Chapter 20

twenty

. . .

Henley

Easton wrapped me in a towel after we got out of the bathtub and carried me to the bed. For a noncommittal guy who only had casual relationships, he’d surprised me.

Maybe this was how it was with flings.

It was a night full of surprises, and then you said goodbye.

He’d convinced me to sleep naked, since we’d agreed we’d only have this one night together, and tomorrow, we’d go back to normal. All in all, the night was what I needed after nearly being accosted. Being with Easton almost wiped that from my memory, and I’d needed that.

The room was dark. Quiet. I was pressed against his body. I could feel every hard line and muscle as I stroked his arm with the tips of my fingers.

“Have you gone rafting yet on the river?” he asked, and I smiled at how random the question was.

“Yes. Lulu and I went when she was in town. We’d gone once before, but the river here is better. But that’s really all I’ve done. I haven’t explored the town yet, because I’ve just been working so much. I mean, I’ve been to Rosewood Brew for coffee several times on my way to the office. And I ordered takeout from Honey Biscuit Café a few times, but I haven’t been in.”

He made a tsking sound. “You are missing out. You don’t want to order takeout from Honey Biscuit Café because you’re missing the whole experience of being there.”

“It’s that eventful?” I chuckled.

“Yes. You’ll just have to trust me. I’m not going to ruin it for you. You’ll know what I’m talking about after you go. And you’ve got The Green Basket grocery store and Randy’s Razor and Booze & Brews to yet experience.”

“Ah, yes. Booze & Brews. That’s where you blow off your steam , right?” I teased, as his fingers traced along the base of my neck.

He leaned forward and nipped at my ear. “Don’t be a smartass. You need to get out and explore downtown. You’ll love it. It’s the heart of Rosewood River.”

“Your father told me that you all grew up there, huh?”

“Yes. I heard him telling you about his life in real time,” he said dryly, but I could feel his smile against my cheek.

“I loved it. My dad was never real chatty, so it’s refreshing that your family likes to talk and listen.” I shook my head with a laugh. “It seems so basic, but not everyone has that.”

“Yeah? My parents are the best.”

“What was it like growing up in a small town?” I asked, because I was curious.

“Well, I have four siblings, and my cousins grew up in the house next door, so we had built-in entertainment with that. And when we were teenagers, we spent our summer days down at the river. I love going river rafting and became a rafting guide in college. But all in all, it was a pretty amazing childhood, if I’m being honest, though we got into our fair share of trouble growing up.”

“And you grew up with Jilly?” I asked, because he’d mentioned that her parents were at his birthday dinner.

“Yeah. We didn’t date until college. We’d always just been friends,” he said, his voice quieter now. “So I’d known her most of my life.”

I ran my fingers through his hair, desperate to comfort him. “I’m sorry. I know how hard that must be to lose someone you love.”

“Yeah. But you move on. It’s been a long time. I threw myself into law school and focused on that.” He let out a long breath. “Let’s talk about you for a little bit.”

I nodded, understanding his need to change the subject. “What do you want to know?”

“So, your mom left with the tennis pro and moved to France when you were young. And you stayed with your father most of the year, spending summers with your mom, right?”

“Yes.” I didn’t hide my surprise that he’d actually listened and remembered.

“I know you said your dad worked a lot, so what was your childhood like?”

“Well, my nanny, Darleen, was wonderful. She was my main caretaker. She’d take me to tennis. I practiced six days a week from the time I started playing. And most days, I would wake up after my father was gone, and I’d be asleep when he arrived home from work. But Sundays were my favorite,” I said, remembering how excited I’d be when I’d go to sleep on Saturday nights, knowing what the morning would bring.

“What happened on Sundays?”

“That was my one day off a week from tennis. And my dad would take that day off, as well. Every Sunday, he’d surprise me with a cake donut and a chocolate milk. He’d bring it into my bedroom in a little bag from the bakery up the street from us.”

“That was nice. I can’t even picture that side of Charles,” he said. “And what would you do?”

“He’d have a donut for himself, too, and a coffee. And we’d eat them together and decide what we wanted to do. It was always spontaneous, and he’d let me pick. Some days, it would be to walk down to the wharf and explore. Other times, we’d go to the country club and have lunch, and he’d drive me around on the golf cart. Sometimes, we’d take the boat out, just the two of us. It’s my fondest memory of my childhood. Those Sundays with my father. Because the rest of the time, he was in work mode. But on Sundays, he was just a dad, hanging out with his daughter, you know?”

“That sounds nice. And it went on for years?”

“Yeah. From as early as I can remember until I left for boarding school my freshman year of high school.”

“Did you want to go to boarding school?”

“I don’t really know. It was just always known that I’d go. My father went to Westcliff, and he’d talked about me going for so long that I never really considered an alternative.” I tipped my head back to look at him, and even though the room was dark, the light from the moon illuminated his handsome face. “Most of the kids I went to middle school with were going off to boarding schools, as well, so I didn’t know anything different. But I’m glad I went. I came into my own and met my bestie there.”

He wrapped his arms around me tighter. “It sounds like it was a good experience.”

“Yeah. I’m guessing you went to high school in Rosewood River and had that quintessential high school experience.”

He let out a puff of air. “What does that mean?”

“You were probably prom king, and your superlative was…” I paused to think about it. “Most likely to take over the world?”

“Lucky guess. I was prom king, actually. And my superlative was most likely to be a celebrity.” He laughed. “What about yours?”

“My high school was an all-girls high school, so no prom for us. And my superlative was most likely to win Wimbledon. Clearly, I was best known for my tennis skills, not my social skills.”

“Well, you should have been named most likely to give the best blow job, because your BJ skills are remarkable.”

My head tipped back in laughter. “Thank you. And thanks for today. I think tomorrow we should probably go back to normal, okay?”

His body shifted a little at my words. “All right. Did I do something to piss you off?”

I thought it over. Easton was a straight shooter. I should do the same. “This was great. Amazing, really. But I know myself. I can handle a fling, as long as I know what it is. And honestly, I’ve never taken a bath with a guy, even one that I’ve dated for a long period of time. And I don’t normally talk and share this much in my relationships either. So I just think at this rate, this fling could get confusing for me if it continues. Does that make sense?”

“Yes. Of course.” He cleared his throat. “If it’s any consolation, this is the best fling I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah. We were pretty amazing. All the orgasms, the hallway drama with Jamison, talking about our childhoods, and then the bath. This fling is one for the record books, Chadwick.”

“Well, we are both overachievers. We shouldn’t be surprised. And tomorrow, we’ll go back to normal. Like this never happened.”

“Deal,” I whispered, as my eyes grew heavy. I breathed him in, and a small part of me wished this night would never end.

But all good things came to an end.

And I knew better than to let myself fall for an unattainable man.

The next two weeks were a blur since we’d returned to Rosewood River after spending three days in the city interviewing employees before wrapping things up there. We’d been honest with Bruno that there were some holes in his case that were going to make it challenging.

We’d returned to the office and decided we’d conduct the rest of our interviews remotely. We’d met a few people who didn’t seem to be so scripted, and they were fairly convincing. But several of the people we’d met with had said the exact same things we’d heard in many of our interviews, which was a huge concern.

Were they covering for Bruno and the company they worked for?

Were they just nervous about the idea of going to trial?

“Henley. My office now,” Easton barked from his doorway as I worked in my cubicle.

We’d stuck to the deal and agreed that morning after we’d had sex that when we left the hotel room, we would never speak of it and it would never happen again. It was a one and done. We’d remained professional ever since, made small talk on the drive home, and acted completely normal.

But I’d be lying if I said that it hadn’t been more challenging for me than I’d expected it to be. Lulu had decided that me having my first fling with a guy that I had to see every day was probably not the best idea.

Hindsight, and all that.

I missed our flirty banter. I missed the way he’d looked at me before we’d crossed the line.

The way he’d kissed me and touched me.

The way he’d made me feel.

That was the thing about flings—they had an expiration date, and you had to respect that.

I wasn’t upset that it had happened.

I was upset that I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

I was upset that I had to pretend that I wasn’t fazed by him every single day when I saw him in the office.

“Coming,” I said, as I pushed to my feet.

“Beware. He’s in a mood today,” Joey said under his breath, and I nodded.

Easton had been grumpier than usual the last few days. It was Friday, and I hadn’t been asked to join him at pickleball again. Maybe Archer was back. Or maybe Easton didn’t feel comfortable with me being the sub anymore.

I walked into his office and took the seat across from him.

“Hey,” I said, crossing my hands on my lap.

He looked up and studied me. “Why are you so serious now? Where’s the smartass that used to give me shit?”

“What are you talking about? You’ve barely spoken to me in two weeks outside of barking out a few orders. I didn’t think you wanted to do the smartass banter thing anymore.” I shrugged, tapping my pen against my notebook so we could get down to business.

“I thought we agreed we wouldn’t let it be weird.” He raised a brow.

“It’s not weird for me. I feel fine being around you. You’re the one who has been distant and uninterested in chatting. You’ve called me in three times this week, shot out a few orders, and then told me to get back to work.”

He studied me for a few beats. “Have you ventured downtown yet?”

Where did that come from? This man is the most confusing man I’ve ever met.

“Have I ventured downtown?”

“Do I need to repeat the question, Henley?”

I rolled my eyes. “No. You don’t need to repeat the question, and yes, I went to The Green Basket and loaded up on groceries.”

“Did you find it odd that there wasn’t a green basket in the place? Not a single one. They only have red baskets. So why the fuck is it called The Green Basket?”

I chuckled, because as much as I wanted to dislike this man, I was so drawn to him. “I didn’t notice. I think it’s just a cute name.”

“Did you meet the owner?”

“Yes. I met Josh. He was very nice.”

He pursed his lips as if that were an obscene comment. “He’s only being nice because you’re—you. He’s a dick most of the time. His parents own the place, and he started running it a few years ago. But did he tell you his last name?”

“No. It didn’t really come up when I was asking him where the cantaloupes were.” I shook my head with a laugh.

“His last name is Black. Josh Black. So, they’ve got red baskets. Their last name is Black. And do they choose to call their store The Black Basket? No. The Red Basket? Also no. They go with The Green Basket. It’s ludicrous.”

“Perhaps you should suggest that to them.”

“Have you gone rafting again?”

“Have I gone rafting since we’ve been back from the city? Ummm, I’ve been buried in interviews with employees from the King Hotels. So, no. I’ve been busy, Easton.”

“Maybe you’ll get out there this weekend.”

What was his deal? “Okay. Maybe I will.”

“Just saying, it’s great. But you’ve got to be careful about which paths you take.”

“Sure. Thanks.” I raised a brow, because I had no idea why we were talking about river rafting. I never knew what to expect from this man.

He strummed his fingers along the edge of his desk. “We’ve got a pickleball tournament tonight.”

“Yes. I assumed so. It is Friday, after all.”

“Yes. I told Archer he needs to play, or he’ll be kicked off the team if he doesn’t show up this week.”

“I’m sure he’ll be there, then.”

He narrowed his gaze. “All right. Get back to work.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What’s with the attitude?” he asked as I pushed to my feet.

“I thought you missed me having an attitude, so I was being nice. Throwing you a bone, per se.”

He chuckled as I walked toward the door.

“Hey, Henley.”

I turned around to look at him. “Yes.”

“Jamison Waterman is still in rehab. He’s there for a sixty-day program. I wasn’t sure if your dad told you. I didn’t want you to worry about it.”

“Yes, my father told me, and I’m not worried. But I wouldn’t hold your breath, because Jamison will most likely bail on the program early. Sixty days is a long time.”

“That’s why I call every morning.” He cleared his throat. “Just to make sure he’s still there. I’ll let you know if he leaves early. Just so you’ll be aware.”

My mouth fell open, and I gaped at him. “You call the rehab place every day?”

“Yes. He attacked you. We need to know when he gets out.”

I sighed. He hadn’t attacked me. He’d been aggressive, and his behavior was alarming, but Easton was being irrational about it, which only contributed more to him being a complete puzzle.

“Thank you.” I nodded.

And I left his office quickly.

Because the urge to move around his desk and lunge myself at him and thank him for caring was strong.

And I’d made enough bad decisions these last few weeks.

I wouldn’t make another one.