Chapter Ten

“If you need me, call me…”

As Cori stood at the beige marble topped kitchen counter at Alexa’s house, taping the bottom of a small empty packing box, Grey’s offer and the deep timbre of his voice played through her mind—a sensual caress that still made her shiver with need just like it had when he’d said it a couple of hours ago.

But sleeping together again wasn’t what he’d meant. Having him by her side at the party would have provided a buffer, but being with him again had been about having an escape, not involving him in solving her problems.

Alexa walked in the doorway of the kitchen, wearing a faded blue T-shirt and jeans.

She hadn’t been at the house when Cori had arrived twenty minutes ago. She’d pulled up a short time later, still wearing the clothes she’d worn to the party the night before. Apparently, there was a lot for Alexa to catch her up on. Long girl chats. She’d miss having them with Alexa. Sure, they’d talk on the phone after she moved away, but it wouldn’t be the same.

Cori forced a small smile. “Hey. I thought I should start getting the boxes ready. Do you have bubble wrap or packing paper to wrap up the fragile stuff?”

“Some. I need to buy more.” Alexa went to the living room and came back with three rolls. She slid a red metal stepstool in front of the counter near the fridge then climbed up to take mugs down from an upper shelf in the wood cabinet.

Packing would take a while. Almost every cabinet nestled amidst the stainless-steel appliances was full.

Alexa handed her two logoed mugs. “Where did you run off to last night?”

“I didn’t run off.” Cori wrapped the mugs. “I got into a conversation with an acquaintance.”

“Was it one of your angel investors?”

She’d mentioned Grey to Nat and Alexa once when they were laughing and chatting about old boyfriends. She’d raved about him so much, they’d teased her about still being in love with him. Alexa had a good memory and rarely forgot anything. Mentioning Grey now would just open up unwarranted curiosity.

Cori tucked the mugs into the box. “Nope. No one special.” She switched the topic to Nat. Their friend’s divorce hadn’t gone smoothly, and both of them were concerned about her, but Nat remained tight-lipped about her situation.

Alexa handed wineglasses to Cori from the middle shelf. “I wanted to leave with her, but she told me to stay put.”

The news made Cori pause in wrapping a glass. When she and Nat had texted each other last night, she thought Alexa had been there with her. “Nat left you behind? I assumed when I—ugh, doesn’t matter what I thought. We suck. You should be mad at us for ditching you.”

“It turned out okay.” Alexa gave a coy smile.

“From the look on your face, I don’t feel so bad about leaving you behind. Spill. What happened? Did you meet someone?”

“Kind of. Do you remember that Hot Body Hunk who danced for me at my bachelorette party?”

“Ha! How could I forget? You kept pushing everyone out of the way to jump on his lap during the Musical Hunks game.” The game had been similar to musical chairs, but when the song stopped, the goal was to end up in the lap of a Hunk. Alexa had managed to end up in a certain dark-haired dancer’s lap most of the time.

“I did not.” Alexa’s mouth widened with a smile. “Anyway, I saw him again.”

So that had been him walking into Escapade West. As Cori put two and two together about Alexa and the Hunk, she couldn’t stop her mouth from hanging open. “You hooked up with him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I didn’t leave his place until this morning.” Alexa laughed.

“Guess I owe Nat lunch. She was right about you.”

As Alexa came down the stepstool, she gave Cori a mock glare. “I can’t believe you guys had a secret bet going on me.”

“A small one.” Genuinely happy for Alexa, Cori couldn’t stop a smile as she taped the box shut. “I thought you’d join in the fun of watching the Hunks but go home alone. She predicted you’d live up to the Bash motto and get your freak on.”

“No wonder Nat kept throwing condoms at me. Too bad you guys didn’t get a chance to put them to good use, too.”

Actually, she and Grey had almost used every single “Do Me” condom that had been in her purse. But she wasn’t discussing that now.

“Yeah.” As she continued taping the box, Cori forced a nonchalant laugh. “Too bad nothing exciting happened. At least not for me. Nope. Nothing to report.” Other than a lot of orgasms, her mother cockblocking her, and Grey ending up stuck in the pantry closet. And how she’d pathetically stood at the closed front door after he’d left, breathing what remained of his delicious scent on the towel he’d used.

If you need me…

Grey’s voice, as smooth as silk, seeped into her thoughts.

No. She didn’t need him. Their one-night stand plus a few hours afterward was done. Finished. Over.

“I think it’s sealed.” Alexa took the roll of tape from Cori’s hands. “What’s wrong? And don’t say nothing. I know you. What is it?”

Her brief hookup with Grey was supposed to have been simple, not complicated. But for some reason, she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the situation. Taking a break from relationships for six months wasn’t just about enjoying herself but also a chance to figure out what she wanted. Now her mind and Ms. V were stuck on wanting Grey. She couldn’t let her vagina rule her life. Cori smoothed her hand over the top of the box. “I can’t say. I need to sort it out in my mind first.”

Alexa gave her a nudge as she put the tape on the counter. “You know I’m here for you, right?”

The sincerity in her eyes almost raised tears in Cori’s. They were friends for life. Not even Alexa moving a thousand miles away could change it.

“Stop worrying. I’m fine. Now enough about my boring life. Tell me more about your sexy stripper. How was it living out your fantasies with him last night?”

“It was…” Alexa’s face glowed.

“So great, you can’t even describe it. That says it all.”

“I honestly don’t know what to say. I couldn’t keep my hands off Rafe. I just wanted to have sex with him over and over again.”

“Ooh. He even has a sexy name. It must have been hard walking away from him this morning.”

“It was. I’m still tempted to go back to his place for a quickie.” Alexa gave her a sheepish look.

“Why don’t you?”

“Excuse me. What happened to ‘never retrace your steps back to a one-night stand?’”

That old rule again. But this was the happiest she’d seen Alexa in a while. If Rafe was the cause, she should keep seeing him.

Cori pushed the packed box farther down the counter. “If being with him was that enjoyable, I can’t blame you for wanting seconds. After all you went through with Brad, you deserve thirds and fourths. It’s not like you’re going to take him seriously. Right?”

“Theoretically… But what if the experience is like eating a piece of dark chocolate? I mean the really good kind?”

“Well…” Cori hesitated with a shrug as she thought about running into Grey and sleeping with him. She couldn’t deny she wanted more of him, any more than Alexa could deny wanting more of Rafe. “Then you have to apply the moderation principle. If you get just enough, you’re satisfied. But eat too much and you end up feeling worse than when you started.”

“True.” As Alexa took a plate down from the lower shelf and wrapped it, a contemplative look crossed her face.

Cori accepted the wrapped plate from Alexa.

It was true. And in Alexa’s case, the moderation principle would be easy to follow. She’d enjoy her last few weeks in town with Rafe then leave with some great memories.

And, honestly, if Grey went to Dana’s and Ben’s engagement party with her, she’d probably enjoy the moment. And as far as the one-night-stand rule, the premise that she’d based it on didn’t really apply to her and Grey, either. They already knew each other, and sexual compatibility had never been a problem for them. And it still wasn’t. So if they hooked up again before or after the party, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Like Alexa with Rafe, it could be a short-term thing. After all, he was only in town for a few weeks. No deeper feelings needed to be involved. So why should she suffer through the party alone if she didn’t have to?

When they took a break for Alexa to pick up their takeout order from the Greek place up the street, Cori made a phone call.

Grey picked up after the third ring. “Hey, Cori.”

“Hi.” She took a long breath. “Is your offer to go with me to the party still open?”