I walk into my office with a spring in my step. “Good morning, Jenny.”

“Morning, Henley,” she replies without looking up from her computer. “Vanessa called three times.”

“Tell her I died,” I reply as I walk into my office. I dump my briefcase onto my desk and begin to unpack it.

Jenny walks in and puts my burner phone onto the desk in front of me. “You need to call her.”

“I’m not calling Vanessa.” I throw my phone back into the top drawer. “I told you this already. Take the SIM out of that phone, I don’t need it anymore.”

“Who is she?” she asks again, insistently.

I roll my eyes. “She’s none of your business.”

“She’s all of my business.” She folds her arms and leans onto my desk.

I continue to open my computer.

“I don’t like this,” she says.

I glance up at her. “Like what?”

“This mystery woman you’ve met. Why are you so secretive about her? Who is she?”

“She is a friend.” I widen my eyes. “Jenny, butt out. You are overstepping.”

“I am looking out for your best interest, Henley. How do you know she is not after your money?”

“She is not after my money.” I roll my eyes and open my emails. “Why don’t you get back to work.”

“I want to meet her.”

“No.” I open my first email.

“Do I know her?”

“Go away.”

“I must know her.”

“Why? Because you know everything?”

“About you, yes, I do.”

I point to the door. “Out.”

She scowls and storms out and closes the door behind me. Damn woman.

I really need a new PA.

Chapter 17

Juliet

Henley’s eyes meet mine across the fire. He winks as he sips his beer before casually looking away. I drop my head to hide my smile.

Two weeks in heaven.

It’s Friday night, and the street is gathered for a bonfire at Antony’s house. Rebecca leans in. “You and Henley seem very loved up,” she whispers.

“Not really.” I shrug, but it’s a lie. We are so loved up that it’s not even funny and have not spent a night apart from each other in two weeks.

We kiss and cuddle and laugh, make love and fuck like animals. We pretend to watch Game of Thrones and eat snacks while naked at midnight.

This is it. I’ve found him.

Everything I’ve ever wanted in a man is right here in front of me, and I’ve never been so fulfilled. There’s not one thing I would change about him.

Yes, he’s got baggage, a lot of it. Every now and then he will have an inner freakout and tell me that we’re just friends.

But we both know that’s a lie.

This is something.

Something bigger than either of us can control.

The funny thing is we never make plans, but somehow, someway, without fail, we see each other every day. Even if it’s just for an hour before I go to night shift.

I ended up telling Joel that I wasn’t doing anything with the house for a while. It wasn’t worth the drama with Henley, and I want us to get to safer ground before I cross that bridge.

“There he is,” Taryn’s annoying voice calls from inside. “Henley James, I can see you,” she calls in her singsong voice as she comes floating out the back door.

“Fuck’s sake,” Rebecca whispers under her breath. “Does she have no shame?”

Taryn runs over and plops herself down onto Henley’s lap. “I’ll sit with you, darling.”

Henley’s eyes flick up to me, and I raise my eyebrow.

No.

Don’t you fucking dare let her sit there.

Henley bundles her up. “You’re not sitting on me, Taryn.” He jokingly pushes her off and pulls up a chair beside him and taps it. “Sit here.”

“Oh . . . you’re no fun.” She pretends to pout. “I thought you would like my body weight on yours.”

Blake, who is sitting beside them, laughs in surprise.

My blood boils.

“Seriously?” Rebecca whispers.

“Ugh.” I try to change the subject. “So John’s at work?” I ask.

Rebecca lets out a deep sigh. “Apparently.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“I don’t know.” She sips her wine. “We went away last weekend and had sex once, and even then I initiated it.”

“Maybe . . .” I try to think of an excuse for his behavior. “Maybe his hormones are just out, and he isn’t equipped to want it all the time. It happens to men, you know. Especially if they are under stress.”

“Maybe,” she agrees. “Whenever I ask him what’s wrong, he tells me that exact excuse, that he’s under a lot of stress and just isn’t in the mood and that it has nothing to do with me because he loves me more than anything.”

I watch her for a moment. “Do you believe him?”

“Whose footprints were in the back seat of his car, Jules? No matter how many excuses I can make for him, I can’t deny what I saw.”

“I don’t know.” I sigh. I don’t blame her for being worried. I would be overthinking this, too, if I were in her shoes.

A voice sounds from behind us. “Ladies.” We turn to see Mason slink into the chair beside us.

“Hi.” I smile. I glance up to meet Henley’s unimpressed eyes.

Ha. Now you know how it feels.

Henley

“Oh, Henley,” Taryn says softly. “I’ve just been so . . . lonely lately, you know?”

Blake’s eyes meet mine, and he raises a brow as he waits for my response.

“You should buy yourself a vibrator,” I reply as I watch Mason talk to Juliet.

The fuck is he playing at?

Blake chuckles at my reply.

“What do you guys do when you’re like”—she pauses for effect—“super horny and don’t have a partner?”

“I find one,” I reply. Across the fire Mason laughs and puts his hand on Juliet’s leg. My skin bristles.

Don’t fucking touch her.

“I’ll get us some drinks.” Taryn smiles. “What do you guys want?”