Lina nodded slowly, assessing the information, looking more sad than pissed off.
I sensed Aaron’s gaze on me. His eyes were narrowed, but not in a disapproving way.
“Lucas has been so great to me,” Rosie murmured, taking a couple of steps forward. And when she spoke next, her voice seemed to pick up, turning steadier. “No. He’s been the best. In fact, I don’t know why you’ve been so hard on him. Because he’s a kind man. Considerate, too. And he’s done nothing but make me feel safe. So, no one’s nuts should be kicked here. Especially not his.”
Hearing Rosie say those things about me made me wish I wasn’t standing in a towel in front of my inquisitive cousin and her husband. Because I wanted to wrap my arms around her and bring her to my chest. Squeeze her right into my body for what I knew would be a wildly inappropriate amount of time.
Because she’d stood up for me.
Not even I’d thought of doing that. I’d been ready to take the beating.
I swallowed, pushing down how that made me feel.
Lina’s mouth parted, her body now lax in Aaron’s arms. And Aaron was… smiling? If the barely there bent of his lips could be considered one.
It was Lina who broke the silence, and her voice was back to normal, her tone gentle and sweet. “So, you’re sure you’re not hooking up?”
Rosie huffed. “Lina. Would you just stop asking that question? We’re not having sex.”
“No flirting?” my cousin continued. “Intense staring? Sensual touching? Heavy petting? Kissing? French or not, both count in my book.”
“Déjalo ya, Lina,” I told her, even though she might have been onto something. I didn’t have a single issue admitting to her that Rosie and I were going on experimental dates, for her book, but I’d never do that without checking in with Rosie first. Being research partners meant something. We were a team. “Rosie and I are friends.”
And above all else, we were.
My cousin stared into her best friend’s eyes for a long time, and when she finally looked at me, she said, “Ella es mi mejor amiga. Como una hermana para mí.” She’s my best friend. Like a sister to me. “Es demasiado buena.” She’s too good.
For me.
Lina hadn’t said that, but I knew it followed that statement.
And I didn’t disagree.
Rosie was out of my league. Women like her didn’t go around with men that had lost so much, who had nothing left to offer. Men that wouldn’t even stay in the country for more than a few weeks.
Lina locked eyes with me for a long moment, then pointed a finger at Rosie. “A moment.” She waved it in the hallway’s direction. “Alone, please.”
Aaron finally released his wife, but not before kissing her temple, and murmuring, “Be good.”
Rosie sent me a quick look, and I winked at her before watching her follow her best friend out, leaving Aaron and me behind.
“So…” I said with a sigh. “Do you think my nuts are out of the woods yet?”
His eyes jumped to the entrance door, as if he could see right through it, then back at me. “If you play your cards right.”
I cocked a brow. “And by right you mean…”
The man crossed his arms over his chest and considered his answer. “Lina’s more bark than bite.” His gaze darted in the direction of his wife again, then back at me. “She loves you, Lucas. She was so excited to see you that we came here straight from the airport. Unannounced.” That warmed a spot in my chest. I loved Lina, too. Of course, I did. “But I don’t think I’ll be able—or want—to hold her down if you hurt Rosie.”
I could tell he wasn’t bullshitting me. He’d probably help if I ever hurt Rosie. And I liked that, I liked knowing that people like Aaron and Lina had Rosie’s back.
That was why I looked at him straight in the eye when I said, “I’d never hurt her. I could never do that.”
Aaron’s lips tipped up in a surprisingly bright smile. “I know.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Rosie
Lina shook her head.
“What?” I whispered. “What’s that exasperated look for?”
We were in our favorite café in Manhattan, hours after Lina had shown up at her apartment and learned of Lucas and my arrangement, and demanded we meet again in the evening to talk.
Not just talk. But talk. Away from the men.
“Don’t what me,” Lina answered, exhaling forcefully for what had to be the hundredth time. “You know what. I go on my honeymoon for a few weeks and when I come back, I find you all… cozy and homey with my cousin.”