“Mom and Dad are having a family barbecue on Saturday. You’re invited.”
“I am?”
“Course you are. They want to meet you.”
Gulp.
“That’s thoughtful.” And terrifying. How should she introduce herself? Hi, I’m Cash’s ex-girlfriend who refused to sleep with him only now we’re doing it nonstop and it’s great. By the way, I’m also sniffing around to find and expose a secret he’s never told anyone.
She couldn’t shake the guilt about the damn email. Maybe there wasn’t anything to worry about. Her request might go unanswered or be lost in Heather’s spam folder for eternity. Once she received a response, she’d know how to approach Cash. Although she might want to write her own version of his apology song, in case he wasn’t feeling magnanimous.
“Did you see how Hallie reacted when you brought up Gavin?” she asked, mainly to stop her incessant worrying.
Predictably, Cash’s eyebrows lowered in confusion. “How do you mean?”
“She likes him. Likes him, likes him.”
“You could tell that by talking to her for a few minutes last night?”
“A woman knows.”
“Is that so?” He watched her for a long beat that felt almost accusatory thanks to her guilty conscience. “I don’t know, Pres. She’s the consummate good girl and Gavin...”
“Gavin what?”
“Gavin’s not interested in settling down.”
“Seems to run in the family. I mean, except for Will. But his ‘one’ was Hannah Banks, so what choice did he have?”
“She’s a force. And, as you’ve noticed, Hallie isn’t like her.”
Presley’s neck jerked. “Are you saying Hallie can’t handle the likes of Gavin? He’s charming and friendly and—”
“With you, maybe.” Cash frowned, seeming irked at her list of compliments about his youngest brother.
“With me, definitely. He offered to let me stay with him first. He’s nice.”
Cash’s visage darkened, even in the bright sunshine. He adjusted his hold on her, his hands wrapped tight at her thighs. “He was being nice so you’d stay in his house with him.”
“What? No, he wasn’t.”
“Gavin is charming and friendly, but he also likes his relationships short and sweet. If Hallie’s smart she’ll stay away from him.”
Well, Presley knew firsthand that “smart” had nothing to do with it.
“No way was Gavin trying to convince me to stay with him. He gave in with hardly a fight when you demanded I stay with you.”
“I demanded?”
She ignored that. “And anyway I’m not interested in Gavin the way I’m interested in...”
Cash grinned, satisfied that she’d walked into his trap.
“I’m not interested in Gavin.”
“Good.” Cash stamped his mouth on hers.
“How could you be jealous of Gavin—” she twirled her fingers in Cash’s hair, where a few unruly curls looped at the base of his neck “—when I’m here with you?”