/> “Um, hey,” Liv said, her voice a little wobbly.
“Hey, yourself,” Kincaid replied. “Everything all right?”
“Just fine,” Liv said quickly. Too quickly.
After one more breath to calm himself, Finn rolled his shoulders and turned to face the firing squad. Two of his old classmates stood there in the glow of the open door, Kincaid Breslin and Rebecca Lindt. Rebecca was owl-eyed, her gaze jumping back and forth between Liv and Finn. But Kincaid looked nonplussed.
“Sorry,” she said brightly. “Didn’t mean to interrupt, uh, things. We just got worried about you when we saw you didn’t come back in. Wanted to make sure you hadn’t fallen into the creek. Apparently, you fell into something else.” Kincaid strolled forward, pinning her interrogating gaze on Finn. “And you are?”
Finn had forced himself back to stoic mode, but before he could respond, Rebecca stepped forward, her limp barely detectable. “Finn?”
Kincaid’s brows went up. “Finn Dorsey?”
He nodded and glanced at Rebecca. “Hi, Bec.”
He didn’t have much to say beyond that. His body was still too revved to focus on much else besides Liv. A chat with a classmate and a childhood friend was not on the agenda. Now. Or ever, really.
“Um, can we have a minute, please?” Liv said finally.
Rebecca was still staring at him like she was trying to figure out an equation. But Kincaid smiled a smile that could cut right through a person, her Southern belle accent like a sugarcoated knife. “Sure. A minute. And Finn, it’s great to see you, but our dear Liv here has had a lot to drink tonight, so I’m sure you’ll understand that after I give you a few minutes to say good night, I’ll be walking her to her room.”
Finn stared at Kincaid for a moment and then nodded, keeping his expression smooth and feeling like a world-class dick. “Of course.”
“Great.” Kincaid patted him on the shoulder. “And don’t be a stranger. We’re all having breakfast at nine tomorrow. You should join us.”
Hell no to that. But she didn’t wait for his answer. He wasn’t her concern. Liv was. Kincaid strode away from him, giving Liv a speaking look as she passed her. Rebecca remained silent as Kincaid grabbed her elbow and led her back into the restaurant.
Liv sagged back against the railing and made a face. “Well, that was awkward.”
Finn laced his hands behind his neck and blew out a breath, trying to slow his heartbeat and the unrepentant lust that was still coursing through him. He’d almost hauled Olivia up to his room. Taken her to bed like she was some random woman he’d picked up at a bar.
When she was drunk and vulnerable on top of it. What the fuck was wrong with him? “I’m sorry. I don’t know what… I shouldn’t have done that.”
She crossed her arms, looking grim. “What are you apologizing for? You didn’t do anything. I kissed you.”
“And I let it go too far. You’re drunk. And you’re…” He almost said Liv. “You were upset.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose and gave a humorless laugh. “It’s nice of you to take the chivalrous route, but don’t fall on a sword about it. This was…”
“This was what?” he asked when her words trailed off.
“What I do,” she said flatly. “Or what I used to do at least. Alcohol makes me…” She looked up and then shook her head. “Let’s just say I have a two-drink limit for a reason.”
Part of him was dying to know what word she would’ve filled in there. Reckless. Stupid. Horny.
The last one made him feel like an even bigger jerk for thinking it. He tucked his hands in his back pockets, trying not to let his thoughts show on his face. “It’s been a long day and a lot of memories. I think we both just got carried away. We can’t do that.”
“Kiss?”
“No. Pretend we’re the people we used to be. Those people don’t exist anymore. They’re ghosts.”
She winced.
There was no denying the heat that had arced between them. He’d bet everything he owned that having her in his bed would be nothing short of spectacular. But it would be a lie. Drinking or not, she was seeing the guy he used to be. And he was seeing the girl he used to know. This was a grab at the past. Nothing more. Neither of them could afford to forget that.
She gave him a little smile. “Maybe we went traditional high school reunion after all. Getting drunk and having ill-advised hookups with classmates you never got to bed back then.”
Just hearing the word bed from her was almost too much for him. “It’s good that we were interrupted.”