Page 18 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
“I…”Remember every blessed second of his hot mouth on mine.She cleared her throat, struggling to push those memories aside, and said, “We were pretty good friends.”
A knock sounded on the glass door that led to the deck, and all three of them looked at the curtains.
“Mom and Dad are with the dogs and Brindle’s with Trace,” Morgyn said. “My guess is that yourpretty good friendis here for apretty goodbooty call.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re as bad as Sable,” Grace said, and tore the curtains back. Her stomach flipped at the sight of Reed’s boyish smile and his unmistakably manly physique. What was it about a man with a tool belt that made women go stupid?
Sable pushed past her and pulled the door open. “Hello there, Reno Man.”
“Sable,” he said casually, his eyes never leaving Grace’s. “How’re the Montgomery girls this morning?”
Grace’s pulse raced beneath the heat of Reed’s stare. She couldn’t spit out a single word. Her mind had taken a journey back to the creek, revisiting their first kiss in forever.
“Some of us are functioning better than others,” Morgyn said as she slipped out the door. “I’ve got to run. I’m going to the fair with Haylie and Lindsay.”
Haylie was Chet Hudson’s younger sister. She was a single mother and the administrator for the new community center, No Limitz. Lindsay was Sophie’s younger sister, which made Grace wish Sophie were there instead of in New York. Sophie had been there for her long before Reed had entered her life. She’d helped pull Grace through the ups and downs of childhood, through Grace and Reed’s breakup, and during every life-changing event ever since. Sophie would talk her out of this ridiculous infatuation, or whatever it was that was driving her to act like a teenager with a crush on the bad boy.
Sable crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching Grace and Reed as if they were there for her entertainment.
“Sable, don’t you have something better to do?” Grace asked with a not-so-subtle glare.
“What could be better than watching something a decade in the making come to life?”
Reed pushed a hand into his tool belt and withdrew a big bag of M&M’s. “Grace, I assume this is still your breakfast of choice?”
“You remembered?” she said too breathily.
“You’re hard to forget.”
“Okay,” Sable said flatly, pushing from the doorframe. “This iswaytoo mushy for me. I’m outta here.”
Reed stepped aside to let Sable pass, his gaze still locked on Grace, making her more nervous than it should. She dealt with all sorts of people in her job, from the wealthy to the famous. How could a small-town guy like Reed make her mind turn to dust? She glanced down at her fingers absently tearing open the bag of goodies, and her heart thumped a little harder.
Oh yeah, that’s how.
He knew her better than she knew herself. He’dassumedshe’d want to see him, when although she’d dressed the part, she’d been debating until the moment she’d seen his handsome face. The face that starred in her naughtiest fantasies and kept her from ever letting go with another man.
One look was all it took, and then there was no question. She wanted to see him. Heck, she wanted tokisshim. She shoved a handful of chocolate into her mouth to quell that urge and held out a few for Reed. “Want some?”
“Yes,” he said evenly. Then his eyes smoldered, dark as night and hot as fire, and he added, “But not what you’re offering.”
She laughed, and it broke the tension building up inside her. “Why are you so set on this?”
“I’m not set on anything. But it’d be a waste to ignore our chemistry. Don’t you think?”
She’d gone withoutchemistryfor a very long time. So long, she barely remembered how to spell it. Ignoring it was not an option. But she and Reed spelled heartache, and she liked living in her lonely bubble without any new slashes through her heart. Okay, maybe she hated that lonely bubble, but she definitely liked safeguarding her heart. “What I think is that we barely know each other anymore.”
Reed stepped closer with a wicked look in his eyes.
“Why are you always invading my personal space?”
“Because there are some things that don’t change, like your reaction to my being close to you.” He paused long enough for the space between them to ignite.
Grace stood firm, refusing to admit defeat by her weakening knees.
“I’m going to venture a guess that other things haven’t changed either,” he said in a low voice. “You were never one for flings and always one for knowing what was next on your agenda. You’re probably thinking about how you’d like to see if we’re still compatible, but you’re only here for a visit and then what?”
“I’m here for only three weeks, Reed. Like I said before, this can’t lead anywhere.”
