Free Poolside Pleasure by Renee Ashley Williams Page A

you—”
    “What else could you possibly want from me, Jill?” Forgiveness for coming between her and the only man she’d ever been with was out of the question. “Steve wasn’t enough?”
    “I want you to be my maid of honor.”
    Dakota collapsed against the side of her car, unsure if it was the Texas heat or the extreme effrontery of this woman making her feel faint. “You can’t be serious?”
    “Of course I am. We’ve been planning each other’s weddings since we were kids. I wouldn’t want anyone else beside me on that day. I can’t do this without you.”
    “Looks like you’ll have to. You might have thought about my feelings instead of your own while you were screwing Steve, but your callousness now is unbelievable. I was nothing but a good friend to you all those years. You really fucked up this time. I’m done. Lose this number.”
    Hoping Steve might now be regretting his decision to cheat on her put butterflies in her belly and blew away the dark cloud that had hovered since learning of his and Jill’s betrayal.
    Jill had not only screwed her over, but was now managing to dupe Steve into living the family life he never wanted. What a bitch. To think she had been friends with that kind of a woman. At least she no longer had to deal with her. Steve, on the other hand, was stuck with her. Poetic justice.
    Dakota tossed her phone into her purse as she walked up Addison Rose’s brick walk and rang the bell. Addison might be a recent friend from being a loyal customer at the diner, but she trusted her more than Jill, whom she’d known for many years.
    After Dakota had shared the short version of why she moved from the east coast, Addison had opened up and admitted to her wild matchmaking parties. Dakota instantly felt at ease with Addison’s honesty and bluntness. It was then she knew her new friend would never stab her in the back the way Jill had.
    Cody was right after all. Her leaving New England and breaking off her engagement had been Steve’s loss, not hers.
    Cody Miles. She had to wait two long days before Monday arrived, when she’d be able to share this mind-boggling news with him.
    Each weekday morning, she looked forward to serving him his black coffee and blueberry muffin before he headed off to his family’s ranch. For the past three months she’d been sharing her story. Not once had he belittled her judgment for dating such an ass. Instead, he had helped turn her anger into humor. He was easy to talk to—the exact opposite of the man she had wanted to marry.
    If her low-cut blouses had previously distracted Cody from noticing the color of her eyes, she knew the green in them was branded into his ice blue gaze after this morning’s encounter. He’d held his hug longer than usual before he said goodbye. Their gazes had locked as their bodies parted ways.
    She wondered if he, too, loathed the two days before their next café rendezvous. Lately, she’d been wishing for more than their morning flirtations.
    She’d considered the warning from the locals about how cowboys kept their hearts to themselves while giving their cocks to any woman who asked them. But Cody seemed different.
    He didn’t discuss the women he dated or whether the weekend would be a lucky one, as some of the men who came into the diner did. He’d said that, at the moment, he was enjoying the single life with no rush to be involved in a relationship.
    Gorgeous, kind, and loyal Cody was a man Dakota could fall in love with. She loved his humor and his carefree ways. If their social chemistry was an indicator as to what their sex life might be like, she knew they could set her bed sheets on fire.
    But being the heir to one of Texas’ wealthiest families, she was crazy to think he’d be interested in an easygoing northern girl with so much baggage. Maybe their sticking to being friends was for the best. The last thing she needed was another heartbreak while trying to mend this one.
    Addison’s front door swung