Another twenty minutes outside of Woodmont and off a back road, Kyle pulled up to a huge expanse of land. In the distance, the sun was almost gone, and the two of them got out of the vehicle to watch, hand in hand, as rich hues of pink, purple, and blues stretched across the horizon.
“A beautiful way to end a perfect day,” Ella said appreciatively.
“This is how I want to end every day with you,” he said, giving her soft hand a squeeze in his.
She tipped her head curiously at him. “Watching a sunset?”
He nodded. “Yes. Specifically, this one. Right here. Like this.”
She laughed, and he couldn’t blame her for the odd look she was giving him. “It’s kind of far to drive to every night, don’t you think?”
Kyle turned toward her and took both of her hands in his, wanting to make sure she understood what he was about to say. “It won’t be far to drive to it at all, because this is where we’re going to live.”
Her breath caught, and her eyes grew round. “What?”
Confusion. Disbelief. Hope. It all flitted across her expression and told him he’d made the right decision to buy this plot of land. “This right here is your wedding gift, Sunshine,” he said, smiling at her. “Over ten acres of land. I’m going to build you a house here. And it’s going to be big so we can fill it with love and laughter and at least three kids and a dog and a cat. Hell, we’ve got so much land you can have a farm if you want,” he added teasingly. “The best part is, it’s only twenty minutes away from your store, and twenty minutes closer to the city for my work.”
“Nice compromise, City Boy,” she said in a voice that reflected the tears shimmering in her eyes.
“Right?” He laughed for a moment, then grew serious as he reached out and skimmed his fingers along her pretty face. A face he was going to be lucky enough to look at for the rest of his days. “But it honestly doesn’t matter where we live. You are my home, Ella. Where you are, that will always be home to me.”
She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against the palm of his hand. “I’m not sure I deserve you.”
“Yes, you do. We deserve each other.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her, slow and sensual and packed with emotion. “I love you, Mrs. Coleman,” he murmured against her lips.
“And I love you, Mr. Coleman,” she whispered, then grinned against his mouth. “Now let’s go consummate this marriage.”
It was an order Kyle wasn’t about to refuse.
Rock Solid
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORS
CARLY PHILLIPS
ERIKA WILDE
New York Times Bestselling Authors Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde bring you a new fun, flirty, standalone romance.
Connor Prescott doesn’t do one night stands (yes, ladies, he’s an anomaly) so when he meets a beautiful woman during a snowed in night at the airport who wants to forget her heartache, he makes an exception. Their night together is incendiary, and by morning Connor wants more . . . except his sexy stranger is gone. He’s pretty sure he’ll never see her again, until three and a half years later she finds him, and changes his entire world with three little words . . . You’re a daddy.
Chapter One
Valentine’s Day, three years and seven months ago.
She caught his eye the moment she sat across from him in the Denver airport terminal. It wasn’t her gorgeous blonde hair or her long, slender legs or the hourglass curve of her waist and hips or even the firm, ample breasts shaped beneath the long-sleeve turtleneck top that held Connor Prescott’s attention. No, it was her big, dark brown eyes and her tentative smile as their gazes met for a brief second before she glanced down at the cell phone in her hand.
That quick glimpse at her pretty face was just enough for him to catch the subtle heartache in her expression that no woman ought to be feeling on Valentine’s Day, and he found himself curious as to what had caused that show of vulnerable emotion.
While she scrolled through her phone with a slight frown marring her brows, he looked at her left hand. There wasn’t a ring on her finger, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t already taken. But it definitely gave him a bit of hope that maybe they could get to know each other better, because with the snowstorm rolling into Denver that afternoon, he had a feeling it was going to be a long night at the airport.
They hadn’t cancelled his flight to Chicago, where he lived. Yet. But Connor was pretty sure that’s where things were headed, especially with the snow flurries starting outside. The incoming flight to this gate was already delayed, and by the time it landed and passengers disembarked, he was betting that the airport would have made the decision to stop all flights for the night.
It was supposed to be one of those quick and dirty blizzards, the kind that dumped a good twelve to twenty inches of snow in a short period of time. Most likely, by tomorrow in the late afternoon or evening, the runways would be cleared, the planes deiced, flights would have resumed their regular schedules, and the thousands of people at the airport would be scrambling to rebook their seats to their destination.
But for now, it was a sit-and-wait situation. Maybe they’d get out before everything was shut down . . . and maybe not.
He returned his attention to the stranger sitting across from his seat, just in time to see her avert her gaze away from him and bite her lower lip as she looked at her phone again. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his mouth. So, she’d been checking him out while he’d been looking out the window at the weather. Definitely a positive sign.
He was just getting ready to strike up a casual conversation, but before he could say anything, she abruptly stood, grabbed the handle of her carry-on luggage, and walked away from the sitting area at their gate. He watched her go—and damn, those black jeans she wore drew his gaze to the perfect, rounded curves of her ass. He debated whether or not to follow and decided against it so he didn’t look like a complete stalker. Most likely, she was going to the ladies’ room and would return in a few minutes.
Except she didn’t come back. Half an hour later, his cell phone buzzed with an alert from the airlines, notifying him that his flight had been cancelled. No big surprise there. That message was followed by an announcement over the intercom informing travelers that the entire airport was now shut down until tomorrow morning, or afternoon, depending on how fast the storm blew through. He was stuck in Denver for at least another twenty-four hours.
The last thing Connor wanted to do was sleep on one of the uncomfortable chairs or on the floor with a few thousand other people. He quickly got online, looked up the Westin Denver International Airport Hotel, which was connected directly to the airport terminal, and tried to book a room. He could have walked there, but in the twenty minutes it would take to get to the adjoining hotel, he was fairly certain every room would be gone. As it was, the only thing left that he could get was an executive two-bedroom suite, which was a small fortune and more space than he needed, but hey, the guys—his partners at Premier Realty—had elected to send him to Denver on company business, so tough shit, he thought, and didn’t hesitate to book it.
Room secured, he texted his sister, Natalie—who was supposed to pick him up when he landed—to give her an update on his situation, then waited around another half an hour like an infatuated teenage boy to see if the intriguing stranger came back, only to be met with extreme disappointment.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he’d missed lunch and he was no longer just hungry but starved. He picked up his travel bag and headed down the concourse toward the hotel, trying to decide where to eat. Every place was jam-packed since so many people were stranded, and he didn’t want crappy fast food. Being served a substantial burger and a beer was his preference before he checked into his room for the rest of the afternoon and night.
He came across Boulder Beer Tap House, and bingo, he’d found his restaurant. He made his way inside and was told he could seat himself—and he would have if there had been room at the bar or a vac
ant table anywhere in the place.
And then fate smiled upon him. Sitting alone at a small, two-seat table in the corner of the restaurant was his beautiful blonde. And the fact that she was eating a burger and drinking a glass of beer, well, he was almost in love because she was his kind of girl. Unassuming. Down-to-earth. Unpretentious. A woman who enjoyed a hearty meal and a dark ale over a diet-conscious salad and a frilly cocktail.
Allowing a charming smile to curve his lips, he started in her direction. After taking a bite of her burger, she wiped her mouth with her napkin as she glanced up, clearly looking right at him as he approached. He didn’t miss the awareness that flashed through her eyes or the subtle attraction as her gaze took in the width of his muscled chest beneath the navy blue long-sleeve Henley he wore. Surprisingly, her appraisal didn’t stop there . . . No, it did a slow, appreciative perusal down the rest of his body, then back up again.
He was a big guy. Everywhere. Tall and solidly built from manual labor, with linebacker shoulders he’d put to good use in college and long legs that completed his six-foot-five frame. He’d already estimated that he was close to six inches taller than she was the moment she stood up back at the gate, and he could easily imagine how perfectly she’d fit against him, in all the right places.
By the time he’d reached her table, her head was tipped back to look up at his face, her eyes wide with surprise that he’d sought her out. And then she absently licked her bottom lip, and fuck, the action was so guileless, and so damn hot. His dick twitched at the thought of that sexy mouth and that soft, pink tongue wrapped around his cock. Jesus, it had been a long time since he’d had such a visceral reaction to a woman . . . and he welcomed it . . . and sent up a small prayer in hopes that she was single so he could pursue the chemistry that was clearly mutual.
She was still staring at him with those big brown eyes, curious and unsure, and he broke the silence hanging between them. “The place is a little busy and you’ve got the only free seat in the house,” he said, indicating the vacant chair across from her. “Mind if I join you?”
She paused for a moment, just long enough for Connor to catch a quick glimmer of wariness and uncertainty in her expression. He braced himself for a rejection—there was obviously something going on with her—but then she gave her head a shake and the emotions cleared.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I just . . . You caught me off guard. Of course you can join me. Have a seat.” The warm, sweet smile she gave him made up for her previous hesitation.
He grinned back at her as he settled himself in the wooden chair and dropped his duffel bag at his feet. “I’m Connor,” he said, stretching his hand across the table toward her—to introduce himself, and because selfishly, he wanted to touch her and feel the connection between them.
She quickly wiped her hand on her napkin, looking adorably chagrined as she returned the gesture. “Sorry, my fingers are kind of greasy from the burger. I’m Katie.”
“No worries. I’m all about a good greasy burger.” He shook her hand, holding on a little longer than necessary, enjoying the softness of her skin and the slight hitch to her breath and the flare of awareness in her gaze as he skimmed his calloused thumb across her knuckles before letting go.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Katie,” he said, releasing her hand. “Thank you for letting me crash your meal. I’m starved and it’s obviously going to be a long night.”
“True,” she agreed, revealing she was also aware of the airport shutting down for the night. “And I really don’t mind sharing the table, though I can’t guarantee that I’m great company right now, so I apologize ahead of time if I’m not very . . . personable.”
Which explained the range of emotions she’d already displayed thus far. “Bad day?” he asked, tipping his head curiously.
She glanced down at her plate and tried for a casual shrug, but it was weighted by something much heavier. “Yeah, you could say that.”
He waited for her to say more, but she didn’t, and then their waitress came by the table, clearly frazzled by how slammed the restaurant was.
“Do you need a menu?” she asked Connor.
“Nope.” Wanting to make things as easy as possible for the stressed-out server, he pointed to Katie’s plate. “I’ll have exactly what she’s having. The burger and the beer.”
“And I’ll have another one of these,” Katie said, tapping her nearly empty glass of ale.
“Thank you,” the young girl said, relieved that they’d given her a simple and straightforward order before she moved on to the more demanding customers sitting at the next table.
He returned his attention to the lovely woman sitting across from him as she finished off her beer. “So, you come here often?” Yeah, it was a cheesy line, but it was a good icebreaker.
The corner of her mouth quirked with amusement. “To this restaurant, or Denver?”
He chuckled as he leaned back in his chair, liking this feistier side to her personality. It was so much better than the wariness. “Denver,” he clarified. “Do you live here or are you leaving after a visit?” It was a casual question, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t fishing for more personal information, because it would be much easier to see her again if they at least lived in the same city.
Yeah, he was already thinking that far ahead, because there was something about Katie that sparked an interest he hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever. It was that combination of sweetness along with the few glimpses of vulnerability he’d already seen that fascinated him and stirred that protective nature of his. He wasn’t sure why she evoked those emotions, but it was enough for him to want to pursue her and see where it might lead.
The humor he’d coaxed from her moments ago evaporated. “I’m leaving Denver . . . after being utterly humiliated,” she admitted. “I’m heading back to Chicago, where I live, because I seriously need to reassess my life and make some changes.”
Her unexpected reply took him aback and had him wondering what, exactly, had happened to her. Katie’s fluctuating emotions now made sense, but he could tell there was a whole lot more to her story. Just when he decided to ask, their waitress came by with their beers and his hamburger, stealing the moment away from him.
As well as giving Katie the opportunity to redirect the conversation. “What about you?” she asked before taking a drink of her chilled beer.
Clearly, she wasn’t going to elaborate on those life changes she felt compelled to make. There was no doubt that Connor wanted to know her secrets, but he also wanted her to share them freely. “I was here on business attending a conference on real estate investments,” he told her as he piled the lettuce, tomato, and pickles on the thick meat patty, then pressed the bun back on top before picking up the burger for a big bite.
He chewed, swallowed, and continued. “I live in Chicago, as well.” Then he gave her a sympathetic look. “And I’m really sorry about whatever happened to humiliate you.”
She leaned back in her chair, her pained expression quickly becoming eclipsed by a slow-building anger as she considered the situation. “Honestly, I should have seen it coming.”
“Seen what coming?” he asked after another bite, gently providing her with the opportunity to open up, because he could see that she was struggling with the desire to give that frustration inside of her some kind of outlet.
Lips pursed, she shook her head and glanced away. “Trust me, it’s a long, completely embarrassing story that no guy wants to hear.”
“Try me.” She remained skeptical, and he was suddenly determined to prove her wrong about him not caring about her bad day. “I’ve got all night. Literally. And so do you, now that our flight has been cancelled. And if it makes you feel any better, I swear that whatever you say in Denver will absolutely stay in Denver.” Grinning at her, he made a small cross over his heart with his index finger to seal the promise, and counted the tiny peek of a smile that appeared on her lips as a sm
all victory.
“You’re very . . . persuasive.”
He shrugged as he finished off his burger, his appetite sated for now. Pushing aside his plate, he braced his forearms on the table in front of him. “Honestly, I just think it might help to get whatever is bothering you off your chest. Blow off some steam and release all that stress and aggravation so you can breathe again without feeling like someone is sitting on your chest.”
She nodded absently. “It does feel that way,” she admitted.
“No pressure,” he said, putting both his hands up in an easygoing gesture, though he wasn’t below trying a little reverse psychology. “But I also understand if it’s something you don’t want to discuss.”
She tipped her head to the side and eyed him perceptively as he took a drink of his beer. “You’re a stranger, and I don’t even know you, at least not well enough to share something so personal with you.”
He was hoping to change all that over the course of their time together, which was at least the next twenty-four hours. “Even better, don’t you think? Who am I going to tell your story to that it’ll matter?”
“That’s true,” she murmured, seemingly considering his offer to listen. As she thought it over and drank her second beer, he watched as she sat up a bit straighter in her chair and her chin lifted with a spark of rebellion.
“You know what? You’re right,” she said, her voice firm and determined, matching the sudden flash of defiance that lit her eyes. “I do want to talk about it, because I’m so done letting that jerk make me feel like what happened is all my fault when he’s the one who screwed up.”
He raised his brows in surprise over her pronouncement, but there was no denying he really liked this new, gutsy attitude of hers. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
She downed the rest of her beer, probably for extra fortitude, Connor guessed. “I came to Denver to surprise my boyfriend of eight months for Valentine’s Day because I thought he was on a business trip this weekend and would hopefully have the evening free. And since things have been strained between us, and more than a little . . . lackluster in the bedroom lately, I thought I’d surprise him and spice things up with some fantasy sex.”
The Book Boyfriend Series Box Set Page 51
