The things she did for one stupid man. She almost wanted to slap herself.
LANE WAS LATE to his brother’s party. Not that he really wanted to go in the first place, but he couldn’t be a total dick. He and West were working on their relationship, and so far they were getting along pretty well. He refused to be the one to mess it up.
But his neighbor had called right around six asking for assistance. Old Mrs. Bosley couldn’t get her car to start, so he’d gone over there to check under the hood. Turned out she needed a new battery, so he’d gone to a Walmart in the next town over to buy one for her. By the time he was finished installing it, it was well past eight and his hands were greasy.
So he’d taken another quick shower, telling himself he wasn’t stalling on purpose. But hey, if he took too long, then maybe Delilah wouldn’t be there after all and he wouldn’t have to suffer while he watched her laugh and smile and flirt with other guys.
Or worse, laugh and smile at him, forcing him to give her the cold shoulder in the hope that it would drive her away. Exactly the type of response that would make the light dim in her expressive, always sparkling eyes, and cause that sexy-as-fuck mouth to draw down into a disappointed frown. The mouth he wanted to taste and kiss. The mouth he wanted, just once, to see wrapped tight around his di—
“There you are!” West pounded on the hood of his truck, startling him.
He’d managed to pull into the parking lot right in front of West and Harper’s condo and not even realize it. Hell, how dangerous was that?
“Why you so late, bro?”
Because he was a chickenshit who didn’t want to face the one woman he wanted more than any other?
Yeah, that answer wouldn’t go over so well.
“Helped out my neighbor,” Lane said instead as he put the truck in Park and yanked the keys out of the ignition. He rolled up his window before West could respond, earning a glare from his brother for his efforts.
Climbing out of his truck, he slammed the door, not bothering to lock it. Not that he thought he was untouchable considering he was a county deputy, but hell. Who would be stupid enough to steal a deputy sheriff’s truck?
“Well, aren’t you neighborly and all? Didn’t know you had it in you.” West clapped him on the back as they headed up the walkway toward the front door of the condo. “Didn’t bring any beer?”
“Didn’t have time. Though I could make a run if you want,” Lane offered, ready to turn tail and get out of here so he wouldn’t have to see Delilah. She was inside. He could literally feel her presence. What was it about her that drew him like a magnet? And it wasn’t just physical either. She was smart. Opinionated. Strong. Feisty. Sexy . . .
Too sexy for him to withstand—especially if he had a few beers in him and was feeling horny. An alcoholic buzz would destroy his defenses.
Lane needed to get the hell out of here. Quick.
He was halfway turned around and going toward his truck when West grabbed him by the arm, stopping him. “Oh, no you don’t. We have plenty of beer inside. I just don’t know if we have your preference.”
That his brother had already figured out he was a beer snob touched him. Not that he’d admit it. “I guess I’ll survive, though I have no problems stopping by Abe’s Liquor to pick up what I like.”
Shock Top was a favorite. He had many favorites and had even started brewing his own after Wren had given him a brew kit for his birthday a few months ago. Though he only managed to do that in his spare time.
And truly? He didn’t have a lot of spare time. At all.
“I’m sure you’d love to make your getaway. And then we wouldn’t see you again for the rest of the night.” West shook his head as he let go of Lane’s arm. “Stop being such a coward and just go in there.”
Lane tensed up. He didn’t like being called a coward. He was the furthest thing from a coward when it came to his job. He faced danger every single day of his goddamned life.
So what was it about a sweet, beautiful woman that had him sweating bullets every time he saw her? He needed to get over it. Over her. Maybe find some other young thing who wasn’t looking for a commitment and fuck her. Fuck his feelings for Delilah right out of his soul by losing himself in someone else.
Right. Like that would work. He’d only end up feeling guilty for using a girl and mentally cheating on Delilah, which was crazy.
Of course, the woman in question made him straight-up crazy so . . .
“Is she inside?” He didn’t say her name. Knew he didn’t need to.
“Yeah. Of course she is. Her and Harper and Wren are all attached at the hip,” West said as he opened his front door and held it for Lane. “Just come inside. There are friends in there. People you know. People you even like. Grab a beer and go make conversation like an actual human being.”
Muttering under his breath, Lane strode inside the small but cozy condo, waving his greeting at the few people who were sitting in the living room chatting. He followed his brother into the kitchen, offering a low-spoken thanks when West handed him a cold beer.
At the same moment he twisted the cap off the bottle, every hair on the back of his neck rose, a sure sign that he was in the same damn room as Delilah. He glanced over his shoulder, spotted her standing only a few feet away in the tiny alcove that was considered the dining area, a big smile stretching her perfectly lush, perfectly deep red mouth wide as she talked with an unfamiliar guy who was standing awfully close to her.
Too close.