Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set

by Grover Swank, Denise

  I nodded, the movements quick and sharp.

  “I mean, what if I had come into this town and angrily demanded you drink coffee every time I saw you?” At the harsh laugh that left me, she gave me a knowing look. “You would think I was insane.”

  The corner of my mouth twitched up. “So, I went from creepy to insane?”

  She made a face like she was considering it for a moment before shooting me a playful smirk. “Lucky for you, you have a saving grace in the form of people who obviously adore you and know a side of you I wasn’t seeing.”

  That I did.

  Not that it mattered. This girl would be gone any day, and she still needed to mean nothing to me.

  “I’m done talking about this with you. And, honestly, I think you want to be done talking about this.” I knew from the look in her eyes that she was trying to understand something I didn’t want her to, but her voice remained firm when she said, “So, let it be enough for whatever is hurting and haunting you that I like to eat. I like food. I do eat, and I know how to keep myself fed.”

  “Right . . .” I nodded and pushed away from the doorframe. “Well, I hope you find something here during the rest of your stay that can redeem the first part.”

  She worried the corner of her bottom lip, torturing it in a way that had me straining to stay in place so I wouldn’t grab her so I could taste her.

  Tease her.

  Torture that fucking lip for her.

  “I’m actually sticking around for longer than I expected—a week or two . . . maybe more, I’m not entirely sure.”

  The anticipation and need that immediately filled me with those words only fueled my dread. Before I could stop myself, I stepped back into the doorway. “Then I want to know your name.”

  “And I don’t want you to fall in love with me,” she said without hesitation.

  Her confidence and worry, the same as it had been that first night, threw me off as much as that damn word did. “Told you . . . there isn’t a chance in hell of that happening.”

  “Guess my name doesn’t matter then,” she said easily and began shutting the door, even with me still in the way.

  I staggered back so I wouldn’t get hit by the door, but caught it with my hand before it could close. “What’s your name?”

  She released a slow exhale. “You couldn’t just look at the check-in book or ask your sister-in-law?”

  “Yeah, I’m not actually a creep.”

  She studied me for a few seconds before putting a hand on the door, preparing to close it again. Just before she did, she lifted a shoulder and said, “Rae.”

  Chapter 11

  Rae

  “Then I want to know your name.”

  Those demanding, pleading words refused to leave my mind even still, the next day. Playing over and over again like a torturous record until they were tripping up my fingers, confusing what my characters were telling me with the man I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.

  I sucked in an embarrassingly stuttered breath when the man in question dropped into the chair opposite me and mumbled, “Rae.”

  I lowered my laptop and met his studying gaze. “Sawyer.”

  “You know, you said you were here to get a feel for small-town life, but you haven’t really gone anywhere outside Blossom and here.”

  “Is there a question there, or are you about to get demanding again?”

  His eyes narrowed at the tease in my tone. “Just wondering how you’re really gonna get a feel for it if you don’t go anywhere.”

  I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth as I thought, letting my stare dart around to the few people watching us. The rest were minding their own business. “Guess I haven’t been ready to get out yet. Besides, it’s easier to work here. I like to people-watch and it gives me a reason to put on something other than yoga pants. Also, I’m in a highly committed relationship with coffee, one I don’t think your sister-in-law could’ve ever been prepared for, and there happens to be a lot of it here.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted in response to my smile. “What is it you do?” he asked, glancing at my laptop.

  “I’m a writer,” I answered, watching his reaction carefully. Not that his mattered, people’s reactions just amused me.

  I already knew what his next question would be, but the following responses always varied, and they said everything about the person.

  His brows lifted in surprise and intrigue. “Yeah? What kind of writing exactly?”

  “Romance.”

  The slow curl of his mouth was amused and so damn sexy. “That right? We talking Fabio or Fifty or somewhere in between?”

  A startled laugh crawled up my throat. “Sort of between. I write Contemporary Romance, but I’m definitely curious how you even threw those out there.”

  He gestured to the side with his head, toward the storefront windows. “Savannah’s really into reading. She’d probably die if she knew about you.”

  “I’m sure that’s it,” I said with only a hint of sarcasm. “Admit it, you’re a closet Romance reader.”

  His eyes locked onto mine. “Might be soon.”

  I sat there, trapped in his gaze, wondering what we were talking about and if it would really be so bad to let myself explore the way he made my heart race and my stomach swirl with heat before I was able to snap out of it.

  Sawyer looked away before I could and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Do you have any books out?”

  “A few.” The words were barely a breath as I tried to catch mine. I cleared my throat and mumbled, “Rae Jacobs . . . that’s my name.”

  His bright eyes flashed my way again before focusing on his phone as he tapped on it. After a few seconds, he let out a little huff. “A few.”

  I watched him scroll through his phone, suddenly feeling uncomfortable for the first time in my career.

  My twentieth book had just been published a couple months before, not that that was something I boasted about, but it was odd watching Sawyer browse them. Almost like I was nervous. And being nervous over this man was most unsettling of all.

  “Shit, you’re a New York Times bestselling author?” he asked softly, then glanced at me with a look of surprise and admiration, his expression falling when he noticed mine. “That’s exciting. You should be proud of that.”

  “I am,” I said. “No, of course, I am. Those were . . . probably some of the best days of my life.” Honesty dripped from my shamed confession, and my tongue darted out to wet my lips before I continued. “I just don’t really talk about it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I write to escape life and to create worlds for other people to escape to for a little while as well. I don’t write for a list.”

  Sawyer nodded after a moment and set his attention on his phone again, but his words were for me. “I like that.” A couple minutes of scrolling later, his face lit up. “Hey, Rae’s social media.”

  “Oh God.”

  He offered me a devastating smirk and settled deeper in his chair. “Let’s see what kind of pictures you post.”

  I closed my laptop the rest of the way and grabbed my coffee, nervously playing with the cup as I watched him get a peek into my life. I wasn’t sure if it was better to witness every moment of it or wonder about it when he eventually stumbled onto it in private.

  But the faint smiles paired with the crease between his eyebrows were driving me crazy as I waited.

  I’d never worried what others would think of me.

  I’d never cared.

  But it had also never been this infuriating man who forced himself into my thoughts and offered too much of an opinion on my life.

  After what seemed like an eternity, he set his phone on the table, stare miles away. When his eyes finally met mine, he said, “Those pictures and videos don’t seem like you.”

  One of my brows lifted. “Did we pass strangers without me realizing?”

  His chest pitched with a silent laugh. “You’re just . . . I don�
�t know. You seem very lighthearted and free on there,” he said, looking pointedly at the phone, but didn’t continue.

  He didn’t need to.

  “Yeah, well, as soon as I got into this town, I met you and it all went downhill from there.” The lie was all a gentle tease, but he just continued to watch me, silently prompting me for the truth. “Maybe I only give my readers a side of me I want them to see.”

  “We might be somewhere between strangers and friends, but I have a feeling from your reaction that isn’t true.”

  “You’re so invasive,” I whispered.

  “You look away when you’re lying,” he shot back just as gently.

  My lips parted to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come as I wondered if he was right. I narrowed my stare curiously and watched as amusement tugged at his mouth.

  He really is too handsome for his own good and my sanity.

  I blinked away the thought and looked down at my laptop. I lightly traced patterns across the top of it with the tips of my fingers as I admitted, “Maybe it’s because the girl you were looking at was free. I’ve always lived in the moment, without plans or a care in the world, and this . . . this was forced on me, in a way, I guess.” I swallowed thickly and clenched my jaw so I wouldn’t confess more than I already had.

  “What was forced on you?” Sawyer asked. “Being in Amber?”

  I glanced at him and gave him a forced smile.

  “Should I be worried?” Discomfort bled through his attempt at a joke. “Should we be hiding you?”

  A startled laugh escaped me. “No. No, nothing like that. I just . . .” I shrugged as I tried to think of what to say when I’d already said too much. “I’m used to living in big cities and, as I said, I’m used to living in the moment. If I woke up one morning and decided to move cross-country, I’d find a place that day, pack my things, and move. Amber has been something I’ve needed to check off a list, but have been putting off because it felt like a weight dragging me down long before I started making my way here. Then I arrived and it felt suffocating.”

  He watched me for a few moments, studying me as if he were seeing me for the first time. “Well, shit.” He laughed uneasily. “Yeah, I guess a small town would be hard for anyone who was used to big cities. Especially one where everyone was watching your every move—”

  “No,” I said quickly, stopping that train of thought before he could continue. “I mean, yes, it is different being in a town that only has one traffic light. But that has nothing to do with it. I just never thought I would be here and, honestly, I’m not sure I ever wanted to. And I hate feeling like I’m trapped somewhere.”

  “You’re the one who said you were staying,” he said, reminding me of our conversation from the day before.

  “I know. I have to.”

  “For what?”

  I caught myself just as I was about to do what he’d pointed out earlier, and made myself hold his stare. “Work.”

  “Work,” he said dully, and then clarified, “Writing? That’s why you’re here?”

  “A new series,” I said, uttering the lie I’d told myself so many times.

  “Why do it if you’ll be miserable?” One of his hands barely lifted from the table in a silent plea for me not to answer. “Why do you even need to be here for it?”

  “I like to know what I’m writing about,” I said vaguely, hoping he wouldn’t keep digging and wondering why I had said any of the things I had.

  It wasn’t until I looked at him again and noticed his meaningful expression that I realized what I’d just done.

  That tell he’d pointed out and was looking for.

  Shit.

  Thankfully, instead of calling me on it, he just nodded and leaned forward so he could lower his voice. “Maybe if you ventured out past Blossom and Brewed, you wouldn’t feel trapped. Maybe if you actually tried to get that small-town feel, you’d find a different kind of freedom—one you’ll never experience in a city.”

  I didn’t tell him there was no point in doing those things because I wasn’t actually here for a new series or work.

  I didn’t tell him that I doubted I would ever feel free in such a confining space.

  I didn’t ask why it mattered to him at all.

  I was afraid if I opened my mouth again, I would reveal things that were meant to stay hidden.

  I loosed a quick breath when his phone went off, thankful for the distraction, and watched as he leaned back in the seat to take the call. Voice low and too soft for me to make out the words, but the deep rumble was enough to send chills across my arms.

  As much as I tried, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his long, lean muscles as he stretched back and ran a hand through his hair.

  His intense, demanding demeanor when I’d first rolled into town should have been enough to convince me to avoid him at all cost. But the pain that had etched across his face each time those demands tumbled free, and the whispers of a guy I had yet to get a glimpse of, had only strengthened my curiosity. But the shift to easy smirks and hushed voices made me regret not pushing him away from the beginning . . .

  Because everything about Sawyer made me think of nights of rough, claiming sex followed by lazy mornings in bed. Made me want to know what it would be like.

  And that was dangerous.

  “Be there in five.” He ended the call and sat forward, already preparing to get out of the chair he was occupying. “Gotta run. If you decide you wanna experience what you’re hiding from, let me know.”

  I didn’t correct him. I just spared a glance at the coffee bar before focusing on him again. “Did you only come in here to get information from me?”

  The slow smile that spread across his face was enough to steal my next breath. He pressed his hands to the table and stood, the muscles in his forearms flexing from holding himself up. “Would that be so bad?” With a wink, he pushed away and walked out of Brewed.

  It took every ounce of self-control to appear unaffected as I watched him. To pretend the chaos storming in my chest wasn’t there. To ignore the want he stirred within me. That way, those still watching me would have nothing to see or dissect or gossip about.

  I’d spent years choosing who was allowed into my life and my bed. Not one of them had ever tripped me up and distracted me so badly that my thoughts had been wholly consumed by them. Not one of them ever had me spilling kept details of my life at all, let alone so easily . . .

  I couldn’t allow a player from this Mayberry town to be the one to change that.

  But I was terrified he would.

  Chapter 12

  Sawyer

  My tires had just kissed the pavement off the family property when my phone began ringing. I glanced at the name on my dashboard long enough to know it wasn’t someone I needed to avoid before letting the call go through my truck.

  “Em—”

  “Kick the skank in your bed out of it and get over here. Now.”

  A scoff left me, but the call had disconnected as soon as she finished speaking.

  Emberly in a bad mood wasn’t fun to deal with on any given day, but I definitely didn’t need this shit today. Not that I’d ever not be there for her or anyone who needed me.

  Gritting my teeth, I turned my truck toward downtown instead of my house and headed to the only place Emberly would be at this time of day.

  A few minutes later, I pushed through the doors of Brewed and stopped when she pointed a finger toward the tall glass front and demanded, “Tools.”

  An edgy laugh worked up my throat as I stared at my best friend, frustration seeping from her. After rubbing a hand over my jaw to give me another second to breathe so I wouldn’t snap back at her, I said, “Need to know what to grab, Em.”

  “Ice machine’s leaking.”

  I let an eyebrow slowly lift, silently letting her know that her anger was heard, misdirected, and not appreciated, then turned back through the doors to grab what I would need to start with.

  Emberly had disappe
ared into the café’s back room by the time I made it inside again, but that wasn’t what had my steps faltering as I made my way to the machine in question . . .

  It was the girl tucked into the corner of the shop, sitting in one of the large chairs, laptop in her lap, cradling her coffee in her hands as if she needed its warmth—like it wasn’t hotter than hell outside. Exactly as she had been the day before, only this time, her curious stare was tracking me.

  As it had every other time I’d seen her, everything about her stunned me.

  Her natural, overwhelming beauty. The confidence that seemed to radiate from her in a way that was so damn sexy and not at all flashy. Her expressions that teased there was so much about the girl I had yet to see . . . and I was craving to uncover it all.

  But with every craving, my head was yelling just as loudly to look away and forget about her.

  Not attractive.

  Not my type.

  Want nothing to do with her.

  The corner of my mouth lifted as I continued toward the back room. “Rae.”

  As soon as I entered the back, all thoughts of her fled my mind when I saw the pool of water Emberly was cleaning up with towels.

  “Well, shit.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and loosed a huff. “Tell me about it.”

  After helping her place another handful of towels on the water, I grabbed a flashlight and knelt on the damp floor to check where the source of the leak was coming from. “I get that this sucks, but there are ways for y’all to work around this. You have the ice machine behind the bar to use for the morning, and we can always grab ice from the store and gas station if needed. So, take a damn breath and tell me why you’re snapping at me.”

  “I’m not snapping.”

  I slid out from behind the machine to give her a look, then blew out a slow breath and went back, finding the shut-off valve and following it to the leak. Once I located it and had the machine turned off, I took off the back panel and searched for the problem as Emberly continued to dry the floor.