Page 13 of Best Friends, Tennessee

Something flared inside me, and I bit the inside of my cheek.

I’d ironed out any trace of a southern accent from my voice by high school, but Finn had made it his mission to catch any hint of it ever since then.

He was still full of shit about me being nervous, though.

“Well, I am tired,” I said. “Just got done with a pretty long road trip, if you don’t remember.”

Finn finally waved me off, shaking his head. “You’re the one missing out if you don’t dance with me, glitter boy.”

I polished off the rest of my margarita and stood up to head to the bathroom. When I walked toward the narrow hallway, I realized Finn had followed me. He reached for my arm, trying to pull me toward the dance floor.

He was being gentle, but I still gave him a warning look. “Wanna bet?” I said.

Something shifted in his eyes.

That phrase meant something to us. We always used to say it whenever things started to escalate between the two of us back in school. Sometimes it just led to something simple, like an arm wrestle or a snowball fight, but other times, it could end with us wrestling each other to the ground, punching each other, or ripping each other to shreds with the best insults a high schooler could muster.

“Sure do,” Finn said, holding my gaze. “Thought you knew you couldn’t take me anymore.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Finn,” I said.

Something twinkled in his eyes. “Youwanna bet?”

There it was. His ego, finally coming out to play.

I didn’t hesitate.

In an instant, I gripped my hand around his forearm and pulled him forward, twisting him until his back was to the wall.

My heart was pounding already. Adrenaline surged through me, pushing away the stressed-out energy that had built up since I’d entered Tennessee.

I kept him shoved up against the wall, my breath quickening slightly, the smell of beer coming through the air.

It had been alongtime since I’d been physical like this with him. I’d caught him off-guard, but I was still aware that he could probably take me, anytime he wanted.

Finn’s look of shock quickly transformed into a hard stare. He had some of the prettiest, kindest eyes I’d ever seen, but even through that kindness, he knew how to give someone a death glare.

I knew he was going to retaliate a split second before it happened. He grabbed me by the front of my jacket and spun me around, easily pinning me up against the wall a whole lot more gracefully than I’d done it to him.

Suddenly his forearm was across my chest, like a big, heavy bar. My shoulder had connected with the wood on the wall, hitting my bone, and it throbbed now.

I really fucking liked that feeling.

I wanted to sock him in his face, yes.

I wanted to toy with him as much as humanly possible.

Butfinallywe were doing more than just talking.

He kept me stuck against the wall. “You know you can’t fight me,” he threatened me in a low voice, but his tone was still completely calm. “Couldn’t fight back in high school, and you sure as fuck can’t fight me now.”

Each rise and fall of my chest reminded me of the weight of his arm bar on me. He smelled like citrus from the orange slice that had been in his beer, and I caught a whiff of his body wash.Masculine.That was the only way to describe his scent.

I didn’t break his gaze.

A moment later I tried to move and slide out to one side, but he pushed me right back up against the wall.

“Come on,” I told him.

---