Page 40 of Butter My Biscuit

“Next time we go out and I’m tired, that’s my method of travel.”

“I gotchu, babe. But it might mess up your game.” He shoots me a wink and leads me into the bedroom, where I fall back on the bed.

Carefully, he unzips my boots and removes them, then helps me crawl under the blankets. I close my eyes, and when I open them again, he sets a gigantic cup of ice water and a pot on the nightstand.

“You need to drink this.”

I sit up and take a sip. “Thank you.”

As I lie back down, I start sweating and wiggle out of my pants, then throw them on the floor. Then, I remove my sweater and toss it over his shoulder before I sink back down.

“How much did you have to drink?” He leans over and tucks loose strands of hair behind my ear.

“I don’t know. I had shots with you. Shots with Landon. The wine at dinner. Maybe I just mixed too much. I’m not a spring chicken anymore.”

He chuckles. “That’s true. I thought you were fine on the beach.”

“Was the motion of the ocean, I think.” I can barely keep my eyes open, so I close them. I’m exhausted from emotion overload. I’ve had a long weekend. Too many ups and too many downs. “Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

Because I know he’s going to see Stephanie.

“Sure,” he says.

He kicks off his shoes and slides under the blankets with me. Once he’s there, my body relaxes, but my mind will not shut off. It’s rushing through so many thoughts and emotions from Joey to dinner to kissing Landon and then losing control on the ferry with Harrison. I need to check myself before I wreck myself.

Just as I’m falling asleep, Harrison’s phone vibrates hard on the side table. The noise brings me back to reality. The mattress slightly moves, and I know he rolled over to grab it. The light from his phone brightens the room as he types back.

I keep my breathing slow, wishing I could fall asleep. After he locks his phone, I hear him suck in a deep breath. Then, moments later, he slides out from under the blankets. Then, a few minutes later, his truck cranks.

I try to ignore that old ping of jealousy that creeps up. Don’t get me wrong; Harrison and Stephanie are great together. They always have been, but I also know she didn’t like me that much. I was a threat to their relationship, but I never got in the way.

Maybe things have changed. It’s probably nothing.

I try to relax and not think about the two of them together. Then, I laugh, realizing I should’ve bet him that he’d see her tonight.

If I had, in the morning, I’d be fifty dollars richer.

8

HARRISON

Iwake up in Stephanie’s bed with her naked body pressed against mine. The last time we were together was nearly ten years ago, and while we’re different people, with different life experiences, it was like we were eighteen again. That was the last time I dated anyone seriously.

“Good morning.” She holds me tight, squeezing me.

I roll over with a grin. “Mornin’.”

“Last night felt like old times, didn’t it?”

She draws circles on my chest with her finger, and I lift my arm, pulling her in closer.

“Yeah. Brought me back to high school, when we would skip class to fool around.”

She laughs. “Oh goodness. I’d almost forgotten about that. Wow. I really could’ve benefited from you being around when I was in law school.”

“I bet. You always said sex helped you think straight,” I remind her with a chuckle.

Stephanie sits up, looking into my eyes. “Do you remember that pact that we made all those years ago?”

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