Rick’s heart was securely in his throat. He couldn’t bear knowing that she knew how he felt and that she didn’t feel the same way. Her cold eyes told him what he already knew.

She didn’t want him.

“I’ll go,” Rick said softly. “Let you enjoy your birthday without me here to mess it up. I’m sorry, Tare. I never wanted to hurt you. Ever. Be happy. It’s all I ever wanted for you.”

He walked through the kitchen, taking care to leave a wide gap between them. If he smelled her he might drop to his knees and beg for another chance. But that wouldn’t be fair to her.

“Why the fuck are you leaving if you want me happy?”

Rick froze. His blood roared in his ears, but he had no idea how it got there with his heart locked up. He couldn’t move though. He wanted to run, but her words wouldn’t let him. Especially if they meant what he hoped they meant.

So she moved for him. Right into his path. He had no choice but to look at her. Her dark brown eyes flared with golden light and her mouth was set in a firm line. He couldn’t tell if she was pissed off or not, but he’d put money on her being mad.

“I asked why you’re leaving if you want me happy. It sounds like you and I have some unfinished business. You’re just going to leave without talking to me?”

“You aren’t happy I’m still here. I stayed so we could talk, but I don’t think you want to hear anything I have to say.”

She shrugged. “You’re wrong. I’m very interested in what you have to say.”

Rick took a deep breath and looked around the room. Michelle and Aaron were watching them like a daytime drama. He wanted to talk to her alone. “In the bedroom?”

Tara shook her head. “Nope. Right here.”

“Fine. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I said it was just sex last time. I’m sorry I bolted when you told me to. I’m sorry I never came back and begged for you to give me another chance. I’m sorry I ambushed you, even though it wasn’t all my fault. I’m sorry I kissed you yesterday. I’m sorry I stuck around today to make it better. And I’m sorry I ruined another birthday for you.”

Tara studied him. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and nibbled on it like he was dying to do. She considered his words and took her time replying. “Thank you. That’s all I ever wanted to hear. Now I have something else to say, but for that we need to go in the other room.”

Rick followed her to his doom, grateful she was going to save the worst for when they were alone. He trudged down the hallway to his death, because having her tell him to leave and never come back would definitely kill him. They walked into the guest room and she went right to the bed. She picked up his duffle bag and started stuffing clothes into it. She wasn’t just going to kick him out, she was going to remove him herself. He leaned against the closed door and waited patiently. When she finished she handed him the bag. He nodded. “I’ll go. I could have packed myself though.”

She shook her head. “You’re going to put that bag in your car then get your ass back in here to celebrate my birthday. And after we’re done with dinner, you’re coming back to my place to give me a good birthday memory. And when you leave this time, it’s going to be so you can pack the rest of your shit and move back. Because if you really care about my happiness you won’t ever walk away again.”

“What?”

Tara stalked over to him, her hips swaying gently with each step. “I said you’re staying with me.”

“I heard all that. Why?”

“Because I love you, you dumb ass. And you love me.”

His breath left in a whoosh. He pulled her in close and whispered against her hair, “Fuck, yeah I do. I’m not leaving you again.”

“Good. Because I’ll chase you down if you do.” Rick chuckled then groaned when she sunk her teeth into his ear. “And tonight you’re making up all this time away.”

He jerked when she rubbed her hips against his erection and pulled her close. He whispered in her ear, “Yes, ma’am,” then sealed the deal with a kiss that made him forget everything but her.

Tara walked into Michelle and Aaron’s house in time for dinner. She was feeling good. She’d made peace with what happened with Rick and was finally ready to move on. She still didn’t want her brother butting into her life, but she was starting to appreciate that he’d given her a chance to say goodbye to Rick, even if they’d never actually said goodbye.

Their chemistry was off the charts, but they didn’t belong together. If they did he wouldn’t have walked away.

“It smells awesome in here,” Tara said when she saw Michelle in the kitchen. “You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me.”

Michelle smiled. “Yes, I did. Happy Birthday. Aaron is grilling steaks and I’ve got all the veggies ready to go. We even got your favorite, ice cream cake.”

Tara groaned. “I’m going to gain ten pounds today.”

“It’ll be worth it,” Michelle teased. “Besides, your birthday is a day to celebrate, and we all know calories don’t count when you’re celebrating.”

Tara rolled her eyes and accepted the glass of wine held out to her. It was sweet and crisp on her tongue and she closed her eyes to savor it for just a minute. “I needed that. Thanks for yesterday, by the way. I thought about everything last night and decided you’re right. Rick’s not worth worrying about. I can move on and get my life back together. He left and I’m done crying over him. If he wanted me, he wouldn’t have run.”

Michelle was suddenly very interested in the vegetables she was sautéing. Tara narrowed her eyes at the person she knew as well as she knew herself. “What aren’t you telling me?” Tara demanded.

The silence between them let Tara hear the sounds she hadn’t noticed before. Two voices in the backyard. Male voices. Her brother’s and Rick’s. Then she heard Rick laugh and her stomach dropped through the floor. “What the hell?”

“I’m sorry. This wasn’t supposed to be an ambush, I promise. When I invited you last night I was positive he’d be gone. He didn’t want to leave, Tare. He said he had to stay here and talk to you. He wants you to move on because he doesn’t think he’s good enough for you. He told me he said it was just sex before because he couldn’t admit how much you affected him. It started out as sex, but by the time he touched you he knew he would never feel that way again. So he pushed you away so he wouldn’t hurt you-”

“He did hurt me,” Tara growled around the tears and lump in her throat. “He shattered me.”

Michelle nodded. “He thought it was the best thing for you. He wants you happy. He’ll walk again if you want him to, but Tare, be sure. He’s here to make sure you’ll be happy. If that isn’t love I don’t know what is.”

The problem was, Tara didn’t know either. Until she turned and saw him watching her. And felt it. Unmistakeable. Love.

Rick didn’t leave. He’d spent his whole life running, but he knew sticking around mattered this time. He couldn’t run from her. Not again.

“She’s gonna kill you,” Aaron said when they finished their last beer the night before. Rick wasn’t sure if Aaron was talking about his fiancee or his sister, but it didn’t really matter. Rick was done running.

He pushed out of the bed he’d been sleeping in for days. He knew he had to go home soon, wherever that really was. Moving around like he had nowhere had ever really felt like home to him. Except when he was with Tara. But he wasn’t there for that. He was there to help her move on.

No better day to start over than her birthday.

The day he’d destroyed them both.

Rick let his nose guide him to the kitchen where he found Michelle with a coffee cup in her hand and bacon frying. Scrambled eggs were in another pan and the light on the toaster told him there was toast too. And judging by how much, she was planning to share. The only question was if she would share with him.

“Hey,” Rick said in greeting.

Michelle turned to glare at him but didn’t speak. Guess that answered the question of if she’d share.

“I’m sorry,” Rick tried again, knowing those two words were going to be his most spoken ones for the day.

“For what?” Michelle asked, not turning around. “For breaking my best friend’s heart, twice. Or for leaving her panting on the counter wishing you’d just finished what you started?”

Rick choked on the sip of coffee he’d taken and nearly coughed up a lung. When his eyes stopped watering he spared Michelle a glance only to find her smirking at him. “Good to see you’re not invincible. Why’d you kiss her?”

Rick shook his head. “I shouldn’t have. She deserves more than me.”

“But see, that’s the problem, dumb ass. She doesn’t want ‘more than you.’ She wants you.”

“She’s just hung up because I was an ass the last time.”

“Yeah, let’s talk about that. You destroyed her when you left-”

“She told me to go!”

Michelle quirked an eyebrow at him. “And you thought that meant disappear and never come back? You’re even dumber than I thought. She was hurt. She wanted you to hurt too. Then she wanted you to beg for another chance.”

Rick shook his head. “She needs to move on. I’m no good for her.”

“Because it was just sex and you don’t actually care about her,” Michelle countered icily.

Rick sighed. The truth.

“Because I care too much for her. I know what she’s getting into if she’s with me. She deserves more than that.”

“So why don’t you enlighten me on why you’re so bad for her. Because from where I’m standing, it sounds like the two of you ‘care’ a lot for each other. And if that isn’t a damn good reason to be together I don’t know what is.”

Tara wiped the tears from her eyes and sucked it the fuck up. She didn’t know what she was thinking. He wasn’t going to fall in love with her. He never did and he certainly wasn’t about to start now.

When Michelle arrived she didn’t knock. She never did. Tara didn’t know if she had the energy to make it to the door anyway. She’d worn herself out since Rick walked out.

“What happened?” Michelle asked without preamble.

Tara sighed heavily. “He kissed me.”

“You said that on the phone. There’s more to it than that.”

“Yeah,” Tara answered. She told her best friend exactly what happened with Rick. When Tara finished she waited for Michelle’s reaction.

“And he just left.”

Tara nodded.

“Why?”

“Have I ever been able to explain him? I don’t have a clue. He just said he was sorry and bolted for the door.”

“Well, I’m going to kick his ass when I get home. I don’t know what he was thinking. Tomorrow is your birthday He can’t do this to you right before your birthday.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tara said with a shake of her head. “Tomorrow is just another day. It’s not special for me.”

“It is special, Tare. It’s your birthday.”

“You know I don’t celebrate it, Michelle. I haven’t in years.”

“Since he left, I know. I wish you could move on.”

“Then tell my brother to butt out. I was moving on before he brought Rick back into my life.”

Michelle pegged her with a look that said she knew exactly how big of a load of crap that was. Tara held it together for about seven seconds before they both burst out laughing.

“Well, after today I’ll make sure Rick and Aaron both keep their noses out of your life. Aaron won’t do this again, I’ll make sure of it. As for Rick… he’ll be lucky if he’s not limping back to whatever rock he crawled out from under.”

“That’s why I love you.”

“I know. So, tomorrow you’re coming over for dinner. You can avoid celebrating, but I’m going to celebrate for you. Come for dinner. We’ll drink wine and eat something delicious and trash talk stupid men. We’ll camp out in the guest room and make Aaron sleep alone.”

Tara laughed with her best friend, so grateful she had Michelle in her life. She nodded her agreement and decided she was ready to celebrate. Tomorrow would be a day to start over.

What the fuck was wrong with him? He had no right to kiss her. But he didn’t just kiss her. Son of a bitch. He’d nearly taken her right there on the counter in her kitchen. If she hadn’t spoken he probably would have.

Rick slowly extracted himself from her grasp. Her nipple fell from his mouth after he forced himself not to swirl his tongue around her one last time. Her other breast slipped out of his hand after he resisted the urge to brush his thumb over her nipple again. Her warm thighs separated from his painful erection when he convinced his body to move away from her.

He couldn’t look at her. If he did he knew he’d see her flushed skin, her pert nipples, her perfect upper half. Shit. He looked. She’d changed as she became a woman instead of the girl he’d known before. She was more beautiful than he remembered. Her subtle curves became more pronounced, making her that much more attractive to him. He wanted to dive back in to where he left off.

But he couldn’t. Sleeping with her would only hurt them both. He didn’t care about himself. If he did he would throw her over his shoulder and drag her to her bedroom and keep her there through her birthday. He would be the one with the present the next day if he did that. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk away again if he spent a night with her.

Which was why he had to walk away immediately.

“I’m sorry, Tare. I… fuck I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”

Rick turned and walked out the door without looking back. He let the door close behind him and stalked to Aaron’s car. His friend hung up his phone when Rick slammed the car door shut. “Everything okay?” Aaron asked.

“Just get me away from here. I told you I couldn’t do anything to help. I need to leave before I hurt her even more.”

Aaron started the car and turned toward home. They rode in silence back to Aaron and Michelle’s house. As soon as they pulled into the driveway, Michelle burst through the door. Aaron met her outside the car with Rick trailing behind, accepting the glare she threw at him. He deserved it.

“Don’t let him leave. He deserves to have his ass kicked. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll do it when I get home. But right now, I need to go peel your sister off the ledge this dumb ass led her to.”

Michelle kissed Aaron then sped off in her car. Rick knew it wouldn’t take long for Aaron to say, “What the fuck did you do?”

Tara couldn’t breathe. The second his lips touched hers she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Sparks flew between them, as they did the last time. She was afraid to move, to respond, for fear he’d realize what he was doing and back away.

Then his arms locked around her and he let her feel his whole body. Tara couldn’t hold back any longer. She had to participate, even if it risked making him run.

Tara slid her hands up his chest, memorizing the feel of his muscles dancing beneath her fingertips. When they wound around his neck, she shivered at the feel of the stubbled hair just above the collar of his shirt. The soft strands of his hair brushed the tops of her fingers, teasing her into running her hands through.

Rick growled when her fingers dove into his hair. He tugged her closer and hardened against her stomach. His tongue forced her lips to part, which they would have done willingly. She tasted the coffee on his breath but smelled whatever soap he used on his skin.

Dear god, the man could kiss.

Tara wanted to direct him back to her bedroom. She craved nothing more than to lay him out on her bed and relive the best night of her life.

But she didn’t. She just kissed him. Because she hadn’t been kissed like that since he left. She hadn’t been kissed like she was the best thing on the menu, something to be savored… ever. And she was going to enjoy it. Holy shit, was she going to enjoy it.

Her body ached for him. Heat prickled her skin. Desire pooled low in her gut. She wasn’t sure how long she could resist him, and it had nothing to do with how long it’d been since she’d had a man in her bed.

Even though it’d been a while.

Rick groaned when she rubbed herself against him and tightened the grip he had on her hips. He walked them back to the counter and lifted her up onto it. His lips left hers to trail down her neck, stopping at the barrier of her tank top. His hands rose, drawing her shirt up, and tossed it behind him when he freed it from her body. His lips closed over her nipple and she moaned and clutched his head to her.

Rick feasted on her, licking, teasing, nibbling her nipples until her panties soaked through and she needed him to finish the job. “I need you, Rick,” she moaned, trying to rub herself against him and failing.

Then he froze. Her nipple was locked in his mouth, the other breast supported by his hand. His erection throbbed against her leg. But he didn’t move.