“Why are you whispering? And why do you sound like you’re still in bed? Kaya and I have been waiting for you for twenty minutes.”
“How can I sound like I’m still in bed? You don’t have any evidence—waiting for what?”
“You forgot.” Bailey groaned. “The last big hurrah before Casa Rincon closes? The birthday party that everyone in town is going to? That thing we’ve been planning to go to for months? Ringing any bells yet?”
Shit. All the sex had scrambled her brain. “I haven’t even gotten in the shower yet.”
“There’s no time for that now. Throw on some sweats and you can shower and change at my place tonight. I even found you an outfit. Bring whatever you need for later, because we’ll be busy decorating all day.”
All day.
Liam was still sleeping, and when he woke up, she’d planned to tell him about the apartment that was available over one of the local bookstores. She’d planned to ask him if he’d like to go out to dinner, instead of cooking for her, so she could lay out her ideas for transforming their platonic relationship into a romantic one.
I think last night blew those plans out of the water.
And what about what he wanted to tell her? Was she ready to find out what it was at breakfast, with the evidence of last night all over the house? All over her skin?
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Nine,” Bailey demanded before hanging up.
She grabbed some fresh clothes, her makeup bag and a few pairs of shoes, leaving a note for Liam to tell him where she’d be until tonight.
Running away again?
Not permanently. She added a few lines to her note and snuck out the door like a criminal.
“We’ll talk tonight,” she told herself as she backed her overly loud car out of the driveway.
He’d understand.
You hope.
***
“What have you done with the old Dani, and can we please fool around until she gets back?”
She turned, wobbling on her heels to find Jace leering playfully in her direction. His eyes dropped, widened, and then he was swiftly looking away to scan the room. “Shit. Where’s Liam?”
Dani rolled her eyes in irritation, attempting to tug her neckline up and out of the dangerous nip-slip zone. “Sorry. It’s Bailey’s fault. She dressed me tonight.”
“Sorry about what?” Jace said to her earlobe. “I didn’t see anything. Not that I was looking. But since you mentioned it, make sure you tell him I definitely wasn’t looking as soon as you see him. I can’t believe he isn’t dragging you out of here, to be honest. Has he seen you yet?”
She crossed her arms, dropping them when she realized it only made things worse. “Liam doesn’t tell me what to wear, Jace. Maybe you are a Neanderthal.”
He scoffed, staring at the space over her shoulder. “Kaya said that about me, right? I’ll take that as a compliment. Those guys were artistic and romantic as fuck. And I don’t think it’s a secret that Liam doesn’t like other men looking at you, even when you’re in flannel or those ugly orange snow pants you like. This ensemble might send him into cardiac arrest.”
She hadn’t thought about that. “I don’t know where he is, Jace, so it doesn’t matter what I’m wearing. I’ve been decorating, so I haven’t seen him all day. I thought you might have talked to him.”
She’d been watching the door all night. She’d barely spoken to anyone, which was a feat in itself since Casa Rincon was packed and so loud it should have been hard to think. But Dani still managed it. She was too worried she’d made a mistake by not waking him up.
He hadn’t answered any of her text messages.
Last night had been a revelation for her. But it wasn’t until she’d left instead of facing him—again—that she realized she’d worded her wish incorrectly. It wasn’t other people she needed to trust again. It was herself.
Her judgment. Her decisions.
Her heart.
She loved him, and she didn’t need to prove anything to him or herself before she allowed herself to have him. To be happy.
Liam made her happy. Or he would if he would get his ass to the bar or answer his phone.
“Maybe I should take a picture of you and text it to him. Believe me, if he knew you were out here, surrounded by single men and dressed like that? He’d be here yesterday.”
Jace was making her more self-conscious than she had been when she’d originally gotten out of the car. She’d told Bailey she wanted to feel sexy, but they might have gone a little overboard.
At least there wasn’t a neon pink zebra stripe in sight, which was Bailey’s usual style. But what the dark blue dress lacked in eccentricity, it made up for in missing fabric. Her bathing suit hid more of her body than this.