Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Breakups sucked.

Like seriously, seriously sucked.

Gemma Walsh drove around aimlessly as she tried to wrap her head around the conversation she’d just had with the guy she’d been dating for three years.

Three wasted years, apparently.

He wasn’t ready to settle down, he’d met someone, and they were going to drive cross-country and have an adventure. He needed to experience life and see what else was out there, blah, blah, blah. In all the years she and Mike dated, not once did he ever mention wanting to do anything like that. If anything, he’d been super content to hang out in their small town of South Creek, North Carolina, and just…chill. It wasn’t the most exciting relationship, but she’d been comfortable in it.

The longer she drove, the more she realized all that had been lacking—the passion, the romance—and it pained her to realize she was just as much to blame. They had gotten into a rut and…

Now they weren’t.

What she wanted most was to drive over to her best friend Lucy’s house, but unfortunately, Lucy was out of town for the next several weeks. She and her fiancé were currently on vacation in Hawaii, so she couldn’t even call. It would be wrong to interrupt her friend’s dream vacation just to unload her own emotional drama all over her.

Then she also toyed with turning the car around and driving west to the mountains of North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkway was one of her favorite places to drive, but that was easily a four-hour drive and it was already kind of late.

“So, where does that leave me?”

It was after ten and as much as she could just go home, she wasn’t ready for that. Turning onto Main Street, she spotted the local pub, The Creek. It didn’t look too crowded, but she knew if she went inside, she’d definitely run into some friends. It wasn’t the same as talking to her BFF, but it would have to do.

Desperate times and all that.

Parking the car, she grabbed her purse and keys and let out a long breath. She’d been coming to The Creek ever since she was old enough to legally drink and never felt as awkward as she did right now. Probably because she usually came here with either Lucy or Mike. Going in solo was going to be super weird.

Stepping inside, Gemma took a moment to sort of scope out the room and see if she could spot any familiar faces. It was a Thursday night, football season was over, and it looked like everyone was here alone like her.

Awesome, she inwardly groaned.

But she was here and maybe she’d just have one drink and admit defeat. “I’ve got nothing else to do,” she murmured, heading toward the bar. There were a few open seats and before she could even think of which one she’d take, a familiar face turned and grinned at her, waving her over.

Wyatt Dawson. One of Lucy’s older brothers. She had three, and Wyatt was the youngest brother, and she’d been friends with him for almost her entire life.

“Hey, Gem,” he said easily as she took the seat beside him. He looked around and frowned. “Where’s Mike? Is he meeting you here?”

Tossing her purse down on the bar, she sighed. “Yeah, um…no. We just broke up.”

His chocolate brown eyes went a little wide. “Damn. Sorry.” Then he looked around again. “Are one of your friends meeting you here?”

“Why can’t I just be here by myself? Sheesh. I just didn’t feel like going home, okay? I can’t call Lucy because she’s in Hawaii, and there’s no one else I felt like I could just…you know…unload on, so I thought I’d come here and just hang out for a bit.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Okay. Sorry.” He paused. “Can I get you a drink?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say she didn’t need anyone to buy her a drink, but…it was sweet that he was offering. “Thanks. A beer, please.”

Nodding, he said, “You got it.” Waving the bartender over, he ordered, and a minute later, she had her favorite beer in her hands. They sat in companionable silence for a solid minute before he asked, “So…are you okay? I know I’m not Lucy, but you can totally unload on me. I’m a decent listener.”

It was all the encouragement she needed. “I just don’t get how we spent three years together and he never mentioned ever wanting to go anywhere!” she said with a huff after explaining the whole situation. “You know, I wouldn’t have minded going somewhere once in a while too! God, why did I just settle for boring? Why didn’t I think I deserved more? I used to get on your sister’s case when she would whine about wanting more out of life than living here in South Creek, but she was right! I feel so stupid!”

“Hey,” he said softly, but then seemed to realize it was a little too loud for them to have an actual conversation. Nodding toward the back of the pub, he stood and grabbed their drinks. “Come on. Let’s grab that back table and finish this talk.”

Gemma stood but told the bartender they’d need two more beers before following Wyatt to the booth all the way in the back. It was so much quieter back there and helped her relax a bit.

“Thanks.” Sliding into the booth, she smiled sadly at him.

“You shouldn’t feel stupid,” he told her firmly. “I think it’s natural to just get comfortable in a relationship and not really realizing it’s not a good fit until…something like this happens.” He paused. “Would you want to get back together with him? I realize this just happened, but…”

She was already shaking her head. “No. I’ve been driving around for like three hours and I’m upset, but I kind of came to the conclusion that for the last year, Mike and I were just like…buddies. We hung out and we’d occasionally have sex…”

“TMI, Gem,” he murmured.

“I’m just saying that there wasn’t any genuine affection anymore. I don’t know when things changed, but obviously they did.” The bartender brought their drinks over and that’s when she noticed she had already finished her first beer. Holding the bottle in her hands, she grinned at Wyatt. “I’ll probably have to get an Uber home, but it will be worth it.”

He was studying her hard, but it didn’t bother her. Wyatt was one of the good guys. He was sweet and caring, had a great sense of humor, and he always looked out for his friends and family.

Plus, he was crazy sexy.

That was something she would never admit to anyone—especially Lucy—but…yeah, Wyatt Dawson had been the subject of some of her hottest fantasies over the years. Every once in a while, she’d play the “what if” game with herself, but basically, he was her best friend’s older brother, and she knew Wyatt would never see her as anything but a friend.

Dammit.

“Three years of my life, Wyatt,” she said miserably, before taking a sip of her beer. “Three years of my life that were wasted. I’m not getting any younger, and the thought of starting over is just…it’s exhausting.”

“It wasn’t wasted,” he said evenly. “We learn things from every relationship, right? You learn what you like or don’t like, or what you can or can’t live with.” After taking a drink of his own beer, he added, “I’m sure it wasn’t all bad.”

“No, it wasn’t.” And boy, did it suck to admit that. “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I feel pathetic.” Another sip. “And no offense to you, I really wish Lucy was here.”

He chuckled. “None taken, and I get it. Maybe…”

“I think I’m gonna need another beer.”

The amusement on his face should have irked her, but he was too nice to look at.

“How about I drive you home,” he suggested. “If you keep slamming drinks back like that, you’re going to start feeling crappy. Once you’re home, you can continue to drink or maybe just call it a night. What do you say?”

“I hate that you’re always so logical.” That was a lie, but right now it applied. “If I go home and drink alone, then I’m definitely pathetic.”

“You don’t have to drink. Maybe we pick up a pizza or some ice cream and just…hang out.” He tossed a few bills on the table as he slid out of the booth. Holding out his hand to her, he grinned. “You know you’ll feel better at home.”

“You don’t have to drive me. I can just call an Uber. Either way, I’ll have to come back for my car tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll drive your car and I’ll take the Uber back later to pick up my truck. It’s not a big deal.”

“Wyatt…” But she was already on her feet, clutching her purse.

He put his big, warm hands on her shoulders and playfully nudged her toward the exit. “Let’s go.”

I’m a glutton for punishment.

That thought was playing on a continuous loop in Wyatt’s head as he drove to Gemma’s place. She might have started out as just his sister’s friend, but over the years, he considered them to be friends too.

However…

She was like forbidden fruit. Yes, they were friends, and yes, he would never do anything to risk their friendship, but…damn did he think about doing just that on more than one occasion. She was smart and beautiful, with a wicked sense of humor that sometimes he seemed to be the only one who got. She was passionate about the things she believed in, and she had the kind of curves that made him practically twitch with the need to touch them.

When she started dating Mike, it helped him to keep those boundaries in place. Wyatt was typically more of a casual relationship guy, so there was never really a time when they were both single where he could think about the possibilities.

If only she weren’t Lucy’s best friend.

Now he was simply trying to be a good friend to Gemma and help her through this obviously upsetting situation. He would get her home, hang out for a little while, and then call for a ride so he could pick up his truck. No big deal. He could do this.

“I really appreciate you doing this, Wyatt,” she said with a soft sigh. “You’re a really good friend.”

Friend. Great.

“Can I ask you something?”

Glancing over at her, he replied, “Sure.”

“Why don’t we ever meet the women you date? I mean, we all know you date, but you never let us meet them. Why is that?”

That made him laugh softly. “I don’t believe in doing that unless it’s serious and…” He shrugged. “It’s never been serious.”

“Wow. Okay.”

He wasn’t sure what exactly that meant, but they were pulling up to her condo and he would rather change the subject back to her. They were quiet as they walked up to her door, and she fished out her keys and motioned for him to follow her in. They’d hung out at her place before, but usually with a group of people. This was the first time they were doing this alone.

Again, glutton for punishment.

They were in the living room and Gemma tossed her purse down and spun around to face him. “How come it’s never been serious?”

“What?”

She nodded and stepped a little closer to him. “How come it’s never been serious? You’re such a great guy! Like…I can’t wrap my brain around the fact that you haven’t met a girl you could get serious with.”

“Um…”

Then she walked around him and went to the kitchen. “I don’t think I have any beer, but I definitely have wine. Ooo…and cookies! And ice cream!” She ran back into the room. “What about ice cream sundaes and wine? That goes, right?”

His stomach lurched just thinking about it. “How about one or the other? They don’t sound like a great combination.”

“Well, boo. That stinks. I really want all of it.” Then she spun away again and went to the kitchen, and he followed. She was pulling pints of ice cream from the freezer and then grabbing wine glasses.

“Gem,” he said carefully. “How about we have sundaes in the wine glasses? That could be fun, right?”

She looked at him like he was crazy, but after a moment, agreed. “Why don’t you want to drink wine?”

“Because wine and beer don’t really mix well for me. And I have a feeling they won’t for you either. You’re already feeling crappy, no need to add getting sick to the equation.

So they made ice cream sundaes in wine glasses and walked back out to the living room and sat down. “Nice deflection,” she said with a grin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you never really answered why you never got serious with anyone. Do you even want to? Like…if you met some amazing woman who liked all the things you liked and was sexy and beautiful…wouldn’t you want to get serious enough that you’d introduce her to your friends? Would you marry her?”

The massive spoonful of ice cream he shoveled into his mouth was a great way to stall for time.

Did he want to get married? Sure. Someday. But honestly, out of all the women he’d ever dated—and there were a lot—he never pictured a future with any of them.

Gemma was clearly onto his delay tactics because she smirked as she shook her head. “I don’t get it. You’re such a great guy—a total catch! Hell, if I found a guy like you, I’d want it all. I’d want forever.” Looking down, she stared at her ice cream before taking another spoonful. Meanwhile, he was fairly certain his eyes had gone comically wide.

“A guy like me?” he repeated, his voice oddly gruff. “I don’t think you…”

She looked up and met his gaze. “Yeah. A guy like you. A guy who takes the time to help a friend when she’s sad. A guy who gives up a night out to sit and eat sundaes out of wine glasses.” She paused and her expression softened. “A really, really good- looking guy with a big heart.” Another pause. “Who’s also incredibly sexy and…works with his hands.”

Okay, that was getting oddly specific. Wyatt owned his own construction business and…

Wait. What was she saying?

The next thing he knew, she had shifted to be closer to him.

“You know, women really like guys who work with their hands. It’s a huge turn on.”

“Um…”

Then her hand was on his biceps.

“Gem,” he said with a bit of a nervous laugh. “Come on. You’re just…” He swallowed hard. “I think you had a little too much to drink.”

She inched even closer. “Wyatt Dawson, I had two beers and I’m perfectly fine. Last time we were all together for game night, I drank twice as much and still beat all of you in trivia.”

Her breasts were pressed against his arm as she stretched to put her sundae down, and when she righted herself, she was close enough that he could feel her breath on his skin.

And it was wreaking havoc on him.

They’d never been alone like this, and honestly, he wasn’t sure he could handle much more.

Her blue eyes were intently scanning his face before settling on his lips. “Wyatt?” she whispered. “Can I ask a favor?”

Seriously? A favor? Now?

He nodded.

Then her eyes met his. “Will you kiss me?”

“Gem…”

“I know exactly what I’m asking,” she said, and he knew right then and there that she did. He knew her that well. “It’s been a really shitty day, and my ego is a little crushed, and…I just need to know that I’m really not that undesirable.”

Reaching up, he cupped her face. “That’s crazy! How could you even think that about yourself? I mean…you’ve been going on about me, but…don’t you realize how amazing you are? You’re sexy and beautiful and…”

Careful…you’re treading into dangerous territory here.

Screw it.

“You deserve more, Gemma. You deserve a man who can’t stop thinking of you. A man who wants to kiss you more than his next breath.”

Her soft gasp had him going hard instantly.

“Be sure,” he murmured gruffly.

“I am.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind Wyatt tried to tell himself this was wrong, but dammit, it felt so freaking right.

Cupping her face now with both hands, he lowered his face to hers and kissed her.