Page 34 of Best Friend's Dirty Ex

He opens up before I can even knock. “What a wonderful surprise.” As he says the words, his gaze wanders to the box in my hand and I offer him the package.

“What's this?” His eyebrows furrow as if he's confused and I smile, lifting a shoulder.

“I made you some thank you cookies for all the things that you've done for me.” As I say the words, he gestures for me to come in, and I hesitate for a moment, wondering if it's a good idea to be alone with him right now, because I wasn't lying when I said that I feel an insane tug toward him, and I worry that if we're alone in his house, things might escalate.

But I decide to put my concerns aside and step past the door.

“How are things going?”

I breathe out and take a spot on the couch while he sits in an armchair near me, careful to keep enough distance between us that we won't touch. I know he's working very hard to be careful with me and I really appreciate the gesture.

“James is locked up. I know this doesn't mean he'll take any accountability for what he's done wrong, because he still thinks that he deserves access to me and that I owe him a place in my life. But I know better. I'm not going to let him get away with anything else, not ever again.”

I can see the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I'm so glad to hear you say that.”

“So open it up?” I say the words, and feel a nervous, flutter in my belly as I realize that I did not taste test the cookies. I hope they’re good. Maybe using confectioner’s sugar rather than granulated sugar will make them strange? But they look and smell delicious...

I watch Troy open the box and take out a cookie. He takes a bite and his eyebrows come together, then lifts up as he chews.

I can tell by the look in his eye and the way he hesitantly acts as if he's going to put the cookie down while slowly chewing that the cookies are awful.

“You don't have to eat them. I'm not a baker.” I say the words with a laugh and see the look of relief in his features as he puts the cookie down.

“They're not that bad.” He talks around the cookie and I know that he's absolutely lying to me, but I don't mind because he’s lying trying to protect my feelings. It's a sweet lie.

“You don't have to lie to me, but I appreciate your kindness.”

He gives me a glance that says he feels like he's caught, and I decide to explain my thinking. “See, if you lie to me, I'll think that my cookies are good and I'll make you more cookies. And then you'll have to choke down more awful cookies because you lied to me and told me you liked them.” I say as he manages to swallow the bite in his mouth.

He lifts a hand, clearly in surrender. “Okay, okay, I see your point. They're not very good cookies.” He offers me the box and I take one. “I do want to be clear that I appreciate the gesture though.”

As he says the words, I pick up a cookie, noting the strange texture I hadn’t noticed when I was using the spatula to scoop them from the cookie sheet into the box.

I take a bite and it crumbles like sawdust in my mouth. The flavor isn't too bad, but the texture is horrendous and I chew thoughtfully, thinking about my next words. I notice Troy is watching me, a slight spark of amusement in his eyes.

I swallow the bite with effort while breaking the cookie into two halves. “You know, I could use these for torture, give them to my enemies and hope they choke to death. If I ever join the Mafia, these could be my calling card.”

Troy lets out a sharp chuckle and I laugh. Maybe I should be upset with myself for screwing up, for embarrassing myself, but in all honesty, I'm not embarrassed, and I know that Troy isn't judging me. This just feels like a fun moment between friends and I'm comfortable. Maybe more comfortable than I should be for somebody who has betrayed me, but maybe it's time to let the past be water under the bridge.

His bet hurt my feelings because it made me think that maybe he thinks I'm easy to get in bed with. But maybe he also has feelings for me now. I can feel it in gestures sometimes. He is gentle and kind with me, even though he's absolutely not gentle or kind with anyone else.So maybe he also feels something about me…

In all honesty, the man's a bit of a monster except where I'm concerned.

“Now that James is locked up, what's your plan moving forward with your newfound freedom?” Troy's question is lighthearted, but I sense a deeper undercurrent.

“Well, I've been asked out by both Konan and Hunter, so it's not like I don't have options.” I grin, but my heart sinks as his expression tightens. And I suddenly know the truth for sure. “They were in on the bet, weren't they?”

He nods his head. “But for the sake of transparency, I've talked with Konan.” I can see how hard the words are for him to get out as he continues speaking. “Konan regrets the bet. He really likes you. He thinks you're an amazing woman, that you’re interesting to talk to, that you’re witty and smart, and a good match.”

“Why would you tell me this?” If Troy is trying to win me over, why would he tell me about another guy that would be a good match for me potentially?

Troy’s eyebrows and shoulders lift a fraction of an inch. “Because I want you to have the opportunity to be happy, even if being happy means not being with me. I do want to warn you that Hunter is a bit of an animal, though. There have been a lot of issues with him over the years.” I can tell he's speaking from experience, and I nod my head grateful for his revelations and honesty.

“Thank you for telling me that you didn't have to.”

“I'm going to do my very best, to be honest with you every step of the way moving forward. I don't want you to ever have a reason to not trust me.” He places the box of cookies on the couch next to me, then reaches out and pats my knee. The second he makes contact; I can feel my heart start to slam against my ribs and I want him to do more than just pat my leg.

Of course, I shouldn't want more. I'm being stupid. I can't forget that he hurt me.

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