She grinned again. “Twelve o’clock and don’t be late.” And with that she waltzed out of the room.

I dropped my head into my hands and rued the fact that I couldn’t resist her charms. She was so unlike any of the friends I’d ever had and although it had taken us a little while to warm to each other, I counted her as a close friend now.

“She’s got mad skills at persuasion, hasn’t she?”

I looked up to find Nash standing in the doorway, his intense gaze burning into me. My skin tingled at the way he was looking at me; a feeling I desperately tried to switch off. “Yes, she has,” I agreed. I remained guarded, not knowing what his intention was with this conversation.

He leant against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. The intensity in his eyes remained, and a new tension settled in the space between us. Something was going on here; I didn’t know what it was but my body buzzed with anticipation.

“I owe you an apology,” he finally said.

“Yes you do,” I agreed as I fought with the butterflies in my stomach. Where the hell had they come from?

He didn’t say anything, just stood watching me. The look in his eyes was beginning to fluster me; a feeling that was foreign to me. I waited in silence for what he would say next.

Pushing off from the doorframe, he came towards me, the muscles rippling under his fitted black t-shirt. I tried like hell not to look at those muscles, but I doubted there was a woman on earth who could pull that off. His voice dragged my eyes back to his. “I’m sorry for being a bastard to you. Please forgive me because I miss the hell out of you.”

His apology was simple, but the emotion tangled in his words was real. He meant every word he’d just said. I blinked. He’d stunned me; I’d never expected him to come to me with an apology. And certainly not a straight up one like he’d just delivered. The honesty and vulnerability in his words meant more to me than he would ever know.

I needed to lighten the mood so I went with sass. “I’ve missed you too, asshole. Don’t ever pull that shit again, okay?”

He grinned, and visibly relaxed. “Thank fuck.”

I stood and moved closer to him. His musky scent filled the room and did things to me I wished it didn’t. I did my best to ignore it; I had something else that he needed to hear and I didn’t want to be distracted. “I meant it when I said I’m the friend who will always be honest. I look out for my friends, Nash. And I only want the best for them.”

His grin sobered but he didn't shut down on me. “I know.”

I pushed him. “Can you handle that?”

He took a moment but he nodded and murmured, “Yeah.”

I smiled. “Good.”

It was a charged moment; there was a shift in our relationship and I felt it strongly. By the look on Nash’s face, he’d felt it too. But it was clear that neither of us knew exactly what it was or what to do with it.

Eventually he blew out a breath and took a step backwards. “I’ve got to go. We’re good, right?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

He nodded and then he left. And I slumped down into my chair, overtaken by confusion. What the hell just happened?

Chapter 7

Dayum, Baby ~ Florida Georgia Line

Nash

Fuck.

I had to get out of here.

Now.

I’d salvaged my friendship with Velvet but what the fuck had I just gotten myself into? There was a reason I didn’t do relationships with women; they demanded more than I was willing to give. And, fuck, I’d just thrown all my rules out the window for Velvet. I hadn’t been able to stop myself when she’d pushed me for more. Christ, I’d just gone in there to say sorry, but somehow she’d found a way to break my resolve. Up until now we’d just been casual friends; now it felt like we’d gone past that boundary.

I’d hightailed it out of there pretty damn fast and was now at a loss as to what to do. I’d planned on kicking back at the club tonight, but I needed to put some distance between me and Velvet. I was heading towards the front door to leave when a blonde approached. Her hand snaked out and landed on my chest. “Nash, where are you going?” she purred.

My dick stirred but I wasn’t interested. What the hell? She was hot and just what I needed tonight, but I wasn’t feeling it. “Heading home, babe,” I replied as I removed her hand.

She wiggled her hand out of my grasp, and went in for the grope. I still didn’t want her, and pushed her hand away. “Sorry darlin’, I’m not interested tonight.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’re always interested. I’ve never heard of you saying no.”

She said it like an accusation and my dick certainly took it as one. You’re fucking letting the team down here, he screamed at me.

“Yeah well, not tonight. I’ve got other things to take care of tonight,” I muttered. Like a stern talking to myself about rejecting women who clearly wanted to be fucked.

“I could come over after you’re finished with that,” she offered.

Christ, couldn’t a man say no in peace? I wouldn’t know because I’d never done it but surely there were men who did that shit all the time. I changed tactics. Smiling lazily at her, I suggested, “Not tonight, darlin’ but maybe another time.”

She moved closer to me and rested her palm on my chest again. “Well that would be fun too, but I’d really like you to fuck me tonight. I’ve heard ah-may-zing things about your talents.”