Divided Interests (Southern Bride 3)

I looked behind me and then around the room like an idiot. Had he brought a girl home and was having sex with her in the shower? How in the world had I missed a woman coming into my own house?

What an asshole! He was just coming on to me! Ugh! Men.

I turned to leave, then froze when I heard my name.

“Paige.”

My heart dropped. He had said it in such a desperate, wanting manner. I swallowed hard and looked back into the bathroom.

“That’s it, baby. Faster.”

After picking my jaw off the floor, I peeked farther into the bathroom. Since the door was open, the mirror wasn’t fogged yet, and I had the perfect view of Lucas standing in the glass shower, one hand on the wall, the other jacking himself off.

“Fuck. Faster. Paige, I’m going to come, baby.”

My mind was telling me to turn and leave. This was wrong. I was invading Lucas’s privacy. But holy hell, he was calling out my name as he made himself come. In the shower. Drunk or not, it was hot, and my heart almost hammered out of my chest. My hands covered my mouth as I watched him fall over the edge. It was the hottest thing I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from him.

His body trembled as he came down from his orgasm. Then he let out a frustrated groan, pounded his fist against the tile wall and said, “That woman is going to fucking be the death of me.”

I turned and rushed out of his room, down the hall, and then raced up the steps as quietly as I could. Oreo was hot on my trail.

Once I got into my room, I shut and locked the door, then turned and leaned against it. I was completely out of breath and my pulse was racing. I’d never in my life felt my heart beat so hard in my chest. It drummed so loudly in my ears that it scared me for a quick moment.

The vision of Lucas making himself come while saying my name replayed over and over in my mind. It wasn’t Bianca he was fantasizing about. It was me.

Me! Holy mother of Jesus. How drunk had he been?

I looked at my new cat. “I don’t know what to do with this information, Oreo.”

She meowed.

“What? What are you saying to me?”

Another meow.

“No. No. He was drunk. That’s all. He can’t even stand to be around me. Or, at least that was the case yesterday. He’s been so nice today, but I know it’s all a game. He’s playing me to get me out of the house. And tonight, he was drinking. He saw me in my skimpy PJs, and he acted like any man would. That’s it. That explains it. Men are…men. Plain and simple. He got turned on, played with my nipple and kissed me. Then I said no, he needed to release his…horniness or whatever, and that’s it. Simple as that. Doesn’t mean anything.”

Oreo stared at me. “You agree, right?”

This time she decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

I rolled my eyes and decided I needed to push this out of my head and deal with it tomorrow. “Whatever. I’ll talk to Jen about it in the morning.”

Pushing away tonight’s turn of events was easier said than done, and it wasn’t until four in the morning when I finally felt myself drift off to sleep.

Jen stared at me, her mouth gaping, eyes wide. She went to speak, then snapped her mouth shut. Then tried again.

Oreo rubbed my legs as I stood in the kitchen, patiently waiting for my friend to figure out how to use her words. The same kitchen that Lucas had touched me and kissed me in. By the time I had gotten up and come down this morning, Lucas had left. He’d left a note on the table saying he was going into Austin for work and would be back in a few hours. I had silently thanked God I didn’t see him because I had no idea how in the hell I would face him after last night. Did he remember anything? Remember touching me? Kissing me? Asking me if I was sure I wanted him to stop? Did he remember the shower? Him coming while he called out my name?

Lord, I’m in a pickle. A freaking gigantic pickle.

“He…nipple?”

I nodded as I chewed on my lip.

“Kissed you?”

“Yep.”

“Then the shower?”

Another nod. “Do you see why I’m freaking out here? This is all your fault!”

“My fault!” she gasped.

“Yes! You told me to wear my sexiest pajamas. ‘Put your hair in pigtails! It will drive him nuts’ you said.”

She covered her mouth and had the nerve to laugh.

“Well, to be fair, it appears it did drive him nuts because he came on to you.”

“When he was drunk! That doesn’t count.”