by Melody Grace
He grabbed a bottle of water from the car, and then leaned against the hood, watching the hell-beasts munch. It was a blue-skied, sunny day; birds were chirping in the trees nearby, and if he hadn’t been in such a rush to catch his flight, it could almost be relaxing.
When was the last time he’d stood around doing absolutely nothing? Aidan couldn’t remember, not with a packed work schedule like his.
“They would actually be kind of cute, if they weren’t so damn inconvenient,” he remarked, as one of them snuggled deeper into the hedgerow. “It’s a good thing my sister Cassie isn’t around, or she’d have adopted the pair of them as pets by now.”
The woman smirked. “I’m sure Wes would have something to say about that.”
He turned. “You know them?”
“Sure.” She gave a shrug. “It’s a small town.”
“It definitely is.” Aidan sighed again. A small town with fresh honey for sale and alpacas roaming free, and zero way for a man to go about his business.
The woman leaned against the hood of the car beside him, and began gathering her hair back into a braid, but there was something about the gesture that triggered the strangest sense of déjà vu.
He paused, staring at her. “Have we met?” he asked. “You look familiar to me…”
She gave a shrug. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m Aidan,” he said, offering his hand. She looked amused by the formal introduction, but she shook it all the same.
“Stella.”
He wracked his brain, but he couldn’t place her. “Maybe I’ve seen you in town this weekend. I’m not from around here,” he explained.
“I would never have guessed,” she said, with a teasing sparkle in her eyes.
He looked at his leather shoes and crisp button-down, and gave a wry chuckle. “I wasn’t expecting any detours. I have a very important meeting I’m trying to fly back for.”
“I’m sure you do.”
He paused, studying her. He just couldn’t shake the feeling he’d seen her before. “You really look so familiar…”
“Maybe it’s because you owe me a kiss.”
Aidan’s heart stopped. “What?”
Stella looked over. “Julie Myerson’s end of summer beach bash, about fifteen years ago,” she continued. “We were all playing Spin the Bottle, and my turn landed on you. But then some guys started a stupid fight, and the police came to break it all up…”
The memory clicked into place, and Aidan stared at her in disbelief. “Stella Hartley?” he asked, dumbstruck.
“See? Now you remember.” She smiled at him, dazzling in the sunlight, and Aidan felt like a fool. Because every boy on Cape Cod remembered Stella Hartley, and half of them had been in love with her, too.
She was the stuff of teenage fantasies, back then: the prom queen, the debutante, with her perfect blonde hair and delicate manners, wearing those pretty little sundresses that could make you forget your own name. Her family was old Boston money, and summered on the Cape every year. And every year, Aidan would see her glide by – out cycling with her friends, or tanning on the beach – growing prettier and more untouchable with every passing summer. Miles out of all of their leagues.
She was the last person in the world he’d expect to find on a muddy country lane with no makeup, and fraying hems, and freckles lightly dusting her cheeks.
“I sorry,” he said, still surprised. “I didn’t recognize you. What happened?”
He only realized how rude that sounded when the words had already left his mouth. But Stella just gave him an indecipherable look. “Life happened,” she replied lightly. “What about you? It looks like you’ve done well for yourself. But then, you always did seem like you were going places.”
“You noticed me back then?” Aidan asked, surprised. “I didn’t think I even crossed your radar.”
“You’d be surprised.” Stella said, glancing away. “So, are you moving out here like the rest of your family?”
He gave a snort. “Nope, I can’t wait to get back to New York. At least, I would be getting back, if it weren’t for these stubborn things.”
The alpacas were still lazing in the middle of the road, unconcerned by Aidan’s plans.
“I guess you can’t boss around everyone,” Stella said, looking amused.
He pulled out his phone. “I’ll reschedule my flight, I guess. I just feel bad for my staff. I made them come in to prep for the meeting, and now they’ll have wasted their weekend for nothing.”
“Oh.” Stella paused. “Well, when you put it like that…”
She let out a piercing whistle, and both alpaca’s heads whipped around. “Bucky! Steve! Time to move along! Git!”
And then, as Aidan watched in disbelief, the animals obediently got to their feet, and trotted along through the open gate and back into the field.
“What…?” he spluttered. “How…?”
“You looked like you could use a break,” she said, hopping down off the hood of the car. She went to heave the gate shut, but the hinges were rusted and screeching. “Give me a hand?” she called, and Aidan found himself striding over, even as he fumed at her games.
“I can’t believe you did that,” he said, straining to pull it shut, as she pushed from the other side. “Some of us have work to do!”
“I was up to my elbows in a blocked sewer line all morning, so don’t talk to me about hard work,” Stella shot back. Then she smiled. “Come on, admit it. You should relax more often.”
“What I should do is report you for causing a traffic hazard,” Aidan muttered, but he couldn’t deny the fact he did feel lighter. Less weighed down. But whether that was from the break, or Stella’s mischievous smile, he couldn’t say.
He helped her shut the gate, and swing the heavy latch into place. Then Stella climbed up and over the top, jumping down beside him before he could even offer a hand to help.
She brushed off her fraying dungarees, then gave him an assessing look. “You really have no plans to stay in Sweetbriar Cove?” she asked.
“None at all,” he replied, confused.
“OK then,” she said – and then she leaned up on her tiptoes, and kissed him, square on the lips.
Aidan froze for a moment, stunned. But Stella pressed closer, and the rush of it swept through him. She was sweet and hot, searching and determined.
Utterly irresistible.
His instincts took over, and he slid his hands around her waist, pulling her against his body as their tongues found each other in a sensual dance. Stella’s body melted into him, and his mind went blank; for a moment, there was nothing in the world but the soft press of her lips, and the taste of her, intoxicating.
He wanted more.
He never lost control like this, but here he was: groaning against her mouth, already sliding his hands up her back to tangle them in her silky hair. Stella answered him by gripping his collar and yanking him closer, and he kissed her back, fevered, as his blood roared hotter and his heartbeat thundered in his chest. He barely registered that he was out of his mind; kissing a stranger on a back-country road. All that mattered was that she kept holding on to him. All that mattered was—
Stella broke away.
Aidan drew a ragged breath, his head spinning. But Stella looked perfectly calm as she tucked down his shirt and smoothed back the hair she’d just ruffled with her fingertips.
“Why…?” Aidan managed to ask.
She smiled, something unreadable in her eyes. “I told you, you owed me a kiss. Now we’re even,” she added, strolling back to her truck.
Aidan watched her walk away in disbelief.
“Have a good flight!” she called back, as she got behind the wheel and started the engine. He was still reeling as she drove around him and disappeared around the bend, leaving him alone there in the middle of the country road with his heart pounding and his brain utterly frazzled.
What had just happened?
His phone buzzed, breaking him out of
the daze. Check-in for his flight was starting. And just like that, reality came crashing down all over again: the schedule of meetings, and deadlines, and a hundred other things Aidan needed to be handling right now, instead of mooning over a kiss from Stella Hartley like he was twenty years old all over again.
He shook it off, and got back on the road, finally finding the right exit that would put him on the highway again. But even as every mile took him closer to his regular life, he couldn’t shake the memory of Stella’s lips on his, and that tempting look in her eyes.
Something told him, he wouldn’t forget her so easily this time around.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Thank you so much for reading!
Aidan and Stella’s story is just getting started! The next Kinsella sibling is about to meet their match… Time After Time is available to order now—and features all of your Sweetbriar Cove friends.
*** CLICK HERE to order from your retailer of choice***
Also By Melody Grace:
The Sweetbriar Cove Series:
1. Meant to Be
2. All for You
3. The Only One
4. I’m Yours
5. Holiday Kisses (A Christmas Story)
6. No Ordinary Love
7. Wildest Dreams
8. This Kiss
9. Always Be Mine
10. Two Hearts (Kinsella Family #1)
11. The Story of Us
12. Back to You
13. One More Night
14. Time After Time
15. Forever Summer
The Beachwood Bay Series:
1.Untouched
2.Unbroken
3.Untamed Hearts
4.Unafraid
5.Unwrapped
6.Unconditional
7.Unrequited
8.Uninhibited
9.Unstoppable
10.Unexpectedly Yours
11.Unwritten
12.Unmasked
13.Unforgettable
The Oak Harbor Duet:
1.Heartbreaker
2.Reckless Hearts
With Every Heartbeat
The Promise
About the Author
Melody Grace grew up in a small town in the English countryside, and after spending her life reading, she decided it was time to write one for herself. She published her first book at twenty-two, and is now a New York Times bestselling author, with over three million downloads of her novels to date.
She lives in Los Angeles, writing books and screenplays full-time with the help of her two cats, Bucky and Steve.
Connect with me online:
www.melodygracebooks.com
[email protected]
