Page 76 of Over the Moon

“The same way I’d treat a woman that I wanted to sleep with,” I said, without hesitation. “I don’t seek out women and change my personality because I want to have sex with them.”

“Hmmmm… this is going to take some thought,” she said when we crossed onto the trail along the river. “I think you just have to be indifferent. Like I’m a business associate.”

“So let me get this straight. We’ve worked together six days a week, for a minimum of five hours a day for two months, and I’m going to treat you like a business associate? That’s ridiculous,” I said, pushing just a shoulder ahead of her because she was pissing me off now.

“Now you’re annoyed because I’m trying to keep us out of trouble?”

“Correct. You’re so worried about their visit, when nothing has even happened between us.”

Now she pushed the slightest bit ahead of me, as if she wanted to lead. “Right. Because if you don’t sleep with me, it means nothing happened? Are you forgetting the fact that I dry-humped you and had my first orgasm with a man? I am fairly certain that most people would find that unprofessional.”

I barked out a laugh, even though I was breathing heavily. “Yeah, I liked you a hell of a lot better when you were straddling me with your mouth on mine.”

“So you like me better when I’m not speaking?” she asked, as if she were completely offended.

“When you’re being irrational, yes,” I hissed.

That was clearly not the right thing to say. She chose not to speak the rest of the run, even when I asked her random questions.

Silence.

Nothing.

Crickets.

So, I managed to piss her off because I didn’t want to pretend that I hated her.

And this was all happening after the best date I’ve ever had.

Without question, this was the most complicated non-relationship I’d ever been in.

And I still wanted more.

eighteen

. . .

Eloise

Emilia,Henley, and Lulu had all come by the guesthouse for book club earlier, and they were hanging out while I got ready to go to dinner with my father, Randall, and Sebastian, and of course, Clark would be attending, as well.

We’d barely spoken this week. We went through the motions at practice, and we hadn’t texted about anything outside of practice and workouts since Monday.

He wouldn’t have to act like he didn’t like me tonight; I managed to make him dislike me all on my own.

And it hurt like hell.

But I needed him to understand all that I had at stake, and he just didn’t seem to realize the seriousness of the situation.

I filled the girls in throughout the week, as we all bonded over this last small-town romance we read, and we’d grown close.

“So, you’ll just act like the two of you are acquaintances?” Emilia asked.

“I guess so. I just needed him to act like I annoy him, you know, to throw everyone off the scent. But apparently, now I do annoy him, so it should be easy enough,” I said, pulling my hair back into a loose chignon at the nape of my neck, while Luluwent through my makeup bag because she was much better at this stuff than I was, and she agreed to help me get ready.

“I think it might be more noticeable if Clark is cold to you because he’s just not that kind of guy, you know?” Henley said, looking at me with a bit of concern. “He’s the fun guy. The good time. He dances and sings and makes jokes and basically charms the hell out of everyone.”

“I’m just worried because Randall is always making these comments about the contract and me being a professional. I feel like he wants to catch me doing something wrong. So I just need him to stop being suspicious.” I shrugged as Lulu put her hand under my chin and studied my face.

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