Wake My Heart: Jasper Falls by Lydia Michaels

Author:Lydia Michaels [Michaels, Lydia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bailey Brown Publishing
Published: 2021-02-22T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Friday proved the longest day of the week. Ryan couldn’t get his head off Maggie. All day long he caught himself daydreaming, obsessing over the taste of her mouth, the softness of her lips, the way her breath hitched when he kissed her throat, and how soft her body felt under his.

Great, now he was hard again.

His phone vibrated. Another text from Kelly, thanking him again for covering the pub so much lately.

Ryan didn’t mind picking up the extra shifts. With all the new furniture he needed, he could use the extra money. But since kissing Maggie last night, he only wanted to go home and start his weekend.

Shutting off the kitchen lights, he tossed a damp rag in the hamper at the back of the bar. “Can I walk you out, Sue?”

“Thanks.” Sue turned off the accent lights behind the liquor shelves and grabbed her purse from the back.

He followed her out, locking the door behind them and carrying the last of the trash to the dumpster. “Drive safe.”

She waved. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Uh, actually I’m off tomorrow.”

Sue turned and frowned. “You are?”

“Yeah. It’s my birthday. Finn’s covering.”

“Oh. Okay. Then I guess I’ll see you Sunday.” She climbed into her car. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” Ryan waited until her car started, a habit he formed when he began working late with her, then started his truck.

The streets were empty at this hour. He barely saw the road the whole way home, his mind lost in fantasies about his neighbor and how they might spend the weekend.

Finn was a lifesaver, offering to cover the bar for him on his birthday. Usually Ryan would want to spend the day hanging out with his cousins, who were his best friends, but this year was different.

He was turning thirty, a milestone, and he didn’t want any reminders of the benchmarks he’d yet to meet. He didn’t want to feel like a third wheel or sit through a family dinner where everyone had a spouse to the right, and he had no one. And he didn’t want to feel sorry for himself. For the first time in a very long time, he was actually happy—and hopeful.

Maggie was amazing. She was funny yet shy, bold yet hesitant, tough yet delicate. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but every time they hung out, he fell a little harder for her.

Dangerous territory, he thought, remembering the look on her face last night when she broke the kiss. He could guess what happened. She had an attack of conscience.

The whole Nash O’Malley thing was a touchy situation. He didn’t want to compete with the guy. One, because he was a ghost. And two, because he was her husband, and he wasn’t sure anyone stood a chance of getting her heart when Nash still owned it so completely.

Ryan parked his truck and shut off the engine. Gripping the wheel, he stared up at Maggie’s windows, wishing he saw her lights flash on, but the place was pitch black. His mind was racing.

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