And I ached. Every part of my body protested my rash decision. My shoulders were nothing more than a series of tight knots. My knees locked up with every step. My legs were wobbly noodles.
So much for a leisurely stroll and a refreshing afternoon at the stores. I was going to guzzle iced tea then slink back to the House for a bath and a nap.
I thanked the woman behind the counter and held the cool glass to my head. It wasn’t Ana, but the aquamarine-eyed beauty had that same look. It rang of knowledge and left me unsteady. When I turned toward the door, Lauren caught my eye and waved from her table in the far corner.
Of course she looked like that. Her cute blond ponytail shone, her perfect makeup looked freshly applied, and she sported one of those luxury brand athletic dresses that accented every angle of her perfect body.
She beckoned me over with a genuine smile that reminded me we weren’t in high school anymore. We were on a path to friendship. And I didn’t have to knock another woman down just because she was prettyor put together. Just because the world was petty didn’t mean I needed to be.
She wasn’t alone at the table. A man sat across from her with his back to me. She said something to him as I approached, and though I couldn’t see him, his broad shoulders tensed under the flow of his salt-and-pepper hair.
Hair I recognized. Hair that made my heart hammer all the way into my toes and my stomach churn like it was making spoiled ice cream.
Lauren reached across her table and patted his hand. It was friendly, not flirty, but an odd stab of jealousy burned my throat. I grabbed a stack of napkins, dabbing sweat off my neck and forehead, literally squeezing it out of my hair before it dripped to the floor.
“Simone! I’m so glad to see you outside the Magnolia. Did you have a good run?” She gestured toward the empty chair between her and her companion. “Join us!”
Her words were chipper, but there was a clear thread of nerves weaved into her tone.
“It was a good run, thanks. I’m kind of a mess. I’d planned a walk, but you know how plans go.”
My mind was frantically trying to work up an excuse not to join them at the table. But anything I might have said died on my lips when her companion turned to face me.
He held a frozen smile so tight his lips trembled with it. His green eyes locked onto mine and held me captive. My mind, in a panic, begged me to flee. But the intensity of his gaze rooted me to the spot.
This was more than a stomach churn. This was more than a vague sensation of nausea or the desire to ruin shoes. My stomach flipped upside down, turned eight cartwheels in succession, and spun in dizzying circles.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t speak.
I no longer cared how I looked or who was with us.
The world around me fell away, transporting me back to the summer after high school and the boy who’d shattered my heart to pieces.
The boy who was now a man. With the brightest, clearest green eyes I’d ever seen.
Eyes that had haunted my dreams for years.
The eyes of my wolf.
Of course it was him. No one had ever or would ever have that pull on me.
“Simone? You remember Ray Chase?” Lauren was either smoother than silk or the queen of cluelessness. Had I thought she was nervous moments earlier? Either way, I was grateful she could normalize the space. “Really, neither of us minds that you’re fresh off a workout. We’ve all been there. Have a seat!”
My brain went on autopilot, and my body betrayed me. I took the seat she’d extended, trying to ignore the way my thighs stuck to the metal chair. I’d have to peel myself off when I stood up. I might stay here until the Square emptied so no one had to witness that mayhem.
“How have you been?” Ray was talking to me. His full, wide lips were moving, and he was chatting casually.
As if we’d been nothing more than acquaintances who said goodbye at graduation.
As if I hadn’t seen him in wolf form and longed to throw my arms around him.
As if he hadn’t stolen a piece of me thirty years ago.
“I’m great!” Was that my voice? Was that me sounding chipper and squeaky and lying?
“Well, I’ve been okay.” I took a sip of tea to steady myself. This was ridiculous. It had been thirty years. I wasn’t a hormonal young adult lusting after the star quarterback, all moody and broken from his injury and needy and sexy and…
