by Beth Ciotta
He realized suddenly that he’d backed her against the faded wall of Chris’s cramped office. Inappropriate. Possessive. Sexual. The professional, sensible part of him screamed, Back off! But her imploring gaze and shallow breathing beckoned him as a man.
He kissed her. Softly. Thoroughly. Holding her sweet face captive between his hands. Suckling her tongue. Pressing his hard body against her pliant form and reveling in her eager acceptance and soft moans. The simmering heat raged into an inferno and in turn the kiss grew wild. Rainbows exploded behind his closed lids, arced through his dull-ass world, and warped his normally logical senses. Pent-up urges trampled better judgment. He wanted this woman here, now, naked, writhing beneath his touch. Screaming out his name.
Stunned, he broke off.
Sex on company time? In the family store? Nothing between them and scores of people aside from thin walls and a locked door?
Well, hell.
Eyes bright, hair tousled, she quirked a loopy, perplexed grin. “What was that about?”
Even though they were no longer touching, the inferno raged, the rainbow lingered, making him feel like a besotted teen. Reckless. Alive. “Color.”
She blinked in confusion, then launched herself against him. He landed in a worn wing chair with Chloe straddling his lap. She kissed him. Hard. Deep. Holding his face captive between her hands. Suckling his tongue. Wiggling against his arousal. More rainbows. Christ. He palmed her ass through the voluminous floral skirt, itching to peel off the thong beneath, dying to touch bare skin. He’d heard about people getting off on the thrill of possibly getting caught in the act. His cousin Nash was one of them. Devlin wasn’t, but he was seriously contemplating a fast and furious fuck.
As if reading his mind or coming to her senses, Chloe eased back, eyes wide, cheeks flushed. Her hands flew to her kiss-swollen lips, her expression somewhere between dazed and mortified.
Striving for casual, he teased her with her own words. “What was that about?”
“Living in the moment.”
“Huh.”
“Probably not the best choice.”
“I’m not complaining.”
Breathless, she searched his gaze, causing his heart to race, or maybe that was an aftershock of that earth-rocking kiss. As swiftly as she’d tackled him, she scrambled off his lap. “I can’t do this. Whatever this is. Not now.”
“Bad timing,” he conceded. “Public place.”
“It’s not that.” She paused when he raised a brow. “I mean that doesn’t help. But mostly, bad timing overall.”
Logic cut through the rainbow haze, tempered the sexual heat. “Same here.” He needed to focus his energies on the store, the family.
“As of two weeks ago—almost—I was living with someone. A man. I’m not…”
“Over him?”
“Myself. If I followed through with this…”
“Attraction?”
“I wouldn’t know if I was acting out of revenge, a need to reaffirm my desirability, or a sincere animal urge to burn up the sheets with you.”
“I vote the latter,” he said while tucking in his shirttails.
“Which would be as disastrous as the first two, because, no offense, you’re totally wrong for me.”
“You’re not my ideal either.” His dream girl was grounded, stable. “But here we are.”
She backed toward the door. “Not to mention I don’t want you or anyone else to think I used sex to beat a shoplifting charge.”
“We established you weren’t shoplifting.”
“I know. I just don’t want there to be any doubt.”
“There isn’t.”
“Good. Great.” She tamed her hair with one hand while struggling with the dead bolt.
He moved in, resisting the urge to kiss her, resisting … her. He released the lock. “So we’re not going to pursue this.”
“Doesn’t seem wise.”
Succumbing to a small temptation, he tucked a hunk of her tousled hair behind one ear, lightly caressing her lobe, smiling when she shivered. “In that case, we should probably keep our distance.”
“Probably,” she croaked, fumbling for the doorknob.
“See you for Sunday dinner.”
“See you then.” She held his gaze a moment longer than she should have. A moment that betrayed sincere longing, before she scrambled out the door. “Oh, and thank you for the high-speed cable service,” she blurted nervously over her shoulder. “That was really thoughtful.”
He watched her go, marveling at her complexity. Nice girl? Bad girl? Confused? Conniving? For better, for worse, that kiss had sealed it. Melon Girl was in his blood.
NINETEEN
Chloe waited until she’d parked the Caddy in Daisy’s garage before dialing Monica. All the anxiety and frustration she’d been stuffing down since she’d bolted from J.T.’s erupted when Monica answered with a cheery, “So how was shopping?”
“How could you desert me like that?” she screamed into her cell.
“What? You texted back that you understood. You said no worries.”
“That was before I got accused of shoplifting. Before Devlin and I went at each other like two dogs in heat!” Her blood and body still burned from the spontaneous, passionate interlude. She’d never been so turned on, so close to an orgasm, while still wearing all her clothes!
“What? You and Dev had sex?”
“No! But we may as well have. I mean it was heading there. We were all over each other!”
“Before or after you were accused of shoplifting?”
“After. A total misunderstanding by the way.”
“The groping or the shoplifting?”
“The shoplifting.” Chloe still couldn’t believe how fast a blissful excursion had soured. She’d enjoyed shopping for Daisy, coupling her past fashion education—albeit brief—with her present employer’s taste, however unique. Chloe had been pulling together the last of five outfits when her phone had chimed. Her dad. That’s when things had gone from heavenly to hell-in-a-handbasket. “Anyway,” Chloe said, shaking off the upsetting call, “first Devlin kissed me; then I kissed him.”
“You’re freaking out over a measly kiss?”
“There was nothing measly about it. It was … orgasmic!”
“Wow.”
“I know. It was awful.”
“Awful?”
“It only made me more hot for him. Brain-melting, thigh-quivering, do-me-now-or-I’ll-die hot.”
“I’m trying to figure out why that’s bad.”
“The timing’s off. We’re off. He even admitted it. I’m not his ideal.”
“He’s totally wrong for you. Yeah, yeah. I gotta say, Chloe, I don’t get it. You’re both single. Both adults. Whatever happened to healthy, guilt-free sex?”
“But what if I fall for him? Really fall for him? He’s a control freak.”
“And you’re a loose cannon. Maybe you’d even each other out.”
“Maybe we’d drive each other crazy.”
“Maybe you should give it a try.”
“Not gonna happen. We agreed to keep our distance.”
“Which will only make it worse.” Monica snorted. “Wake up and smell the apples, Eve.”
“What?”
“Human nature. We always want what we can’t have or shouldn’t have. Deny yourself something and you’ll only crave it more. You’ve just made Dev the forbidden fruit.”
Chloe fell forward and thunked her head against the steering wheel. She recognized the wisdom in Monica’s words; she just didn’t want to admit it. Admitting gave the observation weight. She needed to shrug this off as if it were nothing. “I have to go. Daisy might be back and … I should get inside.”
“Chloe—”
“I’m glad you and Leo made up. Talk to you later.”
* * *
Rocky pushed the Jeep to sixty-five, ignoring the speed limit and the intermittent troubling sound from the engine. She rolled down the window, we
lcoming the rush of cool air, willing serenity. Her brain was crammed with finances and legalities, pros and cons. After listening to Adam’s impressive proposal over pancakes, she’d driven into town to speak with her lawyer, then loan officer. She’d questioned them about a possible partnership and what that would and could entail. Both men had listened; both had advised. Both, though striving to stay neutral, had seen the advantage in a joint venture. Probably because they both knew she was struggling. Which probably meant they thought, if she stayed the course, her dream was doomed. Even so, the desire to solely own and operate the Red Clover was intense. She feared giving over an ounce of power. Or was it that she feared a business alliance would ruin her personal alliance with Adam? Why mess with perfection? And their casual sexual relationship was damn near perfect.
“No rash decisions,” she told herself. Even Adam had told her to live with the idea a couple of days before giving him an answer. Logical, sound advice. “Damn him.” He really was the perfect business partner, if she decided to go that route.
The wooded landscape blurred as she buzzed down the highway. Caught up in a cyclone of thoughts, she answered her trilling cell without screening.
“What are you doing tonight?”
Rocky grunted. “If any man other than my big brother had asked me that question, I’d be intrigued. Since it’s you, I’m leery. What do you want, Dev?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“About?”
“The Red Clover.”
She tightened her one-handed grip on the steering wheel, steeled her spine. Dev had a way of knowing everyone’s business, especially family, but surely he hadn’t heard about her back-to-back visits with Tommy and Joe. She’d shown up and walked in—no appointment. All told, she’d spent less than an hour in Sugar Creek and was now on her way home. Dev couldn’t know. Unless her business associates had betrayed her confidence.
Paranoid much? she could hear Adam say.
Getting a grip, Rocky chalked up this call to her control freak brother’s freaking annoying sixth sense. “I’m not going to sell—”
“You’ve made that clear and I appreciate your commitment.”
“So give it a rest.”
“I can’t. I have some ideas—”
“Forget it.” She stepped on the gas, desperate to see the inn. Her inn. The property she’d coveted. The property she’d saved for and, with the help of her dad, had bought dirt cheap. She knew he’d been pacifying her, affording her a hobby. But she hadn’t cared because she’d had big plans. Big plans based on a childhood dream. Admittedly, she’d hit roadblocks and experienced disappointments and maybe, just maybe, she was going to have to alter her plans, but she still had her frickin’ dream. “Shouldn’t you be concentrating on J.T.’s?”
“I am. So about tonight—”
“I have plans.”
“Tomorrow then.”
“I’m sorry. What? You’re breaking up,” she lied. “Dev?” She feigned static, then disconnected. She tossed her cell on the passenger seat, cursing her well-intentioned brother, crummy luck, and the economy. Her engine made a clunking sound and she cursed her Jeep, too. Chest tight, she rolled down her window even more, needing fresh air. Needing air, period. Breathing was suddenly a chore.
Her phone chimed again. “Dammit, Dev.” But then she saw it was Monica. “Hey, Mon. What’s shaking?”
“My conscience.”
“What?”
“Part of me feels guilty for betraying a friend’s confidence, but the other part screams it’s for her own good. Something wonderful is staring her in the face and she’s shoving it away.”
“The ‘friend’ being Chloe and the ‘it’ being my brother?”
“Exactly.”
“Did you promise to keep whatever Chloe told you to yourself?”
“No.”
“Well, there’s your loophole, hon. Plus, don’t think of it as a betrayal so much as a mission of mercy.”
“It’s just we all saw it, the chemistry between those two.”
“And we all agreed they’d probably be good for one another. So what happened and how can I help?”
Monica sighed. “It all started when Chloe went shopping at J.T.’s.”
Rocky listened while her friend told a tale that had her shaking her head. She turned onto a side road that led to the Red Clover, certain there’d just been a shakeup in the cosmos. “I could’ve sworn you just said my brother, my usually conservative, by-the-books, always-in-control brother, lost control in a mega-hot make-out session with Chloe.”
“You heard right,” Monica said.
“In J.T.’s.”
“Yup.”
“Where? In his office? On the floor? In front of people?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have details. I just know it rattled the hell out of Chloe.”
“That’s awesome!”
“Her word was ‘awful.’”
“Kissing Dev was awful?”
“Orgasmic, actually. Apparently.”
“And that’s awful because?”
“She’s worried about falling for him.”
“News flash: Dev’s already fallen for her.”
“He told you that?”
“His actions did. Making out in the middle of the workday? On work property?”
“I see what you mean.”
“This is fabulous!” Rocky said. “Dev’s head over heels. Someone else to obsess on aside from family!”
“Except they agreed to keep their distance.”
She frowned. “That would explain his phone call.”
“What phone call?”
“Never mind. Just … Don’t worry about it. I’ll get them together.”
“How?”
“Family.”
“Not sure I follow, but go for it. Keep me advised, will you?”
“Sure thing.”
Rocky signed off and dialed Nash. “Need a favor.”
“Shoot.”
“Ask Chloe out.”
“Thought you said Dev’s interested.”
“He is. Just do it.”
“Why?”
“For Dev. For me.”
“This is screwy.”
“Pretty girl. New in town. Kick-ass cook.”
“Well, when you put it like that.”
“Thanks, Nash.”
“Anytime.”
She disconnected, called Luke. “Remember the other night when you said something about giving Dev some brotherly competition?”
“You want me to ask Chloe out, too?”
“What do you mean, too?”
“Nash just texted me.”
“Holy … I just hung up with him!”
“Hot news travels fast. So I assume our goal is to make Dev jealous?”
“I have reason to believe he’s fallen big-time for Chloe, which, in addition to possible long-term bliss for him, could mean big-time freedom for you and me. Unfortunately, he’s resisting the attraction.”
“You want me to shove?”
“Hard.”
“My pleasure.”
She imagined the cocky grin on his face when he disconnected, and couldn’t help feeling a little arrogant as well. She knew Dev well enough to know any seductive move on Nash’s part would shake his resolve. Luke’s pursuit would push him over the edge. The two biggest players in Sugar Creek after the woman who’d inspired him to get hot and heavy in J.T.’s? His ego wouldn’t stand for it. And if he was truly, deeply taken with her, neither would his heart.
Rocky refused to feel bad about pushing his buttons. In fact, she had additional plans to throw the reluctant would-be lovers together. She liked Chloe and, unlike the other women Dev had been attracted to, sensed she’d actually be good for him. She swerved to miss a pothole and dialed another cousin. “Hey, Sam.”
“What’s up, sweetheart?”
“Cupcake meeting’s at your house Thursday, right?”
“Last I knew.”
“Create some kind of excuse. Bail. Not totally. Just make your house taboo and ask Dev if you can borrow his.”
“Why would I ask Dev? Why not someone else in the club?”
“Because I want Dev there and we stand a better chance if it’s at his house.”
“Couldn’t we just invite him?”
“Just do it, Sam. It’s for the family’s good. I’ll explain later.”
She disconnected, confident that she’d set critical wheels in motion when the Jeep’s engine stopped cold. “What the…”
She coasted to the side of the road, the Red Clover in sight a half mile away. Frustrated, she whacked the steering wheel hard with the flat of her hand. “Dammit!”
Her oven, the fridge, the porch, the shed, her ceiling. Now her damned transportation? She was torn between crying and screaming. Resisting both, she blew out of the Jeep and kicked the tire—twice—before throwing open the hood. She knew a little about engines but not a lot. She’d probably have to call Leo, ask him for a tow. She estimated charges and cringed. Maybe Adam could help. Not seeing any hissing, steaming or obvious broken valves or wires, she backtracked for her phone, pausing when she heard a car drawing near. Maybe it was someone with a knack for mechanics.
She stepped out to wave down the driver, not recognizing the make and model as belonging to anyone she knew. The dark-blue sedan slowed and suddenly Rocky’s skin prickled with dread. Living in a secluded area for years, inviting tourists into her bed-and-breakfast as a norm, she’d never been squeamish about encountering strangers. This moment, though, her heart pounded as though she’d just flagged down the devil.
In the next moment, a tall, well-built, golden-haired Adonis unfolded from the car. Even though his hair was longer and he’d grown a goatee … even though his eyes were hidden behind a pair of aviator sunglasses, her mind and body recognized him in an instant, responding with a familiar firestorm of emotions.
Of all the freaking people on the damned planet.
She would have preferred Lucifer.
Rocky stood frozen as Jayce Bello strode toward her, an enigmatic expression on his absurdly gorgeous face. She hated him for being so incredibly good looking, so confident, so charismatic. She hated herself for being so affected, even after, even still. She shoved down traitorous yearnings and conjured ancient resentment. She hardened her heart and will, relaxed against her Jeep, and feigned a casual demeanor.
