Needing Happily Ever After

by Elena Aitken

  “So, this afternoon then?”

  Getting out on the trails never failed to clear her head. But with Damon? And her big brother? This was a plan that had trouble written all over it. With a sigh, she shook her head and turned to look back at the bedroom door that Damon hadn’t emerged from yet. The trails did seem like a good alternative to driving herself crazy with Damon’s proximity. Besides, it was actually market research for the business she wanted to start now that she was done with her exams.

  “This afternoon is great. We’ll load up the bikes and meet you at the trail head. I’ll text you directions.”

  Damon felt more than a little proud of himself for having such a great idea the day before. Sure, they probably should have been thinking about getting ready for their nuptials, but going mountain biking would be way more fun. And if he were lucky, it might take his mind off how badly he actually wanted to take his bride-to-be, push her up against the wall, and do things to her that would definitely make her blush.

  Maybe if they spent a little time together doing something active and surrounded by other people, the weirdness that had been shrouding them ever since they moved into the cottage would disappear. Or at least, diminish a little bit. It was making him crazy.

  Ever since they’d kissed—and then kissed again—and again—something had changed. And Damon knew Katie felt it too. How could she not? There was definitely something between them. And it was a whole lot more than friendship. It was sexual tension so thick that it threatened to consume them both if they didn’t keep it in check.

  But would that really be so bad?

  That was the whole problem. Damon didn’t know what could happen if they gave in to it. Was a little sexual release worth ruining their friendship? Would it ruin their friendship?

  “This one’s ready to go.” Katie wheeled a mountain bike up to the truck where he’d been standing, lost in his thoughts while she prepared the old bikes they’d found in the Langdons’ barn. “Can you load it up for me?”

  His eyes caught hers and held them for a second. “Of course.” Damon reached for the bike and his hand covered hers. She stiffened under his touch, but didn’t pull away. “Katie, I—”

  “If you two lovebirds are almost ready, let’s get going.” Logan stormed out of the barn, wheeling his own bike next to him.

  Katie’s mouth was open in a small O, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t, and on an impulse, Damon leaned forward and placed a quick peck on her lips.

  “Seriously.” Logan groaned. “It’s bad enough that this is all happening in the first place.” He waved an arm in the air. “I really don’t need to see it.”

  But he did. They all did. Damon knew it was selfish, and maybe he had all kinds of motives that he hadn’t originally had when this whole deception began, but the more everyone saw them acting like a loved-up couple, the more everyone would believe it and maybe… He winked at Katie, who shook her head at her brother’s opposition.

  Maybe they would even start to believe it themselves?

  Damon knew he was playing with fire even by letting himself think such things, but he’d been trying to fight his feelings for a few days now and it was a fight he was losing—badly. For reasons he couldn’t even begin to explain, he was having feelings for Katie that were a whole lot different than just friends.

  “Let’s get going.” He pulled himself away from Katie and hefted the last two bikes into the back of the truck before securing them and hopping down.

  “Everyone else is going to meet us at the trail head. Logan, are you jumping in with us?”

  Damon really hoped he would say no. Any chance he could get Katie alone when she didn’t have her head stuck in a book was a bonus. But of course, Logan nodded and the next thing he knew, the three of them were crammed into the front of his truck, which, as it turned out, wasn’t too bad because the length of Katie’s leg was pressed up against his.

  With them both wearing sport shorts, they were skin to skin, and despite the fact that it was an innocent touch, Damon’s body reacted hard and fast. He forced himself not to look down at her lean, tanned thigh because he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from touching it. From squeezing it possessively just to feel her beneath his hand.

  Damn.

  He needed to stop thinking about Katie that way. It was only going to drive him crazy if he let himself go too far down that path. She was his best friend. That was it. She was doing him a favor. An epically huge favor, but that’s all it was. A favor and he needed to remember that.

  Damon did his best to concentrate on the road and the easy drive to the trail head where the others were already waiting. He kept himself busy unloading the bikes and handing out the helmets that Katie and Logan had dug up in their barn. It turned out they had what felt like an unlimited supply of bikes and gear, even if some of it was seriously outdated. Damon had looked on while Katie had given each bike a quick once-over to deem it good enough for an easy ride in the mountains. She gave out simple instructions to Sarah and Brody, who’d never ridden the trails before, and a quick refresher for Faith, who’d been living in the city too long. And the whole time he watched her, Damon couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth towards her. She was really good at explaining things in a way that was both simple but not condescending, and she clearly had a passion for it. She was going to be crazy successful with her new business venture. Of that, he was completely certain.

  “Okay, if everyone is ready, let’s get going.” Katie stood with a helmet under her arm and looked at everyone in turn. Her gaze landed on Damon last.

  He couldn’t help but grin in a way that he could feel was totally goofy and ridiculous. He was proud of her and even though that felt ridiculous to admit, he couldn’t help it. He was.

  “Logan, why don’t you lead, and I’ll bring up the rear for a bit?”

  “Sounds good, sis.” Logan took off and everyone else fell into line behind him as Katie popped her helmet onto her head.

  “Your turn,” she said to Damon, who was still watching her. She did a double take. “What?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head, but the grin on his face still wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m just really impressed.”

  Her face turned a cute shade of pink as the blush crossed her face. “With what?”

  “You.” He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help it, so he reached out to clip her bike helmet under her chin. “You’re a total natural at all of this. And you look damn good doing it.”

  Her blush deepened as Damon let his fingers linger a little. What he really wanted to do was pull her close for a kiss. A real kiss. One that wasn’t for show, one that wasn’t for anyone’s benefit but theirs. Instead, he forced himself to pull back. “I guess I should get going or we’ll be too far behind.”

  What. The. Actual. Fuck?

  Katie tried to process what had just happened. Had Damon really just looked at her that way? Like he wanted to get her alone and— What did it mean? Did it mean anything?

  No.

  Of course it didn’t. He’d simply told her he was proud of her. They were best friends. That’s what best friends did.

  But did they kiss the way they’d been kissing?

  That was different. The kissing was different. It didn’t mean anything. It was just part of the show. But she knew it wasn’t. She knew what she was feeling, and more and more, it felt as though that was the way Damon was feeling, too. And was that really so bad? Really?

  Katie continued to debate with herself as she pushed herself on the trail. They’d gotten a later start than the others and they were behind despite the fact that Sarah and Brody were beginners. Damon was riding hard and fast, and Katie had to work to keep up to him. He’d obviously remembered quite well how to handle his bike on the trails despite being gone from Glacier Falls for so long. She had no idea what he was doing to keep in shape while he’d been gone, but whatever it was, it was working.

  Damon’s l
egs were hard and defined under his shorts and when he lifted up out of his seat… Damn…that ass.

  Not that she was looking.

  Nope.

  She was definitely not looking at her best friend’s ass. But if she were…

  “Damon!”

  Katie had looked up right as Damon’s front tire hit a root and he’d gone head first over the handlebars into the trees. She skidded her bike to a stop in the mud next to his and ran through the undergrowth to where he was lying flat on his back. His eyes were closed. He wasn’t moving.

  She’d been lucky and had never been in a bad mountain biking accident before, but she’d seen them: broken legs, plenty of fractured wrists, a few concussions, and one particularly terrible broken collarbone. It was one of the reasons she was up to date on her first-aid certification.

  “Damon?” She dropped to the ground next to him, heedless of the rocks under her knees. “Can you hear me? Open your eyes, Damon.” Katie reached around and pulled her backpack off her shoulders to get at her first-aid kit. Gently, she pressed her hands to his chest and then up to his neck to feel for a pulse. She leaned over him to listen for his breathing. He had to be breathing. “Damon, I need you to—”

  His arms shot up and wrapped around her, pulling her down to him.

  “I need to what?”

  “What are you doing?” Katie tried to wiggle out of his grip. “You’re going to hurt yourself. You need to—”

  “I’m fine.” He laughed beneath her and she felt the rumble of his chest under hers. “It was just a little tumble.”

  He still wasn’t releasing her. A fact that Katie was very much aware of, just as she was very much aware of the fact that she was lying directly on top of him, their faces only inches apart. “You scared me.” The words came out barely more than a whisper.

  “I did?”

  “Yes.” Much to her mortification, tears rushed to Katie’s eyes. She had been scared when she saw Damon fall. She’d been terrified when she’d seen him unmoving on the ground. If anything happened to him she’d—what?

  She’d be devastated.

  “Don’t cry, Katie.” His voice had lost its teasing tone, and while one arm remained firmly locked around her, the other hand reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean to. Really.”

  She blinked hard, trying to force herself to stop crying. After all, he was fine. But now Damon’s fingers were on her cheek. His touch was so gentle, she involuntarily leaned into it.

  “I really am sorry, Katie.” His words were soft, and she got the distinct impression that he was no longer talking about the bike accident. But before she could ask, his lips were on hers and they were kissing. Really kissing. And no one was there to watch or bear witness. There was no show. It was just the two of them.

  He shifted beneath her, and Katie was able to move one arm. She brought her hand up to his and without breaking the kiss, they threaded their fingers together in an action so intimate, it made her stomach flutter in need.

  And she wasn’t the only one reacting to the kiss. Katie felt him growing hard with a need of his own. When Damon deepened the kiss, she groaned in response.

  Damon’s hand moved to her low back as he moved his kiss to her neck. It was a warm day, but her entire body shivered as he nibbled and licked his way to her collarbone.

  “Katie.” Damon’s voice was gruff and full of need.

  There were probably a million reasons she shouldn’t be doing what she was doing, but at that moment, she sure as hell couldn’t think of even one. Because she’d been right—Damon did feel the same way. She kept her eyes closed and murmured his name in response.

  But when he said her name again, it was no longer with the same gruff need. “Katie.” Her eyes snapped open at the change and all she could see reflected in his was…regret. “Shit, Katie.”

  It only took a moment, but her heart squeezed with hurt as Damon picked her up off him and put her to the side. It was only then that she realized they weren’t alone. In fact, they had an audience.

  “Hey.” Katie hoped she sounded natural but by the looks on the others’ faces, she wasn’t pulling it off. “What’s up?”

  “We were looking for you.” Faith grinned. Next to her, Logan didn’t look quite so pleased. His arms were crossed tightly, his lips pressed together.

  “We didn’t mean to interrupt.” Brody chuckled. “And it does look like we were interrupting something.”

  “No,” Katie answered quickly. “It’s not like that. I was just—”

  “I bailed.” Next to her, Damon had gotten to his feet. “And Katie was just making sure I was okay.”

  “Is that right?” Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. “Not like you need to explain it,” she added. “You are getting married, after all. It’s nice to see a couple so in love they can’t keep their hands off each other.”

  Katie blushed at her friend’s assessment. If she only knew.

  But really, what had just happened? It’s not as if Damon knew anyone would see them. Did he?

  She wanted to look at him, but she didn’t trust herself and instead busied herself with her backpack. “Well, as long as you’re not really hurt, Damon.”

  “Are you hurt?” Sarah asked. “I am a nurse. If there’s anything—”

  “Honestly,” Damon interrupted smoothly, “I’m fine.” He touched his hand to Katie’s shoulder so casually that he probably had no idea the effect it had on her. “Really, my pride is just a little hurt that I bailed in front of Katie is all.”

  “It’s fine.” She pulled away smoothly and slipped her backpack on as she walked back to her bike. “Everyone bails.” She forced a lightness into her voice. “It’s all part of the experience. And it makes the beers at the end of the trail even more worth it.” She grabbed up her bike and swung a leg over. “How about I lead this time? Faith, Sarah, Brody—you guys fall in behind me, and Logan, you can bring up the rear.” She vaguely heard Logan grunt in agreement, before she took off down the trail, eager to put some space between her and Damon and whatever had just happened between them.

  Chapter Nine

  The minute she sat in the vinyl booth at the Knot, Faith could feel every one of her muscles that she hadn’t used in what clearly felt like forever. She rolled her shoulders and sighed loudly. “Who knew that would be so hard?”

  Sarah and Brody sat across from her while Logan went up to the bar to get them a jug of beer. Katie and Damon were suspiciously missing. Something about loading up the bikes, but Faith had her own suspicions about the couple. They’d been acting strangely all day, especially after they’d discovered them making out in the bushes. They’d gone from not being able to keep their hands off each other to barely even looking at each other. It was strange to say the least, especially for a couple about to get married.

  Not that Faith had any actual idea how a real relationship worked. She’d certainly never had one. And that was exactly the way she liked it.

  “That was so fun,” Sarah exclaimed. She clearly wasn’t as sore as Faith. Either that, or the glow of a budding relationship was clouding the aches and pains she’d likely feel later. Sarah looked to Brody, who smiled in agreement.

  “That was awesome. I’d totally do that again. I never had mountains growing up in the prairies. This is way better than riding a bike through a grain field.”

  Faith laughed as Logan arrived with a jug of beer. It splashed over the edge and onto her hand. She shot him a look, but if he’d noticed, he didn’t say anything as he slid into the booth next to her. His proximity both irritated her and…no. That wasn’t a tingle of excitement that just flashed through her. No way. Not Logan.

  Faith turned her attention to pouring beers and passing them around. “How long have you been in Glacier Falls, Brody?” A lot had changed in the years since Faith had moved away, including a bunch of new faces that she hadn’t had a chance to get to know yet. Brody was a little different, as he owned
the Birchwood restaurant and had done a bit of catering for some of the weddings at Ever After Ranch. Still, working with him hadn’t meant she’d gotten to know much about him yet. And besides the fact that he seemed to be spending a lot of time with her old friend Sarah and her young daughter, she didn’t know anything at all.

  “I’ve been here just over a year now, I guess.” Brody didn’t seem to mind the questions. “It took me a little bit to settle in and get the restaurant set up the way I wanted it. The

  The Michaels had done a great job with it,” he added, quickly mentioning the original owners who still lived in town, “but I had a different vision for it.”

  “It’s fantastic.”

  Was it Faith’s imagination, or had Sarah just gushed?

  “Thank you.” He smiled and touched Sarah’s arm, letting his fingers linger. “I must admit,” Brody continued, “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed cooking so much. This town and all of the residents, and of course the weddings,” he pointed at Faith, who shrugged. “Everyone has been so welcoming. It makes it a lot easier to start over somewhere new.”

  “It’s good to hear, man.” Logan raised his glass. “Because we like having you and hey, maybe I’ve found a new riding partner?”

  “What about Faith?”

  Faith almost spit out the sip of beer she’d just taken. “Me?”

  “You looked like you were keeping up with Logan pretty well,” Sarah offered. “The two of you seem pretty evenly matched.”

  There was more than one thing that could be taken from that statement, and judging by the wiggle of her friend’s eyebrows, Sarah knew it too. But Faith was not going in for any of that. She and Logan were just…what were they? Not friends. Not really. They drove each other crazy. They were co-workers more than anything and that was only because her sister and Levi had forced them together to make them feel less guilty about leaving Ever After Ranch in their hands as they went to travel the world. It was definitely not by choice.