Startled, I push away the fresh wave of lust, and jump up. “Anyways. I uh... I should get back to work.” I grab my purse. “The contractors are working on the studio, and I need to make sure everything stays on track.”
“It was nice meeting you,” Logan says with a genuine smile.
“You too.” I nod at him before turning to Jax. “See you around.”
His lips curve, and I glance down only to see the hand that was just squeezing my thigh flex into a fist in his lap. “Count on it, sweet cheeks.”
My stomach flutters, betraying me. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk out the door. The weight of his gaze is almost physical, and it takes everything in me not to look back.
Back at the studio,I throw myself into work, checking in with the contractors and making calls to equipment vendors. By mid-afternoon, I’ve managed to push thoughts of Jax to the back of my mind—mostly.
I’m looking over paint samples for the walls when there’s a knock on my office door. I glance up and smile. Lizzy is standingin the doorway, holding a drink carrier in one hand and a pastry bag in the other.
“Hey!” she grins. “Figured you could use a little pick-me-up.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” I sigh gratefully, accepting the coffee she sets down on the desk. “How did you know I was about ready to crash?”
She shrugs, setting the bag on my desk. “Just a hunch. I also wanted to see how things were coming along.” She glances around at the half-finished walls and bare concrete floors. “Things are really starting to take shape.”
“Slowly but surely.” I take a sip of my coffee. It’s perfect, light and sweet, just how I like it. “Rick says we should be able to get the flooring done by the end of the week. Which means we should be able to do a soft opening yoga class in the next week or two.”
Perching her butt on the edge of the desk, Lizzy pulls a chocolate croissant out of the bag. “That’s great. I can’t wait to try hot yoga.”
“You’re welcome anytime,” I tell her, breaking off a piece of my pastry. “First session’s on the house. And I can sign you up for the friends and family discount.”
Lizzy and I have hung out a lot over the past few months. What started as an occasional coffee has turned into regular girls’ nights and impromptu visits like this one. I’m grateful to have another female friend—she’s straightforward and honest, qualities I’ve always valued in a friendship.
“Listen,” I say, picking at my croissant. “I wanted to apologize for what happened on girls’ night. You know, making you watch that Rowan Cole movie and grilling you about him. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. I overreacted anyway.”
“Still,” I persist. “It was insensitive of me.”
A flash of sadness hits her eyes, there one second, gone the next. “Honestly, it’s fine.” She takes a sip of her coffee and shrugs. “My history with Ro is complicated. And I should apologize too. I shouldn’t have given you such a hard time about Jax. He’s clearly into you, and I can tell you like him, even though you’re trying your damnedest to deny it. I just figured you needed a little push.”
“Is it that obvious?” I groan, covering my face with my hands.
She laughs. “The way you two look at each other when you don’t think anyone is watching? It’s like waiting for a bomb to go off.”
I sigh. Dropping my hands, I slump back in my chair. “Jax offered me friends-with-benefits.”
Lizzy chokes on her coffee. Probably best not to tell her about our window sexperience. Jax is like a brother to her, so it would just be weird.
“Wow,” she says when she finally catches her breath. “He actually put that out there, huh?”
“Yeah.” I tap a finger on the desk in frustration. “I’m confused. One minute he’s all over me. Then I don’t see him for days. The next thing I know, he’s getting all possessive and shit.” I tell her what went down at the bar. “And now this?”
“First of all, Jax is right. Brex is way more of a man-whore than he is. Which is seriously saying something. Maybe he was waiting to see if you’d make the next move and got impatient,” she wonders, wiping coffee from her chin.
“Maybe.” I lean back in my chair, contemplating her words. “But I don’t know if I can do the whole friends-with-benefits thing. What if it gets messy?”
“Oh, it will,” she says matter-of-factly.
I let out a surprised laugh.
“Look. I’ve known Jax for years,” she says, brushing crumbs from her lap. “I’ve seen him with plenty of women, but I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
My heart does a little flip.