Chapter 15
15
Elle
I can’t believe how stupid I am.
Letting things go so far, nearly sleeping with Preston, after sleeping in the same bed with him, wasn’t smart.
I should be happy that he stopped things before they went any further. He’s leaving tonight. If things had gone any further, I probably would’ve regretted it as soon as he stepped on that bus and disappeared from my life for good.
I definitely should not be thinking about how Christian never had any rules about not having sex right before a game while staring at the salon windows and drinking a giant cup of coffee.
“Morning!” Audrey says cheerfully when she strolls through the door.
“Morning,” I mutter from where I’m slumped in my salon chair, spinning in slow circles between sips.
“So, how was your dinner date?” she asks while flipping on all the lights in the building that I forgot.
“Fine.”
“Fine? That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one. How was it really? And why do you look like something the cat dragged in?” Audrey asks when she returns to the front.
“Do I look that bad?” I ask, glancing down at my three-quarter length white and pink dress.
“You look adorable, as always. I was referring to your drooping shoulders, frown, and the constant chair spinning. You look sad. Did Preston upset you? If so, I will figure out a way to kick his big ass all the way out of town.”
“No. Well, yes, he’s sort of responsible. I was irresponsible.”
Audrey’s steps are loud as she marches over to my chair and grabs the armrests to spin it around to face her. “Spill, Elle. What happened?”
“We went to dinner at Vivace.”
“Ooh, fancy.”
“Yes, it is, and I felt completely out of place, like everyone in there knew I couldn’t afford a salad. For once, it actually made me appreciate Christian’s preference for takeout…”
“Bzzz. Wrong answer,” Audrey says before spinning me in a complete circle so fast that I nearly spill my coffee. “Time for you to forget that fool’s name.”
“Okay. Sorry. So, anyway, dinner was going fine, then Chr… the fool started texting me. My phone was buzzing like crazy. Then he actually called me!”
“Wow. What did he say?”
“He asked in texts why I hadn’t blocked him and threatened to come over if I didn’t respond to his messages. Preston answered the call and told him to leave me alone because we were having dinner.”
“Wow.”
“So, we made it through our meal without any further interruptions. Then, when we were outside saying goodbye, I did something stupid. Something very stupid and very public.”
“What did you do?”
Trying to cringe and hide behind my mug, I whisper to her, “I went back to Preston’s hotel room. People saw us and took photos.”
“Seriously? I thought you were still mad at him for being an alphahole!”
“I am. I was! I just went back to his room to watch TV, not for sex.”
“Uh-huh. Did you stay all night?”
“Yes, but we only just slept. I fell asleep on the tiny sofa. Preston tucked me into bed at some point, then he slept on the other side. No touching at all.”
“Okay. That doesn’t explain why you look like a sad puppy this morning.”
“Well, when I woke up this morning, I got dressed to leave…”
“What do you mean, you got dressed?”
“My black dress was so tight I couldn’t sit in it any longer. Preston gave me one of his shirts to wear.”
“Uh-huh,” Audrey murmurs with a grin, as if it’s a bullshit excuse.
“Anyway,” I huff, waving a hand in the air to move on. “He was awake when I changed back into my dress this morning.”
“Why didn’t you change in the bathroom?”
“Trust me, I’ve been asking myself that same question.”
“You wanted him to look, you little hussy!”
“No, I didn’t. I thought he was sleeping.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she tilts her head to the side and says, “Come on, Elle. Be honest.”
“I really didn’t think it through. I was just in a hurry because I couldn’t believe I fell asleep, that I slept next to him in nothing but a T-shirt and panties all night.”
“Did he see anything?”
“Yes. He saw my bra and panties in the brief second it took to put on my dress.”
“A matching set?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course.”
“You don’t wear a matching set unless you intend for someone to see them.”
“Whatever. Fine! I wanted to be prepared for our date just in case I stopped being angry at Preston for his alphahole move of asking me if I slept with the Bobcats players.”
“Okay. That’s all understandable. So far, I haven’t heard why you look all fuck drunk, ashamed, and sad while rocking a mean hickey on the side of your neck.”
Gasping, I slap my palm over my throat. “Crap. I forgot about that.”
“So, are you going to tell me how that happened? I’m assuming it occurred sometime after the hockey player saw your underwear.”
“Right. Preston followed me to the door when I was leaving, and he was blatantly…turned on, you know? We kissed, then his hand was in my panties, his mouth was on my neck, and I got off.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back the truck up. How are you going to give me all the details of everything except for the hookup?”
“It happened nearly that fast,” I admit. “Over and done. And then Preston was done.”
“You mean he got off too?”
“No, I mean that he stopped me, us, when it was his turn.”
“Oh. Why in the world would he do that?”
“He gave me some excuse about not indulging before a game, and how he was leaving tonight, so I took off. Now, I feel yucky because those seem like ridiculous excuses. Christian never had any sort of rule like that.”
“First of all, he should only be referred to as the fool from here on out.”
“Right, sorry.”
“Two, stop apologizing!”
I open my mouth to apologize for apologizing, then purse my lips together and give a nod of agreement instead.
“Good. And third, you didn’t tell Preston that part, did you?”
“What part?”
“The part about the fool!”
“Oh, no, of course not. I try not to bring up his name around Preston.”
“So, to sum up last night and this morning, you went on a dinner date, Preston ripped the fool a new one on the phone, then you went to Preston’s hotel room to fuck with the fool before tonight’s game?”
“Yes. That was stupid, wasn’t it?”
“You’ve got it bad for the woolly mammoth, Elle. There’s nothing stupid about that.”
“He’s leaving tonight after the game! That’s the other reason why he didn’t want to take things further this morning.”
“That excuse at least makes a great deal of sense.”
“What?”
“You just broke up with the fool. Do you honestly think that you’re emotionally ready to be with someone else, someone who is leaving town in a few hours?”
“No. I know it was for the best to stop. I just feel so…blah about it.” I swallow the rest of my coffee in one gulp, savoring the burn down my throat.
“Could that blah feeling have anything to do with you thinking that Preston, being the voice of reason, means he’s not attracted to you?”
“Well, yeah. What if that’s the basis for all of his excuses?”
“Elle, didn’t you mention he was standing at attention?”
“Yes.”
“Then you have your answer! Don’t go to the dark place, convincing yourself his stoppage has anything to do with you personally. He wants you, but he has a championship game on the line and knows that you’re still vulnerable from a recent breakup with his nemesis.”
“When you say it like that…”
“It all makes perfect sense, right?”
“Yes, thank you for talking me off the insecurity ledge.”
“That’s what besties are for,” Audrey says as she leans down to wrap me in a hug. When she pulls away, she stares at me seriously. “Now, on to the most important question — do we have tickets to tonight’s game?”
Smiling, I tell her, “I think so. Preston said he would try to get us tickets because he wanted me to come.”
Grinning like the cat that ate the canary, Audrey nods and says, “Yes, he certainly did.”
I roll my eyes at her innuendo. “You know I meant the game!”
“I didn’t. At least tell me if it was good?”
Huffing out a laugh, I tell her the truth, “I came so fast, I momentarily forgot how to speak.”
“Atta girl! Don’t let all your crazy assumptions ruin your buzz.”
“Easier said than done.”