Page 65 of Beautiful Harmony

“Yes, but I do want to,” she hesitated, “make it clear that we tell no one we’re sleeping together. Obviously, I’ll tell Rayna, and I’m sure you’ll tell Connor, but beyond that, I don’t believe anyone else in this gossip pit of a town needs to know. Are you okay with keeping it a secret?”

Okay, that knife in his chest was starting to dig deeper, but he kept the easy grin on his face like a fucking champ. “Sure, that’s no problem. I might be the town whore, but I can keep who I’m currently sleeping with a secret when necessary.”

She scowled at him. “Don’t call yourself that.”

“Everyone in Harmony Falls calls me that,” he said. “And in Willington too. But I come by my reputation naturally.”

She pushed aside her pizza and reached across the table to take his hand. “Lucas, you know I don’t care how many people you’ve slept with, right?”

He believed her. He truly did. But not caring how many people he’d slept with and not wanting the town to know that she was currently fucking the town mattress were two completely different things.

“I know,” he said.

“Because I don’t. At all,” she said. “And I don’t want you putting yourself down when you’re around me, or ever. You’re an amazing person and one of my best friends. You mean so much to me, Lucas.”

He swallowed hard, linking his fingers with hers. “You mean a lot to me, too, Em.”

“Good.” She smiled at him before leaning back and breaking their connection. “So, just one more thing - my expectation is that we don’t sleep with anyone else while we’re sleeping together. Are you good with that?”

“Yes,” he said.

“And if you meet someone you’d like to date, don’t hesitate to say so. We’ll go back to being just friends, okay?”

“Right,” he said, forcing himself to say the rest. “Ditto for you.”

She nodded before drinking some more soda. Lucas picked up his pizza slice, but his appetite had abandoned him at even the thought of Emma sleeping with someone else. He didn’t want anyone seeing her naked but him.

Don’t start with that possessive bullshit. You don’t have the right.

“So, what are your plans for this week?” Emma asked.

“Our usual gaming Friday night - hey, what do you think about coming to my place instead?”

Emma never came to his apartment for gaming. He didn’t expect her to agree to it now. Why would she? She had a nice house with a comfortable gaming chair, and, in reality, they didn’t have to get together on Friday nights for gaming. Everyone else in their group played from the comfort of their own home. Lucas just liked being in the same space with her, liked watching how competitive she got and how happy it made her when they won as a team under her leadership.

But he was already planning on asking Emma to stay the night with him and having her at his place only had a little to do with wanting her scent on his sheets. It was mostly about Emma’s neighbours being much nosier than the twenty-something adults who lived in his building. He’d attract more attention leaving Emma’s house on a Saturday morning than she would leaving his.

To his surprise, Emma nodded. “Sure. Sitting in your gaming chair instead of my kitchen chair might improve your gaming.”

He laughed. “Ouch, Emma. Why you gotta be like that?”

She grinned at him and took a bite of pizza. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Hanging out with Nix,” he said.

“Nix… is that the tattoo guy who works at Crimson Door Tattoo? He did your last tattoo,” she said.

“That’s right,” he said.

“I didn’t realize you were friends, too.”

“We’re starting to be,” he said. “He’s new to town, and with Connor and Nathan in relationships, they don’t have much free time. Nix is single like me, and he’s a cool guy. We’ve gone for beers a few times.”

“I’m sorry you don’t see your friends as much,” she said.

“It’s all good. I’m happy for both of them. Anyway, Nix is still furnishing his place, and we’re looking at some furniture in South Falls.”

She frowned. “Be careful when you’re in South Falls, all right?”

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