The sun warmed Lauren’s face as she stretched in bed. She’d dreamed about Mazree and Reid. Waking up had ruined the best part—sex with him in front of the stone fireplace. She buried her face in the pillow. Subtle hints of his woodsy cologne inspired visions of snowcapped mountains and blue sky. Tangible, solid things that remained constant.
The doorbell chimed.
Only Ari would show up this early.
Lauren threw back the covers and put on her robe. She opened the door.
Fresh and summery in a pair of pink shorts and a white shirt, Ari breezed in and handed her a tall cardboard cup. “Good morning,” she sang out.
No one should walk around that cheerful. At least she’d brought coffee. “Let me guess—you’re here for smut chat.”
Ari plopped down on the tan couch. “Don’t leave out any details. I’m hoping reality exceeded my imagination.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon for you to imagine the guy I just slept with naked?”
“Territorial. I like it.” Ari crossed her legs and grinned. “I haven’t seen you this way over anyone in a long time. That means the sex must have been really good.”
“It was good.” Lauren sat on the green ottoman and drank her mocha latte. “Too bad I won’t see him again.”
“Why not?”
“One, I’m on hiatus, remember?” And lucky for her, she was back on the wagon. She’d almost fallen for him. “Two, his phone went off at least three times. You know what that means—manwhore alert.”
Ari waved it off. “Oh please. It was probably one of his buddies calling for a bailout.”
“Which proves my point. Manwhores need bailouts, and they tend to travel in packs.” Dread sank into her belly. “Oh no. I hope it wasn’t Thane. Did Celine call you?”
“No, but I’m sure it wasn’t. I drove by her house on the way over. Your Mercedes wasn’t in the driveway. She’s not home yet. Yes!” Ari pumped a fist. “Our girl is back in the game.” She sobered. “Now, let’s get back to you.”
Aw, crap, here it comes.
“In my humble opinion, you should have thrown out signals instead of lying in bed playing ‘you screwed me senseless.’ How was he supposed to know you were interested?”
“I didn’t let him leave after the first time. How’s that for a clue? Not that it mattered. He’s not looking for anything long term.”
“Whoa, back up. The first time? This sounds interesting.” Ari sipped her coffee and settled back into the overstuffed cushions. Her feet dangled in high-heeled sandals, inches from the ground. “Okay, you two went wild the first time, and then he—” She motioned for the story to continue.
Leave it to Ari to focus on the smutty parts versus simple facts. Now that Celine was straightened out, she needed to find Ari a boyfriend. Lauren looped her hair into a twist. “If you’re asking if he had multiple erections and if I enjoyed them, the answer is yes.”
“I knew it! Built like a stallion.” Ari happy-danced in her seat. “You can’t ignore that. Not hooking up with him again is out of the question.”
Exasperation pushed out a breath. “Like I said, he’s not interested. Besides that, he’s got hell-no written all over him. And what about that lecture you gave me about focusing on meals and stimulating conversation?”
“Well, did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Have stimulating conversation. Aha!” Ari pointed. “Forget about denying it. Your face gave you away. What did you talk about?”
“Mazree.”
“The woods?” Ari grimaced. “Oh well. If talking about Nowheresville led the two of you to getting freaky, who am I to judge? Forget what he said. I have the feeling you shouldn’t give up on him. Get dressed. I need pancakes if we’re going to plot guy strategy.”
Oh no. What the hell did she have in mind? Not that it mattered. No one argued with Ari’s sixth sense or logic. Lauren went to get ready. Funny. Reid did fit all of Ari’s criteria. She would share a meal with him in public, and he’d more than pleased her in bed. If he hadn’t left, she would have stayed cuddled up with him and maybe had more orgasms. He’d said he wasn’t interested in anything long term. She appreciated consistency, but she wasn’t aiming for an engagement ring. As long they were honest about not being exclusive, they could have fun together. What if she had attempted… What was she just thinking about? Huh. Gone. That was weird. Not enough caffeine yet to compensate for the mangotinis she’d enjoyed at the club. Oh, that’s right. Breakfast.
She adjusted the belt on her blue tank dress on the way to the living room. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”