Not Another Manwhore (Not Another Romance), page 16
When she opened the door, I saw the look of surprise on her face. I guessed she hadn’t expected me to come after her.
“Zack.”
“Do you mind if I come in?”
She hesitated but stepped back and let me through.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, closing the door.
“Something is obviously wrong, and I needed to make sure you were okay.”
“But your family…”
“Screw my family. You are more important to me than the people I see once or twice a year.”
Her eyes got wide as her jaw dropped open. “I…I didn’t know you cared so much.”
“Of course I do.” I stepped forward and tentatively picked up her hands. “Will you please tell me what is wrong? I want to help.”
She sighed. “I heard some of your relatives talking about you in the restroom. They didn’t know I was there. And I guess I got scared.”
I had a few guesses as to who would be talking about me behind my back, and I gritted my teeth. “Do you know who?”
She shook her head.
“What did they say?”
“Mostly that they hadn’t seen you with a girlfriend in years. And that they know you sleep around. And I guess your cousin Jay saw you leave a bar with two women one night.” She looked into my eyes. “Zack, I can’t compete with two women. And I don’t know what I would do if you cheated on me.” She looked off into the distance. “I know it’s not my fault that my ex-boyfriends cheated on me, but at some point, I have to wonder if there is something wrong with me.”
I tugged on her arms. “No way. There is nothing wrong with you. Men…well, men are just assholes. Some are going to cheat on any and every woman they date. And some are too lazy to end a relationship before looking for the next one. Others just plain don’t put in the work to keep a relationship good.” I drew her closer to me. “But I am not going to cheat on you. I don’t want any other woman or women. I just want you. And yes, I used to sleep around, but I have never cheated on anyone in my life.”
A small smile ticked up the corners of her mouth. “But what if you feel like having sex with someone else?”
“Then, I will break up with you. But I will not cheat on you. Ever.” I let go of one of her hands and ran my thumb over her cheek. “I know you’ve been hurt and you’re scared, and I haven’t had a girlfriend in some time, but we don’t have to get married right away. Or even move in together next month. We can take this relationship as slowly as you want, so you can trust what we both feel. But I am not going anywhere because I already know I am falling in love with you.”
She sniffled, and a tear ran down one cheek. “I am afraid, but I think I’m falling in love with you too.”
“Yes.” I pumped my fist in the air.
“Zack.”
I pulled her close and kissed her. “I can’t help it. You said you love me.”
She laughed. “I said, falling in love with you. And you said the same thing.”
“Okay, I know you had a rough afternoon. We can say I love you tomorrow.”
She laughed again.
“Does this mean you’ll give us a chance?”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
Leaning down, I kissed her neck. “I love you, Bree,” I whispered. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
I took her mouth in a long, deep kiss. “I can’t believe you’re really mine.”
“Me neither.” She bit her lip, and a nervous look crossed her face. “I just realized that now, I have to go and tell my mother we’re back together.”
This time, I laughed. “Don’t worry. Your mother loves me too.”
Epilogue
Bree
“How’s everything going with the bakery and coffee shop plans?” Pru asked Tessa and Alexis.
Our two friends exchanged looks, and Tessa cleared her throat. “We actually found a great location that’s going to be available soon.”
“That’s awesome,” Isabelle said. “Location is everything, they say.”
“Yeah. The only thing is, we’ve had a little bit of a setback.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Tessa’s being nice. It’s me. I’m the one who has set us back. My ex still hasn’t sold our house,” Alexis admitted.
“What?” several of us asked simultaneously, shocked.
When Alexis and her husband had gotten divorced, part of their decree was, her ex was supposed to sell their house and split the proceeds with Alexis. Their shared home was seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, and over six thousand square feet. Meanwhile, Alexis had been living in a two-bedroom apartment since the divorce. She honestly could afford a slightly bigger home on her own, but she was saving for the store she and Tessa were planning to open. Her half of the house was supposed to go toward the down payment of the shop.
“All is not lost,” Tessa said. “I actually signed up with a temp agency to earn some extra money.”
“You’re going to work two jobs?” I asked in surprise.
I felt bad. I’d been so preoccupied with Zack that I hadn’t noticed that Tessa and Alexis were struggling. Although last month’s dinner had been crashed by Zack and his friends. It made sense that Alexis and Tessa hadn’t wanted to talk about what was going on with the bakery and coffee shop then.
“No. Remember, I put in a six-month notice so that my job would have plenty of time to find a replacement for me. My six months is up at the end of this month. And I can’t change my mind. They’ve already hired my replacement, and I’ve been training her the last few months.”
“I’m sorry,” Alexis said.
“Don’t be sorry. Your ex is a dick. And at least you still have your job.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Elizabeth asked Tessa.
“Not sure. They haven’t called me with any positions yet. I just completed my registration with them.” She smiled. “But no more talking about this. Let’s talk about something fun.” She looked at me and wiggled her eyebrows. “Bree has some news to share with us.”
Six sets of eyes turned to me, and I suddenly got nervous.
“Spit it out,” Pru said with a grin.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “I know we just started our Man-Haters Club, but, um…I’m kind of seeing someone.”
A collective gasp sounded, and Tessa snorted. “Kind of seeing someone? She’s practically living with my brother.”
Paisley, who was sitting next to me, smacked my arm. “The hot one?”
“He’s my only brother,” Tessa said.
“Yes, the hot one,” I answered.
“You know, I didn’t expect us all to really stay faithful to this club. But I definitely did not think Bree would be the first to bail,” Pru said.
I lifted a shoulder. “It just kind of happened.” I pointed my finger at Tessa. “But we are taking it slow. We are not living together. We both still have our own places.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “They spend every night together.”
She wasn’t wrong, but I still liked to think we were taking it slow. Even if only in semantics.
I shrugged. “I like him, okay?”
“Aww,” they said at the same time.
Tessa, who was sitting on the other side of me, leaned over toward me. “I’m happy for you. And just think, when you and Zack get married, we’ll be sisters-in-law.”
“Whoa. Slow down. No one’s talking about marriage yet.” I narrowed my eyes, as if in deep thought. “But maybe you’re not a true man-hater either.” I pretended to gasp. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll find someone too.”
Tess wrinkled her nose, as if horrified, but everyone else laughed.
“You never know,” I teased.
Someone has to be next.
Also by R.L. Kenderson
BOOKS IN THE A LOVE LIKE THIS SERIES
Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
My Cover Model
My Five Dates
My Wrong Number
My Favorite Mistake
My Guy Problem
BOOKS IN THE NOT ANOTHER ROMANCE SERIES
Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Not Another Manwhore
Not Another Billionaire
Not Another One-Night Stand
Not Another Fake Marriage
Not Another Alpha Male
BOOKS IN THE DIRTY LOVE SERIES
Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Rumor Has It (Dirty Love Prequel)
Friends with Benefits
Meant to Be
It’s Complicated
BOOKS IN THE TAKE ME SERIES
Contemporary Erotic Romance
Take Me in the Night
Take Me in the Dark
STANDALONE NOVELS
Teacher/Student Forbidden Romance
Wicked Chemistry
NOVELS IN THE FORBIDDEN SERIES
Paranormal Romance
Forbidden Blood
Forbidden Heat
Forbidden Temptation
Forbidden Addiction
Forbidden Claim
Forbidden Seduction
Forbidden Mate
Forbidden Hunger
STANDALONE NOVELETTES & SHORT STORIES
Summer Heat
The Hottest Player
French Kiss
Moon Craving
About the Author
R.L. Kenderson is two best friends writing under one name.
Renae has always loved reading, and in third grade, she wrote her first poem where she learned she might have a knack for this writing thing. Lara remembers sneaking her grandmother’s Harlequin novels when she was probably too young to be reading them, and since then, she knew she wanted to write her own.
When they met in college, they bonded over their love of reading and the TV show Charmed. What really spiced up their friendship was when Lara introduced Renae to romance novels. When they discovered their first vampire romance, they knew there would always be a special place in their hearts for paranormal romance. After being unable to find certain storylines and characteristics they wanted to read about in the hundreds of books they consumed, they decided to write their own.
One lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and the other in the Kansas City area where they’re a sonographer/stay-at-home mom/wife and pharmacist/mother by day, and together they’re a sexy author by night. They communicate through phone, email, and whole lot of messaging.
You can find them at http://www.rlkenderson.com, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Goodreads. Join their reader group! Or you can email them at rlkenderson@rlkenderson.com, or sign up for their newsletter. They always love hearing from their readers.
R.L. Kenderson, Not Another Manwhore (Not Another Romance)
