Chapter 64

"He never kissed me."

Amy's gaze jerked to Olivia's.

"Never kissed me, but he did kiss you." Olivia's brows rose. "That says something."

Yeah, it said the woman he wanted was permanently out of reach, so he went after the next best thing. Amy had no doubt Nakos was attracted to her. That much was evident. But, like she'd told him, it was a physical response. Lust faded, given time.

Speaking of... "I find the timing awfully convenient." Heck, for all Amy knew, this was boredom or desperation on his part.

"Emotions don't flip that quick, Amy. He wouldn't have made a move on you twenty-four hours after I said 'I do' if it was me on his mind. And he doesn't play games." When Amy said nothing, Olivia plowed on. "What happened afterward? You mentioned some tension."

Amy puffed a laugh. There was tension and then there was t-e-n-s-i-o-n. "He walked away after the longest oh crap, what have I done in the history of mankind. Later, he tried talking to me about it, but I shut it down. Told him we weren't doing this."

"Why?"

"Come on, Liv." Anger and frustration pounded her temples. "His first reaction spoke volumes. I'm not the one he wanted, and I'm not screwing up a lifelong friendship over temporary insanity masked as desire."

Up went Olivia's brows. "So, it's not because you're letting him down easy, not because you don't have feelings for him?"

Sneaky. Real sneaky. Amy expelled a hearty sigh toward the heavens, keeping mum.

"We talked about Nakos, but what about you? What do you want?"

Him. She wanted him. And the longer she let the notion fester, the more she realized he was what she'd wanted all along. But wanting and having weren't the same thing. Even if Olivia had been right about everything, Amy didn't belong with him in any capacity. Period.

"All right." Olivia huffed. "What led up to the kiss?"

"A fight. Or a disagreement, really. He tried calling me out on my feelings and I evaded. He grew irritated and...well, you know."

"Let me get this straight." Olivia ticked off points on her fingers. "He lost control and kissed you. By the way, when was the last time Nakos didn't have all his faculties? Never," she answered without waiting for a response. "He attempted to talk to you about it, but you wouldn't let him. And only after you shut him down did things get weird and the silent treatment began. Do I have the gist?"

Amy rolled her eyes until they thunked the back of her skull. "Yep."

"He said maybe three words in my presence once I discovered he had a thing for me. We eventually worked it out, of course. Almost two weeks, though, and all I got was three words. Five, tops."

Slowly, Amy slid her gaze to Olivia, wondering what she was up to now. "That's more than he's given me."

"No, no, and no. Unlike in my case, he went straight to you when he could've outright ignored the situation. He tried to talk to you, discuss what happened. It was you who put a stop to it. He didn't avoid or deflect. You did." Olivia put her face right in Amy's, her smile wicked. "He's fighting for you. Granted, it's in his warped, slower-than-molasses Nakos kind of way, but that's exactly what he's doing. Knowing him, he's pulling the gentleman card and maintaining space because, in his head, you said no."

Heart pounding, pulse tripping hope shoved into Amy's throat. Wedged there as if it planned on taking up permanent residence. Utterly dangerous to her wellbeing since optimism had rarely worked out for her. Actually, anticipation and wishes and dreams had been quashed so many dang times that she was shocked she was capable of triggering any.

Olivia reached up and tapped Amy's chin, her face still close. "What are you so afraid of? He's not Chris. Nakos is a great man. Why not try? You deserve something good, too."

He deserved the best, and Amy wasn't it. Maybe someday she would be, but she doubted it. Besides, somewhere down the line, she had to stop settling and start believing she could be more than the fallback woman. The leftovers.

A knock sounded, and she glanced over to find Nate in the doorway. Or rather, filling the doorway with his enormousness. Bulge and ink, this guy. And he was smiling with an easiness Amy hadn't witnessed often.

In jeans and a black tee, he leaned against the frame. "Don't tell me I'm missing girl-on-girl action."

Amy snorted. "We can make room for one more."

With a fond shake of her head, Olivia grinned. "Everything okay downstairs?"

He strode in and bent to give her a quick kiss, lingering. The sap was a total goner over her. "Just fine. Nakos is looking for you in the barn."

"Speak of the devil." She eyed Amy and rose from the bed. "Know what? We should go out tonight, the four of us. Nate doesn't have to be back at work at the sheriff's station until Monday, and you and Nakos haven't let loose in forever."

"Whatever you say, baby."

Amy wasn't as blindly compliant. "What are you up to?"

Olivia pressed a hand to her chest and feigned surprise. "Who? Me?" She patted Nate's shoulder on the way to the door. "I'll talk to Nakos about it. Seven? The tavern?" She didn't wait for an answer, just walked out.

"And then there were two. So much for a threesome." Amy sighed. "I heard your honeymoon was wonderful."

He dipped his chin in a nod, then eyed the picture frames by the nightstand. "We should've picked up more of these, but we were worried about getting 'em home."

"I love them. Thank you."

A grunt, and he fingered the copies of the photos on the dresser she'd taken this week. He spread them around, a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "These new?"

"Yep. Took them with the camera you bought me."

He winced, his expression dialing straight to busted. "Nakos told you?"

"Yes." Her fingers itched for said camera. The way he stood in profile, all macho maleness while studying the photos with an engaging smile, triggered the contradictions she loved to capture. "I'm not sure what possessed you to do that, but thank you."

The smile flatlined. "It wasn't right, what that asshole did to your things." He looked at her. "Or what he did to you." His hard, golden brown eyes skimmed over her as if searching for physical injures that had long ago healed. "That's a day I wouldn't mind forgetting."

"Me, too." Nate wasn't responsible for Chris's actions any more than it was his job to replace what had been damaged. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, thank you. For the equipment and for the rescue mission."

He glanced away, his expression indicating he'd gone somewhere else momentarily before drifting back to the dresser. He tapped the pictures. "That's all the thanks I need."

Be still her heart. No wonder Olivia was sunk. "She's lucky to have you."

A smile, and he shook his head as if to argue he was the lucky one.

"Hey." She waited for him to look at her. "There's almost no one I love as much as her, no one kinder or more genuine." But they'd broken the mold with Nate. That he could love as deeply as he did, considering not a soul had shown him how before Olivia, only proved his worth. "She's lucky to have you."