Bad Friend

27. Not Good At This Stuff

H.

"So...last night was a total bust."

I shifted in Gwen's arms. "What are you talking about? Last night was fantastic. Mind–blowing, some would say."

She raised her eyebrows before kissing my forehead, her lips warm and light. "You know what I mean. We were supposed to pretend we were friends. I was supposed to attend your party as your friend. This was not supposed to be the outcome."

I grinned and kissed her chest, shifting lower and lower until she tugged lightly on my hair and stopped me. "Relax," I told her. "It's not like anyone suspected anything. That has to count for something, right? And are you really going to sit there and say you didn't enjoy this 'outcome?'"

I knew this conversation was important, but all I could think about was last night. I didn't think that was going to be the "outcome" either, but I wasn't going to complain about it. It was angry and intense and honestly a little freeing. I'd gone back to LA to work, and I'd immediately been swamped with every kind of meeting under the sun. I was used to it, and it was part of my job, I knew that, but I was already starting to feel stressed and slightly overwhelmed. Gwen hadn't helped by leaving the party early, but then she had by being everything I needed her to be and more.

And then she'd woken up similarly to the way she had in Joshua Tree, spread out and nearly taking over the entire bed. The sight alone made me want to settle between her legs and make sure her waking up was nothing short of blissful, but I refrained. We hadn't talked about that kind of thing, and I wouldn't do anything that would potentially make Gwen uncomfortable. If the roles were reversed, I would've let her with no hesitations, but with G, I felt like every step was a cautious one; I had to be extremely careful so I wouldn't cross a boundary or do something that would put her walls back up. So I cuddled into her side instead, waiting until she woke up and wrapped her arms around me.

She was right to say that last night didn't go exactly to plan. I didn't mean to leave her alone the whole night, but it was like every time I tried to go back to her, I was being pulled in a different direction. Jeff was at my side telling me to say hello to this person, to meet that person, and so on. I tried to keep tabs on Gwen as much as I could, and when I saw she was with Kid, or Mitch or my assistant Emily, I figured at least she was with people I could trust.

There was also the issue of what she wore last night. I'd never seen anything like that butterfly–shaped top on her or in her closet before, and I was instantly in love. It looked like it was painted onto her, and it showed off all of the tattoos on her arm in the most enchanting way. I never wanted her to wear anything else. Well, unless it was something of mine, which was what Gwen was wearing now.

"Truth?"

Blinking up at Gwen, I saw the almost somber look on her face. I didn't realize how much last night bothered her. Nodding, I said, "Of course."

"Last night, the party I mean," she said, correcting herself, her cheeks heating up at the thought of our little afterparty. "It was honestly not fun at all for me. I was in a room full of people I didn't know, you had abandoned me, and I was stuck with your assistant who—"

I expected her to continue, but she didn't. "What happened with Emily? Did she say something to you? I asked you last night, but you said no."

Gwen shook her head, her fingers lightly scratching my back, almost like she was trying to distract me. "No, no not really. I just don't think we'll get along very well. She must be an Aries or something."

Now she was the one trying to joke her way out of a conversation. "Hey, if she said something that bothered you, tell me. I'll do something about it."

"It's fine, Edward, I promise," she insisted. I still didn't quite believe her, but I decided to leave it alone for now. If it was something serious, she would tell me.