I emailed Eugenie this morning to let her know that Braden and I had reconciled. Even though she previously said it wasn’t a problem, that she was willing to see how I did anyway, I know she was disappointed before. Yeah, Braden’s the reason I have this contract. But you know what? It’s an opportunity, and I’d be foolish not to take advantage of any opportunity that comes my way.
Braden taught me that.
I grab a towel and wrap it around my neck to catch the sweat. “I need a shower.”
“See you in the steam room,” Tessa says.
I nod, head to the locker room, and grab a quick shower. I wrap my wet hair in a towel and walk into the ladies’ steam room. I inhale the peppermint and eucalyptus. That’s why I really love the steam room. I don’t need the heat. I just did hot yoga. I need the fresh spike of fragrance that opens my sinuses like nothing else.
“You in here, Tess?”
“Over here.”
I follow her voice to the tiled bench and take a seat next to her. Tessa drinks from her bottle of water. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“What?” I ask.
“I just ran into Garrett.”
“In the ladies’ locker room?”
She chuckles. “No. After you left the yoga studio, he walked in.”
“Garrett? At yoga?”
“He was wearing a muscle shirt and jock shorts. Fuck, Skye, he looked amazing.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Right? Anyway, he said he was waiting for our class to end so he could talk to me.”
“Ugh. Stalker much?”
I regret the words. Garrett probably isn’t a stalker. Not like Addie stalked Braden. Like she may still be stalking Braden.
“No, he just said he’s sorry he’s been bothering me, and if I tell him no this time, he’ll leave me alone.”
“So what did you tell him?”
“I told him…I’d have dinner with him tonight.”
“Tessa…”
“Well, it’s not like we said we were exclusive, right?”
“Right. You’re right.”
“I’ve missed him.”
“Why don’t we find you another guy?”
“I’m not getting on a website, Skye.”
“That’s not what I mean.” A light flashes in my head. “You want to meet Braden’s brother?”
“Ben Black?”
“That’s the one.”
“Is he available?”
“As far as I know.”
She inhales a breath and lets it out slowly. “No, I don’t think so. I mean, thanks for the offer, but I hate fix-ups.”
I decide not to push it. “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.”
“To be honest, I’m still hung up on Garrett.”
“I know. Or you would have told him to fuck off.”
“You got that right. So I need a favor.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“I need you to come to dinner with us tonight.”
Fuck. Anything but that. Braden’s tonight. Five o’clock. Something so special will occur between us.
I can’t give that up.
I can’t.
Not even for Tessa.
“I’m so sorry, Tess. I made plans with Braden.”
She sighs.
“I’m sorry,” I say again.
“I’m always going to play second fiddle to him, aren’t I?”
She’s a little out of line with that one, but I want to tread softly. I don’t want to risk losing her again. “No, but I wouldn’t break plans with you if he asked me to, either.”
She takes gulps from her water bottle. “You’re right. You have better things to do than be my babysitter.”
“Maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“I could check with Braden. Maybe we could join you guys for dinner and then—”
She holds up her hand, waving steam in my face. “No. Don’t worry about it. I just…”
“What?”
“If I don’t have a chaperone I’ll end up in his bed.”
“Be your own chaperone.”
“That’s such a Skye thing to say.”
“And needing a chaperone is a Tessa thing. Black and white. If you don’t have someone else there, you’ll sleep with him. There’s no middle ground. You’re so much like Braden sometimes.”
“I am?”
“Yeah. He says he doesn’t accept anything as absolute, but in his way, he does.”
“What do you mean?”
I haven’t told Tessa about his hard limit, and I won’t. Our intimate life is personal. “He just has his own ideas, and nothing will sway him.”
“He sounds more like you than like me,” Tessa says.
“He’s a lot like me in other ways. I’ll grant you that. But that’s not even my point. My point is you don’t need a chaperone. You can control yourself.”
“Yeah. You’re right. It would just make things easier.”
“Life isn’t always easy.”
“Fuck,” she says. “You sure got that right.”
Tessa, you have no idea.
Chapter Thirty-Six
I’m tempted to ask Braden about dinner with Tessa and Garrett anyway. I really want to be there for my best friend, and it’s just dinner, right? Whatever Braden has planned will take place after dinner, I assume. I’m ready to text him, but then I stop.
No.
I just got Tessa back, but I just got Braden back, too. I don’t want to put either of those relationships in jeopardy. Tessa’s okay, so why rock the boat?
Besides, I want this evening to be just about Braden and me and the intimate act we’re going to share. That’s not selfish. It’s just sticking to plans I already made.