Page 44 of Covetous

“Where am I supposed to go? I don’t have a bedroom.”

Liv huffs out a breath, frustration edging her voice. “Fine. Go to my room.”

His grin appears, quick and wolfish. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“I didn’t,” she retorts.

As he passes by on his way out, Smith makes a show of tossing his empty beer can into the recycle bin. “Oh, you will.”

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t let me do anything stupid with that man.”

“Admit it. You like him.”

She waves her hand dismissively. “Whatever. That’s not what I want to talk to you about.”

Hard as I try, I can’t lighten her mood. “Okay. What about?”

Her voice drops to a whisper, laced with accusation, her eyes narrowing as if she’s trying to read the truth in the lines of my face. “What are you doing?”

It feels like the air has been sucked out of the room, and I know this conversation is about to take a turn I’m not ready for. “Umm. What do you mean?”

“Bitch. Don’t play with me.”

The mask falls away; I can’t hide from her piercing gaze. “It’s not what you think.”

She stands firm, hands on her hips, her words a sharp reality check. “I’m not sure if you’re lying to me or yourself. But what I do know is that you need to fall back.”

“We’re friends. That’s it.”

“He’s not supposed to be your friend. Not when he’s Esme’s boyfriend. And hello, somebody. You have a whole fucking fiancé. Remember him? The man whose guest house we’re staying in? The man who will be here the day after tomorrow to be with you?”

Leaning against the counter, I sigh as the heaviness of the situation bears down on me. I rake my fingers through my hair, gripping the sides of my head. “I didn’t plan for this to happen.”

“I know you didn’t.” Her voice softens, a hint of sympathy among the stern words.

“Do you think she really loves him?” Or is she just using him for his money?

She exhales a measured breath, her caution heavy in the air. “I can’t say. But whether it’s love or they’re just bidding their time together until someone better comes along. Whether you stay with Ian or the two of you break up. Listen to me when I tell you this. Victor is off-limits to you.” Of course, she’s right. My brain knows that, but my heart is having a harder time accepting it. “You can’t ever have him because having him means you lose her, and no man is worth that.”

Chapter Fifteen

Later that night, the echo of Liv’s words keeps my mind spinning, blurring the pages of my book before my eyes. No matter how hard I focus, nothing sinks in.

Giving up, I turn off my bedroom light and climb into bed. It takes a while to get settled. Comfort becomes a battle; pillows are squashed and fluffed, blankets are tossed away in a huff, then reclaimed in the next breath before I’m curled into a ball, holding my phone. I stare at the screen for a long minute before pressing the call button.

Ian surprisingly answers on the first ring. “It’s late. Is everything okay?”

“I just wanted to hear your voice,” I murmur, trying to wrap myself in the comfort of a memory of us untouched by doubt or criticism.

He goes quiet for a moment. “Did you go out tonight?”

“No. The others did. I stayed home, poured a glass of wine, and sat on the deck with my e-reader.”

“A romance book?”

“Yes. It’s for my book club.”

He snorts. “I don’t know why you read that trash. It’s so beneath you. All it does is give false expectations of what love and life are really about.”

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