Love in the Moment: The McCormicks—Book One

by Elena Aitken

  The man thought about it for a minute and Ian really thought it would be a go, but then Ken shook his head again. “I can’t, man. If something happened, it would void my insurance and I’d be screwed. I’d love to help you out, but I can’t.” He turned to the other truck. “Paulie, unhook the trailer. We gotta move.”

  Ian groaned, but he knew when he’d been beat. He signed the paperwork, and waited while Ken and his lackey unhooked the trailers and drove off, leaving his boats stranded out of the water. The moment they drove off, he picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could into the water. “Dammit!”

  “What’s the problem?”

  The voice that never failed to cause a twitch in his groin came from behind him.

  “Good morning.” He put a smile on his face and turned around to greet her.

  “Good morning,” she said, taking a step closer.

  She wore cut-off jean shorts and a tight black tank top with a button-up shirt that he so badly wanted to strip off her, covering the curves he knew were there. Damn. It was becoming harder and harder to keep his hands off her. In a show of incredible restraint, he’d been a perfect gentleman for the last few days. But he was almost done with manners, and could no longer remember why he’d decided that would be for the best.

  “What’s going on?”

  She was talking. Asking him questions, and he hadn’t heard a thing. Well, if he was looking for a distraction from his boat problem, he’d certainly found one in Gwen.

  “Sorry.” He shook his head and focused on the beauty in front of him. “I was a little distracted.”

  “I can see that. What’s going on?”

  “I got the boats.” He waved weakly in the direction of his investment.

  “Wow.” Gwen immediately walked over to them and ran her hand down the side of the first one. “They’re beautiful, Ian. Really. I expected you to be happier. You’ve been waiting ages for them and they’re finally here.”

  “True. But they’re not in the water. They don’t do me much good sitting on their trailers. The docks are all ready and everything. The timing of it all is a small miracle, really. The only problem is…”

  “Your boats are on land,” she finished for him with a nod. “I can see how that’s not an ideal location for a boat.”

  Despite himself and the stress he was under, Gwen was making him smile. Just one more thing he could add to the growing list of reasons why this woman was incredible.

  “So put them in the water.” She made it sound as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

  “It’s not so simple.” He led the way back to the boat launch. “The water level is too low for an easy launch because the snow hasn’t all melted from the mountains.”

  “Ah…I see…” She laughed and shook her head. “No, I don’t. I think I’m still missing the part where this is a problem. Is it impossible to launch, or is it just difficult?”

  “Depends.” He raised an eyebrow. “With my jeep…impossible. With a heavy 4 x 4 truck? Totally possible. The only problem is,” he added before she could object, “I don’t have a truck.”

  “So borrow one.”

  “You say that like it’s a simple thing.”

  “It is.” She took two steps and crossed the distance between them. She stood so close, he could smell her now familiar scent of oranges and vanilla. “You’re in Cedar Springs,” she said. “A mountain town with nothing but trucks. We’ll just borrow one. I’m sure Marcus or his brother Malcolm will have one up at Stone Summit. This is not an insurmountable problem, Ian. We’re in a mountain town—we have trucks.”

  She laughed and he reflexively grabbed her arm, pulling her close.

  “I could just kiss you right now.”

  Her eyelids grew heavy and she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “So what are you waiting for?” Her voice was little more than a breath on the air but he heard every word.

  And he wasn’t about to wait for anything. His hand slid up behind her head and he pulled her close. His tongue traced her bottom lip, tasting the traces of the coffee she must have just had and the sweetness that was Gwen. After only one taste of her, he could no longer remember why he was trying to be professional or whatever the bullshit excuse was that he gave himself to stop chasing after her. He could vaguely remember that he had a reason for not kissing her all week, and it had something to do with professionalism and not wanting to be perceived as taking advantage of her or some other equally altruistic bullshit. But none of that mattered any more as his lips pressed to hers, taking what he’d been denying himself for too long.

  Chapter Seven

  Dear Reader,

  *

  I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet this week. Judging by your comments and emails, you’ve all been dying to know what’s going on with Mr. Summer. Well, I’ll tell you… for a few days there, I was starting to get concerned that maybe our little experiment was dead in the water. That he wasn’t interested anymore. I mean, it could happen. Just because you share one or two little kisses, doesn’t mean he’s that into you, right?

  Wrong!

  He’s into me, ladies. Oh, he’s very much into me. Today…we definitely moved this little experiment to a very different level. As you know, Mr. Summer and I have kissed before, but today….well…today…I can’t even effectively put it into words. But let me try…

  You know when you close your eyes and imagine the perfect kiss? The one that should be in a movie? Like, romance novel-worthy kiss? That’s how Mr. Summer kisses. It was a weak in the knees, melt my body, I can barely breathe kind of kiss.

  The kind that leads absolutely no doubt about what Mr. Summer’s intentions are.

  He is most definitely into me and the best part is…he still has no idea that I’m the awkward fat girl who was so desperately in love with him all those years ago. The fat girl whose heart he broke.

  I got him right where I want him, ladies.

  *

  She signed off her blog and hit Post. Gwen’s readership had tripled since she’d started her little summer experiment. It blew her mind that people were so interested in what she was doing. But at the same time, it gave her a giddy sense of empowerment to know that so many anonymous people were invested in her project. So many strangers cared about her past humiliation and wanted to see…what? What did they want to see? Did they want to see Gwen humiliate Ian? Or break his heart the way he had done to her?

  She had never really defined what her ultimate goal was with what she was doing. And now that things were starting to get a little more real, there were definitely a few more questions. And things were starting to get more real. That kiss they’d shared by the boat launch—that was all kinds of real. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss since it’d happened. No matter what she’d tried to do to get him off her mind, she couldn’t stop reliving the taste of his tongue, the feel of his hard body pressed into hers with need, the electricity that snapped between them…all of it. It was on a constant loop in her brain.

  Unable to get a good night’s sleep, she’d been up since five and done an hour of yoga in an effort to still her mind. It hadn’t worked. She’d showered, eaten, and posted her blog. And it still wasn’t time to go down to the boat launch and get started on the day.

  True to her word the day before, Gwen searched out a truck for Ian to borrow. She’d thought Stone Summit would be the place, and it was. Seth McBride, who was the second-in-command up at the ski hill, and also happened to be Deanna’s best friend’s boyfriend, had offered to help them out. Gwen hadn’t met Seth, probably because he’d moved to town after Gwen’s days there. But she did remember Cynthia, his girlfriend and the mother of their new baby girl. Cynthia and Deanna had been close, and because of that, Cynthia had mildly tolerated Gwen hanging around. Or Gigi, as she was probably remembered by Cynthia. Hopefully Cynthia hadn’t remembered too much at all about her, or told Seth anything. She hadn’t really thought it through when it came to people in town remembering
her and potentially telling Ian who she was.

  It hadn’t been an issue so far, likely because Cedar Springs had been a whole lot more important to Gwen than she’d been to Cedar Springs and the people living there. Not that any of that mattered now. All that mattered was that Seth had offered right away to help Ian out, and she was supposed to meet both of them down by the boat launch in just over an hour.

  Her computer made a sound alerting her to a new email and she instinctively clicked over to it. The message was from Jade Johnson. All it said was:

  Call me!!

  *

  She laughed a little and picked up the phone. There was really no other choice.

  “Gwen? That was fast.” Jade’s voice, rich with excitement, came over the line immediately. “I’m so glad I caught you.”

  “You could have just called.”

  “I didn’t want to interrupt,” she said. “Ya know. In case you were doing a little somethin’ somethin’.”

  “It’s eight in the morning. There’s no somethin’ somethin’ at eight in the morning.”

  “Oh, yes there is.” Jade laughed. “At least there is if you have the right guy. Anyway,” she switched modes easily and slipped into a business demeanor, “I have some exciting news for you. I think you’re going to like it.”

  Gwen settled back into the cushions on her bed and waited. “Tell me.”

  “I have two producers interested in your story. Two.”

  “Producers? But I don’t have a movie. Do you mean, for a reality show?” Jade had mentioned the idea of a reality show early on in their relationship, but Gwen had just assumed it was one of those things that agents said to lure clients in. It wouldn’t really happen. Did she want it to happen? A reality show? About her? How strange.

  “No,” Jade said, bursting her thought bubble just as she started getting excited about it. “Better. A television pilot for a sitcom.”

  “A sitcom? Is my life funny?”

  “It could be. Besides, the idea for a sitcom doesn’t always come from something funny—it comes from a really good story. A great situation. Something relatable that people want to watch. Think about it. Everything you blog about is so real and people are clearly identifying with it. Your advertising has already gone through the roof and you’re just getting started. The potential for this is huge.”

  “I guess…” Gwen tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling. A sitcom?

  “So we have two producers interested already and we haven’t even submitted a full proposal. I’m going to wait a little bit, though. I want to see where you go with this in the next few weeks before we accept an offer.”

  Something in her agent’s voice caught Gwen’s attention. “What do you mean, you want to see where I go with this?”

  “Sex, baby.”

  Gwen sat straight up.

  “Sex?”

  “Sex sells,” she said, matter-of-factly. “If you’re going to go all the way, so to speak, your readership numbers will shoot through the roof and that will only mean one thing for us.”

  “And that is?” Gwen was afraid she already knew the answer.

  “A television pilot will be a done deal. We might even be able to go after a movie deal.”

  Gwen’s head spun with the possibilities. “I thought we were talking about a book deal?”

  “That’s small potatoes. A book can come after. But if you want to get in this for the long run, for the career, you need to think bigger. You need to think television.”

  Gwen did let herself think about it for a moment. The idea seemed so ridiculous. So big, so…awesome. It could really happen. She could really have a career all because of her blog and her real life. “So what do I have to do?”

  “Just do what you’ve been doing. And keep writing about it. All the juicy details. We need them all. Your readers will go crazy for the good stuff. So hurry up and get to it.”

  “Get to the good stuff?” Gwen was having a hard time keeping up. “Like…”

  “Sex, baby!” Jade said again. “I need you to seal the deal with Mr. Summer. And soon. Think you can handle that?”

  Sex with Ian? Oh, Gwen was pretty sure she could handle that, all right. After the way that last kiss had lit her up, she was certain she could more than handle it. She was just going to have to ignore that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach and the voice in her head that was trying really hard to tell her it was a bad idea.

  It was a good idea.

  She was sure of it.

  Mostly.

  *

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.” Ian thanked Seth for what must have been the dozenth time that morning. He’d been a huge help coming over with his truck and assisting with getting the boats into the water. “I literally couldn’t have done this without you.”

  “It’s no big deal.” Seth hitched up the first boat. “That’s what we’re all about in Cedar Springs and it’s always good to have more business moving in. Besides,” Seth looked over his shoulder at Ian, “maybe I can get a deal on a rental to take Cynthia out if we can find a sitter one day. We haven’t been on a date in…well, too long, if you know what I mean?”

  “Consider it done, man. Whenever you want it, just let me know and we’ll make it happen.”

  The other man grinned. “I’m all over it. But first things first. Let’s get these babies in the water.”

  Ian couldn’t agree more. From the moment he bought the marina, he’d been waiting for this day. One of his favorite memories as a child was sitting in the boat with his hair ruffled by the wind whipping by, the splash of the water hitting his arm as he trailed his fingers over the edge. And then later, as a teenager, water-skiing behind the boat and driving his friends around, jumping off the side into the cool, blue water below. Laughing, playing, carefree. It was a much simpler time, before everything had changed. Maybe he’d be able to recreate some of that again with the new boats. Maybe he could even get Gwen out in the boat with him and make some entirely new memories.

  As if his thoughts alone had conjured her, a moment later, her voice rang out across the boat launch. “Ian? Seth? You must be Seth.” She ran toward them, her hand outstretched. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I got a call and…well, never mind. But I totally meant to be here ages ago.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” The urge to pull her close and give her a good morning kiss was stronger than it should have been. They definitely weren’t at that stage of their relationship yet. Not that they even had a relationship that was at any stage. Well, maybe… “It’s fine,” he said weakly. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

  Dammit. Could he sound any weaker and more needy?

  “Me, too.” She gave him a smile and it no longer mattered whether he sounded like an idiot.

  “I hate to break this up,” Seth said with a grin. “But let’s get these boats in the water, shall we? I should get the truck back up to the hill before lunch.”

  “Right.” Reluctantly, Ian focused on the task at hand. There’d be plenty of time to flirt with Gwen after the boats were in. Maybe on a boat. Yes. That was a good idea. A very good idea. “Someone needs to be in the boat when it goes in to drive it around to the dock. Gwen?”

  “What?”

  “Can I get you to drive the boat around?”

  She shook her head and then it turned into a nod. “No. I mean, yes. I suppose I could. I’ve never driven a boat before.”

  She was so damn cute. “It’s easy. I have no doubt that you can handle it.”

  “Okay.” She put her hands on her hips, which had the very desirable effect of pushing her breasts out against her t-shirt. Damn. He needed to focus.

  “Come with me. I’ll show you the basics while Seth finishes getting it hooked up.” Ian easily hopped up over the trailer and into the boat. Immediately, he turned around and offered her a hand up. She was already balanced on the wheel, with one leg over the edge. She clearly didn’t need any help, but she readily grabbed his hand a
nd let him pull her aboard.

  “Thanks.” She breathed the word and she stood so close he could feel the breath of the word on his lips.

  It would be so easy to kiss her, to wrap his—

  “You guys almost ready up there?” Seth’s voice reminded him once again what he was supposed to be doing.

  “Just one second.” Without letting go of her hand, he moved to the front of the boat and the driver seat and showed Gwen the ignition and basic controls. “It’s kind of like starting a car,” he explained. “Except you push this button in here and turn the key. But don’t do it until we’re in the water.” She nodded. “Once the boat is deep enough in the water, it will start to float. You’ll feel it and then you can put it into reverse and drive away.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  “It’s really simple to drive a boat and the plus side is, there aren’t any road signs or anything to follow.”

  She grinned. “So you think I’d hit something?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” She challenged him. It was extremely sexy. “I won’t hit anything.”

  “I’m sure you won’t. But the docking can be tricky.”

  She looked over to the docks and the slips that had just been installed. “I can handle it.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so.” Her confidence was stirring up all kinds of feelings and damn if he didn’t want to see what else she was confident doing. “In fact,” she continued. “I’ll make you a little wager.”

  A wager could definitely make things a little more interesting. “I’m listening.”

  She squeezed past him into the driver seat. She may have said she’d never driven a boat, but she looked as though she was made for it. Ian couldn’t remember ever seeing anything quite as sexy as Gwen behind the wheel of his new watercraft.

  “If I can manage this boat and seamlessly guide it into the slip, you owe me a dinner.”

  “A dinner—”

  “And I mean, a nice dinner. Home cooked, fancy…everything.”

  He couldn’t cook to save his life, but he didn’t bother telling her that. Besides, having Gwen for dinner didn’t seem like too much of a loss as far as he was concerned. “And if you don’t? What if I win?”