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Chuckling, I shake my head. “No, not at all, but I don’t know what else to say, if I’m being honest.”
She turns to gaze out the windshield. “Well, have you ever done anything like this before?”
“Casual sex?” I shrug. “Yeah, I have.”
She wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. “No, not casual sex. I meant having a friends-with-benefits type of deal. It’s not a one-night stand. It’s an arrangement.”
I shake my head at her clarification. I’m no stranger to flings or one-night stands, but I’ve never crafted an “arrangement” before now. I’ve never felt the need to.
“Can’t say that I have,” I admit, glancing at her for a moment before returning my attention to the road.
She’s quiet, her hands nervously playing with the hem of her dress. “It’s just…I don’t want us to ruin our friendship, Parker.”
“I don’t want that, either, Chloe,” I assure her while reaching over to take one of her jittery hands in mine. “Maybe we should establish those ground rules you were talking about earlier.”
Chloe looks thoughtful as she nods. “That sounds like a good idea.” She takes a deep breath and turns to face me fully. “What kind of rules would you want us to follow?”
Smirking at how formal she sounds, I shrug as I pull into my driveway. “Well, let’s see. First off, no overnight stays. We’re not a couple, so we shouldn’t behave like one.”
She nods in agreement, absentmindedly twisting the hem of her dress around her finger. “And no public displays of affection. We’ll act like friends around others.”
“Especially Lauren,” I add.
“Also,” Chloe continues after a pause, “we keep the communication open and honest at all times.”
Smart. That way, neither one of us will get our hopes up or our feelings hurt. “We don’t want any misunderstandings.”
“Yes...” She swallows nervously as our eyes meet.
We sit in silence for a few moments as we process everything we’ve agreed upon. Sure, it sounds complicated and risky, but there is something exciting about it, too.
“Any more rules you can think of?” Chloe asks, finally breaking the silence.
“Just one,” I say before turning off the engine and looking at her intensely. “If either of us develops feelings, we tell each other immediately and end it before it goes too far."
There’s a pause as she looks at me, her eyes searching mine. Maybe to see how serious I am? I’m not sure.
“Deal,” she says, and we shake hands.
The fading sunlight paints her face in hues of gold and orange, making her look ethereal. Her lips part slightly, as if she wants to say something else but decides against it at the last moment.
“We’re here,” I say unnecessarily, jerking my chin toward my house.
For a moment, she just nods, half-absorbed in her thoughts. Then, suddenly, she snaps back into reality and unbuckles her seatbelt with a swift motion.
“Right,” she mutters under her breath. “Let’s go.”
With our newfound agreement hanging over our heads, we climb out of the car and head inside.
As soon as we step into my house, Chloe takes a deep breath, her fingers playing with the ends of her hair. Her whole body radiates determination and a strange kind of vulnerability.
I reach for her, taking her by the shoulders to pull her in for a kiss, but she pushes against my chest to stop me.
Chloe’s eyes widen in shock. “What are you doing? That’s not how this works, Parker.”
I frown, confused, and pull her closer. “What are you talking about? We both know why we’re here. Why beat around the bush?” The fact that my tone comes off as slightly sulky makes me internally cringe a bit, but having her be so close now that I know she’s attracted to me, too, is a struggle. All I want is to show her how much I’ve wanted her over the years.
She rolls her eyes but can’t help the smile tugging at her lips. “We need wine first. And music. Maybe a little conversation. You know, build up to it.”
