Reckless Hearts

by Melody Grace

  I whistle, impressed. “I’ve seen the specs, you’ll get top dollar when they go on the market. I don’t suppose you have a local agent, do you?” I ask, turning on a smile.

  “Not yet,” Ash says. “Any recommendations?”

  “Why yes,” I beam, pulling a card from my pocket. “Me!”

  Ash takes it and looks over my info. “You know, we’ve been meaning to set up some appointments,” he says, sounding thoughtful. “Find someone with local roots, who really knows the market. Not just for these houses, but we’ve got a couple more projects in development too.”

  My hopes rise, but before I can start pitching, Will speaks up. “You won’t find anyone better than Dee,” he says, giving me a proud look. “She knows everyone and everything in the whole county. They love her around here.”

  I pause, surprised—and touched.

  “It’s true,” Will continues. “She sold me on this town in thirty minutes flat. I’d never even heard of Oak Harbor, and now here I am.”

  Ash looks interested, and tucks the card away. “We should get together and talk then. I’m out of town for the next week, but I can have my assistant set something up for when I’m back?”

  “That sounds perfect.” I try to stay cool. “I can’t wait.”

  We see them out, and I manage to keep up my casual act, but the minute their car disappears down the drive, I bounce in the air and fling my arms around Will in a hug. “Oh my god, do you realize who those guys are?” I cry, feeling giddy. “Only the best developers around. Super exclusive, high-end, not just here but in every city around the world. To even get a meeting . . .” I inhale fast. “This could be massive for me. Imagine if Marcie comes back and I tell her I’ve secured the whole development. She’ll sell me the business for sure! Thank you!”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Will replies, looking amused.

  “Yes, you did.” I kiss him again. “You always support me, especially with my career. It means a lot to me.”

  Will smiles down at me, his eyes clear. “Any time.”

  Part of me wants to drag him upstairs right now and show him how grateful I really am, but the other part of me decides to be practical. “We should go get food,” I suggest.

  Will looks confused. “It’s early.”

  “Yes, but once I get you into bed, I’m not going to want to go hunt and gather,” I point out. “And I’m guessing all you have is some stale crackers and beer in back.”

  He laughs. “You’re not wrong there. Alright, what do you want?”

  “Pizza,” I declare, heading for my car. “Let’s stop by Franny’s, too. We can pick up breakfast for tomorrow.”

  “You really are a girl scout.” Will smiles over at me. “You think of everything.”

  In town, I send Will to get dinner while I go take care of breakfast. I buy enough Danish pastries to feed a small army, and get coffee too—since microwaving Franny’s delicious Columbian roast still beats that instant stuff Will’s got molding out on his porch. I’m just waiting back by his truck when I hear a whistle from across the street.

  “Dee, baby, where you been?”

  It’s Brody, a guy I’ve known since high school, and maybe hooked up with on a couple of nights too. What can I say? It’s a small town, and sooner or later, if you’re single and shooting some pool at Dixie’s, sparks will fly.

  “Hey you,” I greet him as he crosses the street and comes over. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing special, you know how it goes,” Brody says, looking me up and down. “Damn, you’re looking good these days.”

  “Thanks.” I smile, holding up the bakery box. “I owe it all to my healthy diet.”

  He laughs, and his gaze turns suggestive. “We should get a drink sometime, you and me. We always had a good time.”

  “Thanks, but I’m seeing someone,” I tell him easily.

  “You? You’re kidding me.”

  “Believe it.” I shrug, and he shakes his head.

  “Damn, well, if you ever get bored . . .” He winks, and I laugh.

  “What, you’re going to take time out from all your other girls to woo me?”

  “Ouch,” Brody laughs, clutching his chest. That’s when I catch sight of Will walking towards us, a pizza box in his arms. I wave, but he doesn’t look happy.

  “Hey baby,” I say when he reaches us. “This is Brody.”

  “Hi.” Will’s voice sounds kind of curt, and he drapes an arm possessively around my shoulders. I give him a look, but he’s too busy staring down Brody to notice.

  “Ready to go?” he asks me, still glaring.

  “Um, sure. Good to see you, Brody.” I smile. “Say hi to your mom.”

  “I will. You were always her favorite,” he grins.

  “Shame you don’t have her good taste,” I laugh, and he says goodbye and saunters off.

  Will’s grip on my shoulder doesn’t ease. “Who was that?” he asks, looking tense.

  “I told you, Brody,” I reply, confused. “We went to high school together.”

  “I’m guessing that’s not all you did,” Will mutters, and I blink.

  “Whoa there.” I shrug out of his embrace, annoyed now. “What’s with you?”

  “Nothing.” Will turns away, depositing our food into the truck. He climbs into the driver’s seat, and I pause before joining him, trying to figure out this weird mood switch. I’ve never seen him act weird or jealous like this—and I don’t like it.

  Will doesn’t say a word as we drive back to his house, but the whole ride, my annoyance grows. When we pull up outside his house, he shuts off the engine and reaches for the door, but I stop him.

  “I’m only going to say this once,” I tell him, looking him straight in the eyes. “And then I don’t want to hear about it again. I don’t cheat.” I say each word slow and firm. “Have I hooked up with some of the guys around here? Yes. It’s a small town, we’ve all known each other for years. Do I like to party and have a good time? Also yes. But I’ve never cheated on anyone, and I never will, so don’t you ever feel like you need to stake your territory or whatever was going on back there. After everything you know about me, about my family, you should know that’s bullshit, and I won’t take it, OK?”

  Will stares back, and then exhales in a rush.

  “I’m sorry,” he says, looking shameful. “I don’t know what the hell came over me. I know I acted like a jerk.”

  “I was thinking more an ass,” I say, smiling. Will relaxes.

  “I know you wouldn’t . . . I just . . .” He sighs again, real regret in his eyes. “My last relationship, she cheated, and it messed me up good for a while.”

  I soften. “I had no idea. I’m sorry,” I tell him.

  He gives a shrug and looks away. “What’s done is done. But you’re right, and I know you’re not anything like her.”

  “I should think so,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m much more beautiful, and smart, and funny . . .”

  Will laughs, silencing me with a kiss. I sink against him, wondering how the hell could anyone run around on him. Will is the guy you grab and hold on tight, not the one you leave at home while you sneak around with someone else.

  I break away, and press a palm to his cheek. “Just for the record,” I whisper, leaning in to kiss that curve of his jaw I love so much. “She’s insane. Whoever hurt you, whatever she did. She is out of her mind, certifiably insane.” I pull back, and look into his eyes. “She’ll never find anyone as good as you.”

  I can see the emotion in Will’s eyes—and when the moment turns to pure, charged lust. He pulls me from the truck and into the house, his mouth finding mine as we slam against the wall, hands stripping hungrily at clothes and bodies pressing closer.

  This time, there’s no holding back.

  I can feel the urgency, the raw need in his kisses, and I want to give it all to him. Whatever demons I’ve been fighting, Will has had his own battle too, and now I need to show him that I’m his now. Whate
ver some other girl made him question, however the past made him feel, it’s different now.

  I belong to him.

  We stumble into the living room, Will stripping my shirt over my head and yanking my bra down. His mouth closes over my breast, hot and sinfully sweet, and I moan aloud, sinking against his wicked touch. He teases and nips at my nipple, sending a shock of pleasure all the way to my twisting, aching core.

  God, yes.

  I grab his belt and quickly shove his jeans down, wanting to touch him, take a taste of the raw, hard length of him, but too soon, Will spins me around and pushes me face-down over the arm of his couch. I gasp, thrilled, and thrust back my hips against him, grinding against his cock. Will lets out a growl, then he’s shoving up my skirt and tearing my panties aside, landing a sweet, stinging slap against my bare ass.

  Oh.

  His hands slide around me, roving between my thighs to stroke possessively at the molten heart of me. It’s hot and frantic, and I moan into the couch cushions, pressing into his fingers, needing more. Then Will parts my legs wider, and I feel him nudge against me, one hand yanking my hips back, controlling, the other tangled in my hair.

  He slams inside me in a single, devastating stroke.

  God, the feel of him: so thick, so deep. He withdraws, then thrusts again, a pounding, punishing rhythm, but oh, how it sets my body on fire. I arch back, grinding to find him with every stroke, clutching at the cushions and whimpering in total surrender. Every plunge is a tidal wave of pleasure building; every hard thrust drives me closer to that crest. Will tugs at my hair, arching my body back up to meet him, and then he’s grinding up inside me, god, so deep I have to scream his name.

  “Fuck, Dee.” His gasp is ragged, an animal groan in my ear. He fucks me wildly, and I can’t get enough. Nobody’s ever done it like this before, nobody’s ever made me come undone the way I feel when he’s inside me. Thrusting. Demanding. Every inch, so deep. Already I can feel my orgasm start to shiver through me. I try to hold it back, I want to savor ever touch, every hard, commanding thrust, but Will has total control of my body and it’s all I can do to take him, gasping, over and over as the shiver builds to a crescendo and then I shatter with a rush of pleasure so pure, so epic that I come apart with a cry. Will’s arms are around me, holding me down, his body slamming hard and then I feel him come; his animal groan mingling with my cries of pleasure until the last ebbs of ecstasy drift away and we both tumble, sweaty, to the floor.

  I cling to him, my pulse galloping so fast it matches the pace of his heartbeat, wild in his chest.

  “Damn, you’re going to kill me if we keep this up.” Will’s voice is laughing and sleepy.

  I grin. “Get used to it, baby. I’m just getting started.” I twist around to kiss him, damp and sweaty and pretty damn satisfied.

  This is the beginning, I realize, my heart unfurling in my chest. This is the beginning of love.

  Sixteen.

  The next Friday, I finish up work early at the office and we drive into Charlotte with Will’s truck loaded with his best pieces of furniture. He’s been working late into the night all week, and I can tell he’s nervous; he’s uncharacteristically quiet on the road, distracted and deep in thought.

  “Your friend is going to love those chairs,” I say, breaking the silence. Will looks over, and I give him a reassuring smile. “They’re so beautiful, I just want to sink into the leather and never get out.”

  “Maybe you should take the meeting, not me.”

  “You’ll be great,” I insist. “Besides, it’s just one place. There are tons of showrooms all over the country, designers, dealers, all kinds of places to approach if this doesn’t work out.”

  Will frowns. “You think it won’t work out?”

  “No!” I reach over to take his hand. I bring it to my lips and drop a light kiss on his knuckles. “I’m saying, whatever happens, your work is beautiful. You should be proud of everything you’ve made.”

  Will exhales, relaxing. He squeezes my hand, and gives a rueful look. “I am. I’m just nervous, I guess. It’s a big change, and I think a part of me is still wondering who I’m kidding.”

  “Well, I love them, so sign me up,” I declare. “And either way, it’ll be fun to see your buddy again, right? I can’t wait to hear all the stories about what you were like, all buttoned up in New York.”

  Will’s smile slips, but before I can reassure him again, my phone buzzes. “Ooh, it’s Eva!” I bounce in my seat, excited. “She gets in later today, it’s going to be so much fun,” I say, typing out a quick text. “We’re having a girls’ night in, and then brunch tomorrow, just like we always do. I’ve missed her!”

  “That’s great. Do I get to meet this mysterious best friend?” Will asks, teasing. “Or are you girls going to be painting your nails and having pillow fights all weekend?”

  I snort with laughter. “Um, you’ve been watching too much porn if you think that’s all we do. More like plotting world domination and eating carbs.”

  “I stand corrected.” He grins.

  “And yes, I’d love you to meet her,” I add, feeling shy. “Consider it a standing invitation. When I’m hanging out with Lottie and Sawyer, too.”

  “Then count me in.”

  We drive on, and I feel that glow, still so warm in my chest. I’ve never had someone I wanted to introduce to the people in my life—never dated anyone long enough for it to even be a possibility. But I love the thought of spending time with everyone together. It’s great how he’s fit so seamlessly into life in Oak Harbor, but I have to admit, I’m excited to meet his friend, Declan, too. Will showed up out of nowhere, and hasn’t said much about the life he left behind. I’m curious about his past, so hopefully Declan will have plenty of stories to tell about Will’s history—especially after a couple of cold beers.

  We arrive around three, in plenty of time. Declan’s showroom is in the arts district, on a great street lined with cool design stores and boutiques.

  “This is it.” Will peers out the window, looking nervous again. “I should probably go around back. There’ll be a delivery entrance for me to unload.”

  I kiss him on the cheek. “You can let me out here, I want to go sneak a look. See you inside?”

  Will nods and lets me out before driving on. I push open the front doors and take a look around. Inside, it’s a massive converted warehouse space, with all the original steel beams and exposed brick, the perfect backdrop for the amazing furniture pieces set up around the floor. It’s more like an art gallery than a store, and I get excited just looking around at the funky lighting and hip, streamlined samples on display. Will’s pieces would fit in perfectly here, with their rustic, masculine look. I know from selling houses how much is about selling a lifestyle, that vision of your future world, and anyone walking in here would want the whole package: a cool loft downtown, with Will’s chair set up by the record player, or his table set up for a dinner party or big event with friends.

  “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  I turn. A guy with sandy brown hair and a friendly expression is juggling an armful of paperwork. He looks exactly like this space: casual and thrown together, but with the tailored details that give away an eye for design. “If you give me just a minute, I can help you out,” he adds. “Let me guess . . . new apartment, you’re looking for something sleek and modern?”

  “Good call,” I laugh. “But no, I’m just here with a friend. Boyfriend,” I correct myself, the word unfamiliar on my lips.

  Unfamiliar, but nice.

  “Are you Declan?” I ask, looking around.

  He smiles. “The one and only.”

  “Great! I’m here with Will,” I explain. “He’s just unloading around back. I’m Delilah.”

  Declan’s face brightens. “Great to meet you.” He reaches out to shake my hand. “I can’t wait to see. He showed me some of his pieces, years ago. I always said he should make a go of it, but he was already climbing that Wall St
reet ladder. He insisted it was just a hobby.”

  “I can’t believe he worked in finance,” I laugh, shaking my head. “The guy looks like he was born in jeans, with a hunk of wood in his hand.”

  Declan arches an eyebrow. “I guess he wasn’t kidding. The guy I knew had a car service on speed dial and would drop five hundred dollars on sushi without blinking an eye.”

  A door opens in the back of the room, and Will enters. He sees us talking, and strides over fast. “Hey, man.” He greets Declan with a hug, and the old friends slap each other on the back. “What did I miss?” Will asks, looking back and forth between us.

  “Don’t worry.” I rest my hand on his shoulder, “I’ve just been hearing about your big city life.” Will tenses under my hand. “It’s a shame there’s no good sushi in Oak Harbor,” I add, teasing. “You’ll have to make do with a good shrimp boil.”

  Will gives a strangled laugh. “Oh yeah. My local takeout place has probably posted a missing person report by now.”

  Declan laughs. “Hey, I’m glad you made the break. I keep telling all the guys, what’s a six-figure bonus worth when you’re working eighty hours a week? I was afraid you’d drop dead of a heart attack before you turn forty.”

  “Not anymore.” Will gives a small smile. “Now the only thing that gets me up in the morning is the sound of the crickets.”

  “I should put you in a tourist campaign,” I suggest, teasing. “Start a relocation program for burned-out city execs.”

  “Don’t even joke,” Declan says, making a face. “Every time I call to catch up, everyone’s working around the clock on a massive deadline, or scared layoffs are looming, or sleeping at the office. This guy’s got the right idea, leaving it all behind.”

  I gaze happily at Will. “Yes, he does.”

  “So, where’s this famous furniture?” Declan asks, putting his papers down. “I’m working with a couple of new designers, staging sets for some movies they’ve got shooting near Atlanta and I’d love some new things to show.”

  He and Will start towards the back, just as my phone rings. I check. “It’s Ash Callahan,” I tell him, my heart leaping. “You guys go ahead.”