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“Can’t.” A grin threatened to tug my lips. Ugh, that sort of reaction was dangerous. Ames and I could never be more than a fling—not with her connection to her past, and not with her connection to my sister. My smile wavered. “Grabbing a bite with a hookup.”
Brooks squeezed my shoulder. “Be careful.” Their eyes were soft with understanding that made my stomach flip. Brooks and Maeve were the two folks who managed to push past light and easy with me, and sometimes I resented how much they could see through me.
I shrugged. “We’re not anything more.” Except even as I stated those words, they tasted like a lie.
Brooks nodded, gave my shoulder another squeeze, and headed for the lockers. I pulled on my ponytail, trying to ignore the frisson of vulnerability traveling through me. Because the truth was, the kiss with Ames had been life changing. I’d never experienced the way my heart lunged out of my chest—not with how guarded I was. When she looked up at me with that soft expression, her blue eyes as alluring as a summer sky, I couldn’t deny her anything.
The idea of shutting her down made my stomach wrench, which couldn’t spell good news for me.
I waved to Emmit at the front desk and slipped through the front door. The familiar scent of asphalt, rubber, and metal greeted my nose, pure Philly. I might’ve grown up in the suburbs, but the city was where I’d found my stride, where I’d emerged from my ashes a different person. Maybe not whole, maybe always a little broken, but I’d found a family of my own here—one that wouldn’t toss me out for who I loved.
I cut across the sidewalk faster than needed, but it gave me far less time to contemplate what I walked into. This wasn’t what I’d discussed with Maeve. She would’ve kept things to a single fuck in the shower and some occasional acknowledgments of a sexy-as-hell hookup. And with a lot of the women I’d taken to bed, that would’ve been doable.
Something about Ames made that impossible—whether it was the fact I’d known her from childhood or how her brightness always threatened to infect me.
The sign for Jared’s Pizza stood out at the end of the block. This time of year, it was still light in the evening, and most of the restaurants had tables out cluttering the sidewalk. Jared’s was one of them, the cheap white tabletops and black wrought-iron chairs a familiar sight.
Ames was sitting at one of the tables, and my heart sped up.
Fuck, trouble indeed.
She’d changed out of her gym clothes from this morning and wore a cute red tunic and black shorts. Her chestnut waves were glossy and pinned back. She looked up, and those blue eyes landed on me. The gut punch of—fuck, everything—lust, longing, curiosity swelled inside me with such force I stumbled.
Fucking her to get her out of my system had officially backfired.
If anything, my mind was consumed, my heart trying to stake claims I had no right to.
I plucked at my sweaty tee. Shit, I should’ve changed. While yes, she’d seen me in this attire plenty, the care she’d put into her appearance made me want to step up. Because despite my paltry attempt at declaring this a hookup, my heart was saying date. Ames’s smile brightened her whole face, and the thump in my chest drowned out the sounds of the late afternoon traffic.
Ames gripped the arms of her chair like she might rise, and the temptation to lean over and claim her lips washed over me, drawing my feet closer than intended. She licked her lips, practically begging me to kiss her.
I swallowed hard and took a seat instead. Disappointment flashed in her gaze, but she pasted on her bright smile again just as fast. Fuck, I was an asshole. However, no matter how badly my body wanted to leap in headfirst, I couldn’t forget Amelia was my sister’s best friend.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry enough to eat a whole pizza by myself.” Amelia dove into the conversation with a smooth fluidity I envied. She’d always been friendly and engaging, and adulthood had amplified those skills a thousandfold. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find it sexy as hell.
“As your trainer who knows you’ve got a fight next week, I should be steering you to better food choices,” I said, tapping the menu as I scanned it over. “However, after the workout you had today and the one in the showers this morning—eat whatever you feel like.”
Heat bloomed in those gorgeous eyes. “I know exactly what I want.”
Well, damn.
Focusing on sexy was a good thing. Much better than leaning in for a whiff of her perfume or reaching across the table to twine my fingers with hers.
A server approached, a young guy who had to be early twenties—fuck, Amelia’s age—and he flashed a grin at us. “What can I get for you?”
“An extra-large pizza and fries,” I said, lifting my chin at Ames. “You want any toppings?”
“Awfully bold assuming I’ll split that with you,” she said, her flirtatious tone making my engines rev. Her eyes twinkled. “Plain’s fine for me. Most folks don’t want anchovies on their pizza.”
I arched an eyebrow. “That’d be correct. But if you desperately need them on half, I’ll tolerate it.”
She smirked. “I’ll survive. But add cheese on those fries and you’re going to have trouble getting rid of me.”
I glanced at the server. “Okay, cheese fries.”
He offered a salute and walked off to place our order. My heart twisted at just how easy it was to sit here and have dinner with Ames. Like a slice of home. No matter how many walls I’d put up over the years, I’d been yearning for the simpler life before I’d come out. When I’d still been a fool who hoped my family would love me, no matter what.
I sucked in a sharp breath. I needed to reroute. “So, what got you into MMA in the first place?”
