“Maybe,”
I laugh. “But we should definitely plan a girls’ night,
just the three of us. I can’t wait.”
I
grab the last of my stuff, then walk Lottie and Kit out. “Let
me know when Eva gets in,” I tell her.
She
makes a face. “Does this mean you’re disappearing into
your dirty sex haze for the rest of the week?”
“Here’s
hoping,” I wink, and she laughs.
“Have
fun. And stay safe,” she adds, buckling Kit into his stroller.
“You never know when that one moment of passion is going to
wind up teething at three in the morning!”
I
drive back over to Will’s, thinking about Lottie. I’ve
always been in awe of the way she took to motherhood: putting college
and everything else on hold after she found out she was pregnant at
just seventeen. She loves Kit more than anything, and always puts him
first, but I can tell, it’s been hard these past few years
watching her sister and me go off and have wild adventures while
she’s right here at home. Not for the first time, I wonder what
the story is about Kit’s father; she’s never breathed a
word to anyone, not even his name. I can only hope she finds a guy
who deserves them both soon, and gives her the passion and love I
know she has ready to share.
It
makes me feel even luckier as I turn off the highway and head up the
now-familiar dirt track to Will’s place. Despite all my efforts
to keep him at arm’s length and not let myself feel anything
real, he didn’t back down. He just waited, being so damn
irresistible and sweet and sexy that I had no choice but to realize
the chance of a lifetime is standing right in front of me.
He
took that chance on me, and now I can’t wait to prove he made
the right call.
When
I pull up out front, I can hear the radio playing old country songs,
coming from the workshop in back. I stroll around, and I’m
rewarded with the sight of Will, hard at work with the doors wide
open. He’s bent over, sanding a gorgeous table down, so focused
I can see the care and attention to detail in every move—and
the gorgeous taut bulge of his biceps, rippling with every move. He
glances up and sees me, his face spreading into a smile that warms me
from the tips of my toes.
“Hey, you.” He
straightens up and wipes his brow, looking sweaty. “How’d
it go?”
“Good,
I think. A couple of offers coming,” I tell him. “But it
took forever. I couldn’t wait to get away.” I wander
closer, looking around the workshop. “What are you working on?”
“Just
a sample,” he says. “I’ve got a meeting set for
next week with an old friend. He runs a showroom now, carrying local
designers and craftsmen. I’m going to show him some of my
pieces.”
“That’s
great!” I exclaim, excited for him. “Once he sees this
stuff, he’ll be blown away.”
“I
don’t know about that.” Will shrugs, looking
self-conscious. “But he’ll be able to give me some
pointers, either way.”
I
look around the workshop, curious. There’s a tarp in the
corner, covering something big, so I go and tug the edge, wanting to
see.
“Wait,
don’t touch that!” Will’s voice stops me. I freeze.
“It’s just . . . a real mess.
Work-in-progress,” he explains, steering me back over to the
front of the space. “I don’t want you getting hurt on
something.”
“Awww,
so sweet.” I grin, touched. I slide my arms around his waist,
and lean in closer, feeling his heartbeat steady in his chest,
already so familiar.
God,
it feels good to be holding him.
“I
missed you,” I admit softly, tilting my head up for a kiss.
He
presses his lips to me for a moment, then pulls away. “I don’t
want to get you dirty,” he says, holding me at arm’s
length.
I
laugh. Like that could stop me. “Dirty is hot.” I grin,
tugging him back in by the collar of his T-shirt. “Although, I
can all these dirty clothes off you if you’re really
concerned . . .”
“I
might just take you up on that.” Will catches me in his arms
then, kissing me deeply until my head spins and my heart races with a
wild fever in my chest.
How
did I get so lucky?
I
wrap my arms around his neck, bringing me closer, and he grips my
thighs and lifts, setting me down on the workbench. Now he’s
cradled between my thighs, my skirt hitching higher under his palms
as our bodies press hotter and my lips part to let his tongue roam
deeper—
“Don’t
mind us,” an amused voice comes. I break away in surprise and
look over Will’s shoulder to find two guys in the backyard,
looking around. “Sorry to interrupt,” one of the men
grins, looking anything but.
Will
must know them, because he laughs. “Your timing sucks,”
he says, stepping back. “But it’s good to see you.
Ryland, this is Delilah. Ryland’s been giving this place a
facelift,” he explains.
I
hop down from the bench, smoothing my skirt down. “Hi!” I
say, feeling flushed—but lucky. If they’d been even one
minute later . . . well, they’d be getting
an eyeful of a whole lot more than my blushing cheeks.
“Pleasure
to meet you.” Ryland comes forward and greets me, looking
sheepish in jeans and a plaid shirt. “Sorry about, well . . .”
I
laugh it off. “Please. Like you haven’t been interrupted
before. And thanks for the hot running water,” I add,
remembering the shower.
“Any
time.” Ryland turns to the man beside him, a tall, dark-haired
guy in his thirties who somehow looks crisp and put-together even in
jeans and a plain shirt. “This is my brother-in-law and
business partner, Ash Callahan. We were in the neighborhood, and he
wanted to check out this plot.”
Ash
shakes Will’s hand. “I know you just wanted some work
done, but are you sure you aren’t in the market to sell?”
he asks, looking around with an assessing eye. “We develop a
lot in the area, and this is such a good piece of land. I could get
you a great price.”
I
laugh and elbow Will lightly. “See, I told you so.” The
guys look over. “He’s stubborn,” I explain. “I’ve
been telling him to pack it in and move ever since he came. Wait,
Callahan?” I pause, recognizing the name. “You’re
building those great beach houses, just down the coast.”
“That’s
us.” Ash smiles.
I
whistle, impressed. “I’ve seen the specs, you’ll
get top dollar when they go on the market. I don’t suppose you
have a local agent, do you?” I ask, turning on a smile.
“Not
yet,” Ash says. “Any recommendations?”
“Why
yes,” I beam, pulling a card from my pocket. “Me!”
Ash
takes it and looks over my info. “You know, we’ve been
meaning to set up some appointments,” he says, sounding
thoughtful. “Find someone with local roots, who really knows
the market. Not just for these houses, but we’ve got a couple
more projects in development too.”
My
hopes rise, but before I can start pitching, Will speaks up. “You
won’t find anyone better than Dee,” he says, giving me a
proud look. “She knows everyone and everything in the whole
county. They love her around here.”
I
pause, surprised—and touched.
“It’s
true,” Will continues. “She sold me on this town in
thirty minutes flat. I’d never even heard of Oak Harbor, and
now here I am.”
Ash
looks interested, and tucks the card away. “We should get
together and talk then. I’m out of town for the next week, but
I can have my assistant set something up for when I’m back?”
“That
sounds perfect.” I try to stay cool. “I can’t
wait.”
We
see them out, and I manage to keep up my casual act, but the minute
their car disappears down the drive, I bounce in the air and fling my
arms around Will in a hug. “Oh my god, do you realize who those
guys are?” I cry, feeling giddy. “Only the best
developers around. Super exclusive, high-end, not just here but in
every city around the world. To even get a meeting . . .”
I inhale fast. “This could be massive for me. Imagine if Marcie
comes back and I tell her I’ve secured the whole development.
She’ll sell me the business for sure! Thank you!”
“I
didn’t do anything,” Will replies, looking amused.
“Yes,
you did.” I kiss him again. “You always support me,
especially with my career. It means a lot to me.”
Will
smiles down at me, his eyes clear. “Any time.”
Part
of me wants to drag him upstairs right now and show him how grateful
I really am, but the other part of me decides to be practical. “We
should go get food,” I suggest.
Will
looks confused. “It’s early.”
“Yes,
but once I get you into bed, I’m not going to want to go hunt
and gather,” I point out. “And I’m guessing all you
have is some stale crackers and beer in back.”
He
laughs. “You’re not wrong there. Alright, what do you
want?”
“Pizza,”
I declare, heading for my car. “Let’s stop by Franny’s,
too. We can pick up breakfast for tomorrow.”
“You
really are a girl scout.” Will smiles over at me. “You
think of everything.”
In
town, I send Will to get dinner while I go take care of breakfast. I
buy enough Danish pastries to feed a small army, and get coffee
too—since microwaving Franny’s delicious Columbian roast
still beats that instant stuff Will’s got molding out on his
porch. I’m just waiting back by his truck when I hear a whistle
from across the street.
“Dee,
baby, where you been?”
It’s
Brody, a guy I’ve known since high school, and maybe hooked up
with on a couple of nights too. What can I say? It’s a small
town, and sooner or later, if you’re single and shooting some
pool at Dixie’s, sparks will fly.
“Hey
you,” I greet him as he crosses the street and comes over.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing
special, you know how it goes,” Brody says, looking me up and
down. “Damn, you’re looking good these days.”
“Thanks.”
I smile, holding up the bakery box. “I owe it all to my healthy
diet.”
He
laughs, and his gaze turns suggestive. “We should get a drink
sometime, you and me. We always had a good time.”
“Thanks,
but I’m seeing someone,” I tell him easily.
“You?
You’re kidding me.”
“Believe
it.” I shrug, and he shakes his head.
“Damn,
well, if you ever get bored . . .” He winks, and
I laugh.
“What,
you’re going to take time out from all your other girls to woo
me?”
“Ouch,”
Brody laughs, clutching his chest. That’s when I catch sight of
Will walking towards us, a pizza box in his arms. I wave, but he
doesn’t look happy.
“Hey
baby,” I say when he reaches us. “This is Brody.”
“Hi.”
Will’s voice sounds kind of curt, and he drapes an arm
possessively around my shoulders. I give him a look, but he’s
too busy staring down Brody to notice.
“Ready
to go?” he asks me, still glaring.
“Um,
sure. Good to see you, Brody.” I smile. “Say hi to your
mom.”
“I
will. You were always her favorite,” he grins.
“Shame
you don’t have her good taste,” I laugh, and he says
goodbye and saunters off.
Will’s
grip on my shoulder doesn’t ease. “Who was that?”
he asks, looking tense.
“I
told you, Brody,” I reply, confused. “We went to high
school together.”
“I’m
guessing that’s not all you did,” Will mutters, and I
blink.
“Whoa
there.” I shrug out of his embrace, annoyed now. “What’s
with you?”
“Nothing.”
Will turns away, depositing our food into the truck. He climbs into
the driver’s seat, and I pause before joining him, trying to
figure out this weird mood switch. I’ve never seen him act
weird or jealous like this—and I don’t like it.
Will
doesn’t say a word as we drive back to his house, but the whole
ride, my annoyance grows. When we pull up outside his house, he shuts
off the engine and reaches for the door, but I stop him.
“I’m
only going to say this once,” I tell him, looking him straight
in the eyes. “And then I don’t want to hear about it
again. I don’t cheat.” I say each word slow and firm.
“Have I hooked up with some of the guys around here? Yes. It’s
a small town, we’ve all known each other for years. Do I like
to party and have a good time? Also yes. But I’ve never cheated
on anyone, and I never will, so don’t you ever feel like you
need to stake your territory or whatever was going on back there.
After everything you know about me, about my family, you should know
that’s bullshit, and I won’t take it, OK?”
Will
stares back, and then exhales in a rush.
“I’m
sorry,” he says, looking shameful. “I don’t know
what the hell came over me. I know I acted like a jerk.”
“I
was thinking more an ass,” I say, smiling. Will relaxes.
“I
know you wouldn’t . . . I just . . .”
He sighs again, real regret in his eyes. “My last relationship,
she cheated, and it messed me up good for a while.”
I
soften. “I had no idea. I’m sorry,” I tell him.
He
gives a shrug and looks away. “What’s done is done. But
you’re right, and I know you’re not anything like her.”
“I
should think so,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m
much more beautiful, and smart, and funny . . .”
Will
laughs, silencing me with a kiss. I sink against him, wondering how
the hell could anyone run around on him. Will is the guy you grab and
hold on tight, not the one you leave at home while you sneak around
with someone else.
I
break away, and press a palm to his cheek. “Just for the
record,” I whisper, leaning in to kiss that curve of his jaw I
love so much. “She’s insane. Whoever hurt you, whatever
she did. She is out of her mind, certifiably insane.” I pull
back, and look into his eyes. “She’ll never find anyone
as good as you.”
I
can see the emotion in Will’s eyes—and when the moment
turns to pure, charged lust. He pulls me from the truck and into the
house, his mouth finding mine as we slam against the wall, hands
stripping hungrily at clothes and bodies pressing closer.