by Boone Brux
“You know what a commitment-phobe Jamie is.”
Did she ever. “And?”
“I’m afraid he’ll try to convince Kyle not to get married. He’s already made a few comments about this being the biggest mistake of Kyle’s life.”
Asshole. What right did he have making decisions for other people? He didn’t know crap about relationships.
Shaking her head, Dani scowled. “Kyle loves you too much. And Jamie might be an ass, but he wouldn’t sabotage your wedding.” Even as she said the words, she wasn’t certain that was true. Anything to do with happily ever after or commitment seemed to set Jamie off. “I mean, he’d have to be a complete douche bag to pull something like that.”
“Come on, you and I both know what he’s capable of.” Roxy grabbed her hand again, tightening her grip. “Please, you’re the only one who can do this.”
“Me? I’m the last person who can do this.” She slid her hand free and marched to the front door, yanking it open. “Tonight was the first time I’ve seen him since New Year’s Eve, and let me just say, I made quite an impression. He wants nothing to do with me.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” Roxy clip-clopped through the entrance and stopped inside the door, but didn’t look at her.
“What are you not telling me?”
“Nothing—” Roxy’s mouth dropped open. “Much—really.”
If her friend had in any way suggested to Jamie that she’d pined for him or had spent the first month after their breakup watching old movies and eating everything that didn’t eat her first, Roxy wouldn’t live to see her wedding day. “What. Did. You. Do?”
“Well, he might have called last week to talk to Kyle, but I promise I didn’t know he’d decided to come. Neither did Kyle, but, Jamie did ask about you.”
Dani straightened. “He did?”
“Yeah.” Roxy nodded. “And I told him you were doing great.”
“And?”
“And…” Roxy gave a little shake of her head. “I might have hinted that you were seeing someone.”
“But….” Still, she liked the idea of Jamie believing she’d done fine after he bolted. “I’m not dating anybody?” Not that it mattered. She and Jamie were ancient history. Okay, so she was a little interested in knowing how he’d reacted. “What did he say?”
With a nonchalant shrug, Roxy said, “He seemed irritated.”
“Really?” Dani gave herself a mental slap. Geez, why was she still so easily affected by this guy? No matter what she’d tried over the last year, she couldn’t shake her feelings for him. A song would play or she’d eat in a restaurant they’d been to, or she’d be alone in bed and horny—it all reminded her of Jamie. Damn, the sex had been incredible. Several times she’d prayed he hadn’t ruined her for other men. “Irritated how?”
“Just irritated. He asked who the guy was.”
“What did you tell him?” She was the worst at lies and games. As a matter of fact, she had a better chance of becoming an Olympic pole-vaulter than successfully pulling off a ruse that she was dating somebody else.
“Nothing. I asked why he cared.” Roxy smirked. “I think that caught him off guard. Anyway, this is a chance for you to show him that you’re doing fine.” She paused. “Because you are, right?”
“Yeah, sure, I’m great.” Yup, that was her mantra, and she was sticking to it. But she wasn’t. She thought about him every day. They’d been friends for five years before they hooked up, and she’d been closer to him than anyone ever in her life. Erasing those memories had proven impossible.
Jamie might have wrecked her life, but she wouldn’t let that happen to her best friend. With a heavy sigh, her shoulders rounded forward in defeat. “Fine, I’ll do it for you.”
Roxy threw her arms around her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome.” The words you owe me lingered on her tongue. But this was a gift more than a favor. No payback required. “Come on, I need to clean up and a drink.”
And a plan. How was she going to get the man who bolted at the first mention of love to spend time with her?
Chapter Two
Jamie leaned on the bar as the two women approached. He had to admit, Dani looked better than ever. In all fairness, the last time he’d seen her she was crying. The pressure his parents had been putting on him had been bad enough, but when she’d told him she loved him—he’d panicked. It hadn’t been one of his finer moments, and he wouldn’t blame her if she tossed her glass of champagne in his face and walked away.
“Can I order you ladies a drink?” It was difficult to keep his gaze from tracking down Dani’s body. “Champagne?”
“I’d love one, but—” Roxy’s smile faded. “Darn it, Kyle’s mom is waving me over. She probably wants to introduce me to her garden club cronies.”
“She’s not that bad,” Dani said, smiling.
He’d forgotten the cute way her nose wrinkled when she smiled. It was tough not to stare, but he managed to focus on Roxy.
“Roxy, darling, tell the girls that quaint story about how your family came into their money.” Roxy imitated the cultured purr of Kyle’s mother. She hooked her thumbs on the straps of her yellow dress. “Well shoot, Mrs. Bennett, one day my pa was huntin’ opossum and he struck black gold. We were rich, but we went hungry that night.”
After releasing a long-suffering sigh, she spun and flounced across the restaurant, leaving the two of them alone.
“How about you?”
“Just water.” She fanned her face with her hand. “Is it hot in here? It feels really hot.”
“Not too bad.” He held up two fingers to the bartender. “Two ice waters, please.” Then he turned back. “So, I guess it was a surprise seeing me.”
She dropped the shoes she’d been carrying on the floor and grabbed a cocktail napkin, swiping it across the speckles of white on the front of her dress. “A little bit.”
“Probably best you didn’t know I was coming, otherwise you would have been dreading it.”
“Why?” Her big green eyes rounded. “We’re both mature adults, right? It’s all in the past.”
Was it? When he’d heard she was seeing someone, his fist tightened and his gut churned. Not that he had any claim. “Right.” He pulled a barstool away from the end of the bar near the dance floor. “Would you like to sit?”
“Sure.” She slid onto the leather seat. “Thanks.”
A floral scent emanated from her hair, and he repressed the urge to lean in and sniff. A lot of things over the last several months had reminded him of Dani. Usually, the memory hit him when he’d least expect it. Too many times when he’d been in the shower. But then again, during their nine hot and heavy months of dating, they’d spent a lot of time engaging in good, clean fun. “So—” He scrambled for a topic, trying to ignore the stirrings of an erection. “How have you been?”
“Great.” Her finger slowly swirled around the rim of her glass. He watched it circle a couple of times, remembering the feel of her nails brushing across his skin. “You?”
“Good,” he lied. Conversation was harder than he’d imagined. Usually, he made a point of not running into an old girlfriend, but when he’d agreed to be Kyle’s best man, he knew seeing her was inevitable. “I like what you did with your hair.”
“Thanks.” Her hand lifted to touch the bobbed locks. “I needed a change.”
Change because he’d left her or just a change in general? Though it didn’t matter, he couldn’t help but wonder. “How’s the job? Still working at Roth Publishing?”
“Yep, I made senior editor a few months ago.”
Their shared passion for books was one of the first reasons they’d become friends. “Any best sellers in the works?”
“Maybe.” She leaned against the seat and folded her hands in her lap. “There’s a new diet book I think will skyrocket to the top with the right promotion.” She gave him a benign smile. “What about you? Still running the Flor
ida division of Kingsland Construction?”
“Yes.” Despite being sole heir to the family construction company, he lacked passion for the business, but trying to talk to his father about what truly interested him was futile. Actually, talking to his father about anything besides business was pointless. “Still there.”
Her smile faded. She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the bar and her chin on her fist. “You don’t sound happy about that.”
“It’s all good.” She always saw past the persona he projected. “Especially with my dad running the Seattle branch. And what’s not to love about sunny Florida?” Except everything.
“Still not getting along?”
Jamie smirked. “I’ve missed your bluntness.”
She lowered her hand to rest on the counter. “It’s none of my business.”
“It’s all right. You’re one of the few people who know what he’s like. And no, we’re still not getting along.” A slow song drifted from the speakers. Jamie stared at the people moving onto the floor, and the urge to hold Dani in his arms again pushed at him. His whole life was about show and obligation. He’d forgotten how being around her was like being in the eye of a hurricane. Calm. Until now he hadn’t realized how much he missed that kind of peace. “Do you want to dance?”
She hesitated, and for a second he thought she’d decline. She should say no—shouldn’t be talking to him at all after the way he’d treated her. He didn’t regret much in life, but the way things had ended between them was one of them. She’d fallen in love with him and had deserved the truth about why he was leaving. He hadn’t been able to give her what she wanted—marriage, kids, a happy life. He still couldn’t, but maybe he’d be able to apologize.
“Sure, as long as you don’t step on my toes.”
He schooled his surprise. “I’ll try not to.”
She scooted off the chair. “I haven’t danced since…” She let her sentence fade without finishing it. The last time they’d danced had been the New Year’s Eve she’d told him she loved him.
When she stood, his eyes did a quick take of her body. Damn, she was more beautiful than ever, not just hot, but sexy on so many levels. The black dress hugged her curves, accentuating everything that was right and good. He held out his hand. When their palms touched, warmth spread across his skin. His fingers twined around hers, as they had so many times before. He led the way to the dance floor.
After finding a spot among the swaying crowd, he tentatively wrapped his arm around her waist. Though she stepped toward him, her gaze remained locked somewhere beyond his biceps. Her body hovered an inch away, enveloping him in an intimate blanket of familiarity that had once been a constant between them. The perfume he’d always loved caressed his nose, dredging up the memory of her dabbing it on after a shower.
Desire swirled through him, but he tamped it down. Dani Brown was off-limits. He still couldn’t give her what she wanted, so what was the point in digging up old hurts?
Unable to resist the feel of her, he pulled her a little closer. At first she tensed, but after a few seconds, slowly relaxed. Music drifted around the room as they moved together. Their bodies touched, and he lowered his cheek to rest against the top of her head. What harm could one dance do?
With her in his arms he was able to block out everything around him. He didn’t need to pretend to love his life. There was no answering to his demanding father. No listening to his mother whine about endless woes. No thinking beyond these few moments of calm at the center of the hurricane.
To his surprise, she pressed her cheek against his chest, easing against him, and let him lead her in a small circle. He’d come back for Kyle, but apologizing to Dani was also on his list. Not just a sorry, an explanation—the real reason.
The song ended, and not wanting their moment to end, he offered, “How about another water?”
“Yes please. I didn’t drink much, but I’d like to avoid any hint of a headache in the morning.”
“You got it.” He placed his palm against her lower back and guided her through the crowd. “One water and a beer, please.”
She scrunched up her face. “Beer? You usually drink those awful martinis, don’t you?”
“When I’m not driving—especially my bike.”
“I see why. It’s a beauty.” She scooted onto the chair. “One of yours?”
“Yeah, I’ve gotten back into restoring bikes in Florida.” Their drinks arrived, and he sipped his lager. “I have an entire shop for it at my house, and am going to build one here, too.”
“Do you still have your house in Seattle?” She swirled the straw around the glass.
“Yeah. I doubt I’ll stay in Florida forever, and I’ve done so much work on it I didn’t want to sell.”
“I always loved your house.” She gave a strained smile, and her eyes widened. “And I think it’s great you’re building a shop. You always loved restoring motorcycles. I’m glad you got back into that.”
Jamie’s eyes lingered on her mouth when her lips descended and delicately wrapped around the red straw. His pants tightened, so he shifted, turning slightly away from her. A raging erection was the last thing he needed her to see.
“There you are.” A solid hand slapped Jamie on the back. Alcohol fumes greeted him a second before Teddy Putter shoved his face over Jamie’s shoulder. “Where have you been hiding?”
The man stumbled, leaning on Jamie like a crutch. “We haven’t been hiding, Teddy. Just dancing.”
Teddy squinted at Dani. “Have I told you how hot you look tonight?”
“Yes.” One of her delicate eyebrows arched. “Several times, so you can stop.”
“Loosen up.” Spittle flew from the drunk’s mouth. He hefted his arms in the air. “It’s a party.”
“I think you’ve partied enough for everybody.” Jamie eased his body out from under Teddy. “Let me get you some water or coffee.”
Teddy scowled. “No way, man. The night is still young.”
“You know, this isn’t one of your college frat parties.” She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing Jamie’s and Teddy’s eyes to her breasts. “It’s an engagement party.”
Teddy leered at her and then swung his head toward Jamie. “She’s feisty, isn’t she?” He lowered his voice to what he obviously thought was a whisper—but definitely wasn’t. “Bet she was good in bed, right?”
“Fucking idiot.” She slammed her glass onto the bar, pivoted, and shoved her way through the crowd, barefoot.
“Not cool, Teddy.” Jamie snagged her shoes from where she’d dropped them and hurried after Dani. Once past the crush of people, he jogged out the entrance to catch up to her. “Hey.”
She stopped and spun, glaring at him. “What?”
“You forgot these.” He held up her shoes. “Not that they’re much good anymore.”
“Thanks.” She took them from him, but her lips pinched into a tight line.
“I’m sorry about Teddy,” he said, hoping she wasn’t angry at him. “He’s an asshole. Always has been.”
“A complete asshole.” She rubbed the spot between her eyes. “It’s not your fault.”
“If it helps—you were.”
She lowered her hand and shook her head. “Were what?”
“Good in bed.”
She stared at him for a few seconds and then smiled. “Jerk.”
“Forget about him. Why don’t we go grab a bite?”
“Thanks, but I just want to get home.” Her hand moved to the back of her neck and massaged her muscles. “I need to get this dress off and into some comfy clothes. But…what about tomorrow?”
Her suggestion surprised him. After Teddy’s rude reminder of their relationship, he figured she’d had enough of him. Being the maid of honor didn’t require her to spend time with the best man, but who was he to argue? “That’d be great. What about lunch? I’ve got a tux fitting at eleven, but I’m free after that.”
She dug in her purse and handed him her phone. �
�Type in the time and place on my note app. I’ll meet you there. We can do lunch afterward.”
“Sure.” Post-it notes had occupied a lot of surface space in her apartment when they’d been dating. It was nice to see that she’d upgraded to an app. After typing in the info, he couldn’t resist checking out her phone contacts. His number had been deleted. Without telling her, he added it again and handed back her phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She dropped the device back into her purse. “It’s a date.”
Interesting choice of words. She turned and picked her way to the parking lot, her shoes dangling from her fingers. The swish of her rear end drew his gaze—taunting him. Getting through the next two weeks without making a pass at Dani or getting punched by her mysterious boyfriend would take a miracle. Despite all the pep talks about how they were old news, there was no doubt he wanted her back in his bed. Even for just one night.
He returned to the party and the beer he’d left on the bar. Taking a seat, he scanned the crowd. Kyle and his parents had been family friends until the Kingslands’ divorce. They still socialized, just separately now. His friendship with Kyle had never faltered in the twelve years they’d known each other. Foolishly, Jamie had believed he’d have his beer-drinking, football-loving, ready-for-anything friend for life. Now that was coming to an end. Marriage; how did somebody commit to something that big—that suffocating?
It was one thing for Kyle and Roxy to date, but to marry her? That was a game changer. Their lives were veering off in different directions. Babies and suburbia loomed like hungry vultures, waiting to pick away at Kyle’s future and freedom. Jamie gave himself a mental shake. The whole domestic prospect scared the hell out of him. He’d seen the horror of his parents’ life together. His friend and Roxy were nothing like his parents, but still, in his opinion, tying himself to one person forever was a prescription for disaster.