Dangerous Exes (Page 44)

I groaned and lifted my head. “It’s a bridal bed.”

“Yeah . . . that makes it worse. Let’s just call it the dragon bed.”

I reached for my cold cup of coffee. “Seriously, it’s like the minute he smirks at me—and you know the smirk—”

“Honey, your Goo-Poh even knows the smirk. A nun would know that smirk. Hell, my blind grandma would know the smirk by feel alone.”

“Not helping.”

Blaire grinned. “It’s just in his nature to be hotter than ninety percent of the male population, don’t hold it against him.”

“He needs more flaws.”

“He eats cereal from the bottom up—that counts as at least ten flaws in my book. Who the hell massacres a box of Lucky Charms because it looks prettier?”

I nodded in agreement. “But he’s just so . . . big and muscly. Blaire, last night I counted at least five muscles near a rib. A RIB!”

“And you were counting his muscles while he slept because?”

“Leave me alone! If I want to count muscles instead of sheep I’ll count muscles!”

She leaned back and nodded. “Woman has a point.”

“Besides, he said things, and then I couldn’t sleep, and . . . the things were nice, they weren’t typical Jessie things.”

“So he wasn’t being an asshole?”

“NO!” I threw my hands into the air in exasperation. “But it would be so much easier if he could revert back to that before I—”

I cleared my throat and looked away.

“Before you . . .” Blaire prodded. “Or since you’ve already?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You like him . . . you’re well on your way to falling in love with the guy, plus I know you. I’ve never once seen you do casual sex. It’s not in your nature.”

She got me there.

I even made Wayne wait until we were engaged.

See? I had major personality flaws! Why was Jessie giving me the smirk?

“Isla.” Blaire grabbed my hand. “Stop overthinking this, because honestly it’s not going to make a lot of sense. There is absolutely nothing logical about moving in with a guy, fake marrying him, and claiming to have his twins. There’s just not. You aren’t going to rationalize crazy, it’s impossible.”

I frowned. “Then how do I deal with it? I have to put everything in its box so I know how to deal.”

“Or,” Blaire said slowly, “you can just take it one day at a time and stop thinking about tomorrow.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Easy to say, not easy to execute.”

I sighed, blowing a breath from my lips as I eyed my phone. “Should I text him?”

“Oh hell,” Blaire whispered. “I don’t know, do you think he’ll circle yes or no if you send him a boyfriend request meme?”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Adulting. You should try it.” She winked and stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find myself a cheater.”

“Danica?” I guessed.

“Oh yeah.” She saluted. “I hope you don’t mind, but she wanted to have lunch with us, apparently she has something to confess. At any rate, I knew you were busy with Jessie’s muscles so I’m taking one for the team.”

I frowned. “Blaire, I can go.”

“Nope, you just sit there and stare at the black computer screen while thinking about Jessie’s six-pack, way better use of your time, and if you get the sudden urge to do some work you can go through the client profiles for the next two weeks. We’re booked solid and we need to pick the fastest cases first.”

I sighed. “Got it.”

She grabbed her keys and left.

I stared at the screen like a lovesick idiot.

Then grabbed my phone.

A text popped up.

Jessie: Don’t overanalyze the next sentence.

I smiled at my phone.

Jessie: I miss you.

I’d tried so hard to keep my heart protected, so damn hard.

And with one simple text he had me wanting to sprint to wherever he was and kiss him on the mouth and rip his clothes off.

I texted him instead.

Me: I miss you too.

His reply was immediate.

Jessie: Lunch?

Me: Time and place?

Again immediate, I loved it.

Jessie: Seedy pub where we can get burgers, I’ll text you the address, want me to send a car for you?

I frowned at my phone.

Me: Why would you send me a car?

Jessie: So you don’t have to walk or drive or do anything except sit and think about all the wild sex we’re going to have tonight.

I cleared my throat and fanned myself before I replied.

Me: Deal.

I felt giddy.

Like this was a real date.

Maybe everything was going to be okay.

Maybe Blaire was right.

Maybe it was time to take the plunge and stop rationalizing about all the reasons why—and focus on the why not?

Chapter Forty-Seven

JESSIE

I sent off another text to Danica, explicitly telling her that the deal was off, and that under no circumstances was she allowed to have contact with Blaire or Isla again. I’d been in a low place when I hired her. The press was having a field day with my failed marriage and all the lies Vanessa and I had told to keep up our perfect façade. Speculation continued about my lying about our perfect relationship, and I just . . . I lost it. Fixing the situation had been my only goal, and I had been obsessed with it.

“Sign it,” I’d ordered in a low, irritated voice, exhausted from seeing my face on so many tabloids, and my ex-wife giving so many interviews about our private relationship.

Danica blinked at the paper and scribbled her name across the dotted line.

I exhaled in relief, this would fix everything. “Any questions?”

She gave her head a shake. “Nope, I think I got it. You sure I won’t get caught?”

“They won’t see through it, if that’s what you’re asking, and by the time they do figure something out, you’ll already have the info I need.” The information that would sabotage Dirty Exes and show me to be the innocent party.

She shook my hand.

My body trembled with rage. At myself. With horror at what I’d been willing to do in order to take them down.

If she did sue, it wouldn’t be done quietly.

I was too afraid of screwing things up again and landing on national television.

I took a sip of water and grinned when the town car pulled up and that gorgeous woman stuck one heeled foot onto the pavement, then another. The driver offered his hand.

She tipped him.

Of course she would.

It was Isla.

Her white wrap dress was paired with red heels that had me dying to get her back home. I was going to demand she keep those heels on the whole time.

I waved her over when she walked in.

And because I missed her.

Because I couldn’t help it.

I stood and pressed a searing kiss to her mouth in hello.

She returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm and wrapped her arms around my neck. I moaned into her mouth before breaking away.

Her blush was gorgeous. “Sorry, long morning.”

“Long morning without enough kissing,” I agreed.

I pulled out her chair and handed her the wine list.

“Wow, I get wine and a juicy hamburger?”

“Play your cards right and I may even get you an ice-cream sundae.” I winked.