Page 5 of My Ex-Best Men (Ex Marks the Spot #4)

***Claire***

W ill Callahan desperate? Not a chance in the world.

The fact that he was outside waiting on me made my glasses fog up as my breathing kicked up.

I took them off with a sigh and cleaned them, not sure that I shouldn’t just shove them in my purse so I wouldn’t be able to see anything or anyone for the rest of the day.

Not being able to see Sophia’s big brother was about the only way I was going to relax.

“Earth to Claire? I know you’re still there. I can hear your breathing.”

I scoffed. “I’m not a mouth breather, Sophia Callahan. Don’t start that again.”

Sophia had managed to convince me that I was a mouth breather when I was eleven and I’d spent an entire summer so focused on my breathing that I started having anxiety about whether I was still breathing or not.

She’d felt horrible and had just meant to play a joke but she was too good at lying back then.

Or I just wasn’t as good at reading her.

“You know how when something bad happens and you start praying like you haven’t skipped the past decade of church and you start bargaining with god?

Every single time I have one of those moments I apologize for that stunt.

I figure if god can forgive me for making you think you weren’t breathing and for the way you started gulping with every breath you took that maybe I’ll be worth saving.

” She groaned. “Everyone called you Guppy that year at school.”

“What are we doing here? Is this supposed to be making me feel better about the day from hell that I’m having?” I started walking towards the pick up area, dragging my feet as I went to put off what was surely going to be an awkward time.

“Tell me everything, Guppy.”

“I’d love to, asshole, but it’s a long story and I have to find your brother.” I bit my lip and promised myself a book store shopping day when I got back to London. “Are you going to be at the hotel when we get in?”

“Are you kidding? Of course. I’ll be the woman by the pool with the alcohol, waiting on you.” She let out an excited breath. “I’m so glad you’re going to be in hugging reach soon, Claire. I’ve missed you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and forced down a wave of emotion. So many things were changing and I’d be a liar if I said change didn’t scare me. She was getting married. I’d broken up with another boyfriend just a few weeks earlier. I was getting left behind. “I’ve missed you, too, Soph.”

After hanging up with her, I walked out of the airport’s arctic air-conditioning and straight into the pits of hell.

My body immediately broke out in a sweat and I could feel my hair growing larger from the humidity.

Of course I was going to look like a damp, frizzy disaster the moment I saw Will for the first time in years.

Right on cue, my glasses fogged up completely, just in time for me to trip over someone’s suitcase.

As I piched forward, all I could think was: Did I piss off a witch or something?

I landed mostly on top of my carry-on but my knee took the brunt of my weight.

I felt my leggings rip and the sting of torn skin but mostly I felt horrified that I’d just eaten shit in front of a ton of people, none of whom stopped and helped me up.

Just as I was considering rolling onto my back and waiting for a car to run me over a big shadow fell over me.

“I hate to say this, Claire, but you aren’t getting more graceful with age.

” Will Callahan. The first man I loved. The man who took my virginity and made me see stars with every stolen kiss.

His face appeared over mine as he grinned down at me, brilliant blue eyes crinkling in the corners from years of laughter. “Hey.”

I shoved my glasses to the top of my head to stop myself from checking him out. “Any chance you could pretend like this didn’t happen?”

His hands were bigger and rougher than I remembered as he wrapped them around my upper arms and pulled me to my feet. “That’d be kind of hard since I need to check out your leg before we get on the road. You’re bleeding.”

I waved my hand in the air like I was trying to brush everything away. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“I’m a firefighter and a paramedic on the weekends, Claire. What kind of asshole would I be if I didn’t check you out?” He took my bags from me and kept his hand wrapped around my upper arm. “Come on. I’m not parked too far away. You feel up for walking or do I need to carry you?”

Without seeing where I was going I immediately stepped off the curb without noticing it and stumbled. With a groan I put my glasses back on but kept my gaze away from Will. “I can walk, despite what current circumstances may imply.”

If anything, he held me tighter. “How was your trip?”

I laughed. “I’ve been wondering if I’m cursed.”

He led me to a large pickup truck and dropped the tailgate. He picked me up and put me down on it as if I weighed nothing. “Hold that thought while I grab my bag.”

I made my first mistake when I looked up as he walked away.

The man had a nice ass. He filled out the worn denim in the most delicious way, from his ass to his thick, muscular thighs and beyond.

I made my second mistake when he turned and came back at me.

Will Callahan was still so painfully good looking that he took my breath away.

He’d been the all-American football star in high school, with sunkissed hair and the prettiest blue eyes, and he’d just grown into an even hotter man. It wasn’t fair.

Dropping a heavy leather bag next to me, he rested his hands on my thighs and dipped his head so we were eye to eye. “How have you been, Claire?”

I wanted to laugh. “If you’d asked me that question first thing this morning I would’ve told you that things were fine.”

“And now?” He slid his focus to my knee and I took the chance to study him.

He was still so sunkissed that he made the perfect image of a man from an island, even if it was a Florida island.

Tan with light brown hair full of natural blonde highlights, he would’ve looked right at home on the beach with a surfboard in his hands, even though I was pretty sure he’d never surfed.

Nope. Not Will Callahan. He was too busy saving people.

I looked away and frowned when I saw a hooded man walking towards us with purpose.

Instead of shifting or redirecting to go around us, he came right at us.

I was just about to lose my cool when the hood shifted backwards enough for me to see it was Zane.

I stammered and then hissed when Will rubbed something over my knee.

He looked up at me through his lashes as he pursed his lips and blew on my knee to stop the sting. “Sorry, Claire. I should’ve warned you.”

“What happened? You were fine when you stormed away from me on the plane.”

Will stood up straight and turned a hard look on Zane. “You two were on the same plane?”

“Yep. We even got to sit next to each other. We go back a lot farther than that, though. Isn’t that right, Claire?” Zane ignored the wary look Will was giving him and dropped his bag at his feet so he could come up right next to me. He ran his hand up my arm to cup the back of my neck. “You okay?”

Will’s eyes missed nothing. He shook his head and pressed closer to me, edging Zane out. “She fell. I’m taking care of it.”

Zane’s hand fell away from my neck and he turned to fully face Will. “I’m guessing you’re the brother.”

“Will Callahan. Go ahead and throw your shit in the back.” Will applied a cream to my knee and then carefully applied a bandage through my ripped leggings. “I’ll check it out again later tonight to make sure it’s healing okay.”

I looked between the two of them. “Why would Zane be throwing his shit in the back of your truck, Will?”

Zane’s mouth twisted into a wicked smirk. “I didn’t mention that I’m one of Jake’s groomsmen? Huh. It must’ve slipped my mind.”