Nick looked sheepish. ‘We’ve been warning him off you from day one. Trust me, Lucy. You don’t need Joel.’
Didn’t she?
Oh, she knew that he wasn’t the sort of man to offer her anything long term—but at least he was honest about that.
In fact, Joel had never been anything but honest. He’d even admitted that he had no experience in being just a friend. And he’d turned out to be the best friend she’d ever had.
And his honesty was part of the attraction. With Joel you knew exactly what yo
u were getting.
She looked up at Nick, her thoughts clearer than they’d been for a long time.
She did need Joel. If only to help her find parts of herself that she’d never discovered before.
‘I know you’re trying to help, and you’ve all been really kind, but I’m not made of glass.’ She gave a slight smile and Nick shook his head regretfully.
‘If you go after Joel, all you’ll get is a short-term relationship, Lucy. Just as long as you realise that.’
‘I realise that.’
But it was what she wanted.
She knew that now.
Tim hadn’t been right for her, but she hadn’t even known that because her experience of life had been so narrow.
It hadn’t been until she’d met Joel that she’d realised just how complicated emotions could be. Tim had never unleashed any of the passion that she felt for Joel.
And she felt like a teenager—desperate to know what it would be like to—to…
She blushed at the thought of it, hoping that Nick couldn’t read her thoughts. He obviously thought she was some sort of innocent creature who had to be protected from his brother’s wicked ways.
But she didn’t want to be protected.
She wanted to have an affair. A wild, uncomplicated physical affair. Something she’d never done before. Something she’d never dreamed of doing until she’d met Joel. And if it turned out to be very short-lived, well, she’d cope. She’d managed to cope with the fallout from Tim’s actions so she could cope with anything.
Suddenly she felt stronger than she ever had before. And she felt proud of herself.
She had coped. She and Sam together. And she’d discovered things about herself that she hadn’t even known before.
Like the fact that she’d rather have one night with the man she loved than a lifetime with someone that she didn’t.
Wasn’t that what Ivy had said? And she’d been right.
Suddenly she wanted Joel to take her home.
But what if he didn’t want what she wanted?
As he strolled towards her over the dance floor she looked at him, long-limbed and drop-dead handsome, and suddenly doubted herself. Why would Joel, who was used to sophisticated, experienced women, want her?
With a last regretful look, Nick released her to his brother, but not before he’d said something under his breath that made Joel’s shoulders tense.
‘Don’t tell me.’ Lucy’s voice was calm as he took her into his arms. ‘He’s just warned you that if you lay a finger on me he’ll beat you to a pulp.’
Joel looked startled and then grinned. ‘How did you guess?’
‘Because he’s just spent two whole dances lecturing me,’ Lucy told him, smiling shyly. ‘Apparently you’re a real threat to my virtue.’