The Boyfriend Experience (The Boyfriend Experience 1)

He was glad that Heather wasn’t at her desk, because he wasn’t in the mood to chat or give anyone a rundown of his weekend as a boyfriend for hire. He went to his office, booted up his computer, and reviewed the emails relating to the upcoming meeting so he’d be refreshed and prepared for their presentation.

A few minutes later, Leo walked into his office. “Hey, I thought I heard you come in,” he said, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Eric’s desk. “How did the weekend go?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Eric was not an overtly emotional guy to begin with, let alone one who talked about his feelings with another dude. And the fact that he was feeling things he’d never experienced before had him so fucking confused and disconcerted he wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Leo winced sympathetically. “That bad, huh?”

Eric stared at his friend, giving him one of his leave-me-the-fuck-alone glares to get his point across. Leo knew about his sister’s death, but he had no idea what Eric’s fears were. In fact, the only person in the world he’d ever shared those doubts and concerns with up to this point was Evie. Not even his mother knew the research he’d done on fraternal twins and cancer, which had always kept him from letting any kind of relationship develop with a woman.

With Evie, though, he hadn’t stood a chance. He’d never known such a sweet, kind, selfless woman like her . . . nor had he ever been inclined to share the kind of things that he had with Evie because it felt right. Because she felt right.

“Oh, shit.” Leo smirked knowingly. “Did you actually fall for her?”

“What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ don’t you fucking understand?” he asked through gritted teeth.

Amusement danced in his partner’s eyes. “The part that tells me some woman actually managed to do what dozens before her never could.”

“Which is?” Eric asked before he thought better of it.

“Broke through to your walled-off heart.” Leo suddenly turned more serious. “However, you don’t seem happy about it, which is more of a normal reaction to falling for someone, which concerns me.”

“No need to be concerned,” he assured his friend. “I’m fine.”

He was far from fine. He was torn up inside and wondered when he’d feel normal again. If ever. Jesus.

“Okay.” Leo stood to go, then hesitated, pushing his hands into the front pockets of his khakis. “One last thing and I’ll leave it alone. I almost lost Peyton because I thought letting her go was what was best for her, and I was afraid to trust that what I was feeling would last after what happened with my ex. All I can say is thank God I pulled my head out of my ass in time to realize that Peyton is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and now, I can’t imagine my life without her in it.”

But this was different, Eric thought. What about Evie’s life if something happened to him?

Yet he heard his friend loud and clear, and as Leo turned and walked out of the office, he left Eric even more confused than ever.

The cellphone on his desk buzzed with a text message, and he glanced at the screen, seeing that it was from Evie. His heart skipped a hopeful beat in his chest at the sight of her name, then fell flat when he read her note.

I have an opening Thursday afternoon at two p.m. for your mom.

So polite and cordial, like they hadn’t spent the weekend sharing their deepest, most intimate secrets. Like he hadn’t been so deep inside her, where everything felt so damn perfect and right and unlike anything he’d ever experienced with any woman before.

He dragged his fingers through his hair, irritation quickly adding a layer to his already bad mood. What did he expect from Evie after rejecting her when she’d offered him her heart? She’d made it clear that they wouldn’t be casual friends who stayed in contact after they went their separate ways, and he had to respect her request.

He’d made his choice, and now he had to live with the consequences.

Alone.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

How was it possible for Evie to both anticipate and dread seeing Eric when he dropped his mom off at the salon Thursday afternoon? The conflicting emotions had her stomach twisting and turning. Through the large windows in front of the shop, she saw him walking with a woman she assumed was his mother, Ginny, lightly holding her elbow in a gesture Evie found incredibly sweet because it was clear how much he cared about his mom.

Ginny Miller definitely looked a little nervous and uncertain about her visit to Evie’s salon. From what Eric had told her, it had been years since she’d done anything with her hair, and while Evie knew that his mother was aware of the appointment her son had made for her, she was also certain that Ginny had no idea what to expect, which was why she appeared so anxious.