Page 125 of Before Now

“No, they met after.”

His palm starts inching downward on one side.

“They were both at a tech conference,” he says. “She’d been hired for a demonstration, wearing sensors while she danced that provided instant feedback on muscle engagement and form tracking. He was checking out the technology for the company where he works but spent more time checking her out instead.”

Foster runs his fingers along the bottom of my shirt before trailing to my hip. “Chase claims he took her home, but Val says it was the other way around. Either way, Colt and I were in tuxes six months later.”

I smile. “I like the idea of you in a tux.”

“Yeah, well, you couldn’t handle it.” His palm reaches the outside of my thigh and slips just under the fabric of my skirt.

“Let me guess, I’d be throwing my panties at you?”

“You’ll be doing that regardless.”

When he steps closer, he cups my ass with his other hand. Then I see his eyes dart to the side. To Chase.

I look and see his friend’s hand tucked between Val’s thighs, barely moving higher before he glances at us.

“Are you two competing right now?” I land a glare on Foster.

He fights a smile. “That depends.” Dropping the subtlety, he pulls me flush to his chest. “If I admit we are, will you help me win?”

His head hangs lower, so his nose almost touches mine.

“No.” But I stay. I leave his hands on me. I help him win anyway.

* * *

“Arewe shitty people for still not telling Colton we already knew each other?”

We only have two days left of the tour break, and the thought’s creeping in more often. Along with others—whether I want them to or not.

But this one remains insistent.

Foster snorts. “No.”

He’s on his side next to me in his bed. His fingers link with mine, and he drags my hand up to press a soft kiss to my wrist. “Do you want people to know?”

I hesitate to answer him. None of it has to do with us or how I feel about him, but rather everything to do with all the heaviness attached to when we first met.

Telling Foster about my mom and what happened to Roman is too fresh. I’m nowhere near ready to share with everyone else, and the thought of talking around it to others sounds miserable right now.

The pause makes his eyes flick to mine. He studies me before kissing my wrist again.

“I honestly couldn’t give a fuck when anyone thinks we met. The only thing I care about is you’re mine. So long as you know that, we won’t have a problem.” Then he abandons my hand and moves to cup my cheek, his bottomless blue gaze penetrating, a question in them. “Now tell me, are we going to have a problem, Remi?”

I shake my head. “Not a one.”

He releases a relieved breath, like the answer could be anything else, and then pulls me to him. My cheek rests on his shoulder, and I tilt my face up to see his, tracing the contours of his chest. “How mad will Colt be whenever we do tell him?”

“Oh, he’ll lose his shit and unleash a level of petty you’ve never seen.” Foster smirks at the thought. “Petty Colt’s pretty damn entertaining, though. Almost more so when it’s aimed at you.”

“And you wonder why he’s so quick to kick you from being his best friend.”

Unbothered by the threat as always, he purses his lips. “Even if he did, I keep a spare.”

I smile when he looks down at me with one of his own. He captures my chin, raising it more, and his eyes bounce between mine.

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