Page 34 of Burn Point

“Nate, that’s incredible!”

He tipped his beer, looking away as if I were making him uncomfortable. I dialed it back a notch, but inside I was still in awe.

“So, Jordan…” Kylie’s voice was loud, pulling my gaze from Nate, “How’d you end up in Newman? What’s your story?”

I shrugged. “It’s not all that special. I was a Navy brat growing up. We moved around a lot, but my grandma lived here when I was a kid. I’d come spend my summers with her. She died when I was a teenager, and I didn’t come back after that. But I remembered how special it was, so when I left my former fiancé, it seemed the natural place to start over.”

“And then the tornado hit, and you’re starting over again.” Leah said quietly. “Poor thing. At least you are doing it on your own terms.”

“Where’d you live before you moved here?” Kylie pressed.

“I was living in Washington, D.C., working in marketing as a copywriter for a Senator’s office. I’d already started my business because I’d wanted to make the transition out of that rat-race.”

“Starting your own business takes some balls. Good for you.” Kylie tipped her beer to me, and conversation shifted again.

The evening grew later still, and I was feeling mellow when the song changed to something soft and romantic. Mike pulled Leah into his embrace, slipping an arm around her waist as he led her in a slow, sexy dance.

“Those two are enough to give me cavities,” Kylie griped, flopping into the chair next to me.

Mike gazed down at Leah like he couldn’t believe she was real. Leah ran her hands up the contours of his chest, leaning in closer as he tightened his hold on her.

I sighed against the knot forming in my chest, a hollow ache where the remnants of being a couple once lived. “I think it’s sweet how in love they are.”

Kylie snorted.

“What? You don’t want that someday?” I arched a brow at her.

She watched them for a moment. “What they have is rare and special, and I’m happy that she found a good man. But no, I don’t think I’ll ever find what they have.” Her despondent tone had me looking at her more closely. Her gaze traveled to Thoren and Bunny, who were also dancing, and then off into the distance. “It’s hard to find a good man who will take you as you are.”

She was right, of course. I turned back to watch the couple, my gaze passing over Nate to find him staring at them as well. He shifted and our eyes met and held. An explosion of butterflies erupted in my belly under the weight of his gaze.

There was just something about the man that drew me in. He was kind and funny. He was a good friend. And on top of all that, he was delicious to look at.

“I don’t know about that. There are still a few good ones out there,” I mumbled under my breath, looking away from Nate.

“I hear you, sister,” Kylie murmured.

What would it be like to walk over to Nate and ask him to dance with me? Would he trail his fingers across my shoulder like Mike was doing to Leah? Goosebumps pebbled my arms, imagining what that small caress would feel like. Would he use those long fingers in a whisper of a caress, or was a solid stroke more his speed? Probably a combination of both.

An involuntary shudder had me shifting my focus away from his hands. “I’m going to clean up,” I announced uselessly.

Kylie smirked at me. “Yeah, you do that.”

I stood and gathered empties, taking them inside to the trash, eager to put some distance between me and the romantic vibes. Nate was my friend. A sweet guy who let me stay with him after a devastating event. My stupid heart didn’t need to turn this into something it wasn’t. I was wrong for thinking about how he might use his hands, even if the mental image was a total turn on.

We were Just. Friends.

Besides, his career wasn’t something I could overlook. The man ran into burning buildings for a living. Literally chose to put himself in life-or-death situations every day. After everything I’d been through with my dad, after all the drama with the Gerry, and the tornado…I needed safety and security. I couldn’t take the risk.

Nate was a broken heart waiting to happen.

I unloaded the trash bag and took it out to the larger bin by the garage to get some space from the dancing lovebirds. As I passed my newly-acquired van, I studied her. I needed to focus on moving forward, moving on. Starting a fresh new life.

I’d let a man derail me once before.

It was time to put myself first…despite the what ifs that niggled at the back of my mind.

Chapter 8

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