“Win some, lose some,” he said to Brent, and the two men played a few more rounds.
Later that afternoon, he settled into his seat on the Gulfstream, along with a pack of Chihuahua-Mini Pin mixes from a local shelter that was overrun with dogs. They were sharing the flight with him from Vegas to Manhattan, en route to their new homes. The tiniest of the crew had insisted on curling up in his lap, a small brown and tan creature who liked to snuggle.
The flight attendant stopped by and stroked the little dog’s head, then rested her hand on the armrest. A brunette with a gorgeous figure, she was exactly the type of pretty that would have lured him to talk to her had he met her at a bar—his type being sexy and someone he never expected to see more than three times.
But he had no desire for her.
He had no desire for anyone but his good friend who had rocked his body, his head, his heart, and his whole entire world.
“The pilot said we’ll be ready to go in five minutes, Mr. Harper. Is there anything I can get for you?”
“I’m all set,” he said, and she returned to the front of the cabin.
His phone buzzed, and he checked the new message. It was a text from Jack. He read the note and laughed. Rather than text back, he gave him a ring.
“Lucky me. A phone call from my best man,” Jack said when he answered.
Nate laughed. “Yeah, and to answer your question, I’m pretty sure there are no strip clubs at my property in the Maldives.”
“Damn. I was really looking forward to a lap dance at my bachelor party.”
“Sorry to let you down,” Nate said, but it was all in jest. Jack had no plans for a bachelor party, and certainly none at a strip club. He wasn’t the strip club type, nor was Nate, for that matter. Besides, there was only one woman he wanted to see stripping—
Shit.
It hit Nate like a flying ton of bricks. It wasn’t as if he’d forgotten Casey was Jack’s sister, but it simply hadn’t mattered much when they were merely messing around. Now it mattered, and Nate was going to have to man up and say something to Jack. Something like, “I’m falling for your sister.” Or maybe something closer to the truth. “I’ve been crazy about her for years, and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual, and I have no clue what to do about it, and if I hurt her I will hate myself forever and ever, and I don’t know how to not hurt her, but I don’t know how to not be with her either. Got any advice?”
But his flight had begun to taxi, so now was not the time for that conversation. Perhaps next week, when Nate saw his buddy in person. Actually, that would have to be item number one on his agenda since there was no way Jack, or Michelle especially, would miss the vibes between him and Casey.
They chatted for another minute, then Nate told him the plane was about to take off. He said goodbye, then quickly fired off a text to the woman who was front and center for him: Looking forward to seeing you later tonight. Your place?
They’d been at his home a few times, and at her apartment the other nights. Her next-door-neighbor had even started saying hello to him when they ran into each other in the hall. There was something that felt right about being a part of her life like that.
Then he added one more line to the text before he sent it off.
Thanks again for helping with the sculpture.
As promised, Casey had helped him find the one-time wedding gift on a back shelf of his closet, then boxed it up for him. He’d told Joanna he’d deliver it to the gallery where she was showing some of her work. Casey had offered to take it, but he couldn’t let her do all his dirty work. Besides, if he was going to move forward with her, he had to be man enough to face his ex-wife, even if it was simply to hand over a sculpture.
Once the jet was airborne, he reviewed the formal proposal that Casey had sent him for The Luxe’s rollout of the pleasure packs in some of their resorts, with the LolaRing as the centerpiece. He sent a few minor notes back, suggesting they announce the pending deal soon. All in all, it looked good, and they were on the same page when it came to marketing—no need to say it felt like being licked and fucked at the same time. For the business deal, they’d decided to go with her classier suggestion for their honeymoon suite wording: You’ve given her a diamond ring, now give her the LolaRing. An exclusive partnership, it made The Luxe the only hotel chain in the world to partner with Joy Delivered on the new product’s launch.
Funny how all the details of their business deal were laid out in black and white, and all the specifics of their lessons had been determined in advance. But now, he was flying blindly with Casey, operating without a guidebook, and completely unsure how to navigate this new stretch they’d encountered.
He only hoped he didn’t crash.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
New York, same day . . .
As Casey finished a sip of her cinnamon dolce latte, she tossed out a question that had been nagging at her.
“I have no clue how to do this, Jane. When I see him tonight, do I just say I’m absolutely crazy for you and I want to have a go at this for real?”
Jane nodded enthusiastically. “That’s certainly one way you can do it. Just be completely direct and upfront with him,” her friend suggested, as she drank her tea.
“It’s not as if I’ve had the best luck being totally direct with men,” Casey said. She’d caught Jane up to speed with the Nate situation, from how it had started, to how it had changed, and to what she wanted now with him. The answer to that was starkly clear. She wanted him all to herself for a long, long time. She had never expected this to happen, but she’d fallen for him something fierce. He was tender and protective, funny and smart, and so damn passionate. Her intensity for him knew no bounds, and she was sure he was crazy for her too, even though he hadn’t said as much in words. The connection between them, though, was so strong that neither one could stay away from each other. The last few nights had been nothing short of amazing.