When she finally sank down on him, his thickness filling her, stretching her so she straddled that delicious line of pleasure and pain, she couldn’t ignore the gnawing worry that had been planted that very first day. The one that she’d unknowingly watered and nourished in the time they’d been together. The one that’d had a spotlight shone on it today in the store.
The one that said she wasn’t enough to keep him. And he wasn’t the keeping kind anyway.
“Stay with me, princess.” His voice, along with his mouth, was just a whisper against her. He caressed her hips and ass, his fingers digging into her flesh and guiding her up and down his length as his breaths gusted against her lips. “You feel how good we are together? Your pussy was made for me.”
She couldn’t keep looking at him. Couldn’t stare into his eyes because it felt real. His words and his touch and his deep, penetrating gaze all felt too fucking real. She closed her eyes, trying to block it all out.
“Don’t hide from me,” he said, swatting her ass. “Not when you’re about to come while ridin’ my cock.”
She released a moan into his mouth as he captured hers. And despite the worries pinging in the back of her mind, she couldn’t deny him this. In the months they’d been together, the easier it had become. Her releases had been a foregone conclusion each time they’d been intimate—he’d made certain of that. Even on her worst days, he played her body like an instrument, made it sing in the way only he could.
When he slipped his fingers down between them, settled them directly on her clit and circled her with the exact pressure and speed she needed, she crumpled on top of him, her sob trapped in her throat as she came in blinding waves of ecstasy.
“Shit, Rory. That’s it. Fucking made for me, aren’t you?” He moaned in her neck, his breath hot on her skin. “Love bein’ inside you when you come.”
She’d gone boneless on top of him, but he guided her with ease, lifting her up and down his erection until a primal groan erupted from his throat when he settled deep inside her.
As he claimed her mouth in a kiss while he rode out his orgasm, his arms banded tightly around her, she knew she was in trouble. The two of them were nothing but a recipe for disaster, and she’d known it from the start.
The difference now, though, was when this all came crashing down around her—and there was no doubt in her mind it would—her heart would crash right along with it.
Even though Nash hoped he’d done something good by getting Nat back to Havenbrook, he couldn’t help but worry he’d made the wrong choice in keeping it from Rory. She’d wanted her sister home—even if only at their grandma’s request—and he’d seen a way to make that happen, so he did. Maybe that was part of his whole problem—he leaped before he looked, and sometimes that meant he found himself up shit creek without a paddle.
Still, he hadn’t seen another way around it. If he’d included Rory in the plan, she would’ve told him not to bother. She’d wanted to do it all on her own—just like everything else—which was why she hadn’t asked Will or Mac to invite the youngest Haven home. Nat wasn’t the only obstinate one in that bunch.
Since the last thing he needed today was for his old-as-dirt truck to break down on the side of the road, he’d borrowed Drew’s to pick up Nat from the Memphis airport. She’d texted him that her plane had landed about twenty minutes ago, so he pulled up to the arrivals and scanned the area for her. Almost immediately, he spotted her standing by the windows, her bright-pink hair serving as a beacon.
He pulled up as close to her as he could get, rolled down the passenger’s window, then put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Her head whipped in his direction, just like he knew it would, a huge grin splitting her face as she wove through the crowd toward him.
She chucked her small suitcase into the bed of the truck, then climbed into the cab. “Sure, I come all this way, and you don’t even get outta the truck to help me load my suitcase in the back. Southern gentleman, my ass.”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t do it for Asher, so I don’t do it for you. You been gone too long to remember that rule you put in place?”
“I made that up when I was young and stupid…and didn’t know how damn heavy my bags could be.”
He grinned at her, hooked an arm around her neck, and tugged her closer to him. “It’s good to have you home, Nattie.”
“Ugh, I don’t wanna smell your pits, Nash, for fuck’s sake!” She shoved against his chest, twisting his nipple while she was at it, but she had a smile on her face too. They might’ve talked a few times a month, but it’d been too damn long since she’d been back home.
“I put on deodorant just for you.”
“Yeah, well, you might wanna use some more. You smell like a garbage truck.”
“Always so sweet to me. Careful or I’m not gonna wanna bring you back here.” He steered them onto the road, glancing over at her as she buckled her seat belt. “You sure you can only stay till Monday?”
“Um, yes. Completely, one hundred percent, without a shadow of a doubt certain.” She slid him a look out of the corner of her eye. “Forty-eight hours is my limit, and I’m stretching it to fifty, just for you.”
“C’mon, now, Havenbrook ain’t that bad.”
“Maybe for you. You didn’t grow up with the stigma of a last name like Haven or havin’ a daddy like mine.”
He snorted, amused at how easily she seemed to have forgotten. “Nope, but King didn’t serve me too well either.” He didn’t bother to comment on the lack of interest his old man had shown in his life. Between him and Nat, their fathers had both ends of the spectrum covered.
She shot him an apologetic look but didn’t say the words. Apologies weren’t Nat’s style, even when she was dead wrong.
Twisting around as much as the seat belt would allow, she tucked her leg up on the seat and faced him. “You about ready to tell me what’s up?”
“Soon. Did you let anyone know you were comin’?”
“No—which, by the way, my momma’s gonna kill me for. Obviously, I’m throwin’ you under the bus for that. I didn’t know why you needed me, so I didn’t wanna say anything.”
Then this was truly going to be a surprise, not just for Gran but for all the other Havens as well.
“Spill,” she said. “And while you’re at it, you can explain why Asher keeps textin’ me, askin’ for a minute-by-minute play of what’s goin’ on. Why isn’t he here too?”
“Because, while Gran loves Asher, she wasn’t all that interested in seein’ him for her birthday.”
Nat shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“Rory’s throwin’ Gran a surprise party. Today.” He glanced at the clock. “Right now, actually.”
“What? Why didn’t anyone call me?”
He shot her a pointed look. “I believe someone tried. About two dozen times.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t anyone who I’d talk to call me?”
“You can’t pick and choose how you get the information, your highness. You’re bein’ a brat about this.”
“About what?”
“This stupid beef you have with Rory. We’re not kids anymore.”
“She tried to dictate my life, Nash. Like, a lot.”
“Of course she did. You’re the baby, and she’s eight years older than you. I bet she hasn’t tried in years.”
“That’s because I don’t answer her calls.” She held up her hand like she wanted to smack him upside the head. “Hello.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s tried to dictate your sisters’ lives too—fairly recently, in fact—and they haven’t banned all communication with her.”
“That’s because they live here and they don’t have a choice. If they tried it, she’d probably hunt them down and torture them until they finally spoke to her again.”
Nash’s mouth ticked up on the side. Yeah, she probably would, but that wasn’t anything she should apologize for. Rory was bold and brave and headstrong. Her tenaci
ty was what had gotten her where she was today, had turned her into an amazing mom, woman, and businessperson. It was part of what he loved about her.
“This is the second time you’ve defended her,” Nat said. “And what the hell is with that dopey grin on your face?” She narrowed her eyes at him, then darted her gaze all around the cab of the truck like she was thinking through something. After only a few seconds, she gasped and shot an accusatory finger at him. “‘Downpour’ wasn’t for you, it was for her!”
He cringed. He’d had his fingers crossed she wouldn’t figure that out until they were closer to Havenbrook. Hopefully she had enough sense not to start punching him while he was hurtling them down the highway at seventy miles per hour. With Nat, you never knew.
“It wasn’t just for her. It was for you. And Gran too.” But, yeah, it was mostly for Rory.
“You’ve got about thirty seconds to start talkin’ and tell me exactly what the fuck is goin’ on.”
He blew out a long breath in defeat. He should’ve known it’d only take her ten minutes to figure out something was awry.
“Tell. Me.”
“Shit, you’re a bossy cow, you know that?”
“I will cut you.”
He wouldn’t put it past her, so he talked. He gave her a very minimized account of what had happened between Rory and him, minus the too-intimate-for-anyone-else details. Like how all the dreams he’d had about her hadn’t stacked up in the least to the first time he’d been inside her. Or how he couldn’t stop thinking about her when they weren’t together. Or how he’d started to feel at home in her house with her, and even with her girls. Or how he felt more for her than he had for another woman…ever. Or how he didn’t care anymore if every last person in Havenbrook saw them together, because he was pretty sure she was it for him.
When he finished, Nat stared at him with her mouth agape. After a few quiet seconds, she said, “I can’t believe you’re sleepin’ with the ice queen.”
“Don’t call her that.” His tone was low but firm. He might not be ready to tell Nat he’d fallen for her sister, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit idly by while she talked shit about her.
“Sleepin’ with and defendin’. Will wonders never cease?” She shook her head. “Now I know why Asher’s been blowin’ up my phone. He’s probably waitin’ to hear if I strangled you to death.”
“Pretty sure he’s already picked out which suit I’ll wear in my casket.” He glanced over at her. “So, what’s the verdict? Am I dead to you?”
She sat back in her seat, crossed her arms, and gazed out the window at the blur of the passing scenery. “Undecided.”
Well, it wasn’t exactly acceptance, but it also wasn’t death by strangulation. He’d take it. Now to hope Rory didn’t kill him.
RORY GLANCED OUT AT HER PARENTS’ backyard, pleased with how everything had come together. Thousands of fairy lights dotted the backyard, white paper globes hung suspended from dozens of tree branches, and flickers of candlelight danced in the soft breeze. With the help of her sisters—mostly Will, as Mac had grumbled the whole time—Rory had managed to transform the sprawling green space into a magical wonderland.
If only she could enjoy it.
Instead, she stood off to the side, watching Gran mingle and chat with the guests who’d shown up to celebrate her life. Hundreds of Havenbrook’s residents filled the yard, laughing and joking and sharing stories.
Meanwhile, Nat wasn’t here because she still hadn’t returned a single one of Rory’s calls. That tiny detail would eat at Rory the rest of the party if she let it.
And when her foundation was already on thin ice? She needed to be careful where she let her attention focus.
She’d picked up the girls earlier in the day, and they’d filled her in on the exciting plans their daddy and Sarah Beth were making for a wedding. She wasn’t even upset that Sean had moved on. Heavens knew she already had. Of course, she was upset at the betrayal—from both her former husband and best friend—but it was more than that.
What really stabbed her in the gut was the fact that the man who’d torn their family apart was giving their girls a new one, all while Rory was still struggling to find herself.
Needing to focus on something else, she checked the food to make sure nothing needed refilling. The stuffed mushrooms were running a little low, so she slipped inside the house and pulled the extras from the oven where Lilah, Hudson’s sister and the main chef at The Sweet Spot, had instructed her to keep them to make sure they stayed warm.
After transferring them to a platter, she strolled back outside, head held high and smile in place. That mask she’d forced herself to slip back on made her feel like she was regressing from how far she’d come in the past months, but that wasn’t something she could unpack right now. Not when hundreds of Havenbrook’s residents had their eyes on her. And they were definitely on her. She’d heard whispers of her name all afternoon, and she hadn’t had to stick around for any of the gossip to know it was just a rehash of what she’d heard yesterday.
Those whispers might’ve cracked her facade just a little, but she refused to show it.
She’d just finished refilling the platter on the table when she felt a presence at her side. Turning her head, she offered a blind smile, the curve of her lips faltering only slightly when she saw Nash’s father standing there. It was remarkable how much the two looked alike. If she wanted to know what Nash would look like in twenty years, she had her answer.
“Oh, hey there, Big Nash.”
He smiled and reached around her, plucking a mushroom from the platter and popping it in his mouth. “Hey, Rory. Great party. And, please, call me Nash.”
Nope, she definitely would not be doing that. Not when she’d called out that very name in the throes of orgasm just last night.
“Are you enjoyin’ yourself?” she asked.
His eyes flicked down her body so quickly, she wasn’t even sure it’d happened, and then he scanned the crowd around them. “I always enjoy myself at a Rory Haven party.”
“That’s awfully nice of you to say. Thank you.”
“Heard you bought Old Man Marley’s place now that your divorce is final.”
“That’s right.”
He hummed, his attention focused solely on her. “Last I saw that house, it was pretty run-down.”
The smile on her face turned tight and forced, but he didn’t seem to notice. “We like it just fine.”
“Sure, sure. I just meant I’d be happy to swing out and take care of some things for you. Anything at all.”
If there was something she couldn’t do for herself…well, she’d figure out a way and do it anyhow. “That’s real sweet, but I think I’m all set.”
He inclined his head toward her, and this time, she didn’t imagine the way his eyes swept over her. “If you’re sure…”
Her fingers tightened on the empty tray she held. “I am.”
“All right. Well, the offer still stands. Gimme a call. Any time.”
She’d already told him she didn’t need any of this help, so she just pressed her lips together in what she hoped passed for a smile and not a grimace until he finally meandered off.
As soon as he was out of earshot, a hand curled around Rory’s arm, startling her enough that she jumped. She twisted around and found her sister gaping at her with wide eyes.
“Holy shit,” Will said. “I can’t believe Big Nash just hit on you!”
“What? No, he just…” Rory blinked. That wasn’t what had happened…was it?
“I know he’s a little older than you—and he’s not exactly lookin’ for a relationship, if you know what I mean—but maybe he’s just the guy to get you back in the game again.” Will waggled her eyebrows.
Rory’s stomach roiled as heat crept up her chest. Not just over the idea of sleeping with Nash’s dad, but because of the huge secret she’d been keeping. She’d been back in the game for quite some time, but her sisters wouldn’t know anything
about that because she’d been lying to them both for months. The three of them were supposed to be growing closer, and instead, she’d been keeping them in the dark while she’d fumbled her way through this life-changing thing on her own.
“What do you think?” Will shook Rory’s arm.
“What does she think about what?” Mac reached around them and plucked a fried green tomato from the table.
“About Rory goin’ out with Big Nash!”
Mac snapped her head in Rory’s direction, her eyes wide. “Big Nash as in…Nash’s daddy?”
“Of course, Nash’s daddy,” Will said. “You know any other Big Nashes?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know if Rory gave the other one a nickname?”
Will laughed. “Why in the world would she give him a nickname like that?”
Mac lifted a brow and shot Will a look that even Rory’s naïveté picked up on, and her spine snapped straight. Despite Mac showing interest that day she’d stopped by town hall, she hadn’t pressed the issue, so it’d been easy to forget exactly how she’d looked at Rory and Nash that day. Like there was something going on between them, and she was going to find out exactly what it was. That felt like a lifetime ago. Had Mac managed to figure it out? Did she already know, and she was just waiting for Rory to open up about it?
Rory’s skin felt like it was on fire. If she didn’t get away right that second, she wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t burst into flames. “’Scuse me, I just need to refill the mushrooms.”
“I thought you just did that?” Will said, worry etched on her face.
“Never can have too many!” Rory said, her voice overly chipper.
She spun around, ready to head for the house, when Gran’s delighted laugh reached her over the din of the crowd. She glanced in that direction, spotting a flash of bright pink, and her mouth went dry while her brain tried to register what she was seeing. Gran gripped Nat’s hands in hers, and she smiled up at the youngest Haven as if she held all the stars in the sky. Directly next to them stood Nash, watching Nat with a huge grin on his face.
Hometown Troublemaker (Havenbrook Book 2) Page 20
