Page 13 of Burly and Obsessed

Her words replay in my head for the hundredth time since I dropped her off. The dismissal still burns, raw and unexpected after what happened in the greenhouse. One minute, she was melting in my arms, her soft curves pressed against my chest, her kiss a taste of glorious heaven. The next, she looked at me like she wanted nothing to do with me.

That kiss. Fuck. The way she stepped forward with such certainty, closing the distance I’d been afraid to cross for three years. Her hands sliding up my chest to my shoulders, fingers gripping me with surprising strength. The small sound she made in the back of her throat when our lips finally met—half sigh, half demand.

My body had responded instantly—blood rushing to my cock, heart hammering against my ribs, every nerve ending electrified where her body touched mine. Her curves fit perfectly against me, and all I could think of was how glorious making love to her would be. Three years of wanting concentrated into a single kiss. It was fucking glorious.

Then everything went sideways. Jax called. I answered. And somehow, between one breath and the next, Andrea shut down. The drive back to the VA Center was torture. Every time I attempted to talk to her, all I got were one-word answers. She wouldn’t even look at me. Her focus was entirely on her phone, texting constantly, as if I weren’t even there.

“What happened?”I’d finally asked.

She gave me a cold look, her eyes filled with impatience and disdain. She was far from the woman who’d touched flower petals with such tenderness. She just shook her head, like she expected me to know, as if I could read her mind.

But Ididn’tknow. I still don’t.

I slam my hand against the steering wheel, hard enough that it stings, but it does nothing to dull the ache in my chest.

Then, the final blow at the VA Center. Hanna and Lindy were waiting as I pulled into the parking lot. The way Andrea’s demeanor changed when they approached—warm smiles, easy laughter, everything I’d been denied during the drive back.

The construction site comes into view, but something’s off.

I cut the engine, slamming the door as I exit. “What’s going on?”

“There he is.” Damien looks up. “Thought you were on flower duty all day.”

“Plans changed.” The words taste bitter. “Why’s everyone packing up? It’s barely three.”

Hank tosses a hammer into the toolbox. “Bachelor party tonight. Jax’s last night of freedom. Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“He doesn’t want anything wild,” Jordan adds, securing a tarp over lumber. “Just drinks at King Tap. Waylon and his crew will be there.”

My shoulders slump in unexpected relief. A night of drinking might drown out the echo of Andrea’s dismissal. I can’t believe I forgot about the bachelor party tonight. No way I could forget the wedding, but what happened with Andrea made me forget everything else.

Damien shifts his attention to me and tucks the clipboard under his arm. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Fine.” The response is automatic, if obviously not true. “Just need to go get cleaned up.”

“Thought you were with Andrea all day,” he says, voice casual but eyes sharp. “What happened?”

I tense, turning away to try to hide my emotions. “She had other plans.”

“Uh-huh.” His skepticism is palpable. “And that’s why you look like someone shot your dog?”

“Drop it, Hank,” I snap. I’m not in the mood for teasing. Keeping my frustration in check is a struggle. Nothing good will happen if I get into it with Hank or any of the other guys.

“Sure, sure.” He holds up his hands. “Just saying, when a man comes back from a day with a beautiful woman looking like you do, something went sideways.”

I slam the tailgate shut harder than necessary. “I’ll see you at King Tap.”

Driving away, Andrea’s face is all I can see—not her cold expression at the VA Center, but how she looked in the greenhouse. Soft. Open. The way she’d traced lily petals with her fingertips. How she’d smiled up at me with such dazzling beauty before she kissed me.

For one perfect moment, I’d held everything I wanted. The memory of that moment of bliss sends a fresh wave of heat through me even now—desire mingled with confusion and loss.

* * *

King Tap is buzzingwhen I arrive, half the crew gathered at a long table. Rowan pushes a beer toward me as I drop into an empty chair.

“Saw you speed off earlier,” he says. “Might want to ease up on the mountain roads before you end up in a ravine.”

I take a long pull from the beer, grateful for the cold bite. “Noted.”

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