The Harder You Fall. Gena Showalter

Lynn’s maid of honor, and you are Jase’s best man. I can make your walk down the aisle easy, or I can make you wish you were dead.”

      “I’ll take my chances.”

      Frustrating man! Why did he hate her so much?

      She vividly recalled their first meeting at the town’s annual Fourth of July barbecue. She’d noticed the trio of new man-meat standing beside a booth selling strawberry ice cream cones. West had been the first to snag her interest, and when he’d looked over at her, she’d experienced an instant, full-body sizzle. Then he’d raked his dark gaze over her and his lips had twisted in disgust. Disgust! An emotion she’d easily recognized because she saw it reflected back at her every morning when she looked in the mirror.

      Big girl that she was, she’d tried to talk with him about it. Problem? Let’s find a solution. But he’d turned to Beck and muttered, I can’t be here, as if her presence ruined his good time.

      Her already fragile self-esteem had plummeted, and she’d eagerly accepted Beck’s offer of comfort. A man who’d made her feel like the center of his world.

      Until the sun had risen the next morning.

      Great. Now she wanted out of this office, like, yesterday. “The lottery is up to one hundred and thirty-eight million. I should probably buy my ticket.” She tried for a breezy tone, but just sounded desperate. “See ya around, West.”

      “Lotteries are a tax on people who suck at math. You know that, right?”

      “Someone’s gotta win, and I’m good at getting lucky.”

      A muscle jumped beneath his eye, a testament to growing anger—why anger? “Which guy are you after now?”

      Was that a slut reference? “I’ll tell you which guy I’m after,” she snapped—only to remember her bet with Brook Lynn.

      Right. Hide the hurt.

      “Ben and Jerry, that’s who. Hope you enjoy your sandwich,” she repeated. “Or not. Yeah, probably not.” With another sugar-sweet smile, she bumped her hip into the edge of his desk. The computer parts and papers scattered along the surface rattled and shifted, and as she glided toward the door, she heard a telltale thump.

      A very black curse echoed off the walls.

      Without turning around, she lifted a hand and waved her fingers at him.

      “I expect a new sandwich, Jessie Kay.”

      “Let’s see what that expectation gets you...”

      She really needed to get out of the food-service industry. But first, she needed to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Besides gut-punching West at some point, of course.

      Only one slight problem. So slight it probably wasn’t even worth mentioning. She’d barely graduated high school, had been too busy having fun to study, and she had no real skills other than tying a cherry stem with her tongue. Go me! As an aspiring millionaire, that little talent might not get her very far.

      Cora clucked as she handed over a twenty and a fifty. Ten for the sandwich and five for the delivery, plus the five he usually gave her for a tip, on top of today’s time management tip.

      “Listened to our conversation through the speakerphone, did you?” Jessie Kay asked drily.

      “A good assistant must anticipate her boss’s needs. Speaking of, you should give him a break, Miss Dillon. He’s had a rough go of it lately.”

      “Excuse me? Did you just say he’s had a rough go of it?” Please! “I’m an orphan schlepping a sandwich to an ungrateful bazillionaire during the new ice age. I deserve a break.”

      A roll of the older woman’s eyes. “Both of his friends are now engaged.”

      “So? My sister and best friend are now engaged. That’s a cause for celebration.” Except, she sometimes wanted to sob like a baby. She loved Brook Lynn and Harlow with all her heart, but sooner or later things were going to change. The girls would direct their full attention to their new families, and rightly so, while Jessie Kay, the only single gal, would become nothing but background noise.

      Part of her wanted to pull away now, slowly, so it would hurt less, but the rest of her was determined to enjoy their time together while it lasted. To finally prove her love. “Just—” mind your own business “—have a nice day, Miz Higal.”

      She soared through the door, cold air delivering a thousand bitch-slaps of shock. How she longed for the arrival of the next season—tornado—which would lead to her favorite season—hotter than hell.

      Maybe she’d text her club buddy Sunny Day and go somewhere to blow off a little steam...and what the heck was she doing, reverting to old habits? No, no, a thousand times no.

      Daniel Porter stepped from the shadows, stopping her in her tracks.

      “Jessie Kay.”

      “Move. Now.” She wasn’t putting up with insults from another man. And this one would insult her. They used to date, and they hadn’t parted on friendly terms.

      “Sorry, but I’m right where I want to be.”

      Stubborn to his core. But then, he was an Army Ranger, so he had to be.

      He’d returned from an overseas tour a few months ago, and one of the first things he’d done was ask her out. She’d said yes so fast her tongue had practically caught fire. He was a beautiful man with dark hair and emerald eyes, the body of a warrior, and the aloof attitude that made (crazy) women dream of taming him.

      It wasn’t long before she’d realized he expected to jump straight into bed, no dinner, no movie, and she’d gotten the impression he’d climb out the window the moment they finished. So, night after night she’d insisted on dinner and a movie, doing nothing more than kissing him goodbye every time they parted. Finally he’d moved on. But instead of being honest about his reasons for dumping her, he’d blamed her continued association with Jase and Beck, the men she’d once slept with. As if she’d ever go for round two with Brook Lynn and Harlow’s leftovers.

      “Fine. I’ll move.” She sidestepped him, but he was used to dealing with hostiles and just sidestepped with her.

      “I want to apologize for the way I treated you,” he said, and she stilled from shock alone. “For the way I ended things.”

      An actual apology? That was a first. And after her interaction with West, it was also a soothing balm. Unless... “Is this a ploy to get into my pants?”

      “Only partly.”

      The corner of her mouth quirked up, and some of the starch faded from her shoulders. “Your honesty deserves a reward. You’re partly forgiven.”

      “Good. Will you have dinner with me?”

      “What!”

      “Dinner. With me. Afterward, I’ll walk you to your door where we will part with a handshake.”

      He’d just...asked her out? On a proper date? And he wasn’t going to push her for anything more than a meal? “I don’t... I can’t...”

      “I miss you. I had fun with you, and fun isn’t something I’ve had in a long, long time. Walking away from you was a terrible mistake.”

      Words every girl longed to hear. And part of her really, really wanted to say yes to his invitation. Any interaction with West tended to bruise her feminine pride, leaving her feeling battered and just a little unworthy of a happily-ever-after. A feeling she’d struggled with since her father’s death. A feeling that had only grown worse when her mother died...and as Jessie Kay made mistake after mistake. Now she had so many faults, her name should be San Andreas.

      “I’m going to be fully honest with you, Daniel. I’m not interested in you romantically.” Once upon a time, she’d said yes to every guy who asked her out. She’d thought,