“Forget the trip for now.” Jules’s voice dragged my attention back to her, though Christian’s eyes remained a hot brand on my skin. “What was that?”
“What was what?” My heart ricocheted in my chest.
The lingering aftertaste of strawberry and tequila dissolved into spice and whiskey on my tongue. It was how I imagined he would taste—like heat, sin, and pure, unfiltered masculinity.
“That.” Eyes like hazel blades punctured my feigned ignorance. She tilted her head a fraction of an inch toward Christian. “The sexual tension is so thick I can cut it with a butter knife.”
“There’s no sexual tension.” Unless you counted the ache in my core and the awareness tightening my skin.
“There is. Even I feel it.” Ava lifted her hair off her neck. “If it gets any hotter, I’ll have to make Alex revisit his no PDA rule.”
“Exactly.” Jules stood abruptly, drawing the men’s attention and interrupting Josh as he reached banana float use number twenty-five.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yep. We just need to use the restroom.” She grasped my wrist and pulled me up and toward the back of the house. Ava and Bridget followed us. “Don’t eat all the chips while we’re gone!”
“I’m a doctor, and I still can’t find a medical reason for why girls always have to use the bathroom at the same time,” I heard Josh muse as we left.
“You’re an idiot,” Alex said.
Their voices faded when Jules pulled us into the guest bath and shut the door behind us.
“Why do I feel like this is an FBI interrogation?” I leaned against the counter and eyed my friends warily.
“Because it is.” Jules planted her hands on her hips and adopted her lawyer voice. “Now, tell us the truth. Are you, Stella Alonso, having or have ever had sexual intercourse with Christian Harper?”
“No.”
“Do you want to?”
Two seconds of hesitation was enough to elicit gasps all around.
“I knew it!” Triumph glowed in Jules’s eyes. “I’m so happy for you! Finally, someone you’re attracted to. Christian is crazy hot, and you’re living in the same house. It’s like the perfect setup for a sexy fling.”
Bridget was less enthused. “I thought this was a fake relationship,” she said gently. “What changed?”
“Like Jules said, he’s pretty good-looking.” I instinctively grasped my crystal necklace. The warm, clear stone was supposed to clear my mind and help my focus, but my thoughts tumbled in my head like laundry set on high. “Also…” After another moment’s hesitation, I spilled everything that’d happened.
New York, Christian’s weird aversion to art, the watch, his confession about wanting me.
By the time I finished, three eyes pinned me to the marble counter with varying degrees of shock (Ava), concern (Bridget), and delight (Jules).
“I had a feeling he was into you since the day we met him,” Jules said sagely. “The way he looked at you when we signed the lease? Whew.” She fanned herself. “Listen, if you want to leave and bang his brains out, I won’t be offended. It’s a new season, babe. Time to clear out those cobwebs from your sex life. It’ll be like spring cleaning for your vagina.”
I winced at the mental visual.
“I wouldn’t jump into anything that fast.” A frown marred Bridget’s forehead. “Christian is, well, you know my thoughts about him already. I’m forever grateful he helped me and Rhys with our photo leak problem, but he’s not someone you turn to if you want a serious relationship.”
“That’s why I said bang, not date,” Jules said. “I bet he’s a beast in bed. He just has that look.”
Heat stained my cheeks. “What would Josh say if he knew you were secretly assessing other men’s sexual prowess?”
“He’d say he’s still better than them, and he’d be right. Our sex life is fantastic.” Jules cast an apologetic glance at Ava. “Sorry.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that last part.” Ava had accepted the relationship between Josh and Jules on the condition that they never discussed their sex life in front of her.
She turned to me, her dark eyes warm with concern and curiosity. “The question is, do you want just sex with him? Or do you want something more?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jules said. “Stel isn’t interested in dating. Right?”
The crystal flamed against my palm. I didn’t answer, but my silence spoke volumes.
“Oh.” Jules’s smile slowly faded into realization. “Oh.”
Oh was right.
I didn’t know if I wanted to date Christian, but I knew I wanted him.
And I knew it was only a matter of time before the dark chemistry between us exploded into something neither of us could come back from.