by Vella, Wendy
“For the way I spoke last night. I overreacted… and I’m sorry.”
The man had so much sex appeal, it was ridiculous.
“Okay, I forgive you for overreacting, you crazy lady. Now we can move on and forget about the wild monkey sex, and everything between us will be cool, right? And FYI, I would never ask you to pay for a room with sex. I hope you understand that about me?”
“I do know that, and I’m not really crazy, just complicated and a bit unbalanced, but not in a bad way.” Shut up, you fool.
“There’s a good way?”
“Look. I’m just not very good with uncomfortable situations. I’m not natural at that anymore.”
“But you once were?”
“Maybe, but the point is I no longer am, and it makes me say the wrong things, so sorry, okay? Hot guys make me nervous.” Oh God, she was babbling now.
“Thanks.” His smile grew.
“For what?”
“Thinking I’m hot.”
“Not just you, any hot guy,” Lani felt the need to clarify. “I’m what you call socially awkward.”
“Got it, and ditto, by the way.”
“Ditto?”
“In the hotness stakes.”
Color flooded her cheeks. Lani didn’t like compliments, especially considering they were BS. She knew what she looked like now. Straggly hair, baggy clothes, and no makeup. This had been a studied choice, a camouflage.
“Whatever.” She turned back and looked at the mountains. “Don’t let me keep you any longer.”
“Are you kidding me? Conversing with a seriously hot, awkward chick is a particular fantasy of mine.”
“Ha, and don’t BS me, Noah, I don’t need it.”
“Okay, maybe you dress a bit bag lady, but you are hot under all that plainness.”
That forced a laugh from her. She saw the bow of his kayak appear as he lowered it onto the lake.
“How about we start this again?”
She heard the splash of the water as he moved closer, and then he was in front of her in all his handsome beauty, with one hell of a backdrop.
“He yours?” Noah was looking at Buddy, who was standing on the bank eyeballing her muffin bag. “He’s big, but has a friendly look in his eyes.”
“No, he just found me, but he’s not mine.”
“Sure looks like he is.”
Lani didn’t reply. She’d just had this exact conversation with Buster.
“Okay, let’s start this again. Hi, my name’s Noah Harris.” He held his large hand out before her.
Lani looked at it like it may bite her.
“Come on, Lani, shake my hand.”
Even his voice was nice… sexy. Whisky over rocks.
“Hi, I’m Lani Sullivan.” Her hand was engulfed and held. He then gave her a small tug, and she fell into his chest.
“You’re probably going to hold this against me.”
“What?” Their eyes were close now.
His lips were soft on hers. Just a brief, gentle touch that had her toes curling beneath the water and her body suddenly humming. It lasted seconds and then he was smiling down at her.
“Really nice to meet you, Lani Sullivan, and if you have an itch you want scratching anytime, then I’m your guy.”
Still trying to gather her scattered thoughts, she watched him climb into the boat and paddle away.
I need to stay as far away from that man as I possibly can. He was way out of her league and knew exactly what he was. In fact, she doubted he’d had an awkward moment in his life. Too hot, too charming… just too everything!
Chapter Nine
“Seriously, will you just stop bitching and get in the car already.”
“I’m not bitching,” Faith said from her position on the sidewalk outside the Howler. “But I really think they need to fix that crack.”
They were going to Rose McBride’s birthday party and were at least twenty minutes late already.
“They’ll fix it, Faith. The book club is onto it and have said it’ll be done in the next month.” The book club always got things moving in Lake Howling. They were the real power in town.
“It’s ugly.”
“Yes, and getting fixed,” Noah said with a little more force.
That kiss with Lani had worked him up. How the hell did a five-second lip lock unsettle a man who’d kissed his share of women? Some in far more intimate settings. And it’s not like she was his usual type he reminded himself yet again. The woman hid herself under that cap and baggy clothes, and why did that make her hotter?
Of course, the problem was that extra tension that buzzed between them. The “I know you intimately” kind of buzz that made him think about what they’d shared whenever he was close to her. He knew the sounds she made when they made love—
“Noah!”
“What?”
“Why are you snippy?” Faith said, getting into the passenger side his car.
“Snippy?”
“I’m reading this historical romance novel, and the heroine uses it. I like it, so I thought I’d try it out.”
Noah laughed and felt himself relax. Yes, Lani was disturbing, and yes, she unsettled him, but he could handle that. He’d had other women he’d interacted with after they’d had sex. He didn’t need more. He had Faith and his friends, and Howling. Lani would be gone soon anyway and no longer a problem.
In fact, with exposure he’d probably get over this buzz he felt around her.
“So this heroine is really kick-ass?”
“She’s awesome, but then considering what the women in those days had to put up with, I think they’re all awesome.”
“Nothing to straighten your hair with… must have been a nightmare.”
Faith punched him in the arm, and then proceeded to explain in detail about the heroine’s experiences throughout the novel.
Noah let her ramble as he looked around his town. Not much had changed over the years. A few houses and trees had appeared, but fundamentally the place was the same.
The Redwoods, though, they were what he loved the most, standing sentry over the town for hundreds of years. Noah would often sit and just lean against the trunk of one when he was having an off day.
“The hero is a bit of an arrogant douchebag, but I think she’s going to sort him out.”
“It’s all about the happily ever after, right?”
“Right. I love that, though. Love the angst and journey, but the HEA is what I read them for.”
“HEA?”
“Happily ever after.”
“Gotcha. What did we get Rose for a present, so I don’t appear surprised when she opens it?”
“A doll. It eats, then poops and pees.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. Apparently it’s the latest go-to for young girls.”
“Just wow.”
“I’m going on a date later, so I may leave early, okay?”
“Who with?”
“A guy.”
“Who?”
“He’s nice, you don’t know him.”
“A tourist?”
“Maybe.”
“I want to meet him, and you need to tell me where you’re going.”
Faith’s sigh was loud. “No, I don’t and I won’t.”
“I’m just worried. I mean, he could be an axe murderer and you’d have no idea.”
“Last time, he was a serial arsonist who was going to leave me tied to a chair and burn the house down around me.”
“I’m just being cautious.”
“No, you’re being ridiculous.”
Noah closed his mouth and thought about how he’d find out who Faith had a date with. His friends knew most of what went on in town. He’d ask them if they had met any of the tourists or seen them talking to Faith.
Buster pulled out of his road directly in front of Noah and proceeded to crawl down the road well below the speed limit.
“Pass him.” Faith banged her fist on the dash. �
��He’s asking for it, Noah.”
“I’m not passing him, because that’s what he wants.”
“I’d pass him.”
“I’ve know that man since first grade, I know how he works. It will annoy him that I’m not passing. Besides, there’s a pregnant woman in that car. No way am I upsetting her.”
After the slowest drive in history with Faith bitching in his ear, they pulled into Jake’s driveway, which was lined with vehicles.
“Help me with this stuff,” Buster called to him after he’d helped his wife out of the car. He then opened the rear door of his brand-new sedan.
“I can’t believe you traded the Jeep in for this.”
“What’s wrong with it? Safe and reliable. I can’t carry my baby around in the Jeep.”
“You carried Willow around in it, and me a time or two.”
“You guys can look after yourself.”
“I’m sorry, Noah, he wouldn’t speed up,” Willow said, giving him a hug. Her large belly made things difficult but they managed it. “Buster said it was a nice day for a drive and no need to be hurrying anywhere.” She looked pretty in a white sundress.
“I know how his pea brain works, sweetheart, don’t worry about it. I hope he’s looking after you well now you’re close.”
“What?” Buster pulled his head back out of the car. “Of course I am! Didn’t I make her chocolate fudge cake at 1:00 a.m. this morning!”
Willow giggled, clearly unrepentant. “It was seriously good though, Buster. Especially with the cream and chocolate sauce.”
He grunted something, then pulled out a container, which he motioned for Noah to carry.
“You iron those?” Noah nodded to Buster’s creased shorts.
“We’re not all like you, bud.”
“Clean? Dressed well?”
“OTT about appearance, and let’s not get started about that shit you have going on with food.”
Faith snorted out a laugh. “Yes, let’s not start about that.”
“What’s wrong with my food habits?” Noah followed Buster, Willow, and Faith around the house.
“Your food doesn’t touch on your plate, and you eat way too much green shit,” Buster said. “Then there’s that whole healthy existence thing.”
“Food touches on my plate,” Noah insisted, knowing that in fact he didn’t like it to, but he managed to override that most of the time. “And green shit is good for you. Plus, I like to dress well and be healthy, no harm in any of that.”
“No harm at all,” Willow agreed. “I like a smoothie in the morning with a lot of leafy green stuff in it.”
“There’s harm in it if it’s excessive,” Buster added. “And you’re pregnant, you need leafy greens.” He pointed to his wife.
“I’m not excessive!”
“You are a bit.” Faith threw Noah under the bus. “I mean, your room….” She waved a hand about and made a noise that had Noah wanting to lunge at her.
“It’s clean!” Noah’s voice rose.
“And then some,” she muttered. “And you still have your shoes in the boxes.”
“You can’t see the carpet in yours!” His voice rose further. “And I like to keep my shoes unscuffed. Plus, the boxes make it easier to stack them.”
“I have what I like to call a floor storage system,” Faith added. “I know where everything is that way.”
“You’re a pig, is what you are.”
“She’s normal,” Buster added. “All we’re saying, bud, is you need to lighten up on that kind of thing. We’re never marrying you off if you don’t.”
“You’re all assholes,” Noah said, because he had nothing else. “Sorry, Willow, not you.”
She just smiled and hugged him again. “Pay them no mind. Buster is sleep deprived, and Faith is your twin, so basically it’s her life’s work to torment you.”
Willow’s words made him feel better. He was normal, or maybe just a little to the right of it at least, but he did like order, and maybe he liked healthy food but that didn’t make him odd.
“I’ll live longer than all of you,” he muttered as they rounded the end of the house.
They were hit with noise. Music, people talking, and kids squealing and running about the place, which suggested they’d been into the sugary food already.
“You ready for this, Buster?” Noah said. “I can see any child of yours being loud and squeaky-sounding.”
“Don’t.” His friend paled. “Girls and that squealing. You remember Annabelle, Macy, and Faith in school?”
“And their friends.”
“Yup. My ears were constantly ringing.”
Noah slapped him on the back. “You’ll be sweet if you have a girl, just do that snarl you have down.”
“Uncle Buster, Uncle Noah!” Rose shrieked and ran at them after greeting Willow and Faith.
“Hey there, birthday girl.” Noah picked her up and hugged her close. Buster leaned in and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.
“We’re having a party!”
“No way, I never would have guessed.” Noah lowered her to the ground, and she sprinted off with three little girls, all squealing.
Greetings were exchanged, then Noah went inside to put the food on the table.
“Noah.”
“Hey, Macy, how you doing?”
No one looking at the woman approaching him would recognize her as the one she’d once been when married to that asshole who’d abused her. This one was natural and happy and someone he now counted as a friend. Short, with a cap of mousey curls, she was cute and married to Brad Gelderman, the younger of the Texans who’d made Howling their home.
“Really good, Noah. Put your food there.” She waved at a table. It was then he saw her. Lani was in the kitchen, getting a cake out of a box. She wore the cap and baggy jeans, but her shirt was long-sleeved and fitted and showed off her curves.
“Hi, Lani.”
She didn’t turn, simply raised a hand, then went back to what she was doing. He watched as she transferred a little girl’s dream cake to the bench.
“Is that Cinderella and that chick from the water, Ariel?”
She nodded again.
Even someone like him, who had never been into Disney princesses, was impressed. It had two layers. The bottom cake was deep green/blue, the color of the sea, and had fish and other sea creatures around it, all made of different colored frosting. A circle in the side had a picture of Ariel in it. The top was the same but a softer blue, and there was princess stuff around that. On top of that was a large gold crown.
He watched as she put it on a plate, then tweaked a few things. When she was done, Lani stood back to take a look.
“That’s seriously cool. You do it yourself?”
She nodded.
"You got laryngitis?”
“What?” She turned to look at him. Those eyes really were something special.
“The nodding thing. I wondered if you’d lost the use of your vocal cords.”
She studied him, but whatever was going on inside that head, she left in there. Her face was now shuttered.
“You’re very clever.” He nodded to the cake, thinking he’d flatter her into speaking to him.
“Thanks. I have to go.”
“No, you don’t. Rose wants you to stay and join in the fun.” Branna appeared. “And I just called Mrs. C to tell her how wonderful the cake is, and she said you’re done for the day. So stay.”
“No, thanks.”
“It’ll be fun, and Rose will be disappointed if you leave.”
Branna was good at getting people to do what she wanted. It was all done in a gentle way, but usually the result was that you ended up where she wanted you to be.
“Rose, come and look at your cake and then help me convince Lani to stay.”
The little girl skipped into the kitchen and stopped, her eyes going wide.
“Wow!” She clapped her hands. “It’s way better than the one Chloe had.”
“And
that’s not really a nice thing to say, is it?” Branna placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Chloe loved it. That’s what matters, Rose.”
The little girl drooped her chin.
“Sorry, Mommy.”
“All right. Now, I was just trying to convince Lani to stay. Maybe you could ask her?”
Noah watched as Rose took one of Lani’s hands in hers. “Please stay with us, Lani. We’re going to have so much fun.”
“I really can’t, I… ah, I have my dog here?”
“Dog?” Noah raised a brow, and Lani blushed. She’d told him the dog wasn’t hers. He wondered what had changed.
“We love dogs! He can play with Noodle,” Rose said. “He’s my present from Mommy and Daddy, I got him last week.”
“You called that ball of fluff Noodle?” Noah teased her.
“He likes pasta.” Rose gave him a big smile.
“Buddy’s big and may frighten a little dog.” Lani was trying everything she could to get away from the party. Noah’s money was on the McBride women.
“It’ll probably be him that’s scared of Noodle, to be fair,” Branna said. “That little beast is a terror.”
She was trapped, and knew it when Rose took her hand. “Please say you’ll stay, Lani.”
She shot him a look, but he kept his expression blank.
“I don’t have a gift.”
“The cake and just having you here is enough.” Rose’s smile was cheesy.
“That kid’s going to be a politician,” Noah whispered to Branna.
“She can con her father into just about anything already, and her grandfathers are pathetic with her.”
He was still laughing as he walked outside behind the women. Deliberately going left when Lani went right, he stepped off the deck.
“Catch!”
Looking up, he reacted and ran, taking the ball and a Texan at the same time.
“You rip my shirt, you’re paying,” Noah snarled, getting to his feet with blood in his eyes.
Tex made kissy sounds as he headed back to where Jake stood. Noah beaned him with the ball.
Chapter Ten
Lani sipped her soda and watched the men play ball. Wincing as Buster hit the ground hard, she wondered how they could class it as fun. She’d have to be dead not to acknowledge that seriously hot men getting sweaty wasn’t hard on the eyes, but it looked like hell from where she stood.
