Page 28 of Undeniable

Was that part of my plan? Yes. But was I willing to give it up if it meant just getting to be with her for the summer? Also, yes.

“Why? Is it working?”

She shook her head and attempted to push me back with both of her hands on my chest. But I covered them with my own and let her feel the way my heart pounded in her presence.

“It’s not a ploy as long as I can kiss you anytime I want. I have this plan to kiss every single freckle on your body.”

Straight-faced, she stared at me and then made a pretend gagging sound. “That was so cheesy. Don’t ever say anything like that again, or this isn’t happening.”

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her. Heat and sweat be damned, I was most content with her in my arms.

And it was right there, in her parents’ shed, that I convinced myself that it wouldn’t hurt too bad when it ended.

TEN

James

“Long time no see,”Grady greeted the moment I slid onto a stool at the bar. I hadn’t stepped foot inside Murphy’s Law for weeks and it was all because of the woman I assumed would be behind the bar.

But she was nowhere to be seen. I turned back to Grady, who gave me a knowing look, but, luckily, didn’t say anything. The man was wise and doled out unsolicited advice like he didn’t know what else to do with it. But I didn’t want his thoughts on the matter.

He asked me what I was drinking, and I responded quickly with, “Bourbon.”

He scrunched his nose at my order. “How about an old-fashioned? Something I can work at. Anybody can pour liquor into a glass.”

I shook my head but agreed, and he went to work.

“Hey, man,” Devon said as he took the stool next to me. Grady told him he was getting an old-fashioned too, and turned back around before Devon had the chance to respond.

“There’s no arguing with him,” he murmured and I laughed my agreement.

“Can’t believe you agreed to meet here,” Devon continued, and my laugh died on my tongue.

Devon, who I would’ve probably called my closest friend of all my best friends, was a good guy. He was six and a half feet tall, solid, covered in tattoos and also the biggest fucking teddy bear I knew.

The redheaded behemoth was caring, kind, quiet, and too intuitive for his own good. I didn’t even have to say anything for him to know exactly what was going on in my head.

Everyone understood—even more so since the insanity that was Sunday dinner nearly a week ago—that Ivy and I had a strained past. But Devon was the one I knew would push me the most. He’d use whatever special magic he had to make me open up about all of it.

But Ivy was always different. Because describing what happened between us meant truly understanding it myself.

“Our friends own the place, so we should probably support them,” I grunted. We both thanked Grady as he pushed the drinks across the bar to us.

Devon looked around and tilted the glass to his mouth. “Doesn’t look like they’re hurting. The place is packed.”

I shrugged and let the liquor warm and ground me. “Luke said he’s coming, right?” I asked, and Devon nodded.

“Yeah, later. He said something about picking up a prescription for Hazel and making sure she’s okay before leaving.”

“A prescription?”

“Yeah, she’s had really awful morning sickness, I guess.”

We both sipped our drinks in silence for several long moments before Devon grabbed Grady’s attention. “The bosses still upstairs?”

Grady grunted and wiped down the bar top next to me with a rag. “Yeah, they’ve been up there for a while, looking at the books or something. Y’all can go ahead and go up if you want to.”

Devon and I simultaneously shook our heads. We’d have to be crazy to interrupt them; there was no telling what we’d walk into. Amanda, Josh, and Reed couldn’t keep their hands off each other even when there were people around.

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