Table Of ContentThe line between friends and lovers can get a little blurry…
especially when you add tequila.
A Chances Are story.
Gabby is serious about her search for Mr. Right, but no one
can say she hasn’t had a good time looking. She enjoys her
numerous dates and the sex that comes with them. Until she
finds herself falling for the one man she vows to never love.
Her best friend and roommate, Justin. A player in every sense
of the word—and a reminder of her awful past.
One night, with the help of a bottle of tequila, things get a
little too hot for comfort. She moves out, intent on removing
him from the line of temptation.
Justin has different plans. The tequila did more than just
change how he sees his good friend. It made him realize he
doesn’t want to be just friends any more. He’s ready for
something more intimate, and he’ll do whatever it takes to find
out why she’s running. And convince her to stay.
Warning: This book has hot sweet lovin’ between friends
who become lovers.
eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the
copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are
products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be
construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale
or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520
Macon GA 31201
Anybody But Justin
Copyright © 2009 by Shelli Stevens
ISBN: 978-1-60504-524-5
Edited by Laurie Rauch
Cover by Natalie Winters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: May 2009
www.samhainpublishing.com
Anybody but Justin
Shelli Stevens
Dedication
Thank you to Melissa at DAWN for your help and
information on domestic violence. Thanks to my family and
friends for your continued support, and thank you to my editor
Laurie for making my books shine!
Chapter One
Oh shit!
Gabby dove behind a display of cereal boxes and nibbled her
bottom lip. She eyed the exit some thirty feet away and
wondered if she could ditch her groceries and make it out the
door without him spotting her.
Her pulse quickened and she counted to ten before leaning
forward just enough to peek around a box of Lucky Charms.
“Gabby?”
She snapped back and winced, glaring at the floor of the
market. Damn. He’d seen her. So much for bolting.
Dusty brown leather shoes appeared in her line of vision as
he rounded the corner. She lifted her gaze up the length of his
tall body, lingering on the broad shoulders beneath his faded
flannel shirt.
Her heart fluttered in her chest and she swallowed hard
before tilting her head that last inch to meet the blue gaze of
her old roommate.
“Justin.” She forced a bright smile and switched the basket
of food to her other hand. “Hey. How’ve you been?”
“Been all right.”
His gaze, warm and knowing slid from her head to her toes
in a lazy caress that made every damn inch of her body tingle.
Irritation pricked and her smile grew more brittle.
And this was why she avoided him, didn’t answer his calls
and had basically tried like mad to forget he even existed. If
she got within two feet of him, her hormones went on the fritz
and her mind went spongy. Which would be fine if it were with
any other guy. Anybody but Justin.
“Did you get my messages?”
“I did.” Her gaze slid away again and she felt her cheeks
warm in a telltale sign of guilt. “Umm. Sorry, I’ve been crazy
busy. I recently stepped up in my position at Second Chances.”
“So I heard.”
The note of admiration in his deep voice had her snapping
her focus back to his face.
“You heard?”
“Yeah. I’m proud of you.” He shoved his hands into the
pockets of his jeans and the shirt tightened across his chest as
a result.
His words sent a rush of pleasure through her, but with her
focus once again on his chest, she barely managed an obscure,
“You are?”
“Yeah. I keep up on you, Gabby. Even if you don’t pick up
the phone when I call.”
“Oh. No. It’s not…” Her blush deepened and she bit her
cheek.
“No?” He leaned forward, stretching a hand past her to snag
a box of cereal off the shelf behind her.
Her gaze locked on the hint of brown stubble on his chin and
for a brief second he was so close that she could smell the
mixture of soap and man. Not just any man. Justin man.
Gabby swallowed hard, and she felt her nipples tighten and
chafe against the cotton bra she wore.
Not good. So not good.
“Hey, look, I’ll give you a call later.” The lie came out in a
husky rush. “We can catch up. I promised Phoebe I’d stop by
the Second Chances home in a little bit. I should get going.”
She moved to step around him, but he blocked her path. Her
heart thudded faster.
This time when he reached out, it was to touch her. He
caught a strawberry blonde braid between his fingers and slid
his thumb through the strands.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said softly.
It’d be nice if he just held her, period. Her eyelids started to
flutter shut and she swayed toward him.
Choking on a gasp, she jerked away. What was she thinking?
Was she completely out of her mind? This was Justin. No. No.
And hell no!
“Of course I’ll call. I will.” Her head bobbed in an
affirmation that contradicted the decision in her heart. There
was no way she would dial his number tonight.
His lips twitched and she saw the flicker of doubt in his
eyes. Finally, he gave a short nod and stepped back.
“Great. I’ll…talk to you soon then.”
“Definitely.” She bit her lip and stepped around him,
hurrying to the cash register to check out.
His gaze burned into her back and tingles of awareness
raced through her body. Her palms were damp as she swiped
her debit card.
One last glance back into the store showed Justin had likely
disappeared down another aisle to finish his shopping.
Thank God. She fished her keys from her purse and rushed
to her car.
Justin set the cereal back on the shelf and scowled. Hell,
he’d only picked it up as a reason to get close to her. If only for
a second.
What the hell had happened with Gabby? He hadn’t seen her
in six months—since she’d moved out of the house he owned
without an explanation.
For two years they’d been roommates and good friends. And
then she’d left and cut all contact. What happened?
You know what happened.
He headed back toward the deli, pushing back the memories
of that night. The night when everything between them
changed. The night that had likely motivated her to move out
two weeks later.
Grabbing a pre-made sandwich from the deli, he went up to
the register to pay. His gaze drifted out the windows of the
grocery, even though she’d left minutes ago.
God, it was good to see her. At first he hadn’t been sure it
was her. Then she’d looked up, spotted him and promptly run
to hide behind a stack of cereal boxes.
Same old impulsive Gabby. And she was avoiding him. He’d
suspected as much since she’d stopped answering his calls and
never replied to the messages he left.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until a few
minutes ago. Until she was standing right in front of him again
and it became clear just how much he’d lost that day she’d
moved out.
She was the same Gabby he’d loved to hang out with. Cute,
quirky and a bigger sports fan than half the guys he knew. He’d
ditched more than one night out with the boys to sit back at the
house and watch the game with her.
He handed the cashier his money and headed for the exit,
stopping to hold the door for an elderly man who approached
with a walker.
After the man gave a quick nod of thanks and disappeared
into the store, Justin made his way to his truck.
Would she call tonight? Even though she said she would, his
gut told him she’d blow him off.
Blow him off. His mind raced with images of that night and
what had almost happened between them and the blood stirred
hot in his veins.
He clenched his jaw and shook his head. This was bullshit. It
was long past time they talked about that night. She was too
good of a friend to lose over something so… Hell, who was he
kidding? It was hardly trivial.
Tonight they’d talk, he decided firmly, getting into his truck
to head back to the construction site. Whether she wanted to or
not.
Gabby rushed into the office, letting the door swing shut
behind her, followed by the reassuring click of the electronic
lock.
She made her way down the hall to where she, Phoebe and
Delanie shared an office. She couldn’t wait to get back to her
desk and get some support from her friends.
She spotted Phoebe’s dark curls bent over a stack of papers.
Hearing Gabby’s approach, she looked up and sighed.
“You’re back. Did you bring me anything?”
“Heck yeah, I did. I know what you like.” Gabby tossed the
chocolate bar onto her friend’s desk and then went to sit down
at hers. “Where’s Delanie?”
“In a meeting. She’ll be out in a few. Thanks for the
