Page 17 of No Summer Hotter than You

“Our relationship isn’t anywhere close to being romantic and I rather it be that way.”

“Why?”

I pursed my lips. “We have plans to buy more properties together. We’re not just friends. We’re business partners.”

Alicia shrugged. “So?”

I sighed at her indifference. “Besides, he had a one-night stand last week. Or, more specifically, a three-night sex fest. Alicia, he’s going to get a girlfriend soon.”

“Says who?”

“I know Anthony, and I know he’s been restless ever since last week. He’s on the prowl for a new girlfriend and it’s fine.”

Alicia’s lips quickly turned into a smirk. “Then why don’t you make him realize that you’re an option as well? Agree to be his fake girlfriend and show him how happy you two can be together.”

The girls bombarded me with texts the other night after Anthony explained what happened with his parents and Aunt Sue. They didn’t seem deterred by his request for us to be in a fake relationship. In fact, they were upset that I declined him.

“No, he doesn’t have feelings for me and you know that. So, you and Jackie need to stop insinuating that there’s hope there when there isn’t,” I said.

My voice had a particular edge to it that made my friend sigh. Her gaze shifted past me and toward the bar; her expression turned thoughtful for split second. Then a look of defeat crossed her face. “I guess you’re right. Maybe we were wrong after all.”

It was the solemn tone of her words that caused me to look over my shoulder and follow her gaze to a scene I’d mentally prepared all day for. Yet, it still made my heart sink fast and heavy to the bottom of the sea of my emotions.

There at the bar was Anthony, engaged in animated conversation with a stunning woman. She was petite, with flowing black curls and a radiant smile that had obviously grabbed his attention. He was mesmerized by her. The smile he had given me earlier was now flashing towards her. She leaned in to whisper into his ear, and he glanced over to our table and looked directly at me.

He nodded. But it wasn’t the I understand what you’re telling me kind of nod. Instead, it was the Come over here type—the nod where you tilt your head slightly toward a specific direction.

Time slowed to drawn out seconds as my body heavily slipped out of my chair and a haze misted over my eyes. Aside from my blurry vision, the lingering scent of Anthony’s cologne, and the thundering beat of my heart in my ears, the rest of my senses became dull.

Thump, thump, thump.

Unlike Monday morning when Anthony told me about his weekend with Amanda, I felt jealousy and greed pumping viciously through my veins with each powerful strum as the other woman got closer to Anthony. My heart was the only thing I could hear until Anthony’s eyes turned to me and his velvet, deep voice called out to me.

“Shoua,” he said, pulling me out of my daze.

I blinked, only realizing then that I had already walked all the way up to him at the bar. With Anthony mere inches away from me, my hand was already tightly clinging onto his plain white T-shirt, making it all seem like I was desperately trying to claim him as my own.

The beautiful woman he was talking to flashed me a look of pure irritation. I immediately pulled away, now leaving creases in his previously crisp shirt, and I stepped back.

What the hell was I even doing?

Anthony had never been mine and wasn’t now either. I had no right to intercept and meddle like this even if I cared more about him than I liked to admit. My heart sank heavier as he stood there, slightly amused and hopefully forever ignorant about these feelings he elicited out of me.

At the end of the day, we were just friends and that was all we would ever be.

“I need to talk to you,” I said in a calm voice.

My heart was still racing a million miles a minute. I even thought of apologizing, turning away, and running back to our table. But my body was firmly rooted in front of Anthony.

He nodded and quickly turned to give the woman at his side a polite smile. I expected him to lean over her as he did with me earlier, press his lips against her ear, and whisper something. But he did none of that.

I watched as she placed a possessive hand over his abdomen and over the creases I left behind on his shirt. He glanced at her and placed his hand over hers, gently pushing it off. He said something I couldn’t catch over the loud patrons, which made the woman’s face pinch in embarrassment. The bartender finally came over to Anthony and passed two small trays of drinks to him as he pulled away from the beauty.

“I’ll wait outside for you. It’s too loud in here,” I croaked when he handed me one of the trays.

“Yeah, sure,” he said.

I spun on my feet and practically ran back to the table, trying not to spill any drinks. I approached our table with half of the drinks as Alicia, her boyfriend, and Jonathan exclaimed at the arrival of theirs. Before Alicia could ask me anything, I quickly slipped away. I thought I’d have a moment to myself to assess what I had done. But before I could, there was Anthony behind me. He still looked perplexed, even worried, while my heart was still racing wildly in my chest.

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