Page 20 of His to Seduce
“Great!” Chelsea chirped and grabbed my hand, tugging me toward her. “You can tell me all about it at dinner.” She paused, wiggled her eyebrows, and shot David a mischievous grin. “And…you can tell us what happened last night.”
“Kill me now,” I muttered, feeling that splotchy heat spread to my chest and stomach and down to my toes.
As Chelsea started pulling me away from David, he called out, “Kinda hard for Camden to get ready for dinner when all her stuff is at my place.”
She stopped so suddenly I ran into her back. She fell forward with an “oomph” before righting herself.
“What did you say?”
David grinned, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded once. The move did incredible things to those chest muscles…plus that treasure trail that was boldly on display. “Yeah. She’s spending the rest of the weekend with me.”
Chelsea pressed her lips together, but laughter shot through her eyes. “Okay, then.” She winked at me and lost control of her laughter. “Looks like we have more to talk about than I first thought.”
—
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I scanned the disbelieving eyes of my friends, who sat around a table with me at the resort’s main tiki bar. After Chelsea and Trina followed me to David’s bungalow, they gave me thirty minutes to shower and get ready before they promised me they’d be back to pick me up.
“Wouldn’t want you disappearing again on us,” Chelsea had said, mirth filling her tone and her expression.
The thought of throttling her crossed my mind again, before I realized I actually needed her advice. Somehow, I’d started tolikeDavid. I’d trusted him, which was something I didn’t easily do, especially with a man. My past and experience with men had started out in the worst of ways and it had taken years of therapy, years of tears and recovery, to even be willing to date someone, much less have sex with him. I had the scar to constantly remind me of what I’d escaped, but that didn’t mean I’d ever be free from the memories.
Actuallywantingto be around someone, finding enjoyment in a man’s company, was a new experience and one I needed to process.
Processing that over drinks and laughter with my besties seemed the wisest decision.
“Right,” Blue said. Nodding seriously, she continued. “Because you sneaking off and finally getting some from the sexy and cute bartender is not conversation worthy at all.”
I pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you have a husband to be messing around with?”
She laughed. “He gave me an hour.” She glanced down at her phone before meeting my gaze, her lips stretching into a large smile. “And we’ve been here twenty minutes already, so let’s get to the good stuff.”
I wasn’t sharing specifics. That wasn’t my deal. Suzanne and Paige could rattle off sexual positions and techniques like they were discussing a grocery shopping list, but I’d never been open about sex.
Taking a healthy swallow of my margarita, one that rivaled Fireside Grill’s drinks where we always had our girls’ nights, unease began to filter through my veins. “We spent the night together,” I finally admitted, my voice quiet. I hated the uncertainty I heard. “And the whole day. It was…fun.”
“Well, that’s a ringing endorsement of David’s sexual prowess.”
I laughed at Chelsea’s sarcasm. Typically, that was my role.
A blush bloomed on my cheeks until the tips of my ears burned. Under their watchful gazes, I took a moment to gather my thoughts. My insecurities and my fears. But these were my friends. Blue and Tyson had conquered unimaginable odds. Trina had been able to get past physical abuse from her ex-husband to trust someone again. And Aidan and Chelsea fell in love while he was grieving his teenage son’s death.
If anyone could understand my hesitation, it was these ladies.
“I had more fun today than I can ever remember having,” I said quietly. I ran my finger along the rim of my glass, gathering the salt at the edge. “David was fun. Heisfun. He makes me laugh and makes me feel good and fine…The sex was some of the best I’ve ever had.” Chuckles surrounded the table at my admission, most likely also because I was turning the shade of a plum. I fought past the embarrassment and looked directly at Trina. “I like him. I liked being with him. But I need stability and safety and security, and someone who I know won’t punk out when things get hard. It’s not that I don’t want to date him because he’s a bartender; I just don’t think he’s the guy who can give me the rest of what I need.”
Flayed open, I’d never felt so raw and ripped to pieces as a quiet settled around the table.
Months ago, I had seen the look Trina gave me when I had adamantly declared I wouldn’t date David because he was a bartender. I’d seen the judgment in her eyes and the disappointment. I knew she thought I was shallow, and because of that one night, that one statement, she and I weren’t as close as the others. But only Suzanne knew everything, and she wasn’t here to hold my hand like she had for years and promise me that everything would be okay.
She was stuck at home, too far along in her pregnancy to feel comfortable flying and keeping Paige, who couldn’t get time off work on such short notice, company.
“No one’s saying you have to marry the guy,” Chelsea said, her sweet voice cutting through the stone silence. “I, for one, am glad you’re having fun, and if it just ends up being a weekend fling, so be it. But I like David, too. And he’s already shown he can be patient with getting your affection.”
She had a point. For months David had flirted with me, undeterred by my constant and sometimes rude rejection. I didn’t even understand why he still bothered.
“Give it time,” Blue said, slinging back the rest of her drink. She grabbed her handbag and stood from the table. “I’ve got to get back to my husband now, but I’m with Chelsea. Enjoy the rest of the time here. It’s one more day. Decisions don’t have to be made here.” She winked again and walked around the table until she kissed my cheek and gave me small hug. “I’m just glad you threw away your lists for the day and did something wild. The smile you’re wearing tonight is new and different and relaxed, and you look more beautiful than ever.”
She waved goodbye, and when she was gone, I caught Trina’s gaze. Her head tilted toward her shoulder, she asked, “But what would be holding you back from actually dating David?”
