by C. A. Harms
“Actually, that was a moment of clarity. That guy stopped me from doing something I knew I would regret later.” Holly didn’t even flinch. Instead, her smile grew like she knew something I didn’t.
“Your little girlfriend has no idea what took place between us, does she?”
“Nothing took place.” I moved toward her before stopping myself quickly. I would never hurt a woman. I was raised to respect them and cherish them. They were beautiful creatures that should be loved, not hated. But this woman, she was the fucking devil. “We went out, got a little too tipsy, and almost had sex in an alleyway. Almost,” I emphasized. “The chemistry wasn’t there, and okay fine, I am a guy, and sometimes our hormones get in the way of logical thinking, but I have never been happier in my life to be cock-blocked because, like I said, it was a mistake that was avoided. I don’t feel anything for you, Holly. I don’t know how much clearer I can be. This,” I motioned between us, “it’s never gonna happen.”
With a smile and a little laugh, Holly turned around and walked away, shaking her head. A gut feeling, a nagging tightening pain, ensured me that this mess was not over. It was going to get a whole lot messier, and that scared the hell out of me.
***
Baby blue. Loved the color, even more so now. It was the color of Chloe’s eyes and the dress she wore. A dress that stopped just about her knees and hung off one shoulder, only highlighting her gorgeous tan skin.
I stood in the doorway of her apartment building as she descended down the stairs toward me.
Unbelievably gorgeous, stunning.
“You never said where we were going.” She paused and ran her hand over her stomach and along her thigh as if to smooth out the perfectly fitted dress. “I hope this is okay.”
“You look amazing.” Stepping closer, I took her hand and led her down the last few steps. When she hit the landing, I gave her a little twirl, and she laughed. “You make that dress look good.”
“I’m sure it’s more of the other way around.” I didn’t miss the way her cheeks reddened.
“It is definitely the woman, not the dress.”
Chloe had a shy side, or maybe it’s only with me.
“This is for you.” I held out one single rose and again took pleasure in the way the rosy color of her cheeks deepened. She took the rose, lifting it to her nose as the petals rested again her lips. She inhaled, and in the process, her eyes fluttered shut.
I could feel myself getting turned on by the simple reaction and knew that I needed to break the moment or one of two things would happen: we would never make it to dinner or I would embarrass myself.
“Shall we?”
Holding out my arm, she linked hers with mine, and together we walked to the front entrance of the building. Stepping out into the cool night air, I felt her shiver. I moved my hand up her back, pulling her in closer. “Are you cold?”
“No.” Whispering the confession, she tucked her chin, and I realized she was as much affected by me as I was by her. The chemistry was through the roof.
Pausing near the side of my truck, I reached out to open the door, and the idea of helping her up into the lifted beast made me feel like a teenage boy all over again.
“I should have thought out the outfit a little more.”
When I noticed her tugging on the bottom of her skirt while looking up at the truck, I chuckled. “I don’t know, I think the outfit is perfect.”
“To flash you, maybe.” My humor was enhanced by the widening of her eyes as she contemplated her words.
“What if I promise to look away?”
“Will you?”
I waited a few seconds, thinking over her question, and when her lips spread out in a smile, I slowly shook my head. “Probably not.”
Tipping her head back, she let out a laugh that I felt throughout my body. And I understood in that very second that I’d give anything to make her laugh like that over and over. She was gorgeous, absolutely beautiful, but her happiness, it was breathtaking.
Chapter Seventeen
Chloe
Dinner was great, but to be honest, I was so nervous I barely remembered tasting the food. I spent the entire time attempting to hide the way my hands shook from the excitement and anticipation of our evening.
It wasn’t like Landon and I had never been alone before. This time felt different, though.
Sure, we were trapped on a small fishing moat in the middle of a lake, forced to talk with no one else to intervene, but that was my element. I had always been a rugged country girl; I knew my way around a fishing boat or fields and animals. Granted, he played it off as if I had never once gotten my hands dirty; it sure was fun to prove him wrong. The other time we had the distraction of our friends, and it was easy to find comfort in the conversations and all the crazy. But now, it was just us. There was no one to cut in when there was a long pause. No one to keep him busy while I attempted to hide my blush that seemed to happen every single time he smiled at me. This was it, we were alone, and somehow my worries had convinced me that I was failing, and fast.
Stepping outside into the night air, I felt my body spring into action when Landon rested his hand at the small of my back. Such a simple, gentle touch but one that managed to make me feel secure and safe. His size might be intimidating to someone who hadn’t spent her life looking up at a man who was bigger than the moon. Or so it felt to a young child and even a petite adult.
Landon might not have been as big as my father, but he was close.
Feeling his body pressing against my own from behind triggered a flutter of hope inside of me. A desire to want more. A need to lean back into his touch and demand more.
Not wanting to appear overeager, I continued to move forward until his hand slid around my waist, and I paused near the sidewalk that led to the lot where his truck was parked. With his hand spread out over my stomach, my breath hitched when his fingertips curled in and my body moved backward farther into his embrace. Feeling his breath tickle the back of my neck, I closed my eyes and savored the way it all consumed me.
“I’m really glad we did this tonight.” It was just above a whisper, something that was meant for just me. “I’m not ready for it to end yet.”
My pulse quickened.
Off in the distance, I heard the low hum of music being played in the town square. I could almost imagine Hank Hughes moving his bow over the strings of his violin or Frannie Whitt with her eyes closed as she concentrated on the sound of her cello. It was something the two did often on a nice night. They would settle by the fountain and play for the townspeople, wanting nothing in return but the pleasure they’d find on their faces while enjoying their music.
“Let’s walk.” Landon fit my hand in his, almost like it had always belonged there. The delicate way he intertwined our fingers together calmed my racing pulse. “Unless you would rather—”
“No.” I said this far too eagerly, only making him laugh. “Walking sounds good.” Being near him actually was all I truly wanted, but the walking would prolong the evening.
As we rounded the corner, the fountain came into view, and sure enough, there Frannie and Hank sat with a small crowd gathered around them. I intended to join the group of townspeople, but Landon paused between two white pine trees, and I looked to my right to find him watching me.
“What?” I wondered for a second if I had something on my face or my hair had gotten messy from the soft breeze of the night. But when his lips tipped upward into a sly smile, I knew he’d created a plan.
“Dance with me.” He turned to face me without waiting for me to argue. As if I would have. He slid his hand around my waist, and with a gentle nudge, I came forward without hesitation. His body molded to my own, my hand resting over his heart and the other on his bicep. I could feel the flow of his breath fan over my shoulder and along the side of my neck. Closing my eyes, I did my very best to remain calm, but the truth was this man had crawled beneath my skin. He had managed to make me feel so many things in th
e last few hours that I wasn’t sure even if I tried that I would be able to hide the way my body reacted to him.
Landon was beautiful, the mirror image of the man I had imagined so many times in my life. The one to share my hopes and my dreams with, the one to keep me safe and make me feel alive.
“Are you cold?”
I knew it was because of the way my body was trembling that he asked this. I had a choice. I knew I could lie and say yes, ending this perfect moment when he decided we should go. Or I could take a chance and tell him the truth. Hope that it didn’t terrify him when I decided to be so forward.
“We could go.”
“I’m not cold.” Looked like option two was it. Lifting my gaze, I was met with the kindest eyes looking down at me as our bodies slightly swayed to the music. “It’s you.” My throat began to feel tight. “You make me feel like this.”
A few silent seconds passed, him staring at me, me hoping that I hadn’t made a mistake by being honest.
“I make you tremble?” I noticed the way his eyes shifted over my lips before meeting my eyes once more. When I knew he saw me, I nodded. “Is it because I make you nervous?”
“That, among other things.” I took in a slow, calming breath.
“Tell me, what other things?” At the small of my back, I felt his fingertips trace over the exposed skin. “How exactly do I make you feel, Chloe?” He might as well have moaned my name because it sent a shock straight through me and triggered chills to cover my body.
“Excited, exhilarated.” He tilted his head as he moved in a little closer. The way he licked his lips slowly as if preparing himself made me breathe just a little faster. I wanted him to kiss me; it had been something I had longed for, something I had imagined so many times I should have felt shameful.
“Is that all?”
I could feel my nipples harden as my chest rubbed over his with each quick breath I took. I shook my head and arched my neck, giving him full access to my mouth, only he remained at a short distance.
“What else?” His hips moved against my own to the sound of the music. If I was being honest, I couldn’t confirm that the beats matched, because all I saw was him. All I heard was him, and of course the sound of my heart beating and triggering a whooshing sound in my ears. Or so it felt.
“Chloe.” When he whispered my name, his lips grazed over mine, and my knees grew weak as I gripped his arms tight to hold me upright. “What else do I make you feel, Kitten?”
There he went with that name again.
“Right now I feel a little warm.” My cheeks were so flushed. Landon smiled, gliding one hand up my side and along my shoulder, before coming to rest on the back of my neck.
“I’m feeling a little warm myself.” A glazed, lustful look filled his eyes. “I do believe that can also be referred to as attraction, or passion maybe.” I did the weird little nod thing because all I truly wanted was for this man to kiss me already and stop with his torturing tactic.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured, and then he moved, his lips brushing over mine tauntingly before disappearing once more. “You make my heart race.” Again he returned to gently kiss me, moving away far too quickly. “I feel alive with you.” Another soft kiss. “And you should know, Chloe Rigdon, that I plan on sweeping you off your feet and ruining the possibility of any other man for you in the future.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s a promise, sweetheart.” Then his lips finally covered mine, and I was completely, utterly lost. The slow, teasing movement of his tongue over mine and the low growl that rumbled in his chest as he pulled me so tight against him made it hard to see where he ended and I began.
Chapter Eighteen
Landon
Stretching my arms over my head, I stared up at my ceiling and couldn’t help the smile that took over. Visions of my blonde beauty looking up at me, her lips reddened and swollen from kissing, haunted me.
Hidden by the trees from the people who were also listening to the same music gave us privacy. It was almost as if it were only the two of us, and that was the greatest part.
My body was screaming for me, my head demanding that I take her back to my place or even hers and continue on, but my heart reminded me that this was Chloe and she deserved so much more.
Parking near the curb of her apartment building caused a heaviness to settle in my stomach. But walking her to her door and kissing her goodnight, forcing myself to walk away was the hardest task of all. I sat in my truck outside for more than ten minutes convincing myself that leaving was the right thing to do. I wanted to prove that she was more to me than one good night. We’d get there; I knew we would. After the way my little kitten purred while kissing me was a sure sign of that fact. She wanted me, I knew she did, and the buildup would make that moment even more electrifying. I had no doubt Chloe and I were a good fit. I knew that before the first kiss.
Oh, what a kiss it was, too.
There was a knock on my door, and I looked over at the clock, wondering who would be showing up at seven-thirty in the morning on a Saturday. Then I was reminded of the promise I’d made to Mike.
Trudging across the living room, I practically tripped over the pile of dirty clothes in my path, thankful that I hadn’t brought Chloe back here. My place was a wreck. It was small, untidy, and an embarrassment.
Pulling open the door, I was met with not only Mike, but Rhett and Terrance, too. Each looked over me from head to toe as if they expected me to be embarrassed that I stood there in my boxers.
“Did we wake you, sleeping beauty?” Rhett pushed past me and walked inside as the others followed.
“Did something die in here?” Terrance wrinkled up his nose, looking around the small loft-style apartment. “This place is worse than mine, and let me just say that mine is a shit hole.”
“I don’t remember inviting you in.” Shutting the door, I moved toward the fridge and opened it. Looking for a bottle of water, I found a half empty one in the door. After chugging it, I heard someone clear their throat and looked back over my shoulder.
“You going like that?” Mike crossed his arms over his chest, trying to be all intimidating, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Something funny?”
“Yeah.” I tossed the water bottle to the garbage, and it missed by more than six inches as it hit the wall at its side.
“You said you’d help,” he added, still standing with his feet about two feet apart. “Maddison wants this.”
“Pleasing Mad is your job.” I loved to get a rise out of Mikey. It was so easy to do in regards to Maddison. “Is she bored already?”
“You wanna know what it feels like to take a face dive off a three-story balcony and hit pavement, you’ll keep that shit up.” A stoic look still covered his face, but I could see the way his nostrils flared, and that vein in his forehead was popping.
“Testy today.” Peeking around his shoulder, I found Terrance and Rhett chuckling at the state of Mike. Dipshits loved to observe, but most of the time neither of them pushed him as hard as I did. “Now that she’s pregnant, did she cut you off? Because I always thought that with the hormone shift, it was the opposite.”
“Rhett, open the balcony door.” Mike dropped his hands to his sides and made fists.
“I’m sure Mad wouldn’t object if you got yourself one of those pocket girlfriends, you know, the kind that just require a little lube and the movement of your hand.”
“Shit.” I think it was Terrance who tried his best to hide his laughter but failed miserably.
“Listen, fucker.” Mike took a step toward me, and I could no longer hold back my laughter.
Holding my hands up, I braced myself on the countertop behind me. “Okay, man, okay.” Stepping around him, I slapped him on the back. “Give me ten to jump in the shower.”
“You’ve got two,” Mike grumbled, and I laughed as I walked across the room and entered my tiny bathroom, closing the door behind me.
Taking a few minutes longer t
han I had been given, I made sure to add a little fire to the already burning flame. It was my fault the guy was all flared up, so honestly it would be a waste not to take all I could get.
By the time I exited the bathroom, Rhett and Terrance were quietly staring at the television and Mike, well, his face was as red as a fire truck.
I opened the front door, grabbed my keys and wallet, and waved my hand in a come on motion. “Move already, you asses. Y’all are holding me up.”
***
Four and a half hours later, we had Maddison’s little greenhouse all framed up and ready to set all the glass windows. I wasn’t expecting to get too far along in one day, but apparently Mike worked better when he was in a pissy mood.
Taking a break, Rhett opened the cooler with all the sandwiches that Maddison had made and started tossing them in each of our directions. I grabbed the closest lounge chair and sat down near the cooler that held the beers and waters and lifted the lid. Holding them up in the air, I waited for each of the guys to nod and did the same as I tossed one to each of them.
Mike finally sat down and popped the top off of his beer, and when he glanced in my direction, I knew I could fire him up more, but there was something about the day, something about how particular he was with every angle of each board and the position of the greenhouse, that made me stop.
“I think she’s gonna love it.” He shifted his gaze, looking again toward the large structure. “It’s gonna be perfect.”
“It has to be.” The guy adored Mad. He was head over heels, lived for her smiles, and died a little inside every single time she cried kinda of love. He worshiped her, and it was strange, really; he’d always been a hard ass, as long as I’d known him anyway, but not with Mad. She was his weakness.
“We’ll make sure it is.”
