Tough Love

by Lori Foster

  “Okay.” She’d follow him anywhere... Wait, what? Shaking her head, she muttered, “You’re dangerous.”

  He gave a soft laugh, shook his head and turned to go to shore.

  Zoey quickly readjusted the towel, wrapping it around her body under her arms so that it covered her from chest to midthigh.

  He glanced back, and she gave him a bright smile, quickly following.

  When they reached the makeshift bench just off the dock, in front of a ramshackle shed, he gestured for her to sit, then sat very close beside her.

  He dropped the hat on the ground beside him with the glasses. “I was looking forward to dinner,” he told her. “But I’m going to be tied up ’til eight now.”

  A hundred thoughts went through her head, and she decided to be straight with him. “You aren’t just dodging me?”

  Quirking a brow, he looked over her bare legs and shook his head. “Now, why would I do that?”

  Relieved, she shoulder-bumped him. “So then...you’ll have to eat eventually, right? You could just come by here. I don’t mind eating late.”

  He glanced across the wooded property to her house. “You’re sure?”

  “Actually, I’d love it.” He could come at midnight and she’d enjoy it. Knowing she’d sounded too eager, she added, “I was hoping to get your advice on a few fix-up projects anyway.”

  “Yeah?” He eyed the dock, and then the shed behind them. “You could start down here. I’m surprised either of these is still standing.”

  “I doubt I’ll use the shed for much, and other than worrying for splinters, the dock seems fine.” She had more pressing concerns, but she could explain all that to him later. “What’s your preference for tonight?”

  As he looked her over again, one of his eyebrows went up.

  That heated scrutiny sucked the air out of her lungs. “I’m a good cook,” she blurted. “Name it and I’ll take care of it.” God willing, he wouldn’t choose anything too difficult.

  “You have a grill?”

  “That’s what I was getting at the hardware store the day we ran into each other.”

  “The day you wore that messy shirt and had your hair in braids.” He tugged on one dripping hank of hair. “You looked really cute.”

  No way. And here she’d been embarrassed. Feeling her face go hot, she mumbled, “Thanks.”

  “So if we have the grill, how about I bring some steaks? You can fix whatever you want to go with it. I’m not picky.”

  She bent a stern look on him. “This is supposed to be my treat so I can thank you.”

  His attention went to her mouth. “There are other ways you can thank me.”

  Whoa. Just like that, a porno played in her head. “Like...what?”

  “Not what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment brought her brows down. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

  Abruptly, he turned away.

  “Garrett?”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I was never going to let you buy dinner.”

  Spine stiffening, she repeated softly, “Let me?”

  Paying no mind to her indignation, he stood and took a step back from her. “Know how you could really thank me?”

  Suspicious, she stood, too—and his attention went back to her mouth.

  Heart thumping, she licked her lips. When he groaned, she bit her lower lip.

  He drew his gaze up to her eyes. “Sorry.” He worked his jaw. “I do get distracted by your mouth.”

  “My mouth?”

  Abruptly he said, “You can thank me by going to the fireman’s fund-raiser with me.”

  That was so far from what she’d expected that she blinked. “Really?”

  “End of the month.”

  Plenty of notice. Would she not see him again until then? Cautiously, she said, “That’s a while off.”

  “I know you’re busy now getting your house set up for your mom.”

  “True.” But that didn’t tell her what she wanted to know. “I had a lot of stuff shipped here, and I’m still unpacking.”

  As if he’d read her thoughts, he said, “My days off vary, but I wouldn’t mind coming by to help you with the house remodeling if you’d like.”

  She opened her mouth, but didn’t get a single word out before he spoke again.

  “I enjoy fixing up old houses, so it’d be a pleasure.”

  He made it sound like she’d be doing him a favor. “I—”

  “I work half a day next Saturday so we can get started then, and do a little swimming afterward.”

  He coordinated dates quicker than she could keep up.

  Still looking all too serious, he asked, “What do you think?”

  “Actually, I’d love that.”

  “Which part?”

  “Any of it. All of it.”

  “Perfect.” He released a pent-up breath and moved in close again. “Now, let’s get back to your mouth.”

  Self-conscious uncertainty had her licking her lips again.

  He made a small, hot sound of approval. “Will I be rushing things too much if I kiss you?”

  Canting her head, she considered him. He wanted to kiss her, but instead of just doing it, he asked? “I...um...” Yes, please. But that’d sound awfully enthusiastic—which she was. “I suppose...”

  His hand slid along her jaw so that his fingertips touched the back of her neck. “I haven’t been able to think about much other than your mouth.”

  “Really?”

  “Except for when I saw you in the lake.” He angled his body near hers. “Then I was thinking about all kinds of things—only some of them having to do with your mouth.”

  He was so much bolder than she remembered, but of course, he’d been a kid back then.

  And he was now a man.

  After resting her hands on his shoulders, she hesitated. “I don’t want to get you wet.”

  “Funny.” He leaned down until she felt his breath. “I can’t say the same to you.”

  And before she could react to that, he put his mouth to hers, his lips warm and firm, nudging hers open so that his tongue could touch just inside, teasing her own, easing her into things until he had both hands in her wet hair, their bodies pressed together, mouths moving in a hot, eating kiss that obliterated clear thought.

  Overhead a crow cawed. Somewhere on the lake, a fish jumped.

  When Garrett finally let up, she realized her towel had dropped around her feet. Slowly, he lowered one hand to stroke her naked waist, while his other hand curled around her nape, keeping her right where he wanted her.

  She went to lick her tingling lips, but he kissed her again, capturing her tongue and making a sound of pleasure before pulling back.

  Still very near her, he whispered, “Even better than I’d imagined.”

  “You imagined kissing me?”

  His gruff laugh teased her nerve endings, but not as much as when he whispered, “I’ve been imagining it since way back when we were kids in school together.”

  That surprised her enough that she didn’t even blink when he stole another kiss.

  “And a hell of a lot more since then.”

  She remembered Garrett had always been nice to her, but she couldn’t recall a time when he’d ever asked her out, or even asked for her number. “I had no idea.”

  His thumb teased over the corner of her lips. “Now you do.” Smiling, he tasted her again, deeper, slower, before reluctantly ending things.

  If he’d kissed her like that so many years ago, she wasn’t sure she would have left town. “Wow.”

  “Yeah.” He moved his thumb to the pulse thrumming in her neck. “I need to take off, but I’ll be here at eight—and I’m already looking forward to it.”

  In a daze, Zoey watched him snag up his hat and glasses before heading across the yard, his long strides easy, the muscles in his shoulders shifting and moving with each step.

  Without much grace, she dropped to sit on the bench again.<
br />
  If she believed him...well, then, he’d been thinking about kissing her for a very long time.

  Odds were, he’d want to kiss her again tonight.

  She was naturally an upbeat person, but facing the town again hadn’t been as easy as she’d pretended.

  Yet now, after Garrett’s sensual attention, pure giddiness stole through her, leaving no room for anything else.

  For the first time in a very long time, she was flat-out happy. Needing to share, she snatched up her cell phone and put in a call to Amber, her only remaining friend in Buckhorn—even if she was Garrett’s sister. By sheer force of will she managed to downplay the kissing aspects and instead focused on her excitement for the coming days.

  After her chat with Amber, who was appropriately attentive, Zoey decided to take a quick shower and head to the hospital for another short visit. On her way home she’d stop at the grocery for salad and potatoes.

  There were so many changes going on in her life right now, but it was thoughts of Garrett that put the smile on her face and kept it there.

  * * *

  GARRETT HAD JUST FINISHED his general check of the station, making sure everything was clean and orderly. He had a phone meeting in a few minutes, but wanted to grab a Coke before that.

  His sister waylaid those plans.

  Storming through the station as if she owned it—and sometimes the newbies thought she did—she snagged his elbow and tried to haul him along. There were times when Amber forgot her “little” brother was all grown up, a head taller and a hell of a lot brawnier.

  Garrett felt everyone glancing their way, especially Noel Poet, the new hire who’d only recently moved to the area. The locals were used to Amber, but he wasn’t sure Noel had ever seen her before.

  To see her now, trying to boss him around, wasn’t good.

  When Garrett stood his ground, Amber’s momentum brought her around until she almost slammed into him.

  He caught her arm and eased her out of his space, asking calmly, “Problem, Amber?”

  Fuzzed up about something, she smoothed her hair, gave a tug to her T-shirt and glared up at him. “I’d like to talk to you in private.”

  “If you ask real pretty like...”

  Instead she tossed back her long hair—as dark as his own—and went on tiptoe, saying in a snarl, “It’s about Zoey.”

  Curiosity ripened in the air.

  Not wanting his personal business aired to the station, Garrett took her arm and now it was him leading her off for privacy. She had to double-step to keep up with him.

  He took her into the office and closed the door. “Okay, what’s the problem?”

  Never one to hold back, Amber declared, “You’re going to break her heart!”

  His brows came down so hard that his head throbbed. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Zoey!” She slugged his shoulder.

  Garrett crossed his arms and propped that shoulder on the wall. “I hit flies harder than that.”

  The insult rolled right off her. “I didn’t want to hurt you. You’re supposed to be the good guy.”

  “I am a good guy.” Hell, everyone told him so. “I got her from the airport for you.”

  “And?”

  “And...agreed to let her take me to dinner.” After she’d gone from looking pretty nasty to looking like a wet dream. He was still a little shocked by the transformation.

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “The fireman’s fund-raiser?”

  Damn, news traveled fast. “Yeah, so?” He had no idea why that had his sister spoiling for a fight. “I figured you’d be glad she had a date.” Not that being noble had factored into his motives. “The whole town will be there.”

  “Right. The whole town—including the Donahues and all their friends.”

  He scoffed at that. “You aren’t saying they’d cause a problem?”

  “Oh, my God, where have you been? Living under a rock?”

  “They’re not that bad.” He hoped. But now that she said it...

  “When was the last time you saw any of them? They’re always a problem.”

  If that was her big concern, she could relax right now. “I won’t let anyone insult Zoey.”

  Rolling her eyes, she gave him a look that said he was hopeless. “Yeah, that’ll make her feel better. To be insulted and then have you cause a scene about it.”

  “I don’t cause scenes.” He kept a cool head, always.

  “Because everyone adores you. But if you’ll recall, Zoey left because everyone does not adore her. And you two being together will bring up comparisons.”

  “To her and Gus Donahue?” He dropped his arms and his negligent attitude. “Damn, Amber, that was years ago.”

  Her attitude softened the tiniest bit. “She’s been gone ever since. Her showing up is going to revive that whole nasty bit of history.” She held out her hands. “For some, she’ll still be the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who brought down the all-star golden boy. And brother, that’s how they’ll see her with you, too.”

  He shook his head in denial.

  Pitying, Amber sighed. “You know this, Garrett. You know the influence our family has, how others view you as a hero, and how some people can be when it comes to Zoey.”

  Yeah, damn it, he did.

  Even knowing he wouldn’t do it, he asked, “Did you want me to cancel on her?”

  “You can’t. She called me about it because she was thrilled.”

  Thrilled? He scoffed. “Over going to a fund-raiser?”

  “Over being with you.”

  Yeah, he had to admit—to himself, not his sister—that it thrilled him a little, too. “So she’s glad to have a date.” Though given how she looked, she probably could’ve had her pick of men. “It’ll be good for her to get around the town if she plans to stay.”

  Arms crossed, Amber started tapping her foot. “And?”

  He wouldn’t talk about kissing Zoey. It was private, and none of his nosy sister’s business. “And butt out.”

  Of course she didn’t. He wasn’t sure Amber could. His sister lived to control the lives of others.

  It was one of the things he usually loved about her. She was good at it and could be a terrific resource when vetting dates.

  But not right now. Not when it came to Zoey.

  “You know it’s tough for her to be here, that her mom is in a bad way, that she’s trying to start up a new business on top of just buying a run-down house that needs a ton of work before she can bring her mom there. She has her hands full and then some.”

  Yeah, he did know it. That was one reason he’d offered to help her out—not that he’d tell Amber about it with her being so prickly. Besides, Zoey hadn’t acted at all daunted by the pile of burdens. If anything, she seemed eager to take on each and every responsibility. “I saw her house.” Then, in case Amber made assumptions, he said, “The outside, I mean.”

  “Reminds me a little of your place.”

  “Yeah. Hers could use some TLC, but it’s nice.”

  “The inside is far worse than the outside. Livable, but in need of a lot of repairs.”

  “That’s the way with most old houses.” As he rubbed the back of his neck, he thought he saw Amber smile, but the flicker of amusement was gone too fast for him to be sure.

  Suspicions gathered like storm clouds as he eyed her innocent expression. Amber was a matchmaker extraordinaire; she always had motives for what she did—including chewing out her brother. “Are you trying to manipulate me?”

  She struck an appalled pose. “Me?”

  What a laugh. “Yes, you.”

  Checking a nail, she said, “Actually, I put you with Zoey because I thought you’d be least likely to go overboard.”

  Lightning joined the thunderclouds in his brain. “Overboard...how?”

  She dropped her hands. “Face it, brother, you’re not Adam.”

  Insulted without even knowing why, he as
ked, “What the hell does that mean?”

  “He skates through women like it’s a sport.” She flipped her hand. “And for him, it probably is. He’s twenty-nine years old and hasn’t once been in love.”

  Garrett backed up with very real alarm. “You expect me to fall in love with her?”

  “Don’t sound so horrified. I’m telling you not to fall in love with her.”

  “Wasn’t planning to!”

  “But you shouldn’t sleep with her, either.”

  He put the brakes on his retreat. “Now wait just a min—”

  “Since you’re not Adam, who would probably already be in her bed—”

  Over his dead body!

  “—you should be able to handle that, right?”

  No, damn it. He didn’t want to handle it. He searched Amber’s face, saw she looked dead serious and turned away with a muttered curse.

  Since leaving Zoey earlier, he’d thought a dozen times about the way she kissed, how good she’d tasted, the small sounds she’d made, the way those full lips of hers felt under his...

  “I can almost hear what you’re thinking.”

  Jerking around, he pointed a finger at her. “Then close your meddling ears.”

  She pointed right back. “If you sleep with her, then you damn well better step up and be there for her!”

  Just what did she mean by that?

  Amber slung her purse strap up and over her shoulder and started for the office door. Hand on the doorknob, her back still to him, she paused.

  Garrett felt the imminent doom.

  “She’s not welcome at her uncle’s. I don’t know if you knew that, but he blames her, too.”

  Son of a bitch.

  “If you’ve heard the gossip, then you know a lot of people are hanging on to that old grudge.”

  “You don’t,” he reminded her. “I don’t.”

  “No.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “You and I also know she deserves better than to be used after walking back into the line of fire for her mom. I hope you remember that, Garrett.”

  After that direct shot to his lustful intentions, his sister departed, now with less steam than when she’d entered.

  Garrett watched her, noticed that Noel Poet did, too. He scowled, but with guilt sitting heavy on his shoulders he couldn’t work up any real concern over it. God knew, Amber could take care of herself.