Page 12 of Sacrifice Bunt

“There’s no aha.”

“Yes, there is. You like him, you just said.”

“I said I didn’t like you like that, meaning I don’t want to kiss you because you have the wrong body parts.”

“Which means you admit you like Noah because he has the right body parts.”

That had her pausing. She could have said that a million different ways, but she’d chosen her words for a reason. “Shit.” She drew in a deep breath. “I sort of think I might like him.”

“Duh, I already told you that. Now tell me about this kiss.”

The kiss was the last thing Zara wanted to relive. It was also the only thing she could seem to think about. “I had to accompany him to a meeting since Hannah couldn’t make it, and afterward, in the car on the way home, things kinda got heated. He asked if I hated him, and then we got into it about the night of the fire, and before I knew what was going on, we were both lunging for each other, and his lips were on mine, driving me out of my mind.”

“Sounds hot.”

Oh, was it ever. “Celia, help me,” she practically cried. “I can’t like Noah.”

“Why not. What’s wrong with Noah?”

Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing. That was the problem. “I don’t date athletes and not at all for the same reason you didn’t. This is my life. My job. And I fucking love my job. Guys are for fun, and I’ve enjoyed having fun with them. They don’t pay the bills or get the accolades for doing an amazing job. I love the feeling of making a deal that nobody thought was possible. It’s better than sex.”

“Then you’ve been having the wrong kind of sex.”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve been having the perfect kind of sex for me. Fun, enjoyable, hot, and no commitment. It’s perfect.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Are you going to give me any actual advice or just string words together that aren’t helping?”

“I think I’m helping a lot. You are being stubborn and trying to avoid feeling anything for a man that you obviously have some sort of feelings for. Making you see that is my only job.”

Zara frowned, closing her eyes and pressing her fingers against her temple. “I seem to remember being much more helpful when you were getting together with Kyle.”

This time, Celia sighed. “Damn, I can’t dispute that because you were a major factor in helping us, but I also know that you and I are different. You are more hard-headed than anyone I know, and for years, you’ve told yourself that you hate Noah. That won’t go away overnight, and it’s my job to help you fix that.”

Zara, in barely a whisper, asked, “Why is this happening to me?”

“I think a better question you need to ask yourself is, does Noah like you too? Because if he doesn’t, this is all really for nothing. You can just forget about him and move on.”

As if. “Um, I’m pretty sure he likes me.”

“Pretty sure isn’t sure.” The insinuation that Noah didn’t like her was apparent and put her on the defensive.

Zara replayed everything he said to her in the car, in the elevator, and against her door. From those things, she knew he wanted her. The question was, did want also mean like? “I have no fucking clue.” And that was the honest truth. “I can tell when a guy I’m seeing starts liking me more than he should. I can see the signs from a mile away, and I end it quickly before it gets out of hand. With Noah, I can’t seem to think at all.”

“That’s it,” Celia said. “Get yourself together and get over here. We can vent and drink at the same time.”

Relieved that her friend understood how difficult this was for her, Zara agreed. Within thirty minutes, she was at Celia’s house with a mimosa in her hand.

“Isn’t this better?” Celia asked.

“What did you tell Kyle?” She might love him, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for him to know about her feelings for Noah.

Shit. Feelings. She had feelings for Noah. She’d never had feelings for anyone. She was at a loss for what to do.

Celia waved her hand above her head. “I told him we needed girl talk and to go bother Heath. And because he loves me, he did.”

Zara rolled her eyes. “You two are seriously annoying.”

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