“She wants to,” he said confidently. “She just won’t.”

Penny cocked her head. “That’s what you used to say about me.”

“Yeah, but we both knew that was different. We could have taken our backs to the mattress and had a great time, but we probably would have lost this.” He motioned between them. They’d been friends since he’d gotten out of rehab almost two years ago, and yeah, he’d been cocky and Penny was hot, and they’d become fast flirty friends. But while everyone else had thought they’d end up together, Quincy had known better. He’d never had true friends until he’d gotten clean, and now he valued friendship above all else. He’d never risk losing that with Penny, and the truth was, that initial attraction hadn’t been life altering, the way his attraction to Roni was.

“I’m just giving you crap,” Penny said. “I’m glad we never hooked up. You’re my best guy friend, and I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You’d probably make a lot of really bad decisions,” he teased.

“I already do that. I allow you in here, don’t I?” She smirked. “You’ve let that hot little brunette string you along for months. I thought you were just dicking around with her.”

“Biding my time, not dicking around. You know how important it was to me to pass the two-year-clean mark before I got involved with anyone.” The day after Halloween had marked two years since he’d entered rehab and last used drugs.

“Yes, but you’ve been playing the texting game for months. What makes you think she’s even interested? She turned you down when you first tried to get her to go out with you, and she isn’t even the person who won the date at the auction, remember? Her friend won it for her.”

“Of course I remember. That’s a night I’ll never forget.” The first time he’d seen the gorgeous brunette with black-framed glasses, full lips that begged to be devoured, and a body made for worshipping, their eyes had connected and he’d been sure the room would go up in flames before he ever reached the stage. After her friend had won the date with him, he’d gone to introduce himself, and he’d learned that Roni, the woman with the most beautiful eyes and sinfully plump lips in Peaceful Harbor, Maryland, walked with a slight limp and was either painfully shy or smartly cautious. He’d been so intrigued, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her since.

“I can feel it,” he said. “There’s an energy between us that’s unfuckingbelievable.”

Penny pointed at him and said, “The next time someone asks us why we aren’t dating, can you please tell them we don’t have that? That’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

“How do you know? You’ve never said anything about a guy giving you those vibes.”

“A girl has to have her secrets.” She chuckled and went to wipe down a table. “Speaking of which, does Roni know yours?”