4 Hints You Love Your Best Friend
Author: Kelly Siskind
Publisher: Kelly Siskind
Release Date: July 26, 2023
Series: Bower Boys series, book #4 but it can be read as a standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Snippet:
Jolene raises her eyebrow. “So you took off your pants, huh?”
“Shirt. It was my shirt.” I rub at my blazing neck. “I was working and hot, and now, according to town gossip, I’m a stripper with Velcro pants that rip off.”
“I also heard you had a threesome with Simone and Javier.”
Forget a flushed neck. Every inch of me must be burning red. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“You know this town, Cal. Gossip is its oxygen.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and mumble a curse. Maybe I spoke too soon about missing Windfall so much.
“Also,” Jo says more quietly, “I heard you and I were making out on your street the other night.”
My eyes fly open, my heart gunning for my throat. “What?”
If that rumor is going around, my brother might have heard it. He might think I’m making moves on his ex and current crush.
She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “People saw us walking. Maybe saw us holding hands.”
“But we didn’t kiss,” I say vehemently.
She flinches. “Wow. Say it with a bit more disgust next time. Don’t want any of my ego to remain intact.”
Regret slams into me. The way she’s blinking rapidly? The slight hunch of her shoulders, which are usually pulled back, relaying confidence? I am such a dick.
“Jo.” I guide her to a quieter area, flexing my fingers, which are dying to spread along the small of her back. “No part of me is disgusted by you.”
“It’s fine, Cal. We’re just friends, right?”
“We are.”
“And the idea of kissing me grosses you out.”
How can she think I’m not dying to crush her to the wall right now? Feel her body molded to mine as I lick my tongue into her sassy mouth?
I’m pretty sure Jolene is as torn up over me as I am over her. All her signs lately point to interest. The other night, we basically admitted we crushed on each other in high school. I assumed the feelings I’ve been fighting have been as easy to read, but she recently admitted how insecure she’d been when we were teens. Self-doubt that maybe still infects her life. My reaction to our kissing rumor could have made her feel unattractive and badly about herself.
Instinctively, I move. Crowd in closer to her, drop my voice even lower, needing her to understand. To see herself the way I see her. “The idea of kissing you, Jo, doesn’t gross me out. It’s the exact opposite.”
She frowns and drops her gaze. “You don’t mean that.”
“Don’t tell me what I do and don’t mean. I was reacting to the idea of everyone thinking we were kissing. Not how I’d feel if I had my mouth on you.”
Her eyes snap up to mine, a swirl of heat growing in their depths. Her eyelashes flutter. “Does that mean you want to kiss me?”
“We can’t talk about this,” I say, feeling like all eyes are still on me. Jo’s eyes, in particular, haven’t budged. We’re having some sort of staring contest, neither of us looking away, tension coiling as she assesses my sincerity. The question I refuse to answer: Hell yes, I want to kiss you.
More than kiss. I want to devour her. Here. Now. Twelve years ago.
Her mouth softens, and she shrugs a shoulder. “Just so you know, I’m not disgusted by you either.”
About the Book:
A rule follower gets stuck living with the off-limits woman he’s always wanted in this small-town romance that sizzles with slow-burn heat.
Jolene Daniels is my best friend. Sorry…was. She was my best friend a lifetime and ten years of witness protection ago. Now that I’ve returned to my hometown, Jolene and I are once again hanging out.
As friends.
I do not fantasize about the time we fell asleep in the tree house we built, and I woke up with her tucked against my aching chest. I don’t replay the days we raced through the woods, nothing but carefree adventure and laughter filling the air.
Nope. We’re just old pals, and I’m thrilled to have her back in my life. Of course, I notice how stunning she is, but it’s fine.
Until her apartment floods and she temporarily moves into my place. In the room beside mine. Nothing but a thin wall between us. She also walks around in flimsy tank tops. Zero bra.
Did I mention she’s my brother’s ex and he’s looking to rekindle their romance?
Good thing Jolene Daniels and I are nothing but the best of friends.
About the Author:
Kelly Siskind lives in charming northern Ontario. When she’s not out hiking or skiing, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head. She loves singing while driving, looks awful in yellow, and is known for spilling wine at parties. Sign up for Kelly’s newsletter at www.kellysiskind.com and never miss a giveaway, a free bonus scene, or the latest news on her books. And connect with her on Twitter and Instagram (@kellysiskind) or on Facebook (@authorkellysiskind).