Free My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) by Rhonda James

take to bed are as strong as I am. I was lonely that night and you offered me an escape. It was good while it lasted, but I’m over it. I’m glad to hear you are as well.” I pushed my chair away from the table and stood up. “If I’m going to move in tonight I should probably get home and pack.”

    "Yeah, sure." He gave me a look of concern and placed a wad of cash on the table for the waitress. He followed me to the door but grabbed hold of my arm before I could head outside. "Hey, hold up. You don't have to do this you know. I mean, if it's going to be too much, I'll understand. I know I can be a selfish ass at times, but I promise I won't cross any lines. I'll respect your privacy, if that's what you want."

    I stared at him, knowing in my heart that he was trying to make this easier on me, while still getting what he wanted. I also knew that I had already committed to this, and I would see it through. Three months, I could handle that, no problem.

    "No, that's not what I want. Like you said, we're both adults. This will be a walk in the park."

    M el was not as easily convinced…

    “What the hell do you mean you have to move in with him? You don’t even know him.” She demanded, throwing her hands in the air.

    “Mel, I do know him, very intimately if you recall." I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Besides, it's only for three months. If I can't hack it I'll walk away."

    "You think it will be that easy? Girl, you’ve been crushing on him for two years and now you're moving in with him without any hope of sex? How does that even make sense?"

    "I don't know how to explain it except to say that he's paying me five thousand a month." Her mouth instantly fell open and her eyes practically bugged out of her head. I knew that would get her attention. That much money was hard for either of us to wrap our head around. Mel made good money, but nothing compared to that figure. "Plus, he told me that he needed me." I mumbled.

    "Well, I was going to accuse you of being a gold digger but now I know the real reason you said yes." She shook her head and laughed at me. "Every woman wants to be needed but I'm not sure who's getting the better deal here. You're great at what you do, but I have a feeling you're going to get more out of it just by being in his presence."

    "Yeah, well, he made it perfectly clear today that he doesn't feel that way about me. He even went so far as to say that he isn't good enough for me and that he would only hurt me. I'm not going to lie, that hurt a little bit, but at least I know going in that we will never be more than friends." I let out a sigh and continued packing. I wasn't taking everything with me tonight, only what I would need for the next week. I would have to come back and grab a few more items after I had gotten settled in. Mel and I had agreed that I would continue paying rent because I would more than likely be returning in three months anyway.

    "Are you okay with that arrangement? I know how you feel about him, at least I know how you think you feel. Maybe this time together will be a good thing for you. Maybe it will show you that he isn't the one for you after all." Her eyes were full of compassion as she made that statement. Even though her words made sense, she knew this was not going to be easy on me.

    "I'll get through it. You know me, I'm a master at putting on a brave face and pretending like everything is okay. I've been doing it most of my life." I gave her shoulder a nudge and grabbed my hairdryer and toothbrush.

    “How am I going survive in this apartment without you here. Who in the hell am I going to complain about work with?” she curved her lips down and gave me her best pouty face. “I'm going to be so lonely.”

    “Ha! Lonely is not in your vocabulary. You’ve had more men in one year than I've had in my whole life,” I joked as I headed for the bedroom, knowing she wouldn't be far behind.

    “Yeah, well at least I put myself out there and try to find