“Do you think he’ll last until spring?” she asked.
Claire squeezed her hand. “There’s no guarantee when it comes to love, Hayley. Sometimes you’ve got to leap and pray the net appears.”
“Will you introduce me?” she said.
“I thought you’d never ask!”
Hayley felt her phone vibrating in her purse, her next text from Josh, but she ignored it and instead let herself be introduced to Evan Taylor. As she went to him, she focused on lifting her chest and swaying her hips, trying her best to make him think of her in a certain wanting way.
From the wide smile that crossed Evan’s face as she approached, Hayley was pretty sure she’d succeeded.
13
Evan Taylor was a friendly guy. It was clear within the first minute of meeting him. He extended a hand to Claire and thanked her warmly for the recommendation she’d given him for a reliable mechanic who could winterize his car. Like most people new to Alaska, he hadn’t known what needed to be done to make sure it worked throughout the winter when temperatures could reach as low as fifty degrees below zero.
“Did you put together an emergency kit to leave in your car?” Hayley asked him. It was a staple of Alaska living, even in town.
“Evan, this is Hayley March,” Claire said. “Hayley, this Evan Taylor.”
They shook hands. Claire stepped away with a slight wave, her work done.
“What should go in an emergency kit?” Evan asked, continuing the conversation.
The others looked at each other. It was not a quick question to answer.
“I’m going to excuse myself and go mingle,” Misty said. “Hayley, nice to see you.”
“I’m going to join her,” Clyde said. “I’m getting some good scoops for my next column. But first, Hayley, what’s this I hear about Devotion.com?”
“Oh, my gosh, Clyde!” Hayley couldn’t believe it. She’d only told a few people. “You know everything!”
He smiled mischievously. “Don’t I?”
In his mid-fifties with a large frame and ill-fitting clothes, Clyde came off like an enthusiastic, overgrown child. He usually wore a tweed sports coat two sizes too small and waved around a pipe he never lit. But he was good at his job, and fun to have a few drinks with.
“I’ll tell you,” she said. “But first tell me how you know about it.”
“I’m buds with Elizabeth Armstrong. Best bartender in town.”
“Ah, of course.” Hayley had told Elizabeth, and Clyde camped out most afternoons on a bar stool at the brewery.
As she filled him on her partnership with Devotion.com, she was aware that Evan Taylor was listening closely.
“A matchmaker, huh?” he said after Clyde and Misty left. Hayley noticed he had cute dimples. “I don’t think I’ve ever met one of those before.”
“We’re few and far between,” Hayley said, trying to make it sound both glamorous and mysterious. “So, an emergency kit …”
“I can look it up online,” he said quickly. “It seems like a question that drives people away—and I wouldn’t want to drive you away, at least not before I offer to buy you a drink.”
The man had game, and Hayley liked it.
“I would love a drink,” she said.
“Then let’s take our conversation to the bar.”
“Deal.”
The room was crowded, and he put his hand on the small of her back to guide her forward. Hayley let him, even slowing so his hand touched her more fully.
“Gorgeous dress, by the way,” he said. “You caught my eye the second you walked in.”
“Thank you!”
His words gave her a happy flush. Josh had been right about the dress.
At the bar, she ordered another Rob Roy.
“And I’ll have another Moose Droppings,” Evan told Mark, setting his empty pint glass on the bar. When he got the seasonal dark IPA, he held it up to the light as if to inspect it. “Quite the name for a beer,” he said laughingly.
“If you haven’t noticed yet, we’re a little quirky here in Alaska,” Hayley said.
“Quirky’s good.” Evan waited until she had her drink and then touched her glass in a toast. “Here’s to quirky.”
Hayley took the first sip of her second drink of the night. “So how are you finding Golden Falls, Evan?”
“It’s charming,” he said. “Honestly, I appreciate any place with an independent movie theater, especially a town this size.”
“I agree,” she said. “Can I put in a plug for you to start showing classic movies on a regular basis? I love seeing them on the big screen.”
“Ah! You’re a classic movie buff?”
“A huge one,” she said. “I watch one almost every night. At least one.”
“What’s your absolute favorite?”
“It depends. How classic is classic?”
“Let’s say black and white.”
“The Philadelphia Story,” she said without hesitation. “How about you?”
“Well, my all-time favorite is North by Northwest, but The Maltese Falcon is a close second.”
They were good choices. Solid, manly choices. And she liked the sound of his voice. It was maybe not as deep or as self-assured as Josh’s, but it was nice. Polite.
“So you’re a matchmaker?” he said.
“Among other things,” Hayley said. “I’m also becoming part-owner of the staffing agency I work at.”
“Sweet,” Evan said. “So I have a question for you. What would you recommend that a single guy who’s new to town and doesn’t know a soul should do?”
“It depends what his goal is.” Hayley felt her phone vibrate again. Josh. Feeling a little thrill of excitement, she took a gulp of her drink and went into full flirt mode. “What, theoretically, would be his goal?”
“Say I wanted to pick up a woman in a bar,” Evan said. “At, say, a networking mixer at a craft brewery that serves beer with silly names like Moose Droppings.”
Hayley laughed. “Let’s hear your best pick-up line.”
Evan thought for a moment and then crossed his arms and leaned back, striking a pose. “Hey, baby, are you a parking ticket? Because you’ve got fine written all over you.”
She burst out laughing, almost spitting her drink in the process. “Nice. Has it ever worked for you?”
“I can’t say it has.”
“Let’s hear another.”
He pushed his glasses back on his nose. “Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.”
Hayley groaned, but said, “You’re quick. I’ll give you that.”
“Years of improv.” He searched her eyes. “What would work, if I wanted to ask out a woman I’d met at a mixer? Especially one who’s wearing a knockout green dress?”
Yes, Hayley thought. All hail to the dress!
“I think you should come right out and ask her on a date,” she said.
Evan nodded. Then he tilted his head and asked formally, “Hayley, would you go on a date with me?”
“Me?” She smiled coquettishly and placed her hand over her heart. “Why, yes, I’d be delighted.”
And she would be. She found him friendly, and he seemed like a happy person, which she realized was critical this time around. She couldn’t pretend she felt the same strong instant spark with him like she’d felt upon meeting Josh, but what did that matter if Josh wasn’t available?
They set a date for the upcoming weekend, and soon after, Hayley excused herself, put on her goofy blue parka and her decidedly-unsexy Ugg boots, and left the mixer.
Josh was waiting for her, and she had to get him out of her system before she could let Evan in.
14
Josh parked his truck in front of the address Hayley had texted him. It looked like a four-unit building, historic brick, and Hayley was in Unit 3 which he assumed was an upstairs apartment. He glanced at the second-story windows; there were no lights on, so she was probably still at the Sled Dog.
Josh gr
abbed the bottle of wine he’d brought from home, locked his truck, and tried the front door. Thankfully, it was open, leading to a shared foyer and stairwell. He sat down on the third step to wait.
He’d be the first thing Hayley would see when she stepped inside.
Hayley, Hayley, he thought. What are you doing to me, woman?
She’d surprised him all day. He was normally a private guy, not one to show much affection in public, but the instant he’d seen Hayley, he wanted to take her in his arms and taste her plump peach lips. He’d wanted to kiss her until he left her breathless—and he had, and she’d let him. In fact, she’d egged him on. Got him all hot and bothered and hard, several times throughout the day. She was a tease in the best possible sense of the word.
He checked his phone. No new texts. He peered out the window into the winter darkness and saw no one.
Come to me, Hayley.
Thirty long minutes passed, during which an elderly neighbor came through the door, wheezing as a result of the walk from his car to the front door. He said hello, and they chatted for a few minutes about the snowstorm heading their way. The neighbor offered to let Josh wait inside his apartment, but Josh assured him he was fine right where he was.
At last, Hayley arrived, flush-faced from her short walk, bundled up in a bulky blue coat and thick, solid boots, carrying the silver heels he’d chosen for her. He jumped up, clasping the bottle of wine in his right hand.
“I’m sorry, I would have picked you up if I knew you were walking,” he said.
“No worries!” Her eyes sparkled. “I walk home alone all the time.”
“How was your night?”
“It was good, but it’s even better now.” She paused and met his gaze. Josh saw the simmering desire in her hazel depths. He felt like grabbing her and ravishing her right then and there.
“Want to go upstairs?” she said, breaking eye contact with what seemed like reluctance. “See my bachelorette pad?”
“Sure. I brought wine.”
She went up the stairs ahead of him in her puffy parka, its outer material swishing as she made her way. He followed behind, ignoring the wide swath of blue in front of him, looking only at the sexy, strappy shoes dangling from her hand. She fumbled with her key, trying to open the door with her gloves still on. He took the key from her and opened the door.
She stepped inside and he followed, eager to see what her apartment looked like. As a paramedic, he was in and out of people’s houses all day and found most of them to be cluttered and untidy and generally displeasing, but hers, it turned out, was an absolute charm. She flicked the light switch by the door, and a living room lamp turned on, issuing a soft glow throughout the cozy space.
“Come on in,” she said. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
From the doorway, he took in the small apartment and thought, Now this is a home. Seeing Hayley’s, he realized his own house was in dire need of updating. Since he’d bought the place, the only major thing he’d done was replace the roof. All his available funds went towards the kennel and the racing. Now, seeing such a comfortable space, he sensed that he and Maggie were both probably suffering a psychic toll, living in a house they’d barely attempted to turn into a home.
He wanted what Hayley had—a place that made you feel good the moment you entered it. Everything coordinated nicely, from her framed prints on the walls to the color of her sofa pillows and throws. There were lots of plants, lots of candles, a fireplace, and a reading nook, complete with a cream-colored leather recliner and a Nora Roberts paperback open face-down on the seat of the chair. The apartment was definitely on the feminine side of things, decor-wise, but it wasn’t frilly.
“This is really nice,” he said. “How long have you lived here?”
“A little more than a year.” Hayley looked around, and he could tell the place brought her honest joy. “It’s my happy place.”
She unzipped her parka and he helped her remove it. As she pulled off her boots, he took off his jacket. There she was again in that sexy emerald dress. He didn’t bother to hide his up-and-down gaze. The way the dress flared at her hips, nipped in at her waist, and clung to her curvaceous breasts made him want to hitch it up, run his hands up her thighs, and explore her sweet secrets.
Hayley took a small step towards him.
The movement galvanized Josh. He wrapped his arms around her and they were kissing, tongues tangling together, his world narrowed to the smell and taste of Hayley. She tasted of cherry and cinnamon and whiskey, and while his body was on fire for her, at the same time he felt settled again, like he was back where he was supposed to be.
“Thanks for the photo you texted,” he murmured as he kissed her cheek, her neck, her eyelids.
Smiling, she pulled back to look at him. “Did you know it’s called an angel kiss when you kiss someone’s eyelids?”
He kissed her eyelids again.
“Maybe you’re my angel,” she said softly.
“What I plan to do with you tonight, Hayley, has more of the devil in me. You’ve got me all worked up.” Josh kissed her more deeply and let his hands roam across her back, feeling the body-gripping fabric of her dress. He took her hands and stepped back to admire it. Damn, but she had curves in all the right places. “Tell me—was the dress a hit?”
“The dress was a hit,” she said.
“Good. I’m sure you got plenty of male attention.” He felt it again, that painful flash of jealousy at the thought of other men flirting with Hayley. Asking her out. Dating her. Being granted the privilege to sleep in her bed. Still, he had to know. “Did you meet anyone interesting?”
She tilted her head to one side and gave him a small smile. “Let’s have some of that wine. I’ll get the glasses, and would you get the corkscrew from that drawer right there?”
Dammit, that means she did, Josh thought. Otherwise, she would have just said no. It surprised him how much he hated the fact.
Hayley entered her small kitchen, which was open to the living room with a counter separating it. As she pulled two large wine glasses from the cupboard next to the refrigerator, Josh opened the drawer she’d indicated and got the wine opener. A rich aroma of blackcurrant burst from the bottle of Bordeaux when he opened it. His brother Jack had given him the bottle the previous Christmas, and Jack was a wine snob, so Josh trusted it would be good. He poured them each a generous glass and handed one to her.
“Make a toast, Hayley.”
She smiled at the request and raised her glass. “Thank you for spending the day with me. Your dating coach skills so far make me wonder if I should hire you to work for my business!”
He clinked her glass. “And I’d like to thank you for sending me the very naughty picture you sent earlier. It was most appreciated.”
She winked at him, a sexy-sweet gesture that she pulled off to perfection. Then she sipped the wine. “Mmm. This tastes expensive.”
“I’ve been saving it for a special occasion,” Josh said.
“I’m glad this qualifies.” Hayley picked up a remote control from the kitchen bar, pressed a button, and flames ignited in her electric fireplace. Then she reached for her handbag. “I forgot to check the last couple messages you sent me.” Her smile was mischievous as she pulled out her phone. “Are they going to make me blush?”
“Not like the ones you sent me.”
His last two texts had been quite ordinary, actually. I’m heading over now, one said, while the other announced his arrival. Still, he liked watching her read his words.
He moved behind her as he sipped the elegant, full-bodied Bordeaux, thinking maybe Jack was onto something with his hunt for good wine. It made all the difference. A good wine was like a great kiss. It melted on his tongue and then the flavor evolved, deepened, as it spread throughout his mouth. It was a wine to be savored, as was his night with Hayley. He pulled her curvaceous backside against him.
“Mmm,” she murmured, tilting her head slightly back against his shoulder.
“Scroll up so I can see the picture you sent,” he said softly into her ear. “It was so hot.”
When she pressed her soft ass into his erection, teasing him, he moved his hand down between her legs and held it there, pressing gently against the fabric of her dress. Her breath caught and she stood perfectly still.
“What are you waiting for?” he murmured. “I said show me the picture.”
She complied, and there it was again, her shapely legs in those thigh-high stockings. Her silver heels had fuck-me written all over them. Her stockings were held up by lace bands, and Josh felt his way down her dress to them, outlining them through the fabric.
“What else are you wearing underneath this dress?”
“Only one way to find out, Josh.”
Hayley moaned against Josh’s mouth as he kissed her and stroked her softly. She wanted out of her dress. Needed him out of his clothes, too. Her craving to feel his skin against her own was nearly unbearable. But as much as she wanted to rush, there was beauty in the buildup. She was more aroused than she’d ever been in her life.
“Are you wearing a garter belt?” he murmured, his breath hot in her ear and his fingers expertly setting her desire on fire. She couldn’t help but let out another moan.
“Find out,” she said.
Hayley lifted her hair and held it to the side so it wouldn’t get caught in the zipper of her dress, and then half-turned around. Josh took the zipper, and she tingled with the anticipation of being naked before him, but he paused before beginning to drive it downward.
“The thing is, there’s more than one way to find out, and I like you in that dress.” With his free hand, he pulled a counter stool closer and patted it. “Here. Put your foot up here on the footrest.”
She then noticed her silver heels on the floor, where she’d set them when she came in.
Bring Your Heart (Golden Falls Fire Book 2) Page 11
