Page 90 of Best Friends, Tennessee

Kane threw his arms up. “You may as well blend up a whole damn pine tree and pop it in there, too,” he said. “You’ve got every herb and spice and citrus in the kitchen in it.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Max said, already muddling and stirring my mojito. “This’ll be on the house. My own little experiment.”

I pulled in a long breath. “Good. I need another drink.”

I had to admit that even though saloons in general weren’t my vibe, Hard Spot… well, I had a soft spot for it now. Everyone who worked here was friendly or at the very least, entertaining.

And right now, Max and Kane were keeping me distracted, making it easier for me not to look back at Finn and his blonde bombshell over by the pool table.

Honestly, it was as if I’d been in a pressure cooker since the moment I woke up in Finn’s bed this morning.

Don’t get ahead of yourself.

This is all fun and games for Finn. A power dynamic. He’s having fun with the fact that he can get to you, in any way he can.

I had felt unwanted for so many years that it seemed impossible that Finn could want me at all, let alone want to be physically close with me. It was stupid to think anything could change that quickly since I moved back to town.

But…wasit quick? Or had there been more under the surface for Finn all along? Had there been more under the surface for me, too?

It made my fucking head spin.

“Here you go,” Max said, putting a final garnish of mint leaves and rosemary on top of the fizzy red drink. He slid it across the wood bar top, a proud smile on his face.

“Cranberry mojito, eh?”

“Cranberry cinnamon orange,” he said. “Ah, with rosemary. And lime and mint, as usual. And a little vanilla.”

I puffed out a laugh, taking the everything-drink and bringing the straw to my lips.

First I was hit with the distinct taste of cranberry and citrus, but soon I felt the back end of cinnamon and vanilla, too. The rosemary was very subtle, and certainly didn’t make the drink taste like a pine tree.

“You know what?” I said. “It’s fucking delicious.”

Kane lifted an eyebrow as Max clapped his hands. “One-two thankyou,” he said. “Try it, boss.”

Kane begrudgingly picked up the other one Max had prepared, taking a sip. “Wow. Broken clock is right twice a day, huh? That is really good, Max.”

“This is the happiest night of my life,” Max said, beaming.

Ten minutes later I saw Finn in my peripheral vision. He was walking off down the hallway toward the bathroom, and I slid out of my chair, heading his way.

“Cowboy,” I called out, and he turned back to face me.

“Yes?”

I got up close to him, putting my finger in one of his belt loops.

“Kiss me,” I told him, close to his face.

Something burned in my chest.

“That’s what you want?” he asked, his hazel eyes looking down at me like I was his plaything.

“You know what I want.”

Inside I was smoldering, a volcano ready to blow.

I moved in to kiss him and his fingers came up between us, pressing gently on my mouth.

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