Crazy Imperfect Love: A Dirty Dicks/Big Sky Novella (Kristen Proby Crossover Collection Book 3)

by K. L. Grayson

  “Are you going to go sledding?” I ask, nodding toward the plastic disc.

  The little girl nods her head, causing her blond curls to bounce. “My daddy is taking me. My brother broke my sled, so we had to get a new one.”

  “I’ve never been sledding. Is it fun?”

  The little girl’s eyes grow round. “You haven’t?”

  I shake my head.

  “You hafta go! It’s the most fun you’ll ever have.”

  “She’s right,” her dad says. “I’m not afraid to admit I get as much enjoyment from flying down the hills as my kids do.”

  “No judgment here,” I say, holding my hands up. “It sounds like a blast. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t grab a sled for myself.”

  “They’re back by the shovels,” her dad says, nodding to my left.

  “Where do people go sledding around here?”

  “I own fifty acres on the outskirts of town, and we have some pretty good hills, so that’s where we go. But when I was growing up, we used to go to the city park. There are a few hills out there.”

  For the life of me I can’t remember seeing a park on my few short trips around town. “And where would I find the park?”

  The girl’s dad smiles. “Are you familiar with the town?”

  “I know how to get to the coffee shop, book store, hospital, Abby’s, and here.”

  “Abby’s…” He shakes his head and looks down at his daughter before returning his attention to me. “I forgot all about that place. I don’t think I’ve ever taken the kids out that way.”

  “You should. The burgers are to die for.”

  “I know. We used to go back in high school after the football games. And then I graduated, got married, had two kids, got divorced, and forgot all about it.”

  “Life always has a way of interfering in our plans, doesn’t it?”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “Abigail?”

  I whirl around at the sound of my name. Drake is standing a few feet away, hands on his hips, and a frown marring his gorgeous face.

  “Hey, stranger,” I say. “What are you doing here?”

  “Figured I should stock up on a few things with this storm coming in. What about you?” His eyes flit to the man and his daughter standing behind me.

  “Realized I didn’t have any gloves, so I stopped by to grab a pair, and I was just talking to this wonderful little girl and her father about Abby’s.” I turn to the side so he can get a look at the guy.

  The man holds his hand out. “Drake Merritt, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

  “Ben. It has been a while.” Drake shakes the guy’s hand but doesn’t seem too pleased about it.

  “I was just telling this beautiful young woman where she could find some good sledding hills.”

  Releasing Ben’s hand, Drake looks at me. “You want to go sledding?”

  “I was thinking about it. I’ve never been.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I know how busy you’ve been.” I really don’t, though, since I haven’t heard a word from him.

  But in his defense, I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to get ahold of him either, so I can’t be all that upset.

  Drake steps forward until he’s all up in my personal space, which I don’t mind one bit. The smell of sandalwood fills my nose, and all coherent thought flies out the window.

  “I want to.”

  “Huh?”

  “I want to take you sledding.”

  “Then we better buy a sled.”

  He nods and gives me a once over. “We also need to get you some warmer clothes and insulated boots.”

  * * * *

  A hundred and twenty dollars and thirty minutes later, we’re finally pulling into the city park. Per Drake’s request, I followed him from the hardware store, and it’s a damn good thing I didn’t try to come here by myself because it was about ten different turns through six stoplights, and I’m certain I would’ve gotten lost. I pull into what I hope is a parking spot—who the hell can tell with this much snow on the ground—and pop my trunk.

  I wore the snow pants and boots out of the store, so all I’ve got to put on are the gloves. When I grab a hat out of the bag in my trunk, Drake takes it from me.

  “Are you attracted to that guy?” he says, pulling it over my ears.

  I brush a strand of hair from my face and tuck it under the hat. “What guy?”

  “Ben, from the hardware store.”

  “No, not at all. Why would you think that?”

  Drake’s shoulders relax, and his eyes soften. “Ben was always the most popular kid in school. All the guys wanted to be him, and the girls wanted to date him…including my girl.”

  “What? No!”

  “Yes.” Drake grabs my gloves and puts them on me while he continues to talk. “He even married her, although I think they’re divorced now.”

  “They are,” I confirm. “Were you jealous? Is that why you looked grumpy when you called out to me?”

  “I was absolutely jealous,” he says, closing what little distance there is between us. He strokes the back of his fingers down my cheek. “I’ve never been more jealous than I was when I walked in and saw you talking to Ben.”

  “Not even when your ex married him?”

  Drake shakes his head. “Not even.”

  “Hmmm,” I hum. “And here I thought you’d forgotten all about me this week.”

  “I could never forget about you. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

  I pout and Drake smooths his thumb over the wrinkle in my brow.

  “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I just meant I’ve tried to stop lusting after you every time I look at you. My self-control is hanging on by a thread here lately, and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep my hands off of you.”

  “I’m not sure I’d stop you.”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t called or texted you this week. Work has been crazy.”

  “You don’t have to apologize, and you don’t owe me an explanation.”

  “I know I don’t, but I want to give it to you anyway. Every time I got the chance to message you, it was well after midnight, and I didn’t want to wake you up. I kept telling myself I’d talk to you the next day at work, but then our paths never crossed or the day got away from me, and it was a vicious cycle.”

  “Drake.” I take his hand in mine. “You don’t have to explain. You forget that I have parents who are just as dedicated as you. I’m used to it. I promise it’s okay.”

  “I’m not your parents.”

  “I know you’re not.”

  “Do you?”

  When I don’t immediately answer, Drake closes his eyes as though he’s trying to visualize what he wants to say. When he reopens them, they’re filled with so much hope and longing that it nearly brings me to my knees.

  “I keep trying to remind myself that you’re leaving…that no matter how much I want something between us, I can’t have it.”

  I want to tell him I don’t have to leave and we can have whatever this is between us, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet. So instead, I cup his cheek in my hand.

  “Let’s not talk about this right now, okay? Right now, I just want to have fun. I want you to take me sledding.”

  “Is Tom taking Bethany out on a date?” He smiles crookedly, but it looks forced, and I hate it.

  “No.” I shake my head. “Today we’re Drake and Abby, and this is whatever we want it to be.”

  Chapter 8

  Drake

  “Today we’re Drake and Abby, and this is whatever we want it to be.”

  Abigail’s words keep playing over and over in my head as I follow her up the giant hill. I tried to carry the sled, but she insisted, spouting off some bullshit about it being a rite of passage for her.

  Whatever. I’m fucking helpless when it comes to this girl. I’d give her whatever the hell she needed or the shirt off my back if she aske
d for it, which is why I was determined to be the one to take her sledding when she voiced interest.

  Now I’m determined to push her limits and see how far she’s willing to bend. Last week when we were texting as Tom and Bethany, she mentioned a willingness to change her plans. At the time I wanted to ask her if she meant what she said, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Abigail over the last couple of weeks, it’s that she needs to take things slow, and I didn’t want to push her. I thought if I sat back and let her take the lead, she’d show me where she wanted this to go.

  But she didn’t do a damn thing, and I started to think maybe she regretted what she said to me that night. Then a bit ago I saw the ache in her eyes when I told her how I want her and can’t have her, and I heard longing in her voice when she said today we’re Drake and Abby.

  Now all I can think about is how different today would be if this were an actual date for Drake and Abby.

  “So, if this is whatever we want it to be, does that mean it’s a date?”

  Abigail stops, the red plastic sled hoisted over her head, but doesn’t turn around. “Is that what you want it to be?”

  “Yes.”

  She seems to think about it for a second and then keeps climbing. “What if someone finds out?”

  “How would anyone find out?” I ask, scooping up some snow. It’s wet, not powdery—exactly how I like it.

  “I don’t know; I’m just asking.”

  “Are you going to tell anyone?”

  She shakes her head. “No, but I’ll want to. I see how the other nurses look at you.”

  “Now look who’s jealous?” I tease.

  “Oh, I’m not jealous.”

  “You’re not, huh?”

  “Nope, I don’t get jealous. It’s not part of my DNA.”

  “So you wouldn’t be jealous if I told you I dated Farrah?”

  Abigail gasps. She spins around just as I hurl the snowball I’ve been making, and it smacks her in the chest. Whatever she was about to say dies on her lips, which have formed a perfect little O.

  “Did you just throw a snowball at me?”

  “I did.”

  “I see.” Dropping the sled to the ground, Abigail bends down and gathers a handful of snow. She starts forming a ball, and all I can do is laugh.

  “Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea what you’re starting. Remember, I’m from here. I’ve won more snowball fights than you—"

  She nails me right in the nose with her tiny snowball and laughs out loud. Using my sleeve, I wipe the wetness from my face.

  I scoop up more snow. “Three.”

  Abigail’s smile fades.

  “Two,” I say, starting toward her.

  She shrieks and runs up the hill as fast as her snowsuit and clunky boots will let her, sled be damned. She’s so stinking cute, thinking she can get away from me.

  “One.”

  I chuck the snowball. It hits her square in the back. She trips, falling into the snow, but quickly gets back up. She’s laughing so hard I’m not sure how she’s still running, but my girl doesn’t stop. She disappears over the top of the hill and behind some trees.

  “Abigail,” I call, grabbing more snow. “Come out, come out wherever you are.”

  She doesn’t make a peep, and I begin looking behind each of the trees. When I don’t immediately find her, I kneel down and stockpile a few more snowballs, lifting the bottom of my coat to form a makeshift pocket. I stand up and turn to the trees when a blob of snow smacks the side of my face.

  I blink away the snow in time to see Abigail fist-pump the air.

  “It’s on,” I say, taking off after her. She turns and runs as I hit her with snowball after snowball. She dodges left, trying to lose me, but I’m too fast, and she’s never run in this much snow. When I’m close enough, I tackle her to the ground as gently as possible. She rolls to her back. I straddle her hips, pinning her against the fluffy snow, and lift my arms in the air.

  “All hail the snow king.”

  Abigail manages to grab a handful of snow and toss it in my face. She laughs when I snag her wrists, pinning them above her head.

  “Say it.”

  “Say what?” she says, laughing harder.

  “That I’m the snow king, ruler of the mountains and all people.”

  “Never.”

  I shift her wrists into one hand and slip my free hand under the hem of her coat. I tickle her side and Abigail’s laugh gets louder as she tries to buck me off.

  “Say it.”

  “Okay! Fine, you win.”

  “Not good enough. I want to hear you say it.”

  “You’re the snow king, ruler of the mountains and all people! There, are you happy now?” she asks, trying to catch her breath.

  It kills me to remove my hand from her soft skin, but I do. “Very.”

  Her nose and cheeks are red from the cold. Her hat is askew and some black waves have slipped out. I’ve never seen her look more beautiful than she does right now, and this time I’m not letting the moment pass me by.

  I lean forward and kiss her smiling lips. Her mouth molds to mine, a soft moan rumbling deep in my throat. Our bodies seem to melt against the snow as Abigail fists the front of my coat in her hands, pulling me forward until my body covers hers.

  My hard cock is pressed against her belly. I know she can feel it between the layers separating us because she shifts her hips, grinding them upward, and if we don’t stop now, I’m going to blow my load like a horny teenager.

  Abigail’s grip on me loosens. Her hands reach for the bottom of my coat, but I capture them in mine, break the kiss, and rest my forehead against hers.

  “Drake…” she breathes.

  I could gather her in my arms and take her home right now—she wouldn’t put up a fight. I can see it in her eyes. But I want to do this right, and I want to start by taking her sledding.

  “Let me take you sledding, and then we’ll go back to my place and get you warm. How does that sound?”

  She nods and sits up enough to capture my mouth in another soft kiss. “I think that sounds like a great plan.”

  Chapter 9

  Abby

  “Mmm, that was so good.”

  I tilt my cup, finishing what’s left of the hot cocoa Drake made me. As soon as we walked through his front door, he flipped a switch and his fireplace ignited, bathing the room in a soft orange glow. Warmth now seeps through me as I snuggle against the plush cushions of his couch.

  “My fingers are finally starting to thaw out,” I tell him.

  After our kiss, Drake and I spent the next three hours sledding down four different hills, each one bigger than the last. I wiped out more times than I can count, got snow in places a girl shouldn’t have snow, and had so much fun.

  “I had a good time today,” he responds.

  “Me too.” I smile over the rim of my mug.

  “I would say we can do it again tomorrow, but I have to work.”

  I sigh. “I have to work tomorrow too. But maybe this weekend if the snow hangs around?”

  “It’s a date.”

  A date. Is that what today was? Am I breaking a company rule by dating Drake? My grip on the mug tightens, the hot cocoa curdling in the pit of my stomach.

  “Abigail, breathe.”

  I suck in a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and look at Drake. The need to ease my anxiety is growing by the second, and I’m afraid if I don’t find a way to tamp it down, it’s going to escalate, and I’ll end up making an ass out of myself.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  “Fine.”

  “Really? Because you don’t look so good.”

  I sit up on the couch and swallow. “My stomach is just unsettled, that’s all.”

  “Is this because I said it’s a date?”

  “What? No.” I shake my head a little too dramatically, but I can tell by the look on his face that he isn’t buying it. “Okay, yes. Maybe a little.”

  He lif
ts a brow. “A little.”

  “Okay, a lot.”

  “Does the thought of us going on a date make you nervous? Because I considered today a date, and also the other night when I took you to Abby’s.”

  “That was not a date.”

  “How do you figure?” His laughter lightens the mood, and I feel the knot in my stomach start to loosen. “I picked you up, drove you to a restaurant, bought you dinner and dessert, and walked you to your door. If that isn’t a date, I don’t know what is.”

  I grin. “You didn’t kiss me at the end of the night.”

  “Trust me, I won’t make that mistake again.”

  The promise of another kiss has my stomach tightening for a completely different reason. “It scares me.”

  “The kiss?”

  “No,” I laugh. “Us dating.”

  “You don’t want to date. Do I stink?” he asks, lifting his arm and sniffing his shirt.

  “Stop.” I shove him playfully. “You don’t stink.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “It’s against the rules. We’re not supposed to date.”

  “Fuck the rules. This is our life,” Drake declares. And then he leans in close, as if he’s telling me a secret. “And the way I see it, some rules are meant to be broken. I like you, Abigail, more than I’ve ever liked another woman.”

  “I like you too, but I don’t want you to risk your job because of me.”

  “Trust me, they’re not going to fire me.”

  My eyes widen. “Then they’ll fire me, and if that happens, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “They aren’t going to fire you. I would never let that happen.”

  “I’m not sure you’d have much of a say.”

  “Abigail, I’m done pretending these feelings I have for you don’t exist. You’re only here for a short time, and I want to spend as much of it with you as possible.”

  “Drake—”

  “I want more than work and stolen moments. I want this. I want to cuddle on the couch and take you sledding. I want to laugh with you and kiss you whenever I feel like kissing you.”

  “What happens when I leave?”

  “I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”