couldn’t ignore him. And she couldn’t be with him. Not the way she wanted to be. He wasn’t that guy. He was the guy you had a good time with, the one who still wanted to be buddies long after he’d moved on to the next woman.
Could she do that? Could she sleep with him tonight and be his friend in the morning? Or would she be devastated when she saw him with another woman next week?
“Hey, nothing has to happen between us that you don’t want.” Zep stood in the doorway staring at her in a way that made her wonder how long she’d been standing there thinking. There was a soft look on his face and all of his usual charm was gone. “Roxanne, I’ll help you no matter what. I don’t need anything more than a thank-you. Don’t get me wrong. I want you. I want you so badly, I stay awake at night thinking about you, but the last thing I would ever do is to take something you aren’t happy to give. So I’m going to borrow your shower and then I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“You won’t fit on the couch.” There were two bathrooms in her place, but the one downstairs didn’t have a shower. She’d thought seriously the other day about looking for a little house she could start fixing up. There were a couple around town that would work. Then she’d reminded herself she wouldn’t be here forever.
He stopped in front of her, but didn’t touch her, choosing instead to give her a sad smile. “I’ve slept in far worse places, sweet . . . Roxie. I can handle it.” He moved to the stairs, grabbing his small bag. “I’ll take a quick shower. Gator wrangling is rough business.”
She frowned. “You didn’t wrangle Otis. You just waited until he left.”
He winked and his grin was heartbreaking. “Don’t tell your momma. She thinks I’m a superhero.”
He strode up the stairs.
Her phone chimed and she glanced down. It was a text from her mother.
Loved meeting your guy. He’s so sweet and you looked beautiful! I’m so glad to see you happy. I was very worried.
Her mother being worried usually led to terrible things. But Zep had put her at ease. Zep had made sure everything ran smoothly. For once in her adult life, she’d been able to pretend they were a happy family, that she hadn’t screwed up and ruined all her parents’ expectations. They’d had a good time and it had been all Zep since she would have taken every word out of her mom’s mouth as some kind of passive-aggressive bull and countered it with her own aggression.
Instead, she’d had a nice meal and listened to Zep’s stories and heard about how her brother’s wedding plans were going. She’d found out her father was the new champion of his golf club and that her mom had planned the social event of the year.
So often when she was with her family, it felt like an intervention, like she was the one everyone was worried about because she hadn’t gotten her life together. It had been good to feel like she was an accepted part of the family.
Zep had given her that.
She quickly texted back and promised her mom she would see her tomorrow.
Up above, she heard the shower come on.
Daisy whined from the crate, but she didn’t bark. After a few tries, she seemed to settle down.
Was that what she was doing? She’d boxed herself in but not in the cozy way Daisy was. Daisy had a comfy bed to sleep on and a couple of toys. Zep had taken one of Roxie’s shirts and put it in so the puppy could have her new mom’s scent around her.
Roxie’s crate did nothing but keep people out. It wasn’t a place to sleep and rest for the next day. It was a cage of her own making, and it was going to cost her the week she could have with the sexiest man she’d ever met.
Or she could be brave and walk in there and ask for what she wanted. She could offer herself to him because she knew he wasn’t going to turn her down. At the end of the week, they would both be better because they would have gotten this ridiculous longing out of their systems. Or rather she would have gotten it out of hers and he would be good because she would let him walk away this time. He