Page 31 of All It Takes

“Do I get to play?” Archer teased.

Ross and Tommy peered up at him, with Ross replying, “Sure.”

Archer winked, clapping him lightly on the shoulder. “No need. If it’s okay with Tiffany and”—he glanced over at me—“Wes, I’ll walk you guys down to the game room. Want to check it out?”

I set my plate down on the coffee table, standing as I replied, “Of course. Ross is kicking my butt at games on the regular.”

Archer introduced himself as they began walking down the hallway. Tommy immediately interjected to ask Ross about his favorite games. I glanced at Archer, saying under my breath, “Thank you.”

A few minutes later, they were situated in what was apparently Archer’s home office. Aside from the desk, there was a small couch with a TV and a video console in the corner. “All right, guys. Play nice. I’ll check on you in a few minutes,” Archer said.

I glanced down at Ross. “Are you hungry? I can bring you a plate.”

He was already lifting the gaming controller as he looked up at me, nodding. “Nothing messy, or I’ll get the controller dirty.”

I chuckled. “Got it. I’ll bring something in a few minutes.”

When I returned to the living room, Tiffany was seated with a plate just beside where I’d been sitting. Considering that my plate was right there on the coffee table, it only made sense that I should sit beside her. Even though I knew it would send my hormones into overdrive, I did. I felt caught between two urges: the urge to keep my distance—and, therefore, my sanity—and the urge to be close. My response to her was so powerful the force of it was hard to override.

“Hi,” she said when I sat beside her and picked up my plate.

The second our gazes collided, a pink flush tinged her cheeks. I willed myself not to get aroused.

“Hi,” I said simply before popping a spicy buffalo nugget in my mouth, hoping the food would keep my body’s reaction under a bare minimum of control.

I thought the least I could do was not behave like a randy adolescent boy with an audience of friends.

The doorbell chimed just as Archer happened to be walking back into the room from the kitchen. He stopped and opened it. Chase and Hallie had arrived.

Fuck my life. Having Tiffany’s brother here as part of the audience only weakened my already slipping control.

Somehow, I managed to be polite. The conversation carried on. I left the room after finishing my plate to bring one to Ross and deliver one Phoebe had made for Tommy. I thought I was pulling this thing off. I could be around Tiffany without wanting to tear her clothes off. It involved studiously avoiding looking directly at her and making sure not to touch her. My fingertips itched to touch her since she was seated beside me, but I had it under control.

Totally. It was all fine and well.

I even planned a dipnetting trip with Chase, Russell, and Archer this summer. We were joking about how it was easier to go as a group so we could help each other carry our coolers. Dipnetting in the summers in Alaska was insanely fun. It was a ton of work, but it usually resulted in a chest freezer full of fresh salmon.

Russell and I also planned a day of backcountry skiing, which I hadn’t had a chance to do since I got home. Chase and Hallie offered to babysit if we needed it.

At some point, Tiffany went to check on Ross, and I needed to go to the bathroom. Phoebe directed me to the one off a small alcove that led from the kitchen into the garage. I finished washing my hands and stepped out to find Tiffany waiting.

ChapterTwenty-One

WES

Tiffany’s eyes widened when she saw me. “Oh,” she said, her voice coming out low and husky.

One single word out of her mouth, and my body felt singed from the heat coursing through it. The arousal I’d been trying to keep at bay all evening swelled.

We stared at each other in the small space. We were protected from view, and no one was in the kitchen. All of the voices were a distant murmur.

“Ross seems to be making a friend,” I observed.

Tiffany nodded, staying right where she was with her back against the wall. I wasn’t thinking when I stepped closer. “How are you?” I asked, resting a hand on the wall beside her.

Her eyes met mine, and the sound of her breath drawing in sharply was like a little bolt of lightning, electrifying the air around us.

“Okay,” she whispered.

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