Love Shack (Tiny Houses, Big Hearts)

by Roxy Mews

  He hoped he could give her back what he’d taken from her.

  He hoped she’d let him be a part of it.

  Chapter Forty

  Felicity was fuming when she pulled up and spotted her house back on the land Brandon had bought out from under her. On the land he’d refused to sell her without a face to face meeting.

  The bastard was manipulating her to get what he wanted, and she was not thrilled about playing this game his way.

  She wasn’t going to soften. She was going to go in there and tell him what an asshole he was being. He didn’t believe in her, and he thought so little of her that he jumped to horrible conclusions.

  Felicity touched the greenery she’d handmade with items from her herb garden. He hadn’t thrown it out. In fact, he’d dotted the green with a few daisies. Nope. She wouldn’t be swayed into rekindling the feelings for this man.

  Well, she wouldn’t have to rekindle them since they never technically left, but she was determined to not settle for someone who thought less of her than she deserved. She was going to be with someone who respected her, and with someone who she was honest and forthright with so that she earned that respect instead of having to backtrack and defend her actions.

  A pergola was standing next to her house. How had that gotten there? A fire danced in a brand new fire pit. With beautiful Adirondack chairs forming a semicircle around it, it would be a perfect place to gather. But it wasn’t her fire pit. And she was going to find the man who had stolen her house and…and decorated it with sage and rosemary leaves along a daisy garland. She was going to find the man that stole her house and painted her steps to match her door.

  He wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Was she just supposed to back her truck in and take her house back? Looking around, she spotted something else. This wasn’t as pretty. In fact, it was little more than cement and steel boxes. Felicity walked back around the gate and stared for a long time before she realized there were numbers at the top and on each locked cubby.

  “A mailbox.” She realized. Touching the metal frame and each of the little locks, she couldn’t believe it. This would be where the people in her community could land. They could get mail here.

  He’d made her a mailbox. Okay, so maybe she could forgive him for not listening to her, because really, she hadn’t given him a whole lot of reasons to trust her anyway.

  She could forgive him, but she couldn’t take a chance on a relationship. They could just be friends. That could work. They could be friends. She liked having friends. Even if she knew what they looked like naked and how hard they pressed her against the counter of her kitchen.

  Friends it was. He had to be here. His car was parked on the street.

  “Brandon?” she called out.

  She had her mind made up to forgive him and had her heart steeled against whatever he might say. Then, before she could call out again, as the sun was dropping further beneath the horizon behind her, the lights clicked on.

  Thousands of fairy lights twinkled among the daisies. The fire blazed and the brilliance of the scene reflected against two crystal wine glasses that Brandon held in his hand as he walked from behind her trailer hitch.

  “Hey.”

  He was wearing a pair of suit pants, and a white button up shirt that didn’t quite fasten all the way. His sleeves were rolled in perfect folds to his elbows, and his hair wasn’t glued to his head with product. A few strands fell forward and he shook his head to try and put them back in their place.

  Felicity was dumbstruck. Her hands wanted to dive into his hair, and her body wanted to press against his. So to remind him as much as herself what was really going on, she blurted, “You stole my house.”

  He at least had the decency to cringe. He walked over to the firepit and placed the open wine bottle in a wire stand spiraling from the ground. After putting the wine glasses in convenient little slots in the arms of the chairs, he wiped his hands on his pants and came toward her.

  She hoped he was sweating because she needed him to make a mistake here.

  “I had to show you I was wrong. I had to show you I believe in your idea, and I had to show you I can see your vision too.”

  “Let’s go back to the wrong part,” she said.

  Felicity looked at the fire, and over to the mailbox, and back to her home. It felt like a dream.

  “I was an idiot to think you could hide who you were on the inside. I was wrong to jump to conclusions and not ask you why you were at that gala. But you were wrong too.”

  She turned at that.

  He reached out for her, but closed his fists rather than touching her. “You were wrong that I couldn’t understand. You were wrong that I couldn’t figure this out. And you were wrong that I couldn’t change my mind. You forced me to look at what I was doing with my life and what I was giving up to live like I was. I don’t need the fancy job or the fancy apartment, because it means giving up the ability to share it with you.”

  “But you stole my house.” He’d stolen it and made it more perfect than she’d ever thought possible. “Are you trying to woo me by stealing my house?”

  He looked around and slapped his legs. “I just thought I’d show you I know this place is yours. I wanted to show you you were meant to be here.”

  “Through grand larceny?” She tried to keep the smile from her face, but failed miserably. Lightning bugs began to float up from the grass. The magic around her was seeping into her soul, and she couldn’t stop the sides of her lips from tipping up. Or the tears from gathering in her eyes.

  “I was going for a grand gesture.”

  She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

  He hurried over and grabbed the bottle. After filling the glasses, he handed one to her. His hand closed around hers and her eyes drifted shut. Heat slid up her arm from his touch, and she felt the tenderness that went into everything he did here.

  He pulled her forward and forced her eyes open as they went toward the fire. Standing where they were, she was under the pergola with fairy lights above her, fire in front of her, and a dream world all around.

  “I’m moving out of my apartment tomorrow.”

  She turned to him and stared. “You’re what?”

  “I’m renting it out for income. I’m going to need it now that I quit my job. Think I could buy a house here?”

  “You are going to have to back up a minute.” Felicity dropped his hand and took a step back. “You quit your job?”

  “I’d rather do something else. I was hoping to help you on this project. Candice and her mother seem like great people, and I can see why you want to help them. I want to do it with you.”

  “Why?”

  He turned to the fire and swallowed two large gulps of wine. Still staring in the fire, he told her. “You. Because of you. Not just because your touch makes me crazy and your energy makes me smile, but because you made me realize I want to do something good in this life, and I don’t need an Italian leather sofa to do it. And I’m hoping Tom will let me use something more complex than sandpaper if I hang around long enough.”

  He smiled at her then. He was serious. He’d left it all.

  “What if you change your mind? Living this way means you give up a lot. You worked so hard to have all those things. What if you wake up one morning and you regret leaving?”

  His hand stretched out and he let the backs of his fingers stroke her jaw. She should have pushed him away as he touched her neck. She should have told him no as he gripped her hair. But she opened her mouth with a whimper as his lips touched hers.

  His kiss felt like home. She’d existed for years with everything she needed in a tiny space. Her life was being lived outside of her house, just like she thought it was supposed to be. But she was wrong. It was supposed to be like this. She reached up and dug her hands in his hair and pulled him close. She’d only had him for a few days, but she ached with how much she’d missed him. His tongue slid against hers and she sucked hi
m deep into her mouth as they tangled and explored each other.

  When they finally ended the kiss, her eyes were slow to open, and she took all of the work he’d done in.

  He pulled back, but it looked like it took just as much effort on his part. “I don’t need anything from you that you don’t want to give me. Just a chance to find out if what we found inside your house exists outside of it too. Here.” He handed her a piece of paper.

  Felicity’s hands were shaking as she looked at the deed paperwork for the plot of land. “I’ll buy this from you. I don’t have enough money left since we already bought the materials for the first house, but I’m finalizing a contract with Debbie and—”

  “Felicity, I don’t care if you pay me a dime. It’s not about the money for me anymore.”

  “What is it about?”

  He grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled their glasses.

  “Are you asking me the meaning of life?”

  She smiled. “Let’s start with what you want out of it.”

  He clinked his glass against hers. “Here’s to hoping you’re willing to help me figure that out.”

  She definitely drank to that.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Brandon sipped at his second glass of wine. It had worked. Holy fuck it had actually worked. Now what?

  He was homeless since his apartment was already booked. It was getting late and he’d have to get himself into a hotel soon. Looking around, he realized Felicity was right. This place was a fairytale. It looked like magic could happen here, and he’d be willing to bet she could use this set up to sell so many houses.

  Hell, he’d want to live here. In fact he needed to get that going, so…

  “How much are you charging for your next house after Debbie’s?”

  She side-eyed him. “It depends on what the customer wants. Different materials cost different amounts of money. The houses start at around twenty thousand and go up from there. Why?”

  Brandon nodded. He might have to sell a couple stocks but he could come up with thirty to forty thousand dollars pretty easily. Or… “You said you wanted to buy the land from me, right?”

  She sipped her wine and nodded.

  “Well, how about a trade instead? You make me a house and I sign over the land.”

  “I only make tiny houses. Well, by me, I mean Tom, but through me he only makes them under two hundred and fifty square feet.” She tilted her glass toward him. “I doubt you’re ready to downsize that much.”

  “You’d be surprised at what I’m ready to do.”

  When her brows raised to her hairline, he realized how that sounded.

  “Shit, I didn’t mean it like that. I was talking about the position I’m getting on the zoning board.”

  Her eyebrows went higher. “Shut up. You’re going to be on the zoning board?”

  “Turns out the governor is anxious to get your land back to you too. He promised me anything I wanted. I happened to be in need of a job, and he had no idea I was planning on signing over the land to you anyway.”

  “Sneaky.”

  “But worth it, considering I’ll be able to help re-zone projects like this one and get a lot more people into the tiny homes they want.” He smiled. It did feel good. He couldn’t wait to get started. If there was one thing he learned from the folks who wanted into the tiny house community, it was how hard they had to work to get around laws that served no purpose other than to pad the pockets of home builders.

  Brandon looked at the wine in his glass and realized he’d skipped dinner. Not even all the way through his second glass, and he was feeling it.

  “Want the rest of mine?” he asked. “I need to be able to drive home.”

  Felicity took his glass from him and stood swirling both in her hands and watching the liquid form tiny vortexes inside. She mumbled something.

  “What was that?”

  Huffing, she lowered her arms and looked him in the eyes. “I said you don’t have to go home. After all, I have one right here.”

  “I’m not expecting anything out of this, Felicity. I wanted to get your land back to you, and I wanted to talk to you. I want to see you again, and if you’re not ready for me to head past first base, I am perfectly okay with that.” He looked at her. Her hair was glinting in the firelight and among the fairy lights and fireflies. The world was sparkling around her and he’d never wanted anything more than to touch her again. “I’m not going to lie. I want you. But I’m not pushing the issue.”

  “I can’t eat at my kitchen counter without thinking about you pressing my breasts against it.”

  He had granite between his legs in seconds. The blood rushed south so fast he could barely breathe. He had to clear his throat twice to get any words out. “Are you sure this is what you want tonight?”

  She walked up to him and, just like he’d done earlier, she put the glasses in the arms of the chairs. “I’m sure I want you to kiss me again. I’m sure I want you to touch me. And I’m sure I want you to spend the night. Beyond that…”

  She took a deep breath, and Brandon held his waiting for her to continue.

  “I’ve been actively trying to not think about what comes next. I’ve been trying to live in the moment. And while I’m not sure where I’ll want to park my house, or if I’ll want to keep doing my blog, or if I’ll ever want to watch television again after being on it so much lately…I am sure, I’d like to wake up next to you tomorrow.” She reached up for his face and touched his cheeks. Her hands caught on the bit of scruff he hadn’t had time to take care of before she arrived. “What do you want?”

  “This.”

  Brandon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body against his. He felt the softness of her ankle length skirt float around his legs in the breeze. His hands wandered up her back and one pulled the hair-tie she’d used to hold the bun in place. Her hair floated down and he threw the tie away. He loved her hair.

  Brushing the strands from her face, he used the movement to tilt her head up to his. “I want this.”

  When his lips were on hers again he inhaled her. Their kisses became frantic and her hands that had been gently holding him worked down his sides and pulled at his shirt. He moaned against her mouth as he felt the fabric pull free.

  There were only the two of them in this magic place and he wanted to show her that he was sure. The past was important, because it made them both who they were now, but it didn’t hold either of them back any longer. He knew who she had been, and why she’d chosen to become who she was now. Her strength and her fearlessness made his hands move faster. He had to touch her skin. Her skin was the softest he’d ever felt, and he couldn’t imagine anything else feeling anywhere near as heavenly as the goose bumps forming beneath his palms as he lifted her blouse over her head.

  “Are you cold?” he asked as he rubbed her skin.

  “The exact opposite.”

  Her lips cut off the conversation and her hands forced his off her body as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders. The night was warm and the air was still. The whole world was holding its breath.

  He started to try and move them toward the house, but she pushed him backward instead. Her mouth traveled down his neck and she began to nip at his collarbone. It was almost enough to distract him from the fact that her hands were no longer on his chest but pulling his belt from the buckle.

  “What are you doing?”

  Eyes twinkling in the firelight she asked, “Do you want me to stop?”

  Her hands unzipped his pants and in a swift motion, she pushed them to his ankles. Hell no, he didn’t want her to stop. He looked around, but there wasn’t anyone nearby and the road was far enough away that passing cars wouldn’t get a glimpse.

  “What if Tom comes back?”

  “I don’t take him for a voyeur. He’d leave.”

  Her hands yanked his boxers from his waist. His cock bounced in front of her mouth and she grabbed his shaft to steady it. She was telling the truth. She was
n’t cold.

  Her hands were sizzling his skin as she stroked him just twice before she put her mouth over his cockhead. He grabbed her head to get her to the rhythm he wanted. He shouldn’t force her on his cock so hard, but she moaned around him and the vibrations pulled at the back of his spine. There wasn’t control anymore. There was just her. He looked up at the lights above him.

  She needed to see this.

  It took all the strength he had to stop thrusting against her quick little tongue. Her hair was wild, and as she stood her lips were the brightest pink he’d ever seen them. He kissed her as he kicked off his shoes and pants and then it was his turn to see more of her. He loved these elastic-waisted skirts. A quick yank and she was in nothing but a pair of flip flops.

  When he pulled back from her embrace, she kicked those off without a second’s hesitation. She also pulled a condom from her huge purse and set it on the arm of the chair. Thank goodness one of them was prepared.

  Brandon backed up until he felt the chair against his calf. He sat at the edge and looked up at the woman in front of him. She belonged here. Her hair and her beautiful naked body belonged under these lights and surrounded by fragrant herbs and flowers. The lightning bugs danced over her shoulders but never landed to obscure the perfection of her skin.

  She glowed against the fire, and when he spread her legs he saw her arousal glisten for him. He had to taste her.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Felicity leaned her head back in pleasure the moment his tongue touched her clit. He wasn’t being gentle, but everything was moving in slow motion around her. The bit of wine had her relaxed, and his touches were stealing her breath away making her even more light headed.

  When his finger slid deep inside her, her body clamped down around him and he pushed her closer to what she knew from experience would be the first orgasm of many she’d have. She held onto his shoulders as he found the perfect rhythm with his tongue and slid inside her to match the pace.

  Her nails dug in as the wave of pleasure crested. She opened her eyes as she gasped and the beauty of the scene made the moment even more perfect.