Free Blame It on Your Heart by Jami Alden

was a bug under a microscope. "Is it really true your husband left you flat broke and gave everything to his girlfriend?"
    Ellie gave a sharp nod.
    "That really sucks," the girl breathed.
    "It really does. Now do you happen to know where I might find Damon at nine a.m. on a Wednesday morning?"
    "He's usually in by now," the girl said with a shrug, turning her back to Ellie and busying herself straightening the coffee cups set up next to the espresso machine. "Suppose you could try his house."
    Ellie left, the piece of paper where the girl had scribbled his address crumpled in her hand. The address was one she recognized, about a half mile away over off Big Timber Loop.
    She was tempted to bail on her mission. Two strikes and she was out, and right now the idea of walking another ten feet in these damn shoes, much less a mile, made her want to cut her feet off at the ankle.
    That's right, go ahead and chicken out again, a snide little voice whispered in her head as she started a painful shuffle back to the restaurant.
    You've already gone thirteen years letting the last memory he has of you be that of you throwing his ring back in his face, screaming you were over. What's another day?
    Right. It wouldn't make that much of a difference. But as she took another step in the opposite direction her stomach knotted with guilt. She didn't like this feeling, the heavy weight of knowing how badly she'd wronged him on her shoulders.
    She straightened up, and wincing with every step, went back in the convenience store and bought the biggest box of band aid s she could.
    Once she'd bandaged herself up as best she could, she headed down Boulder Street, hoping her feet wouldn't be total hamburger by the time she got to Damon's.
    Already uneasy, when she turned down the driveway that led to his place the feeling increased tenfold. It was weird, the idea of going into Damon's home where he lived as an adult when she'd only ever known him to live with his parents. Back then, she'd spent so much time over there she'd memorized every picture on the wall, the placement of every trophy on the bookshelf in the bedroom he'd shared with his older brother Dan—who everyone called Deck—and his younger brother Dylan.
    Now she knew nothing of his life, the home he'd created on his own.
    She walked up to the house, her throat inexplicably tight as she wondered what she might find inside.
    You're assuming he'll even let you through the door.
    She pushed the snide little voice aside and grasped the handle of the brass knocker that adorned the heavy wooden door. A few seconds later she heard his deep voice call out, accompanied by heavy footsteps approaching the door.
    The door flew open, and any doubts and unease were swept away. Her mind went completely blank as she came face to face with Damon's bare, sweaty chest.
    It was like her brain short circuited at the sight of all that tan skin rippling over mountains of muscle. He'd been built in high school, but nothing like this. Always lanky because of his height, he'd more than grown into his six foot four frame.
    His shoulders were a mile wide, the muscles on the side bulging like two halves of a bowling ball. His pecs were impressive under the v-shaped dusting of dark hair, thicker than it had been the last time she'd seen him like this. The V tapered into a fine line that bisected his abs and disappeared beneath the waistband of his gym shorts. She couldn't tear her eyes away, her fingers itching with the memory of how that fine, soft line of hair had felt against her stroking fingers, how the smooth, salty skin and ridges of muscle had tasted and felt as she ran her lips and tongue down, down, down.
    "Ellie, is there something you want?"
    His harsh tone jolted her out of her reverie. Her gaze jerked to his face, her own cheeks flaming. No way he didn't notice the way she'd been stupefied at the sight of his bare chest.
    But if he was embarrassed or uncomfortable, it didn't show in his guarded stare.