Page 362 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

“Want me to go beat the shit out of him? I’m sure it would be more for me than you at this point, but I’d be happy to do it.” The pain in my chest loosens a bit when Harlow laughs, my words hitting the intended goal.

“As sweet and slightly barbaric as that offer is, I think I’ll pass.”

“You sure?” I stand up, pushing my sleeves up like I’m looking for a fight.

The sound of her laughter hits me straight in the gut, and I want nothing more than to swallow that sound, enticing other sounds from her mouth.

“If I let you, or anyone for that matter, go after him for what he did, then I’m letting him win. Giving him the satisfaction of knowing what he did caused enough pain for me to change my life is like telling him he has all this power over me. I refuse to give him any more of me than he’s already taken.”

Harlow walks around, cleaning up her dishes before grabbing her purse off the counter. “I think it’s probably best if I go. I don’t think either of us are really in a good place right now to start something between us.”

I nod, but I want to tell her she’s wrong, that we are exactly where we should be, and that maybe starting something is what we need. That spending time with her at the rehearsal dinner and here tonight has made me smile more than I can remember doing in a long time.

“I understand not wanting to start something,” I lie, “but we can still hang out, be friends, even maybe the kind of friends where clothing is optional.”

Harlow groans, and I can’t help but chuckle. She couldn’t have thought I would let our night together go like it was nothing. That’s the problem, it should have been nothing but a night between two people who had a little too much to drink, but I can’t shake her.

“A gentleman wouldn’t bring that up again.”

“A gentleman wouldn’t have licked champagne off your tits either, would he?” Her eyes widen, and I would bet anything it’s more from the desire written on her face than from the shock of the words.

I want nothing more than to lay her out on the bar and devour her like my life depends on it. Rather than doing what I want, I go with the sensible answer. I give her my most innocent smile as I walk past her, heading toward the door. I’m not surprised when I hear the sound of her footsteps following me.

Seven

HARLOW

“So, let me get this straight, you could have gotten all horizontal and sweaty again with Hendrix, but you left?” The disbelief in Ashtyn’s voice makes me laugh.

I honestly don’t know what I was expecting when I told Hendrix I was leaving. Of course he wasn’t going to try and talk me into staying, even if I wished he had.

“It was for the best, Ash. I don’t think sleeping with him again is the best way for me to start fresh here.”

“How is not? The best way to start fresh is with a new man. Have you learned nothing from me?”

“You’re absolutely right. I should have stripped him down and had my way with him.”

“Yes. Yes, you should have.” I can practically hear her nodding her head.

“I think that would have been a bad idea.”

“Why? Because you could have had a few more amazing orgasms? They were amazing, right?”

“The best.” I close my eyes, remembering the way he moved my body, pushing my limits, bringing me more pleasure than I remember feeling before.

“See, this is why you shouldn’t have walked away from him. In fact, I demand that you text him for a booty call.”

I laugh at her ridiculousness. “Ash, I’m not about to ask him for a booty call. Besides, they left this morning for a road trip. He’ll be gone for four days.”

“Okay, we can work with that. You’ll send him a few flirty messages while he’s gone, and when he gets home, you jump him like a monkey after a banana.”

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“I have a meeting with this guy today. I met him last week when I was at an open mic night downtown. He had a business card, so I’m really hoping he’s legit. Anyway, he wants to talk. He thinks he might have someone I can work with to build my craft before really settling into my career.”

“That’s great! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Guilt settles into my gut. I’ve spent so much time talking to Ashtyn about Hendrix and what I’ve been doing, that I’ve completely neglected talking to her about what’s been going on in her life. When I decided to make the move to live near my dad, she decided to leave Pittsburgh, where we shared an apartment, and move to Nashville to chase her dream.

“Remember that guy I dated last year?”

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