The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, #1)(27)

The kids . . . I groaned. “I meant to call Ava before she went to school. How was she?”

Lysol can still in hand, Erica sat on the arm of a chair across the room. “She was fine. She always is for me. She slept in Charlotte’s room with her. Who, by the way, is now convinced that she wants a sister, so thanks for that.”

“Sorry?” I looked around. My living room and kitchen counter were sparkling. “You’re a saint, Erica. I will babysit for you anytime. Just drop your crew off. I owe you.”

She dismissed my gratitude with a shrug. “It was nothing. What you owe me is every last juicy detail about last night.” She frowned as she looked at me. “I’m assuming you didn’t get laid, but you two were looking pretty cozy when I walked in.”

I chuckled and covered my face with my hands. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

“Wait. You did have sex?”

I lowered my hands. “No. No. After what came out of my mouth yesterday, I’m sure there wasn’t a part of him he wanted near it.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’d be surprised, but go on. What did happen?”

I took a sip of water, enjoyed that my body didn’t immediately send it back up, and started from our phone call and how we’d shared a beautiful moment during it.

She made a face. “Gross.”

“Right? Can you believe he wanted to come over after that?”

She tipped her head in concession of how unlikely it was that many men would have. “So he drove over and what?”

I told her about how I’d showered and still been wet when he’d arrived.

“I’m sure you were,” she joked.

My shoulders shook as I laughed. “You’re so bad. Anyway, he told me I should change.”

“How deliciously commanding of him.”

I blushed, then met her gaze. “I did kind of like it. Is that wrong? I don’t like being told what to do, but I might want to try it for a night.”

Erica hooted. “Who wouldn’t with a man like that? When I saw the way he was carrying you, I decided to drop ten pounds and test my husband’s back. He used to do shit like that, but then the kids came along and we’ve gotten . . . uncreative. I think we need a weekend away for a wall-banging good time like we used to.”

“Like I said, I owe you. I can watch your kids here any weekend or at your place.”

“Our house might be safer. That way, if the boys break something, I don’t have to feel guilty.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“No sex, but he undressed you and carried you around. Interesting.”

“He didn’t dress or undress me. He stepped out of the bedroom while I changed.”

“Shame, although I guess that makes the whole thing less creepy.”

I took another sip of water as I thought about that. “A little voice in my head did question whether it was safe to let a man in the house like that, but when he was here it didn’t feel weird.”

“I wouldn’t have asked him to leave either.”

I tossed a pillow at her.

She sprayed it with Lysol.

“So how did you leave it? What did he say as he left?”

“He said he’d call.”

“Has he yet?”

I looked at my phone. No messages. No missed calls. “No.”

“Hey, don’t make that face. He probably didn’t want to wake you.”

“Maybe.” I didn’t like how disappointed I was that I hadn’t heard from him. “This is a bad idea, Erica. Ava and I are happy. My business is solid. Life is good. Why would I want to mess with that?”

She shook her head.

I continued, “He was probably just being polite when he’d said he’d call. I mean, look at me. I looked worse last night. What’s more likely? That he came, saw me in this state, and decided he couldn’t live without me? A man who looks like that? Or would it be more realistic to think that since losing his wife he feels a certain compulsion to help women in need, but after playing nursemaid to me all night, he returned to his life with a sense of relief?”

“Wow, you have him all figured out, don’t you? You’re right; he’s way too fucked up for you to date. Let me call some of my other friends to see if any of them are interested in him.”

“Funny.”

“Oh, you were being serious? I had no idea you were this insecure.”

“I’m not insecure.”

“You’re also not ugly, but FYI, even ugly people hook up. The world is full of couples no one can explain.”

I processed that one for a moment.

She sighed. “Sure, right now you look like shit, but normally you’re not bad.”

“Thank you? I think?”

“You should call him.”

“No way.”

“You’re right. You should just sit here, wait for him to come around, and sulk. Let the man make all the moves, just like he probably always does. That won’t bore him into finding someone else.”

“I can’t call him.”

“I know you have his number. You said he called you. So there is no can’t . . . unless you’re admitting you don’t have the balls to do it.”