Pretend We're Over (Pretend 2)

“Club soda with lime,” I finally answer.

“Oh.” Just one syllable, but I know more is about to spill out of her. “Well, I don’t feel so bad now because club soda shouldn’t stain.” She holds up her own drink. “I should switch to club soda; it’s more fun than what I’m drinking.”

I study her clear drink in her hand for the first time. “Which is?”

“Water.” Her cheeks burn red again. “I’m on a diet. Alcohol is one of the biggest culprits of weight gain.”

I blink rapidly, taking in her words. Diet? What beautiful woman like her needs to be on a diet? But I don’t ask more. If it’s just an excuse to not explain why she’s not drinking, who am I to judge? She could be an addict like me, or pregnant and not ready to tell yet. There could be a million reasons why and none of them matter to me. After this weekend, I doubt I’ll ever see Millie again. She must be one of Oaklee’s friends. And as much as I like Boden, I don’t plan on hanging out with his wife’s friends after this weekend.

I realize that she’s stopped talking and is staring at me, waiting for something, but I was more fascinated with the way her lips moved than what was coming out of them.

I’m an ass.

“I don’t want a hangover tomorrow.”

She nods. “I’ll go get you that drink.”

I shake my head as I put my hands in my pocket to keep from touching the curves in front of me hidden beneath layers of clothes. There is something about her that intrigues me. But whatever mystery she’s hiding, it will stay hidden.

I didn’t spot a ring on her finger, but if my pregnant theory is correct, her hands may be too swollen to wear her ring. I remember when it happened to Larkyn. I don’t know which of the lucky bastards here gets to call her his wife, but he’s definitely lucky. She seems more real than any of the other chicks here, even if she is a little strange.

She and I would never work, though. A woman like Millie is looking for forever. She expects a good man who flatters her and brings her romantic gifts—I’m not that man. I’m focused, disciplined. I work out two times a day, eat three perfect meals, meditate, journal, and crunch numbers to keep the business afloat. That’s my day. I don’t have room for a woman like Millie. A woman who is wild and untamed and seems to dance to her own drum. I have room for an occasional fuck, nothing more.

“Don’t bother with the drink, I’ve had enough anyway.” And with that, I start toward the group of guys chatting with Boden. I need to get away from her before I make a mistake. A man like me can’t make a single mistake. For me, a single mistake leads to a lifetime of fuck ups, and I’ve worked too hard to mess it all up now.

2

Millie

I watch Sebastian walk away toward the groom. God, his ass looks great in those jeans. It’s tight and firm, and damn do I want to run my tongue all over it…

“Earth to Millie,” Oaklee says, snapping me out of my haze.

“What?” I say, taking a seat next to Oaklee and across from Cynthia.

“What are you staring at?” Oaklee asks, sitting up in her chair to get a better look.

“Nothing,” I mumble into my water.

“That’s not nothing. That’s Sebastian King,” Oaklee says, her voice rising higher as she speaks.

“Sebastian, who?” Of course, his last name has to be King—figures. He looks like royalty in his deep blue shirt, dark jeans, and muscles for days.

“Sebastian King,” Oaklee says again before pulling the straw of her fruity drink into her mouth and staring at me with a knowing smile.

I lean back in my chair. “Am I supposed to know the name or something?”

“No, but you should definitely get to know the man. He’s cute.”

“So? There are a lot of cute men here.”

“He’s single. He’s like the only man here who is our age and still single.”

I huff. “So because he’s the only single man here, that means I should go after him? Sorry, but I’ll pass.”

Oaklee and Cynthia trade glances. “No, you should go after him because he’s hot.”

I still, trying not to react because my friends mean well. Really, they do, but they don’t understand my life. They don’t understand that a man like Sebastian King would never go after a woman like me. Even if he did, I’m not interested. My life is too complicated to get involved with a guy right now.