Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set

by Grover Swank, Denise

  “You were having a bad dream.” I shifted up the bed carefully, taking her by the arm and pulling her quaking body into my lap when I got close enough. “It’s over now. You’re good, I promise.”

  She clung to me like her life depended on it as I rested against the headboard, wrapping her in a tight embrace. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so goddamn afraid for another person as I was for her. I didn’t have a fucking clue who she was fighting in that dream or what was happening, but hearing her scream like that, Christ, it took a decade off my life. It sounded like she was being killed.

  “I-I’m s-sorry,” she stuttered, her teeth chattering and she burrowed deeper into me. “I-I d-didn’t’ mean—”

  “Shh. You’ve got nothin’ to apologize for.”

  We lapsed into silence that seemed to last forever. I waited for the shaking to stop and her breathing to return to normal before I chanced speaking again. “Does that happen a lot?”

  Her back tensed for a beat, and when I looked down, she was chewing on her bottom lip, something she did whenever she was nervous. “Off and on.”

  I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that she wasn’t telling me the truth. “Do you remember what the nightmare was about?” She shook her head. “Not any of it?”

  “No,” she whispered, “not any of it.”

  She was lying to me, I could feel it in my bones. I wanted to push until she gave me the truth, but something told me if I did, she’d shut down on me completely. There was something big here, something dark. My girl had scars riddled across one side of her chest, and she woke up screaming from a nightmare. Whatever she was keeping to herself wasn’t good. But I had to tread carefully. Bending my neck, I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and spoke, “All right, Hummingbird. It’s over. You think you can go back to sleep?”

  “I-I can try.”

  Reaching out, I hit the lights and shifted us down the bed. “I’m right here, and I’m not letting go. Try and get some rest, yeah?”

  Farah nuzzled her face into my chest and let out a huge exhale. I laid there, holding on to her with everything I had as the minutes ticked by. It took a while, but she eventually dozed back off.

  I wasn’t so lucky. After witnessing what I just had, it was going to take a good long while for me to find sleep again. Seeing her like that was an image I didn’t imagine I’d get out of my head any day soon.

  * * *

  Farah

  I opened my eyes to the confusing sight of sunlight peeking through the blinds.

  I blinked several times, thinking that I had to be dreaming. There was no way I could have fallen back to sleep last night, not after another god-awful nightmare.

  “Mornin’, Hummingbird.”

  Holding the sheets to my naked chest, I rolled to my back to find Cannon hovering over me, his smile soft and beautiful. “Good morning,” I returned, my voice croaky with sleep.

  “You look different when you sleep,” he stated as those gold and green eyes trailed over my face for a beat.

  Reaching up, I wiped at the corners of my mouth nervously. “I didn’t drool, did I?”

  “No,” he laughed. “Nothin’ like that. I can’t put my finger on it, it’s just . . . different.”

  My eyebrows lifted toward my hairline. “Good different or bad different?”

  His head came down, his lips brushing against mine as he answered, “Everything about you is good, baby.” After issuing that declaration and making me melt into the mattress, he rolled to the other side and threw his legs over. I laid there, content to watch as he strolled naked over to the dresser and began rummaging through drawers. Seconds later, he covered that fine ass with a pair of flannel sleep pants. It was a shame really.

  He came back to me and tossed a T-shirt in my direction. “You can wear that. I’m gonna start breakfast. You should probably use this time to call your brother.”

  I sat up and slid the comfy tee over my head before giving Cannon a bewildered look. “What? Why?”

  “You need to tell him what went down at the bar last night, Farah. Don’t know your brother, but I’m a man, so I can only guess how he’d take it if he heard that fuck tracked you down on your turf from someone other than you.”

  He had a point there. Jase was going to lose his mind no matter what, but if I didn’t let him know as soon as possible, the fallout would be catastrophic.

  “All right,” I said with a sigh, not looking forward to that conversation. “But if I’m gonna do that, I’ll need coffee.”

  He smiled, and I felt a pleasurable tightness building in my belly. “Lucky for you, I can make that happen.”

  * * *

  The only thing that made the conversation with my brother tolerable was that I got to watch Cannon move around his kitchen with his naked torso still on full display while Jase ranted and raved through the line. It was a seriously mouthwatering sight.

  The smell of bacon surrounded me, and I had a nice, warm cup of coffee sitting on the bar just inches away. One foot was tucked on the seat of my stool, pulled in close so I could rest my chin on my knee, while the other leg dangled, swinging back and forth.

  With the exception of my brother’s rage-filled voice ringing in my ears, this was the kind of morning I could definitely get used to.

  It had been a good ten minutes since the start of the call, and Jase still hadn’t calmed the hell down.

  “I’m gonna fucking kill that bastard,” he growled through the line for the hundredth time. “That motherfucking son of a bitch!”

  I waited patiently, hoping he’d get it out of his system soon, because I’d barely been able to get a word in edgewise for the past several minutes.

  “Christ, the balls on him,” my brother snapped, pulling me from my perusal of the man I now knew in a very intimate way. “What the fuck was he thinking, flying to fucking Tennessee to track you down.”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, bub.”

  “You know what? I don’t give a fuck what his reason for doing it is. This is the final goddamn straw. This shit ends now.”

  I lifted my mug to my lips and took a fortifying sip. “How exactly are you planning to make that happen from a thousand miles away?”

  “Won’t be a thousand miles away come tomorrow.”

  My foot fell from the seat as my back shot straight. “What? Does that mean . . .?” I let out a squeal of excitement so loud Cannon whipped around from the stove and Jase issued a curse. “You’re coming here? Seriously?”

  “I’ll have to talk to Bennett first. He finds out I got on a plane to you without telling him, he’d skin me alive. But as soon as that’s done, we’ll be on the next flight out.”

  “Oh my God,” I gasped, swinging my wide eyes around to Cannon. “This is so great! There’s so much I want to show you guys. A lot has changed since Bennett lived here. I can’t wait!” Then something dawned on me, and I instantly deflated. “Oh, but my house isn’t gonna be done for a few more days.” My shoulders sagged at the thought of not being able to show off my grand new home to Jase and Bennett. “I was hoping the first time you guys came here, you’d be able to stay there with me.”

  “When are you supposed to move in?”

  And once again, I perked up. “Wednesday.”

  “That’s not too far off. Bennett’s been grumbling about retiring since you left, and I haven’t taken a vacation in three goddamn years, I’m due for one.”

  “Really?”

  His chuckle rang through the line. “Can’t help my little sis move into her new place from a thousand miles away, now can I?”

  “No,” I said on a giggle. “You sure can’t. And this is actually good! This way you’ll get to stay at Redbud Inn for a couple days. It’s just the cutest little place you’ll ever see.”

  “Looking forward to that, sweet pea. I’m sure it’s gonna be great. But you need to know, I’ve also got ulterior motives for this tri
p.” At the shift in his tone, taking him from light to serious, I went on high alert. “You just confessed to me that you’ve got a new man in your life. It’s almost been a year, Farah. I’ll give it to you straight, I’ve been worried out of my mind that you’d never come back from that night, but it seems you have. I need to meet this guy. I have to see for myself that he’s good enough for you.”

  Fighting back the burn in my eyes and throat, I looked over at Cannon. “He is, Jase. I promise,” I said quietly. God, I loved my brother. “He’s incredible.”

  “And I believe you, sweetheart, but I have to see for myself. I need you to give me that.”

  Sensing that the conversation with Jase had taken a turn into serious, Cannon shut the burner on the stove off and started around the island in my direction. The second he was close enough, his hands landed on my knees, and he spread my legs, stepping in between them.

  “I can give that to you, bub.”

  “Thank you.” The sound of him clearing his throat filled my ear, and I knew he was struggling to fight back his own emotions. “He’s good to you, sweet pea?”

  My eyes remained locked on Cannon’s beautiful hazel ones as I replied, “Yeah, he’s good to me.” Then I said the words that would mean the whole world to my protective big brother. “I feel safe with him, Jase.”

  Cannon’s expression went tender and his hand came up to caress the side of my neck.

  “Good.” Jase’s voice was craggy and raw, and when he cleared his throat again, I had a sneaking suspicion my brother was dangerously close to tears. “I’m happy you found that, Farah.”

  “I am too, bub. More than you know. And now it’s just icing on the cake that you and Bennett will be here too. But just a word of warning, I’m gonna do everything in my power to try and get you to stay for good.”

  “Consider me warned, sis,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Now I’ll let you go so you can have breakfast with your guy, and I can call Bennett.”

  “Okay, Jase. See you soon. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Farah. With all my heart.”

  I hung up and lowered the phone from my ear, keeping my attention on Cannon as I stated the obvious. “My brother and Bennett are coming to town.”

  “Kinda pieced that together on my own.” He chuckled. “Happy for you, baby.”

  I was too. In fact, while things had been great since my move to Redemption, this was probably the first time in my life I could say I was well and truly blissfully happy. Hopefully, very soon, I’d have all the people who mattered most to me in one place.

  And I couldn’t think of anything better.

  Chapter 21

  Farah

  Shane, Poppy, and I sat out on Poppy’s porch, while Brantley and Crash played together a few feet away.

  After a great breakfast and an even better shower where we went at each other until the water ran cold, Cannon had driven me back to the inn. As soon as his bike roared off, I was on the phone, calling Poppy and Shane. I’d never done girl-talk before. Back in Connecticut, the women I was forced to associate with spent most of their time gossiping and back stabbing, so I’d never confided in any of them. But now that I had good girlfriends, I needed someone to talk to about everything that had gone down in the past several hours between me and Cannon. Poppy knew the whole of it, and now Shane did as well.

  I’d given her everything, and as the seconds ticked by where all she did was stare in silence, I began to feel uneasy.

  “Okay, I know I just laid some pretty terrible stuff on you, but can you say something? Please?”

  Her expression grew hard and pinched, her low voice full of rage as she declared, “I want to hunt that fucker down and kill him. But first I want to make him suffer for what he did to you.”

  “I’m with you on that one, girl,” Poppy added, just as incensed on my behalf as Shane was.

  “I truly believe that I possess the necessary skills to hide a body in a way it’ll never be found,” Shane stated, dead serious. “And even if I didn’t, prison time would be worth it.”

  We were getting off topic, and I worried they’d trail so far off they’d get lost and never be able to get back if I didn’t rein them in.

  My two best friends were now absorbed in plotting out the murder of a man they’d hopefully never cross paths with, so I did the only thing I could think of to regain their attention.

  “I had sex with Cannon last night,” I blurted, mindful to keep my voice quiet enough that Brantley wouldn’t overhear.

  Poppy’s mouth clamped shut and her eyes bugged out. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I had sex with Cannon last night,” I repeated, then added, “And again this morning.”

  “Oh my God,” Poppy breathed out on a wheeze.

  “That’s why I called you guys. I’m freaking out, but in a good way. I was scared I’d never be able to do that again. I worried that part of me was too broken, you know? But it’s not.” On those last three words a smile lifted my cheeks high. “I’m not broken,” I whispered, the happiness of that knowledge making my eyes sting.

  “Of course you aren’t broken,” Shane stated emphatically. “You needed time, that’s all. And now . . .” A grin of her own stretched across her lips. “Looks like you’ve climbed back in the saddle in a really big way.”

  “You know,” Poppy started, “I’ve heard talk, but I never really knew what was real and what was exaggeration, so I’ve always been curious.”

  I looked over at the adorable redhead, my head tipping to the side. “About what?”

  She leaned forward and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “How is he? I mean, some of the women talk like the guy’s a legend. It’s a little hard to believe.” Her eyes bored into me. “So?”

  Shane let out a snort, looking in Poppy’s direction in bafflement. “Well, I’ll be. Did our sweet little Poppy just ask about what your man’s packing and how good he is at using it?”

  “I’m not always sweet,” she argued with a scowl in Shane’s direction. “And yeah, I am asking. Because I’m not blind, and that man is fine. I’m also not dead. I haven’t gotten any in longer than I care to admit, so I’m gonna live vicariously through Farah, damn it!”

  At that, Shane and I burst out laughing while Poppy sat there glaring with her arms crossed over her chest.

  It took a bit, but once my laughter tapered off, I managed to speak, and I gave her what she’d been so curious about. “It was . . . I don’t think outstanding is a strong enough word.”

  Poppy’s chest rose on an inhale as she sighed, “Damn.”

  “He’s just so strong and big, everywhere. He knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s totally confident while doing it.”

  “So, it was good for you?” Shane asked carefully.

  “It was great,” I admitted. “Better than I ever imagined.”

  “Then we’re happy for you, honey,” Poppy said.

  Shane nodded in agreement. “Definitely. You deserve it. And even though the last guy I slept with got winded with me on top, I’m not jealous of you in the slightest.”

  We fell into another peel of laughter. It felt amazing to have something like this with these two incredible women.

  We talked a little more about my night with Cannon, then the subject shifted to my brother and Bennett coming to town. Poppy was happy to know she’d have two more guests for a couple days, but mainly, she was just happy for me that my family was coming to visit.

  We hung out on the porch for a little while longer, enjoying our time together and soaking in the beautiful day. Shane eventually packed Brantley up and headed out, and I hung with Poppy for the rest of the afternoon until it was time for me to get ready for my shift at the bar.

  Where I’d get to see the man who’d rocked my world the night before.

  The day just kept getting better and better.

  * * *

  That night, Cannon did something I wasn’t expecting. He came in after he finished u
p at the garage, but instead of moving to the pool tables where he usually sat, he took up residence at the bar on the stool closest to the end where Shane and I always stopped to put in orders or pick up drinks. By doing that, he and I had more time to talk to each other, and it made it easier for him to touch me or brush up against me every time I came to the bar.

  Just like he was at that very moment.

  His hand traveled down to the small of my back, coming to rest just above my ass as I read out my order to Darla. When she left to fill my drinks, I turned to Cannon and gave him a look. “You know, a customer gets fresh the way you are, I’d usually have Buck boot them out.”

  His smirk was unrepentant as he leaned in close. “Somethin’ tells me you like it when I get fresh, Hummingbird.”

  I narrowed my eyes in a playful glare. “Anyone ever tell you you can be a little too cocky?”

  His chuckle lit my insides on fire. “Once or twice. But I like to think of it as bein’ confident. Admit it, sweetheart. Your pulse is speedin’ up, isn’t it?”

  It definitely was. But I wasn’t going to make it that easy for him. “Maybe.” I shrugged casually. “Maybe not. I guess you’ll have to find out for yourself tonight.”

  His eyes darkened and flashed with fire. “Your place or mine.”

  I was just about to ask if he wouldn’t mind staying at the inn with me—I worried Crash was starting to feel neglected—when Shane came rushing up to our little huddle.

  “Sweet Jesus. I’m either dead, dreaming, or God is playing a joke, ’cause I’m pretty sure a man that good looking can’t be real.”

  I turned in the direction she was staring with a laugh and jerked to a stop at the sight of the man standing just inside the door.

  “No way,” I gasped. Then my body flew into action. I weaved through the tables at a full run. I was halfway across the bar when I lifted my arm and yelled, “Jace!” over all the noise. My brother’s head turned, and the instant he saw me, that smile that had gotten me through some of the hardest times growing up stretched across his handsome face.