The Off Limits Rule (It Happened in Nashville 1)

His mouth hitches up. “I’ve always been a giver.” Suddenly, this elevator is a sauna, and my clothes are going to catch fire.

It feels strange having him all the way over there when we were just pressed together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Cooper reads my thoughts. “I have to stay over here.”

“Why?”

“So I don’t pick up where we left off in my office.”

Every nerve ending in my body tingles. “Right. That would be terrible. Very bad. I hate kissing.”

He smiles as the elevator door opens, but frankly, I’m annoyed at its timing because I was just about to try to work my feminine wiles one last time. He gestures for me to go out ahead of him, and then when I do, he swoops in behind me, leaning down like a spy whispering a top-secret message in my ear as we walk. “It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve done in my life to resist you, but I will, because I want to get this right. When Drew gets home, I want to be able to look him in the eyes.”

I swallow and barely manage to keep moving. “But what about tomorrow night? You agreed to go on a double date as my boyfriend.”

He nods with a slight grimace. “Yeah. Probably shouldn’t have said yes. It was a knee-jerk reaction to the possessive vibes he was giving off.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking out over the street and then back to me. “Okay, tomorrow night, we get a break from our off-limits rule—but only when Brent is present. All other times, no touching. Deal?”

I let my smile curve my lips, feeling more empowered from the leftover heat of our make-out. “Deal. I think we better seal it with a kiss.”

He shakes his head slowly at me. “Trouble.”

He’s right. For the first time in too many years, I finally feel like a little bit of trouble—in the best way possible.

“What underwear do you have on?” Jessie asks as I put the finishing touches on my soft-pink lipstick. Her question makes me jump, smearing it a little in the corner. Great, now I look like a toddler.

I look to where she’s leaning against the bathroom doorframe and huff out an annoyed breath. “Wonderful. Now I have to fix this.” Or maybe I should just take off the lipstick altogether? I’m not really a lipstick girl. I’m more of a swipe-on-some-mint-lip-balm-and-call-it-a-day kind of a person.

“Not my fault you’re jumpy about your undies.”

I rip off a piece of tissue and dab the corner of my mouth. “I’m not jumpy about my undies. I’m just jumpy in general. But to answer your question, don’t worry, I’m wearing something new, cute, and lacy under this dress.”

“Change it,” she barks, making my shoulders jump again.

Jessie is here because she’s quickly become my BFF in the cheesiest Baby-Sitters-Club sense of the word, and also because she’s going to stay here with Levi while I’m gone. Don’t worry, I’m not one of those terrible friends who begs her pregnant, miserable friend to watch their kid while they go have a good time. The dinner reservation is for 7:30, when I knew Levi would already be asleep (which he is currently), and I stocked my pantry with a wide selection of chocolate, candy, and potato chips. I bought a leopard-print Snuggie and tied a bow around it for her to find when she goes to the couch, and I also started a seven-day free trial of HBO so she can watch whatever movie she wants—basically, I’m a saint.

“Huh? Change what?”

“The lace. Get rid of it and replace it with something scratchy and old. Period panties would be preferable if you have any—and I know you do because every woman does. Bonus points if the elastic is worn out.” She turns around and goes to my dresser, rummaging through the top one, which everyone knows is designated for intimates.

I watch, slightly horrified at the intense set of her shoulders as she dives into my underwear like she’s searching for weird buried treasure. “Stop that! Are you seriously searching for gross old underwear?”

“Yes. Why would you think I’m joking?”

I go snatch away the especially unfavorable panties she has found and is brandishing like a victory flag. Her scary eyes tell me she might go plant them in Cooper’s front yard or something. “I can barely tolerate looking at these horrible things as it is. Why in the heck would I want Cooper to see them?! I don’t even think married people who’ve been together for decades let their spouses see them in something like this horror show.”

“Exactly.” Jessie rips the panties back from my hand. This is a strange game of hot potato. “Do you have an old bra to pair with these? Something tan with a wire poking out and a gaping cup, maybe?”

“Ugh, just stop,” I say, closing the drawer and only narrowly pausing for Jessie to extract her fingers. She deserves to have them chopped off for being the worst wingwoman in the history of wingwomen. “I’m not sure where you took your seduction classes, but I think you should get your money back.”

Jessie crosses her arms over her little baby bump and lifts a taunting eyebrow—no smile anywhere to be found. “I’m not your wingwoman tonight. I’m your wingclipper.”

“Oooh, how very Tinker Bell villain of you.”

“Lucy, you need to put your boundaries in place right now. If you’re not intending to sleep with Cooper tonight—and I don’t think you are, because you’re afraid to stand up to your brother—then you need to wear the most unappealing thing you can think of to act as a deterrent.”

My shoulders sink. “First, I’m not afraid to stand up to my brother. Cooper and I both agreed we didn’t want to get off to a rocky start with this relationship, so we’re waiting until the idea grows on Drew.”

Jessie has not been thrilled about our decision ever since I called her squealing and blabbering about it last night. “It shouldn’t have to grow on Drew. It’s none of his business.”

“It is his business. I’m his sister, and Cooper is his best friend. Our choice is going to affect him.” Even as I say the words, though, they don’t feel quite right. It’s bothered me ever since Cooper mentioned that Drew made this choice for me without my knowledge…like I couldn’t be trusted to make my own good decision. It also bothers me that Drew doesn’t see that Cooper is a good decision. I don’t know. I’ve never been upset at Drew on this level before, never questioned his intentions toward me, so part of me wants to take these uncomfortable feelings and bury them somewhere until I know what to do with them.