by Erika Kelly
He opened his mouth to challenge her, but her fierce expression shut him up.
“Zach left Hugo Rossi to work with you. He could get a call from Ralph Lauren and take off…” She snapped her fingers. “Like that. You’re leaving for New Zealand in a few weeks, and your posse might just decide to go with you. And they can. They can, because there’s nothing at stake for them. They can walk away from my business and not lose a single night’s sleep over it. So, no matter what you say, the bottom line is I’m very much alone. And that’s not a complaint. I’m just saying that I’m the only one completely invested here, because it’s my career, my paycheck. Without it, I have nothing.”
“I don’t know what bag you’re talking about, but Amelia’s parents run a bait and tackle shop in Key West. If she owns an expensive purse, it’s because she makes enough money at Duck Dive to afford it. We work hard, and we play hard. As for me…” He went into freefall, like flying off the edge of a cliff and hoping like hell he landed on a patch of snow and not rock, but he forged ahead. He’d hidden the truth long enough. “I have loved you since I was six years old. Every second you spent holding Robert’s undeserving hand, every time you got into his truck and drove off with him, it felt like ripping my heart right out of my chest.”
“Gray.” It was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen her, and it touched him.
“But now that I’ve had you to myself, I can promise you, whatever I felt back then doesn’t come close to how I feel today. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
“I think so.” Her voice came out soft, almost incredulous.
But she didn’t trust it. “Then let me make it clearer. It’s more than liking you, which I do. I like your passion for your work, your drive and ambition. I like the way you are with Zach, Amelia, Callie and Delilah, the way you really listen to them. It’s also more than being attracted to you, which I am.” Anxiety covered him like a fog. Exposing himself to a woman who didn’t feel the same way…it could not turn out well. But like hell if he wouldn’t take his shot. “It’s that my cells are formatted for you. My heart…” How did he explain it? “My heart beats in rhythm with yours. I loved you as a boy, but as a man who’s spent time with you, kissed you…this is a whole other level. You might’ve imprinted on me as a kid, but you’re in my blood now. Whether you want me as a man or a business partner or as nothing more than a friend, I’m committed to you. To us.”
Beneath the wariness, the thrill of his message shimmered in her eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”
Then he’d show her. Tipping her chin, he lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed gently, wanting her to feel how much he cared. But the minute her lips softened, parted, and he got a hint of wet heat, he licked inside, and that damn pounding in his blood to own this woman, body and soul, overtook him.
Her scent filled his senses, hurling him back in time to dry summer days when they’d hiked the Bowie Pass, after school in her trailer, laying side-by-side on her bed, feet braced against the wall, as they’d held stupid and hilarious conversations through her Etch-a-Sketch.
To the kiss in the hotel room, when she’d lost control and clung to him with desperation.
To the other night on the trampoline, her hips twisting, fingers pulling his hair. The sounds she’d made from his touch.
With the clatter of rain on the roof, he lost himself in the intimacy of the moment, the privacy…the seclusion. He deepened the kiss, his tongue searching for acquiescence…surrender.
Want me, Knox. Want me as much as I want you.
Jesus, fuck. He’d said it out loud, his voice, deep, growly, like a command.
Everything changed in that moment. She got up on her toes and threw her arms around his neck. “I do.” She pressed closer to him, her plump breasts on his chest, her hips shifting restlessly over his painfully hard erection. “God, Gray, of course I do.”
His body rejoiced in the invitation. He kissed her, his hands caressing down her slender back and over the rising slope of her ass. When she gave a desperate moan, he lost it. Clutching those firm, round cheeks, he held her tightly to him, bending his knees slightly, and rocking up into the space between her legs.
With a wild look in her eyes, she wrenched her mouth away and said his name on a sigh. “I’ve never felt anything like this. It scares me, Gray. It scares me so much.”
“I got you. I swear…I got you.” Trust me.
She went wild, hands gripping his hair, kissing him with a fervor that made his composure slip, then fade away. He needed more.
Right the fuck now.
He carried her to the wall and pressed her hard against it. One part of his brain still probed, flashed, waiting for a signal that she didn’t want this—because he’d lived with the belief that she didn’t return his feelings for so damn long—but her urgency, the desperate sounds she made told him she wanted him every bit as much. He’d never felt so plugged in, so alive.
Hitching her up so he could balance her with one hand, he cupped her jaw and deepened the kiss. She fisted the hair at the back of his neck so tightly it hurt, but knowing she was that turned on? It was fucking everything.
His hand shifted lower, until it closed over her breast, cupping and caressing. She arched her back, pressing her core against him and grinding. He had to have her, had to. His hand shoved under her sweater but got tangled up in all that material.
“Wait.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she lifted it up and over her head and sent it sailing. Pressing her shoulder blades against the wall, she arched her breasts to him in invitation.
“Fuck, Knox. Gotta have you.” He peeled back the cup of her bra, and all that peachy flesh spilled out, the nipple puckered and hard. He covered it with his palm and rubbed his thumb over it, so fucking turned on by her response.
“Gray. God.” Her legs banded around his waist in a possessive hold.
He dove in to kiss it, licking and sucking, as she gasped.
“I’ve never…I can’t…” And then she cried out in frustration.
It sent a spasm of need through him, and he set her down. He ripped open the buttons on his jeans, tipping a chin to her leggings. “Off.”
She stripped out of them and kicked them away, her pink panties tangled in the black. Grabbing his shoulders, she pulled him back and kissed him with a hunger that only fueled the ageless, burning desire he had for her. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and electricity tore down his spine, lifting the fine hairs at the back of his neck.
He grabbed her ass cheeks, hauling her tightly against him. “I want you like I’ve never wanted anything in my life, but I don’t have a condom.”
With her gaze on his chest and her hands roaming greedily, he thought for a moment she hadn’t heard him. But, slowly, she reached for the back of his neck, sifted her fingers through his hair, and whispered, “When was the last time you were with someone?”
Oh, fuck. He reached between them, squeezing his dick to relieve some of the pressure. But nothing helped. He was desperate for her. “Not since spring, when I was tested at the training facility.”
She batted his hand away, rubbing his erection with the heel of her hand. “You didn’t hook up with anybody during Titans?”
Sensation exploded in him, and he wrapped his hand around hers. Harder. “No.”
With a half-lidded gaze, she circled the head of his dick with her thumb. “You feel so good.”
He needed to come so badly, but even more, he wanted her hands on him. “You’d just come back into my life. You think I wanted some random piece of ass?”
Her complexion, clear and smooth, turned pink, and everything in her softened. But it was that little sigh of pleasure that did him in. He needed her now. With bent knees, he lifted her off the ground and pressed her against the wall. “We doing this?”
Her hands clasped behind his neck, her body trembled as she licked her lips. “Yes, God, now.”
Gently, he lowered her onto his cock. He slid in, nice and slow, be
cause he’d waited a lifetime to see the look in her eyes when he filled her. And it was worth all the agony to watch her eyes go lazy, to hear her sensual, erotic moan.
He took his time, so he could feel every nerve-ending in his cock light up as it passed through her slick, hot channel. Holy fuck. She felt so good, smelled so good, everything about her just made his heart sing.
“Move, Gray.” She pumped her hips.
It might be his only time, so he needed to savor every moment of pleasure. He sank in all the way and then eased back out. Yes. Jesus, yes.
“More…need you…” Her voice had gone wispier, her ass wriggling.
Then, with a snap of his hips, it was on. He couldn’t hold back anymore. She felt too good, too right. This woman…everything about her called to him, drove him wild.
“Yes. Oh, yes.” She moved in rhythm with him, skin slapping, urgency rising.
The heat their bodies generated had their scents mingling, combining in a potent perfume of lust. And he knew—he just fucking knew—this was it. It would never get better than this.
Her legs tightened around him, her hips tilting, swiveling. “Gray.” Her voice came out breathy.
Oh, fuck, yes. So hot. She felt so good. So fucking good. Every thrust drove him closer to the edge. The slap of skin against skin, the hot surge of her desire coating him, drove him closer to ecstasy.
Her hands clutched his back, while her hips slammed against him, meeting the fervency of his thrusts. “Oh, my God. Oh, God.”
He was so close, on the edge, but he needed to bring her there with him. Needed her to crash with him. “Knox.” The sound came out a whisper, a plea. Her chin jerked up, and the moment she caught his gaze, a sting of awareness burst in his chest.
She looked so sexy, so soft and sweet, and catching her in this unguarded moment made him feel so fucking tender toward her. The intimacy was almost too much, too intense. And he knew she felt it, too, because she closed her eyes, fingers digging into his back.
Look at me. He thrust hard, and her eyelids flew open. While he had her right there with him, he reached between their bodies and found her sensitive nub.
Still watching him, she spasmed. “Gray.”
Flames singed his scalp, his balls drew in tight, and the base of his spine tingled. The roar of his orgasm powered through him, transporting out of his body, and he let out a shout so loud it echoed in the room.
She grew more frantic, her hips twisting, until her head fell back on a cry with her release. He slowed his pumps, desperate to stay inside her, to stay connected, but he pulled out and lowered his head, trying to get control of his heart rate.
Limbs still trembling, he sucked in a breath. He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe he’d finally been with Knox…Jesus. It had been better than any fantasy he’d ever had of them.
But, while he was riding his high, she was gathering her clothes. “We should probably go.”
All the liquid heat in his veins froze at her tone. He reached for her arm. “Knox?”
She shook her head with a fragile smile. “I’m sorry. I’m just…confused and a little lost and…I don’t know. Let’s just go to the real estate office right now.”
Chapter Fourteen
The storm had passed, leaving puddles and dripping leaves. Of course, in a mountain town like Calamity, a little thing like weather didn’t deter tourists and locals from coming out and enjoying the town. Bazoo’s Mercantile, with its regional gifts and souvenirs, always did a lively business, and the diner was packed with families seeking an early dinner.
As they stepped outside the real estate agency that faced the town green, Gray wanted to pump a fist in victory—Knox had just signed a lease. One glance at her dazed expression, though, dampened his mood.
He didn’t know what he could say to make this commitment easier for her. “That was brilliant. I can’t believe you got them to go month-to-month.”
“Well, we did christen the place. It wasn’t like they could lease it to anyone else.” Her smile sparked, then died.
“You want to grab some dinner before we go home?”
“I should probably get back to work. I can’t afford to fall behind, and I won’t have any help until I can move into the new space.”
“What if each sewer takes a machine home and continues working? We could move some of them into the main house. There’s plenty of room there. Keep a couple in the bunkhouse, another at Fin’s. We could…”
He stopped when he caught her expression. Fond? Actually…a little adoring. “What?”
Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, she tugged him toward her. “You’re amazing, that’s what.” She planted a kiss on his mouth, then wiped the lipstick off with her fingertips. Hope rushed him hard. Until she said, “Thank you.”
He didn’t want her fucking gratitude. He wanted her to be in this with him—for it to become natural for them to stand by each other, help each other, love each other.
But that kind of closeness took time. Time he wouldn’t have, once competition season started. Snugging an arm around her waist, he lowered his mouth to her ear. “There’s no obstacle anyone can put in front of us that we can’t tackle together.”
She gazed up at him, reading into the depths of his eyes. “I’m starting to believe you.”
That’s all I can ask for. “Come on.” He headed in the direction of his truck. “Let’s get you back.”
They stepped off the sidewalk and crossed the street to the town green. In the summer, there’d be live music; in the winter, sleigh rides. Now, a couple huddled in the gazebo, hands wrapped around Calamity Joe coffee cups, while their two little kids in bright yellow rainboots stomped in puddles. Two teens held hands, as they strode purposefully across the wet grass.
“I still can’t believe he did this to me. You know?” She gazed up at him. “Like, he had to come up with this plan, do an internet search for Calamity, find our town hall…he put such an effort into ratting me out. It’s just so…extreme.”
Luc. Knox had jokingly asked the town inspector if someone with a French accent had tipped them off. The way his expression froze gave them their answer. Gray doubted they got a lot of calls from Parisians reporting a nefarious business operating out of the Bowie ranch. “He sounds like a punk.”
“He’s trying to close all my doors, so I have no choice but to go back to him. That’s never going to happen. He can go fuck himself.” She stopped right there on the sidewalk. “You know what? I don’t want to go back to the bunkhouse and eat some cheese and bread. I want chicken enchiladas at the Tavern. You in?”
He loved the gleam in her eyes. “You going to spring for guacamole and nachos?”
“Might even toss in a margarita.” She turned back and headed toward Sweet Baby Jane’s.
But the moment they hit the sidewalk, she towed him into an alcove and pushed him against the wall. She threw her arms around his neck. “You are…” She drew in a breath and held it for a moment. “Gorgeous. And amazing. And I…”
Is this a brush-off? It sounds like one. Gorgeous, amazing…those are empty words. She could use them on any number of people. “Yeah, I know. You’re not looking for a relationship. It’s fine. We’re cool.” He glanced away. “Let’s grab some dinner.”
“Wait. I want to say something.”
Please don’t.
“I’m scared. I’m leasing a building in the town I swore I’d never come back to. My dream’s still in reach, but the path has changed completely, and I’m just…”
Yep. Not looking for anything serious.
“I’m falling for you, Gray. In a big way. And that scares me more than anything.” She placed both palms on his chest.
Oh, fuck, yes. He wanted to tell her she didn’t need to be scared. That they’d figure out everything together. But she needed to get there on her own. “I’m in this, Knox. You have to know that.”
“It’s just…it feels so dangerous. More dangerous than anything else I’m doing.” Worry
hardened into determination. “But I want us. And maybe that’s what’s so terrifying. How very much I want us to work out.”
“I do, too.” You have no idea. “This is good, Knox. We’re good.”
“We are. It’s never been like this with anyone before.”
For one ugly moment, Robert reared like an apparition between them. And it was time to address it. “That’s not exactly true. You and Robert had more good years than bad.”
“As kids, we were each other’s secret treehouse, but as teenagers…I didn’t like him.”
Anxiety churned its way through his guts. “What’re you saying?
“I’m saying this…us…. This is magic. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
Relief breezed through him, clearing out the unease and tension.
“I just want you to know that…I never thought in a million years I could have you like this.”
When she gestured to his half-hard cock, he burst out laughing.
Her features colored. “I don’t know why I pointed there. I’m saying—”
“I get it, and I’m glad you laid it out there.” His mouth sealed over hers, and he kissed her.
It wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t a public display of affection. It was a deep-in-the-night, two-bodies-under-the-covers, take-what-you-need burning, wild passion. And it made his scalp tingle, and his dick go hard.
“You make me crazy.” He pulled away before he lost himself completely. “Let’s get some dinner.” He headed out of the alcove.
He almost couldn’t believe this was real. He had his heart.
His whole heart.
* * *
Sweet Baby Jane’s Tavern was rockin’. Live music by the stone hearth mixed with the loud conversation at the town’s busiest bar.
