by Cindi Madsen
I’ve got to stop thinking about all of his good qualities and remind myself why we’re wrong for each other.
He was way too impulsive, which was great for a friend but not what she needed for a stable relationship. They lived completely different lives in completely different states. He’d made it clear he only thought of her as a friend. She was pretty sure he was still hung up on his ex.
And we don’t have any romantic chemistry, anyway.
It was hard to tell herself that they had no chemistry when she could still feel the ghost of his touch on her knee. But he’d done more than touch her knee before, and it had been a disaster.
The air changed, heavy and pressing against her as she closed her eyes and relived a college memory—one she’d tried to pretend never happened.
Dani stumbled into Wes’s apartment, tripping over the books and clothes piled on the floor. They’d won sixty bucks playing ball over the weekend and that night, they’d used the money on pizza and cheap beer. Lots and lots of beer. It was the first time she’d seen Wes so drunk he could hardly walk.
She fell onto the barely padded couch, closing her eyes to keep the room from spinning. The cushions sank with Wes’s weight. “I still can’t believe we pulled off that last game,” he said, the words running together.
When Dani opened her eyes, his face was close to hers. So close, his features were blurred. Or maybe that was an effect of the alcohol. For some reason, she found this really funny and started giggling.
Then Wes was laughing, and she didn’t think either of them had any idea why. Wes’s hand landed high on her thigh, stifling the laughter. “You know, I partnered with you in class because I thought you were hot. I figured I was smart enough to float us, even if you were dumb.”
She frowned, trying to decide if she’d just been insulted.
He placed his other hand on the side of her face. “But you’re smart and funny, and a hell of a ball player. Who knew it’d turn into this.”
This? Her pulse skittered, and while everything had been blurry moments ago, things were sharpening at the corners now, along with the realization that his words and touch were sending butterflies through her stomach. What was this turning into? So far, it’d been a friendship so easy and fun, she’d actually turned down dates with perfectly good-looking guys to hang out with Wes. Yes, she’d sometimes wondered what would happen if they crossed into more, but now she wasn’t sure it was a good idea.
“Wes…?” The other words she meant to say caught in her throat. He was leaning closer.
Then his lips were on hers. She closed her eyes, waiting for her head to spin and for the desire to pull him closer.
But it wasn’t there. In fact, she’d feel more of a spark if she licked an outlet. She pulled away, and he practically fell on top of her. Unsure what else to do, she pushed herself to her feet.
Wes held up his hands, like he was surrendering. “Shit, Dani. That wasn’t… I didn’t mean… I thought that maybe…” He shook his head. “That was awful, wasn’t it?”
Okay, so she hadn’t been into it, but “awful”? That was a little harsh. Maybe I suck at kissing. Maybe that’s why I rarely go on second dates.
Chest aching, she said, “I gotta go.”
Then she was out the door, occasionally holding onto the wall for support as she stumbled away from his apartment and into the cold night. As she walked home, tears slid down her cheeks. Because she knew no matter how good of friends they’d been, that kiss had ruined everything.
Dani opened her eyes, the memory of that first—and only—kiss with Wes burned into her mind. After that day, they didn’t sit by each other in class, didn’t hang out. Didn’t do anything but run in the other direction when they saw each other. The distance between them had been painful, and she’d hurt every time she’d go to call him and realize she couldn’t anymore.
Luckily, they’d finally talked about what had happened. Both of them agreed it was just a drunken mistake, so they would pretend it never happened and go back to being friends. She worried they wouldn’t be able to, and the first few hangouts were pretty awkward. But gradually, things between them got back to normal. Back to being friends so close they could read each other’s thoughts, back to counting on the other person to be there if they needed someone to talk to at three a.m., and back to spending more time together than apart.
That night all those years ago, they’d learned Friends With Benefits just wasn’t for them. The benefit of their friendship was having someone to rely on without the drama that came along with kissing and dating and all those other complications.
Determined to squash any attraction her stupid body was telling her she felt, she rolled over in the bed. She caught a whiff of the same amazing musky scent she’d smelled earlier, though…
And she couldn’t help but wonder if Wes had gotten better at kissing over the years.
Chapter Six
Dani had hoped she’d feel better after a good night’s sleep. Maybe it was because she’d tossed and turned instead, but her emotions were still a big confusing mess. She was almost scared to go out and see Wes, for fear she hadn’t sufficiently snuffed out her sudden attraction to him.
The knock on the bedroom door made her jump. “Just gotta grab my clothes,” Wes said.
Dani ran a hand down her hair. “Come on in.”
He strolled in wearing a towel around his waist, his hair damp and extra wavy, and her heart immediately picked up speed. Nope, the attraction wasn’t gone.
Focus on the awful kiss. But that didn’t work, because then she was looking at his lips.
He pulled some jeans off a hanger, looping them over his arm, and then reached inside the closet again. “I don’t remember buying this.” He lifted the purple dress she’d brought to wear to the wedding.
“I hung it up so it wouldn’t get wrinkled,” Dani said.
Two creases formed between his eyebrows, getting deeper as he twisted it one way and then the other. “Why’s the zipper in the front? It looks backwards.”
“That’s because that’s not the front.” She’d bought the low-back dress shortly after Steve had dumped her and she wanted to feel sexy and bold, which was also how she’d felt when she packed it. Now she was worried it was a mistake. Especially with Wes’s insightful fashion commentary.
“Maybe you’ve been wearing it wrong.”
Dani swiped it out of his hand and hung it back up. “I’m not taking fashion tips from someone wearing a towel.”
“It’s distracting, isn’t it,” he said with a grin.
She rolled her eyes, but inside she was screaming, yes, yes it is. Especially since there was still a sheen of water from his shower across his skin, there was something intriguing about the way the tattoo highlighted his muscles, and the masculine soap scent was filling the air, making her want to lean in and take a deep breath of it.
When he’d been ranting yesterday about people not understanding how they could only be friends, he’d made it clear that was all he’d ever feel for her. It made her bounce between scolding herself for caring and wondering why she did.
She grabbed her clothes and left him to change. As she showered and got ready for the day, she still felt like her mood was on an up-and-down roller coaster. It was a relief when Wes finally pulled up to his parents’ house, simply because it’d give her a distraction from staring at him and feeling that traitorous squeeze of her heart.
Dani put her hand on his arm, then pulled it back when she noticed how firm it felt. And then she was thinking once again about how good he looked in only a towel. “Um, we never discussed a date or a location for the wedding or colors or any of that.”
“Ever since I found out the museum held weddings, I thought it would be cool to get married there,” Wes said. “That way if I got bored, I could wander out to the exhibits in my tux.”
“Glad you think our wedding is going to be so boring,” she said, mocking offense. “Okay, so the museum. I’m sure the waitin
g list is long, so we’ll say we’re working on a date, but it’ll probably be about a year. Do we want to pick a color theme? Your mom and sisters were talking about that the other night, too.”
“Just not canary.”
She guessed from his tone that canary must’ve been Sophie’s pick. “Flamingo it is, then,” she joked, and one corner of his mouth kicked up. “How ’bout we stick with blue for our college color?”
“Works for me.”
“Do you think your mom and sisters would have a heart attack if I said I also wanted bulldog centerpieces? After all, I was a Bulldog for four years. Don’t want to let my alma mater down.”
That glow he got when he was about to pull off a prank or a stunt hit his eyes. “Five bucks if you tell them that. But you gotta do it totally straight-faced.”
Man, she wanted to take that challenge. “Maybe we shouldn’t give half of your family heart attacks before your sister’s wedding. Especially since I’m not sure Audrey likes me so much.”
“She’s not mad at you; she’s mad at me. I’m telling you, everything offends her lately. I mean, can you believe she wants me to get rid of this?” He ran a hand across his whiskered jaw. “Like it’s not refined enough for a wedding.”
“Sorry, but I’m with her on that. I’m all for a five o’clock shadow, but you’re pushing more like nine or ten o’clock and it’s starting to look more mountain man than groomsman.”
He shook his head. “Man, no love for the beard.” They got out of the car and started up the sidewalk.
“I guess we should…” He grabbed her hand, opened the door, and led them inside. “Anybody home? I was told there was some kind of party to set up for.”
Kathleen came out of the kitchen and smiled at her son. “Just in time.” Her warm eyes moved to Dani. “So nice to see you again, Danielle.”
“She goes by Dani, actually,” Wes said.
“I was only ever called Danielle when I was in trouble, and it came along with all of my names in rapid succession, all Danielle Caridad Morales Vega! Followed by a stream of Spanish swear words, usually.” She clamped her lips, wondering why she’d just shared way too much information, but Kathleen’s smile only widened.
“Caridad Morales Vega,” Wes repeated as though he were committing it to memory. “What do they mean in English?”
Dani glanced at his mom and then back at him. “Caridad means charity and Morales is my mom’s maiden name. That’s how it works in Mexico.”
“Charity,” Wes said. “That fits.”
She thought he was teasing her, but when she met his eyes, he seemed genuine. A surge of affection for him went through her, and she gave his hand a squeeze. Time slowed down for a moment, and she was back to thinking of how funny and smart and sexy he was. Then she remembered his mom was standing right there.
Dani smiled at Kathleen, wanting Wes’s mom to like her, regardless of the fact that she wouldn’t actually be marrying her son. “So what do you need help with?”
“Centerpieces,” Kathleen said. “I could use a female opinion, and Audrey’s not here yet. And Wes, your father’s out back, hitching the trailer to the truck. He’s about to go pick up all the tables and chairs. Apparently the last people who used them set them up by the lake and it was all rainy, so they’re covered with mud. We’re going to have to clean each chair.” She ran a hand through her gray-blond bob. “So much to do. I’m not sure how we’re going to pull off this wedding tomorrow.”
“We’ll make it work, Ma. Don’t worry.” Wes put his hands on the sides of Dani’s waist and leaned in close, his warm breath hitting her neck. “Will you be okay here for a little while without me?”
Where was all the air, because it felt like it’d been sucked out of the room. Her heart was beating too fast and too loud, and she was terrified Wes would notice and ask what her deal was. And since she didn’t know herself, she had no idea what she’d say. She managed to nod and pull off a breathy, “Yeah.”
His lips brushed her ear and heat pooled low in her stomach. “If you get nervous, just start going through history facts in your head. That seemed to work pretty well yesterday.” He pulled back and shot her a smile, and then went out the back door.
When Dani glanced back toward Kathleen, she was grinning from ear to ear.
“He’s so much happier around you. I was worried about him for a while, and now… Well, now it looks like I don’t have to worry.” Kathleen beckoned her inside the kitchen. There were flowers and vases and candles covering every surface—it looked like a craft store had exploded.
She picked up a bag with multicolored rocks that rattled together when she lifted it. “I thought we had everything under control, but now I’m wondering what we were thinking not hiring a wedding planner. I mean, I know we were thinking we couldn’t afford one and how hard could it be to throw a wedding, right? Do you think it’s too late?”
Dani stared at Kathleen, not sure what to say.
Kathleen grabbed her hand and patted it. “That was a joke. The rest of our help will arrive soon, and it’ll all come together. It’s going to look worse before it gets better—just remember that as you’re pulling together your wedding.” She kept talking, moving to grab boxes.
All Dani could think was, weird feelings for her best friend aside, she was so not ready to plan or put on a wedding.
…
The first thing Wes noticed when Dad pulled up to the house was Sophie’s Audi sitting in the driveway. The Audi he’d gone with her to buy. He’d gotten distracted looking at the sports cars and big trucks at the dealership next door, but she’d had her heart set on that model and actually got upset he wasn’t more enthusiastic about it and all its special features.
He usually felt exhausted when he saw her car and realized that he’d have to be around her. Conversations were strained and a lot of work, and his family always looked at him like he was going to fall apart, when really he just didn’t want to go through the motions of pretending they’d be friends someday.
But it’d be different now, because he’d have Dani to help him forget about all the drama.
After months of feeling like he was the underdog in this situation, showing his ex he was fine without her was going to be a welcome change. He walked around the house to the back, where his relatives were in wedding prep mode. He scanned the faces, looking for Dani, hoping the wedding and his family hadn’t overwhelmed her yet. They still had two heavily scheduled days ahead of them.
He found Sophie first. Her pale blond hair was pulled up, her cheeks were pink from the sun, and even though they’d be setting up for the wedding all day, she had on a lacy white top and jeans with rhinestones on the pockets. She glanced up at him and gave him a forced smile and a tiny wave. He nodded. See? Awkward.
The sound of the sliding patio door caught his attention. Dani stepped out, her dark hair piled in a messy bun on top of her head. Knowing her, she was probably regretting not bringing her baseball hat to block the sun. “While you were on your getting-chairs adventure, I learned how to make centerpieces. It was…fun.”
“And did you bring up the fact that you want bulldog centerpieces at our wedding?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Our wedding. That still sounds so weird.”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
She bit her lip.
“Guess you owe me five bucks.”
“I almost brought it up twice,” Dani said, “but your mom’s so nice, and after the lengthy sermon on floral arrangements, I just couldn’t bring up bulldogs.”
“Chicken.”
She shoved him. “I think I’m still ahead. Just take it out of the ten dollars you owe me. Besides, the day’s not over yet.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sophie staring. He grabbed Dani’s hand, pulled her next to him, and swept her hair out of her face. “We’ve got an audience, so I figure we might as well play this up.”
He expected a smile, but when her eyes met his, she looked a
little sad.
“What? Is something wrong?”
“Nope. Everything’s great,” she said, too quickly. Then she reached up and tugged on a piece of his hair. Her hand dropped down to his shoulder and ran along his arm.
“Ew, are you guys going to kiss?”
Wes’s six-year-old nephew stared up at them, his lower lip jutting out and his nose wrinkled in disgust.
“Mason. Let’s leave Uncle Wes alone.” Jill smiled at them. Then she stuck a hand on her hip and tilted her head. Uh-oh. “You know, I’ve never seen any engaged couple who’s not permanently attached at the mouth. Just look at Audrey and Matthew. They kiss between every word they speak. I can hardly be around them.”
She gestured to the couple, and sure enough, they were kissing.
It seemed easy enough to play off his and Dani’s engagement with the ring and the formal announcement. He hadn’t thought about the kissing part. He wondered if everyone had noticed. If Sophie had noticed.
He glanced down at Dani. Time to take this act to the next level.
…
After an entire day of not being able to stop looking at Wes, Dani purposely kept her gaze away from him. Especially now that his sister was talking about kissing. She fiddled with her belt loop. “Yeah, we’re not really big on PD—”
Wes jerked her to him and smashed his lips onto hers. His scratchy whiskers scraped against her skin, and her back cracked as he dramatically dipped her. Then she was yanked upright just as roughly. She clung to him, trying to recover from the whiplash kissing. A laugh was bubbling up, but she clenched her jaw, not wanting to blow their cover. She widened her eyes at him, silently asking what the hell that was about, and he winked at her. Obviously he was just hamming it up, playing his part.
And while the rational part of her brain knew it wasn’t a real kiss, and of course he wouldn’t want to actually kiss her, since he made it clear they were only friends, she couldn’t help but feel a pinch of disappointment. So many of her guy problems could be solved if she started a relationship with the one she’d most like to spend all her time with.
