He nodded. Still soaked to the skin, he found Tanya had a long line in front of her.
Entering his code, he quickly opened the second register. “Next in line, please.”
Grateful for the distraction, Blake’s mind never wavered far from what Macy might be doing. Would she go out with the ex to celebrate?
Stop it.
He forced himself to smile as he rang up the total for the nails and plastic tarp old Mr. Davis was buying. He did the same for all of the following customers, too. After the initial rush, the crowd thinned out.
He went to the office to check on his mom and the dog.
“You go ahead and take the dog home. She’ll be more comfortable in a familiar place,” his mom said.
The dog’s head was in her lap on top of the small pillow his mother used for her back when she sat in the office chair too long.
“She looks pretty comfortable to me.” He smiled.
She smiled back. “Yes, but my legs are numb from her overly large head, and I’m too old to be sitting on the floor.”
After scooting the sleeping dog off his mom, he helped her up.
She stretched. “That’s a smart dog you have there.”
“That she is.”
“For a monster, she kind of grows on you.”
He laughed. At the sound, Harley glanced up and gave him the evil eye for waking her from her nap.
“Yep. She’s too smart for her own good.”
“Well, then. You two should get along just fine,” his mom said as she patted his shoulder. “Any ideas on what your next move is? Are you sure you don’t want to buy the store? You’d mentioned it when you were in the hospital, but we haven’t talked about it since you got back.”
That was before he met the woman who’d come to mean everything to him. And he’d also been told there was the possibility that he might not be the same again physically.
That wasn’t an option for him, and he’d shown everyone, including himself, that he refused to allow his injuries to dictate the rest of his life.
“While you’re gone, Mom, I do enjoy hanging out here, but this is your passion. I think mine is elsewhere. The guys have asked me to take a more active part in the security firm. They have some new ideas that might be beneficial to rural areas especially. So I’ll probably be helping them grow the business. As soon as I know my next step, you’ll be the first one I tell,” he promised.
Giving him the mom-knows-all stare, she said, “You haven’t heard from her yet, have you?”
“Mom,” he warned.
“Son, I’m not saying anything except that her meeting was this morning and it’s nearing five.”
“I’m aware. Let it go—please.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you say. I’ll go help Tanya close up. You’re soaking wet, get home before you catch your death.”
Home. It hit him that it was Macy’s house where he now felt at home.
Yes, ma’am. He was in big trouble.
15
A
S
HE
BRAKED
in the driveway and put the truck into Park, Harley woofed. “Let me turn off the engine at least.” He patted her back. As soon as he opened his door and got out, she leaped past him and ran for the house.
She must be hungry.
The dog opened the front door before he could get there. That wasn’t right. He was certain he’d locked the door when they left earlier in the day.
“Hello, pretty girl. I missed you, too,” Macy said as she greeted Harley. “I was a little concerned about you two. I tried to call, but no one answered.”
She glanced up at Blake. He could see the concern on her face.
“You called my cell?” He went to take the phone out of his pocket, and discovered it wasn’t there. “Well, that explains it,” he said. “I must have lost it when I was working with Ray in the barn this afternoon.”
Harley soon had her pinned against the fridge demanding to be fed. He grabbed the towel he’d left by the garage door and wiped the rain off of the dog’s coat before she ruined the sexy dress Macy wore. She had on high-heel boots, and her hair was done up in that haphazard way that made her look like the sexy librarian.
Though, they’d never had a librarian in Tranquil Waters that ever looked like that.
“I missed you,” she said. There was something in her expression that he couldn’t quite understand.
“And I missed you. I’m surprised you’re here.”
“Where else would I be?” She smiled but it didn’t quite meet her eyes.
Hell. She was going to take the job.
She held up a hand. “I haven’t made a decision yet,” she said as if she could read his thoughts. “In fact, I don’t want to think about anything right now. The flight into Austin was one of the bumpiest I’ve ever been on, and I’ve flown on a lot of planes. Then the traffic this time of day getting out of Austin through the rain was enough to turn me into one of those road-rage maniacs. I could never understand how people got so angry in the car, but I do now.
“All I want is a hot bath and a glass of wine, and I want you to join me.”
His body was instantly at attention. Who was he to question if she needed some time?
“Red or white?” he asked. He had a bottle of champagne in the fridge, which he planned to surprise her with if she took the job. But now wasn’t the right moment.
“You pick. And do we have any chocolate? I really, really, really need chocolate.”
He laughed. “You go start the bath. I’ll bring in the treats.”
“Deal,” she said. “Come on, Harley, have a seat on the couch.
Bad Dog!
is just starting.”
“Make sure it’s not one of the animal rescue episodes. It upsets her when she sees other animals in pain,” he said. He’d made that mistake the night before and ended up sleeping next to her on the floor. It was the only way she’d calm down.
“I should have told you about that. In my rush, I must have forgotten.”
As he opened the cabernet sauvignon, he tried not to think about Macy. But he knew the truth.
Finding the box of chocolate truffles he’d bought for her to celebrate, he placed them and the wine on a serving tray he found next to her fridge.
As he passed Harley on her couch she glanced up at him. “Tell you what? You stay there for the next hour or so and behave, and I’ll give you two more of these.” He put a dog cookie down in front of her. Harley cocked her head and he swore she winked at him. Then she settled back on her sofa to watch her favorite channel.
Balancing the wine, glasses and chocolates again, he found Macy already to her neck in bubbles.
He placed the drinks and plate on the small round table next to the tub and poured the wine.
Handing her the filled glass, he smiled when she moaned with the first sip. His cock twitched, as well. Indeed, one small moan and he was hard.
“Are you sure you want to share the bath, you look pretty comfortable.”
She reached out and tugged on his jeans. “Hey, these are already wet.”
“I suppose you may not have noticed, but it’s raining outside, and wrestling with your dog to get her into the truck was no easy feat. I am grateful that the thunder had stopped by the time we got home. I had to tell her a story on the way as she tried to hide from the noise.
“What kind of story?” She pointed to his shirt as if to say, “Hurry up and strip,” so he did.
Her eyes followed him appreciatively as he slid into the tub across from her. Even with his size, he could stretch out his sore legs. His body warned there’d be a steep price to pay for lifting all those bales of hay.
“Mom watched her while I was out in the barn. When I came back, she was reading a romance novel to her. Harley hung on her every word. I swear she understood her.”
Macy popped a chocolate in her mouth, and then she shook her head. “I’m not surprised. She’s so smart. Sometimes I forget that she’s a dog. I talk to her like I would any friend.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I do the same thing. But don’t tell anyone I said that.”
She watched him for a moment from under her lashes. “Tell me about your day,” she said before having a large sip of wine.
As he shared the minute details, she shifted around so that she rested against his chest. His legs stretched out along hers, his hard cock pressing into her back. He put his arms around her and drew in her scent.
She was his.
No matter what she told him, he had to find a way to stay in her life. Compromise wasn’t one of his strong suits, but he could learn if it meant being closer to her.
“Weren’t you afraid of hurting your leg?” she asked.
“Huh.” Then he remembered what he’d been telling her about loading hay into the barn. “No. It’s good to work out once in a while and push harder than I normally do. Helps build up strength.” At least that was what his PT had told him a few months ago.
“So you’re feeling okay?” As she asked she turned to face him. She was on her knees, the bubbles creating a pretty swirling design across her breasts.
“Right now, I feel great,” he said as he reached out and rubbed his thumb across one of her taut nipples. It hardened even more at his touch.
“I need you,” she whispered.
Not nearly as much as he needed her. Leaning down, he teased her sensitive skin with his tongue.
She hissed in a breath.
“I’ve wanted you since I heard your voice on the phone this morning,” he said and raised his head to kiss her. As his tongue played with hers, his fingers found her sex. He stroked her until she arched back and cried out.
“Yes,” she moaned. “Yes.”
Then she gently moved on top of him.
He shifted forward so she could wrap her legs around him. She gripped his shoulders as she rode him, his arms strained to keep them as one.
Their bodies rose and fell, and the water sloshed around them. The overwhelming sensations as he filled her had him gritting his teeth for control.
“Please, Blake. Don’t hold back. I want to feel all of you.”
He smiled and upped their rhythm. He savored every word, every sound that came from Macy’s lips.
Throwing her head back, her face radiant, her body began to quiver. Her muscles tightened around him as the orgasm rocked her, and he could hold on no longer.
“Mine,” he whispered fiercely as he climaxed.
“Yes,” she said. Her lips on his.
When he tilted her forward, so he could see her eyes, a tear streamed down her cheek.
“What is it baby? What’s wrong?”
Chewing on her lip, she shook her head.
“You took the job.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Not yet. I— We need to— What we have is so intense. I don’t think I can live without it. We said that this was a fling. That we weren’t serious.”
“We ran past serious the first night we made love,” he said as he moved a damp curl from her eyes.
“I thought so, too. That’s why I don’t want to make this decision, and it really is a life-changing one, without discussing it with you. I have no right...”
He smiled. “I love you, Macy,” he told her. “I’m with you no matter what you choose to do.”
It took a minute for his words to register. “I love you, too.” She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. “This is strange, right? We’ve only known each other a few weeks.”
He agreed. “But I don’t think that’s anything we can control.”
She shivered.
“Let’s move to where it’s comfortable,” he said. “I think this conversation is going to need more wine, and maybe some of that casserole you made.”
She frowned. “Except for the chocolates and wine, I haven’t been able to eat all day,” she said as he helped her up and into the large walk-in shower. The glass curved so that there was no need for a door.
“Well, no decision should be made on an empty stomach—at least that’s what my mom always says.” As the warm water sluiced down their bodies, he gathered her close to him. “We will figure this out. I promise.”
She smiled and squeezed him tight. “Why does life have to be so hard?”
He kissed the top of her head. “Got to get through the bad to get to the good,” he told her. And he meant it.
Could he support her if she went off to New York and left him and Harley behind? It was no place for a dog as big as she was.
It wasn’t lost on him that he was prepared to sacrifice a great deal for that damn dog—and even more so for the woman in his arms.
* * *
A
FTER
A
GOOD
MEAL
,
which Blake insisted Macy eat, they snuggled on the couch. Automatically, she changed the channel to Nova. The dog watched entirely too much television, but she’d probably done so with her former owner.
There had been times when the television popped on while Macy had been in the bath, or outside in the backyard or garage. And the channel always seemed to land on one of Harley’s favorites. When Macy arrived back in the room, the dog would look around as if she had no idea how it had happened.
“This is where I want to be,” she said. “Next to you, with the dog watching our favorite shows. Well, her favorite shows.” She grinned as she looked up at him.
“I’m kind of fond of our time together, as well,” he said. “But being comfortable isn’t the same thing as being happy. I care for you too much to let you turn down a lifelong dream.”
She gathered her knees up under her and rested her chin on them. Could she handle a new relationship, and a very time-consuming job? What would she do with Harley? The thought of giving her up was just impossible. She loved the dog.
“Tell me what the job entails.”
She explained that she would be in charge of all of the online components for the publishing group’s papers. They would use a specific strategy to grow their online content, and use a more uniformed format. She’d have almost a hundred people on her staff located across several countries. Henderson wanted to bring her old-school principles to their online content, which was sorely needed.
Stories went up too fast, a lot of facts went unchecked. They’d all agreed, after the very uncomfortable conversation about her ex and why she left, that it was time for them to create a place in Henderson Newspaper Group where people could go to find solid journalistic principles and legitimate stories online, in a timely manner.
Blake whistled and put a hand on her shoulder. “That’s impressive. And you have to know it’s a huge honor that they think so much of you.”
She nodded. Her ego, in between bouts of bone-crushing insecurity, had been buffed more than once during the meeting in New York. She questioned whether she was up for the job, but they believed in her so much that she stopped doubting herself. “Yes. But I’m really torn. I love the life I’ve created here with you and Harley. The town has even begun to accept me. And I feel like I’ve made a real difference with the paper.”
“True, though now you can take your plans and strategies and ideas out to the wider world,” he encouraged. “Talk about making a difference.”
She cocked her head to the side and glared at him. “I want you to say, ‘you can’t leave. You’re my woman.’ All cavemanlike.” She frowned.
“I will, if that’s what you actually want. But what kind of man would I be if I kept you from fulfilling your dreams?”
“The kind of man I usually fall for,” she snorted. “Many guys wouldn’t want their significant other running off to parts unknown to manage a company—at least, part of it, that is.”
“Macy, if we’ve learned anything over the last few weeks, it’s that there’s nothing
usual
about us.”
“You’re right.” She imitated her receptionist’s gesture and bumped fists with him.
He chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy sound.
“This relationship is just beginning,” he said. “We fell fast for one another. But maybe, like you said, it’s good that we slow down to figure out what we want to do next. I’m not sure myself. Moving to New York would be somewhat easy for me, since I own part of a security firm there. But I feel like my next step should be my own.”
“So you think it would be good for us to be apart?” She chewed on the inside of her lip.
He frowned at her. “No. I can’t stand the idea of being away from you, but I think it’s important that you at least try to do this. Dreams change, but this kind of opportunity is something that you’ve been dedicated to for a long time. There will be serious regrets if you don’t get out there and give it a chance.”
She sighed. “Why do you have to be so smart
and
handsome?”
He gathered her into his lap. “You’re the good-looking one. I’m going to check into chastity belts online. You can find almost anything on the internet these days.”
She sputtered and laughed. “Trust issues, dude. Trust issues.”
He winked at her.
“There’s only one man allowed to touch me,” she whispered as she kissed his neck.
“And who’s that?”
“A certain marine who has me going every which way so that I’m constantly confused.”
He tapped her chin with his fingertip. “Hey, I’m trying to make this easy on you.”
She put her palms to his chest. “It would be easier if you’d just tie me to the bedpost and make me a kept woman.”