by Mia Carson
“What are you talking about?” she asked sharply. “We haven’t slept together.”
“That’s not the rumor going around town,” he told her. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but a couple of guys were talking at the bar last night. They saw you leaving the inn pretty late and looking a bit ruffled.”
Kris’s mouth fell open as her hands curled at her sides, gripping the bottle of beer tightly. “We didn’t do anything last night.”
“Hey, I believe you. I’m just telling you what the rumor is.”
“What exactly are they saying?” she demanded, but his shoulders sagged and he rubbed a hand down his face. “Charlie? Just tell me.”
“They said you clearly think no one in this town is good enough for you,” he muttered. “We’re all just trash, and the second some rich boy comes to town, you’re ready to fuck him like there’s no tomorrow.”
Kris chewed her tongue hard as she turned away from him, her face burning because of what people were saying about her and Edmund. She paced around the garage, forgetting the pain in her finger for the moment as she fought the urge to pick up one of the wrenches and chuck it across the garage, most likely damaging something she couldn’t afford to replace. Those bitter assholes. Every guy she’d dated in this town, except Charlie, had broken up with her when she wasn’t ready to put out after the first week together. They’d hated her for it, called her a prude. She did nearly everything else, fooled around a good part with Charlie, but never went past that line. Grams told her as soon as she was old enough to understand what sex was that giving her body to someone was special and there was no turning back. If she was going to have sex with someone, she needed to wait until marriage, or at least as close to marriage as she could.
Did she want to have sex with Edmund? God, yes, she did, but it had nothing to do with his damn money. It wasn’t her fault none of the assholes in this town had a romantic bone in their body, or a kind-hearted one, or were able to deal with her family politely instead of mocking her about her drunk parents and mistake of a brother. Edmund was different, and when she met him, she’d assumed he would flash his money in her face and rave about how terrible this place was, how dirty and low-life compared to where he came from. Instead, he treated everyone in this town with respect and only talked about his work when someone asked him directly about it.
But if you sleep with him and he leaves, you’ll be stuck in this town forever with them leering at you behind your back. The warning was true, and Kris hung her head, debating if it was worth it to see where this new relationship with Edmund could take her.
“Kris? You in there?” Molly called out as she stepped cheerily into the garage.
“Yeah, right here,” Kris called and plastered a smile on her face. “What’s up?”
Charlie eyed her warily, but she played it cool as Molly bounded over with a rose in one hand and a letter in the other. “Message for you.”
Kris smiled softly at the long-stemmed, red rose. She held it to her nose, closing her eyes as the sweet scent calmed her, and took the letter. “What is this?”
“Just read the damn letter,” Molly ordered urgently.
Kris unfolded the heavy paper and laughed at the private invitation to a rooftop, candlelight dinner at the inn, seven o’clock on the dot. “It doesn’t say who it’s from,” she murmured, staring at the words.
“Really? You don’t know who it’s from?” Molly groaned. “You’re terrible. So you’re going, right? He’s been working on this all day, and he even got Grams involved in the planning.”
“Grams? She’s part of this?” she asked, surprised. “I guess he did impress her last night.”
“I have to take him a reply,” Molly urged. “Yes? You’re saying yes, right?”
“Yes, I’m saying yes,” Kris burst out. “How could I say no?”
Molly shrugged. “No idea, but I have to get back to him with your answer. Details, woman, I want details tomorrow!”
Kris promised she would deliver some details, and Molly headed off, leaving Kris holding the letter and rose. No one had ever planned a special dinner for her. When her birthday came around before Grams took her and Dennis in, they hadn’t even celebrated. No cake, no presents, nothing. Her parents had never acknowledged her accomplishments except to ask when she was going to lend them a hand with their lives after all they’d done for her. The guys she dated couldn’t have cared less about trying to romance her. Their idea of wooing was beers, more beers, and groping her ass until she had enough of their greedy hands.
“You know this is only going to stir up the rumors more,” Charlie said with a frown.
“Let them talk,” she announced and tucked the letter and rose away in a safe place. “I don’t care. Maybe this’ll teach them to try a little harder. Then they might keep a girlfriend for longer than a week.”
She glanced at the clock and puffed her cheeks at the four hours until she could close the shop. Busy hands would keep her mind off what could happen tonight if she fell into Edmund’s arms with his lips pressed against hers in the heat of the moment. She didn’t have any clothes dressy enough for a dinner like this and would have to run to the store Molly worked at to find something suitable for a romantic rooftop dinner. The idea of herself in a dress around Edmund sent a thrill through her body, and she fumbled with the socket wrench in her hand.
Every time she blinked, a new image manifested in her mind’s eye. His arms gliding up her back to tug the zipper down on her dress. The breath of fresh air on her bare skin as he dragged the fabric off her body and her wearing nothing but a thong underneath. Her hands working at his shirt and finally pressing her palms against his hard chest, tracing the curves of each ab as he kissed her neck and her shoulders. His lips slipped to her breasts in her imagination when Charlie cleared his throat loudly, and with a squeal, Kris stumbled and her hand slipped out from under her. She hit the floor, landing hard on her ass, and cursed as Charlie giggled across the garage.
“Man, he has you all tangled up, doesn’t he?” he gasped between peals of laughter as she struggled back to her feet. “Have him rub that bruise for ya later.”
Her hand fell away from her sore ass, and she glared at him. “Maybe I will.”
“Good, about time you got yourself a good lay,” he added, and she stuck her tongue out at him before muttering she needed a break.
She locked herself in the bathroom and leaned against the sink, staring at her dilated pupils and flushed cheeks. Her hands trembled as she shoved her hair out of her face and splashed cool water on her skin.
“Keep it together,” she whispered as her lips curled in a sly smile. “Tonight, you might finally have your first.”
The worries of him leaving town soon were not going to bother her tonight. She was going to enjoy the evening Edmund planned for them and let her life flow where it might. He left Louisville so he could live, and she was going to do the same. Just for two weeks, she was going to live without any fears of the future. No matter what happened tonight on that rooftop, Kris would not let the town and their gossiping stop her from getting what she wanted.
Chapter 10
The food sat on the table, covered by silver lids Grams had dug out of storage from when the inn used to host weddings. The tall tapers were lit, and soft guitar music played in the background, drifting along with the cool evening air. The sun hadn’t fully set yet, but the heat of the day had faded enough that the roof was quite enjoyable. He closed his eyes, grinning at how well everything had turned out. All he needed now was the woman of his dreams to join him.
The door to the roof creaked open, and Edmund turned, struck by the beauty of the woman stepping outside. “Am I late?” Kris asked, twirling, the skirt of her crimson dress swirling out around her legs.
“Right on time,” Edmund said, his voice thick with want.
She smiled coyly as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. The dress fit her body like a glove from the waist up and had a deep plunging neck
line that tied around the back in a halter. She spun again, and his gut clenched at how low it dipped in the back, too, so low he could see the tattoo. The image was of a rundown car surrounded by flowers growing out of and through it as if it had been left for years to become part of the landscape.
“Nice ink,” he complimented as he strolled towards her and reached for her hand.
“Thanks,” she said, letting him tuck her hand in the crook of his elbow. “I got it as a teenager when I realized cars would be my life.”
He smiled wider. “Are you telling me I should get a tattoo of a horse drinking a bottle of whiskey?”
Her throaty laughter made it hard for him to let her go so she could sit at the table. “That would be a sight, but no, I’m not sure you’d enjoy it after a few days of staring at it.” She glanced around the rooftop and her lips curled in a crooked grin. “This is fantastic.”
“Best seats in the whole town,” he said and pulled out two beers. “Beer?”
“What, no champagne?” she teased, and his face fell. “I hate champagne. Beer is perfect.”
“I had a feeling that was the case.” He handed an open beer to her before taking his seat. “I think you’ll enjoy your dinner, too.”
She set her beer down and removed the silver covering. Her face lit up. “Cheeseburger with everything—fries with nacho cheese on the side and jalapenos. Who were you talking to at the diner today?”
“I had to get it right,” he shrugged and removed the cover from his food. “Should we have a toast before we eat?” He raised his beer as she mirrored him, her lips screwed up to the side in thought.
“Romantic evenings with new friends?” she asked.
“I’ll drink to that,” he agreed, and they clinked the necks of their bottles together then drank.
As they dug into their food, the sun set below the horizon. Edmund excused himself so he could turn on the lights he’d borrowed from Grams to light the whole rooftop of the inn. They popped on, surrounding the top of the roof, and Kris giggled with delight at the twinkling.
“Wow,” she whispered, jumping up from her chair to see them better. “Where were you a few years ago?”
“Trapped in a life I didn’t want,” he said honestly. With her standing in front of him in that dress, his hands twitched, wanting to hold her and draw her in close. He meandered to the speakers hooked up to his cell, turned the music up, and changed it to a slower song. “Care to dance with me?”
Kris glided across the roof to his outstretched hand. The moment her fingers entwined with his, he was complete. There was no other possible way of explaining it except that with Kris, there was no judging, no expectations of his future duties to her or his family. There was only Edmund and Kris dancing on the roof of an inn as the night sky unfolded overhead. The stars appeared one by one as he drew her closer, and she rested her cheek against his shoulder, her hips swaying easily to the music while he guided their feet in a slow dance. The evening breeze picked up, swirling around them and lifting her hair. Edmund sucked in a lungful of air, breathing her in. Motor oil and honeysuckle. He never wanted to smell anything except that sweet, rough smell that on Kris was simply who she was. She was the hard mechanic by day and the loving woman by night. The woman who listened to the tales of his life and didn’t want anything from him except the same thing he wanted desperately from her.
His hands fisted in her dress, but he didn’t want to disturb their closeness, not yet. She snuggled closer, one hand holding the back of his neck while her other rested warmly on his shoulder. He’d never danced with Jenny like this. They’d never even dated, really. They had been thrown together. Now, Edmund knew what it meant to be attracted to someone, and not just physically. Kris was a good-hearted woman, and though her family was a mess, she was still strong and plowing forward with her life.
Thoughts turned and twisted in his mind as the first song faded and another came on, but their feet never ceased moving. More stars shone overhead, and the moon’s pure white light broke through the thin clouds, lighting their silhouettes and chasing away the shadows of doubt. No matter what happened once his car was fixed, he could not let this woman go.
“What are you thinking about?” she mused as she lifted her head and trailed her fingers delicately down his cheek. “You’re going to get wrinkles.” Her lips twitched and he caught her hand, kissing each fingertip until she sighed. “Ed.”
“Yes?” he asked with a sly smile.
“This night’s been great so far,” she said breathily.
“And you’re ready to go home?” he asked, worried he’d done something wrong. He stepped away from her, and their dance ended. The light in her eyes, though, was not annoyance. His jaw tensed, and he could not look away from her hazel depths drawing him in with naked desire of exactly where she wanted this night to go. She chewed her tongue and smiled nervously but said nothing.
Edmund’s hands set her hair gently behind her shoulders and held her face sweetly in his hands. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes, and her lips parted. His gut clenched, and he slanted his lips across hers in a sweet kiss. Their lips moved as if they had been together for years and knew each other’s bodies. His hands slipped to her hips and massaged them hard as her tongue flicked out, licking his lower lip. He groaned and returned the favor. As moonlight bathed their bodies, they clung to each other in a warm embrace. Excitement poured through Edmund when Kris turned them, never letting her lips leave his, and backed them towards the rooftop door.
She giggled against his mouth as they stepped inside, and she pressed him against the wall in the corridor, dragging his face down to hers. Edmund lifted her and walked them down the hall to the first set of stairs. Holding her securely against his body, they managed the first set and the second without faltering, and finally, they were on the main level. He didn’t set her down until he had to pull the key from his pocket. She took it from him and slipped it into the keyhole. He kissed her shoulder up to her neck, and she shivered at his touch, fumbling with the doorknob as she tried to open it. He grabbed her hips and dragged them back against his groin, cradling her against him as the door finally swung inward.
She led the way into the dimly lit room. Edmund kicked the door closed, reached around, and locked it quickly. Kris twirled away from him, and when she faced him again, her dress swirling around her legs, she nibbled her tongue as her hand reached up behind her. Edmund’s breath caught as she unzipped her dress leisurely, but he noticed how shaky her hands were. She didn’t make a move to remove it but held out her hand for Edmund, who stalked across the room, hungry to see what lay beneath the fabric.
“You’re sure?” he whispered, always the gentleman.
“With you, I’m sure of everything,” she replied, and the warmth in her words touched a long-buried part of his heart, a part that wanted to feel instead of just going through the motions. He came alive around Kris, and with his heart pounding behind his ribs, he knew tonight would be like his first night with a woman.
He reached two shakyunsteady hands for her shoulders, and her head fell back at his touch. He tugged the fabric tied behind her neck until the simple bow came loose and the dress fell to rest at her hips. He choked at the beautiful woman before him, her silky mounds of flesh calling to him as her nipples hardened at the brush of chilly air in the room. Kris reached for his hands and lifted them to hold her in his palms. She stood on her toes and kissed him, breaking the spell, and he massaged the flesh in his hands, loving the way her nipples pressed into his palms.
She dug her hands through his hair, and Edmund was lost in a riptide of want, hers and his twisting together until he didn’t know where his ended and hers began. He needed her, all of her. She pressed her body against his, but Edmund was going to take his time and explore this woman’s body as it had never been before.
He lowered his mouth to her neck, licking her collarbone, then lower to caress her breasts. Each kiss made her tremble for more, and when he suckled hard o
n one nipple, she gasped and her back arched. She gripped his shoulders as he wrapped one arm tightly around her waist and the other fondled her free breasts while his mouth mercilessly teased and laved the sweet, pink flesh. He savored each quiet rasp slipping between her lips and shifted from one breast to the other, seizing it tightly between his lips and rolling it with his tongue. He licked it and circled it until she squirmed against him and whispered his name roughly.
“This… this is incredible,” she gasped.
He chuckled. “We’re just getting started,” he whispered.
His hands followed her curves down to her hips. With one shove, her dress glided over her hips and pooled on the floor at her feet. He growled deeply in his chest as he stared at her in nothing but a red, lacy thong, and he frowned. Curious and with his arousal growing painfully quickly, he peeked tentatively below the fabric to find her completely shaved, not a single hair in sight.
“Is something wrong?” she asked with a knowing grin.
“No,” he replied. “No, everything is perfect.”
Kris took the hem of his shirt and yanked it up his body, laughing when it took a moment to make it over his head. Her lips found his naked chest as soon as it was clear and kissed his shoulders and neck as he burrowed his hands in her tendrils of hair, grinding his swollen length against her. Part of him wanted to lay her out and thrust home, but hurting this woman he held in his arms, who looked up at him with the same desires and a smile bordering on love beyond the lust, was not his intention. They had the whole night, and he was going to prepare her languidly for what sex between two people should be like.
He spun her around gently so she faced away from him and nuzzled her neck as his hands danced down her body, claiming every part he touched. He nipped her shoulder and kneaded her hips, then her breasts, tugging on her nipples until she arched her back again and whispered curses. When his hand reached the cleft between her legs, he used his knee to spread them just wide enough so he could palm her swollen lips. His kisses intensified against her neck when he felt her dripping pussy, begging for his touch, but he wanted to hear her cry out his name first. Wanted to hear her beg for more.
