Page 15 of Only One I Ever Wanted

I plucked her phone out of her hands.

“Hey!” She popped up off the couch, rushing to me. “Give me that back.”

“How do I delete a video?” I dodged her hands as I tapped the settings feature, but I didn’t use social media enough to know what the hell I was doing. I had the business account my brother Kai had set up on one of the random times he’d come home to help out.

I remembered to post on it maybe once a month with a photo from a job that was semi-interesting to look at. Not much to crow about recently, to be honest.

“Come on. It was just a joke. No one will care.” Her voice was delighted and too close for comfort.

“These abs are not for sale. They were hard-won.”

She reached around me, and her bare arm slid across my skin. I twisted enough to catch her gaze, my skin sizzling at the contact. Her hazel eyes were full of joy. It launched me into the past for a moment as I turned into her. Especially when her exceptional breasts grazed my chest as she reached for her phone that I had hoisted over my head. I was a tall man, but Nora was no pipsqueak.

She seemed to realize she was practically in my arms and stilled.

Our chests rose and fell in quick concession, both of us breathing hard.

My gaze dropped to her mouth. It was pink and full, without makeup—as was the rest of her face, which didn’t help with the trip down memory lane. She looked as fresh-faced as she had when we were kids.

And just as distractible.

My attraction to her had been the definition of inconvenient. Especially since Booker had been my best friend since we were freaking eight-years-old. High school had just clinched it until...it hadn’t.

Until he’d gotten his dream and I’d been left behind.

I stepped back and cleared my throat, then handed back her phone.

Her eyes went wide, and I couldn’t help but notice her nipples tighten and push at her nearly threadbare shirt. The room was warm with the sun blasting in through all the windows, and all I could smell was her spring flower scent. She always smelled fresh, but this was a window into the adult Nora.

And a reminder that she was definitely not for me.

I pasted on an easy smile. “Hey, if you can drum up business for me with my off-key singing…”

She stepped back another few inches too. The room was empty save for a yoga mat on the floor across from the ugly couch. “I didn’t realize you needed help.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. Great. Nothing like showing off just how crap my business was. “Just coming out of the slow season.”

She tilted her head. “Well, you could be my first client here in Indigo Valley. That’s what I did in Los Angeles.”

“Oh.” I frowned. “For a job?”

“For a company, actually.” She held up a finger and darted back into the hall. She came back with a little white card and handed it to me.

“No BS,” I read aloud with a laugh.

“I pretty much left everything behind in LA. I still have a few clients I can help remotely, but I wanted a fresh start.”

I glanced down at my naked chest. “And this is going to sell?”

Her grin widened. “You Murdock boys were put together well.”

“Thanks. I think.”

“Definitely a compliment.”

“Right, well. I, um, should get back.” I jammed my hands in my pockets.

“Oh, right. I’m sorry.” She did a littleshoo-shoogesture.

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