by Claire Adams
“I'm driving home later,” Jasmine said.
“I'll pay for your Uber,” Josh said carelessly. “Come on.”
“Okay,” Jasmine finally agreed.
I grinned. She was just as susceptible to his charms as everyone else. We all knocked back two tequila shots in quick succession, even though I knew this was going to be a short night if I kept knocking back shots left and right like this. I'll slow down before the next round, I promised myself. But I smiled over at Josh, glad that he was here.
“So, what's this about your breakup anyway?” Josh said when the shots were gone. “Why didn't you want to tell me about it?”
I glanced guiltily at the other girls. “You've been busy lately,” I said. “I didn't want to bother you.”
“You know you can always bother me,” Josh said, looking surprisingly wounded. “It's not a bother to hear when something big has happened in your life.” He paused. “I just have one more question, and then I'll let it drop for the night.”
“Okay,” I mumbled.
“Why did he break up with you?” Josh asked. “You're beautiful, and you're smart, and you're funny. You're the whole package.”
“I broke up with him,” I admitted. “He was just trying to smother me. I couldn't take it anymore.”
“He was totally trying to smother you,” Jasmine agreed. “Your art hasn't been the same since the two of you started dating.”
“That's not the reason that you told me,” Mandy said, frowning. “You told me that the two of you had a big fight.”
“It was about the whole smothering thing,” I lied. Mandy didn't look convinced, though. “Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore,” I said hurriedly, turning pleading eyes on Josh, hoping that he could end the conversation and turn everyone's thoughts over to something else.
But he persisted.
“Maybe it's better in the long run,” he mused.
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But I really don't want to talk about it.”
That seemed to do the trick. “If there's anything that I can do, let me know,” he said, sympathy in his eyes.
“Yeah, because you have so much luck with relationships!” Mandy laughed. “When was the last time you even went on a date?”
Josh's blush was visible, even in the dim lighting of the bar.
“That's what I thought!” Mandy crowed. She looked around the bar. “All right, everyone, we've been given our task for the night. We need to get Josh laid. Anyone see any likely targets?”
“Come on, Mandy,” Josh groaned. “That's not what I'm here for. I just want to have a fun night with the three of you.”
“Fine,” Mandy said, giving a long-suffering sigh. Then, she got a wicked grin on her face. “In that case, it's probably time for the dance floor. Come on!” She dragged a laughing Josh out onto the dance floor, putting her hands on his hips and moving both of them in time with the beat.
I felt an unexpected surge of jealousy. Where did that come from?
“What's up?” Jasmine asked, perceptive as ever.
I shrugged and forced a smile back on my face. “Nothing,” I said. “Just don't really feel like dancing.”
Jasmine eyed me speculatively. “Do you like Josh?”
I snorted. “Of course I do,” I told her. “He's one of my best friends.”
“No, I mean, do you like Josh? Do you have a crush on him?”
I gaped at her and then stood up quickly, scowling. “You're the second person in as many weeks to accuse me of that,” I muttered, turning toward the door.
Before I could take five steps, Josh was there, his hand on my wrist. “Hey, what's wrong?” he asked, looking concernedly between Jasmine and me.
“Nothing,” I said weakly. “I just was thinking that maybe it was time for me to leave.”
“Time for another shot, and then I'm getting you out on the dance floor,” Josh corrected.
I couldn't help but laugh as he spun me around the bar, acting like he owned the place. His own laughter was infectious, and I had to admit, it really was just like old times.
Chapter Five
Josh
I slumped into the booth at the back of the bar, putting my arm around Kylie's shoulders as she fell into the seat next to me.
“Whew, I'm exhausted,” she said, fanning her face with both hands. “How did we dance until 4 in the morning before? Now, I can hardly make it an hour out there.”
“Doesn't help that this place is hot,” Jasmine said, fanning her face as well. “I need water.”
“Coming right up,” Mandy said laughingly as she headed off toward the bar.
“Knowing her, she's coming back with another round of shots,” I groaned. “One of you guys should have gone instead.”
“I'm never moving again,” Kylie swore. She craned her neck so she could look up at me. “You've got moves.”
I winked down at her. “You know I've always had moves.”
Actually, I'd been pulling out all the stops that night. I knew I shouldn't be dancing like my life depended on it, but with Kylie in that low-cut, black lace dress that looked almost like lingerie, I hadn't been able to help myself. I'd wanted to impress her, and I'd wanted to make sure she was having fun out there.
I'd actually thought she was about to leave before I'd dragged her out to dance. I wasn't sure exactly what had happened there. Surely, she wasn't mad at me for dancing with Mandy. We did that all the time. Mandy was the one who had dragged me out onto the dance floor, not the other way around.
Anyway, she seemed pretty happy now. Drunk, but happy.
“Why aren't you drinking?” she asked as Mandy passed around more shot glasses.
“I'm drinking,” I lied. “I just want to make sure I get some water in me first. Otherwise, I'm going to wake up with a beast of a headache tomorrow. I'm not 22 anymore.”
I wasn't actually allowing myself to drink all that much. I wasn't planning on driving home, but I still wanted to keep my wits about me. Kylie just looked too damn sexy tonight. If I wasn't careful, I was going to do something that I regretted.
Already, it was getting difficult to restrain myself while we were dancing. Every time I pulled her into my arms, I wanted to kiss her. I was glad that my slacks were a bit loose so that my erection wasn't too noticeable. She hadn't teased me about it, so I had to assume she wasn't looking there.
For once, I was glad to be in the friend zone.
Not for the first time, I wondered if maybe I should make that move. I couldn’t stop thinking about my feelings for her, and I wasn’t normally the type of guy to have feelings for a woman. I got more than my fair share of hot trim, but I kept things casual. No attachments meant no complications. But Kylie was the exception to the rule. I cared about her, and it was getting time to do something about it.
But I was having fun, and I really liked this easy friendship that Kylie, Mandy, and I had. I didn't want to risk ruining that. Anyway, she was clearly still thinking about her breakup. Even if she had been the one to break up with the guy, that didn't mean her feelings weren't involved. They'd been serious. I knew that.
I'd actually expected Andrew to propose to her soon, and I wondered if that was what had caused the breakup. Not that I would ask. Not yet, anyway.
I hissed in a breath as Kylie pushed herself up, her hand warm against my thigh and dangerously close to my erection as she did so. My dick twitched, and Kylie gave me a questioning look, but she turned her attention away as Mandy put both hands down on the table.
“All right,” she said. “I think it's time for me to get home.”
“Me too,” Jasmine piped up, still staring uncertainly at the shot in front of her. She shook her head. “I don't want to drink this.”
“I'll drink it,” Kylie told her, grabbing the shot glass and holding it up towards me. “Come on; I'd better get a fucking cheers out of you.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help grinning as I clinked my shot glass against hers and knocked back the
liquor inside. So much for not taking another shot.
“I don't want to go home yet,” Kylie said, making puppy dog eyes at the other two girls.
“Keep hanging out with me,” I suggested, even though I knew it was a bad idea. “Remember when we used to talk philosophy until the sun came up? I haven't done that in ages.”
“Me neither,” Kylie said, frowning and looking thoughtful. She shrugged and looked at the other two. “Are you okay to get home on your own?”
“I'll drive,” Jasmine said. “I'm tired, but I haven't had anything to drink except the one shot when Josh first got here, and I've chased that with plenty of water.”
“No fun at all,” Mandy muttered.
Jasmine smiled, surprisingly enough. She looked a lot happier than she had at the start of the evening, and I was glad that she, at least, seemed to have gotten what she needed out of the night.
Kylie seemed to have gotten more introspective, and I was hoping I could draw her out of that.
The other two girls left, and Kylie fell back against me, not looking at all like she was ready to stay out at a bar until the sun came up. But as long as she wasn't falling asleep on me, I didn't mind holding her.
That is, until Mandy gave us a thumbs-up on the way out of the bar. It was angled so that Kylie wouldn't see it, and I had a sinking feeling Mandy thought she was being cute, giving us the seal of approval on our relationship. Not that Kylie and I had a relationship. Or rather, not that we had a relationship other than a friendship.
Maybe I'd had one too many drinks after all. All my thoughts seemed to be getting tangled up.
“I miss college,” Kylie said after a minute or so of silence. She sat up again, looking over at me. “I've missed you, actually.”
I forced myself to laugh and take her words purely at face value. “You could have called,” I told her. “You may not have my work number, but you have my personal cell number. Or you can always message me. You know that.”
“I know,” Kylie sighed, picking at a hole in the vinyl fabric of the booth seat. “But remember when we used to live down the hall from one another? We saw each other all the time. I can't even remember the last time we hung out in person.”
“We've both been busy,” I reminded her, even though I knew it was no excuse.
Her hand was still dangerously close to my leg, close enough that I could feel the scorching heat of her touch through my jeans. My dick kept twitching in response, desperately wanting that hand to close over my bulge and work me through the state that I was in.
I coughed lightly, and Kylie looked questioningly at me. I shook my head to try to clear it.
“I miss college, too,” I admitted. “Things were a lot simpler back then.”
Kylie laughed. “You're a billionaire,” she reminded me, as though I might have forgotten. “Things don't get much easier than that. Sure, your taxes probably take ages, but you can hire someone to do those for you. You can hire someone to fulfill your every desire.”
“I know it's clichéd to say, but money doesn't buy happiness,” I said, pressing my palms against my eyes. I shook my head again and gave her a tight smile.
“Things were a lot simpler in college,” she murmured, looking thoughtful. “I had a routine. I had direction with my art. That's the thing that I miss the most. Everyone thinks it's so great to be able to create whatever you want to create, but having to endlessly come up with ideas is tough. Especially coming up with ideas that are going to interest people but that no one has ever done before.” She shook her head.
“Well, you've got a breakup; that's new material, right?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I winced. “Sorry, it's probably too soon to start thinking like that.”
“I was actually elbows deep in clay when Andrew showed up today,” Kylie told me. “Granted, clay isn't the best medium for me to be expressing angst in, but something about it seemed fitting. Who knows if I'll ever be able to get back into that piece now, though.”
“Andrew showed up at your place today?” I asked.
“He really wants to get back together,” Kylie said. “He really thinks he could make some changes and that we'd just, I don't know, work out.”
“And you don't think so?”
“I don't want things to work out with him,” Kylie said, taking me by surprise.
I could only blink at her for a moment, trying to process that information. My brain felt sluggish, and I took a cold sip of water. “Did you have someone else in mind, who you wanted things to work out with?” I asked slowly.
Kylie blinked at me, looking just as surprised by my words. Then, she turned away and simply shrugged. “Nah. I've never met someone that I could see having a functional relationship with.”
I tried not to let the words sting. So, she couldn't see having a workable relationship with me. That wasn't news. I already knew that.
“Do you think you're the most successful person in our class?” Kylie suddenly asked curiously.
I laughed. “Maybe,” I said. “But a lot of the kids at UCLA were there because they were already rich. They're all cashing in on their trust funds. I'm sure someone out there has been just as wise an investor as me, if not more so.”
“Nah, they probably all just went cruising through Europe, hiring strippers and drinking wine,” Kylie said with a giggle. Her eyes turned serious. “You're really smart. And sexy.”
I blinked at her, wondering if that was my cue to make a move. The words were so unexpected, coming from her, that I honestly didn't know what to do.
But then, she shook her head. “Sorry to leave you on your own, but I really need to pee,” she mumbled, slipping quickly out of the booth and hurrying for the bathroom.
I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands, cursing the universe for putting me in this situation. Every time it seemed like something might actually happen between Kylie and me, it was something like this. She hurried off to the bathroom or someone interrupted us or one of us passed out.
Not that there were all too many cases where it seemed like something was going to happen between us. I was just reading too much into things. I was letting my personal feelings color our relationship. Rose-tinted glasses and all that.
I took another sip of water, waiting patiently for Kylie to return. I glanced at my watch; it was getting late. Probably about time that I took her home anyway. For both of our sakes. I didn't know if I could continue to keep my hands off her if she insisted on plastering herself against me there in the booth. We were still in public, so it wasn't like I was going to take things very far, but I could still take them far enough that it would ruin our friendship.
I should probably put her in an Uber by herself.
Kylie came back from the bathroom and stood by the table, as though sensing what I was thinking. Sure enough, she looked at me. “Time to head home?”
“Time to head home,” I agreed, slipping out of the booth and holding out her coat to her.
She slipped into it, and I brushed my hands across her shoulders, feeling another spark of warmth sizzle through me.
Yeah, I definitely should put her in her own car to go home. I didn't know if I could keep my hands off her.
But when I tried to do that, Kylie wasn't having any of it. “You are not driving home,” she said, shaking her head and refusing to get in the Uber. “You may not have had much to drink tonight, but you've had enough. That car and your face are both way too pretty for you to wrap them around a tree.”
I snorted in spite of myself. “Fine, I'll take an Uber. But let me order a different one, and you take this one. It'll go faster if we go separately, and then we can both get to bed quicker. I have a conference call in the morning, remember?”
“You can crash at my place,” Kylie suggested. “I'll make you breakfast before you have to be home to take your call.”
I knew from experience that she wasn't going to give up. I also knew from experience that it was probably best that I accompany
her home, anyway. She was drunk enough that she was probably going to pass out in the car, and once she was out, there would be no waking her. I knew where her spare key was, and I could carry her inside. I couldn't expect the Uber driver to do the same, no matter how patient he was, waiting for us to get in.
“Fine,” I finally agreed, rolling my eyes. I slid into the car next to her, keeping a careful distance between us.
“Just like old times,” Kylie said, a smile on her face.
I looked over at her in surprise, but she was looking away from me, out the window, and I wondered whether she'd actually said that or if I was just projecting my thoughts again.
Chapter Six
Kylie
I woke up to the sunlight streaming in my face. For a moment, I thought I must not be at home, since usually I was good about closing my blinds before I went to bed. But then, I tried to swallow and found my mouth tacky. I remembered all the drinks that I'd had the night before. Really, it wasn't surprising that I had forgotten to close the blinds before I tumbled into bed.
It wasn't a surprise to find that I was fully clothed, either. Under the blankets, yes, but wearing last night's dress and stockings.
I snorted and pushed the covers off me so that I could roll out of bed. I groaned as my head throbbed. I was ridiculously hungover, but I managed to stumble into the living room, all my thoughts on coffee.
I stopped dead when I reached the living room, though. Someone was curled up on my couch.
Mandy? It wouldn't be the first time that she'd passed out there. But when I thought really hard about it, I remembered that Mandy and Jasmine had both left the bar earlier than I had. So that meant there was only one person it could be: Josh.
I smiled to myself, remembering many similar mornings in the past, and went to make coffee.
Josh stirred as I came back in the room with two steaming mugs in my hands. He sat up, blinking blearily at me. “Morning,” he croaked.
“Good morning,” I told him, holding out a mug. “Plain black coffee, just like you like.”