Don't Go Baking My Heart

Reba wagged her finger at him. “No spoiling the surprise. It’s on theme, that’s all you need to know.”

“I knew you would be a good influence on him.”

“I don’t know about good, but he’ll at least not be allergic to fun once I’m done with him.”

She looked past Dax to where Devon and his mother were now talking a little away from the table, a big frown on his face. He looked displeased. Reba wondered what was going on there. Arms folded, he wasn’t trying to hide that he was not happy about whatever his mother was saying.

“I hope this isn’t too forward,” Dax continued, snagging her attention again. “But I’m having a late birthday thing. It’ll be a while after my main party and the bake-off since I have to wait for some people to fly in. I’d love for you to join us. It’s a private event on a yacht. Just for a few close friends of mine. I’ve been trying to convince Devon to come, but you know how he is.”

“Boat party? Oh, I’m so there, whether Devon wants to go or not.”

He laughed at that. “You’re more than welcome either way.”

“Sweet, but I’m pretty convincing. I’ll persuade him.”

“Excellent. Well, I won’t keep you any longer.”

By the time Dax left her to go chat up someone else, Devon was gone. Had he finally made his escape upstairs? She made her rounds, barely holding in her cackle when she saw Keiran at the DJ table, Flex beside him looking annoyed as hell. She was going to get an earful after this, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was stealing a moment with Devon. Even though he had assured her they would have their own little private session after the party, Reba couldn’t help seeking him out inside.

She was almost at the top of the stairs when she heard Devon’s voice.

“I don’t know what to do about this.”

“It doesn’t have to be a big deal.” She recognised Jeremy’s voice. He had shown up as promised. What were they talking about up here? She should turn around and leave them be, but curiosity got the better of her. “How do you feel about it? What’re you thinking?”

“I don’t know what to think. Why the hell would she invite Joya here?”

“I don’t claim to know her reasoning, but I’ll assume when you told her you’re not interested in Reba like that, it meant it was okay to switch those matchmaking gears. And Joya being back here after all this time? She must think it’s a sign or something.”

Reba’s hand curled around the railing. Well, alright, then. She had just said the exact thing to Cherisse, hadn’t she? Devon wasn’t into her like that, so why did hearing those words feel so…weird? And who the hell was this Joya person his mother had supposedly invited?

“We haven’t spoken in ages.” Devon sighed. “Things ended, and we tried to stay in touch, but obviously, we didn’t. This isn’t ideal. I don’t want any sort of scene to be made.”

“Look, man, what’s there to even consider here? You and Reba have something going on, right? Joya doesn’t matter. Talk to her or not, but she shouldn’t be a factor in anything. What did I say when we last spoke? I keep telling you. Joya and that list need to remain in the past.”

“Reba and I are doing something. Having something is different.” He sighed again. “This a whole train wreck waiting to happen, isn’t it?”

“But what do you want? Do you want her?”

“I don’t want to want her. Is that what you want to hear? I even did a risk analysis, and she landed in the red zone.”

“You did a what?”

“I plugged in most of her qualities and personality traits, and obviously, she’s a high risk. It’s all very inconvenient and…”

Welp, she had heard enough. She tiptoed back down the stairs. Reba had known he would feel this way. The entire conversation had gone as expected, with the exception of some random ex suddenly being tossed into the mix. But then again, this woman didn’t sound like some random at all. Jeremy had mentioned her and the list in the same breath. Did that mean she was the basis for Devon’s perfect partner criteria? And what the fuck was up with him doing some analysis to determine how much of a risk she was to him?

He should be happy to even breathe the same air as her. Her head felt like it was spinning with all this. Or maybe she should have eaten more before guzzling that wine.

Should she tell him she had overheard his conversation? Tell him he didn’t have to overthink anything? She couldn’t compete with some woman who had been the basis for every relationship that had come after, so why would she stand in his way? They could reconnect or whatever. She didn’t care. She could go be risky and sexy somewhere else.

Yeah, the sex was amazing, but this was never going anywhere. No matter what anyone said about them looking cute. No matter what annoying fluttering took up residence in her body. It was the same thing all over. She was good to fuck, but when it came down to anything real, she would never be the first choice.

Which, fine. She and Devon wouldn’t work for anything other than a good time in bed, anyway.

You seem really worked up about it for someone who don’t care.

“Yeah, we not doing this,” she muttered.