I let Quinn’s words sink in – she was warning me. Get involved with Ellerslie, and risk her feeling something more for me.
Why does that sound so good?
“I don’t want to lose my best friend if something went wrong with you two.” Quinn whispered.
I saw the vulnerability in her eyes and I felt like a complete asshole. I pulled her into my side and hugged her.
“You want me to stay away from her.” It wasn’t a question.
Quinn pulled away and looked up at me. “What? God no! I haven’t seen El this excited about something other than work is a long ass time. You either for that matter. I just want y’all to be happy. Just be careful, think about what you really want and make sure you’re both on the same page.”
What I really want?
A few days ago I would have known the answer to that in a heartbeat.
But now?
Now I had no idea.
19. Ellerslie
What the hell are they talking about in there?
It felt like forever since I’d pulled myself together and promised my brother I would let him take over finalising my divorce from now on. We had made a plan to sit down this week and go through everything. Since then I had been doing my best to wear out a track in the flooring. I found myself doing a loop around the living room, nervously peering down the hallway.
“For fuck sakes Ellerslie. Sit down.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “Sorry.” I squeaked and threw my brother an apologetic glance. Colt and Lisa were at the kitchen island talking about work and Reeve was sitting on the couch watching me go back and forwards. “I don’t know why I’m freaking out.” I plopped down on the couch and tried not to fidget.
Reeve chuckled. “Really El? Because I sure know why.”
I punched him lightly in the arm. “Shut up already.” I mumbled back.
“I just want you to smile again honey. You deserve it. If he’s gonna do that, then hell, I’m all for it. Just take it slow okay?”
God could this get any more humiliating?
I cleared my throat and turned to my brother. “Since you’re in such a sharing mood… Tell me about Lisa.”
Reeve chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Don’t be mad… But we’ve actually been seeing each other casually since just before you moved here.”
I raised one eyebrow at him. “Does breakfast with your sister and her friends really fit in with ‘casual’?”
He looked over to the kitchen and smiled when he met Lisa’s eyes. “It’s complicated. I want more. I think we’re getting there.”
I squeezed his leg. “I’m happy for you. I really hope it goes well for you, she’s really nice. And she’s gorgeous. You did good.”
Reeve grinned at me. “And…?”
“And I’m totally pissed with you for keeping this from me. But I guess I’ll forgive you.”
“You always do.”
“Next time I’ll kick your ass.” I muttered.
Reeve snorted and pushed to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me.”
I watched him stroll up behind Lisa and wrapped his arms around her, making her giggle and blush. It was adorable and sweet and it made my heart ache.
20. Quinn
Lawson and I entered the living room with his arm slung casually over my shoulders. He didn’t fool me though. Not one little bit. I knew he was confused, and anxious to talk with El. It was crazy to think they’d only just met for real yesterday. It seemed like they already had something serious between them.
I’d watched them last night, laughing and joking together, but also when they had spoken seriously. It was magic. I was thrilled that Law had thrown in the cocky prick routine fairly early on in the night.
I don’t think he’d had a choice really, he had fallen under the spell of Ellerslie Rush.
I nudged him in the side when I saw El sitting alone on the couch. “Go talk.” I whispered. The others were in the kitchen and I quickly moved to join them. I winked at El on my way past and she gave me a nervous smile back.
Good luck girl.
Looking back into the kitchen I saw Colt was leaning over the bench top leaning on his forearms, his ass pointed in my direction.
Hot damn that is one fine ass.
I snuck in next to him and mimicked his position, bumping his ass with my own. The smile he gave me was bright and eager. I felt a little bad looking at him like a piece of meat, he really was a nice guy.
God I haven’t had sex in forever.
In reality it’d probably only been a couple of weeks before we moved to Boston – but still, I’d been getting it pretty regularly from Adam, a guy I’d been seeing casually back in LA.
“I want to take you out.” It wasn’t a question, yet I still knew he was waiting for an answer. I’d been waiting for this all morning, I’d noticed him open his mouth to ask me something a couple of times, but he must have thought better of it and changed his mind.
“Is that so?” I smiled at him. “And tell me Mr. Hunt, where exactly would you be taking me?”
“Is that a yes?”
“If I like your plans it is…”
He grinned like a little kid on Christmas. “You’ll like it. You’re just going to have to trust me though. It’s a surprise.”
I had to give it to him – the way he was so focused on impressing me was really sweet. I’d become too accustomed to the assholes I’d met recently, and it felt nice to be treated so well.
“Okay.”
“Really?” Colt seemed genuinely surprised to hear me agree.
“Yeah. You didn’t really think I’d turn you down did you?” I grinned at him.
“God woman, you are gonna mess with me aren’t you?”
I laughed loudly at his concerns. “Maybe.” I shrugged. “I guess you’ll find out.”
He shook his head and laughed at me. “Tuesday night. I’ll pick you up at 6.30pm.”
“Eager are we?” I teased. I was actually quite excited for this date.
I hope it doesn’t turn out to be a disaster.
I looked back over my shoulder to where El and Law were sitting on the couch together.
Now that… that is the kind of disaster I want to avoid.
“Maybe it won’t work out. But maybe seeing if it does will be the best adventure ever.”
- Author unknown
21. Lawson
“Hey.” Ellerslie breathed as I sat down next to her on the couch. The way that she instantly angled her body in my direction made me smile.
“Hey beautiful. I’m sorry for going off like that. Are you okay?”
She blushed and grimaced. “I’m really sorry you had to see that. Not exactly the impression I was hoping to make today.”
Trying to make an impression huh? She sure as hell is making an impression on a certain part of me.
“What were you hoping for?”
She met my eyes. “I’m not really sure what I want.” I knew we weren’t just talking about first impressions anymore.
She must feel this too.
I gave her a cocky grin. “I know what I want.”
She smacked my arm lightly and softly laughed. “Keep it in your pants cowboy.”
We sat in silence for a few moments. “You’re still married?” I asked softly
She looked down to her hands and twisted the thin chain around her wrist. “Not if I could help it. He’s digging his toes in. It’s all about money, I’m starting to think that’s all it was ever about.” Her voice cracked a little at the end and I wanted nothing more than to find this tosser and kick his ass for what he’d done to Ellerslie. The way he had destroyed her confidence and sense of self-worth made me want to do the same to his face.
I reached over and carefully took over the twisting of her bracelet. She just watched me move the delicate chain through my fingers as I twisted it around and around.
I blew out a deep breath. “I would really like to hurt him.”
She chuckled. “Get in line. Quinn’s been on the warpath the last few months. She mentions frequently that she owes him a kick in the balls.”
“Well then I’m glad you’ve been in safe hands.” I smiled.
“I’m hoping now that I’ve told Reeve, he’ll be able to sort the divorce out quickly… I just want it behind me.”
“I’ve only just met him, but I can see he’d protect you with his life. He’ll take care of you Ells.”
She smiled when I mentioned her brother, and I saw some of the tension leave her body. “I know he will.”
It was irrational for me to wish that I could be the one to fix her problems and take her fears away. I needed to remember that we weren’t together.
Yet.
Hell we probably weren’t even friends yet.
Take it slow.
I placed my finger under her chin and turned her head so she had no choice but to look at me. “He’s an idiot. He’ll wake up one day and realize that a woman this sweet, intelligent, and sexy isn’t going to come along twice.” She blushed furiously at my praise and I had to use every bit of my self-control not to lean in and brush my lips against hers.
“Do you want to kiss me?” Her bold question caught me off guard.
I pulled my gaze from her full lips and looked into her eyes. “Fuck yes I do.”
She squirmed in her seat and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.
Fuuuck.
It would be so easy to lean in and taste her, but I knew it would be the wrong thing to do right now.
“I’m not a hearts and flowers kind of guy.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Her response confused me, but she looked completely serious. “My heart can’t take any more pain, and flowers – they just die anyway. I don’t need hearts and flowers.”
Fucking hell.
This girl was offering the perfect arrangement. This was what I was good at – what I knew… no strings attached.
So why does it feel so wrong?
It has to be because it was her. Ellerslie wasn’t just another girl. She was different, someone to be worshipped and loved.
Why doesn’t she see that?
“Don’t get me wrong Ellerslie. I want you. Bad. But I don’t think this is gonna be a good idea. You don’t seem like a casual arrangement type of girl.”
She laughed a short bitter laugh. “That’s because I’m not. I have no clue what I’m doing. But it’s all I have left to give.”
“You deserve more.”
“I tried more. Look how that worked out for me. Let me worry about what I deserve.”
It went against everything I was feeling, but I knew I couldn’t walk away from her completely.
“I want to take you out. I want us to know each other, as friends. I’m betting we’ll be seeing a lot of each other and I want to know you.” She smiled and I continued. “I’ll make you a deal, I don’t know where this is going to go, but for now we’re friends, okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds perfect. I know we’re not dating, but I want to know if you meet someone, friends talk about that right? If you can do that, then we have a deal.”
I wanted to tell her that I never had, and probably never would meet someone that was worth giving her up for, but I decided that was getting too heavy for day two.
I nodded in agreement. “Deal.”
***
I dragged out staying at Ellerslie and Quinn’s place well into the afternoon. I was surprised at how much I had enjoyed spending time with this little group of people. I usually spent all my time in the office, on the job site or checking in on the restaurant.
Work, work and more work.
I had my boys here, but I didn’t spend all that much time with them. I was starting to think I needed to spend more of my time like this, enjoying the company of good people, rather than just building my business.
Spending more time with Ellerslie wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
I had turned into a bit of a drifter. I had been based in Boston for years, but I found myself spending more time in the various cities we had construction underway in and living out of a suitcase most of the time. It wasn’t a life I particularly enjoyed and when Quinn had told me she was moving here, I made the decision to hire some new project managers. I had already found two men perfect for the job, and it was proving to be the best decision I had ever made. I wouldn’t have to spend much more than a night away from Boston for at least the next six months. I was now going to have more free time than I’d had in the last ten years, and I had a pretty good idea how I was going to be spending a hell of a lot of it.
***
I kissed Quinn on the cheek as I walked out into the elevator. Colt, Reeve, Lisa and I were getting a cab back to our vehicles. “Thanks Q, this was good. I actually haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
Quinn grinned. “I know right. We’ll make a repeat date, I’m excited already.”
I chuckled at her. That was my sister – looking forward to the next good time, even when she still had a hangover to show from the last one.
I looked for Ellerslie. She was leaning against the wall a couple of feet away. “Thanks Ells. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“What? What’s happening tomorrow?” Quinn looked back at El.
Ellerslie shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea.” Her eyes sparkled. “But I can see I’m gonna find out.”
22. Ellerslie
The next two weeks passed in a productive blur. Work was finally settling into a state of normality, Quinn had immediately hit it off with Macie, and hired her on the spot.
Thank God for that.
But the best part? The best part of it all was Lawson Pierce.
He had dropped by our floor, even though it was higher than his, every single damn day. I knew what he was doing, and I knew that it was working. He had made sure that when he wasn’t invading my thoughts, he was here, invading my office. Whether he was leaning against the glass looking out over the water, lounging on the couch, sitting on my desk, or reading from my laptop over my shoulder. He was everywhere. His scent lingered long after he left and I could have sworn he was using extra cologne before he came here with that very thought in mind.
The line between friends and… more than friends had never been so hard for me to navigate. I knew that all this flirting couldn’t go on much longer, I just wasn’t sure what the fallout would be once that line was crossed.
I glanced at the clock above my door.
11.45am.
Lawson had been here every day at 12.00pm.
Only 15 more minutes.
I knew I shouldn’t be looking forward to it as much as I was, but denying it would only be lying to myself.
I knew what would happen when he arrived, he would pick a spot, open the lunch that he had brought for the both of us, and begin his questioning. We had been taking turns – yesterday had been my turn to ask him about himself. We had started with our favourite movies, books and places. I knew all his, and he knew mine. Over the days, the lines of question had gotten deeper, more intense. He had wanted to know about my family, my past relationships, although he seemed to know that Baxter was off limits. I had answered him honestly and without hesitation.
We were friends right?
I knew that he had finished school in Texas, where he and Quinn had grown up, and that he had gone to work in a small construction business. He had developed a passion from there, and had worked himself near into the ground to learn the trade, and study at the same time towards qualifications in business management.
He eventually moved to Boston and found himself launching Pierce Contracting. It had opened up his horizons to projects so large, he’d never even dreamed it would become a reality. His offices in our building were full of staff, ranging from architects, engineers, designers and project managers. He had huge crews of builders, electricians, plumbers and other trades working on a variety of projects all over the country. He ran
an extremely impressive operation.
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