Did Nel mind him staying out so late with his ex? Would he tell her?
That was none of her business.
She rose and moved to the door. “Thank you for checking on me.”
He stood too, and she had to tilt her head to look at him.
“I’d love it if we could be friends.” The words felt strange coming out of her mouth. But the need to have some sort of connection with this man was too strong to ignore.
“We’ve never been friends, Mags.”
“Not true. Once upon a time, you were my best friend.” It had just come with a lot of touching and kissing.
“Friends…” He said the word slowly, like he was trying to wrap his head around the concept. “If that’s what’s on offer, I’ll take it.”
He stepped closer, and when his head lowered, she thought he was going to kiss her.
Blood raced in her veins and her heart thumped at a wild beat. And he did kiss her, but not on her lips. His mouth grazed her temple, and for a single second she forgot how to breathe. She forgot how to move and think. Because his lips were on her. For the first time in eleven years, she felt completely intoxicated by Ethan.
Then he stepped back. The connection broke. “Good night, Mags. It was really nice to spend the evening with you. Lock up after me.”
Still, after he left, she didn’t move for a little while. She felt stuck.
It wasn’t until he disappeared from view that she closed the door and pressed her forehead to the surface, finally letting it sink in. She was still in love with him. She didn’t know hownotto love him.
10
Ethan lifted his beer, Trap loud and busy around him.
“Okay, you need to tell me what’s going on and you need to tell me now.”
Ethan frowned at Connor. “What are you talking about?”
Joel scoffed from the other side of Ethan. “For the last three days, you’ve been stuck in your head, and we all want to know why.”
“All?” Ethan asked.
Connor nodded. “Yep, Ryan and Zac asked us to report back.”
Jesus. “Not that it’s anyone’s business, but I went to see Maggie.”
There was a short pause before Joel spoke. “And?”
“And, I don’t know. Being that close to her and not being able to touch her like I used to was fucking torture.”
“So, what, are you gonna give it another go with her?” Connor asked. “Can you trust her not to disappear on you again?”
The thought of that happening, of letting her in only to lose her a second time, hit him like a sucker punch. “I don’t know. That period of my life when she disappeared is a blur.”
“It was hard for you,” Connor said.
“We saw it,” Joel agreed.
Hard was an understatement. He tipped back his beer again. “How are you both doing since moving here?” He needed to focus on something else.
Joel laughed, but there wasn’t much humor in the sound. “Anywhere is better than Houston.”
Houston was where his family lived. They were a pretty big deal, owning a drilling company and sitting on state energy boards. They were everything Joel wasn’t—arrogant, money-hungry, and pretentious.
