Page 88 of Undeniable Temptation

She hugged him tighter. “We’ll always be friends.”

Friends. The word stuck in his head, reminding him of the one friendship he’d always valued above all others. There was no way he could last months, putting space between himself and Leah. Not even weeks. He’d already endured six days of hell where he’d had to watch her suffer from a distance. He couldn’t take much more.

“I’ve lost you again.” Felicity leaned back and met his gaze. “What are you thinking about?”

“I think I’m done waiting.”

“For what?”

“For her.”

A knowing grin curved her lips. “About time.”

“It’s only been six days.”

“And you made up your mind on day one.”

“True.” He inclined his head. “But Leah needed time, too—”

“To strengthen her resolve about never getting back together.”

He stiffened, the tiniest sliver of fear brushing the surface. “No. She wanted me to have a clear head.”

“Ryan…” She looked at him as if he’d missed something. As if he were a child who hadn’t caught on to an easy concept.

“What?”

“No woman ever wants a man to take his time making a decision about a relationship. You either want it or you don’t. At least, that’s the way I see it.” She shrugged. “From my point of view, she was banking on your kindness to give her space to move on.”

He shook his head. “No.” Leah wouldn’t play him. Yeah, she’d openly said they were back to being friends, but he hadn’t believed it. He couldn’t believe it. Not when they were in love.

There was a knock at the door. “Ry?” Blake’s tattooed fingers gripped the wood before his head came into view. “Come on, we’ve got three million posters left to sign before tomorrow night.”

“Give me a minute.” He raked his hands through his hair. Was he back to square one? Would he have to repeat history all over again, convincing Leah they could make this work, all because he’d done the right thing in giving her space?

Fuck.

Blake pushed the door wider and stepped inside. “What’s going on?”

“I think Leah’s been playing chess, while I’ve been playing checkers.”

“Is that supposed to make sense?” Blake gave him a blank stare.

“Probably not.” He pulled tighter on his hair.Think, think, think.Space was one thing. Termination was another.

“Did you hear me? We’ve got sixty-three billion posters to sign, and if they don’t get done today, Leah’s going to shove the colored markers in a place I won’t appreciate.”

“Give him a second,” Felicity grated.

Blake raised a brow. “Bossy. Just the way my boy likes ’em. You sure you two haven’t hooked up?”

“He’s got a dick.” She rolled her eyes. “So, no, he’s not my type.”

“Lesbian?” Blake glanced to his left, pinning Ryan with a wicked grin. “Did you cause that, buddy?”

“Are you referring to lesbianitis?” Felicity cocked a hip. “Because, yeah, it’s totally catchy.”

“Don’t get your ovaries in a twist. I was merely referring to Ryan’s special skill set. One kiss from him sent Leah fleeing to the other side of the country. So…” He shrugged. “You never know.”

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