Page 48 of Just a Little Tempted

Iwasconfident. And it was largely because of her. Raina was effortlessly charming in a way I could never be—warm where I was reserved, approachable where I was distant. I’d watched her win over Alexander at the gala and again tonight, and by extension, she’d made me look better than I ever could on my own.

“I’m a confident guy,” I said with a shrug. “You don’t get far in business with self-doubt. So is that what you think? Should we do away with the hot tubs?”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, and I had to force myself not to stare at her mouth. “You really want my opinion?”

“Of course. You’ve got a good mind for this.” It was true. I’d come to rely on her insights more than I’d ever expected. “I value your perspective.”

She leaned back against the side of the hot tub, looking thoughtful, her hands skimming idly over the surface of the water. “It’d be a shame to get rid of the hot tubs entirely. Maybe offering some kind of short-term childcare could work? Parents could book a couple hours of supervised activity for their kids and have time to enjoy the adult amenities. It would depend on the cost and whether it’s worth the investment, but…”

“A market analysis might help make that decision,” I said, liking the idea. “It’ll take time and a ton of research, though.”

Her grin was playful, her eyes sparkling in the low light. “Good thing you have such a dedicated assistant.”

I chuckled, relaxing more fully against the side of the hot tub. We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both of us gazing out through the glass walls at the star-scattered sky. The heat of the water was doing wonders for my tension, and having Raina beside me felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

“You know,” she said, her eyes drifting closed, “I’ve always loved hot tubs. I even had one for a while.”

“But you don’t anymore?”

She shook her head, water droplets catching the light. “I lived with my boyfriend at the time. He already had the hot tub when I moved in.”

The words landed like a punch to the gut. Jealousy—immediate, vicious, completely irrational—coiled through me. “You lived with someone?”

She must have heard something in my voice, because her eyes opened and she turned to look at me. “For eleven months, yes. But then Eli got a job offer in Detroit about two years ago. We split up, and I got my own place.”

Eli.Even his name irritated me.

It was little comfort knowing he lived in another state. Had she loved him? Had they talked about marriage? What had she seen in him that made her willing to share her life, her space, her bed?

I’d never cared about a woman’s past before. Not like this. Never felt the urge to dissect every previous relationship, to measure myself against the men who came before. But with Raina, I wanted to know everything. I needed to understand who this person was that she’d once chosen.

It felt like sizing up the competition. Which was absurd, because she was here with me now. But one question burned hotter than all the others.

“Are you still in contact with him?”

“Just randomly.” She said it casually, like it was nothing. “But he reached out recently to tell me he’s moving back to New York.”

My jaw tightened while something cold and sharp twisted in my chest.

“In fact,” she continued, seemingly oblivious to the storm brewing inside me, “he’s moving into his Manhattan apartment this weekend. He wants to meet up on Sunday.”

“You’re going on a date with him?”

The words came out harsher than I intended, but I couldn’t help it. Raina and I had agreed to see where things between us went, but we’d never explicitly discussed exclusivity. We hadn’t defined what we were. And the thought of her sitting across from some ex-boyfriend, smiling at him the way she smiled at me, letting him remember what it felt like to have her—

It made me want to break something.

Raina’s lips twitched, like she was fighting back a smile. “No, it’s not a date. Just a friendly catch-up. We’re getting coffee at Beans and Brew in the afternoon.”

A friendly catch-up.For her, maybe. I didn’t see any eager anticipation in her eyes, no lingering attachment softening her expression. But what about this Eli dude? Was he viewing their meeting in such platonic terms? Or was this his opportunity to remind her of what they’d had, to try to win her back?

Not if I had anything to say about it.The foreign surge of possessiveness made me think of what I’d witnessed downstairs after dinner.

“What were you and Chuck talking about earlier?” I asked, desperate for something else to focus on before the jealousy consumed me entirely. “Outside the restaurant.”

She stiffened almost imperceptibly. “What?”

“You said he was doing what he does best—trying to undermine things.” I watched her face carefully, searching for any tells. “What did that mean?”