by Lori Foster
Like he’d be able to think about anything else now? “Where’d you hear these so-called rumors?”
“From Amber.”
Well, that explained nothing. Everyone knew Amber had very odd ideas about things—and often saw what others didn’t.
His thoughts churning, Adam watched Shohn walk away.
“Hey, a little help here?”
He turned to see Garrett overwhelmed with a hungry horde looking for corn. “Right, sorry.” With the apron in place, he stepped in and for the next half hour they served over a hundred ears of corn. Finally, once the band started playing from the stage at the other end of the lot, the crowd headed in a new direction.
“Wow.” After dousing his face in icy water from the cooler, Garrett used a hand towel to dry off. “Between the heat of the grill and that broiling sun, I’m feeling as roasted as the corn.”
“Yeah.” Distracted, Adam fished out a chunk of ice and used it on the back of his neck. It helped a little, but with his imagination again on Isabella, what she might be doing—and who she might plan on doing it with—he was still too hot.
“May I?”
At the sound of that twangy voice, he jerked around and there she was, smiling at him. The evening sun gilded her gorgeous hair, highlighting the red and showing the richness of it. Her eyes were so very blue, her pale skin flushed. Between her breasts, her dress was slightly damp.
Adam felt himself reacting and didn’t understand it. What was it about her? Besides her hotness. And teasing. And sweet little body…
She turned to Garrett. “He does this often, sort of goes off in his own head. Has your family ever had him tested?”
Amusement thick in his tone, Garrett said, “I don’t think so, but I can make the recommendation.”
“Might be a good idea.” She looked at Adam again, tilted her head, then held out a hand. “The ice?”
He got it together and fetched her a fresh chunk. Anxious to see what she’d do, he stepped to the edge of the booth and braced his hands on the top beside the butter and salt.
Right there, in front of everyone—which mostly was just him and Garrett—she tipped her head back and rolled that ice over her throat and upper chest.
Lord have mercy.
“It is so hot.” Lifting her ponytail, she tipped her head forward and teased the ice down her nape. A droplet trailed along her slender throat, over her shoulder and onto her chest. “Oh, that’s better. Nice.”
Adam swallowed.
After an elbow to the ribs and a sly grin, Garrett said, “I think I’ll take a break. Man the fort, okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” He peeled off his apron and stepped out of the booth to close in on Issy. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Coolin’ down.”
While heating him up. “You look like you’re making a porno.”
Her eyes flared…with delight. “I do?” She flashed her glance around but now that Garrett had booked, no one was close. “I was…sexy? Seriously?”
How the hell could she not know that? “You’re getting me hard.”
She started to look down.
Adam put his fingers under her chin, keeping her gaze on his face. If she looked, there’d be no “getting” to it. He’d have a full-fledged boner. “What’s more, I think you know it.”
“I didn’t, but thank you for tellin’ me.” She licked her lips. “I’ve been tryin’ to watch other ladies, to see how they flirt. Your cousin gave me some pointers.”
He dropped his hand, blinked, drew a breath—and had to ask. “Amber?”
“Yes. She knows somethin’ about everythin’, doesn’t she?”
“Sure thinks she does.” Scowling, Adam looked around but didn’t see Amber anywhere. He zeroed back in on Issy. “It’s not a great idea to take advice from her.”
“Then from whom should I take it?” She stepped closer, tipping her head back to keep eye contact. “You?”
The breeze was long gone, but as the sun faded behind the hills the heat lost its edge, making the evening air feel more tolerable. Still hot, but not so smothering. Around them, the carnival lights flickered on.
Feeling like they were talking about things other than advice, Adam said, “I offered, remember?”
“I remember that you failed to specify exactly what you were offerin’.”
Anything you want. But maybe he should stop being so eager. Maybe he’d do better to tease back a little. Going with that plan, he said, “You could start by practicing your flirting skills on me.”
“Oh, I love that idea.” Smiling, she slowly touched his chest, stroked with her fingertips, lowered her lashes, and asked, “How’s that?”
Hell, he felt that light touch clear down to his shorts. After clearing his throat, he said, “Effective.” He sounded like a strangling frog.
“So if I seek out other guys tonight…” She walked her fingers back up his chest to his shoulder. “…you think I’d be successful?”
“At what?”
“I’m lonely,” she complained with a sexy pout, her fingers still on the move, now teasing the damp ends of hair over his nape. “I need company, no matter how temporary.”
Suspicious, unaccountably irate, Adam clarified, “Company, meaning sex?”
She smiled in a very provocative way. “That’d depend on the guy and how things progressed.”
Not happening. Adam claimed her hand with his, brought it down to his chest and flattened her palm over his heart. “How about you slow your roll on that?”
Ferris wheel lights glittered in her eyes.
Or maybe that was a pissed-off glitter. Hard to know.
“So tell me, Sugar, you plannin’ to slow your roll tonight?”
“If I’m with you, sure.” What the hell was he saying? “Instead of you running off to sleep with some nameless—” and lucky “—dude, how about we enjoy the carnival? You can keep flirting. I’ll tell you what works.” Which so far had been everything. “And in the meantime we could have some fun.” Not the type of fun he’d really like to have, but at the moment, he enjoyed her company enough that he could make a concession.
“Hmm.”
Watching her take her own sweet time thinking about his offer bugged Adam big time. It should’ve been an easy decision. By now, other women would have said—
“Okay.”
He released a tense breath.
“On one condition.”
His teeth locked and he cocked a brow in query.
Looking very stern and determined, she said, “End of the night, no matter how things go otherwise, I at least get a kiss.”
Whoa. After the craziness of this current interaction with her, Adam refused to make assumptions. “From who?”
“Why, from you, silly.”
He forgot they were in the open, that kids and their parents milled around them. Neighbors and teachers. The principal. Members of the school board.
His own meddling family.
All he could think about was getting his mouth on hers.
Catching her narrow waist in his hands, Adam slowly drew her in. “If it’s to be guaranteed, why save it for the end of the night? We could just start right off with—”
“There you are.” Amber swooped in with Noel Poet in tow. Far too enthusiastically, she pulled Issy away and locked her to her side. “I’ve been looking all over for you, Isabella. Noel has some men for you to meet.”
What the hell? Adam narrowed his eyes on Noel.
Noel immediately held up his hands. “Not my doing.”
“Don’t be modest,” Amber said, flipping her long dark braid. “Noel easily racked up three guys, all of them perfect.”
Damn it, he’d been about to kiss her. The last thing he wa
nted was for Amber to whisk her off to some other guy.
With biting irritation, Adam asked, “Perfect for what?”
At almost the same time, Issy said, “Really? For me?”
“Uh…” Noel looked like he wanted to make a run for it—until Amber took his hand. Then the putz melted.
It seemed to Adam that Amber and Noel made a most unlikely pair. But whether they admitted or not, that’s what they seemed to be—sort of.
As a firefighter, Noel worked with Amber’s brother, Garrett, which was where Amber had met him. Since then they’d been dancing around each other, not really a declared couple, but at every big community function they ended up together.
Amber had long dark hair and blue eyes.
Noel was blond with brown eyes.
But the contrasts didn’t end with their appearances. Where Noel seemed quietly contained and often far too serious, Amber was bold, incredibly outspoken and carefree.
Sure, she was pretty enough to reel in any guy, but he’d assumed Noel had enough backbone to keep from being drawn into her scheming.
When Amber only smiled, Adam grated, “What guys?”
Shaking his head, Noel said to Amber, “I think we’re interrupting.”
“Don’t be silly.”
Noel said evenly, “I am never silly.”
Amber just smiled at him. “Isabella already asked for my recommendations, and I’m giving them.” Her gaze raked over Adam. “And that’s that.”
Issy laughed. “Well, I don’t suppose it’d hurt for me to take a little look, now would it?”
Of all the… Adam narrowed his eyes. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’ll be right back,” she promised, and patted his chest—like he was a damned wayward mutt.
Stunned, Adam stared down at her. He had no idea what to say, so he said nothing.
Issy waited, but with his extended silence her smile faltered, and finally she looked away. “Noel? Are you ready?”
Very ill at ease, Noel hitched his chin. “Sure.”
“I’ll join you in a minute,” Amber told them.
Still disbelieving, Adam watched Issy walk away, her hand in the crook of Noel’s elbow, until he couldn’t see her anymore.
“So,” Amber started.
“Forget it.” Beyond peeved at her, Adam headed back into the booth. She’d already done enough. No way in hell would he listen to some half-baked lecture from her.
Of course she followed.
“She’s all wrong for you, Adam.”
He leveled a sharp look on her. “Contrary to what every wimp in the county tells you, you do not know everything.”
It was never easy to put a dent in Amber’s confidence. “I realize that. But I do know you. And I also know Isabella.”
Folding his arms over his chest, his temper on the rise, Adam said, “So what? You think I’d break her heart or something?”
She gave a surprised laugh that she quickly muffled with a cough. “No, I wasn’t concerned about that.”
Adam waited her out, his scowl not budging.
After another cough, Amber got serious. “I hope you won’t think I’m gossiping—”
“Shohn already told me what you said.”
“I only told him so he could tell you in case I didn’t get to you in time. Even before I’d reached you two, I knew you were playing with Issy. Everyone was talking about it.”
“Define everyone.”
“People who’d passed the two of you. Ms. Marburl was scandalized. Little Chuck started singing that you had a girlfriend. When I stopped at the corn booth, Shohn didn’t know where you were but he said you were due to replace him at any minute. So I told him.”
“Told him that Issy is a wild child?” He snorted. “That’s nuts and you know it.”
“Oh, Adam.” With a pitying look, Amber patted his arm. “You’ve known her all this time and yet…you don’t really know her at all.”
CHAPTER THREE
ISABELLA HAD A hard time keeping her smile in place as she walked away from Adam. She didn’t want to meet any other men, and she definitely didn’t plan to get intimate with anyone—well, except maybe Adam.
If he was still willing.
“You okay?” Noel asked.
“Course I am.”
“You know, if you want, I can make your excuses to the guys. Say you got busy or something.”
She peeked at him. “Is my disinterest that noticeable?”
“Afraid so.” He paused with her under the lights of the roller coaster. They both looked up at the screaming riders as the coaster cars zipped by. “Amber has a tendency to bulldoze her way through life.”
“She is confident.” Sometimes Isabella envied Amber for her headstrong certainty.
“That’s an understatement.” Noel turned his speculative gaze down to her. “Don’t let her bully you into doing anything you don’t want to do.”
Compelled to defend her friend, Isabella said, “She’s actually been very helpful.”
“And she always means well,” Noel added. “I’ll even admit that most of the time she knows what she’s doing. But I’ve gotten to know her.”
“Do tell.”
One corner of his mouth curled. In a husky, satisfied-man voice he said, “Let’s just stick to talking about you tonight.”
Deflated, Isabella sighed. “If we must.”
“Amber doesn’t know men nearly as well as she thinks she does.”
Oh, now that was interesting. “You came to this conclusion…how?”
“Because she’s always playing games. And as a man—”
He was definitely all man.
“—I can tell you, we don’t appreciate it.”
“And yet,” Isabella pointed out, “she’s so often successful.”
“How about we give a little credit to the men, too, okay? Yes, she hooked up Shohn with Nadine, and Garrett with Zoey, and Gray with Lisa-”
“You’re ruinin’ your own case.”
Noel shook his head. “Making the point that while Amber might’ve pointed them in the right direction, or given a helping hand, she didn’t make them fall in love. Each of the guys was smart enough to do that all on his own.”
She peeked up at him. “That’s what you think I want? To fall in love?”
After a commiserating smile, Noel took her arm and got her walking again. “I think you’re already in love. What you want is for Adam to love you in return.”
That insight so surprised her, she faltered a step.
How was it Noel knew that when no one else did? For sure Adam didn’t suspect. If he did, he probably wouldn’t be chatting with her now. She’d done her best to hide it, but she’d known for some time that he was the one for her.
It was party his great rapport with kids and his awesome contributions to the community. Adam was a very admirable man.
But it was also the way he carried himself, with pride and dignity, the way he pitched in to help others, the easy way he smiled.
Those dark bedroom eyes… She shivered, and admitted to herself that his body was pretty darned fine too.
But it was mostly his character, she assured herself. Sure he was great to look at, but she wouldn’t love a man for his looks alone.
Realizing she’d gone too quiet, too long, Isabella stammered, “I, um…Why would you say such a thing?”
Noel stopped, faced her. “I saw you with him, and I’m not a dummy, either. Amber can play all the games she wants, but in the end, Adam has to know the real you. What it is you want or need, what you care about.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Who you are.”
Not knowing what else to do, Isabella nodded.
“So for now, if you want to fol
low Amber, go ahead. Just don’t play so long that Adam mistakes your sincerity for an amusing pastime.”
Wow. Who knew Noel was so attentive and discerning?
Well, obviously Amber did. “She said I couldn’t be easy. That I had to make him work for it.”
It surprised her when Noel flushed.
Now wait a minute… Suspicion lifted her brows. “Is that what you’re doin’ to Amber?” When he looked even guiltier, a grin made her cheeks ache. “You are! You’re makin’ her work for it, aren’t you?”
Noel walked on.
Delighted, Isabella hustled to catch up to him. “That is so funny.”
“No it’s not,” he said.
“But this is great. Amber, caught in a game of her own makin’.” She clapped her hands. “Totally great.”
Pivoting to face her, Noel opened his mouth, hesitated, and clamped it shut again. “Just think about what I said, okay?”
“Oh, I definitely will. And thank you.” This time as they started off, Isabella hugged his arm and even put her head on his biceps. A nice, solid biceps, she noticed. “You’re a good man, Noel Poet. Whatever you do to catch Amber, I hope you catch her right and tight.”
Little by little, Noel smiled and relaxed. “That’s the plan.” They turned the corner and there were three men drinking beers, playing horseshoes, and laughing loudly. One wore a firefighter’s T-shirt, one was an EMT, and the other was Tucker Turley, the sheriff. She knew him well since he’d done plenty of community outreach programs at the school library. Turley was the handsomest of the three, which was saying something since they were all pretty fine. But Isabella knew Amber’s cousin Kady was already sweet on him, and besides, he’d never, not once, looked at her with interest, and vice versa.
The men hadn’t yet noticed them, and suddenly Isabella wanted to run.
“Cold feet?” Noel asked.
She bit her lip and nodded. “Would it be terrible if I just ducked away before they saw me?”
“No. But I doubt that’d work because Amber will probably bring you right back around to them. You’re already here so you might as well talk a minute, right? No harm in that.”
Just then Turley said, “Noel, get on over here. We need a fourth to even the teams.”
