“Right, well—I, he,” I stuttered, feeling butterflies flutter as he pressed his hand against the small of my back. “He’s my brother’s best friend. I mean, he’s more like my best friend, but—”
“Is he my competition?” He interrupted, gazing at my lips. “Should I be worried that he wants you, too?”
What? My cheeks heated all over again. “No, not at all. Hayden is like an older brother to me.”
“Good,” he said. “I’d hate to watch him lose if the alternative was true. Are you available for dinner with me afterwards?”
I bit my tongue before I could blurt out “Hell yes.” “No, I can’t stay past the party.”
“How unfortunate.” He grabbed two glasses from a passing waiter’s tray. “In that case, let’s go to the top of the ship and make the most of the time you have.”
The yacht set sail around the river and I leaned against the railing as Simon grabbed the railing on both sides of me.
The years that we’d spent apart collapsed into an hours-long conversation, and I felt as if we were back in his old dorm room all over again. His lips brushed against mine a few times, but he never let them linger for more than a few seconds, and he never took his eyes off of mine.
Before I knew it, I broke both of Hayden’s suggestions without even trying.
Seven (B)
Present Day
Hayden
“I could’ve sworn that I told you we had a deposition prep session today.” Lawrence glared at me the moment I stepped inside my condo.
“Breaking and entering is a crime, Lawrence.”
“I had to sit there and make small talk with two of the biggest assholes in this city for an entire hour. Not only that, but they blinded-sided me with tons of things that are going to hit the papers tomorrow. We couldn’t get in front of that if we tried, but I’ve called some staff to work the next seventy-two hours straight, so we can clean up as much as we can.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“What?” He looked surprised that I’d uttered those words. “Okay, well uh, speaking of ‘sorry’ how many apology letters have you finished?”
“One.”
“To who?”
“You.” I picked it up from my coffee table and handed it to him, but he didn’t make a move to read it.
Instead, he tucked it into his pocket. “The best apology is changed behavior, Hayden. That’s all I’ll ever want from you. Plus my paycheck and yearly bonus, of course.”
“Of course.”
“What were you doing instead?”
Realizing how fucking sexy Penelope is. “I stopped by Pier sixty-two to clear my mind.”
“In that case, your apology letter is officially worthless.”
“It’s true.” I smiled. “I needed to make sure I enjoyed my last day of freedom before I get into what looks like a never-ending apology tour.”
He didn’t look like he believed me in the slightest. He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen, then he hit the speaker button as rings filled the room.
“This is Sarah, how can I—” She paused. “Oh, it’s you, Lawrence. What do you need?”
“Can you tell me where Mr. Hunter spent his afternoon?”
“He was clearing his mind.”
“Don’t make me ask you again.”
“He was at a yacht party.” She betrayed me in seconds. “It was for Penelope and some guy she’s dating, but he made me promise not to say anything or bring up any meetings because he didn’t want to deal with that and was more worried about Penelope messing things up.” She finally took a breath. “You’re not going to tell him I told you this, are you?”
“I would never.” He ended the call and narrowed his eyes at me. “I want fifty letters in my inbox by the end of this weekend, and I want thirty Monday morning, and every morning after that. We can’t have an entire team working to repair your image if you’re only halfway in. Are we clear, son?”
“Crystal.”
“Good.” He headed toward the door, but then he looked over his shoulder. “Did Penelope mess things up?”
“Not at all.”
He left my condo, and I walked into the kitchen. I needed a stiff drink.
I hadn’t meant to show up to the yacht party at all, but I’d remembered a time in the past when she avoided the guy she wanted all night by overthinking too much in the bathroom. When she didn’t respond to any of my text messages about making her move, I felt like I had no choice but to show up.
And I fucking regretted it.
The moment I saw her in that red dress, I envisioned her legs wrapped around my waist. My hands grabbing fistfuls of her chestnut colored hair as she took me deeper and deeper.
It wasn’t until I silently chided myself with, “Stop. She’s your best friend and Travis’s little sister,” that I snapped back into reality.
Curious, I pulled out my phone to see if she’d texted me back about enjoying the party.