“But then Hunter came along.”
The screen door opened and both Stone and Matt joined them on the patio. Within seconds Stone had drawn Emily into his arms like the two of them were magnets.
“Are you guys already done?” Emily asked.
Stone, who had his head partially buried in Emily’s neck, could barely be heard. “More than we can fix tonight. Babe, I need to go home. Come with me.”
Emily turned in his arms. “Of course I’m coming with you, silly.”
“Score.”
Oh, sigh. Those two were so adorable, and yes, at times irritatingly so. Sarah turned away because no matter what those two did, even if it was simply holding each other’s hands, it carried with it an air of jolting intimacy. She glanced toward Matt, assuming he too would be smiling at the display, but instead caught him studying her, his head cocked. He didn’t look away but his head straightened and his gaze slid up to meet her eyes. He had a beer in his hand and took a pull of it without breaking eye contact.
Sarah swallowed and wanted to get Stone and Emily out of her house even faster than they were moving. “Gosh, thanks so much for coming by. I’m getting tired, too. Early day tomorrow and all.”
“Oh yeah,” Emily said. “We should go.”
“This is what I’m saying.” Stone took Emily’s hand and led her through the house.
Matt said good-night and Sarah followed them to the front door. But Emily wanted to talk wedding plans, and so Sarah followed them out to the truck where she stood next to Emily’s rolled-down passenger-side window. She listened for ten or more minutes to talk of tulle, lace and satin, and whether or not it was a good idea or not to have Emily’s almost two-year-old niece Sierra be a flower girl. Listened as Emily considered whether they should be married outside at her family’s ranch, or perhaps the Methodist church, or maybe someplace completely different. She listened until Stone turned on his truck and began to slowly inch away from the curb while Emily kept talking.
She finally laughed and waved. “We’ll talk later.”
At last! Sarah practically ran back inside where Matt would be waiting. Hopefully to finish what they’d started. He wasn’t in the backyard, nor was he in her bedroom. Not in the bathroom. No, instead he was lying on his roomy bed, faceup. Eyes closed. Breathing slow and regular.
Dammit. She couldn’t catch a break when it came to Matt, but the poor guy was firing on all cylinders lately. Getting up at the crack of dawn. Staying up late working on the house. She turned to leave when she heard his voice, sounding deep and gravelly from sleep.
“Sarah.”
She faced him again, and boy was that a mistake. He rose up on his elbows, a lock of his dark blond hair falling over one eye. She’d never seen put-together Matt look so comfortable. Huggable. Vulnerable.
“I didn’t mean to bother you. You must be exhausted. Go back to sleep.”
“I’d rather you not sleep in your bedroom tonight. I want to look at the electrical tomorrow when I have daylight.”
“Oh, okay. Where should I sleep?” Because she had some pretty good ideas, but she couldn’t assume Matt was on the same wavelength.
“Right here.” He patted his bed.
Oh boy! Jackpot! Home run! Touchdown! Her heart slammed into her rib cage and she smiled at all that sexy. It was a bit of a leap to go straight from the almost-kiss into his bed, but she could take this jump with him. Only him.
“And I’ll sleep on the couch.” He grabbed a pillow and climbed off the bed.
Screech! Crash! Boom! “No, Matt! Are you kidding me? I can’t have you sleeping on my couch.”
“Why not?”
“It’s...it’s uncomfortable and I don’t want to kick you out of your bed.”
“You’re not. If anything, I’m giving the bedroom back to you. Temporarily.”
“But fifteen percent of this house is yours.”
He moved past her to the doorway. “And tonight my fifteen percent is in the living room. The couch is fine with me. I’ve slept on worse.”
Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but Matt gently closed the door.
“What just happened?” she asked Matt’s bed.
It didn’t answer.
She had not imagined all the heat in her bedroom earlier, and none of it had been caused by the faulty wiring. For months they’d been dancing around each other. She’d take two steps forward and he’d take a step back. They could just keep up this routine where he flirted and then backed off. She could let him.
But not this time.
CHAPTER NINE
SARAH STUMBLED INTO the now dark living room, and found Matt lying on the couch, Shackles curled up at his feet. Through the sliver of moonlight shining through the window, she could make out that he had his shirt off, a pillow over his face. As if she’d given him a headache.
Wait until she got going. “Matt.”
Under his pillow, she heard him groan.
“What’s going on here?” She stood hands on hips and then decided that looked too accusatory for seduction, so she relaxed her arms at her sides.
“Go to sleep, Sarah.”
“No.”
He lifted the pillow from his face, one eye open. “I don’t want to argue with you.”
“I don’t want to argue, either. I just want you to tell me what happened tonight.”
“Guess if you don’t know, I must not have done it right.”
“You did everything right.” Her voice softened. Now that she faced this—thing—between them her mouth was parched and dry. But she couldn’t lose her nerve now. “The only thing you did wrong was stop.”
“Wasn’t my choice.”
“But now it is.”
He didn’t move. “Go to sleep. Please.”
“Well, since you said please.”
“Seriously? That’s all it takes?”
“No. I lied. I’ll go to sleep, but not until you hear me out. I might be Stone’s sister, but I’m also a grown woman and I know what I want.”
“What do you want? Because I thought you wanted to fix this house and flip it. Sell it so you can get back to Colorado.”
Couldn’t a woman want more than one thing? “I want you, Matt. That’s what I want.”
“Do you? Be careful what you’re asking for. Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
“I know enough. I know you’re one of the good guys.”
He snorted. “Yeah.”
“Do you think I’m going to fall in love with you? Is that it? Because that’s not an issue. I don’t believe in love.”
At that he removed the pillow from his head. “You don’t believe in love.”
“Does that shock you? Why should it? I grew up as the child of a broken home and I’ve seen more divorces around me than I care to remember. You of all people should understand.”
“Me of all people?”
“You’re also from a broken home. And...you’re a single father.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t believe in love. And I think it’s pretty messed up that you don’t, Sarah.”
“Okay. What do you want? Is it me at all? Because a couple of hours ago you had me pretty well convinced, so if you’ve changed your mind you need to tell me now.”
There. She couldn’t believe she’d let all her thoughts spill out at last. Everything she’d intended to tell him for months had come pouring out of her lips, like the semidark of the room had given her added courage. In the ensuing quiet Sarah didn’t think he would answer her at all. Worse, in the dark of the room she couldn’t take a cue from his usually expressive eyes.
“I want you, Sarah.” He finally spoke, the sound of his voice so naked and raw that Sarah’s knees went boneless.
Easil
y enough, she took a seat next to him on the couch. Shackles growled at her. “Was it so hard to say?”
“Yes. Because you can do better.”
“I don’t care. I want you.” She put her trembling hand on his bare chest and felt the muscles tighten under her touch.
“Sarah, look at me.” He met her eyes. “This thing between us? It can’t happen.”
“Wh-why not?”
“You’re leaving, for one thing.”
“Not right this minute.”
“I’m not going to have a fling with my best friend’s sister.”
“Why not? Who’s going to know?”
“I would.” He met her eyes. “And you don’t really want this.”
Pissed off, she drew her hand back. “Don’t you tell me what I want and don’t want!”
He didn’t respond, but simply groaned. “Go back to my bed before I carry you there.”
“No! I’m sleeping on the couch. Not you.” She pushed on his large frame which, of course, didn’t budge.
“Damn,” he growled. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“I’m not stubborn.”
“Yeah, right.”
“You’re the stubborn one. You want to kiss me. You almost did.”
“What I want doesn’t matter right now. Get that through your head.”
“And you say I’m stubborn!” Universe, please save me from obstinate men! “Go back to your bed and stop being such a baby.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Matt settled deeper into the couch.
Two could play this game. Sarah lay her body down lengthwise in the small space left next to his, spoon-like. No way could he sleep like this, her ass scrunched up against him, her hair in his face. He’d move now.
Or maybe he wouldn’t. She decided that she could live with either one of the possible two outcomes.
He cursed under his breath. “Settle in then, if this is what you want. I should warn you that I snore.”
“I can take a little snoring. As long as you can take a little talking in my sleep.”
He didn’t say another word, but shoved the pillow back over his head. The man was going to sleep cramped next to her all night long rather than give in.
And so, apparently, would she.
CHAPTER TEN
HUNTER HAD DISCOVERED his teachers were full of crap and child slave labor hadn’t been abolished in this country. Neither was cruel and inhuman punishment. It was probably a thousand degrees outside today and he and Matt had finally finished the boring fence. It was brown again. Hunter hoped everyone would be very happy.
Most of his friends were inside their houses right now, enjoying their central air-conditioning or swimming in the family pool. He was stuck here with Matt. Matt was cleaning and gathering up the tools, handing Hunter crap and expecting him to put it in the back of the truck even if his arms were about to fall off at the sockets.
“It’s a good feeling being done, isn’t it?” Matt asked.
“Yeah, Matt. It’s cool being done.” Hunter was calling him Matt from now on. He didn’t deserve to be called his dad.
Too bad it didn’t seem to bother Matt to be called by his first name. Hunter thought about the one time he’d called Mom “Joanne” and she’d acted like he’d called her a ho or something. Joanne was her name, so why couldn’t he use it?
“It’s pretty hot today. Want some ice cream?”
He wasn’t a little kid anymore, but he still liked ice cream. Ice cream was a kind of ageless thing so he said yes because he was no idiot. Free ice cream? The way he figured, Matt kind of owed him.
“Sure.”
A few minutes later they were down at the Lick n Spoon. Cones were for little kids, so he ordered a chocolate milk shake like a man. So did Matt.
They sat at the booth in silence for a few minutes until Matt asked Hunter about his grades for the last semester. Typical parent stuff. School was out for the summer but it was like no one would let him relax for a nanosecond.
“They’re all right. I don’t have to make up any credits.”
Matt nodded. “So your mom wants you to start spending weekends with me. What do you think about that?”
“It’s because of her new boyfriend. She wants to follow him around like a fucking groupie.”
Matt didn’t even blink. Hunter couldn’t figure him out. He was a hard-ass who would force Hunter to paint a fence instead of letting his mom pay for the damages, but didn’t mind if he cussed or called him by his first name. Go figure.
“Do you want to spend weekends with me?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Matt met his eyes. “Put it this way. I’d like it to be your choice, but your mom is kind of forcing the issue.”
“Yeah, she would.” Hunter had just invited Matt to rag on Joanne, if he wanted to. Why not? She complained about him all the time.
“I’m looking for a house with enough room for both of us. You’d have your own bedroom.”
Huh. Matt didn’t take the bait. “I don’t see why I can’t stay at the house on my own. I’m almost a man.”
“For one thing, it’s against the law. We’re responsible for you until you’re eighteen. The second thing is that you’re also my son, and maybe you should live with me a little while before you go to college. Just see how it is.”
“I guess.” He lifted a shoulder.
He didn’t want to admit he did wonder sometimes what it would have been like to live with Matt all these years instead of his mom. To travel around the world and see Germany and Saudi Arabia, and some of those faraway places where he’d received Matt’s postcards from. It had to be boring as shit for him to be back in Fortune where if you weren’t a techie guru you’d eventually work for one. That’s why Hunter wanted to get out of the Bay Area. He wanted to go overseas and be a badass Marine. Or a Navy SEAL.
“Do you have any friends who were Marines or Navy SEALs?” Hunter asked.
“One of my high school friends was a Marine. Is that what you want to do?”
“Yeah.” He got ready for Matt to tell him how he should join the Air Force instead.
“Good choice. Fine organization.”
Matt wasn’t going to warn Hunter that he might put his eye out or something? One good thing he could say about Matt was he didn’t have a whole lot of experience in the father department, and so far this was beginning to weigh in Hunter’s favor.
Matt dropped him off at his mom’s house a while later, and Hunter rushed in the door and passed his mother in the kitchen.
“How was it? Did you two have fun?”
“Sure, it was really fun painting a fence in a heat wave.” He grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. “Can’t wait to do it again.”
“Good news! Chuck’s team won another—”
He didn’t hear the rest because he slammed his bedroom door shut. What did he care about stupid Chuck and his minor-league team? They could win every game they played and it still wouldn’t improve their loser status. They were major-league losers stuck in the minors and nothing more. Hunter whipped on his no-longer-MIA earbuds and logged in to his online account to play “Call of Duty”. Trent and most of his friends were already logged in and kicking Nazi ass. He’d already be doing the same if it weren’t for the fence. Most of his online friends still couldn’t believe Matt had made him paint the fence, except for one friend, someone Hunter suspected might be older than he pretended to be.
StarWarz: Is your mom still dating the loser?
Jarhead2018: Yeah, and they won some game. Super excited about being losers. Grown-ups are so sad.
Hunter killed a Nazi. Then another. Booyah!
StarWarz: Check out Twitter. I’ve got your mom’s boyfriend t
here.
Hunter grabbed his phone and checked his Twitter app, and there he saw an obviously Photoshopped picture of Chuck Johnson next to Wade Hopkins of the San Francisco Rockets. In big bold letters that were coming cartoon-like from a bubble above Chuck: Los Angeles Jumpers are losers!
This could be a problem for Chuck, since he was currently a second string pitcher with the Jumpers.
Jarhead2018: Did you make that meme?
StarWarz: You’re welcome. ROFLMAO!
Hunter retweeted the photo and hashtagged it a few times. His friends did, too. Let Chuck try to catch this fastball.
He was still laughing his ass off when Mom called him to lunch.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MATT HAD BEEN in a hell of a foul mood come morning, which might have had something to do with the fact that at 5:00 a.m., when his internal clock woke him from a fitful night’s sleep, he had his arms full of a gorgeous woman. Sarah. Fully clothed. The stubborn woman had slept in the small space beside him all night long rather than give in. He thought for certain she’d have moved sometime during the night but no.
Instead, her sweet ass had been flush against his dick when he woke. Slaying him. He’d woken with his body asking, Oh yeah, where do we sign up for this? Mornings were torture on a single man like him, with his body reminding him what it was made for, and his big head arguing he wasn’t a caveman. He had to stay the hell away from Sarah and so far, it was going about as well as he might have expected.
She had been so soft in his arms. So beautiful with her hair down. So damn fucking sweet. It was all he could do not to haul her back to his bed with him and finish what he’d started with her.
She didn’t believe in love, which shouldn’t surprise him. Bitter and angry had been two of the best words to describe Sarah when she’d come out to Fortune to settle her father’s estate. Still, he’d never imagined that she was so messed up as to have given up completely. Love hadn’t worked out too well for him, either, but he couldn’t say he’d given up. Just put it on a long hiatus. But frankly, all that meant was that he was likely even more stubborn than Sarah.
Airman to the Rescue Page 7
