Not Just a Friend by Laura Jardine Read Free Book Online

saw her today. I’m definitely over her.”
    “I’m glad you’re not in love with a married woman anymore. So we’ll go to the bar together and be a little less pathetic by drowning our sorrows in alcohol?”
    “Sounds good.”
    Because he’d get to see her .
    * * * *
    They met at a place near his apartment. An ordinary neighborhood bar they’d been to a few times before, though it had been a while. For a Friday night, it was surprisingly empty.
    He got there a few minutes before her and sat at the bar. When he saw her walk in, wearing a plain blue sweater and not looking at all like she was going on a date, his body temperature rose a few degrees. God, she was pretty.
    She plopped down on the stool beside him with a sigh. “Let’s get some tequila shots.”
    Maya wasn’t the kind of woman who was always cheerful, but there was usually a spirit about her that seemed to be missing today. Like she was too dejected to make any quips and would rather go straight for the alcohol.
    “Something wrong?” he asked.
    He hoped something small was the matter, some little problem he could solve. Be her knight in shining armor or something like that.
    Ha.
    “Shots first,” she said. “Talk later.”
    He was glad for the tequila. When he saw her lick the salt off her hand, he couldn’t help but think of her doing other things.
    Things he’d done with her many times before. And hoped to do many times again.
    Maya slapped the empty shot glass down on the bar, picked up the lemon, and grimaced when she put it in her mouth.
    “My sister’s having a baby,” she said, dropping the lemon on the bar.
    “Which sister?”
    “Number six. Natasha.”
    “How old is she?”
    “Twenty-one. Ten years younger than me and yep, she’s pregnant.” Maya threw up her hands. “It clearly wasn’t planned, but she’s happy about it. She’s been with her boyfriend for three years—that’s longer than I’ve ever been with anyone. They’re going to get married.”
    “It’ll happen for you, too,” he said.
    “I know you feel obligated to say that shit, but you don’t need to.” Maya glanced around the room. “Unfortunately, it looks like guys’ night out. Scarcely a woman to be found. So I guess you’re stuck with me. Lucky you.”
    Lucky him, indeed.
    Perhaps it had been a mistake to meet at a bar, though. He kept looking at her chest, his hands itching to undo the buttons on her sweater.
    An hour later, they’d drunk a decent amount. After talking about TV and movies and nothing in particular, they returned to the topic of Natasha’s pregnancy.
    “She’s too young,” Maya said. “I changed her diapers when she was a baby, and it doesn’t feel like all that long ago. She shouldn’t be allowed to have a kid. Yes, she’s an adult, and she’ll make a good mother, but I can’t wrap my mind around it. How the hell is my baby sister having a baby of her own?”
    Liam wasn’t sure what to say. “Has she told your mom yet?”
    “She’s calling Mom tomorrow. I think my mother will have a similar reaction to me. Her mouth will fall open in shock at the thought of her little girl having a kid. And then she’ll be pleased she’s getting two grandchildren in one year. Why did everyone in my family decide to procreate at the same time?”
    He laughed. That sounded just like Maya.
    But he wanted to get more out of her, wanted to get beyond the offhand remarks about procreation…although he quite liked thinking about the activities involved in that.
    “It’s okay,” he said, covering her hand with his. “I know you feel like you shouldn’t be jealous of her, but it’s natural to feel that way.”
    “I’m sure it is.” She looked down. “But I feel like a cliché. My youngest sister’s getting married in a few months. She’s pregnant. And I play the role of the bitter older sister or friend so well. I hate that. I should be happy by myself! Enjoying the single life!” She spoke in a fake cheery voice. “And in