And Then One Day

by Samantha Chase

  Placing his safety goggles on, he picked up the sledgehammer and almost felt giddy at the idea of smashing something. The sledgehammer was up over his head when his phone rang. Having learned his lesson yesterday about not ignoring calls, he placed the hammer down and pulled out his phone and saw it was his father calling.

  “Hey, Dad! What’s up?”

  “Hey, Son. Are you busy?”

  “A little. I’m getting ready to tear down the kitchen cabinets at Scarlett’s place. How come?”

  “I’m out with Tommy and Kyle up in New Bern and we just got a call about a car needing a tow.”

  “Dad, there are plenty of other tow trucks in town. Why can’t someone else do it?”

  “Because it’s Courtney,” he said. “I hate the thought of her waiting for some stranger to pick her up. She drove through some deep water and lost control of the car and the trailer. If you take the flatbed with you, you should be able to get both on there without a problem. I know it’s raining and all, but…”

  “I knew she shouldn’t have left tonight! I knew it!” he growled.

  “If you knew it, why didn’t you stop her?” his father demanded.

  “Dad, please. You know you can’t stop a woman when she’s made her mind up.”

  “Would you have let your sister drive in those conditions? Even if she got mad?”

  “Of course I wouldn’t! But we’re not talking about Scarlett. We’re talking about Courtney!”

  “And she’s family!” Domenic shouted. “She’s like a daughter to me and another sister to you and your brothers! Now are you going to go help her or not? She’s about ten miles past the bridge, near all that new road construction. I’ll text you her phone number so you can call her if you can’t find her, okay?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  “And Dean?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You be careful too.”

  “No worries, Dad. I’m on my way.”

  5

  Of all the rotten luck.

  Sitting in her car–which was sitting in a muddy puddle on a dark stretch of the road–Courtney prayed Mr. Jones would get here quickly. She knew he needed to go pick up the tow truck, but she hated being out here alone in the dark.

  Why didn’t I just stay at a hotel in town for the night? Why did I have to be so damn stubborn?

  She didn’t have any answers and right now, all she wanted was to curl up in a ball and cry. And on top of it all, why did she have to have such a nice dinner with Dean and why did he still not seem the least bit fazed by the turn in their relationship? There was a small part of her that wished he would suddenly realize he was in love with her and beg her not to go.

  Wishful thinking was the worst.

  Especially in this scenario.

  It was like everything she wanted was right there within her reach and yet still impossible to get. How unfair was that?

  For thirty minutes, she scrolled through her phone checking Instagram and Facebook, liking posts and seeing what everyone else she knew was doing. It was an okay way to pass the time, but all she wanted was to call Mr. Jones and see if he was almost there.

  As if on cue, headlights appeared in her mirror and she straightened in her seat when they were close behind her. Then a large flatbed truck slowly drove passed her and carefully backed up to the front of her car. A wave of relief washed over her and she quickly stuffed her phone back in her purse and grabbed her things and waited for Mr. Jones to tell her what she needed to do.

  Only…that wasn’t who got out of the truck.

  It was Dean.

  Pounding the steering wheel, she cursed her rotten luck.

  Why? She wanted to cry with frustration. Why did their paths have to keep crossing now?

  He was next to her door before she could force herself to move. Sighing wearily, she opened it. The rain was pouring down and he was already soaked.

  And somehow still managed to look sexy as hell, damn him.

  “I thought your dad was coming,” she said as she climbed out of the car.

  “He was up in New Bern with my grandfather and Kyle. I was closer,” he said before nodding toward the car. “Grab your stuff and go sit in the truck, but leave the keys.”

  Grabbing her things, she started to walk and noticed he was right beside her. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be…you know…moving the car?”

  With his hand low on her back, he guided her over to the passenger side of the truck and helped her in before running around and getting in on the driver’s side. “Here are the controls for the heat. Feel free to warm it up as much as you want. There are a couple of bottles of water here too, so help yourself. This may take a little while because I have to try to get the trailer up there too since it’s no longer attached.”

  And yeah, he sort of leveled her with a glare at those words.

  “Okay, you were right. There. You happy now?” she said with a huff. “I should have let you or your dad install the hitch or at least inspect it before I picked up the trailer.”

  “Sit tight,” he said, hopping out of the truck.

  Unable to help herself, she twisted in her seat and tried to watch what he was doing. The rain and darkness really hindered her view. Dean sort of disappeared behind her car and for the better part of fifteen minutes, she couldn’t see him at all. When he finally reappeared, he walked toward the cab of the truck and seemed to hit a switch or something because she could hear a loud hum right before she noticed her car moving forward onto the bed. Her eyes went wide when she saw the trailer moving up as well and figured he must have rigged the hitch again and got the two connected.

  It took several minutes for everything to come to a stop and a few more minutes after that for him to secure everything. When he finally climbed back into the truck, he was drenched.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “For what?” Wiping his dripping wet hair back, he looked over at her.

  “For making you come out in this mess.” She shook her head. “I should have just gone to a hotel or something tonight and left in the morning.”

  “No, you should have let someone who knows about cars make sure this setup was safe,” he corrected.

  Carefully, he pulled back onto the road and they had to drive a mile or so before there was a shopping center where he could safely turn around in the parking lot. Once they were heading back toward town, he spoke again.

  “If it’s all right with you, I’m going to drop your car and trailer at the shop and we’ll look at it in the morning. I think we can both agree that it’s too late for you to get on the road now, right?”

  She nodded.

  “We’ve already got cars slotted for first thing in the morning, but I should be able to look at yours by lunchtime and you can be on the road by one or two if that works for you–barring any damage from the trailer falling off.”

  She nodded again and they were back to driving in silence.

  Turning her head and watching the scenery go by, she wondered where she was going to stay and how she was going to get there. Dean would obviously have to drop her off and pick her up, but that still left her wondering where she was going to stay. Pulling her phone out, she began looking at availability for a room for the night.

  There was the new B&B in town–the one Mason’s aunt owned and where Scarlett and Mason’s rehearsal dinner was–but it was late and she didn’t feel right calling to see if they had a room available. Plus, they were a little pricier than what she wanted to spend. Next was Magnolia on the Beach–a small, local motel that wasn’t usually full. She pulled up their site and began entering her info.

  “What are you doing?”

  Courtney looked up at him. “Um…I need a place to stay tonight so I was seeing if Magnolia on the Beach had any rooms.”

  Without taking his eyes off the road, Dean reached over and took the phone from her hands.

  “Hey!” she cried. “What did you do that for?”

  They pulled int
o the parking lot for Jones Automotive and it wasn’t until he parked the truck in the back lot that he spoke. Twisting toward her, he seemed to be searching for exactly what to say. “You don’t need to go to a hotel.”

  She knew exactly what he was saying and it made her heart soar.

  “No one’s at Scarlett’s old place and I still haven’t started tearing things out so you should be okay to stay there tonight.”

  And just like that, her heart sank.

  “Oh,” she said quietly and hoped her disappointment wasn’t too obvious.

  “What else do you need from your car? Any luggage or anything to get you through the night?”

  It took a minute for her to organize her thoughts because what she wanted to scream was that she needed–wanted!–him. He was all she needed to get through the night, but she couldn’t make herself say it.

  “Um…yeah. There’s a black suitcase in the trunk and a hot pink duffel bag. Those two should do it.”

  Luckily he didn’t comment or make a snarky remark about why she needed two separate pieces of luggage for one night. Dean climbed out of the truck and Courtney soon followed. If anything, the rain was coming down harder and she put her purse over her head to try to protect herself a little. Glancing around, she spotted Dean up on the flatbed where he was retrieving her luggage. Once the trunk was shut, he handed her the duffel bag before jumping down with the suitcase. Using the key fob, he made sure her car was locked and quickly ushered her over to his truck.

  Her clothes were soaked, her hair felt like it was plastered to her head, and she cursed how bad she must look.

  Thank God it’s dark…

  He pulled out of the lot before jumping back out to lock and secure the gate. When he came back in, he let out a loud sigh. She knew exactly how he felt and she knew as soon as she got to Scarlett’s, she was going to take a hot shower and maybe have some tea and…

  “Shit,” she muttered.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “The kitchen is completely empty. That bottle of water I drank yesterday when you came over was the last thing in there.” She paused. “I hate to ask, but…”

  “Why don’t you just come home with me,” he suggested, his eyes never leaving the road.

  “Um…excuse me?”

  This time he did glance her way. “Look, it’s late and we’re both soaked to the skin. I don’t feel like going to the grocery store, and I’m sure you don’t either. It’s ridiculous for you to pay for a hotel room or to stay someplace where there’s no food or anything to drink, so…stay by me.”

  If he hadn’t made it sound like a completely practical–and platonic–offer, she’d be a little more excited. How was she supposed to go home with him and not…you know…jump him?

  But considering he didn’t think it was such a big deal, Courtney had no choice but to react the same way. “I guess that makes the most sense. Thanks.”

  He nodded and neither spoke again until they pulled up to his house. “I’ll grab the bags,” he said and she thanked him like a polite stranger.

  This is weird. This is weird. This is weird…

  At the front door, he opened it and let her go in first. They both kicked off their shoes before moving any farther into the house, but Dean walked right by her and took her bags into his master bathroom.

  True, it was the only bathroom with a shower and he must have figured she’d want to wash up after being out in the rain. Shrugging, she slowly started to follow him and heard the shower running. At the door to his bedroom, she paused and wondered if he was going to shower first. Turning away, she looked around and was unsure of what to do with herself. Her clothes were wet so she didn’t want to sit on his couch, and she didn’t think it was polite to go into the kitchen and make herself some hot tea either.

  “Well now what do I do?” she whispered to herself.

  “You’re supposed to come take a shower with me,” he said from directly behind her. She all but jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice.

  “Jeez! You’re like a ninja!” she said breathlessly, turning to face him. Then she got a look at him and saw he’d taken his shirt off and…damn. So much of Saturday night was spent in the dark or with nothing but moonlight coming into the room that she was a little awestruck at the sight of him. Her gaze scanned over him from head to toe and back again. That’s when she noticed the grin on his face and she couldn’t help but return it with a shy smile of her own. “You sure about this?”

  “The thought of getting you in my shower and soaping you up has been on my mind since Saturday night. I had planned on doing that with you Sunday morning, but…you were gone.”

  Damn.

  Feeling the boldness that only he brought out in her, she slowly peeled her t-shirt up and over her head before tossing it to the floor. “A shower sounds really good.”

  Dean took her hand in his and slowly led her back to his bedroom and through to the bathroom where it was already steamy. He closed the door behind them before pressing her up against it and kissing her and she immediately reached out to him like he was a lifeline for her. His kiss was instantly deep and consuming and it made her feel empowered that he was as frantic for her as she was for him.

  When he broke the kiss abruptly and lifted his head, his gaze was hot and needy and so damn sexy. “Is it wrong that I’m glad that your car broke down?”

  She laughed and raked her hands through his hair. “Not at all because I’m pretty damn happy it happened too.”

  He kissed her again as he led her closer to the shower, his hands working on the button of her jeans. “Hey, Court?” he asked against her lips.

  “Yeah?”

  “Let me peel these wet clothes off of you so I can get you wet in a lot of other ways.”

  The things this man said to her…

  “Yes, please,” she groaned, letting him do whatever he pleased.

  Those two little words filled Dean with relief.

  Asking her to join him in the shower was a big risk; after all, they hadn’t directly addressed their sex-fueled night since it happened. There had been a very real possibility of Courtney telling him he was crazy and slapping his face.

  He said a prayer of thanks she didn’t do either of those things.

  Now as he peeled her jeans down her legs and was eye level with a pair of turquoise blue panties, he added a prayer for self-control.

  Courtney Baker was beyond temptation. The way she looked, the softness of her skin, and the way she responded to him were perfect. Hell, if he had to create the perfect woman, she would be it.

  So why had he waited so long to make his move?

  For starters, he had no idea she felt the same way. But if the way she was gripping his hair and panting as he stripped her was any indication, he was fairly confident now that she did indeed feel the same as him.

  Helping her step out of her jeans, Dean’s hands gripped her hips before moving around and gently kneading her rear. Looking up at her, he saw her head was thrown back and she looked so damn sexy. Leaning in, he kissed her thighs and then lingered a little on the turquoise lace before slowly coming to his feet and kissing her lips. Her arms wrapped around him and he knew he could stand here like this for hours.

  But he had other plans…

  Forcing himself to break the kiss, he stepped back and slid his jeans and boxer briefs off before reaching out and helping Courtney with her bra and panties. When they were both naked, he led her into the shower and under the hot spray. It seemed a bit surreal that just hours ago he had stood right here and dreamed of her and now here she was.

  They took turns soaping each other up and he enjoyed letting his hands roam all over her curvy body as much as he enjoyed when her hands were all over his. They kissed, they touched, and it was beyond erotic. He knew he’d never forget this night, and when she dropped to her knees in front of him, he swore he’d died and gone to heaven. It had been so long since he’d been involved with anyone that he had forgotten how
much he loved making love to a woman.

  The water began to cool and he carefully helped her back to her feet before turning the water off. Kissing her deeply one more time, he moaned as the air around them began to chill. “Damn,” he whispered against her mouth. “I was really enjoying being in here with you.”

  Her smile was slow and a little shy– which he thought was adorable considering what she had just been doing to him. When he saw her shiver, he knew he needed to get them dried off quickly. Opening the glass door, he grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it around her. Once she held the towel around her, he grabbed the other for himself before taking her by the hand and stepping out.

  It seemed odd how he felt the need to keep touching her–holding her hand in his kept their connection and it was something he was finding essential. Facing her, he gently took the towel from her hands and dried her off.

  “Dean,” she said quietly but with a slight hitch in her breath. “You don’t need to do that. I can dry myself off.”

  Using the towel, he tugged her in close. “I beg to differ. I really enjoy touching you, Court. Can’t seem to get enough of it.”

  “That’s good because…I really like it when you touch me.”

  Dropping the towel to the floor, he motioned toward the bedroom and once he had her next to the bed, she hopped up on it and lay back.

  And that was like hitting the launch button.

  All the touching and teasing in the shower had led to this moment and he was more than primed and ready to go. Dropping his own towel to the floor, he crawled up on the bed and covered her body with his and damn if it didn’t feel even better than the last time he had her here like this.