Free Crossing the Line by Karla Doyle

things.”
    “Like this weekend.”
    “Yeah.”
    She nodded, pulled her lips between her teeth. Cast her eyes down.
    He knew those signals. Probably better than she knew them. “Hanna…” He tipped her chin up. Shit, her eyes were all glassy. “I’m fucking this up—you’re not supposed to be crying right now.”
    “Sorry.”
    “Not supposed to be apologizing either. Fuck.” If he were better with words, like her, like everyone else in her life, they’d be doing the tongue tango right now, not having a goddamn impromptu therapy session. “If I could give you what you really want, I would.”
    “Derrick—”
    He shook his head to stop her. “And if the day comes that what we have isn’t enough for you, I’ll let you go.”
    “Derrick, please don’t—”
    This time, he silenced her with a kiss. A reminder that letting her go was the last thing he’d ever want to do. “As long as you want me, I’m here. With you. Nothing and nobody will ever change how much I love you or what we have, I promise. Remember that every time you look at this ring on your finger.”
    She cupped his face, her fingers playing over his beard in that way of hers that’d convinced him long ago never to shave it off. “I don’t need a ring to remind me of that.”
    “So I should take it back?”
    She curled her fingers under protectively. Crushed her hand between their bodies. “Not a chance, mister. It’s staying on. Forever.”
    “Forever works for me, Mrs. Sutter.”
    * * * * *
    Jeremy followed the waiter to a booth at the rear of the resort’s intimate dining room. “Just some ice water,” he said. “My friends will be here in a few minutes.”
    Friends. Kind of an understatement this weekend. But that’s what they were, both of them. Derrick since they were eight years old, Hanna for the last decade. Hard to believe ten years had passed since that night he and Derrick danced with her at the bar. He’d been physically attracted to her ever since, though it’d waned while Viv was part of his life.
    Then Viv had called it quits. Derrick and Hanna had both been there for him. Derrick had listened to him vent, slapped him on the back and said, “Fuck her, she doesn’t know what she’s giving up.” Hanna had offered a female perspective and a soft hand to hold. She’d shared Derrick’s sentiment about Viv, minus the cursing. Jeremy appreciated his best friend’s support, no question, but the words had sounded a lot better coming from Hanna’s lips. And as the pain of the divorce lifted, that longstanding attraction had roared back to the surface.
    He froze with his glass halfway to his mouth. This afternoon at the pool, then thinking about Hanna for the past couple hourswhile he’d pretended to be working on the proposal for his upcoming project, had messed with his neatly organized feelings. It had also redirected most of his blood to his cock. The sight of her standing in the entryway to the resort’s intimate dining room finished that job.
    A fire-engine-red dress hugged her exquisitely feminine body. Mile-high heels made her legs look sexier than ever. Her shiny, reddish-brown hair was pulled back, showing off her kissable neck. One of the many parts he was allowed to kiss this weekend. He sure as hell planned to take advantage of the opportunity, even though he’d tried to talk Derrick out of the idea initially. Yeah, not as wholeheartedly as he could or should have, but he had tried. Now that he’d had a taste of Hanna, now that he knew exactly what was under that dress and how naturally she’d responded to him…damn. Going back to being her friend on Monday was going to be hell.
    Derrick grinned at him while sliding an arm around his wife’s waist. Possessive and protective of her, always. Never enough to make him an asshole, but not leaving the world with any doubt Hanna was his woman, either. Jeremy didn’t blame the guy one bit.
    Christ. Time he focused strictly on the physical. A couple hours