Page 1 of Pursuing Desire

Prologue

Jess

Throwing open the door to one of my favorite coffee shops, I quickly scan the room to find my best friend, Lana. I spot her talking on her phone. Judging from the big smile on her face, I’m guessing she’s talking to her newlywed husband, Jake.

She’s so caught up in her phone call that Lana doesn’t glance up when I approach.

I slap my hands on the table to get her attention. “Oh my gosh, tell your husband he can have phone sex with you later!” I say jokingly, my voice raised in a way that several customers look our way. “He’s had enough time with you. It’s my turn now.”

Lana raises her eyes to me, surprised. She was so engrossed in her conversation she didn’t notice me walk up. She holds up a finger to me and finishes her phone conversation. “Jess just got here. Gotta go. Love you.” She taps her finger on the phone and hangs up.

I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively. “I assume you were talking to lover boy?”

Lana rolls her eyes and pushes a coffee cup my way. “Well, I certainly hope so, since you accused me of phone sex in the middle of a café . . . In a loud voice, might I add. I’m going to be too embarrassed to come back here ever again, you know.”

I wave my hand dismissively at her. “You worry too much. Thanks for the coffee.”

“Well, it’s probably cold by now. You were supposed to be here like fifteen minutes ago. It wouldn’t hurt for you to be on time for once,” Lana says. Her amused expression tells me she’s just teasing.

I tilt my head to the side and smirk. “It’s almost as if you expected me to arrive on time. Now, let’s get back to your stud-muffin husband; you need to fill me in on all of the spicy details of your honeymoon.”

Lana gets a dreamy look on her face. Her finger absently outlines the design on the table as she answers. “It was so incredible. We spent the entire month exploring the Mediterranean. We went to Greece, Croatia, Italy, France, and Spain. I’ve never seen such beauty and history. Jake decided not to plan out anything. We just kinda went with the flow and went wherever we wanted.”

“The photos you posted online were amazing. Those hotels overlooking the water looked stunning. Next time, you’ll have to take me with you.”

Lana smiles and takes a sip of her coffee. “You’d love all the hot European men with their sexy accents. I could see you cozying up to a dark-haired, green-eyed Italian guy.”

The smile freezes on my face and then drops. “As you know, I already have a boyfriend. I don’t need any hot European men.”

“Nothing wrong with seeing what else is out there,” Lana says in a reassuring tone. “I’m sure Anthony is great, but . . .”

Her pause is just enough for me to break in. “But? Anthony and I have been together for almost a year now. I know you don’t like him, but you could maybe stop pretending I don’t have a boyfriend.”

My words come out harsher than I had intended. However, it’s frustrating that my best friend in the entire world won’t try to get along with my boyfriend. She took an instant dislike to Anthony all those months ago and has never backed down from that opinion.

And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t tell her my exciting news, no matter how much I want to. I’ve always been able to share everything with her. Instinctively, I know that telling her now will only end in an argument between us. I need her on my side and am determined to get her there.

I’ll tell her everything that’s happening, but it will have to wait until the time is right.

I can see that Lana is considering how to respond to me. Her emotions have always been apparent on her face. Finally, she takes a deep breath and puts on a smile. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make an effort to get to know Anthony better. If he’s important to you, he’s important to me.”

I’m not entirely sure I believe her, but Lana is one of the most caring, sensitive people I know. She’s usually a good judge of character, and I know she’ll come around soon. She just needs to spend time with me and Anthony and she’ll see that he’s a great guy.

“Thank you.” To change the subject, I pick up my phone and open the picture app. “While you were away on your honeymoon, I finally closed on a condo.”

“What!” Lana squeals. “I wasn’t gone that long. How were you able to close on it so soon? And how come I haven’t even seen it yet?”

I can’t help the wry smile from appearing on my face. “Let’s just say you’ve been busy. I put the offer in a while ago, but you were all wrapped up in wedding things and honeymoon things. I didn’t want to bother you about all the condo stuff.”

Lana’s eyes widen in surprise. “You know I would’ve wanted to hear all about it. This is huge. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“I know. I should’ve said something.” I hold out my phone to her. “Do you want to see pictures?”

She takes the phone from my hand. “Of course!”

“The place is pretty updated,” I tell her. “The kitchen has all new cabinets, and the bathroom was completely redone. I love the place. It’s perfect.”

Lana takes her time scrolling through the photos. “This is gorgeous. It doesn’t look like you’ll have to do much work.”