Second Chance Summer (Chance #1)(14)
Author: Emma Hart

My heart practically jumps from my chest at his words, and I breathe in deeply. Reese’s eyes flick down to my mouth.

“Friends,” I remind him, letting the breath out at the same time.

“Then remember what I said,” he mutters, his eyes slowly crawling my face until they meet mine again. “Because if I have to kiss you again, you’ll be begging for something, and, baby, it won’t be friendship.”

Tingles spread through my body at his words as he drops his arm. I scoot around the door, climbing into the truck. He slams the door behind me, and I look down. My body is reacting to him in the way my heart wants to and its driving me crazy.

A year definitely hasn’t changed anything. I was a fool to think it would have –, or I was stupidly hopeful. Either way, I was wrong. Whatever was there last summer is still there, but this time it’s stronger, more obvious. And Luce was right, yet again.

Sooner or later we’re going to explode. I just have to hope I’m back in New York when that happens.

Reese glances at me as he pulls into the diner parking lot after a silent drive over. I don’t know what to say to him after what he said. I think if I do say anything, I’ll be asking him to make good on that threat and that would totally go against everything I’ve said in the last few days.

I jump from the truck without saying a word, spying Luce’s car on the other side of the near-empty lot. I leave Reese outside, pushing the diner door open.

Inside, I find my best friend sitting a corner booth. I pass the long bar and the brown booths lining the windows and slump into the seat opposite her.

“You look chirpy,” she comments sarcastically.

“Uuuuuugh,” I groan, dropping my head to the table.

“Uh oh.”

“Mmmph.”

“What did he do?”

“Is he in here?”

“No.”

“He was him. His usual irresistible, sexy, melt-chocolate-with-his-words self,” I mumble.

“Oh, he’s turned on the charm,” Luce says with laughter in her voice. I snap my head up.

“And the rest.” I sigh, sitting back.

“I warned you.” She sniffs. “I told ya he wanted it back, but cha din’t listen, did ya?”

“Shut up,” I grumble.

The door opens, and Reese walks in with Adam. They both go to the counter, make small talk with the owner, Chuck, and grab four milkshakes.

“Chocolate,” Reese says, setting mine in front of me. “With extra sprinkles.”

The exact drink I used to get every time we did an all-nighter. “Thank you,” I say quietly.

“Y’know,” Adam says, sitting next to Luce. “Y’all deciding on an all-nighter could make work a little tough tomorrow.” He looks pointedly at Reese, who shrugs.

“There ain’t much in. We’ll be fine.”

“We did like two a week last summer,” Luce reminds him. “And you were workin’ then. What’s the matter? Did you actually grow up?” She grins.

Adam smirks, slowly turning his head toward her. His eyes rake down to her chest and back up again. “Hell no, but you definitely did.”

I purse my lips to hold in my amusement, and Luce’s eyebrows shoot up.

“That the best you got?” she asks. “‘Cause my twelve year old cousin has got better lines than that, and he gets his from Family Guy.”

Reese chuckles next to me, and I glance away from them, sipping my milkshake.

“You know where the Family Guy writer got ‘em from?” Adam asks.

“Oh, I have no idea,” Luce drawls.

“He got ‘em from me.”

“Poor guy.”

I put my hand over my mouth and snort.

“All right, Kia?” Luce asks, smirking.

I nod, swallowing my mouthful of milkshake. “Fine.” I choke.

Reese reaches over, patting my back. I sputter a few times and finally get myself back together.

“Thanks,” I say.

“Any time.” He drops his hand, letting it slide down my back in an innocently seductive move. I put the straw back in my mouth, clenching my teeth together. Luce and Adam are too busy bickering to realize Reese is now drawing light circles on my hip with his hand. I shift in my seat slightly, and he drops his hand, touching his foot to mine instead.

I sneak a sideways glance at him. He’s looking at me; his eyes fixated on mine. He quirks an eyebrow, and I look away again. Sure, let’s be friends.

I’m starting to think we have a very different idea of friendship.

“Let’s go,” Luce says, breaking my reverie.

“Why?” I look at her.

“Because if we stay here any longer, I’m gonna kill Adam. That and Reese looks like he wants to be doing something other than sitting next to you.” She smirks at him knowingly.

“No point denyin’ it,” he shrugs.

I heave a sigh, standing. “This is gonna be a long night, ain’t it?”

“Yup,” Luce agrees, shoving Adam to the side and stalking past him.

“You know,” Reese whispers in my ear. “If you’d left it just us two, we could have made it go a whole lot quicker.”

I turn, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Keep it up, and I’ll be goin’ home. I mean it, Reese.”

He wraps his fingers around mine, lowering my hand slowly. “Keep gettin’ mad, and the only home you’ll be goin’ to is mine.”

I huff and turn away, following Luce’s footsteps. Douchebag.

CHAPTER 5

“You still ain’t told me much about Vegas.” I hop up into the truck bed and sit next to Luce.

She grins. “It’s amazin’, girl, I’m tellin’ you. All the lights and everything, it’s like a whole other world than here in the Grove. I love it there.”

“Sounds like New York,” I muse, smiling slightly. I lean my head back, resting it on the side of the bed.

“It’s kinda nice to be home, though,” she says.

I laugh. “Has the born and bred city girl been converted to a country girl?”

“Maybe.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Naw, I love Vegas and the city, but comin’ home here at the end of the semester, it’s great. There’s a closeness here I ain’t got with anyone at UNLV.”

“That’s ‘cause everyone here knows everything about everyone, and probably even some stuff we don’t even know about ourselves.”

She looks at me slyly. “Like how we all know you and Reese are days away from getting it on, and you don’t?”