up to now was that sex and romance had always been out of the equation. She’d been committed to someone else all these years, and Nick had always treated her like she was a different species from his long line of hook-ups, and never laid a hand on her.
He’d always been perfectly clear, hadn’t he, about his boundaries and his limitations? He had every right to be the way he was. And he wasn’t the one who crossed the line. She was the one who’d messed with the formula. So she couldn’t blame Nick if he didn’t respond the way she was hoping.
But, God, it just sucked.
Apparently, she could only have smart, funny, wonderful Nick in her life if she kept her hands off of him. Forever. And she wasn’t sure she could manage to do that anymore, now that she knew what it felt like, now that she realized how much she wanted it. It was like that old story... Who was it, Aladdin? Who found a cave full of gold and jewels and tapestries, but if he touched even one bit of treasure, it would turn to dull sand and bury him alive.
Still clutching the piece of aspen branch, she pressed her forearms into her belly and doubled over, trying to make the sick feeling go away.
A second later, though, footsteps came crunching over the gravel towards her. Damn , apparently misery was about to get a little company.
“Oh, hey!” a female voice said.
Shit. It was Ruby Torres, of all people. Looking stunningly gorgeous of course. Though she was wiping the corner of one eye with the heel of her hand and, now that Amber took a second look, Ruby’s eyes looked a little red, like she’d been hit with allergies—or like she might just have been crying.
Misery for her, too, I guess .
Good Lord, what was up with everybody right now? Wasn’t life supposed to feel simpler and more serene out here in nature?
“Sorry,” said Ruby, stopping in her tracks. She must have gotten a good look at Amber’s expression, because she half-pivoted to go back the way she’d come. “Didn’t mean to disturb you. I was just trying to—”
“Find some privacy?”
“Yeah,” she said ruefully.
Damn —under all the flash and glamor, the diva had an awfully vulnerable side.
And she may have slept with Nick, but she couldn’t have known Amber had any claim to him. Last they all met, Amber still had a fianc é —and Nick clearly didn’t take time to update her before inviting her to bed.
Amber waved her over. “Might as well join me.”
Ruby hesitated a moment, glancing at the shredded leaves on the branch in Amber’s hands. She raised one perfectly-groomed black eyebrow. “Whoa. What’d that tree ever do to you?”
Amber looked down at the tattered mess she was holding. What should she say? Just taking out my frustrations about my best friend screwing both of us within 24 hours?
“It killed my father,” she said instead, in her best Inigo Montoya imitation. “It had to die.”
Ruby actually laughed at that, and ambled the last few feet closer. She propped her notorious derriere against the fence at Amber’s side, and they stayed there in silence while Ruby gazed around, taking in the picturesque sight of green garbage bins and storage sheds and the rack of black solar panels hidden back here.
“ Mierda ,” she said after a bit. “This feels like hanging behind the bleachers in high school. Like when everybody snuck off from History class, you know?”
Amber couldn’t help smiling at the idea of Ruby Torres ever doing something as mundane as cutting class. “It was Chemistry for me,” she admitted. “I always liked History.”
“Figures. You like stories,” said Ruby, glancing over. “You went to college and everything, right?”
“Yeah. Oberlin. With Nick, actually.” She hoped her voice didn’t hitch too obviously when she spoke his name.
“That’s awesome,” Ruby said softly. “I always wish I’d gotten to go.”
And damn . Ruby’s face looked so wistful, it was hard not to feel for her.
“Well,” said
He’d always been perfectly clear, hadn’t he, about his boundaries and his limitations? He had every right to be the way he was. And he wasn’t the one who crossed the line. She was the one who’d messed with the formula. So she couldn’t blame Nick if he didn’t respond the way she was hoping.
But, God, it just sucked.
Apparently, she could only have smart, funny, wonderful Nick in her life if she kept her hands off of him. Forever. And she wasn’t sure she could manage to do that anymore, now that she knew what it felt like, now that she realized how much she wanted it. It was like that old story... Who was it, Aladdin? Who found a cave full of gold and jewels and tapestries, but if he touched even one bit of treasure, it would turn to dull sand and bury him alive.
Still clutching the piece of aspen branch, she pressed her forearms into her belly and doubled over, trying to make the sick feeling go away.
A second later, though, footsteps came crunching over the gravel towards her. Damn , apparently misery was about to get a little company.
“Oh, hey!” a female voice said.
Shit. It was Ruby Torres, of all people. Looking stunningly gorgeous of course. Though she was wiping the corner of one eye with the heel of her hand and, now that Amber took a second look, Ruby’s eyes looked a little red, like she’d been hit with allergies—or like she might just have been crying.
Misery for her, too, I guess .
Good Lord, what was up with everybody right now? Wasn’t life supposed to feel simpler and more serene out here in nature?
“Sorry,” said Ruby, stopping in her tracks. She must have gotten a good look at Amber’s expression, because she half-pivoted to go back the way she’d come. “Didn’t mean to disturb you. I was just trying to—”
“Find some privacy?”
“Yeah,” she said ruefully.
Damn —under all the flash and glamor, the diva had an awfully vulnerable side.
And she may have slept with Nick, but she couldn’t have known Amber had any claim to him. Last they all met, Amber still had a fianc é —and Nick clearly didn’t take time to update her before inviting her to bed.
Amber waved her over. “Might as well join me.”
Ruby hesitated a moment, glancing at the shredded leaves on the branch in Amber’s hands. She raised one perfectly-groomed black eyebrow. “Whoa. What’d that tree ever do to you?”
Amber looked down at the tattered mess she was holding. What should she say? Just taking out my frustrations about my best friend screwing both of us within 24 hours?
“It killed my father,” she said instead, in her best Inigo Montoya imitation. “It had to die.”
Ruby actually laughed at that, and ambled the last few feet closer. She propped her notorious derriere against the fence at Amber’s side, and they stayed there in silence while Ruby gazed around, taking in the picturesque sight of green garbage bins and storage sheds and the rack of black solar panels hidden back here.
“ Mierda ,” she said after a bit. “This feels like hanging behind the bleachers in high school. Like when everybody snuck off from History class, you know?”
Amber couldn’t help smiling at the idea of Ruby Torres ever doing something as mundane as cutting class. “It was Chemistry for me,” she admitted. “I always liked History.”
“Figures. You like stories,” said Ruby, glancing over. “You went to college and everything, right?”
“Yeah. Oberlin. With Nick, actually.” She hoped her voice didn’t hitch too obviously when she spoke his name.
“That’s awesome,” Ruby said softly. “I always wish I’d gotten to go.”
And damn . Ruby’s face looked so wistful, it was hard not to feel for her.
“Well,” said
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