Page 92 of Just Between Us

He looks at me for a long moment, brown eyes staring into mine carefully. If you look closely enough, there is a faint smattering of freckles on his nose and a beauty mark just by the left side of his mouth.

“What are you thinking?” I ask.

Levi’s smile is watery. “Just wondering if this makes me selfish, having both you and Cole.” I frown, my heart rate suddenly picking up. He chuckles, placing a calming hand on my cheek. “I just mean, even if it is selfish of me, I don’t care. Which is unusual for me.”

“Which part? Being selfish or not caring?”

“Both.”

I nod. It’s clear Levi struggles with some aspects of himself and I think I understand it—the constant guilt that for some reason you don’t deserve to be happy.

“I don’t think it makes you selfish,” I say after a second. “I think this just makes all three of us lucky.”

Levi tilts his head, smiling. “Huh, my therapist said the same thing,”

“Then it must be true.” I kiss him quickly before slipping off the bed. I’m twenty-five and this is already the best birthday ever. “What’s on the agenda today?”

After a delicious breakfast overlooking the water, they take me through a morning of shopping for clothes that cost a fortune. It’s odd letting someone else spend so much money on me but anytime I try to pull out my wallet, Cole looks at me like I’m offending him, and Levi just laughs. Eventually, I stop trying and it turns out shopping is a million times more fun when you don’t have a budget.

Kez and Anant join us in the afternoon, and I swear I spot a few celebrities walking around with massive shopping bags. The excess of this place has my head spinning half the time and my mouth hanging open the other half.

It’s late in the afternoon and we’re sitting by the beach, a D.J. playing a house music set somewhere on the deck.

I sit next to Cole, leaning into him although I’m not paying any attention to the conversation he’s having with people whose names all sound made up, but I don’t mind. I just like being next to him and feeling his hand resting on my thigh.

Kez appears in a sheer orange dress that sweeps the ground, her hair sitting on top of her head in bouncy curls. She takes the seat next to me, her skin glistening in the sun.

“You look bored. I’m here to save you,” she whispers with a smile.

Cole glares at her but she only glares back. “Problem Armas?” she asks.

“Get fucked, Kez,” he mutters.

“Oh, you wish.” She grins wickedly and pulls me away from the riveting conversation discussing stock trends and New York real estate. Near the bar, I spot Levi talking to Anant and a group of guys who strangely all look alike dressed in pure white linen.

“Let’s get a drink,” Kez says quietly with a bright smile. “You and I have to stick together in these places.”

I snort, knowing what she means. “I was enjoying the discussion about the cost of penthouses in New York.”

Kez laughs, throwing her head back as we find somewhere to sit alone.

“So how is it going with those two?” she asks when a waitress magically appears with a tray of margaritas. Kez hands me one.

Of course, she would know, and it feels strange to talk about it with anyone other than Jenna but she’s Cole’s best friend and she’s dating Levi’s best friend.

“Good,” I say. “I’m just getting used to all of this, I guess.” I gesture at everything around us, smiling sheepishly.

Kez nods. “It is a lot to take in if you’re not used to it but you’re handling it like a pro. A duck to water if you may,” she says.

I laugh, her approval makes me feel good. I know how important she is to Cole.“Thanks.”

She shifts to look at me directly. “Look, I’m not going to give you the if you hurt my best friend, I’ll hurt you speech because I don’t think I need to. But how much do you know about Cole?” She pauses, eyeing my wrist. “Must be a lot if you’re wearing that bracelet.”

I know what she’s asking, and I understand why she would. “I know about what happened.”

Kez nods slowly. “You know, I pretty much figured they were into you the moment I met you?”

My eyebrows lift. “You did?”

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