Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay #7)(51)

Sadie bit her lip because she had seen what he looked like beneath those sexy suits.

Except . . . not really. It’d been pretty dark, and so cold they’d left on a lot layers. It’d been more of a braille situation, though her fingers and tongue knew their way around his body pretty well . . .

Ivy caught her expression and went brows up. She clearly recognized there was so much more to tell but was kind enough not to ask questions with an audience.

“I know I’m with Lucas and all,” Molly said. “And I’m crazy in love. But I’ve worked out with Caleb, and you should know, he’s holy-cow hot.”

This was something Sadie already knew.

“And best yet,” Molly went on, “for being rich and kind of famous, he’s a good guy, just really . . . normal.”

Actually, in Sadie’s book, “normal” was not a point in his favor. Wes had been textbook “normal.” But then he’d been cruel and tried to break her down.

No. Scratch that. She’d done that to herself. And she’d walked away from men for a bit. But a bit had turned into three years and it was entirely possible she was still broken. “I don’t trust my judgment,” she admitted.

The girls all looked at each other. Then Molly reached out and took Sadie’s hand. “I get that. There was a time when that was true for me too.”

“How did you get over it?” Sadie asked.

“Went with my heart,” Molly said. “And trust me, I didn’t go quietly. Actually, I went kicking and screaming. But I went. And it’s been great, even if late last night we had to both get out of bed and measure it to make sure we were sleeping on equal sides of the mattress.”

“I had huge trust issues,” Willa told Sadie. “Keane was a huge risk for me, but now look at us . . .” She pulled out her phone. “He sends me pics of him doing household chores because he knows it turns me on.”

Everyone looked at a picture of Keane feather dusting the furniture with a come-hither sex kitten pose. The next shot was him in only a pair of jeans, riding the carpet cleaner like it was a bucking bronco.

“Wow,” Ivy said and they all murmured their agreement because it was true. The man looked good getting his clean on.

“I was pretty screwed up too,” Molly told Sadie. “But now I’m with Lucas, who turned out to be my best friend and soul mate. And trust me, if it worked out for us, then anyone can fall in love—” She broke off to read an incoming text. “Oh hell no. Eat my molten lava cake leftovers and die,” she muttered as she typed. “Sorry.” She set her phone aside. “That was Lucas. What was I saying?”

“That you’re with your best friend and soul mate,” Sadie said dryly. “You said that right before you threatened him with death.”

Willa smiled. “See? Marriage is great.”

Ivy turned to Sadie. “How about you go out with Caleb just for fun and see what happens?”

Spoken like a person who was as single as Sadie. But could it be that easy? Could she go out with Caleb for the simple attraction and not worry about anything else? She looked into Ivy’s sincere face, and then the others, who all nodded encouragingly. She blew out a breath and picked up her phone. She typed two words: Tomorrow night. And then a minute later got a response: You’re on .

“Oh shit,” she whispered.

“Brownie points to him for not playing coy and pretending he didn’t know what you were saying yes to,” Ivy said. “And nice label you gave him. Is it working?”

No. “Yes.”

“See?” Molly said. “He really is a good guy, Sadie.”

Sadie drew in a shaky breath and told herself to lock it down. She had twenty-four hours before she had to panic. She looked over at her friends, each of whom agreed that Caleb was a good guy.

All signs pointed to that being the truth. But whether it was bad experiences or maybe just her sheer stubbornness, she wasn’t quite ready to jump into the water yet. Which was dumb. She’d already slept with him. What did she have to feel worried about?

Her phone buzzed once more and everyone’s gaze went to her phone.

Do Not Even Think About Falling For This Guy: Bring gym clothes.





“Interesting name you gave him,” Ivy murmured.

But Sadie couldn’t concentrate on that. “Gym clothes?”

Molly grimaced. “Okay, so even good guys can be stupid.”

“We need to withhold judgment,” Ivy said calmly. “He might be doing a misdirect for Ms. Anxiety City over here.”

They all looked at Sadie.

“I’m not anxious!” she said. A big fat lie of course. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs, her face was overheated, and she was squirming. She never squirmed. “Oh my God, this is ridiculous. I should cancel—” She reached for her phone but Ivy snatched it first.

“You can do this,” she said very kindly and very gently. “You’re a big girl.”

“A big girl wouldn’t be flop sweating in some very uncomfortable places,” Sadie said.

Ivy laughed and turned to the others. “A show of hands on whether or not she should go out with Caleb.”

Everyone raised their hands.

Sadie felt like an idiot. But a cared-for idiot. “Fine. I’ll do it.”