Now was the time to choose her words very, very carefully with her friends.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. I was…intrigued by him. But I’m just being realistic here. He and I have absolutely nothing in common. I mean, it’s not that I need to have my perfect match or anything, but we have to mesh in at least some areas.” She took a breath. “Besides, it’s a moot point. Who knows when he’ll be back?”
“But what if he did come back?” Sam asked, twirling her dark blonde hair around her finger and grinning. “I mean…what if he walked in the door right now?”
Macy shrugged. “I’ve made up my mind.”
“You’re saying you didn’t mesh in any areas? You admitted you had a lot of fun when you hung out with him. That’s a start. A good start.”
“He’s not my type. A more not-my-type guy never existed.”
“Oh, throw the types out the window,” Sam said. “He’s hilarious—”
“He’s wrong.”
“That’s what’s so great about him, though. Plus he’s sexy as hell. I love bald guys. I love their shiny heads. Just makes me want to rub ’em. And rub some more. And rub and rub and rub…”
Candace and Macy dissolved into laughter as Sam carried on with her imaginary rubbing. “What would he need me for?” Macy asked Candace. She jabbed a thumb in Sam’s direction. “Send this one over to him. For all his head-rubbing needs.”
“No, no,” Sam said, sobering. “I’ve got Michael. Not that he’d ever shave his head. But I think when Ghost gets back, you need to give the guy a break.”
She’d given him one. But her friends did not know that, and did not need to know that, because they would be insufferable. Oh yes, she’d given him a hell of a break. And then she’d run scared because of how good it had been. And then, just like that, he was gone, off to Oklahoma to deal with a family crisis. Months had gone by. She knew he still kept in close touch with Brian, but Macy hadn’t heard a word.
So it was crazy to think anything could come of it now. She’d messed up too bad, too soon—but that was okay, because like she’d told her friends, their pairing didn’t make sense. At all.
Even if the thought of giving him another “break” sent a shiver all the way to her toes and had warmth curling in decidedly more interesting places on her body. The beer she’d imbibed wasn’t helping, but she should have known better than to think it would take the edge off. It only made it sharper. That didn’t stop her from taking another swig.
“His dick is probably pierced,” Sam said thoughtfully.
Macy barely forced the swallow of beer down her throat before erupting in a groan. How in the hell was she going to play this? “Oh God.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Candace said with a singsong tone, leaning over to pinch Macy’s arm.
“Wait a minute. Does he…is it… I mean, do you know?” Sam asked Candace. “Did you guys have some ménage action going on over there?”
“No! It’s not like I’ve seen it, jeez. I’m only speaking from experience with Brian. But it’s a pretty good guess.”
Candace had guessed right. He had some kind of piercing going on down there. Macy hadn’t seen it herself—it had been too dark in the car for that—but she’d felt it. God, had she ever felt it. “You guys have got to let up on me. I’m…going to be traumatized.”
“Macy, just give the guy a shot.”
“There’s just one problem with that. He’s. Not. Here.”
Sam’s brown eyes flickered over Macy’s right shoulder, in the direction of the entrance. Her face brightened in a big grin. “Are you so sure about that?”
“Huh?”
Candace followed Sam’s gaze and squealed in delight, jumping from her seat and darting off behind Macy’s seat.
All of a sudden, she was terrified to turn around and see what was coming her way.
Oh. Surprise, surprise.
She leaned toward Sam, knowing murder was in her eyes. “You did not.”
Sam’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, honey, we did. We’re tired of you moping around. I don’t know what happened with you and him, but clean the slate. Here’s your chance.” Her words ran so close together at the end, Macy knew he was almost at their table. What was she going to do now? Her heart halfway up her throat, she was forced to glance up when it seemed a shadow fell across her.
Yes, she was absolutely going to maim her friends later.
Chapter Two
Ghost. Where the hell had he gotten a name like that? He wasn’t particularly pale. Well, maybe a little. But not what she’d call ghastly or anything. There was nothing…wraithlike about him at all; he was a very solidly built six-two or so, judging by how tall he stood next to her five-six.
Tattooed. Pierced. Shaved head, though right now he wore a black baseball cap pulled low over his eyes with the hood of his black sweatshirt over it.
The very antithesis to everything she wanted, or thought she wanted.
He was looking right at her, shit-eating grin in place, one dark eyebrow arched. That stare was like a vacuum. Or a black hole. Nothing could escape it.
“Hi!” she managed to squeak—she even managed a smile. When his own grin widened, she pushed herself up from her seat to give him a hug. Unfortunately, her legs were Jell-O, and his tight squeeze kept her from getting up close and personal with the floor even more than those shaking appendages did.
He felt good. Warm, despite the chill of the night air still clinging to his hoodie. Familiar, even if she’d only been in those arms once.
And then he had to speak, the rumble of his voice raising the hair at her nape. “Hey, killjoy.”
Everyone laughed, delighted at the return of the nickname he’d pinned on her not long after they’d met. She only then realized Brian had joined them too, and was snuggling into the booth next to his girlfriend.
“I have a question,” Ghost announced as Macy reclaimed her seat and he slid in beside her, practically cramming her against the wall. His denim-clad thigh was rock hard against her bare one. Sam claimed what was left of the seat on his other side, so she was well and truly trapped. A shiver worked through her. “What in the actual fuck are we doing in a honky-tonk?” He motioned around at the plethora of cowboys and cowgirls dancing to the twang of country music.
“It’s Macy’s night,” Candace said as Brian nuzzled her neck. “She got to pick.”
“Ah, that figures. Just don’t get Brian and me into a brawl with any rednecks. I’m not too stoked to spend the night in jail when I just hit town.” Ghost winked at her. God, those eyes. If she hadn’t been so close to him she’d have sworn he lined them. But no, his bottom lashes were just that thick. If he had hair on his head, she figured it would be the same chocolate brown as his goatee—and maybe he did have hair on his head now for all she knew. She couldn’t tell. But he was one of those guys who definitely rocked the look—his features were strong enough. He stretched out both arms, one behind Macy and one behind Sam, and tilted his chin up at Brian. “I’ve got double your fun, dude.”
Brian, who was mid-smooch with Candace, broke away and laughed. “Good for you. I’ve got all the fun I can handle right here.” Candace blushed and beamed.
Macy nearly jumped out of her skin when Ghost leaned over and put his lips mere inches from her ear. “Am I crashing your party, babe?”
Her face flamed. Did he know about her Valentine’s pity party? “Crashing my party?” she echoed lamely. “No, not at all—I mean, it’s not a party. Nor is it mine.”
He chuckled. “All right.” Her friends were sending her knowing little smirks.
Yes, maim them.
But she couldn’t deny that it was good to see him, that a part of her had missed him and she hadn’t completely realized it until now. “Are you back for good?” she asked.
He shrugged, pulling his arms back and resting them on the table. “Nana’s doing…okay, considering. She’s settled in the nursing home and my sister lives near there, so I figured I might as well come home and try to get back to normal, at least for a while. I’ll be going up there to visit a lot, though.”
His grandmother, who’d raised him from the time his parents were killed in a car accident when he was six, was in failing health. Macy didn’t know much beyond what Candace had told her about the reason for his absence, but she couldn’t help noticing the set of his mouth seemed a little grimmer than it ever had before. He must’ve been through a lot in the past few months.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
He shrugged again, but she wasn’t fooled by his feigned nonchalance. “She’s hanging in there. So how’ve you been?”
“Oh, fine. Great. Working a lot, you know.”
A waitress came by and placed beers in front of him and Brian. Macy’s pulse hadn’t slowed a bit. What was up with that? He was pressed in so tight against her she wondered if he could feel her racing heart, prayed that he couldn’t.
Ghost leaned across the table toward Candace and Brian. “Candace,” he said, and for a moment Macy thought he might actually say something sincere. No such luck. “I really advise against leaving him alone with me again. Two hours away from you and he was coming on to me.” Everyone else at the table broke up in laughter. It only egged him on. “I mean, I know he wants me. He’s made it clear. And I’m growing weak, I tell you. I missed him. If he does it again, I’m gonna give it to him.”