Donnie did like her. She wasn’t imagining it.
He was walking toward her with two beers and a determined look on his face. He looked like a man on a mission. And she knew what the mission was.
It was her.
Her stomach seemed to drop out of her body and hit the ground. How could it be that her forbidden fantasy, the one thing she wanted but could never risk having, was now coming to life?
Damnit, she was not ready for this.
Why did it have to be him? The one guy who she had a harmless little crush on? The one guy that might make her slip up, and do something stupid.
Like let her guard down.
Anyone else she could brush off. In fact, she did on a regular basis. She’d declined to give her phone number to at least twenty guys since she’d moved into town a few months ago.
Even without the makeup and fancy clothes she used to wear, she seemed to attract more than her fair share of male attention. She groaned inwardly.
She should have gotten a fake wedding band when she first moved to town. Or made up a boyfriend. One that was big and mean and in the military.
"He likes you."
Kaylie leaned close and whispered the obvious. It sent a shiver of pure excitement down her spine. Immediately followed by dread.
Oh no. This was bad.
Dangerous.
Scary.
He handed her a beer and leaned against the edge of the picnic table, staring at her intently. He looked hungry. And he was looking at her like she was something good to eat.
This was very, very bad.
She had to get out of here. Now.
"Thank you."
He grinned again. He looked like she'd just thanked him for saving a kitten from a tree. Way too proud of himself.
And way too sure he was going to get what he was after.
Her.
Sally had a sudden vision of what would happen if she didn’t skedaddle. He would take her home after the barbecue. He’d kiss her, then she’d ask him inside. He’d run his hands all over her, making her lose all sense of perspective.
Then after, when she was a needy, vulnerable pile of goo, he’d change. He’d be cruel. Maybe just a little bit at first, but more and more over time.
And then the monster would come out.
She couldn’t bear it. Even if she wanted him. Which she did.
Badly.
How could she not? He was big and strong and so gorgeous it made her head spin.
Sally felt a flush of arousal as his eyes slid down her body. She was under no illusions that he just wanted to get her into bed for a quickie. She was sure he had women throwing themselves at him all the time. Looking around this place, there were tons of hot girls and more than a few were looking his way.
But Donnie was in for a surprise.
Sally was not going to make it easy for him. She was not going to jump into bed with him. Ever. She knew the risks all too well. No matter how much she might like to. If she was honest with herself, she wanted to a lot.
She sipped the beer, wondering how long it would take before she could leave without attracting more attention. She wracked her brain for an excuse- something that wouldn't offend her friend.
She really did like Kaylie. If things were different, she would tell her everything. Explain how things were. How men always seemed to treat her, judging from her limited experience.
But as it was, she couldn't be too open, not even with the few girlfriends she'd made in this town.
Who was she kidding? She had one friend. Janet was nice but they'd only hung out a few times. Mae was her boss, even though Sally liked her a lot, it wasn't that kind of relationship.
Kaylie was it. And now Sally was going to ruin it by running out of here. Donnie would lose interest. And Kaylie would never invite her out again.
She'd be all alone. Again.
She felt tears welling up in her eyes suddenly.
Coming here had been a mistake. She started to stand and make her excuses when there was a big commotion toward the gate.
Devlin was here. Heads were turning and everyone was hooting and hollering. Kaylie gripped her hand as he jumped up on a table in the middle of the courtyard.
Chapter 5
Kaylie
Kaylie was watching Devlin with a bemused look on her face. What was he up to now? She had a strange feeling of foreboding as she stared at his handsome face.
Devlin waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking. It was so quiet that he didn't even have to raise his voice.
"As all of you know, I met a very special lady about a year ago. She's been my old lady ever since but now it's time to make it official."