Rebuilding Forever by Natalie J. Damschroder Read Free Book Online Page A

Julian was what you've always wanted."
    "He is."
    "And I know he wants you. So why do you hold him off? Because of that?" Her finger stabbed toward the beach, where the guys had headed.
    "No, I don't want that. Though the looks and comments are nice."
    "So why won't you let him in?"
    Georgie flicked her a look. "I have. A few hundred times by now. Maybe a dozen ways you wouldn't have even thought were possible."
    "Georgie," Cassie chided, then stopped. "Wait. How do you know I haven't? Seth is Jules' best friend, after all."
    "Seth is uptight compared to Julian. You know he's up for anything. Even men."
    A few weeks ago, that would have made Cassie laugh and tell her friend about Seth's dreams. They would have built scenarios around the erotic idea, might have even suggested such play to the guys. But now Cassie found it disturbing. Now that she had a feeling those dreams might be destroying her marriage before it had even begun.
    "If he asked you to move to London with him, would you?"
    Georgie's face went serious. "He won't."
    "But would you?"
    "Hell, yes, you know I would." She sighed and toyed with her straw. "I just want him to be sure."
    "Sure of what?"
    "That I'm the one he wants. He says things, you know. About our future. He talks about kids and being old together. But he's had a very different lifestyle than that for a long time. I don't think he can just change overnight."
    "A year is not overnight."
    "It's not a long time, either, when we only see each other every few weeks."
    "He loves you, Georgie. He won't tell you, but it's killing him, thinking you're not serious about him."
    "Yeah, yeah, tears of a clown. You saw him on TV that night. He's having a great time. But stop worrying about me and Julian." She leaned forward and pinned Cassie with her brown eyes. "What's going on?"
    It was Cassie's turn to sigh. She pulled her straw out of her drink and licked the foamy pink stuff off it. "I have no idea."
    "Yes, you do. You always have some idea."
    "Yeah." She tossed the straw onto the glass tabletop and gulped half her drink. Sharp satisfaction followed the icy trail down her throat into her stomach, but disgust followed immediately after. That was her old way. Two decades old. She shoved the drink aside and propped her forehead on her hands. "God, Georgie, I think I'm going insane."
    "No way. You're the sanest person I know." Georgie nudged her shoulder. "Tell me what it is, we'll hammer it out to its bare parts, and everything will be brilltastic."
    Cassie didn't laugh at the Georgie-ism. She twisted her face toward her without lifting her head.
    "I think Seth's in love with Julian."
    Georgie gaped, then snapped her mouth shut. "Fuck me sideways on seven kinds of sandpaper."
    Cassie thought that said it perfectly.

    * * * *
    "Seth! Get your fucking ass out here or I'll throw your bag in the ocean!"
    Seth was already scrambling. He did not want Julian confronting him in the bedroom. He had no bloody idea where his clothes were--somewhere out in the main area of the villa, he thought--so he grabbed one of those Velcro towel-wrap things and secured it around his waist.
    "What the fuck?" He paused at the doorway, rubbed his hand hard across his scalp, and turned toward the kitchenette, unable to face Julian directly.
    "You tell me, mate." Julian kicked at Seth's suitcase and followed him into the alcove. "You disappeared on the plane, took off as soon as we landed--what crawled up your arse and stung you?"
    Seth searched for coffee mugs and filters for the maker, then realized he didn't want coffee. He drank it on tour, but not at home unless he was dragging ass. Right now what he wanted was definitely something he couldn't have. He yanked open the door to the mini fridge sitting on a counter, and breathed a sigh of relief. Cassie had stocked Kaliber. It wasn't cool to drink the alcohol-free lager, but he didn't care. Sometimes a guy just needed a beer.
    He popped the top of a can and offered it to Julian, who eyed