Page 71 of Wood Riddance
A flash of a memory hit me right then and there. The feel of his breath on my skin. The way his fingers gripped my hips.
The thrill that shot through me when he pinned me to the ground.
The dirty things he’d whispered in my ear.
Fuck. How could any guy ever compete with that?
And he knew it too. Asshole. He probably took pride in the knowledge that he’d ruined me for other men.
Did he have to look so delicious, too? He had no business looking this good in his blue plaid shirt and jeans at a bar in rural Maine.
Because mine wasn’t the only head turning.
Oh no. Every set of eyes bulged when he walked in. It helped that he was with two of his brothers. I always mixed their names up. The older one, with the thick beard and the younger, quieter one. Together, the three of them looked like they had arrived from a photoshoot forLumberjack Monthly.
They were all beards and attitude, with a side of icy blue eyes.
So tall and broad they made my giant brothers look puny.
A group of older ladies, including Bernice from the diner and Mrs. Martin, my sixth-grade math teacher, actually whistled as they walked by. Though no one was surprised by their outburst. They were known to get rowdy during their girls’ nights. Hazel occasionally had to cut them off and call their husbands to drive them home.
It had been a long time since the Heberts had shown their faces at the Moose. I was proud of Finn. This was difficult for him, but he had to show this place that he was here to stay. For Merry.
But I was also pissed off. Because now any chance I had of having a good time had flown straight out the window.
Bastard.
Dylan nudged me, holding out my glass of wine. “Fine,” I said, my heart pounding in my ears. I tipped it back, chugging half of it in one go, and turned to the dartboard. I was determined to ignore every impulse in my body, which, inconveniently, was screaming to go over to Finn and stake my claim.
“You sure?” He raised one brow at me. I was usually good at playing it cool, but that man flustered me like no other. I swore he was giving off pheromones so powerful they had turned me into a fourteen-year-old again.
I nodded and returned to the dartboard, desperate to ignore the Viking elephant in the room. Of course, the moment I found my resolve, Parker ran over and nudged me.
“Damn,” she said, clinking her glass against mine.
I glared at her, but all she did was grin right back at me. Dammit. She was immune to my looks.
“Please tell me you’re not going over there. Not with your whole family here.”
“Obviously.” I huffed. Okay, it was official. I was fourteen again—the huff proved it. “It would cause an international incident.”
“Good. I really don’t want to have to throw punches tonight. I just got my nails done.” She wiggled her blood red manicure at me.
“Don’t worry,” I assured her with a flippant wave. “I can control myself. I’m not going to scandalize anyone.”
Finn and I needed to talk at some point. Soon. He had been shockingly up-front and honest. And as paranoid as I was, I believed him when he said he wasn’t the type to play games.
Yesterday, I had run away and ignored his texts. Soon, though, I’d need to face the music and try to move on from this. Behaving like a bratty child was not the answer here, but I couldn’t seem to make myself confront the situation. Retreating into myself and ignoring all the lust and like and curiosity swirling around in my head was a whole lot easier.
Despite my inclination to bury my head in the sand, Ididwant to talk to him. I wanted to flirt with him and yell at him. Tell him that what had happened between us had meant something. But I was a coward. And there was no way I could do it in public, especially with all three of my brothers here. They would hit the roof and the town would be talking about it for years. I’d be a mature adult tomorrow. Tonight, I’d stay the course and avoid it all.
Though his presence made that so damn hard.
No matter where I went, I could feel his eyes on me. He had no idea what that gaze did to my insides. My stomach was twisted up in knots, and my heart fluttered so frequently I thought I might need to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist.
He watched my every move, studying every inch of my body. Had I known he’d be here tonight, I would have put on more makeup. Maybe even worn a skirt to torture him.
I’d donned a worn pair of cutoffs and my favorite pair of Converses instead, but that didn’t stop him from ogling me every chance he got.
