by Emma Hart
I wanted to carry on.
I wanted to rinse the cloth, squeeze out the green stuff, bring the clean cloth back to his face and just clean it because I could.
But that was weird.
I was weird.
This was my best friend. This was Jay. This was the guy who’d checked out my dates and cornered the people who’d tried to take advantage of me. This was the guy who’d slotted into the big brother role so easily until he’d moved in and screwed everything up.
He was my best friend.
What was wrong with me?
Why did I want to jump him like he was a trampoline?
I wiped the final bit of mask from his face and swallowed hard, stepping back. “There. Done.”
His eyes opened, flashing with something I couldn’t place. “Thanks. I’m never doing that again.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged one shoulder in an attempt to be nonchalant. “Green isn’t really your color.”
Jay smirked, moving away from the sink. “It’s not yours either, but it probably won’t be the last time I come home and see you looking like a swamp monster.”
I rolled my eyes, turning my back to him. My heart was still racing from being so close to him, and I didn’t want him to see my flushed cheeks. I didn’t want him to know how my body had reacted to him—twice.
There would be no coming back from it if he knew.
“You missed some on your face.” He took a step closer to me and took the cloth, his fingers brushing mine. “Right here.” He touched the side of my head, right near my hairline, and lifted the cloth to it.
Slowly, I drew in a deep breath, focusing on the tiny scar on his cheek that existed because he’d scratched when he’d had chicken pox as a kid. It was preferable to looking into his eyes as he cleaned a bit I’d apparently missed.
I could swear I’d gotten it all—I was no rookie at the old facemask, after all—so I didn’t know what he was doing. Did he want to make this awkward? Could he tell that I was being awkward?
Why was I being awkward?
What was I doing with my life?
Oh, God. I was a bad adult.
“I can get it,” I said quickly, taking the cloth and facing the sink before he could say another word.
I was right—there was no mask left on my face, so why…?
“I got it already,” he said, just as quickly as I had. “Ocean’s Eleven is starting soon. You want me to make some popcorn?”
I grabbed the towel to dry my face, then I shook my head. The last thing I needed was a cozy night on the sofa with him right now. “I have work to do. Sorry.”
It wasn’t a lie. I did have work to do. I had to start writing up the article and work on my book and check emails and—well, I’d find something, wouldn’t I?
I’d write the phone book to avoid him at this point.
“Right. The people in your head shouting again?”
I jerked my head his way, expecting him to be snarky, but he was grinning. “Yes. And they’re trying to figure out how to kill a man named Jay.”
Laughing, he left the room. “Make it violent. If I’m going to be murdered, I want to go out in style.”
“Good to know.”
CHAPTER TEN – JAY
No Dates In The Apartment
Thank fuck she said no.
That was the only thought that rushed through my mind as I dropped onto the sofa. I ran my fingers through my hair and blew out a long breath, hoping it took the tightness of my muscles with it.
I’d never been so weirded out yet so turned on at the same time in my life.
Facemask. Fucking facemask. She’d gotten me damn good, and in hindsight, I should have just let her put it on me.
She was always going to.
If I’d let her, we never would’ve ended up in that position on the sofa.
That precarious fucking position where it took everything in me not to let my dick get hard.
It twitched now as I thought about it. About her sitting snugly on top of me, legs on either side of my hips, leaning right over my body and plastering me with that fucking stupid cement.
Jesus.
Then she’d wiped it off my face.
Fuck me dead.
I was ready to grab her and kiss her, facemask be damned. She’d leaned right up against me, her body all but pressed against mine as she’d removed it. She was so gentle at first, not wanting to hurt me, then she’d scrubbed harder.
Her eyes had touched every part of my face. I would put money on that. She was so thorough, so methodical, so precise in everything she did.
And when she’d wiped flakes of it from my jaw…
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in.
Her touch was so soft. A fleeting one, just strong enough to register and send a shiver down my spine.
The worst part was that it wasn’t like it was the first time she’d touched me like that. No, she’d done it before. She’d teased me about my stubble for months now, coming up and scratching my chin when she thought it was getting too long. She’d grin and tug at the small hairs, somehow managing to get them between her fingers.
Then there was the time I shaved it right off and she’d stroked my chin and called me a babyface for four days until it came back properly.
Never once had her touching it felt like it had tonight.
I had to face facts. I had very real feelings for my best friend, and that was one hell of a fucking problem. Nothing good ever came of falling for your best friend, but it looked like I had a one-way ticket to I’m-Fucked-Ville.
I didn’t know what it said about me. Shelby was the weirdest person I knew—not necessarily personality-wise, but because she was such an enigma. One minute she was onto me about picking up my socks, and the next she was putting pencils into salads while muttering to herself.
She’d tell me to do something, then do it herself ten minutes later. She had no qualms about banging on the bathroom door and shouting at me while I was taking a shit. She’d bring me lunch then yell at me for something later that night.
She’d make me watch her stupid shows while talking to herself. I’d seen her burn food because she needed to write something down in a notebook that had to be done right the hell now. Heck, I’d come in from a night out and found her sitting at the kitchen island with her laptop open at two in the morning, typing furiously, because the people in her head only talked in the middle of the night.
Shit, it made her all the more perfect. She lived in her own little world that was largely in her head, but she wasn’t ditzy or forgetful.
No.
Shelby Daniels was the sanest crazy person I knew, and I knew I was falling in love with her.
Slowly. It was a little more every day. Every time she looked at me or laughed or did something that someone else might find annoying, I fell a little deeper.
And that was not fucking good.
She was my best friend. She was my roommate. Dating her was out of the question. Telling her how I felt was the biggest mistake I’d ever make. I needed to get the fuck over this puppy love thing before it went too far.
I couldn’t even tell anyone. Sean would take the piss out of me, and Brie was far more loyal to Shelby than she was me.
I didn’t begrudge her that, for what it’s worth. Girls would be girls. Their loyalties would always lie with one another, and that was fine. It was just a shame my best friend was such a fucking little shit.
I leaned forward and buried my head in my hands, slowly dragging my fingers through my hair.
Three months ago, moving in with Shelby had been the easy option. My building was being sold, and I was about to be homeless. She needed a roommate to help her pay rent, and I was right there. I didn’t need a roommate since I earned good money thanks to my dad, but she’d needed someone.
I hadn’t been perfect. I owned that. That was why we had this stupid roommate agreement. It was to draw lines and create boundaries and make sure we both knew where we sto
od.
I guess there was no such thing as an agreement that kept the heart in check.
Fuck.
Why’d she have to walk around in little bright pink shorts and no bra, huh? Why’d she have to make me want her?
Wait—no. It wasn’t on her. She had the right to wear whatever the hell she wanted and using that as an excuse for my want to kiss her wasn’t okay. I was attracted to her because she was fucking attractive, and that was all there was to it.
It wasn’t her fault that I saw her in a different light now.
It was mine. It was on me, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t delighted that the roommate agreement stated that, like I had to wear pants, she had to wear a bra.
Equality and all that.
Fuck. I needed to do something to get her off my mind. Usually, working out was my escape from it all. It was the way I removed stress from my life, but that hadn’t been working.
All it’d done was get me eyed up by women in the gym.
Not that it was a bad thing. I was a human after all, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the attention. The problem was that none of them were an option for me—staff and clients were off-limits to me.
I ran the gym and I was the one who’d set those rules.
That didn’t mean I didn’t need a distraction.
And I did. One of the female kind. I needed someone who’d take my mind off Shelby for one night so I could reset and go back to normal. Back to seeing her as my best friend and nothing more.
Yes. That was it. I needed a reset.
I needed a date.
Pronto.
• • •
Sean: I think u lost ur mind, bro.
Me: I think I’m doing the right thing. I need a distraction & Shelby isn’t it.
Sean: I told u that u were in love with her.
Me: Not in love with her. Just feeling shit I shouldn’t.
Sean: So ur gonna go on a date, fuck this girl, and go back to the apartment u share with ur best friend and pretend like u didn’t just screw someone to get over her?
Me: No, I’m gonna have dinner with her & go home.
Sean: Ur plan for getting over ur best friend is buying someone else dinner and not even getting so much as a handjob for ur troubles?
Sean: Don’t u kno the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else?
Me: When have you ever had a one-night stand where you’ve been on the bottom?
Sean: Point.
Sean: But still, u should have sex with her.
Me: Shouldn’t you be more concerned about fixing shit with Brie?
Sean: She’s staying with her mom. Georgia texted me this morning and she lost it. But it’s that time of the month so I let her go.
Me: You have the finesse of an elephant & you’re giving me relationship advice? Fuck off, man. Fight for your girl before you judge me.
Sean: Hey, u texted me first. I was being a good friend. U wanna text Brie instead?
Me: At this point, I’m gonna take your girl for dinner instead.
Sean: Great. Her fave choc is Hersheys Cookies and Cream and don’t mention sharks. They make her angry.
I put my phone face down on the coffee table and pinched my nose. He was hard work, but for all his nonchalant bullshit, I knew he was hurting that his relationship with Brie was on the rocks.
All because of the new girl I’d hired.
Fucking hell, I was making a hash of just about everything right now, wasn’t I?
Now, I was sitting here in my living room, counting down the minutes until I had to have dinner with the cute girl I’d met in the gym earlier today. All I really wanted to do was cancel and call Brie and drag her out for my reservation instead.
I hadn’t seen Shelby all day. I was scheduled for the later shift today, starting at eleven, and she’d left for the library before I’d even woken up. She’d come back before I had and locked herself in her room. I knew better than to disturb her when she was working, so I’d cooked her dinner and left it covered in the oven for her with a note.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t eat.
I might not pick up my socks, but I could cook a chicken like a boss. Despite my efforts at cooking bacon that almost always turned out badly, I was good at just about everything else. Shelby didn’t always like to admit it, but my omelets were better than hers, and I could cook meat better than her.
I knew she was avoiding me, and a part of me was okay with that. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to see her right now either. Last night was still too fresh. Every time I thought about it, I was reminded about how close I’d come to kissing her when she’d been wiping my face.
Kissing her was not a good idea.
Nothing good ever came from kissing your best friend.
I didn’t have a lot of evidence to back that up, mind you, but the thought of explaining myself after I’d done it was more than enough to convince me that it was terrible, terrible fucking idea.
So I did the only thing I could do. I got up, casting a glance toward Shelby’s closed bedroom door, and left the apartment. My truck was parked outside the building next to her car, and I climbed into it, heading for the steakhouse I’d picked for the date.
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t against having a date. If anything, I needed one. I needed to be reminded that Shelby wasn’t the only woman in the world.
I knew that. On a conscious level, I knew she wasn’t the only woman who existed, but sometimes it felt that way. I guess that was what happened when you lived with the woman you had feelings for.
She was always there.
I groaned as I pulled into the parking lot. I was ten minutes early because my mom would kill me if she ever found out I’d kept a date waiting. I wasn’t the best roommate, but I was a perfect gentleman.
Mostly.
I locked my truck and tugged at the collar of my shirt as I headed for the doors. It was inevitable in a small town, but I hoped like hell I didn’t see anyone I knew.
Unfortunately for me, luck was not on my side, because the moment I stepped into the restaurant, I laid eyes on the two people you don’t want to see when you’re going on a date.
My parents.
“I’m going to need a different table,” I said to the hostess right as my mom saw me. “I don’t want to go on a date next to my parents.”
The young girl’s eyes widened as she looked at them. “Oh. I’m sorry. We can move you!”
“No, it’s fine.” My mom waved her hand. “We’re nearly done anyway.”
“Mother,” I said, but she stopped me.
“Sit down, Jay.”
Shooting the girl a smile, I sat.
My dad gave me a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, son. We really are almost done.”
“It’s fine.” I grimaced. “It’s not like it’s a date or anything.”
Mom’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s not a date? Why are you bringing a girl to a steakhouse if it’s not a date?”
Dad sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sarcasm, honey. Sarcasm.”
Mom’s green eyes widened as realization hit. “Ohhh. Well, we’ll disappear real quick. You didn’t stop by this week, and your grandmother is wondering whether you’re still alive or not.”
“Given that we’re having this conversation, I’m still alive,” I replied dryly. “Tell Grams I’ll come by this weekend on my day off.”
She nodded. “Bring Shelby. She has the ingredients for her favorite dinner.”
“Why is she making her favorite instead of mine?”
“Because unlike you, Shelby stopped by this morning with some flowers.”
Here we go.
“Why did Shelby take her flowers?”
“The same reason she always does.” Dad grinned, leaning back in the chair. “She wanted information. She’s working on some article for the paper about a haunted hotel and Mom’s stayed there before.”
Of course. “I didn’t know that.”
“Do you p
ay any attention to her?” Mom scolded me. “You only live with her. It wouldn’t kill you to take an interest in her.”
Oh, I took an interest in her all right. Too much, it could be argued.
“She just didn’t mention it,” I settled on saying. “She’s been in deadline mode. She’s locked away in her room right now. I haven’t even seen her today.”
“You’ve left her locked in her room while you’re out eating a fancy steak?”
“Dear God,” Dad muttered, motioning for the bill.
I felt the same. “Yes, but I cooked her dinner and left her a note that it’s in the oven to be warmed up. If I didn’t, she’d end up just having toast.”
“See? You raised a gentleman, honey,” Dad said, putting his card into the leather wallet his server handed him. “Leave the boy alone. He’s perfectly capable of having a date and looking out for his roommate at the same time.”
“But not visiting his family,” she pointed out. “Your mother called me hysterical this morning.”
“She called you hysterical because there was a corn snake in the front yard,” Dad said dryly. “And that was only because I ignored all her calls the second I heard the voicemail that said it was a corn snake.”
I choked back a laugh. Grams hated snakes with a passion, and if she saw one, she’d rather burn the house down as opposed to just leaving the harmless little thing to pass on by. If it was a copperhead I could understand, but her Yorkshire terrier viewed corn snakes as a toy.
Maybe that was it. She was afraid Alice would bring it inside and then she really would have to burn the house down.
“I’ll see her tomorrow,” I promised. “I’ll stop by after work with her favorite cake and clear the entire yard of snakes, deadly or otherwise.”
Mom nodded, apparently satisfied by my response.
Dad signed the receipt and took his card, handing the bill back to the server. “Right, let’s go, Georgina. Jay doesn’t want us here when his date arrives.” He winked at me, and I smirked, whole-heartedly agreeing with him.
While I wasn’t even entirely sure I wanted to be here, I knew I definitely did not want my mother here.
Mom came over, kissed my cheek, and let Dad lead her out of the restaurant. I looked around but the girl I’d met—whose name was escaping me again—wasn’t here yet, so I pulled out my phone.