She had tried so hard not to think about him when she’d left, losing herself in the newness of college, of living in Boston. Blocking out all the hurt, trying so hard to turn off the physical ache of being away from him. Up until recently, she had lived that other life. It had been a good one in many ways, but there were things that she had promised herself would be more satisfying if she just hung on a little longer. Things like love and contentment.
Nine years had passed, and here she was, lying with Jace’s arms around her, his slow breaths in her ear. Was the happiness running through her just an echo of their past, or could they make it into something new?
Too much to think about right now.
He shifted so his long legs stretched across the couch, and she settled between them. His breaths slowed, and she closed her eyes, the way she used to on his parents’ couch. She might have nodded off because, when she opened her eyes, the buzz of the Wild Turkey shot was gone. But she was still surrounded by a wall of warm, hard muscles. It felt good, really good. A scary kind of good.
“Jace?”
“Yeah?” His voice, rumbling and full of sleep, sent a new rush of desire through her.
“If we’re doing this…whatever we’re doing together, we need to be friends, too.”
“Weren’t we friends back in high school?”
She laughed. “We certainly didn’t spend our Friday nights the way friends do.”
He didn’t answer right away, but she was sure he remembered. His mouth brushed over the top of her head, and he pulled her tighter. “You don’t want to do that anymore?”
“I do.” Lord, did she ever. “Though maybe not in the front seat of your car.”
He chuckled softly, his chest moving under her. Then he sighed. “I see your point. And not just the one about the car.”
The past was gone, and it would hurt, digging into it, looking back to the way things were. But now that she’d opened this new door, invited Jace in, laughed with him, slept in his arms again, she wasn’t ready to leave him in the past. They had to look forward. But it was so easy to let her guard down with him, and whatever this was between them felt vulnerable.Shefelt vulnerable. So Selena took her time, searching for the right words.
“Falling asleep with you feels good,” she said softly. “Really good. And it’s really tempting to just fall back into this, you and me together. But I think we both know all the reasons we need to be careful, too.”
She could feel his nod against her.
“We should spend time just talking,” she continued. “Go to coffee or something.”
“Coffee?”
“Friends do that. Not that I have any friends around here as examples, so you’ll have to take my word for it.”
“Hmm…” He stroked her hair, then slid his hand down her arm. He found her hand and wove his fingers with hers. “Okay,friend. Let’s meet for coffee.”
Chapter Ten
Selena walked along the shoulder of the road, sidestepping mounds of melting snow. Late during the night, the rain had turned to beautiful, white flakes, but it wasn’t sticking, making for a slushy mess. She hoped it wasn’t an omen for what was to come because she was already having second thoughts about this plan. Buying coffee for five dollars at a café was the most ridiculous way to spend her money right now, when finances were tight. Plus, she was on deadline, which meant she shouldn’t waste precious morning hours, the hours she was most productive, on a social call. And yet, she was braving the cold to meet Jace at the Harbor Café. Like friends would.
Maybe friends was a bit of a stretch, since she was dying to do things with him that had nothing to do with friendship. But, luckily, reason had won over hormones the other night. The connection was strong between them, which meant this new-found intimacy could so easily hurt both of them. Maybe the hurt couldn’t be avoided. She was still planning to leave Sacred Harbor after the holidays, of course. But when Jace appeared on her doorstep, wet and bearing gifts, her heart had stuttered in her chest.
Was Jace the reason why she had dragged her feet this fall instead of putting the house on the market? Just a few days ago, she would have rejected that idea completely. But could she trust her reasoning around him when she had worked so hard to leave him behind? Maybe, somewhere inside, she had stayed because she needed to know if those long-buried feelings were gone for good.
And now that they’d seen each other, talked, even fallen asleep on her couch together, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or maybe this was just the effects of that “magical” fruitcake. In which case it should be wearing off soon, if her knowledge of magic was accurate. That knowledge came entirely from fiction, of course. Selena rolled her eyes. This whole situation was crazy.
She turned the corner of the last block and headed toward the lake, her wool scarf high on her neck, shielding her from the sharp gusts of wind. The weathered wooden building was right next to a harbor, with a deck overlooking the lake and the shoreline, so the place got a lot of business during the summer. Hopefully, right now it was empty. Hopefully, no one would recognize them. That had been a selling point when she planned this coffee date—that and the fact that Selena hadn’t been outside in two days. She pulled her scarf up further, over her mouth as she neared the water. The temperature here wasn’t so much colder than it was back in Boston, at least not so far this year, but there was a hell of a lot more space between everything, giving the wind a strong advantage. Plus, after nine years away, she had forgotten how to dress for this kind of cold, apparently.
Selena opened the door to the café, and a rush of warm air blew over her face and found its way under her scarf. Her shoulders unclenched a little as she took a step in. The place was bright and decorated for the holidays with garlands and strings of lights. Small candles were lit on each of the wooden tables, and the whole place smelled like cinnamon rolls. Maybe it was worth a five dollar cup of coffee.
But then she saw the stares. The place was far from empty, and everyone there was looking at her. No one seemed familiar, at least not at first glance. Maybe this was a bad idea.
Then she saw Jace, standing in line with his back to her, his unruly hair and broad shoulders still familiar. He had taken off his jacket, showing off how unfairly fit he still was. Did he play sports these days? There were so many things she didn’t know about him anymore.
Then he turned around, and his face lit up when he saw her. All her worries about this meeting dissolved, and for one moment, she wanted everything she used to have with him, all over again. And she was in so much trouble if that’s how she was thinking. The past was gone.
“Hello,friend,” he said, his smile full of humor. Then he gave her the kind of kiss that wassoooonot in friend territory. His lips opened against hers, lingering, new wave of that same desire that had bombarded her since he kissed her on her doorstep.
