between us, and I’d learned my lesson the hard way about trying to change the unchangeable.
“Some call it having fun,” he countered with a playful smile. “Joking, even.”
“And some don’t,” I shot back. We weren’t even friends, barely even acquaintances, which meant we didn’t play like that. Ever. “Do you mind?” I nodded at the bag and the room, hoping he’d take the hint and get the hell out.
Nate let the mask drop, at least for a moment, when he raked a hand through thick red hair and blew out what seemed to be a frustrated breath. “What did I do that was so wrong, Mikki? Tell me.”
I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head, hating that he had me at such a disadvantage. “Who said you did anything wrong?” No one but his guilty conscience.
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, Mikki.”
I guess he wanted to do this now. Right now, with Bo and Jase downstairs and me in nothing but a really comfy towel. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Nate. Except now. Just stop pretending we’re friends or that we even really know each other, stop trying to make yourself feel better for running off in the middle of the night, and stop trying to do it at my expense. We had sex, once, and that was it. We are not friends or anything resembling it, just two people who live in the same town. End of story!” That rush of words felt… good.
He unfolded his big body and stood, giving me a long, dark look filled with too many emotions to name, before he turned and walked away. Again.
Big surprise.
Nate
That woman! Why in the hell did I stay there in her room, anyway? Because I’m an idiot, a glutton for punishment—or maybe, like she said, I was just playing games. That wasn’t my plan, but after her tirade, it was easy to see why she thought so.
“Dammit!”
“Wanna talk about it?” Bo appeared at my side, somehow without me hearing her approach.
“Nope.” There was nothing to talk about.
“That’s okay,” she said, flashing me a rare grin. “Jase already told me about how you slept with Mikki, and then ran away like your backside was on fire. I’m just trying to figure out why you’re out here pouting like a child while she’s inside helping Jase with the food.”
At her words, I looked over my shoulder towards the house where, sure enough, Mikki and Jase were in the kitchen, all smiles and laughing. He’d just come in with a tray of grilled meat while she stood, laughing as she chopped veggies, looking for all the world like she hadn’t just verbally gutted me. “Don’t know, I guess.”
She barked out a laugh. “I don’t believe that for a second, Nate.” There was a hint of something I couldn’t quite figure out in her voice and her eyes, so I shrugged it off.
I arched a brow in her direction and crossed my arms. “Are you here to bust my balls because she’s your friend, or what? If so, I gotta tell you that I’m not really in the mood.”
Bo turned and rested her elbows on the railing so she had an unobstructed view of the cabin. “If I need to bust your balls, I will. But you’re Jase’s brother and I’ve known you all my life, so you’re pretty much family.” She flashed a friendly smile and bumped my shoulder. “So, talk.”
What the hell could it hurt? “She said we’re not even friends, Bo. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”
Bo let out a very unladylike snort and turned all-seeing blue eyes up at me. “Are you?”
I opened my mouth to respond even though I had no idea what I would say, which was lucky because Bo wasn’t finished.
“Did you hang out before getting naked together? After? Do you even have her phone number, or know how she spends her free time? How about where she’s from or how she—”
“Enough, Bo. I got it, okay?” My hands gripped the railing in anger and frustration. “We’re not friends and I don’t know her. At all, apparently.” I should have known that the women would take each other’s sides.
“If it bothers you that much, you could always do something about it. Other than pout, that is.” I didn’t miss that gleam in her eyes—then again, I don’t think she was trying to hide it.
“I don’t think that’s something she’d be up for.” I couldn’t really blame