Page 57 of Nothing to Tell

He faltered.His pained expression faded in lieu of confusion.

“Robyn?”

Decision made, she wouldn’t beat around the bush.Bastian hosted her last night, he’d saved her from embarrassment in front of Damon and introduced her to his family.No, she was in no hurry to introduce him to her folks, but that was a whole different ball of wax she’d reserve for another time.

Friendship.Attentive friendship.That was what he deserved.And what better place to start than with his last heartache.That was the kind of thing friends talked about.

“Your ex.Your last significant ex.Were you serious?”

Stupid question.If the relationship wasn’t serious, would Robyn have met the Hunt family?Although… she’d met the Hunt family and they weren’t even dating.What did that tell her?Not to make assumptions, that’s what.Her assumptions were almost always wrong, but they wouldn’t be assumptions if they didn’t just pop into her head as pseudofact, would they?

She wouldn’t judge him, he’d never judged her.This was a good man.One who didn’t deserve to be mistreated by anyone, certainly not by a woman entrusted with his heart.If she found out this Robyn woman hurt him, she’d wage all-out war.

Still, it appeared he didn’t understand the question.In his defense, why would he expect her to ask or care when she hadn’t before?

“I wouldn’t say she was significant,” he said.“We went out for four, five months.”

“When did you break up?”Harper asked.

“November, maybe December.Why are you asking about Robyn?”

She slid onto a nearby high stool.“You know about Damon,” she said.“We’ve talked about our families and you made the effort to get to know me.I haven’t returned that kindness.I’m sorry, Bastian.I didn’t mean to be so selfish.”

When his dimple peeked at her, she guessed he didn’t feel the same way.

“We had to be a couple in front of your family and friends,” he said.“We had to prioritize.”

At the time, sure, she’d give him that.Since then, things had developed, for better or worse.

“Now we have to be a couple in front of yours,” Harper said.Bastian began cleaning up.“Give me that.”She took the cloth from him and rinsed it out before carrying on.“I need a pen and a piece of paper… please.”

Bastian rested a hand on her hip to step in behind her, reaching for a drawer.Before he got there, she bent at the waist to pick fruit from the crossbar of a stool and—whoa.Bastian’s other hand found her opposite hip and—

She froze.

Her tee-shirt had ridden up, now Bastian was behind her, holding her hips… and he wasn’t letting go.But she wasn’t backing off either.Should she?Should she slip free?Oh, she didn’t want to.

Her heart thundered behind her ribs sending blood rushing straight to her dizzied head.Her inner muscles clenched, anticipating the forbidden.Oh, bad idea.Bad idea.Good sense understood nothing could happen, her heart wasn’t so sure, whereas her libido missed the message of the myth altogether.

This wasn’t a real relationship.

It wasn’t any relationship.

Being in the home of a gorgeous man first thing in the morning, in a state of undress, mutual undress, didn’t mean there was anything between them or that this was going anywhere.

Those strong, capable hands slid up to her waist.There was little pressure in the move, but the tee-shirt hitched up further.Her thong wouldn’t hide much.Other than that scrap of fabric, she was naked from the waist down.

It should be awkward and uncomfortable.There, together in his kitchen, silent, her body bent over in front of his, it was almost inviting him in.Like a confession she’d submit to whatever his body required, she just stayed there, exposed for his visual consumption.

When one hand moved, she stopped breathing, anticipating where it might explore next.

A shrill ring wrung a gasp from her lungs.She straightened up so fast, her back bounced against his chest.His palm skimmed from her waist around to splay on her upper abdomen, steadying her, encouraging her to lean on him.

The shock subsided and… what was…Something pressed into her spine… some—that thick, powerful shaft betrayed his reaction to their… proximity.

He was hard.

Oh, God—and there was something else, his pulse raced too.So fast that it was difficult to differentiate his from her own, frantic, eager, deafening beat.