That’s not exactly what I planned to say, but it couldn’t be more truthful.
I turn my back on him and nearly run through the aisle.
I hear June calling to me as I pass by the registers, but I don’t stop.
I keep running all the way to my car, and then I jump into the driver’s seat, turn on the ignition, and floor the gas, not letting up until I’m safely in my driveway.
* * *
Brayden
I stand frozen in aisle four, staring after her as she makes a fast track away from me.
What the fuck was that?This whirlwind of a woman, all green eyes and an amazing mane of dark brown hair, just slammed into my chest and knocked me so off-kilter I’m still catching my breath.
Just like she did twelve years ago.
My heart is doing triple time as my brain tries to play catch up.
The woman with the emerald eyes and barest hint of a smile—the kind of tension-filled smile that makes me want to ask her why she’s so unhappy—has me all sorts of thrown off.
We’re total opposites. You don’t have to be a genius to pick up on that. We always were.
I was the football jock who grew up on a cattle ranch, and she was clearly a smart girl who didn’t normally frequent the kind of parties I was used to. The moment I turned away from the ping pong table, her eyes were stuck to me like I was the first half-naked guy she’d ever seen. Maybe I was.
I frown as I remember what happened next that night.
After I lost sight of her at the party, I went looking.
When I reached the empty hallway, I heard banging coming from one of the rooms. My gut tightened, and fear cut through me.
I rattled the doorknob and pushed the door open.
When Leleila crashed into me, I instinctively wrapped my arms around her. I glanced over her shoulder at the guy laid out on the ground, and my fear turned to rage.
But she clearly didn’t want a scene. She also didn’t want to be left alone.
And that kiss between us…I run my thumb over my bottom lip as I continue to stand in the middle of the cereal aisle. She was inexperienced but passionate, and it felt like she gave me everything with that kiss.
And now?
We’re still total opposites. She was rocking a fancy business suit, and I’m still dressed for manual labor. Her body filled out her suit nicely, and her jacket kept riding up on her ample hips. Her blouse was undone at the first two buttons, just enough to reveal a hint of cleavage.
I was drawn to her all over again. All of her, not just her body.
I run my hand down my face.
I want her.
I want to ask her out.
Christ, Brayden. Let it go.
I’m in the middle of a crossroads in my life. Being a high school football coach is great, but it’s not enough to keep me living at Big River. If I want to buy the ranch I live and work on, I need to put all my energy into bulking up my savings. Any woman would—and should—probably run from me right now.
But for the first time in a long time, I met—okay, I remet—a woman I want to get to know better. And…I’m going to follow through.
I finish putting away the final cereal box, and then I head to the front of the store, stopping at June’s register.
