Free Snow Angel (The Hope Falls Chronicles) by Melanie Shawn Page B

pressure.
    “Where are we going?” Lily tried to inquire casually. She figured if she had a heads-up then maybe she
    could mentally prepare herself for the temptations she would be facing.
    Karina smiled a smile that Lily had seen on many magazine covers, reminding her just how ridiculously
    famous Karina was, before replying, “You’ll see.”
    As the two stepped through the double doors that led into the gym, Lily’s confusion grew.
    Why would they go to a gym?
    “Voila! Our treat.” Karina motioned her head to the opposite side of the gym.
    Lily looked down the court and saw four incredibly gorgeous men, two of whom were shirtless, playing
    basketball. She recognized three of them. She saw Ryan, Karina’s boyfriend, and Ben, who was Lauren’s
    fiancé—they both had shirts on. Then she saw a really well-built tattooed guy she didn’t recognize, and the other shirtless player was Eric.
    Watching as Eric’s muscles rippled in his back as he shot from the free-throw line caused her mouth to
    go dry for a completely different reason than fear. She felt her lips begin to tingle and a heat spread from her core out through her arms and legs. She could hear her heart beating in her head.
    It wouldn’t have mattered if Karina had given her a heads-up about where they were headed. There was
    no way Lily could have prepared herself for this temptation.
    Lily felt her arm being tugged, and it snapped her back to the moment. Her shoes squeaked on the
    hardwood floor as she and Karina made their way over to a set of bleachers on the right side of the gym.
    They stepped up to the top of them, sat down, and leaned back against the cold, hard concrete wall. Lily
    appreciated the support. Not only was she exhausted but seeing Eric shirtless had made her go weak in the
    knees, which was apparently her body’s natural response to him. It was odd because she used to think the
    strange phenomenon was just a saying. Now she knew that it really did happen.
    Karina motioned down to the four men racing back and forth in the gym. “So you know Ryan, Ben, and
    Eric. The other shirtless player is Levi. He just bought JT’s Roadhouse, a bar just outside of town on the
    highway.”
    Lily nodded, trying not to be ridiculously obvious about the monumental crush she had on her
    neighbor.
    “So did you have fun at dinner last night?” Karina asked.
    Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the court, Lily turned to Karina. “Yeah, it was great. I loved
    meeting everyone.”
    Karina smiled and looked back out at the game so Lily followed her lead and did the same. She
    certainly didn’t need any more of an invitation to watch Eric’s half-naked form as he ran up and down the
    court.
    “Everyone loved you too. Ariana and Carlos were going on and on about how beautiful you are and
    how flawless your skin is.” Karina paused as she took a drink of water, and Lily felt a light blush rise in her
    cheeks. It was sweet that the two of them had nice things to say about her, but it was embarrassing all the same.
    Karina cleared her throat before continuing. “They also kept talking about how you left with Eric and
    how chivalrous the whole scene was.”
    Lily knew that the light blush that had been on her cheeks was probably now a deep red. Defending
    herself, she quietly whispered, “I didn’t leave with him. He just walked me to my car.”
    Karina nodded, and Lily thought that the subject was officially dropped. Until Karina dropped her
    follow-up. “So, do you have a boyfriend?”
    Lily wasn’t born yesterday. She might be an exhausted, hormone-crazed basket case these days, but she
    knew when someone was digging. She had found that short, simple answers were the best diffusers of
    these types of personal inquiry bombs. “Nope.”
    “Girlfriend?” Karina asked.
    “Nope.”
    “Just out of curiosity… If you were inclined to have a significant other, which would you prefer?”
    Lily had to smile. In all of the years people had asked