Page 25 of Bull Rush

I turn back when she doesn’t answer, and her eyes are already closed. There’s a soft little snort, and I can’t help but smile at it. I hit the lights, drenching the room in darkness and walk back to pull the blanket off the foot of the bed, draping it over her. She frowns when she feels it fall over her but pulls it tighter around her shoulders.

“Always leaving. Him leaving. You leaving. Why does everyone always leave me…” she mumbles, and I can tell she’s half-asleep from the way her words fade.

“I’m not leaving anymore, sugar. Not unless you make me.” I kiss her forehead and make sure she’s well tucked in, looking back at her one last time before I close the door. She deserves so much better than anyone’s ever given her, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to her.

TEN

Hazel

“You’resure you’re up for this?” I ask as I pick Dakota up and she climbs into the car with a massive jug of iced coffee and her sunglasses on. Her hair’s braided, and she’s got no makeup and a baseball cap on. It’s not an unusual fit for her, but it’s odd that she wouldn’t be more dressed up to go into the city. She’s always joking that she never knows when she’ll find her own millionaire to sweep her off her feet and out of this town.

“I’m good. Just you know, last night was a late one…” She shrugs as she eases into the passenger seat of my old pickup truck.

“And you stayed upafter?” I eye my friend suspiciously. Ramsey carted me off before anyone else left, but I highly suspect Dakota didn’t go home alone.

“Might have.” She tosses her purse on the floorboards and starts looking out the window like there’s a fascinating sight tobehold, that she hasn’t seen twenty thousand times before, as she puts her seat belt on.

“All right. Well, if we need to pull over or anything.” I’m wary of her being queasy.

“I had toast,” she grumbles defensively. “I just need some caffeine to wake my ass up now.” She takes a sip and then stuffs the cup into the cupholder on her side. “Do we really have to go all the way up to Denver though? There’s a VS in Springs.” She looks at me over the top of her sunglasses, and her blue-green eyes glitter in the late morning sunlight.

“Yes, I’m sure. I want the good stuff.” I hold up Ramsey’s credit card, tapping my nail against his name. “All of it.”

“Oh, woman, you areevil.”

“I made orders at a couple of the bakeries up there too. Dozens of cake samples, and I’m making him try them all with me.”

“Death by chocolate?” She laughs.

“Chocolate and expensive lingerie.” I smirk, and Dakota mirrors it.

“Well, let’s do it then.”

“What doyou think of this one?” I ask as I step out of the changing room again, covering my nipples, thankful that it’s private back here and we’re the only customers in the lingerie store.

Dakota looks up from her phone and blinks rapidly.

“I think he’s going to choke when he sees you in that.”

“Are you sure?” I turn to the side and look at my profile again. Curtis and I had gotten to a comfortable point in our relationship where lingerie wasn’t really happening anymore, and I had never gotten to the point of buying lingerie withRamsey. We were college kids, and he thought a crop top and some cut-off shorts were sexy enough.

“Honey, I’m sure. I don’t even think you need all this. You look the best you’ve looked in years. He’s come crawling back from the other side of the country to spend time with you. The lingerie is just icing on the cake.”

“But I want it to be pretty icing.”

“It’s gorgeous. I’d bang you.” Dakota grins at me.

“All right. Just two more. I want to have a variety to torture him with.”

“To torture him with or to seduce him with?” Dakota asks as I walk back into the dressing room, and I whirl around to glare at her. She tilts her head to the side, holding up a hand. “I’m just asking. You can be honest with me.”

“To torture him. You were right. He was good… in a lot of ways that I wouldn’t exactly mind revisiting. But I love Curtis, and that’s what I’m focused on. Where my heart is.”

“Your heart, sure. I’m talking about the rest of you.” There’s a devious upturn of her lips, and I give her a mock gasp.

“What would you do in my shoes then?” I’m curious if I’m the only one who would consider doing something stupid. If Dakota knew there was a bonus million involved, she’d be shoving me into bed with Ramsey herself.

“Hot rich guy wants to spend his parole with me, and oops, we’re still married? My fiancé knows and is begrudgingly going along with it? I’m taking advantage of that. No question. I have to sleep with Curtis for the rest of my life, I’m having a little fun with my husband first before I give him up,” she says it so matter-of-factly that it sounds practical even to me.

---