Shit. He’d wanted to shower before he had this talk because he could still smell Bri on his skin and it was driving him nuts. But it wasn’t like he could tell them that. He glared at his brother. “You’re an asshole.”

Drew shut off the game and dropped onto the couch. “What’d I do?”

Avery snagged the beer out of his hand and took a long drink. “Don’t just lurk in the hallway. Get in here and tell us the dirty details. Were we right? You two hit it off like apples and oranges, didn’t you? When are you seeing Bri again?”

Drew rolled his eyes. “Kind of hard to get the story when he can’t get a word in edgewise.”

“Hush, you.”

Since they were about to devolve into bickering, Ryan should have made his escape. Problem was, he had to have this conversation sooner or later, so he might as well do it while they were partially distracted. “I’m not seeing her again.”

They stopped talking and turned to face him. Drew frowned. “Why not?”

Avery shoved her long black hair back into a ponytail like she was about to throw down. “What did you do?”

“How the hell do you know it was his fault?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Probably because Bri is one of the nicest people we know, and she would bend over backward to not step on anyone’s toes.”

Drew seemed to think about it. “You’re right.” He turned to Ryan. “What did you do?”

Him? He hadn’t done a goddamn thing except get whiplash from the woman’s sharp tongue. “Can we focus on the fact that this is your fault? The only reason I was on that date to begin with was as a favor to you.”

And what a clusterfuck of a date it’d been. He still couldn’t decide if the way it ended was the ultimate “screw you” from Bri, or something that made that torturous dinner worthwhile. The woman was confusing as hell, from the way she tore him a new one at every opportunity, to the way she begged him to put his hands on her.

“But…you’re perfect for each other.” Avery handed Drew back his beer and frowned. “You’re like…disgustingly perfect for each other. She needs someone who’s going to be strong and steady and stand by her while expanding her horizons. You need someone who’s going to create a home you actually want to come back to.” She waved her hands like a magician. “See? Perfect.”

“You’re crazy.” He turned and stalked down the hallway, leaving them to their game.

The worst part was they had clicked once their clothes came off. He’d never felt like that when he’d been with women in the past, the primitive satisfaction of knowing he was the only one who made her body spark to life. That look in her eyes as she came was branded in his mind, completely at odds with how she’d been at dinner. It didn’t make any sense, because he was pretty sure he didn’t even like Bri.

One thing was certain—she thought this was over and done with between them. Well, he damn well didn’t. He wanted to know which was the real Bri—the snarling harpy from their date or the sweet, sexy thing from the porch—and the only way to do that was to see her again. They were going to talk this out, even if he had to lock her in a room to do it.

Chapter Four

By the time Avery’s birthday party rolled around two days later, Bri was desperate for anything to distract her from memories of her night with Ryan. She’d gone through two sets of batteries, thanks to her buzzy friend Avery got her for Christmas, and her libido was showing no signs of slowing down. Years of reading racy romance novels had given her more than her fair share of erotic inspiration, though the man she imagined now shared Ryan’s face and body.

The birthday party was exactly what she needed. It would be impossible to think about sex surrounded by her friends and Avery’s super-traditional family. If her best friend’s grandfather couldn’t put a damper on any situation, Bri didn’t know who could. Damage control alone would keep her busy for a few hours.

Or so she thought until she pulled up to Chilly’s Bar and Grill and her headlights caught Ryan’s beat-up old Suburban. She mentally kicked herself. Of course he would be here. He and Drew had grown up with Avery. And it’s not like he had the decency to spare her the humiliation of facing what they’d done.

She could do this. There would be plenty of other people around. There was no reason she even had to exchange words with him.

Satisfied she had the situation well under control, she grabbed the massive collection of balloons filling her tiny car and climbed out. Snow crunched under her boots, and she slipped. She grabbed the top of her car with her free hand, but there was no stopping her downward momentum. She slid right down the side and landed on the ground, clutching the balloons in a death grip. “Crap.”

Maybe no one had seen?

“You’re doing that thing again—the one where you personify the librarian cliché.”

She closed her eyes, wishing she could just melt into the surrounding snow. It would be her terrible luck that the one person she wanted to avoid was the one who saw her make a spectacle of herself. Embarrassment heated her as she struggled to her feet, smacking the bobbing balloons out of her face. And there Ryan was, leaning against the wall of Chilly’s with his arms crossed over his chest, looking particularly attractive with his dark jeans, boots, and thick green coat.

She shook off her skirt and glared. “I don’t think you should be throwing stones. An Army coat? Really?”

“Air Force.”

She knew that. Drew never stopped bragging about how his little brother had made it through one of the toughest boot camps any of the military branches had to offer, or how he was a genuine hero—the man who saved other heroes.

That didn’t mean she was going to stand here and let him look down on her for preferring to spend her time surrounded by books rather than out in the world going on adventures. “Same difference.”

“Still sticking with that same song and dance, I see.”

“Why would I suddenly change my tune?”

“I could think of a few reasons.”

She tried to fight down a blush as a vivid memory of exactly why swept through her mind. But she refused to be that woman, the one who had sex with a man and then suddenly fell all over herself to become whatever it was he wanted. “That’s so strange. I can’t think of a single thing. Have you burned anything down recently?”

His mouth tightened, but she was saved from whatever he was about to say by Avery appearing in the doorway. “What are you doing standing out in the cold? Get your ass in here.” She glanced over and did a double take when she saw Ryan. “Uh, unless you want to stay outside. In that case, carry on.”

She thanked God for the opportunity to escape without looking like she was escaping. “I was just on my way in.” She gathered the balloons more firmly in her hand and followed Avery inside, leaving Ryan to brood in peace alone.

“Sorry I interrupted.”

“Don’t be. There was nothing to interrupt.” It tasted like a lie, but she wasn’t going to let the encounter with him set the tone for the rest of the party. She smiled at Avery. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

“I suppose.”

She stopped walking and looked at her friend. There were dark circles under her brown eyes and her skin was unnaturally pale. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Except my yé-ye just made his usual pointed comments about how I’m the last person in the family who can carry on the honor of procreating and keeping our heritage going, if only I’d stop being so stubborn and settle down with a nice Chinese man.” It all came out in a single breath, and she actually sagged against the wall as if it’d taken all her strength to say it. “And I’m twenty-six. That’s a whole year closer to twenty-eight. I feel like I’m running out of time.”

She should have seen this coming. It was bad enough that Avery’s mother had been diagnosed with uterine cancer at twenty-eight, but her older sister, Alexis, had, too. Every birthday was like a ticking time bomb for Avery, counting down the days until she had to get a hysterectomy. Bri let the balloons go and hugged her friend. “It’s going to be okay. Your grandpa can jump off a cliff, because your worth isn’t tied up in making pure-blooded Chinese babies for him. Even saying that sounds so wrong.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know. And to be honest, I’m less worried about making him happy than, you know, actually making the babies. I want some.”

It was a totally understandable desire—one Bri shared. “We’ll figure it out.”

Drew appeared in the doorway leading into the rest of the bar. “What are you two doing hiding in the hallway? Is this one of those girl bonding moments?” He glanced between them and brightened. “Or are you going to make out? Because I can get on board with that.”

“You’re a pig.” Avery let go of Bri and straightened her spine. Typical of her to show only a moment of weakness before charging on with life.

“Oink.” He met Bri’s gaze as Avery walked past, and she recognized the concern there he’d never let their friend see. Drew was great at distracting people with his dirty jokes and wry humor, but his carefree attitude masked a lot of things.

After the revelation with Ryan and his family’s past last night, she couldn’t help but wonder what else she didn’t know about Drew.

“What’s Avery’s problem?”

As if the thought of Ryan had conjured the man himself, his voice washed over her body, all warm, and deep, and decadent. Bri spun around, hating that he’d managed to sneak through the door and surprise her. Did he have to look so… God, there weren’t words for what he looked like.

He crossed the distance between them, worry written over his face. “Is she okay?”

Right. He wasn’t as affected by her presence as she was by his. Better to remember that if she was going to keep her panties where they belonged—something made more difficult by the way he seemed to care about Avery as much as his brother did, at least in his own way. She squared her shoulders and grabbed the balloons within easy reach. “She’ll be fine. She’s just going through a rough patch.”

Before he could ask her anything else to weaken her resolve, she hurried through the door and followed Drew and Avery into the bar.

…

She was afraid to be alone with him. He couldn’t decide if that counted as a victory or a defeat, so Ryan snatched up the rest of the balloons and walked into Chilly’s main room. He’d waited outside because he knew it was only a matter of time before his favorite little librarian showed up, though they’d been interrupted before things could get interesting. That was fine. He had all evening to push Bri’s buttons. He could be patient.

He searched for a chair, pleased to find the only open one sandwiched between Drew and Bri. She looked horrified when he settled into the seat beside her, purposely brushing against her side as he made himself comfortable. Good.

Avery’s dad waved from his place at the head of the table. “Hey, Ryan. Destroy anything since you’ve been back in town?”

Ryan sighed, and as everyone at the table laughed and laughed, he officially regretted coming home. His frustration peaked when he glanced at Bri. Her eyebrows were raised and a smirk twisted up one side of her lips. Of course she would sit there looking so damn superior—the entire room wasn’t laughing at her.

He reached under the table and squeezed her thigh. “Actually, yeah. I’ve been burning up some panties lately.”

Avery’s dad looked stunned, and her grandparents glared, but everyone else laughed. Everyone except Bri, who blushed a deep red and smacked his hand away. Good. She should know what it meant to be a resident of Wellingford. It wasn’t always a positive experience. He nodded at Avery’s sister, who sat across the table. “Hey, Alexis.”

“Hey.” She didn’t look much happier than Avery.

“How are things? When’s the wedding?”

If Bri’s elbow in his stomach wasn’t enough of a hint, the way Alexis looked sick told him he’d fucked up. She gave him a smile that was so fake his teeth hurt. “Eric and I didn’t work out.”

Ryan Flannery strikes again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay.” She shot a look at her grandparents, and sighed. “Mostly okay. Excuse me, please.” Then she was gone, making her way in the direction of the bathroom.

He sat back, feeling like the world’s biggest ass. “I didn’t know,” he said again.