Page 13 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“Good night,” Felicity said from the doorway.
“Thanks for dinner.” I waved and headed for my truck.
Friends. The word kept ringing in my ears. She wanted to be friends. How the fuck was I going to manage that?
One look at her stunning face and my pulse would race. My hands wanted nothing more than to grab her head and pull her lips to mine. My dick had been at half-mast since the moment she crossed the Jamison County line.
I certainly didn’t have that kind of reaction to any of my other friends.
But we also couldn’t keep taking jabs at one another. I hadn’t meant to insult her the other night but my mouth just kept fucking things up. At least she always had the balls to call me on my shit. I loved that about her. If I pushed, she pushed right back.
When Felicity was around, I came alive. Her passion sparked my own. Life wasn’t dull or predictable. The mundane seemed exciting.
I loved that she felt everything deeply, the good and the bad, even though she worked hard to hide it from the world. She was a master at pushing people away to avoid getting hurt. It came so naturally to her, most of the time I wondered if she even knew she was doing it.
But she couldn’t hide from me. I’d seen her true self too many times not to want her fixed permanently in my life. And, damn it, if she wanted to be friends, then I was going to try.
We had a lot of history to overcome and maybe this idea wasn’t all bad. Maybe this was the way for us to move past all the hurt.
I’d be her friend and then press for more.
Because now that she was back in Montana, I wasn’t letting her go. I’d play it slow and steady. Put in the time. But one day she’d be mine.
Just like she was always meant to be.
Sitting in a window booth at the Prescott Café, I was finishing my third cup of coffee and powering through a romance novel.
“Hey.”
I looked up from my iPad to see Silas’s warm brown eyes looking back. It was the first time we’d seen each other since he’d shared my Chinese food a few days ago.
He wasn’t making it easy on me, this friendship thing. Not when he looked like that on a Monday morning. His black, long-sleeve T-shirt showcased his lean frame. His jeans clung to his hipbones, and I bet if I lifted up the hem of his shirt, I’d get a peek at the muscled V that disappeared beneath his waistband.
“Hi.” I dabbed the corner of my mouth for any drool. “What are you up to?”
“Meeting Jess and Beau here for breakfast. You?”
“Just loading up on coffee and calories before the moving truck gets here in a few hours.”
The bell on the door caught my attention as Jess and Beau Holt walked into the restaurant.
I’d forgotten that Maisy’s older brother, Beau, was so big. Jess and Silas were about the same height, each with broad shoulders and strong frames. Jess carried more bulky muscle, whereas Silas was slightly leaner, and neither man would ever be considered small.
Beau Holt dwarfed them both.
He had filled out considerably since high school and now reminded me of the mountains that bordered Jamison Valley. Beau was solid and unwavering. With the addition of his thick, brown beard, he looked nothing like my former classmate.
As I slid out of my booth, my jeans squeaked against the navy vinyl. “Good morning.” I gave my brother a quick hug and then smiled up at Beau. “Hi there, stranger.”
“Heard you were back.” He grinned and bent to give me a brief kiss on the cheek. “It’s been a long time.”
“It sure has. I think you’ve doubled in size,” I teased as his wide chest shook with a deep chuckle.
“Mind if we join you?” Jess asked.
“Please do.” I gestured toward the seats as I slid back into the booth.
When Silas slid into the bench seat at my side, I realized my mistake. His thigh was pressed tightly against mine. His soothing leather scent wafted my way and I found myself taking a long, deep breath. I was completely turned on.
