Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

I wrapped an arm over Vaughn’s chest. “Not at all. He’s more snuggly than he looks.”

“Thanks,” he grumbled.

“What are your big Sunday plans?” she asked.

Vaughn and I looked at each other. “This.”

I smiled. I knew it was a stupid smile. But I couldn’t help it. We had some kind of calm that ran between us that when I wasn’t looking could instantly turn into something wild and passionate. I bounced back and forth between utter contentment with him and unreal lust.

“Wow. I wish I could do that sometime.”

“What kind of work do you do, Greer?” Vaughn slipped his fingers through mine under the blanket.

“Actually, I have a little bit of news to share about that,” she explained. S

he brushed her bangs to the side.

“What is it?” It seemed strange that neither of us knew what was going on in the other’s life.

“I got the promotion.” Her smile was wide. “It was way sooner than I expected, but I found out last night.”

“You did? That’s awesome.” I untangled myself from Vaughn to give her a hug. “That’s great. Really great.”

She nodded. “I’ve worked my ass off.” She looked around me to explain to Vaughn. “I work for the senate committee. I’ve been trying to get an advisor position. I thought it was at least a year away.”

He nodded. “Congratulations. Sounds like you put in a lot of hours.”

“Yeah, I’ve sort of been married to my job the past few months. Maybe I should spend a few nights here for a change. Give my work marriage a break.”

“What about Preston?”

She shrugged. “He can come over if he wants.”

It hadn’t occurred to me how much I liked that my roommate was absent until my freedom was being threatened. I liked the setup, but I knew that was because of Vaughn. When he was here I felt safe. I had fun. I had amazing, mind-blowing sex all over the apartment. More Greer wasn’t a good thing.

“Are things ok between you two?” I asked.

“They’re fine. But it wouldn’t hurt him to spend a night or two over here.”

There were other advantages to Greer staying at his place. I didn’t have to deal with him.

“I have an idea,” Greer spoke. “Why don’t we make dinner tonight? The four of us. Here.”

I looked at Vaughn. I didn’t know what his reaction would be. We had never done anything with another couple. We hadn’t hung out with other people. It was as if we lived in our own bubble. And I liked it that way. I thought he did too.

But at some point, we had to let other people into it. We had families and friends. We had jobs. The cocoon couldn’t last forever.

“We’ll have to go to the store. I think the only thing left is cereal,” I reported.

“That’s ok. We could go together,” she suggested.

Vaughn still hadn’t said if he was up for a double date with my roommate. It felt strange.

“What do you think?” I tried to read his expression.

“It will have to be an early night. I have a big client meeting in the morning, but sounds good. What are we having?”

I let out a sigh. I had been holding my breath without realizing it. I didn’t know if I was nervous that somehow pressure to do something as a couple would scare him off. That was absurd. But it was as if he had passed a mini relationship test.