Page 11 of Light My Fire

“Have you ever said that to a woman, gotten her number, and then has she called you and you’ve whisked her off to Belize?”

I lean in, tracing my fingers over her knuckles again, and then up to her wrist. “I have never made that offer to another woman.”

Her gaze drops to where my finger is rubbing little circles on the inside of her wrist. Her lips part. “Oh.”

I love that the simple touch of my finger can take her from laughing to breathing a little faster. And I’m notjustflirting. I’ve actually never made that offer to another woman. Even with the ability to charter a private plane on a whim, a trip to an exotic location is committing to at least a couple of days alone with the same person. “The only people I’ve ever whisked away anywhere are these two.” The only two people I could imagine hanging out with fordaysat a time.

Until maybe now with Brooke.

She looks from me to Wyatt and then over to Luke. “I know Luke and Wyatt work together. How do you know each other?”

“Wyatt and I went to high school together. We’ve been friends since ninth grade. And I met Luke through Wyatt. We’re the three musketeers.”

I can’t read the expression that passes over her face, but I really like her next question.

“So you all do a lot of things together?”

“Almost everything,” I tell her.

“That’s very interesting,” she tells me, her voice softer now.

And I’m suddenly very interested in what she means by that.

Luke comes stomping over with a bowl full of greens and vegetables just then. He sets it down on the counter with athunk. Then he leans over, grabs the glass tumbler in front of Brooke and turns to fill it with more ice water from the fridge. He sets it back down in front of her. “You need to drink more water,” he says shortly.

She blinks at him. These are some of the few words he’s said directly to her.

I don’t know if she’s noticed, but I have made a note of the fact that Wyatt and I have continued to fill her wine glass while Luke has been pushing water on her for the past hour.

“Thank you?” she says, though it comes out as a question.

Wyatt has slid the potatoes into the oven and has the steaks seasoned and sitting on a plate ready for the grill.

“I’m going to my room for a minute,” Brooke says, sliding off her stool. When her feet hit the floor, she wobbles just a bit, and I catch her elbow.

I can’t feel her skin through the thick sweater she’s wearing, but I can feel her body heat. And when she looks up at me from this close proximity, I can’t look away from her mouth.

So, maybe this isn’t just a flirtation to tease my friends. Maybe this isn’t just about finding out if Brooke is truly interested in Wyatt.

I would definitely take this girl to Belize and keep her there for a solid week. And I don’t think we would actually see much of Belize outside of the hotel, as a matter of fact.

We all watch her leave the room.

As soon as the door shuts down the hall, I turn to my friends. “What the hell is going on?”

Luke hits me with a scowl. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Me? I’m the one being totallynormal.I’m flirting with a gorgeous girl, who we’re stuck with for the next two days.”

“How am I not being normal?” Wyatt asks.

“You could turn it on a little bit more. I can tell you’re interested in her. But you need to be more direct.”

He narrows his eyes. “If you’re interested in her, why do you want me to make sure she knows I’m interested?”

“It’s her choice,” I say, as if it’s obvious. It is.

I would happily keep Brooke warm this weekend, but if she chooses Wyatt, good for him. Good for her too. No one knows what a great guy Wyatt is better than me.

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