Guilty Pleasures: A Collection by Janelle Denison Read Free Book Online

him expectantly, waiting to hear what kind of changes were in store for him for the New Year. Except he had no clue, and told her so. “You know, I haven’t given my resolution much thought.”
    “Well you should.” Reaching across the table, she gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. “We need to make this next year one we’ll both remember.”
    He was now certain it was going to be one he’d never forget, no matter what the outcome. “Tell you what, I’ll give my resolution some thought and get back to you on what I come up with.”
    She stacked up their empty plates and placed them on the small pizza tray. “Well do it quick, because New Year’s is only four days away, as you pointed out.”
    Shane laughed at her insistence, knowing she’d be hounding him about a resolution until he came up with one. “I hear ya. You’ll be the first to know what’s in store for me for the New Year.”
    “By the way, I received an invitation for Drew and Cynthia’s annual New Year’s Eve bash,” she said, mentioning their mutual friends who’d recently gotten married. “I’ve already R.S.V.P.’d. How about you?”
    He nodded. “Already done.”
    “Good.” She grinned, her eyes taking on an optimistic glimmer. “Who knows, New Year’s Eve could bring all kinds of surprises for the two of us.”
    Before he could reply to that, one of his waitresses came up to their table, interrupting his conversation with Alyssa. Shane was grateful for the distraction since he didn’t want to think about what kind of
surprises
were in store for his best friend, especially if it meant her pursuing the opposite sex in her quest to find a marriageable candidate.
    “Shane, we need some change for the register,” his employee said, and gathered up the dirty dishes and silverware to take to the kitchen on her trip back.
    “I’ll be right there.” Sliding out of the booth, he stood and glanced at Alyssa. “Can I bring you a piece of cheesecake?”
    “How about one to go?” she said, not one to refuse dessert of any sort. “Work awaits me at home. I have some billing statements I need to get done for the jobs I did for Christmas and the holidays.”
    After taking care of getting the cash for the register, Shane packed up a generous portion of cheesecake for Alyssa and gave it to her in a handled paper bag. Since it was dark outside, he walked her to her car and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek—wishing like hell he had the right to claim that luscious mouth of hers in the kind of deep, fiery kiss that would brand and possess and no doubt shock her senseless.
    He watched her slide behind the wheel and blew out a taut breath that did nothing to ease his frustration. Instead, he summoned one of his easy-going smiles. “Be careful going home.”
    “I will be.” She buckled herself in and started the engine of her practical Chevy Malibu. “Good night, Shane.”
    “‘Night.” He closed the car door, waited for her to pull out of the parking lot, then made his way back into The Pizza Joint and his office.
    He sat down behind his desk, but instead of immersing himself in the stack of paperwork that needed his attention, he leaned back in his chair and scrubbed a hand along his jaw, wondering what the hell he was going to do now that Alyssa was so determined to put herself on the market and find Mr. Right.
    For years he’d watched her date guy after guy, mostly stuffy, corporate types that looked visually appealing, but were much too staid for her vibrant personality, which made those men very easy for Alyssa to break up with when the relationship showed signs of developing into anything significant. Alyssa’s predictable behavior also made it easy for him to sit on the sidelines and be the loyal best friend she could always depend on, through good times and bad.
    A part of him didn’t think she’d be able to follow through with her resolution to open herself up to a guy emotionally . . .
but what if she did?
Tonight he’d