Best Man Under the Mistletoe

Chelsea ignored her best friend’s questioning stare and returned to searching for her size. “I am Christmas shopping—my purchases just happen to be for selfish reasons.”

Well, maybe they weren’t totally selfish because Gabe would absolutely love unwrapping her. Oh, maybe she should just get a silky piece of fabric and tie herself up in a big bow. Just the thought of him jerking the knot and having the fabric wisp across her body as it floated down to puddle at her feet...

“This must be serious if you’re dodging my questions.”

Chelsea’s hand stilled on the satin hanger. “Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on between us. We’re keeping things private, but I do know that my feelings are stronger than I want to admit.”

“Yet you just did.”

Brandee came and stood on the other side of the rack, offering a sympathetic smile. “I know how you feel. I was there with Shane, remember? I went through a scandal of my own with Maverick and Shane pulled me through. We finally found our happily-ever-after.”

Chelsea recalled all too well the emotional ride her friends had gone through before finally finding their destiny. Chelsea wasn’t looking for a ring on her finger or the promise of a lifetime, but she couldn’t stop the desire for Gabe that had settled deep in her soul. And this wasn’t sexual desire, though there was an abundance of that. No, this was the desire to know more, to learn more, to have more with Gabe.

So where did that leave her? She still wasn’t convinced she was looking long-term, but she wanted more than a romp while they were planning the wedding.

Damn it. She never should’ve put an expiration date on their interlude, but she sure as hell hadn’t wanted to be on the receiving end of his conditions, either. This way, she’d set the terms and held all the power. At least she was well aware of how and when things would end. That was the only way she could cope because heartache was not something she wanted to experience again.

Chelsea knew she’d knocked Gabe off his game when she’d brought up an end date. But he’d gone along with her plan like he thought it was brilliant. It just proved he wasn’t looking for anything more than a few nights together.

“The sex is amazing, but I’m to the point I want a real date.”

Brandee’s mouth dropped. “You’ve already had sex and you’re just now telling me?”

Chelsea hated keeping secrets from her best friend, but everything had happened so fast. And then things had kept happening, so Chelsea had been a bit busy. Plus, they were supposed to be keeping it a secret. Oops.

“He’d been pursuing me for a while,” Chelsea admitted.

Giving up on finding her size, she crossed the store and went to the back where a wall of drawers held other sultry treasures. Brandee, of course, followed. They were the only ones shopping and the clerks were always great in giving customers privacy and only assisting if asked.

“First he drove me out of my mind in the dressing room when my dress was stuck.”

“Wait, what?”

“Then there was horseback riding.” Chelsea went on, ignoring her friend’s shocked look because she just wanted to get all this out there. “Then he had to go and give you that extravagant wedding present and I totally melted at his selflessness.”

“Back up for a second.” Brandee held her hands up. “We’ll get to all the details of the dressing room and the riding in a minute. I thought you were skeptical of him, that you believed he was in cahoots with his uncle.”

“I did. But the more time I’ve spent with him, I’ve seen a side I never thought existed.”

“Gabe wouldn’t purposely hurt anyone, especially in such a callous way.”

Chelsea nodded. “I know that now. I see the man he is.”

“Oh, Chels. Are you in love with him?”

“What? No.” She wasn’t. She wasn’t. “It’s complicated.”

“That’s the exact way love is described.”

Love. What a preposterous word for a relationship that wasn’t even a real relationship.

Chelsea’s father had thought himself in love, but in the end, that myth had shattered him. Chelsea wasn’t going to follow the same path.

“Trust me. This isn’t love.” Great sex and a healthy dose of desire, absolutely. “And don’t say anything to anyone. We really want to keep this private. Once we’re done seeing each other, we don’t want to answer a bunch of questions from people who thought we were a couple. You can see that would get confusing, not to mention annoying.”

She thought no-strings sex was supposed to be uncomplicated. Yet there were suddenly so many rules with Gabe, including this whole term-limit thing and the secrecy.

She’d never actually had no-strings sex before because she’d been in solid relationships with all her partners. Those encounters actually hadn’t had rules, so how was this any easier?