Page 20 of Last Chance Seduction

I pulled my gaze away from her, grabbed a glass of water, and the beers, and scurried away.Scurried, because I was a damn menace.A coward.

I had nearly kissed Mercy.

Why the hell would I have done that?

I shook myself, handed the beers over to my cousins, and chugged half my water.

“You okay?You look a little flush, bro,” Dash said, and I cleared my throat.

“Nothing, I think I just need to go outside, get some air.”

“Okay.You want some company?”he asked, and I heard the sincerity in his tone.

“I’m good.Thanks.”

I drained my glass, set it on the table with the other empties, and went towards the back door so I could take a deep breath.

I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but there was no need for me to think of Mercy that way.

We were neighbors, friends.And she had enough on her plate rather than my mind going into a weird direction.Just because part of me wanted to settle down, didn’t mean I had to fall for the first woman who looked at me.

And even thinking about going in that direction was ridiculous.Because our history with each other was so entwined, that doing anything to jeopardize what we had had before, let alone what we were making now, would be insane.

I went past the couch and bumped into someone again.With so many people in this house, it wasn’t unheard of, but as I held onto Mercy’s arm again, I had to wonder what exactly the hell was going on.

She looked up at me then and smiled wide.“Are you really just going to knock me on the floor one day?”

“You’re just so little down there, I didn’t see you,” I tease.

She rolled her eyes.“Really?You’re going with a short joke?You used to do that all the time.”

“You’re like a foot shorter than me, pipsqueak.”

“You did not just call me pipsqueak.”

“What?You didn’t kick me last time I did.”

“Because we were like fifteen.And I was a teenage girl.I’m a woman now.I could kick your ass.”

Damn it, she was a woman.

And I could not blame those thoughts on the single beer I had.

“Look who’s under the mistletoe!”one of my annoying cousins called out.

I froze, my entire body stiffening as Mercy blinked up at me, eyes wide.

“Kiss!Kiss!Kiss!”

“I am so sorry,” I mumbled, though my heart couldn’t help but race.My hands went clammy, and I licked my lips.Damn it.I shouldn’t look orfeeltoo eager.

Mercy just shook her head at me.“Can we run?”

“You would rather run and deal with the Montgomerys’ wrath and leers versus just kiss me quickly and getting it over with?”I asked, wondering if I should be hurt.

“I hate that logic.”

“Okay, so one, two, three?”