He leaned in, tilting his head to the side as he came closer. “Jodi,” he whispered, ducking his head and-
“Ow! What the hell?” Greg demanded, but she ignored him as she twisted and turned his head, looking for a head injury that would explain why he’d suddenly lost his damn mind.
“We should get you to the hospital,” Jodi said, trying not to panic and wondering where she’d put her car keys. Maybe she should call an ambulance? Head injuries weren’t something to play around with.
“Wait,” Greg said, shaking his head as he stepped back out of her reach, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Getting you to the hospital!” Jodi snapped, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.
Time was of the essence here!
“Because I’m trying to kiss you?” Greg asked, frowning.
“Yes!” Jodi snapped, shoving past him to find her keys, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop.
“I’m fine, Jodi,” Greg said, sighing heavily as he used his hold on her to turn her around.
Worrying her bottom lip, Jodi let him turn her around. “Then what’s going on?”
He entwined their hands together, caressing his thumb over the back of her hand. “I’m trying to kiss you, Jodi,” Greg said softly as he pulled her closer.
“Trying…to…kiss…me,” she mumbled back, trying to make sense of what he’d just said when he leaned down to-
“Whoa!” Jodi yelped, slapping her hand across his lips.
“Ow!” he winced, stepping back and pressing his fingertips against his split lip.
“Why are you trying to kiss me?” she demanded, not giving a damn that she sounded a bit hysterical because this was her best friend and best friends didn’t kiss each other!
“Because I want to,” Greg said, reaching for her again, but this time, she saw him coming and jumped back.
“Now? Seriously?” she couldn’t help but shake her head in disgust. “Five years ago, when you took me out, the idea of kissing me turned your stomach and now suddenly, you can’t seem to keep your lips to yourself?”
“It didn’t turn my stomach!”
“Really? Because you could have fooled me,” Jodi said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“You didn’t want me to kiss you!’ he snapped.
“No, you didn’t want to kiss me!” she snapped back.
“The hell I didn’t!” he shouted, getting in her face.
“I-”
But he wouldn’t allow her to get a word in. “I asked you out because I was attracted to you, but by the end of the date…” he let his words trail off with a shake of his head, “you started acting like I was your brother, not a date.”
“You started to treat me like a kid sister!” she snapped, pissed that he was playing this game with her.
“Because that’s how you acted! Like my kid sister! We’d barely got through our first drink when you started treating me like a brother and by the time I walked you to the door, you’d placed me firmly in the friend-zone.”
“No, I didn’t!”
He sighed heavily as he headed towards the front door. “Yeah, you did. You do it with every guy,” Greg said, only to pause with a lazy gesture towards the front door before he added, “except for the asshole living across the hall. You treat every guy you meet like he’s your long-lost brother, even that asshole that you were going to marry.”
Chapter 22
“I’m not going to keep apologizing,” Danny said, pulling to a stop in front of a large colonial house.
