That Hot Night

The surprise must have shown on my face because she burst out laughing and slid the plate of fries closer to her burger. “It’s not a secret but she’d kill me if you go in there and bring it up when she’s not ready to share it with the world yet.”

Her smile softened and she did that head tilt thing women sometimes did when they thought a guy was being cute or adorable, or a bunch of other decidedly un-masculine adjectives. “I love your friendship with Reese. It’s so cute.”

“Cute?” The question came out on a growl that made her dark brows disappear into her hairline. “We’re adults and friends, it’s not cute. It just is.”

“Yeah,” she conceded and picked up a fry. “But she’s your best friend and you’re a guy who doesn’t really get close with women in a non-naked kind of way. It adds a layer of mystique that is very appealing.”

Hmph, that was news to me. I smiled and leaned forward to steal one of the fries. “Good to know.”

“As if you don’t already,” she said with a playful roll of her eyes.

I nodded because I knew what she was getting at, not because I agreed. “There is something I don’t know.” She froze because Janey was a smart woman and she knew this question was coming. “How in the hell are you still a virgin?”

“I’m not,” she shot back quickly and smacked both hands over her face to hide the pink blush that rose just as quickly. “Remember?”

“As if I could forget.” I hadn’t been with a virgin since high school but I didn’t remember them being like Janey, sexy and fun. Playful and adventurous. Eager. “So?”

She shrugged. “It’s not like I was hanging on to it for Mr. Right or anything like that. Obviously. But it never felt right so I just held off. That night in Santa Fe it felt right, so I did.”

I believed that, but not completely and I ignored the implications of her obviously and the accompanying eyeroll. “So it could have been anybody?”

The glare she sent me was cold enough to chill my own burger so I took a big bite to avoid saying anything that would piss her off before I got an answer. A real answer. “No Rafe, it couldn’t have been anyone but I wasn’t planning on it being you either.” She sighed and stared at the table for so long I thought maybe the conversation was over. “That dress I wore was so…not me, you know?”

I shook my head. “It looked pretty damn you to me,” I growled back.

She flashed an embarrassed smile and shook her head. “Thanks. But it wasn’t me and I felt uncomfortable that night. But you came and talked to me and it was familiar but not. We talked and had fun, flirted too. It was like a second or third date instead of those awkward first ones and,” she rolled her wrist to indicate that I knew the rest but she had to know.

I wouldn’t let her get off so easily. “And?”

“And you were gorgeous like you are, and flirty and sweet and giving off, vibes, I guess. It all worked and by the time we made it to your room, I knew. Was it terrible?”

“Fuck no. It was a surprise and I would’ve gone slower, taken my time if I had known.”

Janey let out a laugh and buried her face in her hands. “You don’t get any complaints from me.” Her voice was muffled but I could still hear the amusement in her voice. “Are we done with this?”

“One more question. Do you regret it?”

“No.” The answer came quick and sure. “I enjoyed that night and all the nights since, Rafe.”

Her softly spoke words brought a smile to my face. “That’s damn good to hear, Janey.”

“Fishing for compliments?”

I shook my head. “You’re a hard woman to figure out Janey.”

She frowned. “No I’m not.”

“I figured you chose me because you thought there was no chance you’d fall for me.” It was a damning admission but who knew when I’d get the opportunity for this kind of conversation again?

Janey snorted out a laugh that wasn’t all that amused. “Nope.”

“Because you knew I wouldn’t want more?” The dark pink tint on her cheeks told me I’d hit the mark and I leaned in with a crooked smile. “Tell me Janey, how does it feel to be dead wrong?”

Her shocked look was almost as satisfying as an orgasm.

Almost.JaneyDead wrong? What the hell did that even mean? When I asked Rafe to clarify he just flashed that stupid sexy grin and kissed me until I stopped asking questions, at least to him. When my mind and my body was full of Rafe, it was easy to forget about the real world. It was easy to forget that none of this but the orgasms were real. It was easy to believe the look in his eyes, the way he held me. The way he made love to me.