Chapter One
Lyla
Butterflies dance in my stomach as the plane touches down and it has nothing to do with the long flight and everything to do with the handsome man I’m about to see again.
Amos.
He’s my older brother’s best friend.
And my secret crush.
Never mind the fact that he’s ten years older than me.
I only see him once every now and again. You would think that would somehow make my stupid crush go away. But every time I think I’m over him, I see him and that same bubbly, tingly feeling washes over me.
I’m pretty sure I’m completely in love with him. Not that Amos thinks about me that way.
He didn’t even say anything after I kissed him at my high school graduation. He stood there, looking stunned. Too late I realized the massive mistake I’d made and quickly babbled an apology telling him that I’m a silly flirt and to ignore me. He nodded and never brought up the moment again.
In fact, he never treated me any differently after the kiss. That’s when I finally saw the truth that’s been staring me in the face for years. Amos thinks of me as his little sister.
Still that doesn’t mean that I didn’t jump at the chance when he offered to help me with my donut shop. It’s always been my dream to own a bakery.
With the generous storefront rental agreement that Amos negotiated for me, moving to Mount Bliss was a pretty easy decision. Plus, my donut shop will be right next door to his pub.
The crowd of passengers finally begins to thin out and I stand, tugging on my t-shirt and adjusting my hot pink leather jacket so it plays up my assets.
As soon as I step into the warm airport, I begin scanning for Amos. He’s not hard to spot. He’s the tattooed hottie wearing a white t-shirt and snug blue jeans complete with brown work boots.
He still keeps his dirty blonde hair short despite being retired from the Marines for two years now. My brother Jamie teases Amos that he keeps it that way so he can be recalled into the military service at any moment.
Aviator glasses are hiding his gaze from mine, but I know from camping trips spent together that they’re the exact shade of blue as the Atlantic Ocean.
I’m not the only one paying attention to the bad ass former sniper. Plenty of women and a few men are openly ogling him too. Not that Amos seems to notice them behind his dark shades.
I feel his gaze all over my body, touching me and branding me. The way I want his fingers to.
Get a grip, Lyla. He’s never thought of you like that.
Shrugging away the familiar attraction and my usual disappointment, I paste a smile on my face.
“I heard someone ordered a dozen donuts,” I tease. When I asked Jamie what Amos wanted in exchange for negotiating the lease for me, he told me a dozen of my donuts.
He finally pulls the sunglasses off and clips them to the front of his V-neck where just the slightest bit of dark chest hair is showing.
I’ve seen the broad shoulders and six-pack beneath that shirt thanks to the summers he spent camping with me and Jamie. He’d often wander around camp without it, looking like he stepped away from a GQ photo shoot.
“Good to know you still have that sweet tooth,” I joke when his silence starts to make me uncomfortable. There’s something about Amos and the way he’s so quiet that leads me to start babbling. Then I make a fool of myself in front of him.
My brother always laughs about it. I think he knows I have a crush on Amos. Even if he did happen to feel the same way, Jamie would be a jerk about it. My bossy older brother would stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong.
Amos lets his blue gaze rake over my body, and he brushes past me to grab my suitcase from the carousel. He doesn’t even have to ask me which one is mine.
Road trips to remote destinations for our camping adventures with Jamie means he already knows that mine is the purple suitcase with the unicorns. Yeah, it’s something a kid would use, but it was a gift from my late father.
“So, how was your trip, Lyla?” I ask as I watch Amos load my suitcase into the back of his pickup truck. “It was great. Thanks for asking, Amos. How is life in Mount Bliss?”
He grunts.
“That good, huh?” I cross my arms over my chest and lean back against his truck, feeling a smidgeon of hurt. He might not be my friend, but he could at least fake some enthusiasm that I’m here. “Could you say you’re happy to see me?”
He moves around his truck and opens the passenger door for me. “I’m getting free donuts. That’s the same thing as happiness.”
My heart sinks at his words. I’ll never be more than an annoying little sister that made him try all of her terrible baking mistakes.
He and Jamie would eat everything I baked even if it happened to be gross. Let’s just say it took me a long time to learn that donuts are where my talents truly lie.
With an ache that always happens around Amos, I climb up into his truck. Or I try to. The running board is so high off the ground, it’s like trying to mount a horse. I wobble and slip thanks to my cute shoes that lack any real traction.
But before I can hit the asphalt, he wraps his big hands around my wide hips, steadying me. His lips are just an inch from mine and when I inhale, I can smell the wintergreen mints he likes so much.
Something sparks in his gaze and he lowers his head, nearly closing the distance between us. My heart skips a beat at the same time my mouth goes dry. I’m pretty sure my brother’s best friend is about to kiss me.
I brace myself for what’s about to be the world’s most incredible kiss. Four years of desperate longing have all been coming together for this moment.
But instead of connecting his lips to mine, he pulls away from me and drops his hands from my hips. I still feel his fingers there, burning through my blue jeans.
“The step is slick,” he grunts.
“I’ve got it,” I grump at him. I duck my head and hope my dark hair with the pink highlights hides my expression from him. The last thing I want him to know is that I have a crush on him.
He joins me in the cab of the truck. He doesn’t say anything until we’re on the interstate. “Having second thoughts?”
“No, it’s beautiful here.” I stare out my window, admiring the mountains in the distance. I’ve always wanted to be near them and now I’ll be living on an actual mountain. With the world’s hottest bartender right next door.
For a moment I wonder if he has a girlfriend and a wave of nausea grips my stomach.
Amos has never mentioned his love life, but what if he has a permanent girlfriend? What if she’s one of the ones who will sashay into my donut shop and order those weird sugar free latte drinks? He should know you can’t trust someone that doesn’t like sugar.
I can’t even ask him outright. I haven’t before, and I don’t want to give him a reason to suspect I have a crush on him. It’s humiliating enough always being ignored by Amos. I’d hate to become some little joke he laughed about with Jamie.
“So,” I clear my throat and try to keep my voice casual. “What’s the singles scene like in Mount Bliss?”
***
Amos
There are things a man shouldn’t know about his best friend’s little sister.
Like the fact that she tastes like cotton candy. But I do know this thanks to the kiss at her high school graduation. That was four years ago but the feeling of her soft lips against mine is permanently etched into my brain.
I met her when she was just eighteen and I knew the moment I looked into those honey-brown eyes that I was truly fucked.
Her brother would throttle me if he knew that I’ve saved all of her social media selfies to my phone or that since the kiss, she’s the only woman I can get off to.
Hell, it’s not like I want to feel this way. I’ve spent years fighting these feelings, hoping every time I saw her that it would be the time I could say I was over her.
It’s never happened.
I’ve finally accepted that it never will. I’m going to want Lyla Jameson until the day I die. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. So I do the next best thing. I keep my distance from her.
Or at least, I try to.
I’d been on a video call with Jamie and Lyla last month and suggested that my town could use a good donut shop. I didn’t think she’d take my suggestion seriously. But today she’s here and her new business will be right next to my pub.
I’m screwed now.