“Look at me.” I oblige, and immediately feel like a bitch when I see the concern and a little hurt in his amazing green eyes. “What do you have to be afraid of? You’ve already met her.”

“This will be different,” I whisper.

“It’ll be on her turf instead of yours,” he guesses correctly. I simply shrug. “Life happens outside of our comfort zones, sweetness. And she wants to spend some time with you. Not because she’s uberprotective of me, but because she loves me and she knows you’re important to me, so she wants to get to know you a bit.”

“I get it. If the girls didn’t get to interact with you at the restaurant, they’d want the same thing. They may want you to hang with us outside of work anyway, now that I think of it.”

“Of course they will, they love me.” He smiles. “Really, Addie, this isn’t a huge deal. She’s my friend. We’ll just go have dinner and you can get to know each other. You’ll like her.”

“I already do,” I admit, pleating the blanket in my lap. “Both she and Kevin seem really great.”

“So what night should I tell her?” he asks with a wink.

“Well, since I’m playing hooky tonight, let’s say Sunday night?”

“Works for me,” he replies.

“How did the other song go on Monday with Steve?”

He tilts his head in surprise. “It was good. It’ll be a hit for him.”

“I’m glad.” I nod and flip through the movie channels, looking for another girl movie.

“Thank you.”

My eyes whip to his. “For what?”

“For asking.”

He squeezes my foot once, then lets go and I crawl across the couch to him. I still don’t want to be held, but I lay my head in his lap and sigh when he runs his fingers through my hair.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“For what?”

“Being here. Even though I didn’t know I wanted you here.”

His hand pauses for a moment, then resumes brushing gently through my hair.

“You don’t ever have to thank me for being here.”

“And you don’t ever have to thank me for asking.”

Chapter Ten

Jake

She’s a mess tonight, and I wish I knew why. I wish I knew what put the sad in her blue eyes. Why are her shoulders slumped? Why does my usually strong girl seem so defeated tonight?

I know her well enough to hold off on the questions. Right now, she just needs me here, and I’m happy to sit through a dozen sappy movies, eat as much pizza as she wants, and simply be here with her until she feels better.

Her hair is soft in my fingers. She’s turned on another movie, a romantic comedy with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds this time. I wonder if she knows that Hard Knox has two songs on this soundtrack?

Probably not.

She laughs when Ryan’s character spills coffee all over himself, and makes a coworker trade shirts with him.

God, I love her laugh. She needs to laugh more often.

I saw a vulnerable side to Addie tonight that I’m pretty sure she rarely lets anyone see. It makes sense that she would be nervous to spend time with my best friend away from the comfort of Seduction, but I forget that Addie has a vulnerable side, because she’s so good at showing everyone how confident she is.

And I know it’s not an act. She is confident. But today, something threw her off her game, and it makes my heart hurt for her.

Addie lets out a little snore, making me grin. God, she’s adorable. I’m glad she fell asleep. She needs it.

And I’m not staying tonight. Because that’s not what she needs from me tonight. She barely wanted me to touch her, and it took everything in me not to simply scoop her up and hold her.

I have a feeling that the foot rubs and hair strokes were a big step for my girl.

I grin down at her blond head and brush my fingers down her smooth neck.

Mine.

Yes, she’s mine. Whether that’s for the short term, or for the long haul, I’m not sure yet, but I know that the thought of another man putting his hands on her makes me want to punch someone.

And that reaction doesn’t happen often for me.

I gently slide out from under Addie and replace my lap with a couch pillow. She stirs and smiles up at me, making my heart catch.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay, baby.” I kiss her forehead and then her cheek as I cover her with the blanket she’s been curled up in all night. “Just sleep.”

But she’s already breathing long and deep, hugging the pillow to her. I turn the TV off, and leave a single lamp burning, in case she wakes up and wants to go in to bed.

Before I walk out the door, I glance back at the woman curled up on the couch and feel my heart catch. God, she’s amazing.

And she’s mine.

Once in my car, I shoot a quick text off to Christina, letting her know that Sunday night works for us, then text Kat to report that Addie is sleeping peacefully.

When I got the call from Kat earlier, she told me that Addie needed ice cream, wine, and me.

And I didn’t ask any questions. I simply came. Because staying away isn’t an option.

The drive home is quick. Portland is quiet this evening, and the farther I drive out of town toward my house, the more it reminds me of small town America.

Which I love.

My house is dark and silent as I walk through, past the kitchen, to the piano. The song that’s been in my head since the day I saw Addie has been nagging at me, so I sit to work on it. This isn’t one that I’ll offer to another artist.