Page 88 of Home Tears

He smirked. “Hawk gave me a ride. He had to check on something, but he’s going to come back. My sister tends to have a lot of good-looking friends. He wouldn’t miss this party for anything.” He cocked his head to the side, crossing the room to her. “How are you with your ex being here?”

She knew he didn’t mean Jake. “It is what it is.”

His hand slid around her neck, cupping the back. “You’re okay with it?”

Was she? She was having a hard time concentrating with him being so close. She could feel his heat. All she had to do was reach a hand out, just a few inches, and she’d be touching him back. Or she could lean forward, her body wavering. She would close her eyes, and she knew Jonah would do the rest.

She forced herself back. “I’ll be fine, but you need to step away because I’m losing the will not to touch you back.”

She didn’t dare look up and meet his gaze. She breathed out, concentrating on just breathing, but she meant it. If he stayed there, she’d lose the battle in the next two seconds. And then it was time’s up, and she found herself going toward him, just an inch. Her hand touched his stomach, feeling his muscles tighten under her touch, and she knew how the rest of those muscles were cut, all deep valleys, all there for her to run her fingers over.

“Okay. No.” She pushed him back. “Leave, or when I take my clothes off, I won’t be pulling any of your sister’s dry ones on.”

He laughed, sounding strained. “I’ll be downstairs.” His lips touched her forehead and she had to will herself not to watch him go. She waited until the door opened, then closed, before she almost collapsed onto the bed.

Too much. Jonah was damned near a weapon himself.

A small grin tugged on her lips. She was looking forward to the end of the night, and with that thought, she sat up. Clothes to wear. She needed some.

Then she heard a knock, and the door swung open. Boone stood there, and he was soaking wet, too.

“Oh!”

“Hey.” She straightened from the bed.

He only stood there, taking in her wet state before looking back to the hallway. “I saw Bannon leave a moment ago.”

“Uh, yeah.” Her lips puckered together. “We were both outside when it started raining. I was just going to change clothes, too.”

He nodded, his jaw clenching at the same time. “I see.” His eyes were so cold.

“Look, Boone—”

“No.” His head clipped to the side. “No.” His nostrils flared. Then he left.

She scrambled to her feet. “Wha—” But he was gone. She changed quickly. Boone was angry. He had reason, but he didn’t at the same time. He knew she was with Jonah. There were other conversations that needed to happen between them, conversations that she knew both were putting off.

She was searching for him when Jenny seemed to materialize out of thin air. “I’m looking for Mitch. Do you know where he is?”

“You’re not the only one.” she murmered.

She was looking around, biting down on her lip. “He went out to get my purse. I forgot it in the car, but he was drenched when he came back in. I told him to dry his clothes before he caught pneumonia.” Jenny laughed a sickening sound of delight. “Heaven’s sake—I wouldn’t want pneumonia. I don’t even want to get a cold while I’m on vacation.”

“He’s—” She lied. “He’s gone downstairs. There’s a clothes dryer down there.”

“Oh. Thank you!” But she stayed put. Her eyes switched to Dani’s face, suddenly a whole lot more attentive than Dani thought she could be.

“Is there anything else?”

“I know who you are.”

“So do I.”

Her top lip curled up in disdain. “Mitch told me that the two of you used to go together, when he was in those third-world countries. How he got his heart broken by some slut and you were just a rebound girl. Did you know about the other girl? I don’t want you to start thinking that you can have him back. Mitch might not see it, but I know exactly what type of girl you are.”

Dani shifted back on her heels. “And what’s that?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“You followed him here.” She leaned closer, her face way too close to Dani’s, and she whispered, “And that was the wrong thing to do.”

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