Page 10 of Wild Nights

"It was one night. It didn't mean anything." I didn't want to get her hopes up.

She gave me a look. "Yet you're talking about it like it was something."

"Neither of us do hookups."

"You believe him? He works at a resort. He could be having affairs with women every night."

"I believed when he said he doesn't indulge in things like that. He was genuine."

"You trusted him?"

"I did."

She rested her elbows on the table. "How did you leave it?"

"He slipped out in the middle of the night—" Ginny's face fell, and I continued, "But he left a note."

A smile spread over her face. "Oh, what did the note say?"

"He thanked me for an amazing night." The fact that we hadn't used a condom, and his request that I contact him to let him know I was okay was personal. I didn't want to share that with my sister. Plus, I'd always been the responsible sister, and I was already blowing her perception of me with the one-night-stand story.

Ginny frowned. "That feels cliché."

"Nothing about Oliver felt cliché. He was honest and real." It hadn't felt like two strangers; instead, it felt intimate, like we'd known each other for a long time.

Her nose scrunched. "You like him. But you didn't ask for more."

"That wasn't the deal, and it didn't change anything for me. I'm focused on building my business." I turned my attention to my computer screen.

Ginny sighed. "You're impossible. You can have fun and be a successful businesswoman. You can have both."

"It's bad enough I hooked up with the brother of one of my business contacts. I don't want to alienate his family. Not that he wanted anything more either." Something was holding Oliver back, but I didn't know what it was. We didn't have time for a heart-to-heart, and it was none of my business. But I was still curious.

"It sounds hot and romantic. I'm proud of you. I wouldn't feel guilty at all."

"I don't, actually."

"The quintessential good girl doesn't feel bad about a one-night stand. I love it." Ginny got up and grabbed a soda from the fridge.

"It was nice."

She turned and leaned a hip against the counter. "Will you see him again the next time you're in Telluride?"

"It won't be until November. But I don't intend for anything to happen."

"Be open to it. Wouldn't it be nice if you could count on hot sex every time you go to Telluride?"

It wasn't a bad idea. I thought about our night together often, and I wouldn't mind a repeat.

That night, Ginny went out with her boyfriend and stayed overnight at his place. It only reminded me that Ginny would probably be taking that next step with her boyfriend. They'dwant to move in together or even get engaged. When the time came, I wouldn't hold her back. I'd encourage her to move in with him. I just hoped she still wanted to work for me in the business. I'd built it so we'd have security.

Just because I carried wounds from my parents split didn't mean she was subjected to the same fate. She believed in love and happily-ever-afters. I wouldn't ruin that for her. I was thankful I'd shielded her from the worst of that situation.

I couldn't forget how my father, who was a professor, slept with one of his students and later married another one. In a weak moment, Mom admitted that it probably wasn't just the one time. Dad had a thing for his students, and she couldn't compete with younger women.

Apparently, his kids couldn't either. I'd carry that slight with me forever. How could I trust someone to be there for me? Not to walk away when something or someone better came along. The short affair with Oliver was just what I needed. He'd given me a night to remember, and I had no illusions it would lead to anything else.

I kept the memory of my night with Oliver close to my chest as I traveled from one city to another to the other. I was busy during the days, but at night, I let myself play back that night, remembering the tender way he touched me, the raw desire in his eyes.

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