Page 4 of The Friend

Her closest friend spent his life travelling the world and she never saw him, while the rest of her social circle consisted of work colleagues and acquaintances hellbent on partying their way through life. And she’d let go of the conga line a long time ago.

Abby didn’t understand the emotion that played across his face at her response; it bordered on disappointment. His job meant everything to him, too. Why else would he have spent the last eight years leading a nomadic existence?

“Here’s to us doing a good job over the next week.” He raised his glass towards her.

A week, seven days in the company of her best friend, the one guy known to bring a smile to her face and who she’d missed terribly over the years if this strange jittery feeling was anything to go by.

“I’ll drink to that.”

As their glasses clinked, a tiny crack appeared in hers and she hoped a similar thing wouldn’t happen to their friendship.

Maybe she’d been pushing herself too hard lately.

Maybe it had been too long between dates.

Maybe she needed a day or two in Judd’s teasing company to put the smile back on her face.

But whatever was causing the tiny trickle of tension between them, she needed to get over it. Judd meant the world to her and there was no way she’d jeopardise their friendship.

For anything.

Chapter Two

Judd ran a hand over his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar.

Yeah, same eyes, same nose, same chin.

Then why had Abby stared at him like he’d sprouted horns when he’d surprised her a few minutes ago?

He’d assumed she’d be over the moon to see him and though she’d seemed happy he could tell something was bugging her. Even though it had been a few months since they’d talked he knew her almost better than he knew himself. Their closeness scared him at times, because most women had expectations.

But Abby was different. She didn’t want anything from him. She was content being his friend, and if she ever demanded anything more he’d run, like he had eight years earlier.

“Preening in front of the mirror, Calloway? Some things never change.”

He swivelled to face Abby as she returned from the toilet and resumed her seat at the bar, struck all over again by how incredible she looked.

They followed each other on social media so he knew she hadn’t cut her hair and still favoured casual clothes over thedesigner stuff she worked with, but seeing her in the flesh had him in a spin he hadn’t expected.

Those pics online didn’t do her justice, considering her sexy new bod: toned legs, tiny waist, cute ass, and great boobs. Her athletic figure in high school had morphed into curves in all the right places and he’d be blind not to notice.

“I never preened back then,” he said, his mock offended expression not fooling her for a second, considering they always sparred like this.

She quirked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? I distinctly remember a certain high school jock flexing his muscles in front of my full-length mirror after he joined a gym. And another time when you bought that atrocious flannel muscle shirt, and that time you—”

“Okay, okay. Give a guy a break.” He held up his hands to ward her off and she swatted them away, her playful pat lingering, the warmth from her palm tingling against his skin.

He gritted his teeth, hoping the flare of awareness didn’t show on his face.

He thought he was past this with her.

He’d thought wrong.

Surely eight years away from her should’ve dulled the attraction?

“You’ve got a memory like a damn elephant. I’d hate to think what else you remember.”

“You’d be amazed,” she said, her voice surprisingly low as she raised her glass in his direction, an enigmatic smile curving her glossed lips.

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