Going All In by Alannah Lynne, Cassie McCown Page B

Tyler, but the two looked so much alike she wondered if they were twins. Next came Matt and Garret, and given their barely contained laughter, she figured Wade was in for as much grief as her. His, however, would probably be good-natured ribbing, not condescending ripping.
    After taking her drink from the bartender and nodding to have it added to his tab, Wade said, “We all grew up together and have been friends forever. Despite the horrendous hangovers I have to deal with, I love having them come to visit.”
    More verbal jabs were exchanged, making it obvious how close the guys were. She was about to ask him how he ended up in Myrtle Beach on his own, but the opening band took the stage and conversation became impossible. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, grabbed her drink, and settled in for the show.
    Two and a half hours later, Callie’s body was a humming, tingling, vibrating mess. The residual echoes from the electric guitars rang in her ears, but the pulsing beat thrumming through her central nervous system had nothing to do with the drums and everything to do with Wade.
    He’d dialed back on the earlier hammer-down flirtations, but several times she’d noticed him sliding the ends of her hair through his fingers or smiling at her more intimately than was usual for casual co-workers. His smell, smile, and eyes were dangerous. Throw in the killer body she’d been pressed against all evening, and she didn’t stand a chance against his magnetic pull.
    When Jen and Tiffany stood and grabbed their coats, indicating they were ready to leave, he brushed her hair away from her ear and leaned in close to be heard over the noise of the electrified crowd. “Are you riding with them, or do you want me to take you home?”
    He didn’t act like a guy trying to get into a girl’s apartment and ultimately into her pants, but she still shivered as his warm breath caressed the side of her neck. Her hormones and imagination joined forces to create a host of enticing images, heartily encouraging her to accept his offer. But it was silly for him to make the trip when Raul had to go to her condo building anyway to drop off Tiffany.
    When Tiffany held up Callie’s coat, silently asking the same question, she sighed regretfully and held up a finger. Returning her attention to Wade, she said, “Thanks for the offer, but I need to ride with them. I’ve had a great time tonight. Much better than I expected thanks to you.”
    He smiled and muttered, “Yeah, funny thing about those expectations.”
    It wasn’t unusual to run into him at the office or on one of the job sites, but it also wasn’t a daily occurrence. Careful not to sound too desperate or clingy, she lightly asked, “Will I see you at work tomorrow?”
    “I’m not sure. Hopefully I’ll be at The Chesapeake tomorrow, finishing up so I can get ready to move on to Anticue.”
    Like Pavlov’s dogs experiencing a conditioned response, her breath caught in her throat and she froze. “Anticue?”
    “Yeah, I’m getting ready to start a bed and breakfast renovation up there.”
    She knew the property and clients well, but hearing that Wade would be working on the project, rather than Kevin, caught her off guard. She took a moment to run a quick mental and emotional scan to assess how she felt about that and was thrilled to realize she didn’t have any feelings one way or the other.
    It had taken her a long time to come to grips with the fact that Gavin wasn’t ever going to see her as anything more than a surrogate sister, and she rejoiced in the knowledge that she had finally reached the point of full acceptance.
    “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.” She slipped her purse over her shoulder and prepared to hop off the barstool, but Wade stepped in front of her and blocked her escape.
    “I don’t know what these guys have planned over the next couple of nights, but I promised you a campfire, and I haven’t forgotten.”
    The gold-and-yellow