Flirting with Forever: A Hot Romantic Comedy(25)

Plus, I kind of liked him and it stung that he didn’t like me.

“At least neighbors aren’t too hard to avoid,” Sophie said.

“Oh, I’m not going to avoid him.”

“You’re not?” Everly asked.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to throw myself at him.” The corners of my mouth lifted. “He claimed he’s not interested but he was lying. So I’m going to tease him. Show him what he’s missing.”

“Dex, you have no idea what’s coming for you,” Sophie said with a laugh.

I lifted my glass and they all followed. “A toast. To Dex St. James and the power of flirtation. May living next to me be sweet, sweet torture.”

“Cheers!”

I took a sip. Sophie was right. Dex had no idea what was coming for him.





10





DEX





The text on the page blurred. I moved the book a few inches further from my face and the lines sharpened. Better, except now I was uncomfortable. Holding the book at this angle, I couldn’t rest my arm on the chair. The reading glasses sitting on the side table next to me would fix that problem. I knew this, but I stubbornly ignored them.

I wasn’t even forty. Too young for fucking reading glasses.

Bending my elbow, I tried to get comfortable. The words blurred again, the letters softening around the edges just enough that I had to squint. That was going to give me a headache.

Fine.

I grabbed the reading glasses and slipped them on. The tension around my eyes eased as the page came into comfortable focus.

It was a thriller I’d read before. I knew the twists and could pick out the clues, but that was the appeal. I didn’t have to concentrate too hard. Worked out well when I'd been reading since four in the morning because I couldn’t sleep.

I did that a lot.

And re-reading a book was a hell of a lot better than staring at the ceiling, thinking about Nora.

I did that a lot, too.

Obviously I’d done the right thing last Friday night when I’d walked away. She’d made it crystal clear what she wanted, and to be honest, I respected that. She wasn’t playing games, pretending like she wasn’t interested in order to get me to make the first move. Her suggestion had been straightforward—assertive, but not overly aggressive.

But there was no way I could take her up on it.

So I’d spent the week doing what any man would have done in my shoes. Pretending she didn’t exist.

I was pretty good at it, too. Except in the middle of the night, when I’d lie awake, picturing the way she’d looked in that slinky robe. Those big, expressive eyes and pouty mouth offering me a night in paradise.

Still, I’d done the right thing. Even if the more animal side of me thought I was an idiot.

Maybe I was an idiot.

I turned the page, the paper crisp beneath my fingers. I hadn’t read the last few paragraphs, but I knew the story well enough that I didn’t worry about it. I’d been reading for hours, waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. Or at least for Riley so I could see if she wanted breakfast before I had to go to work. It was after eight, but it was Saturday, so she might not emerge for hours yet.

She’d have to get up eventually. The family was coming over for my mom’s barbecue later.

So was Nora. Possibly.

And there she was again, flooding my mind.

Maybe I should have just fucked her and got it over with.

Who was I kidding? That wasn’t my style. I was kind of old-fashioned. I wanted sex to mean something. Granted, I’d let my dick do most of the thinking for a while when I was younger. And I knew all too well how dangerous it could be to fuck someone you weren’t in love with.

That was how I’d wound up with Riley.

I’d never, ever regret having my daughter. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me. But if I’d known how useless her mom would be at parenting, I might have chosen my sexual partners more carefully.

That was it. I was careful. I had to be. It wasn’t just me who could get hurt if—or when—things went wrong. I had Riley to think about. And I had no idea how she’d feel about me getting involved with someone. Seemed like it would be weird.

Besides, relationships ended. Or mine always did. I couldn’t shield Riley from everything but I didn’t have to put her through that.

Slow footsteps on the stairs caught my attention. I took off my reading glasses and twisted in the armchair. “Morning, Ry.”

“Morning.” Her hair was loose and wavy from her braids and she was still in her pajamas.

“Do you want some breakfast?”

She rubbed her eyes. “Not yet.”

“I have to go to the shop at eleven. I’ll try to be back before everyone gets here, but I can’t guarantee it. You know how it is.”

She paused at the bottom of the stairs. “Yeah, I know. Start times are more like vague suggestions in our family.”

I smiled. She had that right. Having the family over for dinner meant people started showing up right after lunch. With appetizers.

The St. James clan knew how to eat.

Riley shuffled into the kitchen. It sounded like she was heating up water for tea. I thought about going in there but I was always torn between wanting to smother her and not wanting to smother her. She’d been quiet all week in a way that worried me. Her sleepover with Katie seemed to have perked her up—for about a day. But as soon as Monday had rolled around, she’d been back to silent and sullen.