1. Adam

I was running late. The story of my fucking life. I rushed through some quarterly reports before running out of the office. McKenna and Jack were having a housewarming at their new house.

I was driving down Main Street when I remembered I had to bring something. “Fuck,” I muttered to myself.

My car tires squealed when I turned into the parking lot at the grocery store. I hurried in, dashing to the back deli. I was standing in line when my eyes landed on Tessa Hensen.

Tessa was one of McKenna’s closest friends, but I didn’t know her all that well. Lately, I’d seen Tessa even more as she was also friends with my new sisters-in-law.

I was pretty sure she thought I was an uptight asshole. If she did, she would be right.

She wore a pair of leggings tucked into fitted leather boots and a short jacket. I couldn’t help but notice that her hips were delectably curvy. When I stepped up to the deli counter beside her and she glanced over, I noticed for the first time that she had thick eyelashes and beautiful brown eyes.

“Oh, hi, Adam,” she said, her tone almost dismissive.

That pissed me off. “Hi, Tessa. Good to see you,” I added.

She looked over at me again. “Good to see you.” She crossed her arms, almost as if she were tucking something around her. “Are you going to the potluck?”

“Yeah. Are you?”

“Of course I am,” I replied, my tone sharp.

She turned to face me. With her arms crossed, her breasts plumped up. I suddenly cataloged all kinds of details about Tessa—her tousled auburn curls, slightly lopsided mouth, and full lips.

“You don’t always go to family things,” Tessa pointed out.

She was right on that count. Everyone in our family was a workaholic, but I was probably the worst.

“Are you actually getting something at the deli for it?” she asked.

“Yeah, isn’t that what you’re doing?”

“Well, yeah, but my family doesn’t own Fireweed Winery. I would’ve thought maybe…” A pink flush rose on her cheeks.

“You would’ve thought maybe what?”

“Nothing,” she said in a singsong voice.

It was her turn to order, and she got some pasta salad. I ordered next, and we waited. Tessa looked over at me after a few minutes. “You don’t have to stand with me.”

“Is it a problem that I’m standing with you?” I countered.

I was unable to keep my eyes from dipping down to her breasts briefly before bringing them back up.

“Adam,” she ground out.

“What?”

“Were you just checking me out?”

I debated pretending I wasn’t, but she had thrown me off balance, and I didn’t like it. I figured I might as well see if I could get under her skin. “My apologies. I suppose I was.”

Every cell in my body fired when her cheeks flushed a deeper pink. “You’re cute.”

Even though this brief tit-for-tat started because she got under my skin unintentionally, I meant it. She was cute.