Page 50 of Just for the Plot

“You can’t live like that, Bower. You have to unpack. I can help you.”

“No.” She shakes her head and hops off the counter. “You’ve already done so much for me.”

I press my hand to her hip, keeping her in place against the cabinets, her eyes shooting up to me in surprise. “I’m serious,” I say, dropping my tone so it’s softer. “Let me help you.”

Her eyes search mine for a second before she says, “But you’re…you’re so busy and you’ve already done so much. I can’t ask you to do that for me.”

“You’re not asking me to do anything. I’m offering.”

“I know, but—”

I move in closer to her, watching her expression morph into even more surprise. “I have an afternoon game on Saturday. I can help after that. We could order pizza and tackle all the boxes. Get it done so you can retreat to a home after you get done with work.”

She swallows. “You, uh, you would do that?”

“Of course I would.” I release her hip. “But you’re paying for the pizza.”

She clears her throat on a laugh. “Okay, says the multimillionaire.”

“If you want the muscles to come work for you, then you’re going to have to pay up.”

“And the way to the use of your muscles is through pizza?”

No, it’s you.

But it doesn’t seem like that’s something I can ask for.

“It is. Pepperoni with mushrooms.” I wink and then shove the rest of my cronut in my mouth.

CHAPTER 10

BOWER

“What do you think ofthis one?” I ask Gabby, who is on FaceTime with me while I pick out an outfit to wear to my date that’s happening in less than forty-five minutes. “Is it too slutty?”

“Are you wearing a bra?” she asks, moving her face closer to the phone for a better look.

“No, should I be wearing a bra?”

“I can see your nipples through that shirt from here.”

I glance down at the white, gauzy material and see that she’s, in fact, correct. There they are. My nipples on full display.

“Maybe it could be nice—”

“No, we’re not showing nipple on your first date.”

“Pretty sure you showed nipple on your first date with Ryland, and look where that got you.”

“Technically, it wasn’t a date at all, just a one-night stand,” Gabby says just as Ryland comes on screen, grips her jaw and gives her a kiss that I can actually see melts a piece of my best friend. See, that’s why I’m doing this, why I’m going on this date, because I want that.

I want a man to be so possessive that he makes me melt in front of my friend on FaceTime.

When he pulls away, he says, “It was a date.”

“If that was a date, then I hope I have the same kind of date tonight, as this girl could use that kind of activity in her life.”

Ryland gives Gabby one more kiss and then says, “Be responsible, Bower. Use protection.”