Page 11 of The Friend

He’d expected her to slap him silly. Instead, she’d responded like a tigress, fuelling his passion until his hormones warred with his common sense in a raging battle. Fortunately, common sense won and he played down the incident, laughing it off as an experiment between two friends trying to prove they’d just entered the world of grown-ups.

Now, staring at Abby in a fitted black halter dress outlining her curvy body to perfection, with her hair piled in a similar arrangement to that fateful night, he wondered if he’d been so fortunate after all.

He stood and waved her over, drawing a chair out as she neared the table, unable to tear his eyes away.

“Not bad,” he murmured in her ear as she sat down, her light floral fragrance beckoning him closer and he pulled back with effort, resisting an irrational urge to place a kiss behind her ear.

She’d always loved jasmine and the scent had haunted him over the years, a poignant reminder of her.

“Is that a compliment, Calloway?”

She’d used a minimum of makeup, just enough to highlight her eyes which glowed luminous in the reflected light from the lit torches around the perimeter of the room, as he wondered if they’d always been that blue, that incandescent.

“Call me Judd,” he said, unable to quell the urge to flirt, hoping she’d join in.

She batted her eyelashes. “In that case you can call me Abby.”

Judd smiled and reached out to run his hand down her arm in a part-friendly, part-daring gesture, enjoying the flare of awareness in her eyes.

Maybe the balmy breeze, the illusion of being secluded on a tropical island and far enough away from reality, and the newfound heat sizzling between them made him want to push the boundaries of their friendship and see what happened.

“Abby is a beautiful name. Conjures up all sorts of images like ancient stone churches surrounded by overgrown cottage gardens with oak trees reaching up to the endless blue sky the same colour as your eyes…”

Abby snorted. “I’m not one of your bimbos. You don’t have to lay it on that thick.”

Judd laughed and shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. So, what does the name Judd conjure up for you?”

He wondered if she’d take the bait and remember what she’d once told him all those years ago.

By the glint in her eyes she wouldn’t disappoint. “That’s easy, JuddKaneCalloway. A long, thin reed used to put cheeky boys like you back in their place.”

She reached over and tweaked his nose like she used to, resurrecting instant memories of their childhood years and reminding him of how long they’d been friends.

“Now, what does a girl have to do to get a drink in this place?”

“Let me guess, the usual?”

Her blue eyes sparkled with characteristic cheek while her lips curved in a coy smile he’d never seen before. “I’m feeling reckless tonight. Surprise me.”

As if noticing how stunning she looked wasn’t torture enough she had to throw him a curve ball. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was definitely flirting with him again.

But that couldn’t be right. Abby teased him, riled him, and jibed at him, but flirt? No way. This tropical air must be getting to him.

He called a waiter over and placed their orders, including a cocktail guaranteed to regain the upper hand, and leaned back in his chair.

“Nice outfit, by the way. Glad to know you take my advice so seriously.”

His greedy gaze skimmed the black silk clinging to her curves, ending an inch above her knees, accentuating her tiny waist, outlining her breasts…

He sat up and sent a frantic glance in the waiter’s direction, wishing their drinks would arrive ASAP.

He needed cooling down, badly.

“You think I wore this for you?” If her smile had been coy before it turned positively smug now. “Still delusional from all that African heat, huh?”

He couldn’t back down from the challenge in her eyes even though continuing this conversation would only make it harder for him to view her as just a friends.

He’d never backed down from one of her challenges and he’d be damned if he would now. Besides, he liked a hint of danger. Kept things interesting.

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