Free The Fiction of Forever (A Stand By Me Novel Book 2) by Brinda Berry

field, hoping you’d notice me.” I twist my hands together in my lap. “So, yeah. I thought you weren’t interested after that night.”
    He takes another drink but doesn’t respond. Instead of babbling, I listen to the sound of a bullfrog croaking in the distance. The scent of Gunner’s cologne and the dark woods meld together in a decadent way, making me lean my head back and relax.
    Can someone bottle this smell? Because I may have to roll around in it every day to start the morning right.
    “I knew you weren’t a beer drinker,” he says and motions at the nearly untouched drink I hold.
    “I’m OK.”
    “Want something different? I can get you a soda.” He sits forward as if to get out the chair.
    “I’m not thirsty.” I pause, wondering when it’s socially correct for me to ask him the one thousand questions about him I have to know. I glance around and return my gaze to him. “OK. You caught me. I really don’t drink a lot of beer. I mean, I did in college—I went to Loyola—but that was because everyone drinks a lot of beer. And other things. But anyway, I’m going to just hold on to this to keep you company.”
    He peers sideways at me. A corner of his mouth teases up. “Are you nervous about sitting here with me?”
    “No. I mean. A little.” I think about Mason and what I’ve done in the past hour. “It’s over between me and Mason. I can’t believe I finally did it. And do I seem nervous?”
    “You’re talking a lot. I thought that topic was off-limits.”
    “Right.”
    “But since you brought it up… How did you meet that dickhead?”
    My mouth quirks at the hostility in Gunner’s voice. “My dad introduced us. Dad was in the same fraternity with Mason’s dad. Mason and I dated for two years while I went to college in Chicago. He was at Cornell Law in Boston. We didn’t actually see each other much.”
    “Long-distance, huh. Bad idea.”
    I tilt my head, staring into the woods. “Yeah.”
    “So, how’s Ed going to feel about tonight?”
    I squirm in my seat. “He’ll deal with it.”
    “Ed’s a nice guy. He’ll want you to be happy. Don’t worry about it.”
    “I’m not worried.”
    Gunner chuckles, a husky sound that elicits pleasant goosebumps along my body. “Let’s do something to take your mind off it.”
    “What?” I realize I sound breathy and suspicious and hopeful. Oh God. What do I think he means?
    “I didn’t have anything particular in mind when I said that.” He grins and I’m positive he has read my thoughts.
    “Oh.” My face heats. I don’t think I’ve blushed this much in my life.
    “What do you like to do? I brought you here, to my favorite place. What’s your favorite thing for fun? Something we can do here. Poker? Television? Twister?”
    He’s teasing me, and I love it.
    “Dance. I love dancing.”
    Gunner lets his head fall back with a thud. “You’ve got to be kidding. Anything but that.”
    “What? You don’t like to dance?”
    “Does any man?”
    “Yes. They do.”
    “It’s not my thing.”
    “You have to let go and feel the music. That’s all there is to it.”
    “I didn’t say I couldn’t dance. I said I don’t.”
    I get to my feet. “Give me your phone. We’ll put some music on and dance here.”
    “Forget it.”
    “No. I want to dance.”
    “Sweetheart, you need to work on your hearing. I said I’m not.”
    I grab both his hands, hoping to pull him to his feet. “Come on. Please.”
    He stares at me so long I’m positive he’s regretting that I’m here. “All right,” he says. “But I choose the music. None of that hip hop stuff.”
    “Deal.”
    Gunner stands, his knees bumping mine at first because I wasn’t expecting his agreement. He towers above me, the top of my head barely reaching his chin. I take a step back.
    He pulls his cell phone from the pocket of his slacks. Wearing his dark slacks and white dress shirt, he looks like a different guy from the one who spent time working on the koi