The Secret Ingredient (Love Around the Corner)

by Lynn Rae

  As she made this incredible statement, June realized her grandmother already had her out of the apartment. As she turned to rebut this, Grandma gave her an absurdly enormous wink and closed her door with a click.

  She wanted nothing more than to bang her fist on the door and explain very clearly that Nate Garner wasn’t sweet on her. A cold punch of guilt landed in her gut, and she pulled her phone out to return his call. She walked to the exit of the Acres as it rang, nodding to a couple of the residents as they toddled along the same corridor, likely off to eat in the dining hall or heading to the game room for Texas Hold ’Em poker.

  Unsurprisingly, Simon had been her most recent two calls, but then there was Nate. He’d called her after ten this morning, just after she’d left to deal with the ruckus at the apartment. He probably thought she was avoiding him. All she had to do was decide if that was true.

  * * * *

  The ice bin was full, beers fully stocked, the liquor bottles wiped and faced, and as Nate looked over the work he’d done in the last hour, he wanted to take the baseball bat stored under the bar and smash something. He’d been so stupid with June, it was no wonder she’d ignored him today. No woman wanted to hear she was just fun after she’d had sex with someone. She wanted to hear she was beautiful and amazing.

  All he’d been able to manage with any relationship was a couple of months of hanging out, and then somehow he and the woman in question would gradually end things, either by slowing up on calls and meet ups, or simply breaking things off with each other. No harm, no foul. Why should June take him seriously when all he could do was act like an immature fool around her? Instead of being able to talk himself out of his funk, all he was getting further embroiled in this cycle of worry and concern.

  The bar door opened, and he glanced up to assess the next group of customers. The place was full of guys having a drink after quitting time, looking to unwind a bit from a day roofing or painting, before heading home to family and dinner. Instead of a couple of guys in scuffed construction boots and weary expressions entering, it was June.

  His breath caught, and he stared at her as she glanced around the crowded room. She was wearing a red-and-white skirt and a prim little white blouse, and she looked delicious. His fear that she was never going to want to see him again disappeared, and he let some hope enter his bloodstream. When she spotted him and gave an uncertain smile, warmth filled his chest, and he wanted to vault over the bar and pick her up. Instead, he signaled for Ted to take his spot, and he walked out from behind the varnished wood barrier like a normal person.

  By the time he’d made his way past customers seated at the bar and a few tables filled with patrons and empty bottles, June’s smile had disappeared.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back.” Her voice quivered, and he reached out to touch her arm, moving closer so he could hear her better as a group of drywallers in a nearby booth laughed about something.

  “You’re here now, so I don’t care about the call. I don’t think there’s a seat at the bar, but you can come behind with me so we can talk.” Or they could squeeze back into the bathroom, and he could kiss her some more, maybe get to touch her.

  “I’m interrupting. You’re busy.” June glanced around the room and tucked her hands together, her canvas bag hitting her side. “I should’ve called. Just dropping in like this was a bad idea. Your mom needs your help, and I guess I’m okay now.”

  “What’s wrong?” Nate could see the distress in her eyes despite the low bar lights, and all he could think was something had happened to her grandmother. Her mouth trembled, and she made a hopeless little gesture with her still-clenched hands. He reached for her shoulders and gathered her up in a hug, reveling in how her body fit against his even as he noticed a few of the patrons take note.

  Before the catcalls and whispers could start, he led her toward the back door, passing his mother as she cleared a table of empties. She narrowed her eyes at him and jerked her chin toward the bar, but he simply shook his head and kept going, June by his side. Once they’d passed through the swinging door, he directed her to the chair by the office desk. As she sat he wedged himself in an open spot on the blotter, careful not to knock over one of his mother’s stacks of receipts held together by an oversize paper clip.

  Her blonde head bowed, June rummaged in her bag and emerged holding a handkerchief, which she pressed to her eyes. His heart lurched, and he reached out to stroke her arm.

  “Is your grandmother okay?”

  Sniffling, June nodded her head and glanced up at him. “My brother came to the Acres and made a scene today. I’ve been there for hours, trying to calm everything down so they don’t kick her out. That’s why I didn’t call. Now I’m crying like a fool.”

  Her day sounded awful. Putting aside the question of why her brother was such an ass to the only people who seemed to care about him, he instead moved from his seat on the edge of the desk and crouched down next to her so he could catch her eye.

  Patting her eyes with the handkerchief, she finally looked at him and pressed her lips together in a sad curve. “What?”

  “Did he hurt anyone? You? Your grandma?”

  She shook her head once with a lurch and bit her lip. “No. Lots of yelling, and he pushed over a couple of chairs. I guess we’re lucky he didn’t end up arrested since the police were there.”

  Nate wished Simon had been arrested and was currently locked up in a damp and piss-smelling cell, but then June would be even more stressed. Since the man was still apparently free and roaming the countryside, with what was still likely a rage on, Nate moved on to his next point of concern.

  “Do you think he’s going to show up at your house tonight?”

  Sucking in a breath, June stared at him, her cheeks growing pale. “I hadn’t thought of that. He might, I mean, he has before. What if he’s there right now?”

  Nate’s blood ran cold. The idea of June being trapped alone in her little house as that loser harassed her enraged him. There was no way she was going home alone tonight. Before he could get that issue settled, he needed to figure out a few other things. He grabbed her small hands and watched her as she sniffed and peered at him.

  He couldn’t stop himself from remembering how beautiful her body had felt and let himself stroke his thumbs along her wrists. “Don’t worry about Simon. I’ll get you home tonight.”

  “What? You don’t have to—”

  “I’m going to make sure you’re safe.” Ted could handle bartending tonight; the after-work crowd would soon be going home, and since it was the middle of the week, the rest of the night should be quiet. His mom would just have to cope with him leaving for a while. Or for the rest of the night.

  June watched him for a quiet moment and shook her head once. “You being abused by my brother isn’t part of our deal.”

  “Hey, I took him once; I can handle him again,” he joked. “It’ll be good to test my reflexes. These Thursday-night crowds don’t challenge me very much.”

  A whisper of a smile settled on her lips, and he wanted to kiss her. Instead, he rose and encouraged her to her feet. Time to get a move on while the mood was positive. “Let’s go. You’ve had a rough day.”

  “But your mom—”

  “Can handle it. My cousin is already here, and another person will be here at seven. I’m good.”

  He had her moving along the hallway and back out the swinging doors. His mother called out to him, and he reluctantly slowed to a halt at the bar, but he kept ahold of June, unwilling to let her slide away.

  “What’s going on, Nate?”

  “I need to take June home.”

  His mother focused her bright blue eyes on June and looked her up and down. At his mother’s inspection, she straightened her shoulders, and Nate was pleased to feel her grip his hand even tighter rather than put it away as he’d feared.

  “Car trouble? Man trouble?”

  “In a way.” Nate spoke up be
fore June could explain anything. “I’ll call later.”

  “You mean you’ll be back later.” His mother’s tone was cold, and her eyes glinted with ice now. Nate didn’t care if she decided he was flaking out on her; June needed his help.

  “I’ll call later, Mom. Good-night.”

  Chapter 14

  June’s vague sense of worry about Simon being camped out in her driveway and ready to pounce on her was gone. No one was there as she parked in front of her little apartment. The hazy gray of summer twilight surrounded her, and as she exited the car, she almost missed Nate’s truck pulling up behind her.

  Waiting for Nate to join her on the sidewalk, she couldn’t shake the feeling of comfort just seeing him gave her. She supposed it was only natural to feel safer with a big, healthy man by her side.

  “What’s his car look like? I forgot to ask.” Nate ambled over to her and casually captured her hand as they walked up the short sidewalk to her front door.

  “He drives an old Kia. White.” She fumbled her keys, and the quick rise of frustration almost made her cry again. Nothing was going her way today. Except Nate being so nice to her. He swiped her keys and got her door open. She thanked him as she stumbled inside, suddenly anxious to shut her door and keep the world at bay.

  Nate followed behind and closed her door. She glanced around and noted with relief nothing was too out of place. In fact, her chintz-covered furniture, little pillows, and china lamps looked suddenly fussy to her eyes. She was already older than Nate; looking around at her possessions betrayed her decidedly unhip style. Old-fashioned, just like her. Thinking of her grandmother’s possessions in boxes, she remembered the stein full of teaspoons.

  “I have something for you.” Moving toward her kitchen, June told herself to lighten up, give him the spoons, and thank him for his help. Once he left, she could have a good cry. He followed along behind and they entered her kitchen; she picked up the now-clean mug and spoons filling it.

  “Here, it’s nothing much. I just thought you could use them while you’re tasting as you cook.”

  Nate accepted them with thanks and pulled out a few spoons to read the engravings. She watched his big fingers move and an ache built in her belly.

  “These are great, and they’re from all over. Where did you find them?”

  June heaved out a sigh, her momentary pleasure at giving him a gift overshadowed again. “Someone in my crazy family swiped them when he was on the road selling hairbrushes.”

  Nate nodded and studied her. “Are you hungry?”

  As soon as he said the words, her stomach rumbled, and June realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Hoping he hadn’t heard the betraying rumble, she shook her head.

  “You don’t have to—”

  “It’s what I do. Just let me get a look at what you have, and we’ll go from there.”

  She acquiesced with a nod and sank to a seat at her small maple kitchen table, unabashedly watching him as he moved around her kitchen assembling ingredients for a sandwich. He pulled out a skillet and set it on her stove, lighting the flame and adjusting the heat to his liking before adding the buttered bread surrounding ham and Swiss cheese. As the sandwich toasted, Nate pulled out a jar of pickles and poured her a glass of milk. Within what seemed like a few seconds, golden-brown bread oozing melted cheese appeared in front of her, and he lowered himself next to her with an expectant look.

  “Eat up.”

  His cheerful tone and kind encouragement were her undoing, and all June’s repressed anxiety and stress burst out in a loud fit of sobs as she bent over the plate and hid her face in her hands.

  Strong arms circled around her, and she was caught up in Nate’s warmth. He made soothing sounds in her ear even as his big hands stroked along her back and arms. Whispering assurances that everything would be all right, he tugged her into his lap, and she gratefully tucked her legs over his and laid her head on his firm shoulder.

  “Your grandma’s safe, right? She’s not worried now, is she?”

  “No, she’s good. I don’t know how she’s able to keep from getting so upset by him. I just get so frazzled every time. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.”

  “You want to talk about it?” His gentle question was in direct contrast to how warm and strong he felt against her, and a tickling wave of arousal washed over her. She welcomed the change. It was probably a result of all the emotional upheaval, but June suddenly wanted him to kiss her.

  “I don’t even want to think about it. It’s the same crap I’ve been dealing with for years. I want to let it go.” Her statement came out much harsher than she’d intended, but Nate didn’t seem to mind. He simply turned her in his lap and gave her an evaluating look. What did he think of her? She was crying one minute, growling the next. She’d come to his work, and he’d had to leave to escort her home, because he thought her stupid brother was waiting in the bushes to assault her. “I’m sorry, Nate. I’m not any fun right now.”

  “I don’t need you to be fun all the time.”

  She huffed out a breath. Her grandmother needed her companionship, her parents needed her to take over the family, and the students at the school needed her to be in control. Not much room for fun in any of that. “What do you need me to be?”

  “Just you.” His gaze never wavered, and as she looked at him, a horribly overwhelming tide of mixed emotions filled her with confusion. She liked him, wanted him, and worried what he thought of her to such an intense degree she was frightened.

  “That’s all I am.” The words left her in a whisper he stopped with a soft and kind kiss, which wasn’t what she wanted. With a twist of her neck, she pulled away from his mouth.

  “Nate, listen. I can’t be fun with you tonight.” His eyes widened slightly, and she felt his hold on her body slacken. “I’m not in the mood for it.”

  “Then I should go?”

  She shook her head and pressed her hands around his shoulders. Contact with his body filled her with strength. “Stay. I’m in the mood for you.”

  Nate didn’t need any further encouragement. One of his big hands stole around her back as he pulled her in for another kiss, this one much more knowing and provocative. He sucked and nibbled at her lips and tongue until she was quivering and pressing every bit of herself to him. Heat filled her, and she pulled at her clothing, desperate to expose her skin to the cooler air and his roving touches.

  With shivering hands, she pulled her shirt apart, and he tugged it free. A split second later, he unfastened her bra and bent to her breasts, pulling her up as her back arched to allow him access. Despite how tightly he held her, his mouth merely teased at her breasts, his lips barely grazing her tight nipples until she groaned and gripped her fingers in his hair to pull him closer. At her insistence, he sucked and tugged until she couldn’t breathe with the tension filling her.

  Exhaling against her skin, he moved one of his hands from her back to slide it down her side to her thigh, and then unerringly up under her skirt to press between her legs. The sensation of his fingers moving against the fabric of her underwear made her shake, and she bent her head to press kisses to his cheek, his neck, his ear, anywhere she could find some of his warm and delicious skin.

  “Where’s your bedroom?” he rumbled as he circled his fingers against her. Tingling spirals of pleasure echoed along her nerve endings. She hated her underwear with a sudden passion.

  “Down the hallway.”

  In a smooth movement he stood up and pulled her along with him, ducking down to boost her over his shoulder. She let out a surprised huff of air as he lifted her up and walked down the short hallway to her bedroom, past her collection of framed antique buttons and the vintage sampler with misspelled words.

  Before she could say anything, move to her bed, pull back the quilt, and kiss him, Nate slid her down his body to land on her feet. He stooped down in front of her and slid his hands under her skirt to pull her underwear off. He glanced up at her and unceremoniously pushed up
the red-and-white fabric at the hem. Without a word of warning, he nosed between her legs. Her knees gave out at the unexpected caress, and she fell backward onto her bed with a startled cry.

  He stood up and gave her that dimpled smile, which made her shake as he pulled off his shirt. Distracted by his muscular chest, she didn’t notice he’d unbuttoned his jeans and let them fall to the floor until he was stepping out of them and crawling across the bed to her.

  “Are you ready for me?”

  Unsure if she wanted to laugh or cry, June decided to just fall into Nate and forget herself. As soon as she nodded, Nate gave her his patented lopsided grin, leaned down, and took possession of her mouth. She kissed him back as well as she could. His big body covered hers, and she writhed against him, anxious to have his skin, his scent, overwhelm her and wipe away all the bad feelings of the past few hours.

  Nate nibbled at her neck as he nudged her legs apart with his hand.

  “You don’t have that timer in here, do you?”

  She thrashed her head back and forth against the bed, too tense with the pleasure of his fingers sliding against her to be capable of words.

  “Good. This might take a while.”

  He stopped talking to lick her neck, and then he trailed his nose and lips down her chest to her breasts, anticipating his caress was an unbearable counterpoint to what his fingers were doing to her below the waist. Huffing shallow breaths in and out, she gripped his shoulders as her body shuddered.

  “Not so fast,” Nate whispered against her skin, and she moaned, glancing down at him even as her skin tingled. His eyes had darkened, and there was no hint of amusement on his features, just desire focused like a blowtorch on her. “I want to try something.”

  “I warned you I’m not flexible.”

  “You don’t have to do anything but relax.”

  June swallowed and gave a nod. Before she could anticipate, his strong hands were lifting her, rolling her to her belly, and she blinked at the row of pillows still propped at the head of her bed. Nate’s arm shot out and he grabbed one, pulling all the others over on top of her. As she shoved them away, he was tucking a pillow under her hips to tilt her up for him. She barely registered the sound of him opening up a condom package as she fantasized about what was going to happen next. Erotic images flashed before her eyes, and she gusted out a moan.