Between Friends (Friends with Benefits) (11 page)

“How is it too late?” Confusion and disappointment rang clear in his voice.

“I’m dating again.”

“Who is he?” he asked without missing a beat.

“They.” I may as well lay it all on the line.

“
They?
There’s more than one guy?” I heard a soft groan and I could picture him rolling his eyes as he so often did. “Fine, who are they?”

I shrugged. “Just a couple of guys I met a while back.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said unequivocally. “They’re not willing to offer you what I am.”

I wanted to laugh. His smugness hadn’t been dampened by his so-called heartbreak over losing me. “And what’s that, Nathan?” I asked wearily.

“Simple: everything.”

That wiped the smirk off my face.
Everything.
The marriage, the kids… It could all be mine. But only if I did the last thing I wanted to do.

I had to let Evan and Justin go for good.

Nina pouted for the millionth time as I packed. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me here alone.”

“You have the most active social life of anyone I know, you nut.” I laughed. “You’ll be fine. Besides, it’s only three months, and that’s
if
they even decide to go with Innovative Images.”

Nina waved my comment away. “Please, they’ll go with them. Your presentation is gonna blow them away, girl.”

I gave her a quick hug. “Thanks.” We stared at each other for a few seconds and I felt my eyes sting. “Three months, tops.”

Nina fanned her own eyes. “Three months,” she said. She looked at Doodle, who was sleeping peacefully on a small pile of my underwear. “What are you gonna do with Doodle? Is your sis keeping him?”

I scoffed. “I don’t trust Tessa to take care of herself, let alone my dog. Nope, my baby’s coming with me.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“They just let folks bring their pets to London?”

“Actually, no, I’ll have to fly into France and then catch a ferry or maybe drive if I’m feeling really adventurous.” I saw Nina’s confused look. “You can’t fly with your dog in the cabin when you’re flying into London for some reason. Anyway, he ain’t cargo, that’s all there is to it.”

Nina looked at me a moment before laughing. “Yeah, you need a kid, all right, because this dog is entirely too damned spoiled.”

We laughed and talked some more until the day gave way to night. Nina was reluctant to leave and I knew why; I was reluctant to let her go for the same reason.

“When are you leaving, again?”

“My flight leaves at nine in the morning.”

Nina nodded as she walked to the door. She turned back to look at me. “Okay,” she shrugged, “whatever, it’s three months.” A tear escaped and made its way down her cheek. She pulled me in for one last hug. “Call me, you brat. Promise.”

I smiled as I felt my own tear slide down my cheek and drip down my chin. “Promise me you’ll stop watching so much damn Univision.”

We laughed before letting each other go. Our eyes connected one last time.

“Love you,” Nina said.

“I love you, too.”

She turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

I sat down on the loveseat and looked around as if seeing my apartment for the first time. I was keeping the place, but, still, I’d miss it until I came back. This was home. For the time being. At least until I got the home I was really waiting for, the one that I’d share with my husband and fill with children. I dropped my head as I thought about it. Maybe Nathan really
was
the one. Did it matter if he didn’t give me raging orgasms or make my heart flutter and do other stupid things? I needed stability here, not a classic romance.

The knock roused me from my daydream and Doodle’s bark fest began in earnest. I brushed at my eyes before I swung the door open. Nina must have wanted one last hu—

Evan and Justin stood there, staring at me.

“So you plan on leaving and don’t bother to tell us?” Justin asked, his light blue eyes flashing with anger.

“It’s a little fucked up to hear it from your friend.” Evan’s voice was as cold as the look in his hazel eyes.

Damn Nina and her big mouth. This was one goodbye—well, two—that I did
not
think I could handle. I stepped aside so they could enter. Doodle gave their lower legs his usual assault until they’d each taken the time to pay him a bit of attention. Once he was satisfied, he trotted off toward the bedroom.

Justin crossed his arms. “What’s been going on with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know damn well what I mean.”

I looked up at Evan, always the more understanding of the two.

He clenched his jaw, but said nothing.

I knew very well what Justin had meant, of course. After the threesome, I’d pulled away both physically and emotionally; though, emotionally, the damage had already been done. I’d already started falling in love like a complete fool. I’d made up excuses why we couldn’t get together. I’d ignored their calls. I hadn’t answered the door when they’d come over to see about me. Each one of those things had damn near killed me. Distancing myself from them was like cutting off a limb. Who in their right mind would do it if it wasn’t totally necessary? It was too painful to contemplate doing otherwise.

It had only been two weeks since our unbelievably intense night together, but it seemed like I hadn’t seen them in forever. I ignored the overwhelming desire to throw myself into their arms and have a repeat of our threesome. There was no way to explain to them what I was trying to do. They’d think I was crazy. I was the only one with feelings involved in this scenario, after all.

“Look, we had fun while it lasted, but our night together was the end of the road for us.”

“Why’s that?” Evan asked.

“This was never going to become something serious, let’s face it. And I want more; I’m already thirty-three, I don’t have time to be a sex buddy to the two of you for the next few years. I want to get married; I want to have kids.”

“Sounds like someone specific is offering those things.” Justin pinned me under his stare.

I folded my arms. “My most recent ex, Nathan.”

Justin and Evan looked at each other before turning back to me and speaking at the same time.

Justin gave me a humorless chuckle. “You’re a damned fool if you do it.”

Evan rolled his eyes before grabbing a handful of his hair and blowing out an irritated breath. “Fucking insane.”

“I don’t recall asking either of you for an opinion. This is my life.” I needed to get them out of there before I lost the bit of willpower I had left in me. It had been slipping away steadily since I’d opened the door to find them standing there. “I’m leaving town, so this thing between all of us is through.” I walked to the door, hoping they’d follow. “You’re a couple of good-looking guys; you’ll have no trouble finding another fling.”

They both stared at me silently before walking over to stand in front of me. I looked up at them, trying to commit certain details of their features and personalities to memory. I would surely never see either of them again.

Evan, the sensitive, thoughtful soul with the great smile, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Justin, the incorrigible dark blond, cocky smart-ass with the gorgeous light blue eyes and sexy tattoos.

No matter what happened, these were my men.

And long after they’d walked out of my apartment, closing the door behind them, long after I’d cried like a baby over losing them, I became empowered and grateful once more. I remembered how bold I’d been, how assertive, and I knew that I could apply that to my life outside of the bedroom now.

I picked myself up and squared my shoulders as I finished up my packing before calling it an early night. It made no sense to cry over losing them. We were never meant to be anything long-term. It only made sense to embrace what they’d given me, given the world:

A new Stacy.

Vristen Pierce has been crazy about books for as long as she can remember. Romance has always held a special place in heart, which is why she loves to write about it! She believes love should come with no color boundaries and stays true to that belief by writing the characters as they come to her, no matter the race. She resides in Oklahoma, where she’s constantly entertained by the quirky characters also known as her family.

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