What Lola Wants (Leave Your Shoes On 1)

“So… what happened? What’s the problem?”

“I fell in love,” she admitted, because she never kept anything from Jace. “Or maybe I figured out that I’d always been in love with him. I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. He called it quits on me before I even told him how I feel—felt,” she amended. Because she had to get over Alex. Sooner rather than later. Or they’d never be friends again. A horrific thought that never failed to bring tears to her eyes.

What the hell was she going to do? How was she going to survive when the one person she’d counted on the most had ripped the rug from underneath her?

Yes, she’d started this sticky situation. She’d woven the web. But Alex had been all-in. Until the other night.

What gives?

“Hold the phone there, Lo.” Jace took a swig from his bottle of beer, then said, “There’s not a guy I can think of who would walk away from no-strings-attached sex. Unless he lost interest. We’re not that stupid.” He gave this some more thought, adding, “Other option… He’s in love. And given the fact that Alex has always been closer to you than your own shadow, I’d say that’s a distinct possibility.”

Lola stared at her brother, dumbstruck. “In love?”

He nodded.

“With me?”

Jace grinned. “Why the hell else would Alex give up the good thing he had going? Seriously, it’s the perfect scenario for a single dude. We don’t turn our backs on shit like that—no matter how much you’d like to think I’m valiant enough to say otherwise. I mean, when I was single, you know.”

Her heart picked up a few extra beats.

What if it was true? What if Alex had been all twisted and tangled in feelings as well, and she’d freaked him out by taking their situation a step further—asking him to make love to her? What if he’d felt as strongly about their bond that night as she had—and worried they’d crossed too big of a line, so he’d jumped back to keep her from finding out he was more into her than he’d let on?

What if?

“Oh, boy,” she said, excitement and desperation chasing down her spine. “This is—oh, fuck. I have to go. I need to see Pete.” She shooed Jace out the door as her heart thundered. “We can finish this later.” She followed him out and locked up behind her. Then she kissed her brother on the cheek and rushed to her car.

The bar was busy, but Pete gave her a hug and settled her at a high-top for two, sitting across from her. Lola bounced in the seat. Her hands shook. Her anxiety was through the roof.

So she got right down to business before she went into cardiac arrest.

“Alex called off the FWB. Do you know why?”

Pete hedged. Sure, she was putting him in a difficult spot, but Lola couldn’t help it. And she couldn’t go another five minutes without knowing exactly what was going on with her and Alex.

She knew he and Pete talked. She was willing to pull the friendship strings to find out if he could help unravel the whole disaster.

“Pete,” she prompted. And cut right to the chase. “Do you know why Alex would suddenly not want to have sex with me?”

“Because it was a bad idea to begin with?”

“Why does everybody keep saying that?” she demanded, exasperated. “It was going great. Turns out, we’re seriously hot together.”

“Okay, this is probably a conversation to have with Alex.”

“I haven’t returned any of his calls or texts. I wanted to get a grip on this first. I thought I screwed it all up, because I—you know—sort of fell in love.”

Pete’s head snapped back. “You what?”

“You heard me. And is it really such a big surprise? I mean… how many people do you know who’ve stuck by each other’s side through thick and thin? Through—everything. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. We’re perfect together, Pete. In every way.”

Pete’s brow lifted. “Did I just hear you right?”

“I love him,” she repeated as fat drops rolled down her cheeks. “Do you think he has… feelings… for me, too? Romantic ones?”

“Oh, fuck,” Pete said with an uneasy laugh.

She didn’t blame him for not wanting to get caught in the middle, but what choice did she have but to press him? He was friends with both of them, damn it. She deserved his honesty too—he’d apparently been having this discussion with Alex the whole time.