now. But the spontaneous conversation with Reece had eaten up a big chunk of the evening. She still wasn’t sure if it had actually taken place, or if she had dreamed it. Yes, they’d been friends for ages, but they’d never bared their souls likethatbefore.
She knew as much of the story about Chelsea as she needed to know. To his credit, Reece hadn’t backed away from answering Neve’s pointed, often uncomfortable questions. Picturing him in bed with another woman was an image Neve wanted to scour from her brain, but at least he hadn’t been so enamored of Chelsea that he had been willing to bend his moral compass for her. That fact brought Nevesomecomfort shecould cling to.
What started as a casual fling had morphed into something more serious for Chelsea after spending time with Reece, but the same hadn’t been true for him. And honestly? Neve couldn’t blame her. Neve had been in love with the man since … forever. And if it was possible, seeing the heart beating under the layers of Reece’s armor made her fall that much harder for him. Sure, she was grateful he was here looking after her tonight, but another part of her screamed at him to go. These choppy waters were too difficult to navigate. Ties that bound her heart to his had grown more powerful than before.
She was never going to get over him. If there was such a thing in this world as “the one,” she had found hers when she’d been a kid, and there was never going to be another one to replace him.
Her boldness during their conversation had surprised even her, but at some point she realized she had nothing to lose. His romantic feelings toward her didn’t match her own for him. Matter of fact, his were nonexistent, and the thought made her heart hurt.
He had made it clear she was a friend—such a good friend he’d never considered bringing his carnal needs to her doorstep. Not that she would have been capable of sorting what todowith that kind of revelation. Being his fuck buddy had its appealing and not-so-appealing points. The fact that hehadcarnal needs was an eye-opener by itself. Apparently, her mind had protected her by making her believe he lived the life of a monk.
A little flame of hope kindled inside her when she recalled the flare of anger she’d noticed in his eyes when Leo called. If Reece was jealous, that meant something, didn’t it? Or was it simply a don’t-touch-my-sister sort of reaction? Even when she’d explained to Reece that Leo only called to find out if she had planned to be at the parade—like Hailey or Joy or anyfriendmight do—that glare had returned to his mossy greens. His normally stoic expressions were nowhere to be found lately, but she was too exhausted to examine the reasons why.
“Live to fight another day tomorrow,” she murmured to herself as she settled into her nest. Her headache had mercifully retreated, only to remind her it was there when she turned her head too quickly. The gash on her chin throbbed in time to her pulse. What an idiot she’d been! Neve Embry might be a good vet, but she was doing a horrible job at adulting. One bad decision piled on another until the heap was ready to fall over.
Pearl whimpered on the floor beside her, as if to protest Neve’s self-appraisal.
“I love you too, girl.”
Neve drifted and began to dream. Images floated through her consciousness, and she snatched at them like she might at wisps of smoke. They were elusive things, but she had the sense they all carried images of Reece. If that was how she could be close to him, then so be it. She sighed and drifted deeper.
A commotion made her bolt upright in bed. Pain knifed through her head and chin, reminding her of her “disaster on ice.” It took a few beats for the pain to recede and for her to realize it wasn’t a commotion at all. There stood Reece, silhouetted against a faint light from the hallway as he loomed over her, with Pearl capering beside him. He was dressed in gym shorts and nothing else, and the glow of the light reflected on his smooth skin.
His deep timbre reached her through her fog. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I just needed to wake you so I could check on your symptoms. How are you feeling?”
“Groggy, but that’s what happens when someone wakes me up out of a dead sleep.” She clutched the covers to her chin, suddenly remembering she’d shed her clothes before climbing under the covers.
“Flashlight warning.”
He sat heavily on the mattress beside her and checked her eyes. “Nice and clear,” he murmured. He held up three fingers. “How many?”
“Seven? Or is that nine?”
Even in the dimness, she could spot dismay flickering in his eyes. “Are you serious?”
“No, I was teasing. I wanted to find out if you were paying attention. I see three.”
“Of course I’m paying attention. I haven’t been able to sleep from worrying about you, you troublemaker.”
“Really?”
“Really. Now hold still.” He quizzed her on a few other details, and she passed his tests with flying colors.
Pearl settled at his feet, and he clicked off his penlight. But he didn’t move.
Neve tipped her head to the side. “Are you here to give me that foot massage?”
He shook his head.
“Something else on your mind?” she prodded.
The intensity in his orbs pierced her as he stared at her through the dark. “We got this thing ass-backward.”
“What thing?”
