Chapter 13
“You brought wine,”I stated.
“I did,” Charlie said as she came into the living room.
“But I don’t drink wine,” I pointed out.
“It’s not for you. It’s for me. I can’t have girl talk without wine,” she said. “Um, it smells like a seafood boil in here…”
I groaned and buried my face into the arm of the couch.
“What? What did I say?”
“Bones took me to a seafood restaurant and I cracked my own crabs.”
“That sounds dirty.”
“It was. I got crab splatter all over my sweater. I even wore a bib, but it clearly didn’t help.”
“No, I meant it actually sounded dirty. Like, sexual.” She set the bottle of wine onto the coffee table. “Tell Dr. Charlie the problem. On second thought, you might want to shower first.”
By the time I got out of the shower and my clothes were in the dry cleaner’s pile, Charlie was already half a glass into the bottle of wine.
“Okay, tell me everything that happened. But also, how does he look in a tux?”
My shoulders sank. “Even in a tux that doesn’t fit, he looks perfect.”
“Oh no,” she murmured.
I nodded. “I’m going to be a puddle of hormones when I see him in the bespoke tux.”
“Will you jump Bones’ bones?” She sniggered.
I rolled my eyes.
“So, what’s the problem?”
“He invited me to a wedding.”
“Huh.”
“Right? Like, that’s weird. I mean, we kind of have this thing going on where for every date we spend in my world, then I have to respond in kind.”
“Date?”
“Not a date exactly. But the tux fitting thing. My world. Seafood restaurant where I cracked crab with my bare hands. His world.”
“Like a tit-for-tat situation.”
“Kinda, yeah. This Wednesday, I’m teaching Bones about forks.”
“As in which one to stab himself with the night of the charity gala?”
“As in which one to eat a salad with.”
“Ah. How engrossing. How will he stay awake during dinner? Wear something plunging, that’s my recommendation.”
“Charlie,” I warned.
“Fine. Okay. You want my professional opinion on this?”
“Professional opinion? What are you a professional at?”
“Getting involved with the wrong men.”
“Oh. Yeah, you are kind of a pro at that,” I teased.
She grinned back. “I think you should see this through.”
“See what through? He’s going with me to this charity event, but we have nothing in common. Nothing to bind us together long term. What’s the point?”
“That’s exactly the point,” she insisted. “You don’t want Walker Anderson. You don’t want Tyler, so what the hell do you want? Sounds like you need the complete opposite. Shake it up, Hayden. You’ll be better for it.”
“I wish I didn’t like him,” I muttered. “It would be so much easier if I didn’t like him.”
“That’s your mistake,” she said. “You gotta be like a rolling stone. Or Teflon. Or a Teflon rolling stone that enjoys men but doesn’t keep them.”
“So, you’re not keeping Savage?”
“Nope. I’m not interested in keeping Savage. Not like you want to keep Bones.”
“What? I don’t want to keep Bones. I don’t even know Bones.”
“But you’re going to get to know him because you’re going to spend time with him. The only time you won’t be talking is when you’re doing it. And even then, he looks like the type to talk dirty.”
“Can you be quiet now?”
“Hmm. Maybe. Got any food?”
“You sure you don’t want me to stay,” Charlie asked three hours later.
“For the hundredth time, no. Please don’t stay.”
“What if you have nightmares?” she asked.
“Then there will be no one to hear me scream.”
“God, you have a dark sense of humor.” She shook her head. “Now I really think I should stay.”
“Go. Go out. Have fun. Have some fun for me.”
“I’ll have a lot of fun. I just texted Savage asking if he wants to take me on a ride on his motorcycle.”
“Be safe.”
“I always use protection.”
“I meant wear a helmet,” I laughed.
“I will.” She hugged me. “I’ve only had like a glass and a half of wine and I won’t drink any more tonight, so if you call, I’ll be available.”
“That’s sweet. But I’m fine. I swear.”
We were standing in the foyer and I was about to open the front door for Charlie when I heard the rumble of a motorcycle down the block.
“Did you tell Savage to pick you up here?” I asked.
She slid into her boots. “No.”
“Then who—Bones? No. There’s no way it’s Bones.”
“You know anyone else who rides a motorcycle who’s been to your house?”
“But why is he here? And we don’t even know for sure if it’s him.”
The rumbling of the motorcycle drew closer until it sounded just outside my house. Charlie opened the front door.
“It’s Bones,” she said to me. “Seems like someone else is catching feelings.”
“Oh, go away,” I groused.
Charlie stepped out as Bones was coming up the walkway, carrying a plastic grocery bag. The porch light illuminated his tall, rugged form.
“Charlie,” Bones greeted.
“Bones,” Charlie returned in the same tone.
“You don’t call?” I asked him. “I could’ve been out.”
“I took a shot that you were home.” He shrugged. “Plus, I was worried that if I asked to see you tonight even though we spent all afternoon together, you’d make up an excuse because you like me and you don’t want to like me.”
Charlie looked at me. “He’s got you pegged.”
“Not yet, but here’s hoping,” Bones quipped.
Charlie laughed. “You’re good for her. I approve.”
“Okay, bye Charlie. Have fun tonight,” I said.
“I always do.” She saluted and then skipped to her car.
“I like her,” Bones said. He looked over his shoulder at Charlie who was still sitting in the driveway, the car not even turned on. “Is she going to leave?”
“She’s waiting to see if I let you in.”
“She and I both.”
With a sigh, I reluctantly stepped back and waved him inside. I closed the door behind him. He held out the plastic bag to me. “This is for you.”
I took the bag and peered into it. “You brought me loose leaf tea?”
“It’s supposed to help you sleep. Logan has trouble sleeping and swears by this tea.”
I swallowed. “Oh.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway. I’ll see you Wednesday, then?”
“Wednesday.” I nodded.
Bones made a move to leave.
“Wait,” I called out.
He looked at me over his shoulder.
“You want to stay? For a bit?”
“Do you want me to stay because you’re afraid to fall asleep alone, or because you actually want me here?”
I lifted the bag. “You’ve done this before.”
“Done what before? Brought a woman tea to help her sleep? I haven’t done that before.”
“No, I meant—never mind.”
“Never mind what?”
“You’ve done this before. The relationship thing.”
“We’re in a relationship?” Bones raised his brows.
I sighed. “Thanks for the tea. You can go now.”
“Nope. You asked me to stay. And I’m still waiting on the answer to the question I asked you.”
“Which is?”
“Do you want me to stay because you’re afraid to fall asleep alone, or because you actually want me here?” he repeated. “I get it, Duchess. You’ve got walls and you’re trying not to let them come crumbling down. But I came here with the tea because I care about you. So just tell me the truth.”
I sighed. “You’re a good sport, Bones. What you’re doing for me…I want you to stay because I want you to stay. I like being around you and that’s very unusual for me. I don’t…with men and I…I like you.”
Bones’ smile was slow. “Was that so hard?”
“Like pulling teeth,” I muttered.
He let out a laugh as he stepped away from the door toward the stairs. He sat down and began to remove his boots.
“Where was Charlie running off to?” Bones asked, rising.
“She was going to meet Savage.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I walked to the kitchen, Bones trailing me. “I’m hanging out with a biker. She can’t hang out with a biker?”
“Savage is…Savage.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what that means.”
“It means that if you don’t want Charlie to get hurt, you won’t let him near her.”
“Charlie won’t get hurt,” I assured him. I set the grocery bag onto the kitchen island and then went to fill the kettle with water. “And why are you warning Charlie away, but you’re not warning me away?”
“If you wanted to cut and run, you would.”
“We’re not even together,” I said in exasperation.
“We’re not?” He frowned. “How do you figure?”
“Because we barely know each other.”
“We’re getting to know each other,” he pointed out. “And we both said we’re not sleeping with other people.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re sleeping with each other.”
“Yet.”
I sighed. “I’m too tired for the mental gymnastics.”
“Mental, now there’s a word.”
I glared at him.
“We’re taking it slow, Duchess.”
“Taking it slow…but we’ve both admitted that we’re not sleeping with other people. That basically means we’re monogamous.”
“You don’t want to be monogamous?”
“Of course I want to be monogamous.”
He let out a long sigh. “Do you think I volunteer to wear tuxedos for just anyone?”
“I don’t know what you’d volunteer to do because I don’t know you.”
“Back to that, huh?”
“You’re a biker.”
“We’ve established that, yeah. I think your excuses for keeping me at arm’s length are getting kinda flimsy. You want me. Just admit you want me. I’ll wait.”
“There’s that arrogance I remember from the night I met you.”
“And I remember the moment the lights turned on, you high-tailed it out of there.”
“Play this forward for me,” I said. “After this charity event, how do you envision this continuing?”
“Well, I imagine I’ll like you even more then because I’ll have spent more time with you, and so far, I really like what I’ve seen.”
I moaned. “Bones.”
“What? I was being honest.”
“I haven’t even met your friends yet. And you’re talking like you want to keep me around for a while.”
“You’re meeting them at the wedding this weekend. You’ll like them. Especially the Old Ladies. You already met Willa. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Odd choice of words,” I said.
I opened a drawer and pulled out a loose-leaf tea strainer.
“Do me a favor, would you?” he asked.
“What?”
“Stop worrying about everything.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Well, try this. Just for tonight, drink your tea, we’ll sit on the couch and you can make me watch one of your other favorite comfort movies. And then I’ll put my boots back on and go home.”
“Why do you like me, Bones? I mean, honestly. Don’t you want to be around someone easier?”
“I’ve done easy.”
I arched a brow.
He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I think about you when I’m not with you. You’re different than I’m used to. Your world is different than I’m used to. I like a challenge.”
“Oh, I see. It’s the chase, right? As soon as I give in and sleep with you, you’ll no longer be interested?”
“You’re going to sleep with me?” He grinned. “Hot dog.”
My lips wavered and I finally cracked a smile. “Okay, okay, I take everything too seriously. I’ll try and relax about…this.”
“Orgasms help with relaxation.”
I reached into the cabinet and pulled out two mugs. “So does tea.”