Desperate Chances by A. Meredith Walters Page A

a little sick. My palms began to sweat and there was a distinct buzzing in my ears.
    “I love you, Gracie. God, I love you so much. Don’t you get that?”
    I had been so stupid. How could I have missed the signs he had so obviously been giving me?
    How did I ever think it would only ever be just sex?
    “I—”
    My words cut off as though severed with a knife. I had nothing to say. No way to respond. I couldn’t give him the words back. No matter how much he wanted them. I loved Mitch. He was one of my best friends. But the type of love he was laying at my feet wasn’t the kind that came from friendship.
    He wanted so much more than I would ever be able to give him…
    He was so incredibly handsome in his boy next-door kind of way. I loved his dark hair and dark eyes and the slight stubble on his chin because he had obviously been too lazy to shave that morning.
    His shoulders were broad, his hands large with fingers covered in callouses. I remembered how it felt when he touched me. How I had shivered as he palmed my—
    Yeah, not going there.
    “There’s my girl,” Jordan called out once he saw us. Mitch looked up, a lock of hair falling across his forehead. I tried not to stare as he reached up and brushed it away. Christ, I needed to get a grip. I wasn’t some lovesick schoolgirl. And my life didn’t hinge on whether Mitch Abrams acknowledged me or not.
    I took a deep breath and pulled myself upright. No shrinking violet here, damn it.
    Maysie and I walked towards Jordan. Towards Mitch. I kept my chin up and my back straight. A spine of steel.
    Mitch watched me the entire time. It was obvious. And I totally pretended that I wasn’t watching him back. But it was hard when I could feel his gaze like I had once felt his hands. It pressed against my skin. Hard. Rough. But so, so gentle at the same time. He slowly ripped open a package of Twizzlers, his favorite, and put one in his mouth. Was he doing that on purpose? Drawing attention to his mouth. His lips. His tongue.
    Ugh!
    I was so busy trying to not stare at him that I almost stumbled. His eyes met mine and the heat of memories we could never take back branded the both of us. God I wanted him.
    Even worse…I missed him.
    Then I saw her. And he looked away.
    Sophie.
    She seemed to materialize out of nowhere and was at his side in an instant. They looked cute together. He was all dark and gorgeous and she was all sweet and perky. It made me want to gag.
    See, he’s happy. He’s so much better off. No need to beat myself up anymore.
    “I was getting ready to call out the cavalry,” Jordan teased, leaning down to kiss Maysie. She leaned up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her up so that her feet were off the ground.
    She giggled when he finally put her back down on her feet. He ran his fingers down the side of her cheek and gazed at her lovingly. Like she was everything. Which for Jordan Levitt, she was.
    “You look beautiful, Mays. Like you finally caught up on sleep. Have the girls been treating you right?” he asked, smiling at me.
    I pulled my eyes away from Mitch and his girlfriend and forced a laugh. “We’ve been making sure she eats all of her veggies and takes her vitamins. No worries, Jordan.”
    Jordan chuckled and then leaned down to ruffle my hair in brotherly sort of way. “It’s good to see you, G. You’ve been away too long. We’ve missed having you around.”
    My eyes flickered to Mitch again and found him still watching me. “Oh yeah?” I asked a little breathlessly. “It seems you guys have been fine without me.” Wow, I was all but spitting snark in his direction.
    What was I doing?
    Jordan glanced from me to Mitch, his brow furrowing. “Oh, yeah, well we’ve been getting along. But you know it’s always great to have the gang all together again.”
    Sophie said something to Mitch and I watched as he leaned down to hear her. It was annoying the way she twirled her hair around her finger. Who the