A Simple Love (The Hopetown Series, Book 3)

by Harlow James

  As we walk through the dark wooden fence and gate, we are greeted with the view of a space reminiscent of someone’s backyard paradise. The space is huge really, bigger than it looks from the outside. Two lines are formed leading up to the windows of the truck, one for ordering and one for pick up. Beyond the line area are dozens of wooden picnic tables with red-checkered tablecloths placed on top of turf, mimicking a lawn and picnic area. Steel lanterns hang from a wire strung across the fence, lining up on top of each table to provide light as you eat, and strings of bulbs lights cascade down from a giant telephone pole in the middle of the yard. There’s a fountain in one corner, the sound of bubbling water providing background noise, and fresh flower gardens line the fence all the way around. In the back corner is a rather large dance floor and a DJ booth set up for later with colorful lanterns that hang from above. The wall furthest from the entrance has a custom-built bar, resembling the one in Dean and Michael’s first house, and two men are running around efficiently filling drink orders. Mike turns to me and smiles.

  “That bar looks awfully familiar,” I tease him, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “Well, I built it.”

  “Seriously? I never knew that.”

  Taking my hand, he pulls us to fall into the line to order our food. “Yeah, that bar was one of the first projects I’ve ever built. Becker asked me if I would be interested and I said yes. It’s probably one of the worst pieces I’ve made too,” he chuckles. “But no one would really see the flaws besides me.”

  I glance over at the bar, the dark gray-stained wood standing strong while patrons lean against it, bartenders lean over it, and drinks slide across it. “Well, it’s beautiful and just confirms that you have a natural talent, Mike.”

  Mike stares down at me. The heat of his gaze makes my skin buzz with excitement. “Thank you, Vic. Now let’s figure out what we’re going to eat.”

  Perusing the rather large menu full of options from sandwiches to burgers, pasta to fried chicken, Mike and I decide on a sandwich and a basket of chicken fingers and fries to share.

  “Why don’t you go find us a table while I order the food?” He motions behind us where the picnic tables form lines throughout the yard.

  “Okay. Grab me a Coke too, please?” I call out, the dip of his chin confirming my request.

  After a few minutes, Mike finds me at a table in the back, the tablecloth falling over the top, concealing my legs from underneath. I can feel his penetrating gaze as he makes his way over to me, the intensity of our closeness waking me up to raise my head from looking down at my lap, meeting his eyes as he walks over.

  “Dinner is served,” he announces as he takes his seat across from me and carefully lowers the tray of our food to the table.

  “Thank you, Mike. It’s been SO long since I’ve been here! And Becker’s chicken strips are the best! Did you remember my…”

  “Buffalo ranch?” He slides two containers of my favorite dipping sauce ever across the table to me. “I would never forget your buffalo ranch, Vic.” He winks at me, my stomach doing somersaults at his look and his memory. If there is one thing Mike has going for him, it’s that he knows me better than Ben. We’ve grown up together, watched each other from afar, left with nothing but time to memorize the quirks of the other person. Again though, I think that’s just another reason why the fear of expectation not living up to reality assaults my mind. I’ve been able to fantasize about Mike for so long but never got to experience him in person.

  “Eat up. I’m gonna spin you around on the dance floor later.” His boyish grin makes the butterflies take flight in my stomach this time, the idea of dancing with Mike definitely high on my list of fantasies.

  Taking a bite of my food, I close my eyes to savor the crunch of the batter, the juiciness of the chicken, and spiciness of the sauce. “Mmmmmm, so good!” I mumble around my mouthful of food. When my eyes veer open, I see Mike staring at me, pure heat in his gaze as his dark brown orbs travel down my face to my lips. His hand reaches out towards me, making me tense up at the acceptance of his touch as his thumb finds the corner of my mouth when he wipes the sauce clean from my face and sucks it off in his own mouth, his lips pursing around his digit and my lady bits throbbing at the scene. Holy shit! That’s a sensation I’ve never experienced at the sight of a man before, let alone the image of a man licking his fingers.

  “You had some sauce on your face.” A sly grin travels over his lips as he licks his clean and then takes a bite of his sandwich. I’m frozen mid-chew, paralyzed by the flirting and teasing he just started. I finish chewing and then swallow hard, thinking about how I could return the favor.

  This time as I dip the chicken finger into the sauce, I make sure to absorb too much so as I drag the food to my mouth, a glob of it falls on the part of my chest exposed in my tank top. Mike watches me the entire time, his eyes becoming even darker as he sees the sauce slide down my tan skin, my ample cleavage on display enough to tease him and increase his reaction.

  “Vic, you’ve got a little something… right… here,” he stutters as he motions to his own chest in the area in which my mess adorns mine.

  “Darn. Look at me, so clumsy,” I tease him, his face never changing. He seriously looks like he might pounce on me from across the table, which just builds this excitement in me I’ve never experienced. I feel like we’re both playing with fire here, the tension so palpable, you could slice right through it and it would only sprout two more heads.

  “Aren’t you going to help me out again?” I bat my eyelashes at him, surprising myself at the coy little game I’m playing, but proud that I feel bold enough to meet him match for match.

  He clears his throat before leaning over the table, his thumb doing the work again, gliding along my chest as my heart beats faster and my breath quickens at his touch. His eyes never move from the area he’s sliding his thumb over, cleaning up every drop before he sits back down and licks his finger again, his tongue peeking out at me in a tease. Jesus, tonight turned around really quickly.

  “Why, thank you for your help, Mike.” My smile is anything but angelic, his grin matching my own devious energy before we both finish our meals in silence.

  Mike gathers our trash as he stands. “So, how does it feel not having to go to school now? You must love it, all that free time to do what you want?”

  I peer up at him before twisting so I’m straddling the bench. “Actually, I’m kinda bored,” I shrug, which only makes him laugh in return.

  “Really?” He hoists the tray, ready to dump it after awaiting my response.

  “Yeah. I mean, I’ve been used to being so busy for so long, always somewhere to be or something to do every day. Now, I literally feel like I’m sitting around picking my nose.”

  Mike laughs wholeheartedly before reaching down to palm my cheek. “Enjoy it. Soon, you’ll have a job to go to every day. I rarely get a day off anymore since starting my business. My boss is a real hardass.” He winks at me before turning to walk away and dispose of our trash.

  “I guess being your own boss would suck in some respects then, huh?” I ask him as he returns, his walk so sexy it makes that buzzing in my body return. His blue jeans hug his strong and lean legs, his shirt so perfectly fitted to his toned torso, his hair and eyes defining dark and handsome. It’s exhilarating to allow myself to fully appreciate Mike for the downright sinful man that he is now. I’m relieved that I never allowed myself to ogle him before because thinking about his body all day definitely would have been a distraction to my studies.

  “Yeah, I mean if I take a day off, then I’m not making money. Not that money is everything. But quite frankly, I haven’t had a reason to take a break from my work.” He pauses, grabbing my hand to pull me up so we’re standing, our chests brushing against one another. “But I have a feeling I might have found something worth sacrificing a day in the shop for.” He kisses the back of my hand, his full and plump lips drag across my skin as my whole body throbs at the touch.
I watch his eyes close as his lips meet my skin, the hairs on my neck standing up as he lovingly consumes my hand. If the feel of his lips on my hand awakens my body like this, I can’t imagine what it will feel like when our lips meet one another.

  He doesn’t let me respond before he breaks the moment. “Are you ready to dance?”

  I peer over his shoulder towards the dance floor, a handful of couples already bouncing and two-stepping to the music.

  “Let’s see what moves you’ve got, Mr. Kelley.” I grab his hand and lead him to the dance floor, anxious to feel his hands all over my body. The heat of the summer night feels like child’s play compared to the scorching connection simmering between Mike and me. This date is shaping up to be more intense than I ever thought it could be.

  Chapter 10

  Mike

  Who knew buffalo ranch could be so fucking hot? When I saw Victoria purposely drip that sauce on her cleavage, I about lost my mind. My dick stood at attention, my hands were itching to smear it all over her skin and lick off every drop while I laid her flat on the table, my tongue finding every nook and cranny on her body that I could make writhe under my touch. But then I would have been putting on a show for everyone else, and when I finally get Victoria Baker beneath me, it will be for my eyes only.

  My woman has proved to be bolder than I gave her credit for. The sexual tension between us is astounding, a challenge I feel I started that night back at the bar. I know my behavior that night was abnormal for me, and now, I’m seeing this side to her that is so different from the reserved version she portrays to everyone else. Believe me, I’m not complaining though. It’s so fucking hot and makes the promise I made to myself to go slow with her all the more difficult to uphold.

  My hand in hers, I let her guide us to the dance floor, weaving in and out of picnic tables until the clap of our boots on the hardwood signals our arrival. Turning to face me, her smile is stretched wide, her eyes shimmering in the soft glow of the lanterns above us, and her hips instantly start swaying to the beat. Luke Bryan’s ‘Country Girl (Shake it for Me)’ is blaring through the speakers, the crowd all swaying along to the anthem for ladies everywhere to dance with a passion. I smile back at her as I watch her lose control to the music, her hair whipping from side to side down her back, her blue jeans displaying her perfect curves in front of me, her confidence in the way her body moves all the more reason for me to remind myself to calm down.

  I find her hips with my hands, pulling her into me so our pelvises are touching, the grind of her soft to my hard urging my dick to wake up again. Before she can feel what her body is doing to me, I grab her hand and spin her out away from me, before pulling her back in, her chest pressing against my rib cage now, causing her cleavage to rise in her shirt. I sneak a peek before meeting her eyes again, grinning down at her as her eyes narrow. Damn it, I got caught.

  “I saw that, Mike. Not so subtle,” she teases me, which makes me tighten my grip on her hips as we continue to move.

  “Sorry.” I apologize on a shrug before I lean down to whisper in her ear. “But it’s kinda hard not to appreciate your body, Vic.”

  Her head turns to meet mine, our faces merely inches away from each other before she drops her gaze and does a slow once over of my body from head to toe, and back up again.

  “I understand completely,” her smile so mischievous, I fight the urge to crush my mouth to hers.

  Suddenly, the song changes to ‘H.O.L.Y.’ by Florida Georgia Line, the ambiance alters significantly. The teasing and grinding from before is replaced by slow and melodic harmonies and caressing of skin. My hands find her waist again, hers landing on my shoulders while I enclose her between my forearms and my chest. I dip my forehead down to rest on hers while we sway to the music and the words.

  “Is this living up to five years’ worth of waiting, Vic?” I whisper as I guide her around the dance floor, they feel of her in my arms more than perfect.

  She breaks our connection to look up at me. “It’s better. Thank you, Mike. I guess I’ll never understand why it’s taken this long for us to get here, but I’d say it was worth the wait.” I sense her confliction between enjoying our moment now and revisiting the past.

  I pull her into me this time, her head resting on my shoulder, closing my eyes to breathe her in and memorize the feel of her body on mine. I trace my fingers up and down her spine as I hold her as close as humanly possible.

  Do I tell her why it took five years? Do I destroy her image of her father and confess his loathing for me? If I do that now, it will ruin the entire evening, a night that has turned out better than I ever could have imagined. There’s a time and place for such declarations, and tonight is not that time.

  “Anything worth having requires patience, Vic. I’d say we’ve been extremely patient, wouldn’t you?”

  She chuckles in my arms, the vibrations of her laugh bouncing off my chest. “Definitely.”

  We spend a few more songs wrapped up in each other, a handful of moments perfect for a kiss, but I still hesitate. I want to kiss her so damn bad, the thought of her lips on mine is one I’ve fantasized about ten times a day since I was ten. Now I’m twenty-four. You do the math. But just like Vic said in the truck on the way here, what if the expectation doesn’t live up to the reality? After holding her in my arms tonight and touching her finally, I’m afraid that the opposite may, in fact, be true. The reality of kissing Victoria Baker could far surpass the fantasy I’ve anticipated all these years.

  Victoria stifles a yawn as we glide across the hardwood at the end of a song.

  “You ready to go?” I ask her, pulling her by the hand off the dance floor.

  “Yeah, sorry. I’ve just been so tired lately, even though I have little to do besides go to work. I think my body is trying to catch up on the sleep I’ve neglected for the past seven years.”

  Her joke makes me laugh as I lead her to the parking lot, my hand never leaving hers.

  “I completely understand. Let’s get you home.” I secure Vic in my truck, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before hopping in myself to begin the drive back to Hopetown. When we reach her house, I kill the headlights and shut off the engine as soon as I arrive in her driveway, not wanting to wake her family. It’s just before midnight, so everyone must be sleeping.

  I make my way around my truck, opening the door for Vic before leading her to the front door. The creak of the porch stairs beneath our feet makes us both giggle like teenagers sneaking home past curfew.

  Vic turns to me, her eyes alight with fire, the anticipation of my next move thick between us. “Thank you for a great evening, Mike. I had so much fun and who knew you had moves on the dance floor?”

  I flash her my charming grin, the one my mom used to say would be a detriment to women when I got older. “My mom insisted Dean and I knew how to dance with a lady. She used to make us take turns with her in the living room after dinner.”

  Her hand comes up to caress my cheek. “Well, she taught you well.” Her eyes bounce back and forth between mine as silence fills the space between us, the only noise audible is crickets chirping in the background.

  This is it, the moment I’ve been waiting for, the time to kiss Victoria Baker. I’ve been preparing myself mentally, the idea of finally touching my lips to hers on my mind for months. Taking two steps towards her, her hand drops from my face as she retreats until her back hits the side of her house, her body still as a board except for the rise and fall of her chest from her shallow breathing. My hand comes up to find her neck, grasping the long slender column of silky skin beneath my callused palm. I lean down until our lips are an inch apart, the feel of her breath across my face sends goosebumps along my neck and arms. Her hands find my hips, pulling me towards her just enough so our lips finally meet each other’s, the sensation overwhelming enough to cause both of us to gasp before we give in to our wants.

  I press my pelvis into her as she stands up taller, her hands leaving my hips to encircle my neck,
her fingers running through my hair on the back of my head. I let out a groan as her lips part and welcome my tongue inside, the slow caress of my taste buds on hers more delicious than any meal I’ve ever eaten because I’m not just taking a sample of Victoria. I’m devouring her.

  Her moan urges me on, but I try my damnedest to maintain control before I ruin the buildup between us all night and scare her off with the real things I want to do to her. Instead, I focus on the feel of her curves beneath my fingers as I trace my hands up over her hips and along her rib cage before landing on her shoulders and up into her hair. Fisting the hair at the back of her head with one hand, I move the other to her chest, gliding my fingers along her cleavage as a tingling sensation travels up my arms and down my spine and goosebumps appear on her skin. The magnetism coming alive from touching Victoria is reactive, a pull so strong I don’t care to fight it. But I know if I don’t end this soon, we’re both going to end up moving faster than we should.

  I take one more sip from her mouth, a nip at her bottom lip, and a stroke of her tongue before pulling away, my eyes still closed for fear of opening them and being slapped with the reality that the moment is over.

  Lifting my eyelids slowly, I’m granted with the vision of Victoria leaning against her house, her limbs merely hanging at her sides as her breathing is erratic enough to match mine. Her eyes flutter open and we lock our gaze, both of us simply inhaling and exhaling, not sure of what to say.

  “Good night, Vic. I’ll call you soon.” I manage to choke out through the uneasiness in my voice from the rattling my body just underwent.

  The slow smile that forms on her face indicates the same feelings from her that I feel in my chest right now. Pure desire, unwavering gratitude, ultimate contentment. “Good night, Mike,” she whispers before turning to unlock the door and quietly shut it behind her.