Page 71 of One-Star Romance

He pulled back to catch his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. He muttered something to himself, so softly that at first Natalie didn’t register what he’d said. But then the words hit her. He’d said, “Dammit, Zuri.”

And that broke the spell.

What was she doing, letting herself fall for a man who was so vulnerable and recently single? Anybody with half a brain knew that you didn’t hook up with someone you genuinely liked two weeks after they’d called off their wedding. For Rob, the major attraction she offered right now was being anyone but the woman whose name he’d just uttered.

He leaned forward again, but she extricated herself, climbing back into the driver’s seat. “No. We should stop.”

“What?” he asked, alarm in his voice. “Are you okay?”

When she was younger, she might have ignored the warning signs in favor of her immediate want, giving in to something that would leave her feeling used and mixed-up in the morning. But now, she’d learned how to be kinder to herself. “I can’t be your rebound hookup. I’m not here to be a distraction or a bad decision. Not with you.”

“You’re not a rebound,” he protested, and it was so tempting to believe it.

“Your fiancée ended things less than a month ago. You literally just detached your lips from mine so you could say her name.”

“I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have said that.” He rubbed his eyes, his words coming out choppy, his voice rough with desire. “It’s just…she’d told me that we could feel more for other people, and, kissing you, I realized she was right. I’ve been so angry at her, but she was right.”

Her heart swelled. She longed to jump right back into his lap. But instead, she reached out and took his hand. “Still, when we do this, I want to be the only person on your mind.”

“Natalie,” he said helplessly. “I like you.”

She tucked her shirt back in, brushing her hair away from her face. “And I like you. Too much for this, I think.” She kept her voice steady, though part of her wanted to cry. “You’re not ready, and I have to protect myself.”

“If that’s what you want.” He sat back in his seat as if realizing that it was useless to fight her on this. Which was probably good, because if he’d said one more beautiful thing to her, she might have immediately taken off all her clothes. Even now, her body was screaming at her mind to stop being so fucking sensible. But this was the right thing to do.

“We should go back to the party.” Dimly, as she put the key in the ignition, she registered that they’d fogged up the windows.

28

An awkward car ride later, back at Gabby and Angus’s place, Rob cursed himself and his lack of filter. Dammit, Zuri, how dare you be correct about everything? he’d thought as he’d held Natalie, awestruck by how kind she’d been with his father, how beautiful she was in the hint of moonlight, how much he wanted every part of her. How much she had failed but how much she had kept trying, and God, how she glowed, how content she seemed with herself now. She’d done the work to be ready for success, so when it finally came around, it fit her perfectly.

But he didn’t just like her now that she was successful, he’d realized as he gripped her even more tightly. He’d liked her all along, this woman bursting with life who made him more alive. Even when he’d hated her, she’d made him feel more than anyone else ever had.

Overwhelmed with hope and joy, he’d gone ahead and ruined everything.

But only for now, right? How much time did Natalie require for him to prove that he was ready? In this moment, his body aching to go back to touching her, he would do whatever she directed him to. Overly expensive psychoanalysis? He’d let an old man interpret his dreams. Hiking the Appalachian Trail alone with his thoughts? He’d brave the bears. (Were you supposed to yell or play dead? He would research.)

Perhaps he could start by being kind to Tyler Yeo, who was currently standing in front of the snack table studying a tortilla chip as if fascinated by its various ridges. In the time Rob and Nat had been gone, many of the guests had cleared out, leaving only the most committed (and drunkest). One of Angus’s finance bro coworkers had sprawled out on the living room couch, snoring, while in the little space he’d left, those two bridesmaids from the wedding were stroking each other’s faces, murmuring how much they loved each other.

Rob cleared his throat, then walked up next to Tyler, forcing himself to engage.

“Excuse me? I’m sorry if I was rude earlier. I had a little too much to drink.”

Tyler looked over in surprise. “Oh, hey! Nah, man, you’re good. It’s kinda nice when people don’t just kiss my ass, you know?”

“Happy to help keep you grounded. But seriously, congratulations on the show. You made Dennis your own.”

Tyler finally made the decision to eat the chip in his hand. As he chewed, he said, “You think that’s all right, yeah? Nat’s book is so good, but TV is a different medium.”

“Right.” Even while doing something as strange as talking with a movie star, Rob couldn’t help looking for Natalie. Scanning the room, he found her standing with Gabby and Angus, nodding intently at some story Angus was telling. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Rob was hit by a wave of remembering what it had felt like to run his fingers through that hair, the soft warmth of Natalie’s bare skin. He wanted to catch her attention, shout, Look over here! I am being civil! Don’t you think I am emotionally mature and therefore ready to recommence taking off your clothes? All this was running through his head as he went on, “I think it’s good that you didn’t just play Angus.”

“Angus?” Tyler asked, pulling him back to their conversation.

“Dennis!” Rob said quickly. “Dennis from the book, I mean. Sorry, slip of the tongue. I’m still sobering up, apparently.”

“Right, right, all good,” Tyler said. But he was squinting, computing something in slow motion in a way that made Rob uneasy.

He seemed like the kind of man who could be easily misdirected, so Rob went on, “How has it been working with Natalie?”

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