Shouldering my bag, I headed for the door. “I can let myself out, if you want to stay here and finish getting dressed. I’ll text you when I’m on my way tomorrow.”

“Thanks! I can’t wait to show them to my boyfriend!”

I paused on the threshold to her room. “Oh yeah? Text me and let me know what he thinks.”

“You can ask him yourself,” Aubrey said, her voice dripping sweetness.

“Oh? Will I get to meet him?” My brow furrowed in confusion.

“You already have. West Montgomery.”

CHAPTER 10

I don’t remember leaving Aubrey’s house. Don’t remember the drive home. I had no clue how long I had been sitting in the driveway, white-knuckling the steering wheel and gritting my teeth so no emotion could escape. Holding myself on lockdown. Aubrey’s announcement felt like a sucker punch right in the stomach.

West had a girlfriend.

West had a fucking girlfriend.

The words played on repeat in my head.

Of course, he did. He looked like he could be Poseidon’s bastard son. It would be against the laws of nature for him not to be paired up. The man was made to procreate.

My phone chimed, the sound muffled by the detritus in my oversized purse. I reached for it and dug to the bottom of the bag, where my phone usually ended up hiding. I frowned at the unknown number.

You looked beautiful this morning. I hope I didn’t wake you when I left.

My fingers tightened around the phone. It was from him.

How did he even get my number?

I punched delete and then threw my phone down like it was diseased. It bounced off the passenger seat and settled somewhere in the foot well, the action not enough to calm my temper.

Blinking, I looked out my windshield and focused on the sky. The sun was just starting its descent. Dinnertime had long since passed, but I wasn’t hungry.

I tapped the steering wheel as I contemplated my camera bag. The memory card with Aubrey’s photos was stored safely inside. I could accidentally-on-purpose delete the whole session. Photoshop some zits onto her flawless skin. Maybe some wrinkles too. I could even make her ass and her boobs look saggy. An evil grin brightened my mood at the thought.

But I couldn’t do any of those things. I needed the cash too damn bad. And, if I was being logical, my real beef wasn’t even with Aubrey. It was with fucking West. And more than feeling hurt and angry, I just felt… stupid.

Stupid for not listening to Rue and her brilliant rules. Stupid for not leaving with that British guy instead. Stupid for thinking West felt those same crazy sparks I did when we touched. Stupid for secretly hoping that maybe, maybe it would turn into more than just a one-night stand.

Stupid for contemplating for even one minute that West would pick someone who looked like me over someone that looked like Aubrey.

With a drawn-out sigh of self-disgust, I grabbed my bag and trudged up the stairs to the cottage, ready to admit defeat.

Before heading toward my bedroom and the inevitable editing session, I made a pit stop in the kitchen, pausing to glance between the stainless steel, French-door fridge and the smaller wine fridge. Did the situation call for ice cream or wine? I tipped my head in contemplation. Nabbing a bottle of white and deciding I didn’t need a glass, I made it to my bedroom and tossed my purse and camera bag on my bed.

And stopped.

I couldn’t do this in here. I couldn’t edit photos of West’s girlfriend on the same surface I had fucked him less than twenty-four hours ago.

Closing my eyes, I replayed our night together. I could still feel his callused hands dragging across my skin. His lips tasting and teasing all of me. His cock hard against my hip as we pressed together.

And the whole time, he was cheating on his girlfriend.

This wasn’t the same situation as Asshole and me. I was the other woman this time. Suddenly, my skin crawled, and I felt dirty.

Leaving my stuff on the bed, I stripped down, snagged the bottle of wine, and headed to the shower. Turning the knob as hot as it would go, I drank straight from the bottle while I waited for the water to heat. When steam rose from behind the curtain, I took one last gulp, left the bottle on the back of the toilet tank for easy access, and slipped inside. Grabbing some gritty body scrub, I scoured every inch of my body, every part that West had touched. I repeated the process until my skin was pink and raw, and I no longer felt contaminated.

The water was starting to run cool by the time I finally stepped out, wrapping myself in a towel and retrieving the wine bottle. I’d drunk most of it over the course of my shower. Leaning my head back, I drained the last of it and then abandoned the bottle on my sink as I returned to my room.

Pulling on a soft tank top and some flannel pants, I left my hair wrapped in a towel turban and grabbed my laptop and camera bag. Settling on the couch, I dug the memory card out of my camera and loaded the pictures onto my computer.

Rows of thumbnails appeared, pieces and parts of Aubrey filling my screen. I started the process of culling the shots, deleting the ones where the focus was off or the lighting unflattering. Gritting my teeth, I went through the images one by one, picking the best of each pose for additional editing.

I swallowed painfully as I scrolled through them. I had very little actual editing to do. Aubrey was just that gorgeous. The contrast of her dark hair, olive skin, and white bed linens was classically striking. She was petite, curvaceous, and the embodiment of everything a guy could want. Dirty Barbie brought to life. Of course, West was with someone like her.

Finishing before midnight, I emailed the files to a twenty-four hour print shop in Beaufort. The fee for the rush job would be more than covered by what Aubrey was paying me. I’d drive over in the morning to pick them up, deliver them, and forget about West.

Resolutely, I shut down my laptop. After blow drying my hair, I climbed in bed with my phone. I sent a text to Rue, telling her I missed her, and that I needed a girl’s night pronto when she got back tomorrow. I was checking Facebook when I got a text back. I opened it, thinking it was Rue, but then I recognized the same number from before.

West.

Narrowing my eyes, I deleted it without reading it and then powered my phone all the way off.

* * *

The next morning, I got up before my alarm even went off. Throwing on workout clothes, I drove straight to Krispy Kreme, ordered two coffees and two chocolate-covered cream-filled doughnuts. All for myself. I slid my sunglasses on, cranked the radio volume, and focused on the check this little field trip was going to net me. I’d finally be able to get that new camera lens I’d been wanting forever.