Off Beat (Forgotten Flounders Series Book 1)

by J. C. Hannigan

  Although most of those things stayed, I still had to go through the cupboards and throw away expired stuff, and pack up the rest of the food. I had a regular work week ahead of me, which meant a busy week ahead of me.

  But, thanks to a hefty cheque that appeared a week after Calum spoke of its impending arrival, I could now afford to hire two full-time staff to manage the shop, if I wanted to. I could donate a large cheque of my own to the food bank to cover their community quota and more for the next several months.

  Aside from putting seventy-five thousand dollars of it away in a registered education fund for Asher, I wasn’t making any sudden business decisions. There was enough to adjust to, as it was.

  A large, warm hand slipped around my belly, another drawing the sweaty hairs sticking to the nape of my neck.

  “What’s on your mind, Acushla?” Cal spoke into my ear, evoking goosebumps and other pleasant tingling feelings.

  “Just going through the mental to-do list, thinking about how crazy all of this is—that kind of thing.” He chuckled at my response before his lips kissed and sucked the back of my neck.

  “Mmm, I’m crazy about you,” he rumbled, my back vibrating against his chest, and pressed his thickening length against me. “Nothing has ever made more sense or felt more right to me than you.”

  I laughed, turning to face him, and wrapped my arms around his back. His arms wrapped around me, drawing me close. “I guess you make a lot of sense too. Now, anyway.” I sighed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m so sore and so exhausted,” I admitted, my body aching from packing and cleaning, and from the active nightlife we’d had recently. I rested my head against his hard pec, drawing in the scent of him, and nestling closer.

  “Why don’t I draw you a bath?”

  “I just made a tea,” I pointed out, tilting my head toward the counter, where two mugs were steeping.

  “So?” He released me, stepping around me to finish making them. He poured a dash of cream in one mug, just like I liked it, and placed the creamer back in the refrigerator. He picked up the teas, handing me mine, and gestured to the stairs by inclining his head. “After you, my lady.”

  I went ahead of him while he made a quick stop off in the living room, grabbing the paperback I hadn’t had a chance to open, before following me up the stairs. Asher was snoring, but we still tip-toed quietly into the bathroom, slipping inside it and closing the door.

  He set the paperback and his tea down on the counter before moving to the tub to turn the tap on. He adjusted the temperature so it was perfect, then opened the almost empty cabinet beneath the sink, pulling a large glass bottle of bubble bath.

  “Where’d that come from?” I asked, surprised. Calum glanced up at me, still kneeling on the floor in front of the bathroom cabinet.

  “I bought it from a little store in town,” he shrugged, a small smile teasing the corners of his lips as he popped the glass cork. He stood and poured a little in, the scent of honey and lavender immediately filling the small, cramped space.

  In two short steps, he was in front me, gently taking the mug of tea from my hands, setting it beside him on the counter. Looking back at me, he drew his bottom lip in and bit it, his fingers tugging against the hem of my gray long-sleeved shirt, the calloused pads of them stroking the smooth skin along the waistband of my black leggings.

  I shivered, desire humming through me. He smiled before gripping my shirt and pulling it up slowly, seeming to marvel at every inch of skin he exposed. Off it came, falling to the ground in a pool of fabric, leaving me in my white sheer lace bralette and leggings.

  Calum let out a strangled sound from the back of his throat and dropped quietly to his knees, his hands going to my sides. His thumb hooked in the waistband of my leggings, and he tugged them down slowly, peppering soft kisses to the inside of my thighs, all the while looking up at me. He kissed my mound through my underwear before he tugged them down past my knees. I stepped out of them, and he grinned, stuffing them in the back pocket of his jeans.

  “Creep.” I laughed, gently swatting at his shoulder—leaving it there, palm down, fingers digging just slightly into his flesh when he let out a sigh against my bare core. But then he stood, drawing my hand up with him, his sights on my face.

  “Not going to lie, love. I have no clue how to get that off, although I do admire it.” He said, fingering the lacy pattern along the swell of my breasts. I freed myself from it, and he watched—enjoying every second of the show. No sooner had the bralette joined my shirt on the ground, than Calum’s lips were around the peaking point of my nipple—drawing it in. His tongue swirled around it and I sighed.

  Suddenly, he was stepping back and away from me, leaving me deprived of his touch. The cold air of the bathroom making his loss all the more pronounced. He turned the tub off before it could overflow, grinning apologetically at me as he rolled up his sleeve and plunged his arm into the water, pulling the plug to drain it a little. He pushed the plug back down and withdrew his soapy arm.

  He reached for my hand as I stepped into the tub. The water was the perfect temperature—hot without being too hot. I let out a purr, sinking down into the bubbles.

  Calum grabbed my tea and placed it on the side of the tub within my reach. He picked up his tea and the paperback, making himself comfortable on the soft bath mat in front of the tub, leaning with his back to it.

  He grinned—remembering this, and turned his head, looking at me with unmeasurable love before returning his attention to the book in his lap. He began to read, his voice a musical baritone that made every nerve ending in my sensory world hum. I reached for my tea, sinking lower in the tub as I sipped it, my breasts hidden by the bubbles, and closed my eyes, letting his voice wash over me.

  “Lucille had never experienced anything quite like the touch of Alejandro’s fingers along the base of her exposed spine. The dress she was wearing dipped low enough to reveal almost all of her back, and Alejandro couldn’t seem to resist touching her as they glided about on the dance floor. The way he moved was sinful, Lucille’s mother would have a fit at how intimately he held her—how close their bodies were. Lucille could feel every inch of his hard body, including the swollen member pressing against the inside of her thigh as they danced…”

  My eyes popped open when he trailed off, shifting so that his body was positioned beside the tub, facing me. He stuck his arm back in the water, his right palm resting on my mid-thigh as he continued reading of Lucille and Alejandro’s prelude to sex—their risky, passionate dancing on the dance floor. I kept my eyes open, watching him with fascination.

  He balanced the book on his lap, turning the page with his left hand. The ink on his skin set off the words on the pages. It was one of the most arousing sights, and with each rumbling word he read, his fingers crept closer to my core.

  My lids fluttered shut when the pad of his index finger circled my slit, my thighs falling open in welcome. Calum didn’t skip a beat, continuing to read through a smile, his finger working me.

  Calum

  “We could have paid someone else to do this, you know,” Evan grunted from the other side of the sofa currently wedged in the door frame. Muscles straining, I pulled while he pushed, but the damn thing was stuck fast and wedged in the front doorway of Harper’s house. Cursing Dare—who said he’d be here two hours ago. I wondered for the umpteenth time when he’d show up.

  “But,” I replied, out of breath and already sweaty. “There’s only one moving company in town, and they’re booked solid until next week. All they had was a truck.”

  And the smallest one at that—a ten-footer I’d picked up earlier that morning. Not that we needed much bigger than that, Harper didn’t have a lot of things to move, but still. I’d rented the truck for the weekend, intending on helping Raina move in—whether she wanted it or not.

  “You’re sure this can’t wait until next week?” Evan’s head popped up over the couch, his brows furrowed.

  �
�No, the house needs to be empty for the tenants to move in this weekend.”

  “Who’s moving in?”

  I sighed and gave up on pulling, opting to just hold the couch. My jaw clicked with tension. I hadn’t told the guys about who Raina really was yet, or why she needed the place so bad. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them with the information, but I had a feeling Raina wasn’t ready for anybody to know the truth.

  “Remember Asher’s friend, Nik?” Evan nodded. “They needed a new place to live, so Harper’s renting her house to them. They’re moving in this weekend.”

  “Fine.” Evan sighed. “Can we at least wait until Dare gets here?”

  Footsteps on the gravel had me turning my head. I was hoping it would be Dare—apologetic with fresh coffee, but it was Jack Morrison who approached.

  “Morning, Jack.”

  “Morning.” He nodded, eyes moving from me to the couch. “I just got off the phone with Harper. She mentioned you might need some help. I looked out my window and it appears she’s right. The back door is two inches wider, that’s how we got it in.”

  “Right.” I exhaled, switching tactics and shoving instead of pulling. A good solid push with my shoulder and we had the couch back inside the living room. “Thanks, Jack. I don’t want to pull you away from anything…”

  “I’m retired, son. You’re not pulling me away from much.” I glanced at him, wondering how he felt about Harper and Asher moving in so abruptly. Jack’s expression didn’t give away anything, but he didn’t seem tense or displeased. I relaxed a little, my shoulders easing.

  “All right, thanks. I appreciate it. Jack, you probably remember my friend, Evan McCreery?” Even though they’d recently attended the same party, I hadn’t seen them interacting face to face.

  “Nice to see you again, Sir,” Evan said, putting on the charm as he grinned at Jack. Evan had only met Jack once before Asher’s birthday party, at our high school graduation ceremony, and it had been in passing.

  “You, too.” Jack nodded, taking a look around at the cardboard boxes stacked against the dining room wall in front of the dismantled table. He took in the empty walls, his expression a little wistful before he cleared his throat and sent me a direct look. “Right. Let’s get this couch out.”

  We got to it, and by the time Dare pulled up, we had all of the furniture loaded onto the truck, along with all the cardboard boxes and totes.

  I was just about to head back into the house to double-check we’d loaded everything when Dare parked on the road in front of the house and climbed out of his mom’s SUV. He walked up the driveway, meeting me near the back porch, his brows drawn together in apology.

  “Shit, sorry, man. I overslept, didn’t hear the alarm.” It wasn’t like Dare to be late for anything, so I let it slide, clapping him on the back.

  “It’s cool. You’re here now. Besides, we weren’t shorthanded.” I grinned, nodding at Harper’s dad as he closed the moving truck’s doors and locked them. “Thanks again for your help, Jack.”

  “Any time! Good luck with the move. We’ll see you Sunday night.”

  “Of course, we’ll see you then.” Harper had mentioned wanting to have her parents over as soon as possible. She was nervous about their reaction to her decision to move herself and Asher in with me, afraid that they wouldn’t truly support or understand her.

  I hadn’t seen much of Caroline since Asher’s birthday party, so I wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole thing—but Jack’s presence alone told me he still supported us. He nodded, said his goodbyes, and started down the road to his house.

  When I turned back to look at the guys, they were staring each other down. Evan glared, looking uncharacteristically pissed off, and Dare shook his head solemnly.

  “All right.” At the sound of my voice, they both looked at me. “Evan, can you grab us lunch and meet us at the new place?”

  “Yeah, I can do that. What do you want?” He directed the question at me, not sparing Dare another look.

  “Pizza’s fine. Or subs. I don’t care.”

  Dare tossed Evan the keys, and we waited until he pulled away before heading toward the truck.

  “So, what really held you up?”

  I had a feeling it wasn’t the alarm and gauging by the slightly guilty look in Dare’s eyes, his alarm wasn’t entirely the reason.

  “Overslept.” He shrugged, averting his gaze and breaking away to walk around the back of the truck. We opened the doors at the same time and climbed in.

  “How come it feels like you’re hiding something from me?” I asked once we were in the cab of the truck.

  He lifted one golden brow at me, tugging the seat belt across his chest. “Fine, you got me. I was at a chick’s house last night and my phone died. I got here as fast as I could when I realized what time it was.”

  “An acceptable reason,” I nodded, shoving the key in the ignition. “Although you should have led with that, maybe Evan wouldn’t be so mad at you.” Dare didn’t reply, he just turned his head to look out the window and nodded curtly.

  I turned onto the road and slowly accelerated. “Well…”

  “Well, what?” He sent me an irritated glare.

  “Who’s the girl?” I returned my attention to the road, waiting him out.

  “Just a girl.” Dare finally clipped.

  “That’s all you’re going to say about it?”

  He nodded, his lips curling in a half-smile. “For now.”

  Harper

  We had officially been in the new house for a week. On Friday evening, I’d come home from work with Asher to a completely unpacked kitchen and Asher’s bedroom set up. Calum, Dare, and Evan had managed to bring over every last LEGO set without breaking a single thing—or if they had, they’d repaired it, and Asher had been none the wiser.

  On Saturday, we helped Raina move their things over before dropping off the moving truck. Ellery popped by the new house late Saturday afternoon with a bottle of wine, and we had an unpacking party—literally, and figuratively. Ellery confessed she’d broken things off with Grant and that she felt sad but excited for the possibility of someone new.

  My parents came over for dinner Sunday evening, and my mom had fallen in love with the house upon first glance, just as I had. By the time the evening ended, she was smiling and actually engaging in conversation with Calum.

  When I told them about the move and invited them over for dinner, Mom hadn’t been thrilled until I explained that Raina and Nik needed it more, although I kept Raina’s ties to Calum to myself. Mom understood, and promised she’d keep half an eye out on the two of them—discreetly, of course.

  I thought it would feel strange to move—that I’d feel sad for the loss of my first house, but it felt right. The new house was big enough for the three of us and more. Calum had decorated the hallway walls with the photographs I’d had developed and framed of Asher over the years, with a few old ones of the two of us.

  I walked through the front door after work Friday night with Asher, and a furry red creature darted toward us, jumping all over my feet, little paws pawing at my jeans and whimpers escaping its little throat.

  “A puppy!” Asher exclaimed, falling to his knees. His voice drew its attention, and it scampered over to him. He scooped it up and cuddled it close. “Is it ours?”

  “Sure is!” Calum grinned from the floor, where he’d been laying on his stomach playing with the puppy before we’d walked in. I was watching the whole scene unfold with wide eyes. He stood, mistaking my silence for disapproval. “She’s the last available sibling of the dog we met at the beach…Oscar.”

  Melting like butter, I sank slowly to my knees beside Asher and the puppy. “Aww…hello.” I stroked her soft copper fur—so much like her brother’s—and she turned to shower me with kisses. I laughed, stroking her neck, my fingers tangling with a string tied to the leash clasp. Following the string, my fingers made out the shape of a ring.

  I pulled away—yup, it was a ring all righ
t. A beautiful rose gold ring, a square diamond tilted among drops of tiny diamonds, set back to make it look like a starry explosion. When I looked back at Calum, he was on his knee beside us. Asher was smiling, exchanging a look of conspiracy with his father.

  Calum untied the string from the puppy’s collar and pulled it free from the ring, turning to face me. Before he could open his mouth and say a single thing, I interrupted him by crying yes and flying into his arms, knocking him over onto the ground.

  Falling on top of him, I kissed his smiling lips. The puppy barked and darted over to us, jumping all over us and licking at our faces while barking with excitement—her tail wagging like a helicopter.

  “Just like that?” He asked, cocking a brow at me. “I don’t even have to ask?”

  “Well…you got us a puppy.”

  THE END

  …for nowe

  This novel wouldn’t have been possible without the continued support of my husband, Matt. Thank you for allowing me to disappear inside my office (or inside my head) for hours at a time, writing and plotting this story and the others that follow it. To our sweet boys: thank you for the snuggle breaks!

  A massive thank you goes out to my cheerleading squad; Candice Yurko, Jessica Fuerst, Cori Ozembloski, Kendra Schmucker, Lauren Crenshaw, and Taylor Mitchell. Thank you all for letting me bounce thousands of ideas of you and chatter endlessly on about my characters to the point where some of you (Jessica) thought they were real people and not just figments of my imagination (I’m still calling that a win).

  Thank you to my betas, Danielle Renee, Lyndsay McCreery, Michelle Heron and Anneka Chambers; for your suggestions and comments!

  To Jess Martin and Julie Gustofason; thank you for all of your hard work editing this story! Special thanks to Chelsea Barnes of CJPB Designs; for designing the stunning cover and doing the gorgeous interior formatting.