“I can’t believe you stood us up,” Taylor D’Angelo said as she perched on one of the stools in front of the breakfast bar, her dark brown hair pulled back into a long ponytail. “What was it you’d said? Nothing’s better for your ass than running and squats?”

“Well, it’s true.” Mina passed Taylor a water bottle, and then handed a second one to Megan, whose fair skin still bloomed pink with exertion.

“The hell it is,” Taylor retorted, sliding off the bar stool, then positioning herself so that her rear end was aimed at the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder to Mina. “Still flat as a pancake. Whereas yours is all perky. And not because of running, I might add. No, your ass was treated to a booty call workout.”

Beside her, Megan almost choked on her water.

“Well, it’s true,” Taylor said. “How much do you want to bet she stood us up because she was lost in post-coital bliss?”

“Not disagreeing. I was just thinking about the possibilities of a booty call exercise video.”

As Taylor and Megan laughed, Mina rolled her eyes. “Are you two about done yet?”

Taylor’s mouth curved into a thoughtful frown. “I think so. How about you?”

Megan shrugged. “Completely done.”

“Good, because—”

“Actually, I take it back,” Taylor said. “I’m not done.”

Mina let out a low, suffering groan, then pretended to bang her head on the kitchen wall. The banging was mimed. But the suffering was real. Because Mina knew damn well that once Taylor got something in her head, she didn’t let it go easily.

She’d known Taylor since high school, although they’d really only become close in college after they kept ending up in the same classes during undergrad. Now, Taylor was a grad student in the drama department and was also stage managing the calendar contest for The Fix on Sixth, making sure the stage was properly set, the microphones were working, the guys all knew what to do, and all the other details that freed up Jenna—the partner at The Fix who was overseeing the contest—to focus on the big picture.

Mina didn’t know Megan nearly as well, though she liked the recent transplant from LA.

A make-up artist, Megan had met Taylor when Megan had done the pre-photoshoot makeup for one of their mutual friends. Megan had also become close with Mina’s old boss, Griffin, although Mina still didn’t know if Megan and Griff were dating or just friends.

Either way, Mina liked Megan a lot, and when Taylor suggested that Megan join them on the fun run, Mina had easily agreed.

Of course, completely forgetting about the race probably wasn’t the best way to make a good impression on her new friend…

“Come on, Taylor,” Mina said now, before Taylor could make that very point. Or, possibly, a thousand more points. “I said I was sorry.” She looked at Megan. “And I really am sorry.”

Megan held up the now-empty water bottle. “It’s no big deal, really. It’s not like we were going to have scintillating conversation as we ran. I was doing good to draw air, actually.”

Taylor narrowed her pretty brown eyes in Megan’s direction. “You’re too damn nice. And as for you,” she added, turning her attention to Mina, “I have just one word—who?”

“Who?” Mina repeated.

“Yes. Duh. Who. Who was more important than running solidarity? Please tell me it wasn’t Jeff. He’s nice enough, but that’s not going anywhere.”

“Jeff?” Megan asked.

“This guy. They’re not dating, but…” She twirled her finger in the air. “You know.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Mina said, then opened the pantry door to inspect the contents. “Jeff and I are just—”

“Friends with benefits?” Taylor put in.

“As a matter of fact, yes. What’s wrong with that?” She knew she sounded testy, and she honestly wasn’t sure why. The thing with Jeff wasn’t a big deal because she didn’t want it to be.

“Nothing wrong at all,” Taylor said, and from her appeasing tone, Mina knew that her friend had caught the edge in Mina’s voice.

“At any rate, it wasn’t Jeff,” she said, then added salsa to the grocery list she was making for tonight’s party. It was going to be small—just a dozen or so of Darryl’s friends—but she still wanted to be sure there was enough food and alcohol.

“Tossed him aside, have you?” Taylor pressed the back of her hand to her forehead as if in a swoon, and Megan immediately laughed.

“Don’t be melodramatic,” Mina said. But even as she spoke the words, she knew that Taylor had hit on the truth. Jeff was of the past. And Cameron—well, she hoped he was of the present. But she was afraid they’d gone off the rails. Worse, she was afraid she’d steered them that direction.

All she’d wanted to do was not shine a spotlight on the two of them. And even though he’d finally told her that he understood her point, there’d been a look in his eyes that had made her stomach twist with regret.

“Boy, those people who design dating apps must love you,” Taylor said. “You’re like the poster child.”

“That is so not true,” Mina protested, Taylor’s completely unfair accusation pulling her from her thoughts. “I don’t have a little black book, and I don’t have a different guy on speed dial every night.”

“No, you don’t. You’re right. But we’ve been friends for a long time, and I’ve watched you push away guys who wanted to get serious.”

“That’s the point,” Mina said. “The guys wanted to get serious. Not me. Not now. I mean, someday, sure. But I don’t have time for distractions.”

Even as she spoke, she thought of Cam’s slightly crooked grin, of his commanding manner and firm voice. Of all the tantalizing things he’d whispered to her, and then the way his fingers and lips and cock had followed through with such delectable efficiency. Maybe she didn’t have time for the distraction, but she’d damn sure enjoyed it.

“I get that,” Megan said. “It’s hard to focus on your business if you’re sidetracked by romance.”

“Exactly,” Mina said. “Why would I work so hard at school and my internships and all my various projects over the years if I wasn’t completely committed to my career? And how can I be completely committed to getting my career off the ground if I’m supposed to be committed to a relationship, too? Later, yeah. But right now is critical.”

Surely Cam felt the same way? He’d been killing himself to get through two masters programs, and now that he’d been accepted into a Ph.D. program he was going to be even more busy.

Taylor actually threw up her hands. “Okay. Fine. You win.”

“Thank you.” She exhaled loudly, feeling smug. “I wish you could tell that to Darryl. He’s bringing some guy to the party tonight hoping that we’ll hit it off.” She made a face. “He thinks that since Zach is going into the entertainment industry it’ll be a match made in heaven.”

“Well, wouldn’t it?” Megan asked. “If he’s in your business, then it’s not really a distraction, is it? More like a perk.”

Mina shrugged. “Maybe.” Hell, maybe she was resisting Zach because he was Darryl’s set up. Maybe the guy really was great.

Maybe.

But even if he was, Mina knew it wouldn’t matter. Yesterday, she might have managed to peel her eyes open to really give the guy a look. But today…

Well, today, all she could see was Cam’s face. All she could think about was the brush of his fingers over her skin and the way he’d made her feel. Not sex. And not even just fun, but fun and warmth and wildness and need all rolled into one.

She didn’t want a relationship—really she didn’t.

But she couldn’t deny that she craved him. And she hoped like hell that when he’d walked out of her apartment that morning, he hadn’t intended it to be forever.

She avoided Taylor and Megan’s question about whom she’d slept with, then finally pushed them out the door with the excuse that she had to get to the store, and that she’d see both of them that night since Taylor was coming with Amanda, a mutual friend, and Megan was coming with Griffin.

“I can’t ask him, since I interned for him, but are you and Griffin dating?” Mina asked as she walked her friends to Taylor’s car.

Megan shook her head. “I won’t deny that there was a spark when we first met—or, at least, I thought so. But no.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Honestly, it wouldn’t have lasted, and I’m not sure we would have become friends with that kind of history hanging between us.”

Mina swallowed, thinking of Cameron. Had they screwed up? Was that unreadable expression she’d seen on his face advance warning of goodbye?

“He’s the best,” Megan said, unaware of Mina’s spiraling thoughts. “But he’s got a lot to overcome, and it gets in the way. I hope he finds someone, but I think she’s going to have to be a fighter to get through his thick skin. And I don’t mean the scars,” she added.

“I hear you.” Griffin had been horribly injured in a fire when he was a kid, and his face and one side of his body were still messed up. She knew he was in some sort of experimental drug trial, but that wasn’t going to magically erase the scars or give the wounded little boy who lived inside the man a shot of confidence.

Once Taylor and Megan were gone, Mina dove into getting the house ready and the food delivered. The food was the easiest, since all she had to do was call the store and ask her father’s assistant to send a runner over with everything on the list. For that matter, the house was easy, too. Her father had a housekeeper who came every other day whether the house needed it or not. She’d cleaned and dusted just yesterday, which meant that all Mina had to do was put away the groceries when they arrived, pretty up the party trays, bring up a few bottles of wine from the cellar, and hang the Congratulations banner over the big bay window.

And, of course, she had to make the cake. Duncan Hines yellow cake mix with chocolate Betty Crocker frosting. Simple—although considering her lack of skill at frosting, it would still be messy—but it was both of their favorites, and no way was she throwing her brother any type of party without making him a cake.

“Smell’s amazing,” Darryl said, coming into the kitchen and dropping his keys into the bowl on the breakfast table.

“Only the best for my big brother.” She’d just finished frosting the cake, and she passed him the canister. “In case you didn’t get enough food at your brunch.”

“More than enough,” he said. “But there’s always room for frosting.” He demonstrated by using his finger to scoop up a glob. “So my surprise is at six?”

“I’m not even calling it a surprise party anymore. Now it’s an ingrate party.”

He waved a chocolate-covered finger at her. “Not ungrateful. Just not surprised.”

“Yes, six.” She’d deliberately made the party early so that folks realized that it was an understated gathering. They could come by, hang out, and still keep all their Saturday night plans. Plus, even though Mina hadn’t invited many folks from The Fix since that was her world and not Darryl’s, there were a few crossovers. And since it was a Saturday night, Mina hadn’t wanted to pull them away from the busiest hours.

She and Darryl had gone to high school with Tiffany Russell, one of the waitresses, so she was a given. And Jenna and Reece were coming, too. Over Christmas break, Darryl and Reece had spent a full evening talking about restoring old cars—a hobby that Darryl loved but never had time for. It wasn’t a huge connection, but the guys had hit it off, and Mina liked both Reece and Jenna.

And, of course, Cam.

But she didn’t linger on the thought of him, because the second he’d sidled into her psyche, she’d felt that warm twitchiness, that soft craving.

Cam was a problem she wouldn’t be able to solve until she put on her big girl panties and had a talk with him. In the meantime, he lingered in her thoughts for the rest of the day, rising to the surface at inopportune times, like when she was showering, the sudden memory of him so intense that her skin prickled and she felt herself go soft with desire.

She’d barely pulled herself together when the party started—and then there he was again, walking in the door with Tiffany on his arm. Cam looked so casually sexy in jeans and a Henley that Mina had to fight the urge to touch him. And Tiffany looked far too cute in a pink sundress and flats, her wavy hair clipped up so that tendrils framed her round face. Bitch, Mina thought, but immediately felt guilty. Until that moment, she’d always liked Tiffany.

When Mina realized she’d been standing silently in front of them, she forced a wide, hostess smile. “Sorry, I’m still running over my party list in my head. It’s so great to see you.” She pulled Tiffany into a hug. “Thanks for coming. And you, too, of course,” she added to Cam. “But he was a given,” she added to Tiffany. “Years of being attached to Darryl’s hip.”

“I remember,” Tiffany said. “Well, not during school—you went somewhere south, right?” she asked Cam, who nodded. “But whenever I saw you guys during the summer at the mall or Barton Springs you were always together.”

“We’ve been tight for years,” Cam said, then held his arms out to Mina. “What? I’m practically a member of the family. I don’t get a hug, too?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you do,” she said, then slid into his embrace. She’d expected it to be a quick, perfunctory hug. It wasn’t. He pulled her close, so that their bodies were pressed tight together. One of his hands rested on her back, the other lightly squeezed her ass. And when she started to pull away, his voice purred low and commanding against her ear. “You were right,” he said, and she knew that he felt her shiver.

Then he pulled back, offered Tiffany his arm, and led her into the party, leaving Mina standing stupidly in the doorway wondering what the hell he’d meant by that.

---

“She keeps watching you,” Tiffany said. “What did you say to her?”

Cam and Tiffany were tucked into a corner of the living room. Tiffany was leaning against the edge of a bookcase, and he was standing in front of her, close enough that it looked intimate. “I only told her she was right.”

“About what?” Tiffany asked.

“That’s what she’s going to be wondering.” He reached forward and untangled a strand of hair from her hoop earring. Innocent enough, but it would undoubtedly look intimate to anyone paying attention.

And, yes, he knew he was being an ass, but he didn’t care. He had a point to make, and setting the stage with Tiffany was the fastest way he could think of to do it.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” she said.

“Into what? All you’re doing is coming with me to my best friend’s welcome back party. We came together. That’s it.”

She smirked. “Fine, don’t tell me. It’s not like I told you about my crush on Eric. Which, by the way, I totally expect you to keep secret.”

“Don’t you trust me?” They’d started working at The Fix the same week, and then learned that they shared three classes. There’d never been any sexual attraction between them, but Cam and Tiff had become fast friends.

“Don’t you trust me?” she countered.

“Fine. We slept together.”

Tiffany stared at him like he was an idiot. “Well, duh. Nobody goes through these kinds of machinations if sex isn’t at stake.”

He couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. “Let’s mingle, and I’ll give you the full scoop.”

They walked, and he did, making sure to talk when they wouldn’t be overheard. The bottom line was that Mina’s speech in bed had been one serious kick in the heart, not to mention parts further south. He understood not wanting to tell Darryl—hell, he’d spent years not making a move on Mina because of her brother—but her talk about it inevitably ending had twisted him up way more than it probably should. So much so that he’d gone home, stood in the shower until the water ran cold, and replayed the conversation over and over and over, trying to figure out what about it had made him feel like such a damn loser.

It wasn’t the way she’d reacted to him, that was for sure. She’d said she wanted him, and everything they’d done together had been evidence that she’d meant it.

She’d also dismissed the very idea of Zach, which had definitely made him happy.

She’d even suggested that they’d have a reasonably long run. After all, it was only early June, and she’d mentioned Christmas.

That, however, was the problem.

“A timeline,” Tiffany said, and he shrugged. “She saw the end before you two had even begun.”

“You sound like a psychology major,” he said, which made her laugh because, of course, she was.

They were by the table with all the alcohol, and he poured her a glass of wine as his eyes searched the living room and the connecting patio. The doors were open, and guests were mingling inside and by the pool. He saw Darryl talking to Nolan and waved, but his gaze didn’t linger until he finally found Mina. She was standing by the pool chatting with Easton, a local lawyer who was a regular at The Fix and, Cam knew, did work for her father’s company.

As if she’d felt his gaze on her, she looked up, her eyes finding him immediately. He saw a flash of heat in her eyes, then her brow furrow as if in question.

He looked away, his heart pounding, and offered the wine to Tiffany.

“She says she doesn’t do commitment, and I can live with that.”

“You can?”

“In a way.” He’d thought about it a lot. He wanted to try and start something with her; he knew that. He wanted to go slow and see what grew. To twine their lives together even more than they already were and see if they ended up being a fit.

They already had so much in common. Both focused on their educations and careers. Both with successful siblings. Both trying to prove that they could make it on their own. Him, despite growing up with no money and no parents. Her, despite a physical frailty and a father and brother who couldn’t seem to believe that she’d left those weaknesses behind.

He saw all that with the same clarity that he saw a story from the past play out in his mind as he pored over ancient documents. But those same documents also told him that sometimes the end was inevitable. The pieces on the chess board set in a way that no other outcome was fathomable.

And with Mina, she always set the board up for failure.

“But that’s not anything you can change,” Tiffany said after he’d laid it all out for her.

“No, but Mina can.” He nodded across the room to where Jenna stood, her back to Reece’s chest, their arms entwined. Gently, Reece tilted his head and pressed a kiss to Jenna’s hair. “They were friends,” he said. “Now look at them.”

“Jenna’s pregnant, you know,” Tiffany said.

He’d suspected as much; she’d stopped drinking alcohol during her off hours. “Did she tell you?”

“She glows. Plus the water.”

“They fit. And you can damn well believe neither one of them went in thinking that it would be over by Christmas. Because they both wanted the other one too bad.”

Tiffany turned away from Jenna and Reece to look up at him, her eyes wide. “You devil,” she said. “You’re making her jealous.”

“Nah,” he said. “I just want her to notice. I just want her to want. Not the fling. Me. At the very least, that might get us past Christmas and all the way to Valentine’s Day.”

He thought the comment would make her laugh, but instead, she just looked thoughtful. Then she stepped closer, until she was mere inches from him. She set her wine aside, then took his and put it down, too. “Don’t even look her way,” she whispered. “But I think now would be a very good time for us to go.”