Amber assessed herself in the mirror and for at least the dozenth time questioned what she was doing. “Why am I doing this again?”

“Because it’s Halloween,” Josie called from the bathroom down the hall. “And you’re going to leave tomorrow and I won’t see you for ages.” She appeared in the door of the bedroom and Amber smiled. “And don’t forget, it’s mostly because you love me.”

“Of course I do.” Amber blew her friend a kiss and turned back to the mirror so she could tug at her dress again. “But I’m still not sure about the costume.”

“Are you kidding? You look smokin’ hot. I look like an old hag.”

Josie did look like an old hag, which was a good thing considering she was dressed as a grandmother. Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother, to be exact. Earlier, when Josie came home with lunch, she’d also arrived with the costumes Cole had ordered, having run into him in town. But she hadn’t come home with Cole. He obviously didn’t want to see her. Whatever had happened between them over the last few days obviously hadn’t meant the same to him as it had to her. But she couldn’t let it bother her. Not tonight.

She’d promised Josie she would go to the Monster Mash with her, and have a great night. She couldn’t let her feelings for Josie’s brother affect that. He obviously didn’t feel anything for her, so that’s where it needed to end.

Amber adjusted her dress and fluffed her hair, which cascaded in curls around her shoulders. “I do look good, don’t I?”

Josie laughed. “No way. You look hot. Like, really hot. Are you ready to do this?”

“Why not?” She linked arms with her best friend and forced a smile. “Let’s go have a great night.”

When they got to the party, it was already in full swing. The square was packed with people in costume. Children ran around, squealing on their hopped-up sugar rushes as they darted from booth to booth, collecting more loot. The DJ was pumping tunes over the speakers and the dance floor was already full. The air was full of a festive, fun air, just as the rest of the weekend had been. Amber felt a stab of disappointment that Cole wasn’t with her to experience the climax of the fall festival. It felt wrong somehow to be there without him.

“Did you talk to your brother?” Amber hoped the question came off casually.

“I did. When I got the costumes, remember?”

“Oh, right.” She was hoping she’d talked to him again. “And what was he doing today? I’m surprised he didn’t come by the house.”

“You are?” Josie eyed her.

“You’re not?” Amber was having a hard time trying not to look interested. “I mean, he is here to see you, isn’t he? I hope he knows he can be at the house with me there. I mean, I don’t want to ruin your visit with him.”

“You’re not ruining a thing.” Josie squeezed her arm. “You know that, right?” There was more to her question than Josie was letting on, but still Amber didn’t know how much she knew or how much she wanted to know about things between her and Cole.

“I know that.” Amber smiled. “But please know, I would never want my presence to interfere with your time with your brother, okay? I mean, if he feels awkward in any way because I’m here…well, I just want you to know that whatever reason…look, Josie. I think there’s something you should know.” She hadn’t meant to say anything, but the more she stood there with her best friend, the more she knew that she needed to say something. Josie knew everything about her love life, or more accurately, lack thereof. If it had been anyone else, Amber would have said something. But it wasn’t anyone else—it was Cole.

Cole.

Just thinking about him left a hole in her heart.

“I know, Amber.” Josie’s voice was kind. “About you and Cole. I mean, I don’t know everything, but I do know that I’ve never seen my big brother so messed up like I saw him earlier. I mean, I’ve seen him screwed up by a woman before, but never like that. Not even close.”

Amber didn’t know whether hearing that should make her feel better or worse.

“And I saw the way you swung that hammer.” Josie laughed. “I know pent-up feelings when I see them. I just never would have guessed that they were because of my brother. That is a completely new one for me.”

“I know.” Amber grabbed Josie’s hand and pulled her aside to a stack of hay bales where they wouldn’t be in the way of all the festivities. “And Josie, you need to understand when I tell you that I never intended for anything to happen. I mean, me and Cole…it’s…”

“Crazy?”

Amber nodded.

“Insane?”

Amber nodded again.

“Perfect?”

A rush of air escaped Amber’s lungs. “Yes.”

Josie squealed and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “I know, right? I mean, at first, I wasn’t sure. But I think it was just the idea of everything that took me off guard. But the more I think about it, oh my God, yes. It makes perfect sense.”

Amber laughed, a giggle at first, but it quickly turned into a hysteria she couldn’t contain. There was no point trying to stifle it; she had to let it run its course. When the laughter finally died out, she shook her head. “It actually makes no sense at all. We’re total opposites in every way.”

Josie didn’t disagree but she didn’t agree either. Instead, she took Amber’s hands and squeezed.

“It doesn’t matter anyway.” Amber shook her head. “We argued and he said things and I said things and now…well…it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m leaving tomorrow to start my new job. I told you about that, right? I was offered the job at McKwade and Wallace. It’s a good job.”

“Congratulations.”

“It is a good job, Josie.”

“I said congratulations.”

“It really is a great job.” She spoke to her friend, but she could no longer be sure of who exactly she was trying to convince. “I should be thrilled. Celebrating. This is a job that anyone would be super lucky to get right out of school. It’s a huge deal, Josie.”

“I believe you.”

“I should be so happy.”

“But you’re not.”

She looked around the busy square filled with people, hoping upon hope to see Cole standing there waiting for her. His absence left an empty space inside that she couldn’t even begin to explain. “No,” she said softly. “I’m not.”

“You know what I think?”

Amber looked at her friend, hoping for some grand revelation.

“I think we need to dance.”

Amber laughed. “I actually can’t think of a better idea.”

She let Josie lead her through the crowd to the dance floor where she pulled her into her arms. Amber laughed again. “We must look crazy,” she said. “Granny and Little Red Riding Hood dancing together.”

Josie spun her around before she pulled her back in for a dip. “We don’t look any crazier than anyone else here,” Josie said. “It’s Halloween.”

“True.” Amber found herself laughing harder than she had in a long time as Josie continued to take the lead, swinging her and moving her around the dance floor. She spun her hard, extending her arm, so it sent Amber spinning along the floor until a strong pair of arms caught her. Instantly, her body both simultaneously tensed and melted from relief. She looked up into the eyes of the Big Bad Wolf.

“My, what beautiful eyes you have.”

* * *

Cole held her tight, afraid Amber would bolt again. He could feel her body tense when he held her. Yet, there was something else, too.

Finally she looked up into his eyes. “Isn’t that my line?”

He didn’t answer right away, choosing instead to move her slowly around the dance floor. “You do have beautiful eyes.”

“The better to see you with, my dear.”

Cole laughed. “That’s my line.”

She shrugged. “It’s an interesting costume choice.”

He spun her easily and pulled her back in to his chest, where he preferred her. “I thought they were fitting. Given the situation.”

“And what situation is that?” She looked up at him through thick, dark lashes that made her look every bit the part of the innocently sexy Little Red Riding Hood.

He had to force himself to stay calm and move slowly when all he really wanted to do was twirl her right off the dance floor and into a private corner where he could tell her all the things he’d been thinking since the last moment he’d seen her. He wanted to take her and hold her until she understood that whatever was going on between them was real. They couldn’t ignore it and not even some stupid thing he’d said when he’d been upset and not thinking straight could keep them apart. He wanted to kiss her until she felt exactly what he was trying to say.

But it wasn’t time to do any of that. They were in costume, and he’d play the role. He’d play it as long as it took to convince her that what he felt for her wasn’t fleeting. Not at all.

He grinned wide, knowing his costume likely made him look as wolfish and sinister as possible. “The situation between the innocent good girl and the wicked bad boy.”

Cole could tell she was trying not to, but a smile crept across her face. “I’m the innocent good girl?”

“Innocent enough.” He spun her around again. The twinkling lights strung around the dance floor sparkled and danced on her creamy skin. “And I’m definitely bad enough.”

“Enough for what?”

He paused in mid turn and held her fast. “Enough to make this work.”

“This?”

“Us. The innocent girl and the Big Bad Wolf.”

She shook her head. “That’s not how the story goes.”

The music changed pace to a more upbeat song and Cole easily transitioned into a quicker step, moving Amber around the dance floor through the crowd. “If I remember correctly, the Big Bad Wolf pursued Little Red Riding Hood, until she finally gave in.”

“That’s an interesting take on it,” Amber said. “If you call stalking and hunting pursuing.”

He gave her another grin. “Maybe I do. If it gets me the girl in the end.”

Amber’s smile faded and she shook her head slightly. “That’s not how the story goes. He didn’t get the girl at all. The woodsman came and saved Little Red Riding Hood from the Big Bad Wolf. He took the wolf out to the forest and she never heard from him again.”

Dammit. He hadn’t thought that part of the fairy tale through. But it was just that. A fairy tale. Having Amber standing in front of him—that was real. The way she made him feel—that was real. Everything about them and the last few days—that was very real. She wasn’t going to get off on a technicality. This was too important.

With two fingers, he tilted her chin up so she was looking at him. No, she was looking at his wolf mask. It wasn’t good enough. He kept one hand on her back and with the other, he pulled off his mask so she was looking at his face. He couldn’t be sure, but he had to believe that she’d be able to see the truth in his eyes. “That doesn’t matter,” he said after a moment. “None of that matters.”

“Of course it matters.”

“No.” They’d stopped moving and couples danced around them, but he didn’t care. The only thing he cared about was the woman in front of him and fixing things between them. There was no way he was going to let her walk away from whatever it was they’d started. “It doesn’t matter, Amber, because we’re going to write our own ending.”

She tried to look down, but he wouldn’t let her. He cupped her cheek and held her so their eyes were locked.

“It will never work, Cole. I’m—”

“It will.” He nodded. “You’re a planner. You’re a rule follower and you’re responsible. I’m the exact opposite of that. I’ve never planned anything in my life and I definitely don’t follow the rules.” He winked at her and that got a smile, but he could see the unshed tear in her eye.

“That’s why this can never work.” The tear rolled down her cheek. “We’re so different, Cole. We come from different places. I just don’t see how…”

He couldn’t stand it anymore. Cole lowered his mouth to her lips and kissed her gently. “We’ll write our own ending,” he repeated. “This is our story. We get to decide how it ends, Amber. I want my story to include you.”

“But…Australia…you…I’m…”

“Tell me you don’t want me.”

She shook her head and another tear slipped down her cheek. “I can’t.” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I can’t tell you that, because I do want you. So much.”

Cole didn’t need to hear anything else. He slipped a hand behind her head and pulled her to his mouth, where he kissed her like he’d never kissed before. He could have quite happily spent the rest of the night kissing her if that’s what it took, but someone had other plans.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you two have sorted yourselves out.” Josie’s voice distracted him.

“Damn, little sis. You make a frighteningly good granny,” Cole said when he finally pulled himself away from Amber.

She smacked him on the arm. “I can rock whatever costume you give me.” She glanced between them. “Are you two good? Can we dance? I mean, you are both here to see me, aren’t you?”

“Well, I don’t know—”

“Of course—”

They laughed. The DJ started playing a popular dance tune. Cole took them each by the hand and spun them around. As much as he wanted to get Amber alone and hold onto her for the rest of his life, his sister wanted to party, and he owed her. There’d be plenty of time for him to get Amber alone later.