Firmly she commanded herself to get a grip. It's just a couple of slices, Layla. Not a date.
Just a matter of happenstance. Of opportunity.
"You're here…I'm here…"
Those were the same words he'd used the night they slept together, when his plan to hook up with her neighbor Jessi hadn't panned out. Layla just happened to be there, a second choice. Consolation prize.
To her, that night had been an adventure never to be forgotten. For Cam, it had just been another booty call. If Layla hadn't been there, he'd have made it with whoever was.
Recalling that, it became much easier to tamp down her excitement. In fact, she felt almost grim as they collected their orders. Cam gestured for her to precede him and followed her to a free table.
"By the way, how's your friend?" he asked once they were seated.
"My friend?"
He peeled the paper off his straw. "What's her name. Jessi."
Her stomach turned over. He would have to ask. "We were never really friends."
"Oh." He looked mildly surprised. "Guess I thought since you went out together…"
"It was only that one time. Anyway, she moved away after graduation. We don't keep in touch. Why?" She eyed him, suspicion—and as much as she hated to admit it, jealousy—gathering. Stupid reaction. After all, Jessi had been his first choice. If the girl hadn't gotten violently ill that night, he and Layla never would have hooked up.
You were just the stand-in, Layla. Don't forget that.
He shrugged, perfectly innocent. "Just making conversation."
"Hmm." She took a sip of her drink. "If you want the truth, she stopped speaking to me after that night. After you and I…got together."
"How come?"
"She found out about it, and it pissed her off that I got with you first."
"What the hell?" Cam's mouth twisted into a frown. "What was it, a contest?"
"No!" God, what did he think she was? "Nothing like that."
"How'd she find out, anyway? Did you tell her?"
"She figured it out. I went to her place after we, you know. I wanted to check on her, make sure she was all right. She was asleep on the sofa, so I covered her with a blanket and went back to my apartment. The next morning she came by, hungover and pissed off, basically, that the two of you hadn't hooked up. Wanted to know everything that happened after we dropped her off."
Cam's eyebrows flew to his hairline. "Everything?"
"I just told her you came to my place and we had a couple beers. But she wouldn't let up. Kept asking questions, getting all up in my business. 'What did you say? What did he say? What did he do then?' Giving me this real evil look like she suspected something. I kept trying to change the subject, but she wouldn't drop it." Even thinking about Jessi's intrusiveness, Layla felt herself heat up like a pot about to boil over. But that wasn't the worst. "Then she……"
She broke off and shook her head, compressing her lips.
Cam's expression melted into one of concern. "No, tell me. What did she do?"
She let go a gust of air. "She kind of flipped her hair back and smirked. Then she said 'What am I worried about? It's not like he'd fuck you. '" Mindful of the fact they were in public, she mouthed the F-word rather than speak it aloud.
Cam recoiled, nowhere near as circumspect. "What a bitch!" His voice resounded in the pizza parlor, earning him sharp looks from those sitting nearby.
He lifted his hands in a gesture of apology to the diners he'd offended before turning back to Layla. "She really…?"
"Yeah, she did, and then I said, 'Well, you'd be wrong about that.'" She stared down at the two slices cooling on her paper plate. "I should've kept my mouth shut, but she made me so—"
"I don't blame you," he said. "She was totally out of line. What a bitch." This time he murmured the epithet.
Layla couldn't deny how good it had felt, throwing that tidbit of news in Jessi's smug face. It felt even better, though, knowing Cam was on her side.
"Anyway, when she heard that, her face turned so red I thought she was
Just a matter of happenstance. Of opportunity.
"You're here…I'm here…"
Those were the same words he'd used the night they slept together, when his plan to hook up with her neighbor Jessi hadn't panned out. Layla just happened to be there, a second choice. Consolation prize.
To her, that night had been an adventure never to be forgotten. For Cam, it had just been another booty call. If Layla hadn't been there, he'd have made it with whoever was.
Recalling that, it became much easier to tamp down her excitement. In fact, she felt almost grim as they collected their orders. Cam gestured for her to precede him and followed her to a free table.
"By the way, how's your friend?" he asked once they were seated.
"My friend?"
He peeled the paper off his straw. "What's her name. Jessi."
Her stomach turned over. He would have to ask. "We were never really friends."
"Oh." He looked mildly surprised. "Guess I thought since you went out together…"
"It was only that one time. Anyway, she moved away after graduation. We don't keep in touch. Why?" She eyed him, suspicion—and as much as she hated to admit it, jealousy—gathering. Stupid reaction. After all, Jessi had been his first choice. If the girl hadn't gotten violently ill that night, he and Layla never would have hooked up.
You were just the stand-in, Layla. Don't forget that.
He shrugged, perfectly innocent. "Just making conversation."
"Hmm." She took a sip of her drink. "If you want the truth, she stopped speaking to me after that night. After you and I…got together."
"How come?"
"She found out about it, and it pissed her off that I got with you first."
"What the hell?" Cam's mouth twisted into a frown. "What was it, a contest?"
"No!" God, what did he think she was? "Nothing like that."
"How'd she find out, anyway? Did you tell her?"
"She figured it out. I went to her place after we, you know. I wanted to check on her, make sure she was all right. She was asleep on the sofa, so I covered her with a blanket and went back to my apartment. The next morning she came by, hungover and pissed off, basically, that the two of you hadn't hooked up. Wanted to know everything that happened after we dropped her off."
Cam's eyebrows flew to his hairline. "Everything?"
"I just told her you came to my place and we had a couple beers. But she wouldn't let up. Kept asking questions, getting all up in my business. 'What did you say? What did he say? What did he do then?' Giving me this real evil look like she suspected something. I kept trying to change the subject, but she wouldn't drop it." Even thinking about Jessi's intrusiveness, Layla felt herself heat up like a pot about to boil over. But that wasn't the worst. "Then she……"
She broke off and shook her head, compressing her lips.
Cam's expression melted into one of concern. "No, tell me. What did she do?"
She let go a gust of air. "She kind of flipped her hair back and smirked. Then she said 'What am I worried about? It's not like he'd fuck you. '" Mindful of the fact they were in public, she mouthed the F-word rather than speak it aloud.
Cam recoiled, nowhere near as circumspect. "What a bitch!" His voice resounded in the pizza parlor, earning him sharp looks from those sitting nearby.
He lifted his hands in a gesture of apology to the diners he'd offended before turning back to Layla. "She really…?"
"Yeah, she did, and then I said, 'Well, you'd be wrong about that.'" She stared down at the two slices cooling on her paper plate. "I should've kept my mouth shut, but she made me so—"
"I don't blame you," he said. "She was totally out of line. What a bitch." This time he murmured the epithet.
Layla couldn't deny how good it had felt, throwing that tidbit of news in Jessi's smug face. It felt even better, though, knowing Cam was on her side.
"Anyway, when she heard that, her face turned so red I thought she was
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