A guy, then. Has to be. The way she smiles—there’s history there. Something that still matters.
“Was it Reid?”
Her eyes widen, confirming it instantly.
She doesn’t deny it. Just shakes her head. “How did you?—”
“Lucky guess.” But there’s a tightness in my chest I don’t like. The way she smiled just now… that wasn’t nothing.
Does she still love him?
Even if she doesn’t, they’ve got history. Real history. Hard to compete with that.
Not that I want to.
At least… I didn’t think I did.
I push the thought aside and smile, keeping it easy.
“I can’t lie, I’ve been curious,” I say. “Reid’s never mentioned you. Not once.”
“How long have you known him?” she asks. “And how did you meet? No offense, but you two don’t exactly seem like you run in the same circles.”
“Ooh, that’s a story.” I grin. “You want to trade? You tell me your side, and I’ll tell you mine.”
She leans in slightly, lashes lowering. “I can think of something else we could trade.”
My brain blanks. Heat surges through me, sharp and immediate.
But I see it, too.
Part of it is real. Desire.
The other part is avoidance.
She just opened up, and now she wants to pull us back to something easier. Something she knows how to handle.
“You’re not getting out of it that easy,” I tell her. My voice drops despite myself, but I lean back, putting space between us. “We’ll pick this up tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah. You’re coming to advanced yoga with me. Nadia runs it in the morning.”
“And when exactly did I agree to that?”
“Just now.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, really.” I hold her gaze, not backing down. Being around her is going to be a challenge in more ways than one. She’s beautiful, magnetic… but she doesn’t need another guy losing his mind over her.
What she needs—what I think she needs—is someone steady. Someone she can trust not to judge her.
If that’s all I get to be for her, then fine.
I’ll be that.
Even if it wrecks me.