Forcing myself to be just friends with the shameless flirt of a cowboy down the road wasn't the genius life hack I hoped it'd be.

I meant to protect my heart.

Instead, I'm knee-deep in self-inflicted torture.

Tripp is a hazard in boots, while I'm a recovering romantiholic. I could've stomached the side effects of friend-zoning ourselves—including a brutal mess of longing stares and simmering jealousy.

But then he offered to solve a problem of mine and teach me a few things—sans clothing.

Strictly platonic. Purely educational.

Despite our airtight boundaries, we peeled back layers hidden from the rest of the world—uncovering a bond too powerful to ignore. Now we're in too deep, with no gentle way out.

And one kiss away from it all going up in smoke.

Falling for a man more emotionally untouchable than he lets on isn't the clean break I had in mind. I don't have it in me to let him face the biggest shock of his life alone when someone unexpected turns up, either.

There's no room left for concealed feelings when one tragic night changes everything, and I'm left staring down the barrel of truth:

We were never just friends.

Up in Smoke is a cowboy romance novel from Lainey Lawson featuring friends-to-lovers, spicy lessons, and found family. Catch up on Lainey's fan-favorite series, The Bunkhouse, with books one and two: Smoking Gun and Fire Away.