Excerpt of Tangled Up in You by Samantha Chase

He was only five feet from the door when Teagan stepped in front of
him. Bobby stopped short so he wouldn’t slam into her.
“Oh no. You are not doing this again.”
“Excuse me?”
With her arms crossed over her chest, she nodded. “This running away
crap? I’m done with that.”
He still wasn’t sure he understood what she was getting at, and she
must have figured that out.
“First time we met? You walked away after a plate almost slipped out of
your hands.”
“Teagan…”
“Then you pretty much sprinted out of here last week after you hurt
your shoulder.”
“I had ice cream first.”
She gave him a sour look. “And you didn’t come back like you said you
would.” She stepped in close to him. “I prefer it when people honor
their word.”
Now he was getting a little annoyed.
“I think if Anna hadn’t asked you to come today, I’d probably never have
seen you again. I mean, sure, maybe at some Shaughnessy family event
years from now, but other than that, you would have done whatever you
could to avoid me. Except thanks to Anna, you did come back, and
you’ve played with Lucas and by now he’s got some sort of hero-
worship thing going on with you. So if you think I’m going to just let you
pull another disappearing act, you’re crazy!”
She was doing her best to keep her voice down, but there was no
mistaking how angry she was. Now what was he supposed to do? Or
say?
Teagan must have taken his silence for something else because she let
out a huff of annoyance and stepped aside, motioning toward the door.
“Fine. Whatever. Just go.”
He heard her annoyance, but he saw her disappointment. And that got
to him more than anything else.
Instead of walking out the door, he advanced on her. Her eyes went
wide and she took a step back, even as he took another toward her.
“You’re wrong,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “I did want to see you
again. Since the day we met, I’ve wanted to see you again. Even after I
stormed off like a jackass, all I could think about was how good it would
be to see you again.”
Teagan took two steps back and hit the wall. Bobby moved in until they
were toe-to-toe. “I don’t like asking anyone for help or needing help,
but the fact that I kept embarrassing myself in front of you? It was
almost more than I could stand.”
“Bobby, you had nothing to be embarrassed about. I totally understand
what you’re dealing with,” she argued.
But he shook his head. “You don’t. You can’t,” he countered. “I’m just a
man, Teagan, and I can’t help but have a little pride. I don’t like looking
weak. I don’t like being weak. If we had met at any other time—”
“But we didn’t,” she whispered.
Yeah, it was crazy to wish for something he couldn’t have. In a perfect
world, he wouldn’t have gotten shot. In a perfect world, he would have
been confident enough to ask her out. And in a perfect world, he’d
have every right to close the distance between them and kiss her.
She swallowed hard, her big blue eyes never blinking, and watched him
as if waiting for…something.
“What is it you want from me, Teagan? You want me to apologize for
walking away? For not coming back? What? Tell me what it is you’d like
me to do.”
He hoped and prayed she wanted the same thing he did.
“I want you to stop running. You have nothing to fear from me,” she
said, brutal in her frankness. “I don’t care that you’re still recovering. I
don’t care that you may need help from time to time. But I expect
honesty from my friends, Bobby. Always.”
Friends.
The kiss of death.
Dammit.
So many retorts were on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn’t speak.
Friends? So the attraction he’d been feeling was all one-sided? For a
man who never had to put much effort into getting a woman, this was
like being hit in the face with the ball all over again.
“Friends,” he finally said.
She nodded. “It’s all I can offer you.” Apparently, he was that
transparent. “My main priority is Lucas, and I’m not looking to get
involved with anyone. Especially someone who…” She paused and
looked down at the floor.
“Someone who what?” he prompted, feeling more than a little annoyed
now.
After a moment, she looked back up at him. “Someone with a history of
being a serial dater,” she said defiantly. “If I were single, no kids, it
would be one thing, but I have my son to worry about. I don’t get
involved in casual relationships. I can’t. As it is, I was scared even to let
you come and watch him today, because other than my dad, Lucas
hasn’t had any other male role models. Now that I see how quickly he
bonded with you, I regret my selfishness.”
“How the hell were you selfish?”
“I was desperate to have a day to myself!” she cried. “To get my nails
done and my hair cut and do all the things I haven’t had the time to do
in forever. And now I’m going to be hearing all about you for who knows
how long!”
Now he was thoroughly confused.
“So now I’m not good enough even to have around as a friend?” he
asked incredulously.
“That’s not what I’m saying, Bobby. I’m saying…I don’t want to confuse
Lucas. I don’t want him getting attached to someone who has no
interest in sticking around.”
Again the questions about Lucas’s father came to mind, but he was too
wrapped up in all the ways Teagan was insulting him right now to ask.
He leaned in close. “You don’t know anything about me.” He meant to
sound menacing, and he felt like he pulled it off.
“I know enough. People talk,” she replied confidently.
“People? What people?”
“Quinn,” she said with a smug smile. “He told me all about you.”
If he thought he was angry before, it was nothing compared to how he
felt right now. How dare his brother-in-law say anything derogatory
about him! That crap was supposed to be all ancient history.
“You know my history with your cousin,” he countered. “Of course he
was going to talk trash about me. And why would you even ask him?
Why not just come to me if you wanted to know something?”
“Because you were usually walking away. When was I supposed to ask
you anything?”
Okay. She had a point. But still…
This wasn’t getting them anywhere. He wasn’t doing himself any favors
with the way he was acting right now, and thanks to Quinn, she already
had a bad opinion of him, one that he would have to fight. Stepping
away from her, he raked a hand through his hair and let out a weary
sigh. Maybe it was time to just let this go. His life was total crap right
now, and she wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone, so why was
he fighting this?
When he faced her again, he had his answer.
Because she was beautiful.
Because she challenged him.
Because she had the potential to break his heart.
In a perfect world, all the obstacles would be removed. But this wasn’t
a perfect world and he was an imperfect man. And because he had
nothing left to lose, he leaned in and kissed her.