Page 38 of Until You

“Matt. The three of us have been best friends since we were kids.”

She grinned. “That’s cute.”

“Cute?” he asked with a chuckle. “Cute is for little boys and I’m definitely not a little boy.”

Her voice turned husky. “No. You definitely aren’t.”

His hand was itching to touch her, but he told himself to let her take the lead.

She glanced over at his table. The amusement left her eyes, and her smile softened. “I think it’s amazing that you guys are still close. Brittany and I used to be best friends, until I moved away.” When she saw the questioning look on his face, she added, “I grew up in Lee’s Summit, before I left and went to school out east—Columbia University—and then I got a job and got busy…” She looked down, and her finger drew a line through the condensation on her glass, then she shrugged and glanced back up at him. “You know the story.”

“Kevin left after college and joined the Marines. He drifted from us for a while, but then he came back home this summer. You’re here now. It’s not too late.”

A sly grin spread across her face. “I’m only here for another month, and then it’s time to move on to the next city. Unencumbered.”

“And where’s that?”

She lifted the glass. “Not sure yet.” Then she took a drink.

He thought that was unusual, but she didn’t seem concerned. But the way she’d looked up at him when she’d said she was only here for a month and was leaving unencumbered was definitely a signal that she had no expectations.

Could she be any more perfect?

He was about to ask her how long she’d been back in Kansas City when someone bumped into his side.

“Tyler Norris?” a woman squealed. “Is that you?”

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath. Nina.

Lanie’s eyebrows rose, and she looked amused as she turned to face the woman next to him.

He had to get her to leave without creating an incident. “You’re not supposed to be here, Nina,” Tyler said. “In fact, you’re supposed to be fifty feet away.”

The perky blonde tossed her hair over her shoulder. “It’s a free country, Tyler.”

“Actually, Nina, it’s not when you have a restraining order.”

Nina gave him a sweet smile. “Can’t we put all of this misunderstanding behind us and start over?”

“Nina,” he groaned. While she really was harmless, she was like a cockroach—impossible to get rid of.

Lanie turned to face Nina and wrapped her hand around Tyler’s bicep, leaning into him. “Tyler’s currently not on the market.”

Nina’s face hardened. “And who are you?”

“Tyler’s girlfriend.”

Nina started to laugh and cast a quick glance to Tyler. “Tyler doesn’t do girlfriends.”

Tyler slipped an arm around Lanie’s back, and snugged her against his side. “I do now. I guess I was just looking for the right woman.”

Lanie cupped the side of his face and turned him to face her, then her lips covered his, soft and gentle. Although she took him by surprise, it took him less than a second to catch up. He turned so that she fit between his spread legs, and he slipped his arm behind her back, pulling her close as he took over. Then he remembered who was watching.

Shit.

He kept his arm around Lanie’s back and turned to face his crazy ex. “Thanks for coming over to say hi, Nina, but we’d like to get back to our date.”

Tears welled in Nina’s eyes, and she turned and ran out the door. Two women who must have been her friends quickly followed behind her.

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