I Flipping Love You (Shacking Up #3)(36)

“I actually have to get back to my place. My dog, Trip, needs to be let out and I can’t trust my brother to do that, so you don’t need to worry about inviting me to stay for drinks, or a sleepover, or whatever.”

I huff a quiet laugh. Of course he’s been playing with me. He doesn’t want to spend the night; he just wanted the invitation.

“I’ll be around tomorrow afternoon. Will you?”

“I should be.” I try to sound nonchalant instead of eager. I’m not sure I’m successful.

“Great. I’ll see you on the beach, then?”

“Sure.”

When he moves out of my personal space, I finally feel like I can breathe again. I follow him out of the laundry room and down the hall. I stop short when Marley comes into view, a forkful of pasta halfway to her mouth.

Her eyebrow is raised as her gaze moves from Pierce to me. She drops the fork in the Styrofoam container and props a fist on her hip. “I so called this.”

Dear Embarrassment,

I’m breaking up with you. Forever.

No love,

Rian





CHAPTER 11

EMBARRASSMENT FOREVER





RIAN


“Okay, well, thanks for checking on the dryer. Sorry that you had to come here so late!” I say, very loudly.

Marley snorts and Pierce barks out a laugh.

“I’ll see myself out then. Enjoy the leftovers.” He nods to Marley before turning to me. “I hope the dryer keeps doing its job.”

I follow him to the patio door. My palms are sweaty and my face is surely the shade of a beet. He turns as he steps out onto the deck. “So this is how you’re playing it?”

“I panicked. I told you, this isn’t how I usually do things.”

“That makes two of us. I don’t usually get kicked out, especially not before the post-coital snuggles.”

What does it say about me that I’m kicking out the man I’ve had the best sex of my life with less than fifteen minutes after the act is over? I’m having regrets all over the place. And he’s a snuggler? I thought all men hated after-sex snuggles. I avoid commenting on that, though. “You said you had to check on your dog. I figured you wanted an invitation to stay to stroke your already enormous ego, but then you’d already have a reason to say you had to leave anyway.”

“I was trying to make you feel better about this.” He motions between us.

I bring my fingers to my lips and start to bite my nail, but realize it makes me look anxious—which I am—and they’re dirty from being in the sand not that long ago. Plus, they smell like sex, so I drop them and clasp them in front of me instead.

“Look at you.” He moves in.

My feet stay where they are, but the rest of my body angles away. “What’re you doing?”

“Trying to kiss you goodnight before I leave. Unless you’ve changed your mind and decided you want me to stay.”

I purse my lips, and he gives me that damn smile again. So cocky. So knowing.

“It’s all right. I get it. You have an early morning, and there’s no way you’ll be able to keep your hands to yourself if I’m in bed with you.”

“You are such an—”

Before I can finish the sentence, his palm curves around the side of my neck, thumb caressing the edge of my jaw, and he tips my chin up. It all happens in less than a second. And then his lips are on mine, tongue sweeping out, aggressive for a few strokes before he disengages, throwing me completely off-kilter. “Don’t worry. Next time we’ll get to cuddle.”

I push on his chest. “Who said there’s going to be a next time?”

“Trust me, hotness, there’ll be a next time. See you tomorrow.” He backs away and gives me a final departing wave, then disappears down the stairs.

“Oh my God. That man is unbelievable.”

“I should’ve put money on that.”

I turn around, trying to come up with some witty retort, but I’ve got nothing. She totally called it, and I made Pierce do the walk of shame. Well, it was more swagger than walk, but still, he’s gone and he was totally right, about everything. How stupid am I?

“Whatever’s going on between the two of you is like pheromone chemical warfare.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Being in the same vicinity as the two of you is like…” She struggles to find the right words. “… like tripping on ecstasy while shooting opiates.”

“You’ve never done either of those things.” At least I don’t think she has. She better not have or we have issues.

“Well, the way you two are when you’re near each other is exactly what I imagine it would be like.” She stuffs another forkful of noodles in her mouth.

I make a huge show of stretching and yawning. “Well, I’m going to bed. See you in the morning!”

“Whoa, wait a damn second, you need to explain what happened here. Based on what I overheard, you got the boning of your life and from the look of things, you made him leave. I want some details.”

“If you overheard, you don’t need details. We have an early morning. I need sleep and him staying would prevent that. Plus, he needs to take care of his dog.”