Carpentry and Cocktails: A Heartfelt Small Town Romance (Green Valley Library Book 5)

by Smartypants Romance

  “I will.” I started back toward our table, passing curious faces as I went. I shook my head as I walked; I wasn’t stopping to talk to anyone.

  Willa saw me coming and stood up to meet me. “Obviously we can’t do this,” she said as soon as I made it back. I pulled her chair out, but she continued to stand, wringing her hands, and staring at me with those big, blue eyes. I placed my palm on the back of her neck and pulled her to me to kiss her forehead.

  “Obviously, that’s a bunch of crap,” I murmured, putting my forehead to hers. “He’s a pest. A bully. He’s used to getting his own way, and he can’t stand it that he’s not going to get you back. He’ll burn out and if he doesn’t, he can go back to prison and rot.”

  “You don’t know him like I do,” she argued.

  “Then we’ll deal with whatever comes up. Don’t worry.”

  Her eyes squeezed tight in frustration as her chin dropped to her chest. “I can’t help it. I should just talk to him. Why can’t I bring myself to stand up to him? I feel so stupid. I mean, I can tell anyone else off. Why not him? Will you teach me to hit like that? You knocked him back with one punch.”

  “I’ll teach you. It’s good to know how to defend yourself.”

  “I don’t want to stay here anymore. People are looking at us. Can we go home, Everett?”

  With a fingertip, I lifted her face so I could see her eyes. “Anything you need. Let’s get out of here. We can take our dinner to go.”

  “I don’t even want dinner. What I want is your couch, a hug, and some Firefly. I want to go inside, lock the door, turn on the alarm, and stop thinking about this. I want him out of my mind.” I pulled her into a hug, dropping a soft kiss to her cheek.

  “I do too. Try not to worry. They’ll get him.” I took a breath in as I gave her one more squeeze. Let’s go home, sweetness.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Everett

  “You can’t force love, or deny it, or hide it. When two people are meant to be, it just happens. Like death and taxes, but more fun.”

  Papaw Joe

  The drive home was quiet. Silence descended between us like a warm blanket. We didn’t need words. Our feelings were finally the same and that was enough. She held my hand and smiled. I dropped her hand to squeeze her thigh and keep her close until we made it home. I pulled into the garage and rolled to a stop. Hurriedly, I darted around to open the door for her.

  She stepped out of my truck and into my arms, looking wild in the eyes. Latching onto my hair she pulled me into a hot kiss. She was so much taller in these heels, and I liked her this way. Not only were we at eye level, the heels made her wobbly and a little off balance. In a moment like this, she was dependent on me to keep her on her feet and more than anything, I wanted her to need me. I gripped her hips and yanked her into my body to run my hands over her ass and back up. The warmth of her skin beneath the flimsy ties of the halter top was as necessary to me as oxygen. I needed the feel of her skin under my hands. I untied the strings at her waist and let my fingertips drift up over the smooth skin of her back. With the other hand I caged her against my truck and urged her to kiss me again. With another rough tug of my hair, she slanted her mouth against mine and touched the tip of her tongue to my lips. I opened for her; I would do anything for her.

  This kiss wasn’t about her trying to forget something, it was about me and her. The difference was clear now that I’d experienced her both ways. She was completely in this moment with me, not somewhere in her head fighting against memories of her past.

  She was delicious, and mine, and I never wanted to let her go. I was almost sure I wouldn’t have to.

  A startled giggle burst out of her when her back slid against the cold door of my truck. I put my arm around her to keep her warm.

  “Sorry, Willard. We should go in the house.” My voice was guttural against her mouth as I tried to speak through the kisses she was peppering over my lips and neck as she loosened my tie and started unbuttoning my shirt.

  “Yeah,” she whispered. But she didn’t follow me as I stepped back. Instead, she reached for my belt buckle and with deft fingers, undid it. “I want you like you had me before dinner.” Her grin was wicked, and nothing like I’d ever seen from her as she unbuttoned my pants and reached inside. My stomach dropped and I was abruptly hard.

  “I’ll give you anything you want, sweetheart. I’ll give you everything,” I hissed as she found me, giving me a soft stroke, leaving her thumb against the tip. “But let’s get inside. Now.” Taking her hands, I pulled her along after me, across the back porch where I fumbled in my pocket for the key, then threw open the door, kicking it shut, and twisting the lock behind us.

  We crashed into the kitchen, her arms around my neck, me tripping on my lowered pants to end up a little off-balance with my hips against the corner of the counter. She grabbed the end of my unknotted tie, pulling until it slid to the floor. “I like how you make me feel, Everett. I’ll always be safe with you.” She panted as she pushed my pants all the way to the floor, following them down my body until she was on her knees in front of me. “I’ve never wanted to do this before. But right now, I can’t imagine doing anything else.” One second she was speaking to me, and the next I was in her mouth. Her hot, silky, sucking mouth. Her tongue lapped and swirled while my mind emptied of almost all thoughts, yet became laser focused on her. Her blue eyes, her full burgundy lips wrapped around my cock, and her gorgeous blond hair filled my gaze as she rapidly undid me.

  I gritted my teeth and clenched my jaw as my cock throbbed in her mouth and I tried to keep from losing my mind. Crazily, I wished she would stop so I could take her to bed and get inside of her. At the same time, I never wanted this tortuous pleasure to end. Stuck in this moment, paralyzed by her sweet eyes gazing into mine and her hot mouth devouring me, I stood still, as pulsing bolts of rapture gathered at the base of my spine to shoot throughout my body.

  “Oh god.” I groaned and tried to pull away from her. “Baby, please come up here. I’m gonna…” I issued a warning. But she didn’t stop. With a slight nod, she sucked harder while her hands joined her mouth to drive me over the edge. My head fell back between my shoulders as I sagged against the counter. Damn.

  “You’re mine now, Everett,” she whispered, licking her lips and smiling as she looked up at me. Her eyes held mine and I couldn’t look away. Why would I? Everything I had ever wanted was kneeling at my feet, and in this moment, I knew I would love her forever. I was hers, without a doubt.

  “Come up here, sweetheart.” I reached for her hand to help her up. Eye to eye we stood, and with a light tug I untied the remaining string behind her neck. The sequined bit of fabric floated to the floor, baring her breasts to my hungry gaze. “How are you this beautiful?”

  Her soft laughter floated over the air. She ran her hands around my shoulders to push my shirt down my arms to join hers on the floor. I kicked off my shoes and toed off my socks as her lips quirked to the side and she grinned at me with no answer. I noticed the dark burgundy lipstick she had become fond of lately hadn’t budged. And fuck me it was hot. Only this time I could take her mouth and have a taste of it. That lipstick took her from pretty to sexy, from gorgeous to a little bit dangerous, and it mesmerized me. It had kept me in thrall for weeks, watching her as she had worked and changed and grew. Her feisty spirit was still there, but she wasn’t using it to hide behind anymore. Now, it was just perfectly her and I loved it.

  I kissed her hard, slamming my mouth to hers. I’d been going crazy all these weeks, not being able to kiss her sweet lips. Now that I had the chance again, I had to fight against moving too fast. Her hands threaded into my hair, pulling me close as her breasts flattened against my chest. With a moan, she opened her mouth and sought me with her sweet little tongue. I had been thinking of this for weeks—her soft curves, silky skin, that gorgeous blond hair wound around my hand.

  “I want something from you, Everett,” her breathy whisper against my lips sent shi
vers down my spine.

  “Anything. Name it and it’s yours,” I growled.

  “I want you to call me Willa again. Say my name.” I pulled back to kiss a long line up her graceful neck, using my hand in her hair to tilt her head to the side.

  “What else do you want me to say, Willa?” I whispered in her ear, gently biting the lobe before continuing. “Do you want me to tell you how much I ache for you? Not having you tears me up inside, Willa. I hurt. Do you want to know that I dream of you? Ever since our night together, I have felt you in my arms. You haunt me, Willa, you make me burn for you.” I gripped her waist, steadying her while she melted against me. Her head lolled back on her neck and a sexy little moan was the only answer I got. “Tell me what you want to hear, Willa, and I’ll say anything. I’ll do anything to have you again.”

  “Everett…” she murmured, mostly breath instead of sound.

  Switching our positions, I urged her to lean against the counter. Once she was steady, I bent low to remove her shoes. As I looked up at her, the tiny pulse in her throat fluttered almost as fast as the wings of that tiny Calliope hummingbird I had spotted the other day at the feeder. I dropped to my knees to press my ear between her breasts. I wanted to hear that her heartbeat raced like mine did. “Can I touch you, Willa? Are you mine?”

  “Yes.” Her baby blue eyes rounded as she gazed at me. “I have always been yours, Everett. Yes,” she breathed. With quick fingers, I unhooked her pants and lowered the zipper to tug them over her hips. With a shimmy, she shook them off and kicked them aside. She wore red lace this time, with a little bow on the waistband, just like a present.

  Images of us, tangled together, loving each other, spun through my mind like the twisting wheel of a kaleidoscope, bursting bright with hope. My thoughts raced out of control like wildfire as she become inevitable instead of unobtainable. The beautiful torture of waiting for her was at an end and I needed her naked right now. I dropped a kiss to her stomach before sliding her panties down her legs. I stood up to lift her to the counter. Her little panting breaths against my neck drove me crazy as she wrapped her legs around my waist and held on. I could feel her against me, so warm and wet with need.

  Moonlight filtered in through the uncovered windows, bathing us in light. I leaned forward to capture a pebbled nipple in my mouth. Her hands flew to the sides to grip the edge of the counter as I ran the flat of my tongue over her breast. Her taste had become as necessary as air.

  “Take me to bed,” she whispered against the top of my head.

  “Anything you want.” I traced nibbling kisses up her chest, across the delicate line of her collarbone, then up to her lips where I took her mouth in a kiss that I hoped gave as much as it took.

  Those long, sexy legs wrapped me up tighter as I gripped her hips in my hands and lifted. She wrapped herself around me, letting her head drop to bury her face in the crook of my neck, licking and sucking and kissing me as I walked us upstairs to my bedroom.

  With knees to the bed, I moved us until she was pressed up tight to me with her back up against the headboard. After rolling on a condom, I let her slide down my stomach until the head of my cock was poised at her entrance. Deep, deep inside, I felt that pressure, that need, to just slam inside of her and unleash. But I held it back. This woman deserved to be cherished. She needed the love I felt for her to be expressed slowly. And I needed to give her that love more than I needed to fuck her.

  “I want you inside of me, Everett. Please…” Blazing blue eyes and softly writhing hips tested my will as I slowly lowered her, filling her up inch by inch, watching as the heat in her gaze increased as she bit her lip and let out a soft groan.

  “Willa, right here, me and you, this is everything. This is how I make you mine. Every inch, every squeeze, all your kisses and sexy little moans. Everything you need is mine to give. Tell me what you want.”

  “More, Ev. I need more—” I pulled out and thrust back in, harder this time. “Yes, please…” Gripping her curvy hips in my palms I braced her against the headboard and increased my tempo, harder, faster, more. The lovely arch of her neck beckoned my mouth and with biting kisses, I tasted her skin, smiling as goosebumps filled the path my mouth had traveled.

  Letting one hip go, I slid my hand between our bodies. I was about to lose my mind. She felt so good, so hot, like I was wrapped up in silk. Her breath hitched as I pressed my thumb against her, swirling it in a small circle until those small breathy hitches became moaning pants in my ear and she let go for me. All the longing, all the worry, all the fear that this would never happen again flew away as fiery pleasure ran through my veins. I clutched her tighter and fell into her, letting myself go as she had just done.

  She wrapped me in her arms and legs as I slid my hands from her hips to gather her close, still inside her, connected by more than our bodies this time. Something else had passed between us, primal and essential.

  I started to move us so I could lie down with her, but she stopped me. “Don’t leave me, Everett. Stay inside, I like you here.”

  “I love you,” I whispered. “I’ve been in love with you for so long, Willa. I don’t expect you to say it back. But I can’t be here like this with you, inside you, feeling so much, and not say it.” Her head lifted from my shoulder. Her eyes darted to mine and I froze, still as a statue beneath her. A glorious smile lit up her face as those gorgeous blue eyes of hers sparkled with unshed tears.

  “I love you, too,” she murmured. “I’m not afraid to let myself love you anymore. We deserve this, Everett. You take care of me. I take care of you. That’s the way it’s gonna be with us. Easy, just like you said.” The tears sparkling on her lashes fell, flowing like a crystal river down her cheeks.

  “Always,” I promised, brushing her tears away with my thumbs as she nodded. “Why are you crying, sweetness?” I cupped her cheeks and placed a kiss on her forehead.

  “You told me you love me. But you have been loving me the whole time I’ve known you. What you say is what you do, Everett. How could this be real?”

  “It’s real. I’ll show you every day.”

  “I’ll show you the same. I swear it,” as soon as the promise left her mouth, I sealed it with a kiss.

  “I have to work at the shop all day tomorrow. Spend the day with me?” Realizing that this could be our life together and thrilling to the prospect, I smiled at her.

  Her eyes softened on mine. “Yes. I need a day off, and I would love to spend it with you.”

  “Those are words I’ve been waiting to hear. Let’s go to sleep, sweetheart.” I shifted us to lie down, flicking the covers up, tucking us in.

  After more whispered I love yous, she fell asleep. With her sleepy head on my chest, and her hand held in mine, I was in heaven. The starlight from the window illuminated her face, soft in sleep, lips pursed in a perfect cupid’s bow. She was the loveliest thing I had ever seen, almost too beautiful to be real. I pulled the blanket higher to cover her shoulder, then with a soft kiss to her sweet cheek, I relaxed against the pillows and drifted off into my dream come true.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Willa

  “Girls, there is something I know for an absolute fact. Ain’t one thing in the world a man won’t do for you if you yell loud enough.”

  Momma

  The words were red and bold, painted on my front door when I finally made it outside after getting ready for the day. “Whore,” written in huge block letters just waiting for the neighbors to see. Just waiting for my heart to rip out, and for me to cry like I used to whenever he called me names. But not this time. This time, instead of capitulating to his cruelty and groveling for his approval, I found myself lost in a strange euphoria where I felt happy and completely pissed off at the same time. Or maybe I was happy because I was pissed off, instead of off crying in a corner somewhere. Rolling with it, I stalked over to the garage to gather cleaning supplies. Bizarrely, I was glad he did this. A smile, wide and pure filled my face, joining the ice-cold rag
e in my heart, as I searched in Everett’s cupboards for something to scrub away Tommy’s extremely misguided attempt to cow me.

  “God, Willa. I just saw the door. Are you okay? Wyatt just called; they haven’t found him yet.” Everett rushed in, taking me in his arms from behind.

  “I’m totally fucking fine. I’m about to clean that mess up.” I spun to face him, not able to resist placing a kiss on his gorgeous, generous, magically oh-so-capable mouth. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is. You’re all right?” His eyes were wide and speculative on my face as a small smile traced across his lips

  “I’m serious. In the weirdest way ever, I am happy he did this. I’m kind of scared, but I’m mostly mad, and that is a first for me—” I gestured wildly to my front door. “This is classic Tommy manipulation. He’s trying to knock me off balance, make me try to win back his approval. It took me a long time to see what he had been doing to me, that gaslighting bastard. And after all this? Kicking the door, spray painting your house, fighting with you at dinner—he’s going back to prison. Once they catch him, he’s gone.”

  “Yeah, you’re right about that. It’s just a matter of time. I’ll help you clean up and then we’ll head to the shop for the day.” He took the bucket from my hand similarly to how someone would take a live nuclear warhead from a psychopath—gingerly, with extreme caution. I grabbed scrub brushes and the container of cleanser from the work bench to hurl them inside the bucket.

  “It’s a mother-flipping plan, man.” I stuck out my hand for a high-five. With lips quirked to the side and a wide-eyed head shake, he smacked palms with me.

  “I’ve never seen you like this,” he said cautiously.

  “You and me both! I’ve never felt like this. I’m free, Everett! This proves it. I feel nothing for him. Not. One. Thing. Except for an extreme amount of anger that I even need to deal with his dumb ass after spending so much time and money getting that divorce. Something clicked for me last night. He can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do. I have a stun gun, Everett, and I have you. Plus, once they catch him, he’ll be back in prison where he belongs. And I’m so mad right now that I could probably kick his ass all by myself.”