Page 3 of Keep On Loving You
It had been way too long since he’d been back to Trickle Creek for any length of time, and even longer since he’d had the opportunity to have a little fun while he was there. He’dsnuck into town for the grand opening of his best friend Craig’s ice cream shop a few years earlier, but that could hardly be counted as a vacation of any kind, and he definitely didn’t have the type of time to catch up with his buddy the way he would have liked to. Yes, going to Trickle Creek was always a good idea.
A sentiment that was only reinforced when Kat Carlson practically threw herself into his arms moments after he’d let himself into Craig’s house.
Instinctively, his arms went up and around her. A mistake, judging by the way his breath was completely sucked from his lungs at the feel of her against his body. He held her for a moment longer than he probably should have, especially because the moment he inhaled her sweet scent, his brain betrayed him by instantly flashing back to the last time he’d been so close to her. Only, that time, they’d been naked, and Kat had fallen asleep in his arms.
A detail of her visit to his apartment for dinner on her quick trip to Vancouver that Craig never needed to know about.
Especially considering Andy and Kat had agreed that it would only ever be a one-time thing. She’d said some kind of bullshit about beinghappy for right now.
Itwasbullshit, because Andy was pretty sure he could be happy with Kat for a lot longer than that. Still, there was and always had been her big brother, his very best friend who was more like a brother to him, to think about. And that was a very big consideration.
Andy recovered from the shock of having Kat in hisarms as quickly as he could and managed to paste a grin on his face before she looked up at him.
“Hi.” He held her gaze for a moment. The urge to bend down and press his lips to hers was way too strong for two people who’d agreed to be just friends.
What happened between them was one night only. No repeats. Friends. That was it. That was all it would ever be.
“Hey,” Kat said after another moment passed. She stepped back and pulled out of his arms. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there. I was just?—”
“Getting ready to go riding,” Craig finished for her.
Craig.
Andy looked across the room to where his best friend was half sitting, half lying across the kitchen table. “You look like hell, man.” Andy instinctively took a step back.
“Astute observation.” Craig groaned and dropped his head again. “Did they teach you those skills in that fancy school of yours?”
Andy laughed. “That’s exactly why they’re going to pay me the big bucks one day. My mad observation skills.” He tried to meet Kat’s eye, but she was studiously avoiding him. “I have to say, man.” Andy turned his attention back to his friend. “You really don’t look like you’re up for any…well, much of anything today.”
“That must be thosemadobservation skillsagain,” Kat muttered under her breath with an unexpected sarcasm that caught Andy off guard.
When he glanced in her direction, she was finally looking at him. Humor danced in her pretty blue eyes.
He nodded his head with respect.
“Kat’s going to ride with you today.” Craig pushed himself up from the table. “I am going back to bed.”
“I told you, I’m not going to go.” Kat shook her head. Her long red hair was tied back in a tight braid and hung down the center of her back.
Andy resisted the urge to tug on it, or more specifically, wrap his hand around the silky hair and use it to pull her toward him so that she was once again pressed up against his—no!He had to stop thinking of her that way. They’d agreed.
One night. That was it.
Never mind that the memory of her screaming out in ecstasy while his head was buried between her legs, teasing her, licking her, tasting her, had played on repeat through his brain every day since they’d last seen each other. That was, when he wasn’t letting his imagination run away with thoughts of exactly what it would have felt like to sink himself into her sweet heat, if they’d allowed themselves tocompletelycross the line.
“You need to go, Kat,” Craig said. “Andy’s come all this way, and if you don’t go with him, I’m going to feel even shittier about screwing up our bike day than I already do. Besides, if Andy is going to spend the next few days at your place, you might as well go?—”
“What?”
“Myplace?”
Both Andy and Kat spoke at the same time. Andy risked a glance at Kat, who was not doing a very good jobmanaging her facial expressions, which would have been a problem if Craig wasn’t so out of it. After all, they’d been friends forever. Hell, Andy himself had practically been like another brother to Kat growing up.That was before.Still, there was no reason that Craig should think anything of Andy staying at Kat’s place.
“Yes,” Craig said, obviously growing exhausted by the conversation. “I’m sick. In fact, you’re both putting your lives in your hands by being in this house one moment longer than you need to be. Go. Hit the trails. Be healthy. Have fun.” Craig waved his hand randomly behind him as he moved toward the back of the kitchen and the hallway that would take him to his bedroom.
And then they were alone.
Andy exhaled slowly. “It looks like we’re going to?—”
