“Shut the fuck up! And you kept this to yourself since Monday night?” Josie asked in amazement.
She knew me all too well. Normally, I would have told them everything, but something about how Cash and I got together that night made me hold back. I didn’t know if it was shame or fear that they’d ask about us ever getting together again when I knew full well he was avoiding me, but part of me couldn’t tell them if it had been just a one night thing.
“It’s no big deal. Two consenting adults having sex happens all the time,” I answered, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Liv. You like him. It is a big deal,” Josie said to show me she saw right through my lies.
Erin waved Josie’s developing interrogation aside. “Don’t give her a hard time. Liv, if you don’t want to give us the details, it’s okay. I mean, we never asked Josie about how it was with Sebastian.”
Josie’s expression twisted into one of disbelief that made me chuckle. “Are you kidding me? Was there any point at which you didn’t know how it was with him and me? It was the only time in my life that public displays of affection were the norm. We almost fucked a dozen times right in front of you two, so don’t give her any reason to keep hush hush about this thing with Cassian March.” Turning back to face me, she leveled her stare at me like the investigator she was. “Spill it or we’ll get it out of you one way or another.”
“It’s not a big deal, Josie. We had sex. It was pretty incredible. Tonight I went over to his house and we had sex again.”
“So are you two dating?” Erin asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
I didn’t know how to answer that. So far, all we’d done was have the most phenomenal sex of my life. He had been avoiding me after our first time together, which wasn’t a good thing, but that had been because he thought I expected him to court me like I was some maiden who expected a man to marry her once he slept with her. The truth was I liked the idea of taking it slow with Cash, but for an entirely different reason than he did. His was fear of commitment. Mine was fear of him, or more accurately, my fear of falling too hard for him.
“I’m not sure what we’re doing. I know I like him and find him unbelievably attractive. I think he feels something similar for me. Other than that, I can’t say.”
Erin appeared satisfied with that answer. Josie, on the other hand, had already moved on to the juicier details of my time with Cash. “So, what’s he like? Was I right? Is he incredible in bed?”
I tried not to smile at her description of him, but I couldn’t stop myself. The man was a sex god. Not that I wanted to tell them that, though. For the first time ever, I wanted to keep that part all to myself. So instead, I rolled my eyes and said, “I’ll say this. The guy isn’t all just good looks and money, okay?”
“I knew it! I knew beneath those expensive suits was a guy who knew how to take care of a woman. This is so great! You need this, honey. This is exactly what you’ve been missing in life. I knew that job was going to be good for you.”
Erin reached over and squeezed my forearm. “I think as long as you’re having a good time, that’s good. You know this is going to kill Jake, though, don’t you?”
“He doesn’t feel that way about me, Erin. We’re just friends.”
“And anyway, he knows he’s always been out of his league with Liv,” Josie added. “Money isn’t everything, Erin.”
“I know. I’m just saying I think he’s always liked Liv more than just friends. The last time I saw him the first thing he asked about was her and how she was faring at her new job at Club X.”
“Well, for someone who’s supposed to like me, he sure has an odd way of showing it. I called him after I got the job to say thanks for paving the way, and he barely had a minute to talk,” I said, remembering how abrupt he’d been with me that day on the phone.
“He’s been a dick ever since his stepmother began telling his father he needs to be doing something more with his life than spending their money. From what I hear, stepmama has been pressing pretty hard to make Jakey get a job and stop mooching off his family,” Josie said with a grin, displaying the dislike she had for him.
“Oh, Josie. You always want to find the negative in Jake. He’s had it tough since his father remarried,” Erin said in his defense, as she always did.
“I think somewhere between the hate you have for him because you used to date him a million years ago, Josie, and the sympathy you have for him because you remember the boy he was in high school, Erin, is where I stand on Jake. He’s a good friend, and we all had a good time back in the day. Those days are long gone, though. It might be time for him to grow up.”
“Maybe, but I still think he’s going to be heartbroken over this, Liv,” Erin said with a slight frown.
Josie rolled her eyes. “Forget him. I want to know more about Cassian March. You’ve obviously decided to go military silence on us regarding the sex, which makes me think he must be off the charts fucking good, but you need to be giving me something before I leave here tonight. I’m a single woman who works way too much. I’m living vicariously through you these days. Don’t let me down.”
Erin’s mouth hung open in shock. “Josie!”
“It’s okay. How about this? I’ll tell you one of my favorite things about him. Sound good?”
They both nodded, and I tried to decide what I liked best about Cash. There was no denying he was gorgeous. Those blue eyes made me want to melt when he looked at me. And that body. Oh, that body! And those tattoos. And the piercing. The list was never ending. I’d never been with a man so incredibly sexy. I had to choose something, but telling them about those things didn’t feel right. They weren’t going to let me get away with saying his business acumen made me hot, though.
“He’s got this way of talking dirty that makes my toes curl.”
Josie’s eyes lit up. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say something like that about a man, you know that? I expected you to say you liked his clothes or something about his eyes. That you went with something so sexy tells me he’s good for you, Liv.”
Erin agreed. “I think so too. Just remember as long as you’re happy, we’re happy.”
“I am. It’s nothing serious, and I’m okay with that, guys.” Standing from my chair, I hugged the two of them as I led them to the door. “Now let me get some sleep because I have work tomorrow like you two. I’ll call you.”