Page 6 of Burly and Obsessed

Her face falls. Shit.

“But I’m glad I came,” I add quickly. “Beats hanging drywall with Damien and Jax breathing down my neck.”

Her smile returns, doing strange things to my insides. A dark strand of hair falls across her cheek, and I shove my hands in my pockets to avoid brushing it away.

“We work well together,” she says.

“Surprisingly well.” For two people who’ve been dancing around each other for three years.

The moment stretches, taut as a tripwire. Three years of wanting what I promised not to take.

My father’s voice echoes in my head.You always were a rule-breaker, weren’t you, son?

Screw it.

“Want to grab a beer?” The words come out in a rush. I clear my throat. “Or dinner? We earned it.”

Andrea’s green eyes widen. “I—” She hesitates, and I can see her weighing options. “I should probably head home.”

Just like that, the moment’s gone.

“Thanks for the help, Ace,” Andrea says, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looks up at me. “I’ll see you around.”

Frustration burns under my skin as I stand and watch her leave. Desire follows close behind, hotter and more insistent with each encounter. I’ve faced enemy fire with steadier hands than I have now.

I know my night will be me on my porch, cracking a beer and watching the stars, telling myself I’m not thinking about Andrea. I want to pull her into my arms and never let go of her soft, sexy curves.

I want her so bad I feel it in my bones, but defying Jax has consequences. But the question is: is Andrea worth the consequences?

My heart says HELL YEAH, but my father's voice rings in my head like a warning.

Fuck.

CHAPTER 3

ANDREA

Iswear, if Cody tells that fishing story one more time, I’m going to Super Glue his mouth shut,” Lindy laughs, waving a French fry for emphasis.

I slide into the booth at The Busy Bee Diner, smiling as Hanna and Lindy shift to make room. We have a standing lunch date on Thursdays, even though we usually see and talk to each other more times during the week.

“Sorry I’m late.” I wave Ophelia over and order a turkey club sandwich. “The wedding decorations took longer than expected. I had to finish up a few things this morning, but the good news is everything is ready to go once the flowers are delivered tomorrow.”

“We ordered you coffee,” Hanna says, studying my face. “It sounded like you needed it.”

“That obvious?” I try to lighten my tone, but my mind keeps circling back to yesterday—Ace standing close enough to smell his soap, his deep voice asking me to dinner, and my stupid refusal. My fingers fidget with my napkin.

“So, how’s the VA Center looking?” Lindy asks before taking a bit of her BLT. “Is it transforming into something romantic?”

“You’d be surprised. Those string lights work wonders. We got a lot done yesterday.” I steal one of Lindy’s fries, suddenly realizing how hungry I am. “Leesa will be happy with how it turned out.”

Hanna narrows her eyes. “We? Who helped you? I thought you were doing it alone.”

Before I can answer, Ophelia appears with my sandwich. Her cheeks are flushed, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she sets it down with a flourish.

“Perfect timing! I just heard from Rowan that Damien’s up at King Ridge helping with the new cabin.” She smiles. “I’m glad I could convince him to work construction instead of felling trees. The work is steadier and a lot safer.”

“Thanks for the sandwich,” I say, watching her practically float away to another table. The familiar ache blooms in my chest—that mixture of happiness for her and emptiness in myself. Ophelia found her person. It shouldn’t be this hard for me. Or have I been making it hard on myself by waiting so long, hoping for Ace to get his act together?

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