Free Baiting the Maid of Honor by Tessa Bailey

the
    business when Daddy retired. The one who died while I was off at college planning Hawaiian-
    themed dances and ice cream socials.”
    Julie’s mouth snapped shut when she finished, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d revealed.
    When she turned and stomped off ahead of him, Reed quickly followed. Part of him wished for all the
    world he hadn’t pushed her. The other part, the greedy half, felt satisfaction over being privy to this
    hidden part of her. She didn’t put on her Princess of Hospitality act around him, didn’t hide her true
    self. Later, he’d try to figure out why, but right now all he could think of was taking the haunted
    expression off of her face. Unfortunately, in order to do that, he would have to reveal a part of himself
    to make them even.
    “Bar fight.”
    “Pardon?”
    “The scar. I got knifed in a bar fight when I was nineteen.” She stopped and turned, meeting his
    eyes hesitantly. He hadn’t told anyone about the fight in a long time and suddenly the words wouldn’t
    come quite so easy. “I, uh…had started a fight in the bar over God knows what. It spilled out into the
    alley. Next thing I knew there were five of them.” He shrugged. “They were young and stupid like me.
    Didn’t realize what they were doing…so they left me there bleeding and ran off.”
    Her gaze caressed his shoulder. “That’s an awful story.”
    “Maybe. It’s also the best thing that ever happened to me.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I
    almost didn’t make it that night. Lost too much blood. I applied to the academy the day I was released
    from the hospital. If I have to die, I want there to be a purpose behind it.”
    Julie looked at him in awe. “This has to be the least romantic moonlight walk in the history of
    moonlight walks, you know that?”
    “Hate to disappoint, but I don’t have a romantic bone in my body.”
    “You don’t say.” She sighed. “I know you were trying to make me feel better and it worked.”
    “Because you like the idea of me getting stabbed?”
    “No, even I’m not that bloodthirsty.” She tilted her head. “Because if you’ll tell that terrible story
    just to make me feel better, then you’re not half as bad as I thought.”
    “I’m worse.”
    She smiled, but it faded almost immediately. “Reed, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I
    don’t understand it either. We’re…attracted to each other. I won’t deny that. But I think we both
    known that is the extent of what we have in common. Let’s not make this something it isn’t.”
    An odd feeling crept over him. He didn’t recognize it, even though her words had a ring of
    familiarity. Probably because he was usually the one to say them. To someone else. She wanted him
    for sex and nothing else. He should be backing her against a tree. Instead, he felt more determined
    than ever to prove her wrong.
    …
    Julie looked up into Reed’s face, confused by what she saw there. Irritation, conflict, and surprise all
    took their turn passing over his hard yet intensely handsome features until she nearly got dizzy trying
    to keep up. She’d actually mustered the courage to follow this potty-mouthed, tattooed stab wound
    recipient into the dark woods and now he refused to just put the darn moves on her already. Once he
    touched her, once their mouths met, she wouldn’t have any room to think. She required the distraction
    from her thoughts. Didn’t want to think of all the reasons she should be tucked safely in her hotel bed,
    eye mask firmly in place.
    For one, she’d never had sex for the sake of sex. Usually, basic fondness or even genuine romantic
    interest was involved. How did one behave after a one-night stand? A handshake? An email address
    swap?
    Two, she could easily be a big fat disappointment to him. She could count her partners on one hand
    and Reed…she suspected there weren’t enough hands at Beaver Creek Resort to match that
    impressive number.
    Third, she was