I knew what I wanted … The two of us together. Officially and fully.
I just hoped she was working her way around to wanting the same thing.
Memories of our night together kept me satisfied as I waited to see her again.
The look on her face as she’d taken the pins out of her hair, eyes hot on mine as the dark curls fell free around her shoulders.
Her head thrown back, mouth slightly open as she’d gasped and moaned as I moved inside of her.
The sweet smell of her surrounding me, her limbs doing the same as I drifted off to sleep.
With my mind full of her, and a small smile still playing on my lips, I opened the door to the diner and called out happily, “Hello, Dolores,” as I walked through the dining room toward the table where Dillon was already waiting.
I was halfway to him when I caught sight of my favorite brunette sitting in a booth by the window, and froze in my tracks when I realized she wasn’t alone, but was talking happily while sharing a meal with Shane.
The elation I’d been feeling deflated and settled in my stomach like a rock.
Chloe hadn’t called like she’d promised. Instead, she was sitting in the diner, on what looked to be a date, with the town’s favorite eligible Aussie bartender.
Shane must have felt eyes on them, because my friend’s head turned, and when he saw me, he lifted his chin up in greeting.
I nodded back numbly, then averted my gaze and got my shit together, forcing my feet to move from their spot and go toward where my cousin was waiting.
“What the fuck, Rear, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I heard Dillon saying as I sat down across from him, grabbed his water, and took a long drink.
I mentally told myself to calm the fuck down, which was hard because there was a mixture of hurt and anger currently swirling around within me.
I held up one finger, asking for a minute when he opened his mouth to speak again. Dillon shut it, his eyes surveying the room to try and find the source of my strange behavior. I could tell the moment he zeroed in on Chloe and Shane.
His green eyes shared that he was ready to be pissed off for me if necessary, and he asked, “You guys seemed to be hitting it off at the wedding. You ever tell her how you felt?”
I gave Dillon a sharp nod and found my voice.
“Yeah, uh, some stuff happened that night, and she asked for a little time, so I’m giving it to her.”
“Time to see other dudes?” Dillon asked, his mouth a thin line.
Rather than dignify that with a response, I turned to give Dolores a tight smile when she approached the table.
“The usual, sug?” she asked automatically, then paused when she took in my face. “You good, honey?”
“Yeah, Dolores, I’m good, and the usual sounds great.”
Dolores nodded and turned away, but not before giving me one last questioning look. It was safe to say that the people of Cherry Springs were used to me being in a certain kind of mood, and this wasn’t it.
“Shane know?” Dillon asked, obviously not letting the subject drop like I’d hoped.
“Know what?”
“About the thing you have for Chloe. You guys are friends, brother; he’ll back off if he knows.”
I sighed and leaned across the table, voice low and a little harder than I’d intended.
“I don’t want to have to tell Shane to back off. I want Chloe to make a decision on her own. If that means she wants to be with Shane and go back to being just friends with me, then that’s what will happen. I’m not going to force her hand.”
“So you’re going to let some other guy get there first, again, and not do anything about it? Just walk away?”
“You know what?” I said, seething as I stood. “I’m not doing this with you now. I’m certainly not doing it here … You don’t get it, all right? Things don’t come as easily for me as they do for you, for Gabe. Anything you want, you get, no problems … It doesn’t work like that for the rest of us.”