Page 62 of Vodka and Chocolate Drops

Scott looked up from his desk, a mechanical pencil poised between his large fingers. “That’s something I normally say to people who are part of an ongoing investigation.”

“In the name of love, I am telling you not to leave town.”

“Love?”

“Shut up. I have a speech and you’re throwing me off. I already had to wait for Dispatch to take a smoke break so I could do this in private.”

He gestured for her to continue.

“Stay. Don’t take a job somewhere else. Blueberry Springs is home. For you. For me. I’m not going anywhere and I don’t think you should, either.”

Scott leaned back, quiet for the longest moment. Finally, the corner of his lips lifted into a smile. “Want to know a secret?”

Amber flopped into the chair across from him in an exasperated heap. “No.” He was supposed to sweep her into his arms, see that she was ready.

He played with his pencil, clicking it, then pushing the lead back in by pressing it against his muscular thigh, watching her. “I applied out so I could move to the city when you did. But I pulled my name from the application pool a few days ago.”

She groaned in frustration. Why didn’t he speak the same language she did? Blunt and straightforward.

Right now he was supposed to be pulling her close, kissing her, loving her. Not speaking in riddles, where she had to wait to find out what he meant. Because him withdrawing his name could mean one of two things: either he’d figured she was going to stay, so he would, too, or he’d decided she wasn’t worth moving for.

“I had a feeling there would be a reason to stay.”

He came around the desk.

She perked up. “Such as?”

“Stand up.” Scott’s voice was gruff and commanding.

She complied, and he gently slipped his fingers across her jaw before tangling them in her loose locks. Her head tilted toward his involuntarily as he angled his mouth, drawing them close. He stopped an inch from meeting her lips, his breath soft on her cheek.

This was where it all happened. It all came together.

She met his gaze, and worlds and history passed between them. For years she’d denied his true feelings, pushed him aside and made him feel as though he wasn’t good enough to be more than a friend. She’d dismissed him, as well as herself and her true feelings. She’d allowed fear to hold her back. She’d allowed herself to feel as though she wasn’t enough for a man like Scott.

She’d taken his warmth, kindness, and love for granted for too long.

She brought her lips to his, erasing the distance that she’d placed between them over the years, savoring the heat of him melting into her as their kiss deepened. His hand wrapped around her wrist bound her in place as she brought her free hand up to his hard chest, then around his shoulder to the back of his neck. Wide, strong, and vulnerable.

She was kissing her best friend as only lovers did. It was no quick peck as love passed between them. They crossed the friendship line, and she hoped she’d never find herself on the other side ever again. Not with Scott.

His kisses turned commanding, his hands taking her in, one holding her close around her waist as she arched into him, the other caressing her breast. Longing and need hit her like a tropical storm and her kisses became frantic as she tried to consume him, as though this was her last kiss on planet earth.

He felt soright. Her whole body was alive and in command of her moves.

Kissing one’s best friend was definitely not overrated. At least if your best friend was Scott Malone, hunk extraordinaire.

She finally broke free, her breath coming in desperate bursts. The need for more darkened his eyes and it was as though all the pent-up love he’d held within him for the past decade was bursting out. His lips were suddenly on hers again, bruising and demanding in ways she’d never dreamed of reciprocating, but craved so strongly she felt like a satellite, stuck in his orbit. She could come to depend on kisses like Scott’s.

As they finally broke free again, he whispered, “You kiss like you’ve been wanting to do that for years.” His slow, teasing grin made her heart take up an unsteady rhythm, and she opted for a sassy reply to keep the playing field fair.

“And here I kissed you just the other day. How forgettable was that, hmm?”

She’d eased out of his arms and he pulled her back with sudden speed, his lips once again hungry on hers. A gal could get used to this. No more Mr. Nice Guy Friend. Scott was a secret alpha any woman would be lucky to have.

“Don’t toy with me, Amber,” he said a long moment later. She’d never felt so wanted as she did in his arms. He knew everything that was wrong with her. Every flaw. Every insecurity. Every awful stupid spontaneous embarrassing thing that had ever come out of her mouth. And yet he still chose her.

The world was full of unsolved mysteries, but this was surely one of the biggest. One she hoped was never solved.

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