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He blows out a breath and runs his hand through his hair again. “You can stay with me. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
I can’t help it. I know I should be more ladylike. More agreeable. More accommodating. But I can’t help the laugh that erupts from me. He must be out of his fucking mind.
Everything I said about sleeping in my car, I take it back. I take it all back.
CHAPTER TWO
Donovan
So much for southern hospitality.Southern acceptance? Is that a thing?
I’m not sure what I expected from Violet after all these years, but it wasn’t for her to be doubled over in laughter at the thought of sharing a cabin with me. I’d have thought some of her brother’s even temper would’ve rubbed off on her. But then again, Violet always marched to the beat of her own drum.
Even from this angle, I can see that she’s an absolute stunner. It’s not just her long legs and curves that go on for days, she’s the whole package. She’s smart, a little mouthy, and knows how to enjoy life. Something I envy.
When she finally stands and swipes a tear from the corner of one eye—a little dramatic if you ask me—Violet’s big brown eyes widen as she takes me in. Her cheeks are flush, her bottom lip slightly swollen from her earlier face punch, and all at once, the amusement drains from her face.
“You’re serious?”
Now it’s my turn to laugh, but I resist. “I’m not exactly a joking guy.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ve noticed.”
“It looked like you hit yourself in the face pretty hard. Wasn’t sure if you were delusional.”
“One of us must be if you think I’m staying with you tonight.”
“Notice I said that I’ll sleep on the couch, not in bed with you pretending to be the big spoon.”
Violet scoffs and tosses her light brown hair over her shoulder. “You had the chance to share a bed with me, and you walked away, if I remember correctly. Don’t worry, that offer won’t come around again.”
“Even if it did, sweet cheeks, I’d have to pass.”
Her cheeks flush before turning a deep shade of red, and I know I’ve hit a nerve. I also feel like an ass, but it’s much safer if Violet doesn’t like me.
If she did, I might be inclined to do something incredibly stupid. Like lean in and run my nose along her neck and see if she still smells like lemons. Or kiss her. Which would lead to a whole other list of complications.
This woman has always been a weakness of mine, and since she’s my little sister’s best friend, that fact has been terribly inconvenient. Avoidance was my ally, and I never let myself be alone with her. Until I did. And everything changed in an instant.
The second her tongue met mine in a fevered kiss, I was a goner. I was so close to giving up all my dreams just to stay in Nashville with her. To beg her for more than one night.
Being with her was like losing myself. Like morphing into a completely new person with a whole new set of wants and needs. A person who wanted to change my entire outlook on life. A person who would be perfectly okay being in a committed relationship.
I felt this pull to her, this connection, and ten years later, I can still feel her embedded in my soul. She stirs things within me. Emotions I’d rather not have. And that makes her dangerous.
She blinks up at me, those brown eyes of hers still hold a fleck of innocence—something that used to have me imagining all the ways I could ruin her. And hell, I almost did. Right before I left her half-dressed in my parent’s basement.
No one has ever made me lose control like Violet. Not then and not now. It’s why I almost took her virginity. It’s why I had to stop. She deserved someone who was going to stick around for more than a night. Who wasn’t just there for a good time.
I wasn’t that guy then, and I’m sure as hell not that guy now.
After seeing my parents’ twenty-year marriage explode into tiny pieces, relationships have never been my priority. They’re much too messy and in the end, someone always gets hurt. It’s better to keep things casual. That way no one has the chance to develop feelings.
Which is why she’s totally safe staying the night with me. There’s no way I’d lay a finger on her again. Not when I know even the slightest touch of her full pink lips on mine might make me forget everything else in my life. The career I’ve worked so hard to build.
“There’s really no other room?” She glances down at the ground and drags the tip of her sandal along the pavement, mimicking my move from earlier.
I clear my throat. “I’m afraid not, and everything else even remotely close is already booked solid.”Trust me, I checked. “It’s only one night.”
