She gave him a look. “I don’t ‘check out’ your gun. I’ve just never been around anyone who carried one before.” The sheet dipped at her chest, exposing one tantalizing breast and rosy nipple.
It’s an eleven-week training program, Vaughn mused. Really, missing one swim wouldn’t make that big of a difference.
“So, you said something about leaving?” Sidney asked.
Vaughn blinked, snapping out of it. He stepped over to the bed, unsure whether he was amused or insulted by her bluntness. Maybe a little of both. “Don’t get all sentimental on me now, Sinclair.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then turned to head out.
Her voice stopped him in the doorway. “Vaughn.”
He looked back over his shoulder.
“Tell the ‘other you’ to be careful on Monday night, when he’s hanging out in those dark, sketchy alleys.”
Something in Vaughn’s chest tugged tight that she’d remembered. “I will.”
• • •
VAUGHN FOUND A spot on the street a half block down from his apartment, parked, and braced himself for the inevitable. Cade and Huxley sat on the front stoop to his building, their bikes parked on the sidewalk out front since the plan was to ride together to the gym at the FBI building for extra exercise.
The two men took in the sight of Vaughn walking up in his clothes that were rumpled after a night spent on Sidney’s floor, and his hair that undoubtedly was sticking up in every direction.
“At least you’ve moved on from the maid of honor,” Cade said, with a grin.
“Well, not exactly . . .” Vaughn hedged.
Cade’s eyes widened. “You slept with the maid of honor?”
“Sidney.” Vaughn unlocked the main door to his loft condo building.
Alongside Cade, Huxley followed Vaughn up the steps to his unit on the second floor. “Oh, boy. I’d been hoping it was just the cute hostess at that Mexican restaurant we ate at last week.”
Vaughn looked over his shoulder quizzically. “What cute hostess?”
Huxley shot Cade a knowing look. “This is getting serious.”
“Nothing is getting serious,” Vaughn said emphatically, as he let them into his apartment. He tossed the keys on his counter. “And why are you riding me about this, Hux?” Sure, his partner was a little on the uptight side—actually, a lot on the uptight side—and seemingly had come out of the womb ready to propose to a woman, given how quickly he’d put a ring on Addison’s finger. But Huxley usually just responded to his myriad dating adventures with a roll of his eyes and a few sarcastic remarks.
“Because I think it’s a bad idea for you to get involved with the sister of your brother’s future wife,” Huxley said bluntly.
Vaughn scoffed at that. “We’re not ‘involved.’” Both Cade and Huxley raised an eyebrow. “Okay, so maybe we got involved for one night. We’re adults. We can handle it.”
“Your families are connected. You’re going to be running into this woman for the rest of your life. When this goes south”—Huxley gestured to Vaughn’s disheveled, post-hookup appearance—“and with you, it inevitably will, the situation could get complicated.”
Vaughn grabbed a PowerBar out of his pantry. “Last night, a sexy, smart woman told me that she wanted to use me for sex. That’s not a complicated situation, that’s an awesome situation.”
“Sexy and smart? Sounds like someone has a crush,” Cade said.
Christ, these guys were all up in his business over this. “Was I really this annoying when you two were single?”
“Worse,” Huxley and Cade said simultaneously, without hesitation.
Well, still. The circumstances were completely different between him and Sidney. Vaughn cracked open a bottled water to wash down the PowerBar. “Look, I get that you guys are all settled in your perfect relationships, and as part of that, you’ve shut down the part of your brain that used to actually have some game.” He paused. “Except for you, Hux. It’s pretty much always been lights-out in that department for you.”
His partner glared.
“The point is, I think I’m good here,” Vaughn said. “Sidney made it perfectly clear that last night was a no-strings-attached deal. That’s my wheelhouse, gentlemen.”
That having been established, he headed down the hallway, toward his bedroom, to change into his workout clothes.
“Checking to see if she texted you yet?” Cade called out.
Vaughn shook his head.
Yep. All up in his business.
• • •
LATER THAT DAY, after Sidney had caught up on some much-needed sleep, showered, and had breakfast, she drove to the hospital to visit Isabelle. On her way out, she noticed that Simon had picked up his car. For the second time that day, she breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t come by in the wee hours of the morning and spotted Vaughn’s car out front. That would’ve been . . . not good.
As far as she was concerned, Isabelle and Simon never needed to know that anything had ever happened between her and Vaughn. Last night had been fun, and hot, but that was all it had been—a one-night stand. Sure, she was attracted to Vaughn, and she had no regrets that they’d slept together, but it wasn’t like anything serious would ever happen between them. As Trish had said, he was a Mr. Right Now.
And a fantastic Mr. Right Now, at that.