Page 42 of Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell (Rock Canyon, Idaho 7)

No, no, not how this is going to work.

She brought her hands up and slid them over his chest, watching his nostrils flare and his eyes darken.

And then, he cried out as she grabbed his nipples through his shirt and twisted.

“What the fuck?” His hands covered his abused chest, rubbing it and pouting in a way that was almost comical.

“Let’s get something straight, because even though this—” she waved her hands between them to emphasize, “—is not actually happening, I’m letting you know that the reason the other pussies I dated never tried to tell me what to do is because they knew I wouldn’t tolerate it, and above all, as flirty as I might seem to you, I would never betray someone I was exclusive with.”

She took the handle in her hand, tossing over her shoulder, “And the next time you want to test me, you should probably wear a cup.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Men and women can totally be friends…in theory.” - Miss Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.

Eric got up early on Monday and drove to Chloe’s Book Nook, figuring Gracie was still helping out in there. It had taken him a day to cool down, and after some careful consideration, he saw her point about trusting her. Despite her boy-crazy reputation, Gracie was loyal to a fault. And even though this wasn’t real, he knew she wouldn’t break her word.

He still wasn’t happy about the comfortable physicality her friendship with Mike seemed used to, but that was a temporary annoyance. There was no reason getting bent out of shape over something that wasn’t going to affect him two months from now.

When he walked through the door, Travis was sitting behind the counter, watching his iPad. The big orange cat Gemma let wander around the shop gave him a rumbling meow, and Travis glanced up from the screen and grinned.

“Hey, man, how have you been?”

“Pretty good. How’s Gemma?” Eric asked, feeling a little guilty for not swinging by to check on them.

“She’s good. She doesn’t like sitting still, but I’ve got Charlie keeping an eye on her. Let him have a new video game if he agreed to be her slave this week.”

“Poor kid. So, Gracie’s back next door?”

Travis raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Figured she’d watched the store long enough, and to be honest, I needed a little break from being home. Why are you asking?”

“I just need to talk to her, is all.” Eric cleared his throat, trying to be cool. “So, when do you go back out on tour?”

Travis was one of the top-selling country music stars in the world, but he’d slowed things down since he’d married Gemma.

“Not until the summer.” Tra

vis set his iPad down and stood up, looking him in the eye. “Wait a second. Are you telling me that column this morning wasn’t all bullshit? You’re actually dating Gracie McAllister?”

Eric had to admit his pride was a little stung by everyone’s disbelief, including his little brother Grant, who just kept saying “bullshit!”

“Jesus, is it really that crazy?” Eric asked.

“Mostly, yeah. You two can hardly be in the same room without wanting to kill each other.”

And after last night, that is obviously still true.

“Well, things sort of changed, especially after Gemma went to the hospital. We bonded.”

Travis nodded and suddenly looked very serious. “Okay. Just be careful with her. If you break her heart, Gemma’s going to pissed, and despite your sometimes-surly demeanor, we’ve been friends a long time. I’d hate to kick your ass to appease my wife.”

“Of the two of us, Gracie is the one who leave hearts cracked and bleeding in her wake,” Eric said.

“Still, be cool.”

“Sure,” Eric said. “I’ll see you later.”

Eric left the shop and headed next door. When he walked inside, he spotted Gracie right away, handing a cup of coffee to a couple of high school boys, giving them that million-watt smile of hers. Her blonde hair was swept back in a bun, with a small brim hat perched on her head. Her apron skirt was ruffled donut fabric on the bottom, and plain black on top with hot pink wording.

---