“Yes!” The boys punched their fists in the air and cheered.
“Go for it, Uncle Stetson,” Austin admonished.
Some of the adults were watching the three of them with suspicion.
Mama had a knowing smile on her lips, and she walked over to the pool. “We’re ordering dinner from the lodge,” she said. “Should we not worry about you?”
Had she overheard from clear over at the swing set? Stetson probably should leave Teal alone, but he was drawn to her, and he wanted to be with her. It chafed at him that he’d been the top dog in high school and college, with women clamoring for his attention, and now he’d fallen to feeling unworthy of Teal. He pushed all of that away and said to Mama, “I have a date.”
More of his siblings were listening now. “With who?” Ella demanded.
“With none of your business, sis.” Stetson winked.
“Listen here, you punk, I’ll make it my business.”
Stetson laughed at her outrage. “I’m sure you will.” He launched himself out of the pool, dripped over to Mama, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Are you okay if I miss dinner?”
“Sure.” She lifted her eyebrows. “It might be none of Ella’s business, but if you like this angelic girl,” her voice inflection said she knew exactly who he was taking out, “I’d love to meet her sometime soon.”
“Okay,” he agreed, though his gut tightened uncomfortably. No matter how appealing Teal was, he didn’t see her in his future, not until he figured things out. There was no reason to bring her to meet his large and probably overwhelming family, but he found himself wanting to introduce her to them, especially when he saw the way Mama’s eyes lit up.
He said goodbye to everyone, slid into his flip-flops, and hurried for Mama’s house to shower.
An hour later, he was rapping his knuckles on Teal’s door, trying to balance two boxes of pizza, salads, and drinks in his hands. When Teal flung the door open, he grinned. “You’ve been waiting for me?”
“I saw you pull up, and you’re late,” she said, neither confirming or denying that she’d been waiting. She looked incredible in a white, summery dress that showed off her firm shoulders, arms, and legs. Her green eyes widened as she inhaled. “That smells so good.”
“You mean I smell so good?” Stetson asked cockily. It wasn’t like he was heading toward a serious relationship with Teal, but it felt good to be with her, and he was seriously interested in getting a kiss tonight. He could wait to deal with the worries over his future and how she was much more impressive him.
She breathed in, giving him an incredibly appealing look. Stetson’s stomach filled with warmth, and he wanted to drop the food and sweep her into his arms.
“No, it’s the pizza,” she said, her green eyes glinting sassily.
Stetson chuckled. “Who can compete with pizza?”
“No one.” She winked and gestured him inside. When she took the sack of drinks from his hand, her soft fingers brushed against his, sending even more desire and warmth shooting through him. Stetson was really glad he’d come.
He set the pizza and salads down. They said a prayer, then ate and talked like old friends. He told her about college at Purdue, but he left out any mention of football, not ready to explain his failed hopes and dreams. She told him about her college experience and shared stories about her feisty sister, Jade, who had her MBA and was an assistant to the CEO of a large property management company out of Miami. He gave her the rundown of his large family, and she seemed to be impressed and interested in meeting them. Maybe he could fulfill Mama’s dreams and bring her over tomorrow. Yet he wasn’t in a spot to let this get too serious.
After they’d cleaned up the pizza and salads and drank the rest of the sparkling waters, Stetson asked, “Do you need to paint the sunset tonight?”
“I finished last night,” she said proudly. “I spent the day painting a meadow I found not far from here.”
“So how long does it take you to complete a painting?” He hoped she couldn’t read in his eyes that he knew what one of her paintings was worth.
“At the most three weeks, sometimes two,” she said, proudly.
Stetson’s eyes widened. Even if the gallery took a high percentage, she was probably making twenty to thirty grand a month. He was officially a complete loser compared to her. “Can I see the sunset painting?” he asked.
“Of course.” She smiled in appreciation.
She led him back into the room that was full of her paintings. Lying on the bed was the sunset as it blazed over the very ravine he’d fallen down. The painting was incredible, but the reminder of that night made him twitch uncomfortably. He still hadn’t shared what he’d been running from, and Judd and Tyler had sent him a myriad of texts today telling him that Ike was “ticked as a wild hog.” Apparently, Ike was going to come after Stetson, and he wasn’t about to leave him alone until he fought him again. Stetson immaturely giving in to fighting would plague him for a while.
He pushed all of that away as he told Teal how incredible the painting was and then asked, “Would you watch the sunset with me?”
She smiled. “It’ll be a while until sunset. Do you want to go walk to the meadow I’m working on and then come back to watch the sunset?”
He nodded eagerly.
They walked through the small cabin and onto the front porch. He pulled the door closed, and she took a key out of her pocket and locked the door. He was glad to see that. Her living out here by herself made him a little nervous. Maybe it wasn’t his place to worry about her self-defense abilities, but the thought of something happening to her made him sick.
They strolled through the trees and to her meadow. Stetson enjoyed every second of her company. Most of the women he’d dated had been enamored with his status as the top school athlete. It had gotten stale after a while and he didn’t enjoy the reputation of being a “player,” so he had stopped dating too much during the last year of college, spending all his time focused on working hard to make the pros. Teal had none of those preconceived notions.
When they reached the meadow, she talked about the different shades of light and colors she was trying to capture. He liked seeing the incredible scenery through an artist’s eyes.
They started back toward the cabin, and her arm brushed against his. Stetson glanced down. Her green eyes were sparkling up at him. He didn’t let himself second-guess it as he reached down and took her hand. Teal smiled and intertwined their fingers.
Stetson grinned, feeling like the king of the world, as they sauntered to the cabin. It was silly. He still knew she was out of his league, and he still had no clue what to make of his life and hated feeling like a failure, but with his hand around Teal’s, he felt like he’d just won the Big Ten Championship.
They reached the clearing near her cabin, and Stetson tugged her to a stop. She looked up at him, so trusting, so beautiful. He leaned down, planning on kissing those full lips.
Something rustled loudly through the brush at his left. Stetson straightened quickly and glanced around, ignoring the disappointment as his stomach tightened. Was it an animal or a man? He ushered Teal behind him and muttered, “Slowly walk back toward the cabin.”
She didn’t say anything, but he could feel her hand trembling against his as she obeyed.
A man lumbered out of the brush. Stetson stopped easing backward and faced the intruder, feeling much better that it wasn’t a bear, a moose, or a mountain lion. A man he could conquer easily, if the guy had evil intent.
Stetson’s eyes narrowed as he saw who it was. “Ike.” Yeah, this guy had evil intent.
Ike lifted his chin. “I followed you, Strong. Tried to give you some time to have fun with the girl, but you’re slower than my grandma and have less game than Napoleon Dynamite. It’s time for a rematch.”
Stetson rolled his eyes. “I already beat you. Give it up.”
Teal came around to Stetson’s side, and Ike’s gaze wandered over her. “Hi, beautiful. You want a
real man?”
The muscles in Stetson’s neck bunched. “Get out of here, Ike, or I’ll make you wish you had left.”
Ike sneered. “Try it.” He let out a roar and rushed at Stetson.
Stetson pushed Teal away. “Get inside!” he commanded.
Teal dodged toward the porch just as Ike slammed into him. They fell hard to the earth, and Ike’s fists were flailing at his face. Stetson hadn’t wanted to fight him again, but the thrill of it rushed through him. He growled, rolled Ike off of him, and slammed his fists into the man’s face and body. He’d pummel this guy, and then he’d kiss Teal. None of the stress over missing the NFL mattered right now. He suddenly felt on top of the world.
Chapter Six
Teal scurried back to the relative safety of the porch. She watched Stetson and the intruder, Ike, roll around on the ground, trading punch for punch. Though they were both tall and muscular, Ike probably outweighed Stetson by fifty pounds. At first, that fact terrified her. Not only did she not want Stetson to get hurt; she didn’t want Ike winning and coming anywhere near her. She cried out when Ike clocked Stetson right in the temple, but she planted a hand over her mouth so she didn’t distract Stetson.
Her stomach churned with fear, and she clutched her arms tightly around herself. Please let Stetson win, she prayed over and over.
As the fight progressed, it became apparent that Stetson was the better fighter and had the upper hand. She prayed that he could keep this up. She knew no self-defense beyond using the pepper spray on her key chain. If Ike won, she’d run for her pepper spray and hope she could shoot him with it before dragging Stetson to safety.
Stetson’s fists were flying, and when he pinned Ike to the dirt and pummeled him over and over again, Teal couldn’t hold in a cheer, feeling almost weak with relief.
“Stop,” Ike whined. “I’ll leave. Stop!”
Stetson pulled his fists back and jumped up, but he didn’t offer Ike a hand. Ike glared up at him through a rapidly swelling eye, blood running from his nose.
“Get out of here,” Stetson said. “We’re done now.” His tone was confident, in control, as if he were the leader of a battalion and Ike was a wounded soldier from the wrong side.
Stetson spun and strode to her, climbing up the porch steps. Even though he was dirty and had some scrapes and blood trickling down his cheek, the confidence and strength in his body were both impressive and intimidating.
Teal found herself backing into the door. Stetson approached and stopped right in front of her. He leaned down and rested his forearm against the door. “You okay?”
Teal swallowed and nodded. “Glad you beat him.”
Stetson smiled. He brushed his knuckles gently along her cheek. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t have let him get close to you.”
Teal heard movement behind them. Stetson turned, and they watched Ike get onto his feet and stalk away. He didn’t look at them or acknowledge them as he disappeared from view. A few moments later, they heard the roar of an engine.
Stetson turned back to her. His eyes trailed over her face, and he leaned closer. Teal’s breath caught as she hoped he might kiss her. Any reservations she might have had about him were gone. He was a hero who’d protected her, and she’d love to give him a kiss of gratitude.
“I’m sorry you had to be exposed to that loser,” he murmured, his eyes focused on her lips.
“How do you know him?”
“I fought him two nights ago.” Stetson’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d said. His tongue darted over his lips, and he straightened away from her.
“You fought him … the night we met?”
He nodded shortly, focused on the doorframe.
It all clicked, and she was confused and frustrated as to why he’d hide it all from her. Old insecurities flared up, and she remembered never being good enough for her parents to simply say, We don’t like you and Jade and that’s why we’re never here, instead of lying and making up all kinds of excuses. She and Jade had caught their parents in so many stupid lies. Who knew why, but her parents, especially her mother, preferred lying to telling the truth.
“That’s the reason you were running and fell down the ravine?” she asked.
Stetson pushed out a breath and jammed a hand through his hair. “Yeah.”
Teal stepped around him and walked to the porch swing. She sat down and debated what to do next. He hadn’t told her the full story. Yet he was admitting the truth now. That had never happened with her parents; they’d lie to cover up a lie. She’d been extremely interested in him five minutes ago, and Jade’s voice in her head was yelling at her to give him a chance and not let their childhood mess it up.
She bravely patted the spot next to her. “You want to tell me about it?”
To her relief, Stetson walked over and sat next to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole story. I’d just lost my dad and I was a mess and …” He turned to her, and she met his gaze. “You’re so classy, beautiful, and accomplished. I didn’t want you to realize how stupid I’d been agreeing to fight Ike.”
“I can’t imagine how hard that day was on you.” She appreciated the compliments but still wasn’t sure what to make of all of this.
He nodded. “I should’ve told you the truth last night. I was embarrassed.”
“I wish you would’ve, but I understand.” Sort of. “Do you fight often?” she asked, mostly to give herself time to think about all of this. She’d never known men who used violence to settle their differences. Her world was cultured, and battles there were fought with money and words.
“I used to. Back in high school.” He clenched and unclenched his fists, looking over the clearing where he’d just battled it out with Ike. The sun was dipping behind the trees now. “I used to drink a lot too, but I stopped both when I went to college. Then, at my dad’s funeral, two of my buddies from high school showed up and asked me to come fight Ike. I didn’t realize then that they owed him a bunch of money. I just wanted to fight somebody to unload the stress and anger about … losing my dad.”
The porch swing creaked, even though they weren’t rocking it. Teal could understand how he’d gotten into that situation, and why he hadn’t wanted her to know about it. She thought Jade would be proud of her for being so levelheaded, and for not freaking out, running inside, and slamming the door on a chance to date Stetson. “Makes sense,” she said thickly.
Neither of them said anything for a few seconds; then Teal said something she maybe shouldn’t have. Maybe it was presumptuous, but she needed some reassurance if they were going to date. “I know we’re just getting to know each other—we’re not dating or anything—but I’d really appreciate you being honest with me.”
Stetson licked his lips again and studied her with those dark eyes that she was getting pretty addicted to. “Okay,” he said.
“Okay.” It was a pledge between them. He’d hid something when they first met, and she could understand that, but now he was going to be honest with her. She stood and started toward the front door. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Thanks.”
Stetson followed her inside and to the kitchen sink. He washed his hands and rinsed off his arms, then splashed his face with water. Teal pulled out a clean dish towel and handed it to him. He thanked her and wiped at his face, arms, and hands.
Teal pulled out another towel and moistened it with cold water. As they faced each other, she wiped off a little remaining smudge of dirt on his chin and then pressed a clean part of the towel to the cut on his cheek.
Stetson studied her with a deep, longing look she felt clear through her body. There was no sound but the soft combination of their breathing. Teal’s breath was coming quicker as he leaned in. He smelled like a warm, musky cologne, dirt, and pine needles. His handsome face, strong body, and the way he’d just protected her from Ike made her a little weak in the knees.
Stetson reached up and wrapped his hand around hers as it held the cloth in place. He
gently pulled her hand away and pressed a lingering kiss on her knuckles.
She sucked in a breath and tried to think of something to say with him looking at her like she was his world. That was insane. They barely knew each other. “Does it hurt?”
He arched an eyebrow.
“Does anything hurt?” she murmured.
His lips turned up in a cocky smile, and she thought she was about to get played. “If I say yes, will you kiss it better?” he asked in a gravelly, seductive baritone.
Teal bit her lip. Stetson Strong was very different from the cultured and artistic men she’d dated in the past. She liked him, and he was irresistible. “Depends on the spot.” She arched her eyebrows, releasing the towel onto the nearby countertop.
Stetson chuckled low and deep. He pointed to his cheekbone. “It hurts right there.”
Teal lifted onto tiptoes and softly kissed his cheek. The warmth of his flesh under her lips, and the way her body brushed against his, set off a fire inside of her. She fell back onto her heels and managed to squeak out, “Better?”
He nodded, acting serious, but the smoldering look in his dark eyes revealed his intent. “It hurts here.” He pointed to his shoulder.
Teal had never been so brave as she slowly pushed the sleeve of his shirt up to reveal the toned muscle of his shoulder. His warm skin and muscle felt amazing under her palms, and Stetson let out a soft groan that made her quiver. She bent down and kissed his shoulder.
As she straightened, she was surprised that Stetson had fire in his eyes, as well as vulnerability that hadn’t been there before. Thankfully, he wasn’t giving up on the game. He tilted his head to the side and pointed to his neck. “It hurts right here.”
Teal swallowed hard. He was tall enough she was just level with his neck. She moved in close, and their bodies aligned. Pressing her lips to his neck, she was rewarded with the feeling of his pulse racing under her lips. Emboldened, she blew warm air against his neck. The effect was like fireworks. Stetson wrapped his arms around her lower back and drew her flush against him. She thought he might just claim his lips with hers then, but he held back. She could see in his eyes how hard that was for him.
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