Zoey drove up to the house, her emotions alternating between fury and worry. It was a good thing she knew a great lawyer, and he’d be in her workshop tonight. Mike would know what to do.

CHAPTER NINE

MIKE LEANED BACK in his office chair and stared up at the ceiling. Zoey Hartford was his best friend. Whatever weird thoughts he was having had nothing to do with her personally. He just needed...sex. Yeah, that was it. He was horny, and for some reason his brain had focused on Zoey instead of a more reasonable option. Like that hot little number at the Shamrock this week. Taniesha’s friend, Sherry Something. Even better than being hot, she’d been interested. She’d slipped him her number on a napkin, and he’d made a big show of tucking it in his front pocket with a wink.

Sherry was young—probably still in her twenties. She’d had a great laugh, and skin the color of a silky night sky. Maybe he should give her a call and see where things led. That might be enough to get his entire being to stop obsessing about Zoey. Who was his friend.

It was that night at the Shamrock that amped up his feelings so much. He’d watched her on her date with that Mason guy—tall, dark, handsome Mason. The guy who’d made her laugh. The guy who’d helped her grow her business. Good old Mason. What a great guy.

But not the guy for Zoey. Not when Mike was right there. The more Mike tried to bury his desire for her, the more she haunted his mind. After her date night played out in front of him, she’d even begun to show up in his dreams, like the sweetest torture.

The dreams were vivid—Zoey sprawled across a mattress in a tangle of sheets. Cooing his name, gesturing with a curving finger for him to join her on that bed. He’d wake up in a cold sweat every time, just as his dream-self was putting one knee on the edge of the mattress.

It made no sense. They’d never once come close to anything physical. He’d never picked up any hint of desire on her part. He’d never felt anything more than warm affection for her. He was going to single-handedly ruin everything if he didn’t get his feelings under control. If she ever knew, things between them would change forever. Sure, there was a chance it could be as amazing as his dreams. But what if it wasn’t?