Page 81 of So Steady

“Yeah?”

She kissed him, light and soft. “I like sleeping with you.”

It was a compliment, but not what he wanted to hear. As she bent to kiss him again, he realised he was fucked. He was in love with Nicole. Stupidly in love, and all the talking-to’s in the world weren’t going to change that.

Fuck.

Chapter 15

Nicole turned and looked up at the house. Strange how once upon a time it had been her dream, the place where her real life would begin.

“Anything else?” Noah asked.

He’d been weirdly formal since they’d gotten up from the floor. A way to let her know she shouldn’t get serious, maybe? Or perhaps he was just bored. She rubbed her palm on her shorts, trying to rid herself of the itchiness that had sprung there.

Stop it, she told herself.Just because he isn’t all over you doesn’t mean he’s given you something. And he hasn’t given you something. And if he has, it doesn’t matter. But he hasn’t. Because he told you he got tested three months ago and he always uses protection.

Somewhere in her mind, Sam cackled.Yeah, because no dude has ever said that and not meant it.

“Shut up,” she whispered.

“Sorry?”

God, that was all she needed—for Noah to think she talked to herself, or more specifically, her sisters in her mind. She turned on him with a TV host smile. “I think we’re all good! Thanks so much!”

“Uh, sure,” he said, eyebrows raised. “So, we done?”

“I think so.” She looked at the house once more. The carcass of her old life. All she had to do was lock the front door, leave her key in the letterbox and it would be done. Why did that feel so anticlimactic?

“You want a minute?”

He meant alone, possibly to cry or do whatever it was heartbroken people did, but shewasn’theartbroken. While she was packing her last box upstairs, she’d allowed herself to imagine staying, pulling her things out of the boxes and resuming her life with Aaron.

Thathad been heartbreaking. She’d cried into her winter coats. Despite the unprotected sex, her unresolved life and her unknown relationship to the man beside her, she’d known the only way was forward. The decision to leave felt good. Strong and light, like Plexiglas. She was determined not to question it.

She smiled at Noah. “I’m fine. Do you want to get some dinner?”

“Uh…yeah? Around here? Or…where do you want to go?” It was cute to see him off balance, this man who’d screwed her on her old bedroom floor.

“I was thinking about The Lighthouse. They do amazing salt and pepper crab.”

“Crab?”

“I feel like celebrating.”

He smiled then, one of those slow smiles that made her insides feel like sugar dissolving into warm milk. “Sure, let’s get crab.”

“Great!” She realised she was wearing cotton shorts. “I might go inside and change, if that’s okay?”

“No problem.” He gestured to his black t-shirt and jeans. “As long as you don’t mind that all I have is this.”

“That’s fine.” She raced around to the back of the van and grabbed the sports bag she’d filled with dresses. She hesitated, then grabbed the shoebox with the heels he’d called sexy. Why not? “I won’t be long.”

He smiled, pulling his cigarettes from his pocket. “Take your time, I’ll be here.”

He’s lovely, Nicole thought, heading back to the house.He should stop smoking though. Maybe I can give him that Alan Carr book Bethany read. She hasn’t smoked for eighteen months—

She stopped in the doorway, horrified. She and Noah were about to go out for dinner, the first thing between them that could remotely be called a date, and here she was, plotting a way to change himin her ex-fiancé’s house.

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