CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ZOEY DIDN’T KNOW where to begin. Since the night of the storm she’d discovered so many things to worry about. It had been a wonderful night. She wanted it to happen again. She ached for it to happen again. But she wondered if it ever should.

“So what are we going to do?” she asked. “Have a code word for when we switch gears to being more than friends?”

Mike chuckled. She remembered the feel of that laughter against her skin, but she shoved that memory away. This wasn’t the time. He straightened in his seat.

“That’s not a bad idea. It should be something that sounds...innocent. Just in case we slip up and say it where someone can overhear.” His smile deepened. “You know, like nooky or booty call.”

She laughed. “I think both of those are definitely out. Even benefits is too suggestive—our friends and family aren’t idiots.”

He snapped his fingers, eyes bright with humor. “I’ve got it! Tonight you and I have both referred to, uh...physical relations, as stuff. If we say we have stuff to do later, no one would think twice, whether it’s Hazel or Mary or my blessed grandmother.”

She couldn’t think of an objection, so she nodded. “Fine.”

“Fine?” Mike grinned. “That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I’ll take it.” His smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

“You do realize that was the easiest worry on my list to solve, right?”

“Hit me with the next one. We’ve got this, Zoey.”

For over an hour, she ticked off her concerns and they talked it out.

Hazel could not know about their casual sexual relationship.

This one was nonnegotiable, and Mike agreed.

Their friends and family did not need to know about their casual sexual relationship.

The more people who knew, the more chance Hazel would find out. Mike agreed, but only after pointing out he wasn’t crazy about the word casual. As long as they were doing whatever it was they were doing, they would be exclusive. She was in total agreement.

They were friends first and forever. Lovers on occasion.

They both valued their friendship too much to put it at any more risk than they already had. He agreed.

“And who knows?” Zoey finally asked. “Maybe it was just a onetime, stormy-night thing. And if that’s the case, fine.”

Mike’s eyes narrowed on her, his mouth sliding into a crooked, deadly sexy grin that made her pulse quicken. “You don’t believe it was a onetime thing any more than I do. That was way too good to be some fluke. Right now, after all this talk, talk, talk—I’m still thinking about how much I want to walk over there and kiss you.”