Page 57 of Even Ground

His eyes narrow toward the clock on the wall. “Delaney should be back any minute. She and Amelia took Pania to the airport.”

Shit.

“What? I thought her flight was later in the day.”

“It’s not for a little while yet, but she had to get there early with it being an international flight.”

I sit down hard on the chair in front of me.

“Are you okay?” Josh tilts his head. “You’ve got a soft spot for her.”

“It’s nothing.”

He straightens up. “Yeah, looks like nothing.”

“I like her. We’re friends. There’s no law against that.”

Josh chuckles and holds his hands up in surrender. “No, there’s not, but—”

“I remember your warning.”

He frowns. “It wasn’t a warning.”

“Whatever it was. Doesn’t matter. Are you ready to leave tomorrow?”

He nods, not saying anything more.

“I need coffee,” I grumble.

That last chance is gone.

12

Pania

I think I’m in shock.

I’m not sure I can really remember anything from the morning, apart from climbing out of bed, grabbing my things and leaving. And then I was on the plane and flying home, all the while my body hummed with the memory of Reece.

Reece Evans.

I didn’t see him before I left. And it’s probably just as well. I didn’t get much sleep after we kissed, and I’m not sure what I would have said to him this morning.

It was hard enough leaving Delaney and Melly behind.

When Delaney got back with Josh, I made her promise to find me a Hollywood boyfriend. I was only half serious. She’s moved into a world I still struggle to wrap my head around, and she does it with all of the class Delaney has.

I press the buttons on the inflight entertainment, flicking through the screens in some vain attempt to distract myself.

Reece and I kissed.

Chuckling as one of Reece’s movie posters catches my eye, I pause and take a deep breath. It’s an older movie, and I’ve seen it before. He’s one of those gorgeous men everyone seems to fall in love with when he’s acting. It’s impossible not to. And then he’s equally impressive in real life.

But he scares me.

I know he’s a player, and no one’s ever managed to tie him down. I have no intention of even trying. I’m not even sure it’d be more than just sex for him.

Pressing play, I tug on my headphones and settle back into my seat. If I remember this movie correctly, there’s a really hot sex scene halfway through, and if I never see those abs up close again in real life, at least I can watch them move on screen.

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