Chapter One
Jenn smacked her freshly glossed lips together one last time and sifted through her hair in a lame attempt to freshen her look. On a deep breath, she knocked on the door of Riley’s condo and waited. After all their years of friendship, it made no sense for her to be this nervous, but she couldn’t stop the racing of her heartbeat or the fluttering in her stomach if her life depended on it.
Even though they’d kept in contact through frequent emails and text messages, she hadn’t actually laid eyes on him in over seven years. After college, he’d settled here in North Carolina with a big ad agency and she’d moved on to a job in New York City.
“Hang on. I’m coming.”
Riley’s muffled response quickened her breath as anticipation and fear coursed through her. She needed to pull herself together. This was Riley, not a first date. That she secretly harbored feelings for him shouldn’t matter. They were just two best friends getting together for the weekend to catch up and spend some time reminiscing.
The lock clicked, and the door opened.
“Jenn, wow, you’re here, and don’t you look great.”
Before she could utter a word, he gathered her into his arms and hugged her fiercely. The scent of spice and man filled her senses, and she hugged him back. Her cheek pressed to the warm skin of his neck and his breath tickled the shell of her ear.
“It’s been too long,” she responded.
He pulled her into his place and shut the door behind them. “You have no idea how excited I’ve been about your visit. I wish I could have been here on Wednesday when you arrived.”
Riley wore a white business shirt open a few buttons at the collar and gray slacks that molded to him perfectly without being too tight or too loose. Forcing herself to glance away, she dragged her gaze to his face before he caught her staring at his crotch. He looked really good, which came as no surprise. He always did. Even when he rolled out of bed, he looked yummy enough to eat.
No, don’t go there .
“It’s probably for the best. The last two days have been a constant whirlwind from breakfast to dinner. I would have been too exhausted to muster up much energy for anything.”
“Oh yeah, the job interview. How’d that go? I can’t tell you how stunned I was when you said you wanted to leave New York and you had an interview in my town.” His voice was low and incredibly sexy.
She relaxed into the offered chair and tried to focus on the conversation. “You and me both. I never thought I would say this, but life in New York is harder than I thought.” And lonely. “As for the interview, I think it went great and I’m cautiously hopeful that I’ll receive an offer this weekend.”
Riley took the seat next to her, close enough for her to smell his sexy as sin scent that always drove her wild. Her nipples peaked against her bra and she thanked God she’d opted to keep her suit jacket on when she’d arrived.
“Well, damn, how awesome is that? You and I in the same city once again, wreaking havoc and breaking hearts.”
She laughed. “I don’t know about that. I’ve haven’t done much else but work ever since leaving college.”
“Don’t you know that all work and no play makes Jenn a dull girl?” He smiled. “Sounds like we need to break you out of your work shell this weekend and cut loose.” He patted her arm and moved from his chair. “First things first, though. I only got home from my flight about ten minutes before you got here, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to grab a shower. Then we can discuss plans for the weekend.”
“Oh, of course! You should have said something, I could have come later.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ve been anxious to see you. How about you make yourself comfortable, grab some wine if you’d like and give me a few minutes to make myself presentable?”
“Yes, no problem.”
He dropped a friendly kiss on her nose and walked away. “If
Similar Books
