My Apple watch buzzed on my wrist. Dammit. How was it eight already?

I glanced around, and the pub was still full of people. Overflow from the more-exciting-than-usual open mic session that grew from Myles’s guest appearance threw the whole day out of whack. The bar was packed thanks to the last bit of Happy Hour and ejecting people from tables was difficult.

Especially since my section had a damn rockstar in it.

Freaking Myles.

“Ready?”

His voice drilled into me.

Not the only thing you want drilling either.

Shut up.

I so didn’t have time for the stupid libido that had been magically ignited by Myles being in the same room as me. It didn’t take much. My girl parts had been engaged when it came to Myles for years now. I just was usually able to ignore them.

Until he freaking kissed me. Then it was unleash the Kraken! And the Kraken was my vagina, if you weren’t following my byplay.

And I wasn’t ready. I was supposed to explore the world outside of my hometown and gear up for him. This. Was. Not. In. The. Plans.

I turned to face him, my chin lifting just a notch. I had to; he was the perfect height for me. One of the few men in this blasted city who was. Being five feet eight was a blessing in only two things. Reaching the high shelf at the market, and not needing to wear heels.

Actually, more like not allowed to wear heels when the average guy seemed to be just under six feet.

Except Myles.

He’d always been perfect for me in all ways.

Damn him.

He tucked a lock of hair that had fallen out of my braid around my ear. “I think you’ve kept me waiting long enough.”

“As opposed to the two years you’ve been gone?”

“Just one.”

I frowned. “Pretty sure the calendar has been replaced twice on my wall since I’ve seen you, Ebony.”

His lips quirked up. “To be fair, I did come back last Valentine’s, Ivory.” He caught my hand, playing with my fingers like he always used to. “I was too stupid to stay. Especially when you had some overblown Ken doll with his hands on you.”

I frowned. “Ken doll? What are you…” Oh. When I’d attempted to push Myles out of my head with the cute lawyer. I’d only lasted two months with him. And for the first time in my life, I’d had a valentine. Too bad I’d broken up with him a week later.

I couldn’t string the guy along any longer.

Not when Myles was the only one I could picture next to me. Even though he’d left me standing in the door with rain and tears on my stupid face. Two years should have been a lifetime ago at this point, but right now—with him right in front of me—not so much.

I twisted my fingers out of his hold. “You burned that bridge spectacularly. Perhaps you remember?”

Now that he was in my sphere again, my anger boiled up. Anger I hadn’t really allowed myself to feel. It had been drowned out in hurt, then I’d stuffed it down to get through each day without him. And also to find some purpose in my life.

After college, it had been hard to find accounting work. If I wanted to work in the city, I could be a cubicle worker. I’d even tried it for a few months, but the mind-numbing work had driven me crazy. My life felt even more inert because everything I’d done in school to create a career ended up feeling like a box that was too small.

“I made a mistake. I’m here to make it right.”

“And what? You standing here is supposed to make that all okay?”

His lack of reply only incensed me more.

“So you just assumed I was pining after you?”

His blue eyes blazed. “Obviously not. What happened to surfer boy?”

“Ken, and now surfer Ken?”

His jaw clenched. “If the plastic fits.”

I shrugged and stepped back. “You’re one to talk. I’ve seen some of the women you were photographed with. Obviously, you got along just fine without me.” I needed to get his scent out of my brain. It made me stupid. And I couldn’t be stupid right now. I needed a clear head and to figure out what the hell he was doing back in Baltimore.

“You paid attention?” His teeth flashed from the dark hair hiding half his face. I would have to get used to that.

Ugh.

No. I didn’t have to get used to anything. Especially if he was going to be all cocky. I’d planned on finding him and seeing where things went, but by no means did I have only that plan in mind.

We were different people. Two years was a damn long time.

“How could I not? People loved to show me all the rags. Sex tape in the wings?”

“Nah. I don’t like to be filmed. Not my kink. Unless it’s yours, Fee.”

Could you die from embarrassment and be turned on at the same time?

Suddenly cognizant of the room full of people around us, I brushed by him. So many people staring. And thank goodness it was my last night.

They’d be talking about me for weeks.

Just great.

He backtracked to his table before following me out onto the sidewalk. I needed air. And I only had thirty minutes to get a few details out of him.

Piece of cake.

Not.

I crossed the street and headed to the small cafe I escaped to on workdays. After working at the same place forever, I didn’t want to eat there every night. There was only so much Irish food one could eat before going insane.

The girl behind the counter nodded to me and immediately started pulling a caramel latte for me.

“What’s good here?” he asked from behind me.

“Pretty much everything.” I stilled at his woodsmoke scent. How he still managed to keep that after all this time, I didn’t know. Wouldn’t he have upgraded to some pricey scent?

Instead, he still smelled like a bonfire along the river.

Good times. Ones that got me through a whole lot of crap during my early twenties. Laughter and friends, beer and toasted marshmallows. It shouldn’t have been a good combo, but it had been everything.

Summers on the water were some of my best memories. When things were simple and work hadn’t consumed me.

He reached around me to point to a cake pop. “Even those?”

“Especially those.” I looked over my shoulder and he was much too close. I swallowed and sidestepped him. “Little bite of heaven right there, Vaughn.”

“Then I guess I need two. And a black coffee.”

Behind the counter, Beth smiled. “Coming right up. Want anything to eat, Felicity?”

“I’ll just have a scoop of tuna salad on your house salad.”

“Got it.” She started ringing it up and Myles nudged me out of the way to pay.

I took my coffee, too tired to argue. I’d been running nonstop. Between my last day and packing to get on the road in a few days, I hadn’t had more than a handful of hours’ sleep lately.

He sat across from me at the window with two ridiculously pink cake pops on his plate. He frowned and twirled the lollipop stick coming out of the bottom. “Is there a way to eat this manfully?”

I grinned behind my mug. “Nope.”

He lifted it and peered around the frosting and glittery sprinkles. “Only for you.”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t tell you to get it. Just that they were delicious.”

He held it out to me. “Want a bite?”

More than he could ever know. I could do the friend thing. Surely I could. It was what I had planned after all. Mend fences and put us back where we started. Friends. Best friends who were there for each other. “Nope. I have a salad.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that? You’re not dieting like the rest of the damn universe, are you?” He kicked out his long legs in that sexy lion way he always had about him. Silver chains peeked from behind the buttons undone on his long-sleeved shirt over his usual black T-shirt. A dagger made out of a cross tangled with a tarnished heart that looked like it had been hammered by hand. And in the middle of it all was the charm I’d given him years ago.

An eighth note with a ruby chip nestled in the center.

It looked cheap and silly with the rest of his rockstar persona, but it didn't stop the lump trying to choke me.

“No. But I’ve had Chinese, pizza, and burgers every day this week. If I don’t have something green, I’m going to scream.”

Beth brought over my salad and set it in front of me with the house vinaigrette dressing. I dug in, spearing tomato, cuke, and lettuce with a dollop of tuna. There was nothing better than a salad I didn’t have to make for myself.

I glanced up to find Myles giving the cake pop a stare down.

“Just eat it,” I said around the tuna.

He put it down on the plate again. “No.”

I rolled my eyes and reached over to take the treat and popped it into my mouth. I groaned around the red velvet cake made with the perfect level of sweet and salt.

His eyebrow rose before his bright blue eyes went lazy and half-lidded. “So that’s what you might sound like.”

I dropped the stick on his plate and sat back in my chair with a frown. “You won’t find out.”

Myles lifted the remaining stick. “Oh, I’ll be finding out.” He opened his mouth, then closed his teeth around the stick, dragging the cake off before chewing. His eyebrows went up in actual surprise.

He chewed slowly, as if savoring, and I suddenly wished I hadn’t worn tights. Especially when he let out a low, humming groan. Things were getting way too hot under my damn skirt. It would be a bit unsavory to lift my skirt and fan myself.

Maybe if I angled my knees toward the window?

“All right over there?”

“What?” I stabbed at my salad again. I really couldn’t look at him right now. Or get that groan out of my head. It was far too similar to the one I’d heard when he’d stuck his tongue in my mouth.

Way too similar.

And God, would I ever forget it? Friends. I wanted to mend the bridge to the friend zone again. Not anything else.

I was almost sure.

“Fine.”

His smile widened. “You’re blushing.”

“Suck it, Myles.”

“On our first date? Why, Miss Hudson, what kind of man do you think I am?”

My fork stopped an inch from my face. “Date?”

“Yes. I’m back in town to court you.”