Page 105 of Pin-up Girl

“You are. You’re more mature.” I bit my bottom lip. “It’s kind of sexy.” Okay, that was way less playful and way more awkward than I intended.

The way he took a step back said he agreed.

I laughed at the reaction. “I’m teasing. About the sexy— Let’s just forget I said that. You are different, but so am I.”

“Heh.” He was uncomfortable talking about feelings after all this time. Go figure. “I miss our friendship.”

Were we ever really friends, or was I always pursuing the fantasy of us being more?

I liked Deacon as a person. I enjoyed his company. His weird sense of humor. His ideas. “Can people like us be friends again?”

“How’s it working out for you and Alys after all this time?”

That was a fair question. “You probably shouldn’t sit in my lap.” Which was something Alys still did with me.

“No. Fuck no. Clint scares me.”

I shook my head. “It’s Brodie you have to worry about. He knows people, if you know what I mean.” Did that sound threatening?

“Like… scary people?”

“Corporate executives.”

Deacon shuddered. “Terrifying.”

I had missed this. The easy fun. “And I haven’t even told you about the certification and standards people.”

“No. Please no.” Deacon fluttered his hand to his chest. “I’ll never sleep again at the thought of so much terror.” He was grinning.

As much fun as I was having, “It’s almost ten. Did you come by to tease the princess now that I’m taken, or…?”

“Is it official? You’re taken?”

I had to remember that even if my friends were assuming, I hadn’t actually told anyone yet. “I am engaged.”

“Yeah. Adam heard from Maddox that it was fake.”

So much for don’t tell anyone. I couldn’t be mad at Alys or Evie though, because I didn’t blame them for not wanting to keep secrets from their guys. “It’s not publicly official, but yes. I’m taken twice over. I’d like to think you and I could go back to being friends even if that weren’t the case.”

“Me too.” Deacon gave me a rueful grin. “And I did come over here for another reason, but making things right between us was most important.”

I was glad. “So what’s up?”

“I’m doing work in the basement next month, and I don’t want to disrupt your work.”

Deacon used to own my property as well as his. My shop had been part of his space, but he’d partitioned it off and sold it to me years ago, when he needed the money more than the space. About a year and a half ago, he found a basement that ran under the entire building, that he hadn’t known was there.

The space had been filled with some gorgeous classic clothing, and antique sex furniture.

“You could’ve sent Adam to ask me that.” Not that I was complaining about seeing Deacon. “But I’m glad you’re here yourself.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll send you my current calendar, when I have clients coming in and such, and if I need to move any appointments, more notice is better than less. Otherwise, give me a list of days I can’t schedule, and I’ll be good.”

Deacon grinned. “You’re awesome.”

After he left, and the longer I thought about the exchange, the better it felt. That old voice lingered, saying you know you want him to notice you, but it was easy to ignore that ghost. I adored Brooke, I liked Adam, they were good with Deacon, and I missed his friendship.

---