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  “It’s fine. I didn’t come here to critique your housekeeping.”

  He dragged his hands through his hair as he led her into the living room. “Good thing.”

  She let out a nervous laugh, then took a seat on his sofa. He sat next to her, wishing he could fold her into his arms and hold her. But since she stared down at her shoes, her hands folded tightly together in her lap, her body language told him she wasn’t in any mood to be held, so he kept his distance.

  He had a feeling he was about to get an earful.

  He waited.

  And waited.

  Okay, so maybe she needed a minute to gather her thoughts.

  “Are you sure you don’t want something to drink?”

  Her gaze lifted to his, and there were tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Will.”

  Uh-oh. That sounded like the beginning of a breakup conversation, and he was kind of hoping she would take some time to cool down, that they could still talk things out.

  Maybe not. “Sorry for what?”

  “For not appreciating what a great guy you are. Since we started…being together, you’ve been there for me, and for the kids. And I’ve done nothing but back away and hold you at a distance, because I was scared.”

  Okay, that hadn’t gone like he thought it would. “You don’t have to be sorry about that, Jane. You were protecting yourself and Ryan and Tabitha. I get it. And I was pushy. When I know what I want I’m single-minded about it, and I’ll bully my way into having things my own way. Sometimes I can’t see how that affects other people. It comes from being single for so long.”

  She looked at him. “I can see that about you. But that’s hardly a character flaw.”

  “It makes me stubborn and bullheaded sometimes. I have to learn to look at the other side of the picture. I’m a single guy and I’ve never been hurt the way you have or the way the kids have. I thought I could just be in your life and it was going to be easy. I should have known better.”

  She frowned. “Don’t make excuses for me or let me off the hook so easily.”

  He tried not to smile. “Okay, I won’t.”

  “I probably fell in love with you when you mowed my lawn, or when you took me out that first night and made the most incredible sweet love to me that anyone ever has. But God, Will, you scared me, because you made me feel things that I thought I’d never feel again. You made me feel secure and cared for and you made me trust in you.”

  She took a deep breath and Will grasped her hand. She fought it, but he grabbed it anyway until she let him. “It’s okay to be scared, Jane. I know how much Vic hurt you.”

  She nodded, and big fat tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “I hate how much he hurt you and the kids. I’d give anything for you to not have that big hole in your heart because of what he did to you.”

  “The thing is, I never got to blast him for all that hurt. After he left town, our divorce was handled long-distance. So I never got to tell him to his face how much he hurt me.”

  She paused, looked down at her shoes again. He knew he needed to give her time to work through it all in her head, and to get it all out. So he waited.

  “So I held it all inside and I stewed. And then you came into my life and gave me the outlet I needed. And I took it out on you. I put all that mistrust on you. I backed away from you and ran away from you. And that’s not fair. Because you never did anything to hurt me or the kids.”

  “I’m sorry I let you down.”

  She looked at him and gave him a rueful smile. “You never let me down. You’re one of the most honorable men I’ve ever known. You would never intentionally hurt anyone. And you were right in what you said, that there’s no such thing as perfection. I’m not looking for perfection, Will. I was just looking for an opening so I could jump on it, so I could point my finger and say, ‘See? See? It’s going to happen again. I was right not to trust you,’ when in fact, you didn’t do anything wrong at all. It was stupid. I’m stupid.”

  He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. “You’re not stupid. You were protecting your heart and your children. I love how fierce you are about keeping them safe.”

  She pulled back and gazed up at him. “I was afraid to give my heart to you, because I was in love with you. And that gives you the capacity to hurt me.”

  Hearing her say the words back to him made his heart squeeze, made his throat go tight with emotion that he’d never felt before. He swallowed. “I’ll make mistakes with you, Jane. I know I will. But I’ll never hurt you. I promise.”

  She finally lifted her gaze to his. “I know. I believe you. I believe in you, Will, because I love you.”

  His hopes soared. “We can make this work, you know. And we’ll take it slow. We won’t rush things. The kids need to get to know me better.”

  She swept her fingers across his jaw. “My kids love you as much as I do.”

  He brushed his lips across hers. “We’ll still take it slow, because you all need that. And we have all the time in the world. I’m in no hurry, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  Jane sighed and fell into his arms. Will wrapped his arms around her and sealed the deal with a kiss that curled her toes inside her tennis shoes.

  She felt foolish for being so reticent, so stupid for hurting him. And he’d been so easily forgiving when she didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve him, but she’d spend as long as it took making it up to him, and proving to him that she could make him happy.

  When he finally broke the kiss, she was lying across his lap.

  “Do you have to go home?”

  She shook her head. “Chelsea said she’d stay the night, because I told her I might be here with you—talking—all night long. Or at least that’s how I hoped it would go.”

  His lips curved in that devilish smile that never failed to make her stomach flip. “Well, you can stay the night, Jane, but I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of talking.”

  She reached up to pull his head down to hers. “I like the way you think, Will.”

  PERFECT STRANGER

  A Serendipity Novella

  CARLY PHILLIPS

  To all my readers who love the town of

  Serendipity and the people who live there. This

  story is for you! Thank you for buying my books,

  reading my stories, and writing to tell me how much

  you enjoy them. Alexa’s story is for you.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Joe’s Bar. Familiar stomping grounds for Alexa Collins, yet everything about the night felt off to her. First, the bar’s owner and his new bride were on their honeymoon, so Joe wasn’t serving. Alexa’s normally happy friend Cara Hartley sat morosely stirring her drink, staring into the glass for answers, but the man who’d caused the problems was nowhere to be found. Alexa couldn’t relate to guy issues considering she lived an extremely busy life, spent hours in the hospital ER, and had no time for a relationship, let alone hot, stress-relieving sex—something she could definitely use. For the last couple of weeks she’d been suffering from a definite case of the blues, and the strain of her life was beginning to wear on her.

  No wonder she was in a funk.

  The music now blasting through the speakers gave her a jolt akin to a caffeine kick, and Alexa perked up at the sound. Rising from her barstool, she glanced at her friend.

  “I feel like dancing,” Alexa announced.

  With a disinterested sigh, Cara shook her head, but Alexa wasn’t taking no for an answer. Cara needed to have fun and forget about Mike Marsden, the man who’d broken her heart.

  She jerked her head toward the dance floor. “Dance. Now.”

  Cara groaned but complied, standing up on command.

  Alexa looked to the third woman in their trio. “Liza?” Liza and her husband, Dare Barron, had joined them for a night out along with some other friends who mingled around the bar.

  Liza swayed her hips in time to the beat of the music. “Why not? I could use so
me letting go.”

  Katy Perry’s upbeat tune reverberated around them as they headed to the dance floor near the jukebox. “Teenage Dream” began the set, which segued into “Firework,” one of Alexa’s favorite songs. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in the moment, her body moving to the beat, her entire being consumed by the tempo and the sounds pulsing around her.

  When she opened her eyes, she noticed she wasn’t the only one attracted to the upbeat music. The crowd had grown in size, everyone on the floor pumping their fists, swiveling their hips, and dancing as if they were shooting across the sky as the lyrics suggested.

  Dare had joined Liza, wrapping himself around his wife in a heart-melting embrace. Alexa looked away to avoid the obvious intimacy between the couple and her gaze met that of a man who sat alone at a table near the dance floor. A sinfully sexy man with shaggy, sandy blond hair and an unwavering stare.

  He watched as she danced, his heavy-lidded scrutiny focused on her as he sipped at his beer. His demeanor seemed casual but his stare was anything but. Thinking of how down she’d been lately and how great this music made her feel now, she was unable to resist the impulse to crook her finger his way.

  A glance told her that her best friend wasn’t watching, which was a good thing considering Cara wouldn’t know what had gotten into Alexa. And she would be hard-pressed to explain. All she knew, all she felt, was a bone-deep loneliness that reached into her soul, and this man’s intense and interested stare provided her heart with a jump she hadn’t felt in too long.

  A slow smile lifted his lips and her pulse skyrocketed as he stood and made his way toward her, his swagger indicating a self-confidence that was rare. Alexa experienced that same kind of self-assuredness in medical settings, but she normally fell short in other areas of her life. Still, she’d called on that confidence when beckoning him over, and she was glad she hadn’t stopped to think it through.

  He joined her on the dance floor, immediately picking up the rhythm. He danced close enough for her to smell his woodsy cologne that both surrounded and aroused her. As they moved, their bodies spoke for them, their synchronicity startling for two people who’d never met, let alone danced together before. And when the music turned sultry, he was all too willing to join her for some dirty dancing. He ground his hips against hers, the swell of his erection pressing deliciously against her stomach, too intimately for strangers. But too good to deny.

  So she didn’t.

  Instead she let the heat of desire crackle and spark between them, and fire licked at her veins as a result.

  Cara eased closer and looked from Alexa to her partner, her eyebrows raised, a concerned expression on her face. Alexa ignored her. She needed this sense of freedom, the release this man provided. She hadn’t realized how badly until now.

  Pure enjoyment and fun.

  When was the last time she’d allowed herself the luxury?

  Her dance partner’s hands slid to her waist. She’d worn black leggings and a cream cardigan, which she’d unbuttoned to show both cleavage and the barest hint of her lace cami underneath. She reaped the benefit of her clothing choice now, as he slid his hand beneath the layers, and she trembled at the rasp of his calloused palms caressing her sensitive skin.

  A sexy grin lifted his lips and he continued the dance along with the erotic assault on her senses. She could have lingered in their intimate embrace all night, but from the corner of her eye, Alexa caught sight of Cara’s ex-boyfriend, Mike Marsden, the man who’d broken her best friend’s heart.

  He strode up behind Cara and wrapped his arms around her. She jumped in surprise but soon settled into the embrace. Alexa figured Cara thought it was one of her guy friends joining her for a dance, because no way would she allow Mike that kind of privilege. Not without him doing some serious groveling first. Worried about her friend, Alexa kept an eye on the couple, prepared to step in if needed.

  “You okay?” her dance partner asked in a Southern drawl. It was the first time she’d heard him speak, and the sexy voice fit him perfectly.

  She nodded and smiled at him, her gaze roaming over his handsome face, which had dimples on either side of his perfect mouth and full lips and a faded scar above his left eyebrow. But even as she admired the view, she never lost sight of Cara, knowing her friend would do the same for her.

  Mike pressed his front against Cara’s back in a more intimate touch. Before Alexa could even wince, Cara whirled on her ex with a surprised then furious spark in her eyes.

  The music was too loud for Alexa to hear much so she inched closer, remaining vigilant and on call.

  “What are you doing here?” Cara asked, her voice tinged with the pain Alexa knew she’d suffered ever since Mike’s abrupt departure.

  “I’m back.” His gaze never left Cara’s.

  “Good for you,” she said with deliberate sarcasm.

  He appeared as worn and ragged as Cara had earlier, before Alexa had forced a dance session on her friend.

  Cara perched her hands on her hips. “And you thought you could wrap your arms around me and pick up where we left off?” she asked, her voice rising.

  Oh, go girl! Alexa thought, stopping short of clapping, because Cara wasn’t greeting Mike with open arms. As a cop, Cara could handle herself in any situation, but as a woman, she was more fragile. Yet she wouldn’t let any man, including this one, walk all over her. Alexa was proud of her friend.

  Serendipity, New York, was a small town, and Mike was the former police chief whose sudden departure had sparked many wagging tongues. Add the now loud discussion between exes and, sure enough, Cara and Mike were attracting stares from the crowd. Alexa knew they needed closure, but they didn’t have to do it in front of an audience. Time to put an end to the show, Alexa thought.

  Figuring she’d buy her friend some time to handle this on her own terms, she tapped Cara on the shoulder. “Are you okay?” Alexa asked.

  “Yeah.” But the hurt in Cara’s blue eyes told another story.

  “Can we go somewhere and talk?” Mike asked her.

  “Seriously?” Cara blinked in obvious shock. “Let’s get something straight. I don’t know why you’re here or for how long and I don’t care. But I will not be your booty call every time you come back to town.”

  Alexa stifled a grin.

  Behind her, she sensed her former dance partner was still there, watching the scene unfold, and Alexa spared a moment’s regret for having to ditch him this way. But he was a momentary diversion, while Cara’s friendship was forever. And no self-respecting woman abandoned a friend in need for a man.

  “Cara—” Mike reached for her but she pushed him away, shoving at his shoulder.

  “No.” Cara jerked out of his reach.

  Alexa moved closer. “I’m going to the ladies’ room,” she said, tipping her head toward the back of the bar. The silent Do you want to join me? was implied. She wanted to give Cara options before dragging her away.

  Mike whispered in Cara’s ear, something Alexa couldn’t hear, but Cara shook her head.

  Alexa turned, shooting a regretful glance at the man she’d never actually meet. “Sorry. Friendship calls.” She smiled at him, wishing they’d had more time.

  He nodded in surprising understanding and gestured with a sweep of his hand. “It was a pleasure,” he said, the words dancing along her nerve endings, similar to the way his touch had branded her skin.

  She held his stare for a few more precious seconds before breaking eye contact and focusing on Cara, who, though torn, would thank Alexa later for stepping in.

  “Let’s go,” she said to her friend, and steered them through the crowd toward the restroom, leaving her sexy dance partner behind.

  * * *

  Lucas Thompson watched his dance partner walk off, her hips swaying, her delectable derriere displayed to perfection in her tight black leggings. He liked what he saw. Hell, he’d liked what he’d felt even more. She wasn’t too skinny, like the NFL groupies who usu
ally followed him around back home; her waist felt soft and generous in his hands.

  He groaned and headed to the bar. A cold drink would cool him off before he went to his buddy’s house somewhere in this small upstate New York town. Luke was here for a visit but his ex-teammate Sawyer Rhodes wouldn’t show up till late tonight. He was busy getting his father settled into an assisted living facility today. Sawyer’s plan was to stick around, fix up his father’s house, and put it on the market. Since Luke was in Manhattan for meetings with his agent, he’d taken Sawyer up on his offer to stay with him instead of in some sterile hotel room in the city. As pro football players, they both had enough of that when they were on the road. He’d help Sawyer out for as long as he was in town.

  Luke had pulled into the parking lot, planning to grab a beer and maybe some wings at Joe’s Bar. Dancing hadn’t been on his agenda. Then again neither was the russet-haired woman who’d captured his attention. She’d been a surprise in many ways, the most pleasant being that she hadn’t recognized him as the tight-end of the Texas Titans. Either she wasn’t a sports fan or she was more into her hometown team, the one to which Sawyer had recently been traded. Which meant her invitation to dance had been based purely on mutual attraction. Even before he’d seen her up close, and taken in those sea green eyes and the smattering of freckles on her nose, his gut told him the woman was more wholesome than any who’d crossed his path in way too long.

  He’d been watching her shake those hips with undisguised interest, and when she’d crooked her finger his way, his cock had jumped in delight.

  “Want to keep a running tab?” the bartender asked as he set Luke’s soda on the counter.

  He shook his head. “I’ll settle now.” He’d already had a long day of meetings. Between his agent and the potential sponsors he’d lined up for Luke to meet with, then the hours’ drive up here, Luke was beat.

  Before taking off, he looked around for his woman—he chuckled at the term; he hadn’t learned her name so it seemed to fit. He found her standing on the other side of the room, deep in conversation with the same guy who’d been hassling her friend earlier. Her friend, a pretty brunette, was nowhere in sight. Apparently Luke’s dance partner was mediating a dispute between the two.