The Mistake (Bad Bridesmaids #1) - Noelle Adams Page 0,32

his eyes again. “Because I do.”

She stared at him, frozen like she’d been when she first saw him out the window. Her mouth felt dry and her palms felt damp.

Her silence evidently lasted a little too long because he shifted from foot to foot and gave a half-hearted scowl. “Are you going to say anything?”

“Yes,” she burst out, finally finding her voice. “I was just shocked. I’m not used to getting such good apologies from guys.”

“Well, it was real. I meant it.” His shoulders relaxed visibly. “So it was a good apology?”

“Don’t get cocky about it,” she told him with an eye roll. “But yes. It was a nice one. And thank you for it. And I’m sorry for losing my temper. I shouldn’t have done it. It was a supreme overreaction to circumstances. If you want the truth, I was feeling weird about everything too. And then when it felt like you were avoiding me, I took it as an insult rather than thinking it through reasonably. I don’t normally lose my temper like that, so I’m not sure what got into me.”

“I deserved it.” There was the slightest glint in his eyes that made her want to smile.

“Oh dear.” She sighed. “I see the real Robert is showing himself again.”

“The asshole?”

“The man who’s a little bit of an asshole—but not a real one.”

He chuckled, looking almost unbearably attractive as he did. “I’ll take it. But look, I thought I’d make a suggestion. I know things were just casual between us—I know it was just the one time—but I’d like us to be on decent terms. So I wondered if you wanted to drive down to Hilton Head with me next weekend since we’re both going to that wedding.”

She froze again, her lips parted slightly.

“I’m driving down on Friday. I’m going to the rehearsal dinner too. I’m not a groomsman, but the wedding is so small that they invited everyone who’s attending to the rehearsal dinner, I think. We should be both going and coming at the same time, so we could ride together if you wanted.” He cocked his head to the right. “Save some money. And act like mature, civilized adults who can get past a one-night stand and still be friendly. What about it?”

She needed to respond. He was standing there, waiting for an answer. So she needed to give him one.

But she was suddenly terrified. In an emotional uproar.

Because she was hit with a very inconvenient truth as he stood in front of her.

She did want to be on good terms with him, and she did genuinely appreciate his apology. But she didn’t want to only be friendly with him. She didn’t want their night together to be the last one.

She wanted him again. In bed. Out of bed. All the way.

There was no way in the world she could tell him that, which meant she had no excuse for saying no to him.

So she heard herself saying instead, “O...kay. I guess that would be fine.”

“Yeah?” He was searching her face. He knew how to read her—she’d have to be very careful.

“Yeah.” She smiled. As sincerely as she could. “It’s a nice offer. It’s a good idea. Why not?”

“Excellent.” He was smiling too, and he looked warm and almost soft. “Thanks for not holding things against me.”

“It’s fine. It’s all fine.” She was telling herself as much as him. “I think it’s going to be fine. Thanks for coming over.”

“Of course.” He seemed to understand that the conversation was finished, which was a relief. “I’ll text you later to make plans for the trip.”

“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you then.”

He said goodbye and then started down her walk, turning once to wave and then again to look, as if assuring himself she was still there.

She stood at the door until he reached his car, which was parked in her driveway near the curb. When he started his SUV and put it in reverse, she went back inside.

Oh shit.

What had she done?

She’d agreed to be friends with a man she wanted a lot more than friendship with. She’d already lived through this once before with Dave, so how could she do it to herself again?

And then she’d agreed to be trapped in a car with him on a road trip next weekend.

This was not how she’d expected today to go.

AMANDA WORRIED AND stewed over the trip all week, but the drive down to Hilton Head wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined.

In fact, it wasn’t bad at