Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Linc glanced over at Britt sitting in the passenger seat of his Subaru. She was being uncharacteristically quiet. Once she’d woken up, she’d barely spoken two words the rest of the flight, and her not talking was saying something. He just didn’t know what.
Since they lived on the same end of town, Linc had picked her up and driven them to the airport.
Now she was sitting next to him, abstaining from her trademark chatter while he drove her home.
Zana was a naturally bubbly person, and she liked to talk.
A lot. She was the only person he’d ever met who could have a twenty-minute conversation with a stranger in the grocery produce section.
She also knew every employee at the convenience store by name, as well as the fact the manager, Debbie, had a dog named Winter who was allergic to practically everything and that the afternoon lead, Jeff, was obsessed with anime.
The irony wasn’t lost on him that he now knew those things too.
“You okay?” Linc asked.
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
“What? Yeah, I’m fine.” Britt flashed a smile. He knew her well enough to recognize it was her “pageant” smile and not a real one.
He narrowed his eyes. “You sure? You’re awfully quiet.”
“I’m good,” she insisted. “Just worn slap out. It was a long weekend.”
“Okay.” It had been a long weekend. At least, the part he remembered.
He still didn’t know who had left the bra and panties in his room.
Hell, he didn’t remember bringing someone back to his room, period, but he obviously had.
Jake said he’d found the bra on the desk chair in Linc’s room.
No way it had been there when he’d checked in.
He would’ve seen it when he’d sat in that chair, replying to emails Friday morning before they’d all met up.
The curse of working the morning show at KISS FM radio was his body was conditioned to wake up early, so he’d been out of bed and showered by five a.m. That was his typical M.O.
Well, except for Saturday when he’d woken up with a hangover.
But even if he refused to believe the bra wasn’t there before he’d checked in, he couldn’t deny the fact that the panties he’d found in his bed after he’d kicked Jake out definitely hadn’t been.
“You’re off tonight, right?”
Zana confirmed it with a “Yes.”
One word. Great. Something was definitely wrong because the Britt Callaway he knew would never pass up an opportunity to elaborate.
“Honestly, are you okay?”
“Linc, I’m fine. I’m just tired, that’s all.”
It made sense. She’d woken up with a hangover yesterday too, then they’d walked around the Strip for hours in the heat. And after dinner, everyone had hung out in the casino until well past midnight.
“Right.” Except if she was just tired, why was tension radiating off her in waves?
She leaned her head against the car window while they drove the rest of the way to her house in silence.
As soon as he pulled into her driveway and parked, she was out of the car before he could protest. He frowned.
It didn't matter that they weren’t dating.
A lady deserved to have her door opened for her, friends included.
Even though he hadn’t seen much of his father after his parents’ nasty divorce, his dad had still taught him manners.
“A gentleman opens doors for a lady, and that includes car doors,” he’d told him. “Always let a woman go ahead of you when you enter a room, and when you’re outside, walk on the side closest to the street.”
Old school? Maybe, but Linc had taken it to heart.
And aside from this moment, Britt had always gone along with his insistence of opening her car door.
In fact, she’d embraced it wholeheartedly.
She’d told him that apart from her brothers, who were raised by Southern parents who’d drilled being respectful towards women into their heads, he’d singlehandedly restored her faith in chivalry.
So, why had she hopped out a second ago like her ass was on fire?
He got out and opened the trunk, grabbing her carry-on before she could think about it.
She was usually fine letting him carry her things, but with the way she was acting, he wasn’t taking any chances.
No way in hell was she carrying her own suitcase.
Not on his watch. Closing the trunk, he waited for her to lead the way.
“It has wheels, you know.” Britt said. “You really don’t have to carry it for me.”
“Zana, I’m carrying it.” His voice left no room for argument.
Why is she acting like she can’t wait to get rid of me?
“Fine.” She turned on her heel with a flip of her honey-blonde hair. “Throw your back out if you want.”
He snickered. “This is light for you.” However, it was heavier than it had been when they’d left for Vegas.
She’d obviously gone shopping before their magnet quest on Saturday.
No surprise there. Britt was a knick-knack connoisseur.
Or maybe “junkie” was more fitting. The girl couldn’t go anywhere without picking up “a little somethin’.
” She could probably open her own novelty store by now and never run out of inventory.
She unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Linc followed and was instantly met with a monologue of meows. Grinning, he put down the suitcase and crouched to scoop a purring, gray cloud into his arms.
“Hey, Maiz. How’s my girl?” The cat head-butted him, her purr increasing a couple decibels.
“I agree. Your mom is horrible for leaving you home alone.” He knew darn well that Britt’s neighbor had been feeding and visiting the cat while they were in Vegas, but it didn't stop him from continuing.
“What was that? Why yes, I do think she owes you a can of tuna for dinner.… Yes, and breakfast.”
Britt laughed. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed that lilting sound until he hadn’t heard it all day.
“You’re terrible,” she scolded, stealing the cat from him. “Don’t you listen to that evil man, Maisie Mae. You know your momma loves you.” She nuzzled her face against Maisie’s neck.
Lucky cat.
Stop it. She’s one of your best friends. You shouldn’t even be thinking those thoughts.
“Thanks for driving me home,” she said, picking off a piece of cat hair that had stuck to her lip gloss. He assumed. How would he know for sure since he absolutely had not been staring at her lips?
“Anytime. You going to be okay?”
Her brows pulled together. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He wanted to say, because you’ve been acting weird all morning. Instead, he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You seemed a little off there for a while.”
“I told you, I’m tired,” she defended. The argument didn’t sound any more convincing now than it had the last time she’d said it.
He was about to call her on it when her eyes briefly dropped to his mouth. During the time it took for him to blink, they’d reverted back to the cat.
Did she just…?
He shook his head and mentally slapped himself. One too many of his brain cells were drowned the other night if he thought Zana wanted to kiss him, that’s for damn sure. Even so, he couldn’t stop himself from watching to see if she’d look at his mouth again.
She didn’t.
Probably never had in the first place.
What the hell was he thinking? Of course, she hadn’t. This was Zana. They’d known each other two years and had never once crossed past the friend-zone line. Not outside of his dirty thoughts, anyway, and he definitely wasn’t sharing any of those.
“Thanks again for driving me home.” Again, she never once glanced at his mouth.
Yup, he was hallucinating.
“You’re welcome.”
Britt put Maisie on the counter and stepped into his space.
Wrapping his arms around her was as natural as taking his next breath.
They always hugged goodbye. After the way she’d been acting earlier, he wasn’t going to initiate it, but was relieved when she did.
It was starting to feel normal between them again, thank God. Maybe she actually was just tired.
“Get some rest,” he told her before kissing her cheek.
He’d done it a million times before, whenever they’d said goodbye.
Only, this time, when his lips touched the velvet of her skin, something stole his breath…
A flash of images. A tightening in his gut.
The scent of her honeysuckle perfume compelling him to pull her closer.
The way her soft intake of breath made his lips linger. This felt different. It felt… intimate.
His pulse kicked up a notch. Memories danced around the fringe of his consciousness, refusing to step into the light, teetering on the knife’s edge of remembering.
He pulled back to search her face, brows furrowing as he tried to make sense of what he was feeling. Britt’s eyes were downcast, breasts rising and falling on measured breaths. Whatever this was, she felt it too.
“Zana?”
She didn’t respond, so he cupped her jaw and lifted her chin with his thumb until she was forced to look at him. When her worried blue eyes finally met his questioning gaze…
He knew.