Page 79 of The Wrong Date Deal

“Yep.”

“Well, August works well on you.”

She laughed, and Piper slid her arm a little further around her back, her fingers tracing August’s waist again, this time on the side that was furthest away from her.

“And I can see why Ford uses, well,Ford.” Hermes scrunched his brow up. “I can’t imagine Buford is especially wearable for anyone under seventy these days.”

“Indeed.”

Hermes paused, something flickering across his face. He looked pointedly from August to Piper and back again. “So, when you get married, do you think you’ll use August or Augusta?”

August laughed. “Well, it’s my legal name, so, I suppose, for the legal proceedings, it’ll be Augusta.”

“Hm.” Hermes looked back at Piper with such intensity that she felt herself blushing furiously. “Isn’t that interesting to think about?”

“Is it?” Piper said, her voice a little tight and squeaky.

“Oh, I think it is,” Hermes said, shooting her a dark grin.

“I think that might be a little invasive for someone you’ve only just met…” Piper’s throat felt dry. She still couldn’t bring herself to pull her arm back from August, though.

August laughed. “It’s totally fine. Over the years, Ford and I have had plenty of chances to change our legal names and we haven’t. And we’ve heard every comment you can think of. Nothing bothers us anymore. Asking about my wedding is not the weirdest comment I’ve had about it by alongstretch.”

Hermes smirked at Piper. “See? No problem at all. Besides, we’re all friends here. And about to be family, basically.”

“How so?” Piper squeaked.

“Oh, you know, me and Ford living together and all…”

“Right.” Piper stared at him. That wasn’t what he meant and they both knew it.

He grinned smugly and his gaze fell to where her fingers were gripping August’s waist—from where she still didn’t want to remove them.

Chapter Eighteen

August dropped to the floor of her living room, not batting an eyelid when Ford stepped over her to collapse onto the couch. She could still feel Piper’s hand against her back and her waist. She’d been nineteen the last time someone had touched her so simultaneously confidently and nervously at the same time—or maybe that was just the way it made her feel. Maybe Piper had been entirely sure of herself. However, the way neither of them addressed the touch, the cautious way her fingers crept over August’s body when they moved a little closer, and the way she couldn’t quite hold August’s gaze each time she moved told August she wasn’t the only one feeling nervous.

Ford cleared his throat, pulling August out of her reverie. “So, good night after all?”

August twisted her head to shoot him a look. “I never thought it was going to be a bad night.”

“Right,” he laughed. “You were just worried your girlfriend’s friends wouldn’t like you.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” August shot back, wishing the floor would swallow her whole.

“Sure. You just spend every night with women you aren’t interested in wrapped around you.”

“It’s kind of weird for you to be taking shots like that, you know?”

He moved to be able to look over the arm of the couch at her. “And you only act weird about it when you’re really interested in someone. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Shame isn’t part of it.”

“Isn’t it?”

August lifted her head, frowning as she looked at him. “No? I’m not ashamed of liking her…”

He softened. “No. You’re ashamed of finally doing something for yourself that feels good. You stayed out of dating for a long time—”

---