“Not many people know why I changed my number,” I admit.

“Thank you for telling me.”

I lead her over to my collection of DVDs. “Now, what are we going to watch? You pick.”

She peruses the titles and settles on a comedy. Then she looks at the screen that takes up an entire wall. “I knew you had a massive TV somewhere,” she says, laughing.

“A guy’s got to have priorities,” I say, walking her over to the first row of seats.

I look down at my theater-style seating and curse myself for not putting a couch in here, or at the very least, seats with retractable armrests. How in the hell am I supposed to put my arm around her? I didn’t think this through very well.

Maybe she doesn’t want me to put my arm around her.

But when I look at her, she’s eyeing the seats the same way I am. We share a smile, both aware of what the other is thinking.

I put in the movie and dim the lights. Then I grab a few bottles of water from the mini-fridge and take the seat next to her. I hand her a bottle. “I can make popcorn if you like.”

“I’m full, but thanks. Water is all I need.”

The movie starts and I immediately grab her hand and hold it the entire two hours. Neither of us moves. My arm almost goes numb from leaving it in the same position for so long. And when the movie ends, I can’t even say I watched it. I was too busy looking at our hands. Watching the way we would take turns rubbing our thumbs across the other’s knuckle. I was too busy thinking of how or when or where I was going to kiss her tonight.

Because I am going to kiss her tonight. There is no doubt in my mind. I have to kiss her. I have to kiss her as surely as I have to breathe.

I stand up and pull her along with me.

“That was good … I think,” she says, looking embarrassed at the admission.

I laugh. “I didn’t watch much of it either.”

The room is still dim, but not dim enough that I can’t see the way she’s looking up at me. She wants this. She wants it, too. But, like me, she’s plagued by hesitation and uncertainty. My heart races as I pull her close and put my hands on either side of her face as I lean down toward her.

“Caden …”

“Don’t think about it, Murph.”

“That’s the problem,” she says with a sigh. “It’s all I think about.”

Those are the last words she utters before my lips crash down on hers.

Holy God. Kissing Murphy is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Her soft lips immediately part for mine, allowing our tongues to mingle, tasting each other until we are left gasping for air. My hands leave her face and find her shoulders, her arms, her back—all the places I’ve longed to caress but couldn’t until now.

She puts a hand on my chest in the tight space between us. Her other hand makes its way to the back of my neck as she winds her fingers through my hair. Seductive throaty noises come from her when I break the kiss for air and let my lips explore her neck.

My hands trace every soft curve of her sides, longing to feel what’s underneath, but needing to take it slow. When my lips find hers again, we mold together, feasting on each other like there’s no tomorrow.

My hard dick is straining against the fly of my jeans and I pull her even more tightly against me. I don’t care if she can feel it. I want her to know what she does to me. I need her to know I think of her as so much more than a friend.

Before crossing a line I don’t want to cross tonight, I break our seal and put my forehead down on hers as we breathe heavily into each other.

“That was …” I can’t find the words.

“Yeah,” she says, catching her breath.

I give her a squeeze. “Don’t get any ideas, Murphy Brown, this isn’t a date, you know.”

She laughs, putting her hands on my chest. I wonder if she can feel my heart thundering underneath them. Because I’m not sure it’s ever beaten this fast.

I lean back so I can look at her. “But if I asked, would you be open to having another … thing with me?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. It might take some convincing,” she says, moving a hand to the back of my head and tugging on the ends of my hair.

“Gladly,” I say, leaning down for a replay of what I’m sure was the best damn kiss of my life.

Chapter Thirty

Murphy

A hand waves in front of my face. “Earth to Murphy,” someone says.

I look up, embarrassed that my boss has caught me daydreaming as I watch Caden run on a treadmill on the other side of the room. “Sorry, Jayden. Did you need something?”

“Did you get a chance to work on that spreadsheet?”

“Yup. I finished it this morning. Check the printer.”

“You finished it?” she asks, her mouth agape.

“Uh, yeah,” I say nervously. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yes. But I didn’t expect you to finish it today. Next week maybe.”

“Oh. Well it was easy enough once I broke Stephanie’s code about the different membership types.”

She laughs. “I was going to put in a call to her to ask about it, but I’m always afraid I’ll wake the baby.”

“When is she coming back from maternity leave?” I ask. “I’m eager to meet her.”

“Two weeks. I can’t tell you what a godsend you’ve been in her absence. I’m not sure what we would have done without you.” She nods to Caden on the treadmill as she walks back to the office. “You can go back to your drooling now, Supergirl. You’ve earned a few extra minutes of mindless gawking.”

I shamelessly look back at Caden, happy he can’t see me staring at him. Was it only a few days ago that he kissed me? I think I’ve replayed that night a million times in my head. It was perfect. The best first date I’ve ever had.

My eyes fall to the counter and I sigh. ‘This isn’t a date.’ His words echo through my head. I wonder, not for the first time since that night, if he only wants a friends-with-benefits thing. I mean, he did call it a thing.

Then again, I remember what he said that night about me having him if I want him. Did he mean have him as my boyfriend?

And then there is the whole three-strikes rule Lexi told me about. What if we go out three times and he tosses me aside? What if we have three incredible, perfect dates like on Tuesday and then he freaks out and falls behind his tried-and-trusted albeit stupid rule?

I really need to talk to someone about this. I would normally go to Lexi, but she’s his sister and as such, will be far too biased to look at things rationally. Maybe I can talk to Piper. Then again, her husband is good friends with Caden. And Trick is Caden’s trainer. I look around realizing there isn’t anyone I can talk to about Caden because all my friends are his friends. Because everything I have in my life right now is because of him.

Oh, God. A sick feeling washes over me. What if we don’t work out? I could lose all my friends. Maybe even my job.

Before I melt down into a full-on freak-out, someone walks up to the desk, pulling me from the rabbit hole. “Hi, Murphy,” Corey says, smiling.

I’ve been avoiding him this week. I’m not sure how to act around him after having asked him out last Saturday night.

“Hi, Corey. What can I do for you?”

“I haven’t seen you around much lately,” he says. “I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”

I pick up a pile of papers on the counter in front of me. “I’ve been busy. They have been giving me more responsibilities around here.”

“That’s nice. So, uh, would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night?”

“I’m sorry, I’ll be working.”

“How about Saturday?”

I look over at Caden. He’s just finished his run and is wiping his face with a towel. He looks over to see me talking with Corey and he leans against the wall, arms crossed in front of him. He doesn’t look pleased. In fact, he looks … jealous.

I’m not sure why that makes me so happy, but it does.

“I’m sorry, Corey. I appreciate the invitation, but I can’t.”

He looks briefly at the ground and kicks an invisible spot. “Are you dating someone?”

I glance over at Caden again to see him watching me intently. “Not dating, but, well I have this … thing.”

“Thing?” he says, following my eyes over to Caden. “I knew it. You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”

“I’m not sleeping with anyone, Corey.”

“Whatever. It’ll never last. He’s a baseball player, Murphy. He’s got women throwing themselves at him. Not to mention he’ll be gone half the year. You’ll never see him during baseball season. That is, if he keeps you around that long. Relationships between famous athletes and people like us never work out, don’t you know that? You’re the receptionist at his gym for Christ’s sake.”

I reach up and touch my scar, not wanting to let his words get to me. In one short conversation, he’s brought up every fear I have about whatever this is Caden and I are doing.

I see Caden making his way towards us. “I’m not in a relationship with him,” I say. “We’re friends.”

“Don’t let him use you, Murphy,” he says.

“Excuse me,” Caden says, pushing his way past Corey even though there is plenty of space to walk around him. Caden comes behind the desk and drapes his arm around me. “Everything okay here?”

Corey eyes the hand touching my shoulder. “I was just talking to your friend here,” he says. “Or should I say girlfriend?”

I stiffen at his words. Oddly, Caden does not.

“And now I’m talking to her. Nice to see you again, Corey. Enjoy your workout.” Caden’s passive-aggressive words dismiss him.

“I guess I’ll see you around,” Corey says to me before walking away.

“Yeah, we’ll see you around,” Caden says, squeezing my shoulder and molding himself to my side.