Page 67 of False Start

The selfish part of me hoped it was the latter that let her feel safe to cut loose, to laugh and dance and sass my friends.

That was the Madelyn I knew.

God,I’d missed her.

The thought hit me with a roil of my stomach as I drained the last of my tequila when it was time to shut things down, my eyes on where Madelyn was taking a selfie with Mary and Julep. They took a normal one first, all of them smiling. Then, they did some type of smoldering look before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

“I like her.”

I blinked, turning to find Zeke to my left. He was drinking water as usual, sober since the day I’d met him, and he set his glass on the bar before leaning against it.

“How long have you two been seeing each other?”

I folded my arms over my chest. “It’s complicated.”

“How so?”

“Let’s just say we have history.”

He chuckled. “I know all about that.”

I smirked a little. I guessed hedidknow about that, considering Riley hated his guts after a rough patch they’d gone through in high school.

“Whatever happened between you two, it seems you’ve put it to bed,” he assessed.

I frowned. “Not really. Can’t put it to bed if you don’t talk about it.”

“What’s stopping you?”

I swallowed past the sticky knot in my throat, my eyes still on Madelyn across the room as the last song played.

“Fear of what she’ll say,” I admitted, turning to look at my friend. “Fear of whatI’llsay in return.”

Zeke nodded, clapping my shoulder. “When the time is right, you’ll work it out. For now, it seems like you two are doing alright.” His eyes were sincere as he looked at me. “She’s good for you, man. I can tell.”

“Yeah. For once, I’m not annoyed by your antics,” Holden added, sliding up on the other side of me.

“I haven’t seen you pull your phone outonceall night,” Leo chimed in, and then I was surrounded by my asshole friends who couldn’t help but rib me.

But I smiled through it all, because they were right.

I hadn’t reached for my phone. I hadn’t even thought about posting in days.

And Madelynwasgood for me.

My heart stammered a bit at the realization, because it was all under pretense.

I was helping her, keeping her safe from Marshall until we could find me a house, get her commission, and get her far away from Seattle.

She was just pretending to be mine, putting on a show for my friends as her part of our little deal.

But even as I thought it, something niggled in the back of my mind that maybe there was something more to it, something more tous.

I could still hear her saying my name in that bathtub, see her chest rising and falling as she chased a release she never quite found…

I smirked, eyes heating when Madelyn’s gaze slid to me from the dance floor. The music had stopped, the party over, and I didn’t miss how her cheeks reddened the longer I stared.

I can help with that, I’d promised her.