by Kinney Scott
After two beers, Natalie began to relax, enjoying the prospect of making friends in her temporary home. She leaned into the group of friends, laughing, sharing drinks and grabbing a cheesy chip loaded with sour cream, popping it in her mouth. The warmth radiating from Kent’s hand at the small of her back began to feel natural. Maybe she would follow Kelsey’s advice and spend time with Kent. He left no doubt that he would be willing to show her around Ashwood.
From behind, a low voice rumbled, “Hey Kent, how’s it going?” All eyes turned to Seth as he stood behind them. “Natalie, good to see you again. Why don’t you join me for a dance?” She slipped out from under Kent’s arm, as Seth pulled her towards him, seeming to stake a claim that Kent was not happy about, but did not challenge.
“Ok, sure, I’ll be back in a bit,” Nate, stammered to her new crowd of friends, as Seth held her hand and pulled her from the table to the heat of the dance floor.
“That was weird” Molly and Mandy simultaneously whispered about their cousin. “Seriously, he doesn’t ever hang out with local girls.”
“Natalie isn’t really local. She will be leaving at the end of summer, so I guess she is fair game,” Kelsey pointed out, while Kent clenched his jaw. His predatory gaze found the couple on the dance floor as Seth pulled Natalie closer to him swaying to a slow country song.
Kent’s narrowed stare intensified, what the hell is Seth up to? He seemed pissed at Nate yesterday in town, and now he’s trying to grind her on the dance floor. Shit, if he grabs her ass, I’m putting an end to it.
Perched high on her slim heels, Natalie tipped slightly forward feeling encased in Seth’s arms, not only was he tall, he had a physical presence that framed a protective space around her. She breathed in his scent, soap and wood. It must be from all the fresh cut lumber he worked with, and something warm and musky that drew her in for more. “I think I owe you an explanation, about who I am, or who I led you to think I was,” she stuttered nervously.
Natalie had planned to see Seth at his shop in the morning. The shop would have been far more appropriate and put some professional distance between them for this necessary conversation. His presence was scrambling her brain.
All her well thought out explanations disappeared as she lost herself in the pressure of his hard muscled chest. It brushed across her nipples causing them to pearl against him. His thighs pushed forward parting her stance. He intentionally pressed into her soft mound when she attempted to back away to gain a little space. Natalie simply couldn’t think well enough to form a coherent sentence with Seth’s hard body stirring so close to hers.
She took a breath then attempted to explain, “Well, at first I wasn’t aware of the confusion. I mean everyone calls me Nate. It’s just a natural way for me to sign my name...I began to look forward to… I mean …well I didn’t want our conversations to stop.”
He just stared at her blue eyes, fighting the need to seize her mouth and kiss her in front of half the town. Her low sexy whisper continued, “So when I clued in that you thought I was a guy, I guess I chose not to say anything. It was, I don’t know, deceptive. But I’m not sneaky or anything. I was just enjoying our emails and hoped they wouldn’t stop.” She stared up at him hoping he would put her out of her misery and say something…anything at all.
Seth pulled her closer, enjoying the pressure of her pliant body against his. She smelled like vanilla, and something else he could not quite place. He knew he was making her nervous, and basked in his power to rattle Natalie. She looked even more alluring as the blush spread more deeply across her chest. He imagined the lace peeking from her top as it rasped against his tongue, would taste like vanilla.
Most of all he did not want the pressure of his thighs to pull away from her soft warmth. Using the spread of his fingers across her lower back, he held her firmly in place. Then simply said, “Pretty obvious you aren’t a guy.”
“I really am sorry Seth, I hope this won’t impact our ability to work on my house together. If you don’t want to work with me I’m sure Kent will show me what needs to be done. He would be happy to show me the ropes, with your guidance of course.”
Ropes. Now that brought all sorts of ideas into his head. Absolutely none included Kent. “Kent won’t take lead on this build. Natalie, I want you working with me.”
“That’s great Seth, I feel like you already know what I’m thinking about on the house, and I really hope everything runs smoothly. Thank you for being so understanding.” Natalie took a deep breath as she sighed in relief.
Her breasts lifted a bit higher out of the low cut of her green tank top. The lace clung to her flushed pink body. Natalie leaned forward intentionally sinking into the hard plane of his chest desperate for a little more contact with Seth’s heat. Too soon, the song came to an end. Disappointment swept over Seth. He had to release Natalie, determined to find a way to keep her close for the rest of the evening.
From the moment he met her yesterday in the parking lot, Natalie had occupied his thoughts. After the song ended, she began walking toward the table filled with her new friends. Kent made eye contact with Nate. His stare encouraged her to take her seat again, next to him. His hand still draped possessively across the back of her chair.
Seth pulled his gaze away from her swaying ass, eyes locking for a moment on Kent. “Hey, Natalie, have you had a chance to get anything to eat besides bar food tonight?” He said as he grasped her elbow, pivoting her around to look up into his dark blue eyes.
“I’m used to living on coffee and Top Ramen…you know college life…so these chili fries actually seemed like a pretty good option.” She smiled and waited for him to release her arm.
He pulled her away from the group, and then turned to Kelsey as she leaned into a pool shot. “Kels, I’ll make sure Natalie gets home, we are going to grab something to eat.”
Kelsey’s head turned as her eyebrows shot up, “are you O.K. with that Nate?” More than a little disappointed, when Nate nodded. She hoped Natalie would refuse Seth, and choose to stay with Kent and the rest of her friends for the evening.
Then Natalie spoke, “Sure, Kels, I’ll be fine, Seth and I need to talk about my tiny house, so we might as well get started on that.”
She half lied, because she wanted to be alone with Seth as much as he appeared to want her all to himself. “I’ll see you later tonight at your place, I’ve got a key. Great to meet all of you,” she called as she waved over her shoulder.
Natalie almost regretted the quick decision when she spotted Kent. Stark hurt and jealousy painted the firm line and dark set of his eyes. He just stood there staring as Seth pulled her quickly toward the door. The rapid pace practically tipped her off her heels, while he kept a firm grip on her elbow with his work-callused fingers.
“Shit,” Kent mumbled under his breath. He walked over to the bar, ordered a whiskey, and slid onto a worn barstool. After downing the heat of the golden liquor, he made eye contact with Iris, the owner, who was tending bar tonight. Without a word, she immediately poured him another.
“What got into Seth?” Molly wondered aloud.
“It’s not what got into your cousin, it’s who he wants to get into,” Rick joked.
“Disgusting Rick,” Mandy kicked him under the table with her pointy boot. “Not what I want to hear about my cousin.”
“Damn that hurt Mandy! Shit, now work is going to be a hazard zone with Kent and Seth going after the same girl,” Rick groaned.
“The real question guys, is what is Seth doing? Chelsea is the last person I’ve ever seen him with. I have heard rumors that they still hook up.” Kelsey leaned into her friends to keep the conversation quiet.
You do have a point. Chelsea comes around the shop every so often. She still has her hooks in him,” Rick agreed.
“I don’t’ know how I feel about Seth going after Natalie. He could really hurt her,” Kelsey frowned at the thought; Nate did not need this kind of complication.
“Don’t worry Kels, Seth
’s not like that,” Molly said, feeling the need to stand up for her cousin, but her tone wasn’t very convincing.
“I will talk to Nate before I leave for my rafting trip. She can make up her mind where Seth is concerned.”
Kelsey scanned the bar, and wondered if she should leave Kent alone. Years of friendship had taught her to read his moods by his body language alone. Space, he needed a wide swath of space right now.
***
As he pulled Natalie out of the grill, Seth rested his hand low on her back, flexing his fingers at the base of her spine as he stroked. He caressed her when he found that small strip of warm skin, the spot where her shirt stopped and the back of her snug jeans began.
He slowed their pace across the lot steering her toward his truck. Opening the passenger door Seth guided her up into the cab, grazing his touch across her thigh before shutting her door. Sexual tension already sparked between them, surprising both with a heady sensation that neither had felt in a very long time. Maybe never.
Nate struggled to think of something to say, while Seth slowly circled the truck to take his place behind the wheel. As soon as Seth turned the key, she pivoted toward him and asked where they were going. Ashwood was small and she was reasonably sure there weren’t many choices for dinner. It seemed that half the town was already at the Northside.
“I’m taking you over to the shop. We can look over some houses that are in progress. I will make us dinner there.” Seth pulled out onto the highway and turned south toward town.
“Do you live at your shop in one of your houses Seth?” He liked the way his name sounded on her lips.
“No, we have a model home that is set up, stocked with the basics. That way our customers can give small space living a try before committing to downsizing. Sometimes I crash there, if I need to work late on a project.” Seth looked across the truck, the lights from the dash illuminating Natalie’s red hair, created a warm radiance that caught him off guard.
Her vanilla scent warmed the truck, he thought about how he wanted to explore every warm place on her body with his tongue. Licking up her scent to learn all the different ways he could make her writhe. Keep it under control, Seth.
Natalie broke him from his fantasy, “it’s great that you have a place built for people to see if they like living in a small space. I imagine that a lot of people make a mistake, thinking they are ready to give up their collection of stuff, only to find that those possessions partially define who they are.” Nate cringed a bit, exposed by her personal observation. The familiar dread crept in. That time in the future when she would have to give up Grandpa Pete’s things.
Seth glanced at Natalie as he drove to the south edge of town toward the Lumber Mill property. After that large company had to downsize he seized the space to house his company. “How about you, you ready for that kind of change?” he wondered as her posture shifted slightly.
“My apartment in Seattle is scarcely bigger than what we plan to build. I rented a studio half way between school and grandpa’s place. This home will be immensely more modern. I think my old bathroom dates from a time not long after the invention of indoor plumbing. Only one burner on my stove worked. I will not miss the musty smell in that old apartment. It wasn’t all bad,” she laughed, “it did have a peek-a-boo view of Puget Sound, if I stood on top of my bed.”
“That sounds….terrible?” Seth laughed with Natalie, picturing her standing on her bed, attempting to see a sliver of a water view.
Then his imagination slid to her standing on the bed in a red bra and thong. He simply could not keep his mind from visions of her naked or nearly naked. Get a grip. Thinking about math or baseball scores were an ineffective distraction as his jeans became uncomfortably tight.
“I spent a lot of time at Grandpa Pete’s. His condo is fantastic.” Talking about her grandpa brought Seth back to reality, and he finally put the information together.
“You know, Natalie, I should have figured out your connection to Ashwood right away. I knew Kelsey had a friend visiting this summer, someone who also knew Elsa. I just never figured you were the same person who was building a place with Ashwood Homes. You know, I met Pete a few years ago. Didn’t he visit here a few times to fish with Elsa?”
“Elsa and my Grandpa Pete were really close. I wondered sometimes why they did not get married. Maybe they were just used to being on their own after their spouses died. He spent a great deal of time with her. Pete was amazing.”
Pulling his truck into a huge gravel parking area surrounded by tall Evergreens, he parked next to a large metal shop. Sodium lights illuminated the back door and a large concrete parking pad. A completed tiny home with a slanted metal roof stood next to the shop, a modern twist on a rustic cedar cabin. The home was complete with a deck big enough for a couple of chairs and a compact barbeque.
Before Natalie could even climb out of his truck, Seth quickly circled the vehicle. He opened her door. His large hands spanned the circumference of her waist. He eased her forward, sliding her body across his solid chest as he lowered her feet to the gravel. Natalie pulled in a breath of air, and whispered, “I think I wore the wrong shoes for a construction site.”
His response was immediate. He scooped her into his arms and carried her effortlessly up the steps and onto the deck of the house. Holding her closer, Seth lowered his lips to hers, tasting her, sliding his tongue across the crease of her mouth.
She parted her lips that he had moistened with flicks of his tongue, giving him access. He only slightly deepened the kiss, wanting to savor the scent, warmth and feel of her cradled against the muscles of his chest.
Natalie did not want to take this moment too fast. She had planned to repair the damage her deception had caused and never expected their relationship to be anything but professional
The instant physical draw took her by surprise. Seth picked up Natalie’s small hesitation, “dinner, let me get that started,” he said as he slowly lowered her to the deck until her heels clicked on the wood surface.
He backed slightly away, missing her warmth immediately. “I’ve got steaks I can put on the grill, if that’s good with you.”
Following Seth into the house he had built, she took in the well-planned craftsman details. “What can I help with?”
“I’ve got salad makings and some great bread from the local bakery. Will that be enough to go with the steak?”
“Steak, salad and fresh bread, that’s a feast!”
Seth pulled out a table that disappeared into the wall when not in use. “I’ve got wine or beer if you want.”
“Wine would be perfect. This home is gorgeous Seth. I love all the details. You have utilized each space with such thoughtful purpose. It’s obvious you love what you do.” Natalie turned round, looking at the details of the home he had built. Climbing part way up the ladder, she peeked into the loft, opening cubbies, impressed by the use of every space.
By climbing the ladder her rounded body called to Seth, he longed to touch those lush curves and moved behind her, unable to resist. Now that she was perched on the ladder and equal to his height, he nuzzled kisses into the spot where her neck curved into the slope of her shoulder. Vanilla, and something spicy, there was that irresistible scent that tempted. “Natalie you are so mouthwatering. I want to taste you.”
She pressed her back to his front, enjoying the kisses and nips along her neck as he reached around to cup her breast through her shirt, pinching her nipple lightly between his finger and thumb.
Seth slid his other hand around her waist, under her shirt, skimming the top of her jeans. Natalie arched her back, enjoying the caress. Sucking in a breath, she lost herself in an onslaught of new sensation as Seth bit the base of her neck slightly, and then licked the spot soothing the sting with the tip of his tongue.
Her body savored the closeness, the mounting heat between them, but Seth pulled back, regaining control. She closed her eyes, turned to him and tasted his mouth with a tempting kiss, sliding her h
ands beneath his shirt to caress his back with light touches across the muscular plane. Just as he began to devour her mouth again, her stomach growled.
“I could lie and say I’m not hungry, but it’s obvious I’m starving.” They moved into the compact kitchen working together at the counter to prepare a simple meal with an ease of a couple who anticipates each other’s movements.
Salad was chopped, bread heated in a small modern oven while Seth stepped out onto the deck to grill rib steaks. Natalie stepped outside with him, her feet now bare and silent on the wood deck. The difference in their size, accentuated as she stood near him in her bare feet.
Looking up Natalie gasped at the sky filled with early summer constellations lost in the dense sea of the Milky Way. “Even on the clearest of nights we never see anything remotely like this in Seattle. Only on my grandpa’s boat far away from city lights has anything ever come close.”
Seth wrapped her in his warmth, tucking her head under his chin until the steaks needed to come off the grill.
They moved back inside to eat, enjoying easy conversation about choices she could consider for her tiny house. For a moment, Natalie let herself imagine they were planning their first home together. This scared her. She pushed fear aside and relaxed into the moment, enjoying Seth’s assured direction as he offered different choices about her home.
Natalie studied his movements. The curve of his fingers across her hand. The flex of his tanned arms when he reached to stow the dining table after the meal.
Washing dishes and putting the house back in order passed by too quickly. They both sensed that Nate needed to get back to Kelsey’s place. It was already after one in the morning and she didn’t want to worry her new roommate.
“What are your plans for the rest of the weekend?” Seth asked. Natalie was relieved that he wanted to see her again so soon. She hoped, but she had heard from Kelsey that he never got involved with local girls.
