Free Love to Believe: Fireflies ~ Book 2 by Lisa Ricard Claro Page A

lay against her cheek just begging for a tug? His eyes dipped to her generous mouth and he looked away. Idiot. Don’t go there.
    He received a brief respite when Jonathan delivered the coffee and desserts, but as soon as the waiter disappeared Rebecca pushed. “C’mon, Sean. What kind of arrangement?”
    Sean stared at her for a moment and decided to dive in. He’d tell the truth, and if she thought him to be an asshole, well, she sure as hell wouldn’t be the first.
    “It’s pretty cliché. Friends with benefits, no strings, no drama. And when the arrangement ends, it just ends, no discussion, no questions, just goodbye.” He dug his fork into the tiramisu. “Those are the rules and it works for me, so don’t judge.”
    “No strings, no drama, no questions. Just goodbye. Hmm.” Rebecca took a bite of the chocolate cannoli and closed her eyes. “Amigo, this is like heaven, nectar of the gods or something.”
    “I know. That’s why I couldn’t decide. Here, try the tiramisu.” He forked a piece and held it out so Rebecca could taste it.
    “Mm. It melts in your mouth.” Her eyes caught Sean’s and held. “Sean, you know, we could--”
    He shook his head in a firm refusal. “No.”
    “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
    He raised his brows and whatever was in his eyes brought the blush creeping back into her cheeks. He leaned forward and made a “come here” gesture with his fingers. She blew out a breath and leaned toward the center of the table until they were nose to nose as they had been earlier. His voice was a low rumble. “We both know exactly what you were going to say, and as much as I’d love to peel you out of that little black dress, it isn’t happening.”
    “If we--”
    “No.”
    “--had an arrangement--”
    “No.”
    Rebecca sat back in her seat. “But it’s perfect. It’s exactly what I’m looking for. More to the point, it’s all I have time for right now. It’s what I tried to set up with Nate but he wouldn’t listen, and you saw how that turned out.” She huffed out a breath that sent her errant curl flying and reminded Sean that he wanted to give it a tug just to watch it spring back into place. “Maybe I can run a personal ad or something.”
    “You’d better be joking.”
    She grinned. “Alas, I’m too discerning to advertise in the Truheart County Times . But I have to ask what makes me unworthy? You’re turning me down without consideration. If my self-esteem were less, I’d be crying in my martini glass. Fortunately for both of us, I know I rock.” She batted her lashes and teased a smile from him. “So what gives? Is it because I’m not buxom and blonde? Too much personality and Freaking Awesome for you?”
    I never date a woman I could fall in love with . The truth formed in his brain, but he would set himself on fire before saying it out loud. Instead, he kept his tone as light as hers.
    “Stop fishing for compliments. You know I dream about you naked. But thanks to Cal and Maddie’s engagement, our families are practically joined at the hip. Did you know our mothers have cooked up a whole Kinkaid-Walker Thanksgiving? They’re talking about pulling both families together to go to the Christmas light display at Lanier, and Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner together. They’re even planning a Super Bowl party already, if you can believe that. We’ve got a lifetime of family gatherings ahead of us, Rebecca. Do you really think it’s wise to create static so early on?”
    “What static? We’re talking an arrangement here, remember? No strings, no drama--oh, how I love the sound of that, no drama--no questions. When we end it, we end it, right? Isn’t that what you said? No questions, just goodbye. Still friends. So what’s the big deal?”
    “You’re assuming we won’t screw things up somehow. I don’t want to spend the next sixty years feeling awkward at every holiday party because our arrangement somehow went south.”
    “How