The Matchmaker's Replacement - Rachel Van Dyken Page 0,75
temple, walked back over to his computer, and exited out of all the screens.
Leaving me speechless.
Because the Lex I’d always known would choose sex over anything.
And unless I read it wrong, I thought that’s why he’d texted me. I thought I was a glorified booty call.
Instead, he was pulling up the Wingmen Inc. software while I held my phone in my hand.
“Gabs . . .” Lex sang, without looking at me. “Call your dad.”
So I did.
And when my dad answered and wanted to know how I was doing in school, I ignored the pang of guilt. And when he once again thanked me for the money but voiced his concern about my working too hard, I brushed it off like I’d been brushing everything off lately.
Lex was polite enough to put on his headphones while he worked, and it kind of made me fall a bit harder—that he’d provide me privacy and that, without realizing it, he knew exactly what I needed.
I needed to tell them, not just because they were my friends, but because I was beginning to realize I wanted to—I wanted to open up to Lex, and if Lex found out and Ian didn’t . . .
He’d kill us both.
My nerves were completely shot—I’d never been in this type of situation before, lying not only to my best friends but my entire family. But as far as lies went, there were worse things to lie about, right? At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Lex
So.” Gabs walked back into my room and placed her phone on the nightstand. It was weird, constantly having her in the only sacred place I had. What was weirder? Had she announced that she was going to redecorate it with hearts, flowers, and Ryan Gosling unicorn heads, I probably would have allowed it.
What. The. Hell?
“So?” I put my computer to sleep and swiveled in my chair, lacing my fingers behind my head.
Gabi’s gaze fell to my naked chest.
“Gabs, up here.”
“Shh, the towel girl’s looking for sweat.”
I burst out laughing. “Find any?”
“Not yet. Give me ten minutes, maybe fifteen.”
“If you start breathing heavy I’m cutting you off.”
She gave me a dismissive wave through the air and slowly approached. With a look of pure concentration on her face, she crawled into my lap and straddled me. Her legs went under each of the chair’s arms, which was so freaking adorable I fought to keep myself from just hugging her.
Right, hugging her.
Like a sad bastard who didn’t know how to kiss and was afraid to make the first move.
“My parents’ anniversary is this weekend, and they specifically asked if you and Ian could come hang out for Sunday dinner.”
“Hmm, that depends . . . Is your mom making her famous tamales with homemade salsa?”
“I’m pretty sure I can convince her to.”
“Sure, I can go as your . . . friend.”
She let out a heavy sigh—of what? Relief?—as her forehead touched my chin. I kissed her head, waiting for her to say something.
“This is . . .”
“I know.” I tightened my grip on her arms. “I know.”
Maybe we knew each other too well and that was the problem. We’d launched our little enemy ship into an entirely foreign land, and neither of us knew what to do.
“I don’t want you kissing him,” I admitted softly.
Gabs pulled back, her eyes narrowing. “I won’t, or at least if it can be avoided, I’ll avoid it.”
“No tongue.”
“Getting kinda bossy for a friend.” She emphasized the damn word.
I gripped her ass and jerked her against me. “We were never friends.”
Gabs let out a little whimper. “And now?”
“We’re so much more.” My mouth found hers in a heated kiss as she snaked her arms around my neck.
I kissed her until my lips hurt, until my ass felt like it was going to sleep, until the need to have her was so intense it was all that consumed my thoughts.
“Lex . . .” Gabi pulled back, her green eyes locked onto mine. “Four years ago—”
“Four years ago”—I looked away, breaking all eye contact—“I was an ass.”
“Yes.”
“Hell, four weeks ago even . . .”
“Yup,” she agreed.
“I . . .” Cursing, I gave her hair a little tug with my right hand, then let her dark locks slip through my fingers. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you really are?”
Gabi’s eyes filled with tears.
And I realized in that moment just how much of a dick I really had been to her, that behind all the teasing, she never truly