Hope Falls_Off-Limits Love

by Elisabeth Grace

  Georgia scrambled off him, readjusting her outfit when she stood, and grabbed her sweater before hightailing it to the coatrack near the door.

  “Look, Georgia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  She reached for her ski jacket and shoved her arms into the sleeves.

  “You didn’t. It’s not like that. I wanted to kiss you.” She smacked herself in the forehead as if that weren’t quite what she meant. “I mean, obviously, I’m attracted to you as well. I did try to kiss you last night, after all. But I’m Deanna’s friend, and you’re her cousin. Who knows how long I’ll be in town—or you, for that matter. It’s not a good idea.”

  He stepped around the coffee table and stood in front of her as she pulled the zipper to her coat up. “You need to know that all of those reasons you mentioned are the reason why I pushed you away last night. Not because I didn’t want to kiss you. I’m sorry I took things too far today.”

  Georgia pressed her lips together, nodded, and flew out the door before he could say anything else. Which was probably a good thing because he was going to either kiss her again or try his best to convince her why everything they’d listed as deterrents to exploring what was between them didn’t matter.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Georgia stepped into Deanna’s room and found her face down on her mattress, bundled beneath the covers. She must’ve heard her come in, because she rolled over to face her.

  “Jeez, you still look like shit. You’re not feeling any better?”

  “Not at all, but thanks for that.” Her voice was weak and her coloring remained sallow.

  “I’m sorry. You know that’s not what I meant.”

  “I know,” her friend groaned.

  Georgia stepped forward to approach the bed, but her friend raised her hand.

  “Stay there. Trust me. You do not want this.”

  Georgia laughed. “Is that why Lucky’s been on the couch the past couple of nights? Thought maybe he was in the doghouse.”

  “I made him sleep there. I’ll feel terrible if he catches it.”

  Deanna was being put through the wringer with this virus. Georgia felt awful for her friend and wished there was something more she could do to help.

  “I’m off to my interview. Is there anything I can bring you before I go?”

  She shook her head. “Not unless you know of some alien technology where you can harvest a new body for me to use for the next few days until I’m feeling better.”

  “Sorry. I’m rusty on my alien technology.” She laughed. “You sure you don’t need anything? Meds, a bowl of soup, anything?”

  “No. Honestly, I’m fine right now. I feel bad, though, that you’re here in part to visit me and I’ve been holed up in bed.”

  “Don’t you dare apologize. It’s not like you planned this or even wanted to be sick. Besides, it’s given me a good chance to explore the town on my own, get a feel for things, see what Hope Falls has to offer.”

  “What did you end up doing yesterday?”

  Deanna had already been asleep when Georgia had arrived home last night, even though it had still been early. She wasn’t sure how much to tell her friend about her time with Everett. Should she mention running into him at all?

  “I went skiing over at Mountain Ridge. Well, correction—I attempted to go skiing at Mountain Ridge.”

  Deanna let a small chuckle escape and then grimaced. The poor thing couldn’t even laugh without suffering.

  “Did you see Everett?”

  Does she know something? Why would she ask that? She didn’t want to lie to her friend, so she opted for a vague recollection of the truth instead.

  “I ran into him. He helped me make it to the bottom in one piece.”

  “I’m glad he was there to help you. What did you do afterward?”

  Georgia shifted on her feet. “Um…Everett was nice enough to make me some hot chocolate to warm me up before I went on my way. No biggie.” She shrugged, hoping it would help pull off the it’s-no-big-deal vibe she was going for.

  Deanna’s eyes narrowed slightly, so she wasn’t sure she was successful.

  Before her friend could continue with her interrogation, she blurted out, “I’m going to stop by Lucky’s gym for a workout after my interview, but I’ll be back after that. If you want me to stop and bring anything back, text me.”

  Deanna studied her for a moment. “Will do. Good luck today.”

  “Thanks. Let’s hope some of Lucky’s essence has rubbed off on me while I’m here and I land the job. Of course, you share a bed with the guy, and based on what you’re dealing with right now, it doesn’t really seem to have worked out for you.”

  Deanna weakly tossed a pillow at her. It fell no more than a few feet from the bed.

  “See what I mean?” Georgia said, laughing as she exited the room.

  Relief didn’t set in until she’d reached her car and closed the door. That was close. She’d almost been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Or in Everett’s drawers, to be more precise. But that hadn’t happened yet. Wait, no… That wasn’t going to happen. Ever.

  Right?

  She sighed and dropped her head to the steering wheel.

  How would her friend feel if she knew she’d made out with her cousin? Georgia couldn’t say, but she’d rather not find out. She was hoping to start over in Hope Falls, and making a mess of things and tangling herself up in a complicated situation was not the fresh start she needed.

  True, she was more attracted to Everett than she could remember being to a man—ever. Regardless, nothing could ever happen between them. From now on, she had to limit her time with him because she couldn’t be trusted to do the right thing where he was concerned.

  Operation: Avoid Everett was a go.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  As Everett pulled his shoes off in Deanna and Lucky’s front hallway, he still wasn’t sure why she’d asked him to come by. He’d gotten a text from her before he’d left the bunkhouse to meet Lucky and Eli at Lucky’s gym for a workout. Had Georgia told her about what had happened yesterday?

  As he took the stairs two at a time, he wondered how pissed she’d be if she knew.

  “Deanna, you decent?”

  “Make yourself at home, cuz,” she called out in a weak voice from her bedroom.

  When he stepped into the room, his cousin was in the middle of the bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin. Her coloring was pale, and her eyes were dull.

  “I figured letting myself in was nicer than making you get out of bed and come downstairs.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I won’t argue with that.”

  “You look like shit.” Everett hung back from the bed, not wanting to get too close for fear of contracting whatever she had.

  “Why does everyone keep telling me that today?”

  “Because it’s true?” He raised an eyebrow. “Have you seen a doctor?”

  She nodded. “Dr. Lee came by since it’s been a few days. Said it’s the worst case of flu he’s seen in Hope Falls in years. Lucky me.”

  He grimaced. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “Actually, there is.” She shifted in bed. It was difficult seeing his physically strong, firefighting cousin challenged to do even that.

  “Name it.”

  “I was hoping you could take Georgia under your wing. You know, show her around town, go and do some activities, make sure she has fun. I want her to see the best of Hope Falls so that, if she’s offered the job, she’ll move here.”

  Of course Deanna would have to ask him to do the one thing he’d have trouble doing. Not that he couldn’t show Georgia a good time. He had a whole list of ideas in that regard, but most of them involved her being naked. That wasn’t what his cousin was asking for though.

  “Work is pretty busy this time of year. What about Lucky…or Eli, for that matter?”

  “Eli is on shift starting tomorrow, so he’s out for a few days, and Lucky insists on doti
ng on me until I’m better.”

  Everett rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you sure she’s going to want me to keep her occupied?”

  “I’m pretty sure she’ll have no complaints,” she said. “Do you not like Georgia?” She raised an eyebrow, which almost felt like a challenge to him.

  Was she baiting him?

  “I like Georgia just fine,” he said. “That’s not… Whatever. Sure. I’ll spend some time with her, make sure she has fun.”

  A small smile formed on his cousin’s face. “Thanks, cuz. I owe you one.”

  Everett could think of worse things than being asked to spend time with a beautiful woman. “Don’t mention it.”

  “I’m really hoping Georgia will be offered the job and decide to stay in town. I have friends here, but it would be so nice to have one of my old girlfriends here.”

  Everett remembered well what it had felt like in Sacramento, being surrounded by people he’d known for years. The feeling of comfort and familiarity. For the first time, he realized he hadn’t had that since he’d left there after the accident.

  Not wanting to dwell on that, he cleared his throat and told his cousin that he was taking off to let her rest.

  “Okay. Thanks again. I appreciate it, and I’m sure Georgia will too.”

  He smiled at her and made his way out of the house. Based on Georgia’s fleeing from his place yesterday, he wasn’t so sure that was true. But a promise was a promise, and he’d prove to Georgia that she belonged in Hope Falls.

  Everett set the barbell down and wiped his face with a towel while he tried to catch his breath. He was no slouch—he worked out every day. But today was kicking his ass. He wondered if he was coming down with what Deanna had, but he brushed the thought aside. It was probably because he’d barely slept a wink the night before. Sexual frustration had ensured a workout for his right hand, but even afterward, all he’d seen when he’d closed his eyes was Georgia.

  Georgia, with her long, blond hair and perfect ass. Georgia, with her bright-blue eyes, which sparkled when she smiled, and her soft, full lips, which tasted so damn sweet.

  He blew a frustrated breath out and scrubbed his hands over his face.

  “You throwing in the towel, big brother?” Eli taunted from where he was lifting nearby.

  “Pfft. Please. I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.” Everett had a close relationship with his little brother, but that didn’t mean they didn’t enjoy throwing digs at each other when they could.

  “What has you wound so tight?” Eli asked with a grimace as he hefted the dumbbell up into a curl.

  “Maybe you should ask who,” Lucky said behind him.

  When Everett turned, his cousin’s fiancé was sauntering toward them with a shit-eating grin.

  “Oh, so it’s a woman that’s got your panties in a bunch,” Eli said.

  Everett pressed his lips together as he stretched his triceps. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He walked to the corner of the gym, where Lucky had set up a variety of different punching bags, hoping to avoid the line of questioning.

  Unfortunately, the two grown men followed behind him like a gaggle of high school girls eager for the latest gossip.

  He rolled his eyes as he threw some boxing gloves on to expend some energy on the bag.

  “I bet you I know who it is too,” his brother said, standing beside him.

  Lucky positioned himself on the other side of the bag to hold it in place. Thinking it’d be best to ignore his brother, Everett punched the bag with everything he had, focusing all of his frustration and confusion about his feelings for one Southern, blond bombshell into each hit. Lucky grunted a couple of times from the assault but managed to hold onto the bag.

  “It’s Georgia, isn’t it?” Eli asked, not at all put off by his silence.

  “Whatever you say,” Everett huffed out between his sharp intakes of air.

  Another hit square in the middle of the bag. It was soothing to let off some steam, to sweat—even if it wasn’t how he really wanted to be working up a sweat.

  “You think I didn’t see you giving her the fuck-me eyes the other night at the bar?” Eli laughed.

  Lucky joined in with him.

  “What’re you laughing at?” he asked, directing his question to Lucky. “You were barely there more than a minute that night. Eli doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about—as usual,” he added for good measure. The best Everett could hope for was to throw them off his trail.

  “Maybe so,” Lucky began, “but I caught you checking her out at the diner when you first met her, man. Can’t tell me you don’t think she’s hot.”

  Great. Now, it was two against one. These guys were worse than the old biddies who played bingo down at the rec center every weekend.

  Everett laid off the bag and wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm. He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Any red-blooded man with a pulse can see she’s hot. Doesn’t mean I have the hots for her.”

  “So, you wouldn’t mind if I asked her out, then?” His brother smiled at him, issuing a challenge.

  Everett fisted his hands inside the boxing gloves at the thought of his brother anywhere near Georgia, but what was he supposed to do? If he admitted how much it bothered him, it was akin to saying that, yes, he did have feelings for her. So he did the only thing he could do.

  “You do what you want, man, but don’t come to me when Deanna shoves your balls down your throat because you screwed over her friend.”

  Eli laughed in response, the kind of laugh that indicated how full of shit he knew his brother was.

  Smack.

  Everett leveled a punch at the bag so hard that the vibrations shot up his arm and Lucky, not ready for it, had to take a step back to keep from falling on his ass.

  “Sorry, man,” Everett said to him.

  “Just give me a heads-up before you try to push your fist through the other side of the bag. I’ll be sure I’m ready.”

  A flash of red in his peripheral vision had him glancing in that direction. The other two did as well. Georgia was standing in the entrance to the gym. She had a gym bag on one shoulder and her winter coat slung across her other arm.

  His entire gut clenched as he took in her fitted, red dress and her lips painted the same color to match. Her legs were covered with black tights, but it was easy to see how shapely they were. The high, black pumps she was wearing did nothing to calm his libido, which had apparently come back out to play.

  A snicker beside him interrupted his thoughts and had him giving his brother a sidelong look.

  “I guess we’re about to find out how much of what you just said is bullshit, brother.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Operation: Avoid Everett was a massive failure.

  Georgia had left the interview on a high after having scheduled a second interview with the mayor in a few days’ time. She’d managed to not think about Everett for more than five minutes—which, in itself, was a feat, based on her thought patterns since she’d arrived in town.

  The moment she’d stepped into the workout area looking for Lucky so she could ask where she should change, she’d spotted Everett. Shirtless, his chest heaved with sweat dripping down his perfectly formed chest muscles.

  Yes, she’d been able to notice all that in the milliseconds before all three men had turned and faced her. She was good like that.

  Now, Georgia was the one trying to catch her breath as three sets of eyes bore down on her—two with amused curiosity and the third with a mix of surprise, need, and resignation.

  She had to clear her throat before she was able to find her voice. “Uh…Lucky…I was wondering where I could change?”

  “Right. Sorry. Let me show you.”

  She reluctantly removed her gaze from Everett’s considerable assets as Lucky strode over to her with his usual easygoing smile in place. He showed her to a small but clean locker room. After thanking him, she took her time changing into her sports bra an
d her spandex shorts, hoping that, by the time she finished, Everett would be gone.

  With a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut for a second, promised herself she wouldn’t ogle Deanna’s cousin’s body if he was still out there, and made her way to the workout area.

  Georgia hated the feeling of her workout clothes clinging to her once she was sweating, so she tended to wear as little as possible at the gym. Lots of women did the same, but she’d never felt exposed or half naked until she walked into the gym and not only saw, but felt Everett’s gaze taking in every single inch of her bare skin. Multiple times. She swore she even saw Eli sneak a peek.

  The best plan was to ignore him altogether, so she gave him a small smile and made her way over to the bench press. Lucky was nowhere to be found, and she figured he must have been getting some work done in the office. She hadn’t even reached the area yet when Eli called out from the other side of the gym.

  “Want me to spot you?”

  It’d been too easy to think they’d do the same and pretend she wasn’t there.

  “Sure thing,” she said as she arranged the weights she wanted on the bar.

  Eli spotted her and showed her some new upper-body exercises, but Everett kept his distance. She wasn’t able to stop herself from glancing over at him from time to time—the man’s body was like a beacon. Every time she did, his eyes were already on them. Almost as if he were keeping an eye on her and Eli.

  It wasn’t until the end of her workout, when she challenged Eli at the chin-up bar close to where Everett was excercising, that Eli attempted to turn on the charm with her, which struck her as odd. Until then, he’d only been friendly.

  “Have you been enjoying your time in Hope Falls?” Eli asked as he stretched his arms above him to grip the bar.

  “Of course. What’s not to like? The people are friendly, the scenery is gorgeous…”

  “Aw, Georgia. If you’re enjoying gawking at my body, you can just come out and say so.” Eli grinned then pulled himself up on the bar and counted his reps.