“Oh god, no. No dating.” Arden’s eyebrows pinch in confusion. “Not real dating anyway. We’re still in a pretend relationship, right?”
“Right?” He answers tentatively, waiting for me to continue.
“So, I don’t see why we can’t enjoy the benefits of ourpretendrelationship.”
Suddenly the lightbulb goes off in Arden’s head. His circuits have connected, and he’s realizing that I’m offering my body to him without the headache of a labeled relationship. No commitment, no real boyfriend/girlfriend drama, no strings.
Every man’s dream. Right?
Then, why does he look so…sad. Again? Always a sad face on this one. Like I kicked his puppy instead of offering myself on a silver platter.
“What’s with the face? You’re not interested?”
Arden’s quiet for a moment, clearly thinking about what he wants to say next. His next move could really make or break this whole thing. So I appreciate that he’s taking his time to really think this through.
Eventually he sighs. “Can I hear the rules?”
“Yes,” I open my notebook back up and look down at the three bullet points in the middle of the page. “Rule number one: No sleeping in each other’s beds.” I look up at his face but he’s stonecold serious. Not one single give away.
Glancing down to the list, I continue. “Rule number two: transparency. If one of us stops enjoying it or meets someone else, it stops.”
I look up at him but he’s silent again so I just finish us off. “And rule number three: Margot can’t know.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t want to get her hopes up.”
“Hopes? Hopes for wh—”
“So, do we have a deal?” Cutting him off, I push my open hand against his chest in a shake. He looks at the hand and then back at me. He looks so torn, like he wants to agree to my terms because it means he gets access to my body whenever he wants–and vice versa, which is really what’s important here. But his body language is telling me he might reject my offer and if he does, I’m not sure how we’re going to go back to the way it was. If we ever can.
Arden glances down at the watch on his wrist before he takes my right hand but he doesn’t shake it, instead he gently pushes it onto my lap. “I need a minute to think about this. Is that okay?”
I’m shocked. It’s not a flat out rejection but it’s not a yes, either. I’m not sure how to feel about it. Taking the hand I had extended to him, Arden brings my knuckles to his lips and kisses them gently before getting up from the couch.
“Just a minute?” I ask, whipping around to follow him into his bedroom.
“Yeah, just…let me think.” He says gently but I can’t get a read on him. Is he just trying to think of a way to let me down easily? Or does he not like the rules? Whatever it is, I don’t know if I can wait “a minute” to get an answer from him.
His door starts to close but I push it open. “Wait, it’s Sunday. Don’t you want to study?”
Arden glances at me over his shoulder, his phone in his hand like he’s about to call someone. “Later,” he says, pushing the door so that it actually closes this time.
Well…that is certainly not the outcome I was envisioning.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Arden
“Ihaveamendments.”
Cheeks full of popcorn, Danika glances up at me. “Ammenmens?” she mutters, adorably confused.
That conversation with Danika couldn’t have come at a better time for me as I was about to have a session with Melissa. I already had enough ammo from overhearing Danika’s conversation with my sister this morning but this just adds to that.
I had no idea that I was going to walk into Danika in the sexiest outfit I’ve ever seen in my life when I got home from work. I was expecting her to be lounging on the couch, top bun, sweats and a t-shirt, slaving over a textbook, like usual. She still looks beautiful then too.
I was expecting to try and hold her off until my session with Melissa and then talk to her about everything once I had the right tools.