by Emma Nichole
Me: Amelia...About that offer...I accept.
Chapter 4
One Week Later
Case
It’s a Saturday, in September, in the South and that only means one thing: football. This sport, especially of the college variety, is a way of life here. People eat, sleep, and breathe football.
Namely Grayson and me. We root for rival teams, of course, and today they are playing each other, which means it’s on.
I show up to the home he shares with his fiancée, Amelia, decked out in my orange and white.
“Who’s ready to watch their team lose?” I announce, after he opens the door, dressed in his red and white.
“Like hell.” He steps aside and lets me in and the most incredible smell fills my nose.
“Ohhh marry her faster. I need guarantees of this kind of food for the rest of my life,” I say.
“I’d marry her tomorrow, but she is determined to wait a little bit. At least I got the ring on her. Hard part is over.” He sinks back down to the couch. “Beer is in the fridge if you want.”
“In a little bit.” I take off my leather jacket and sit on the other end of the couch. “Cadence not here? She normally attacks me at the door.”
“She’s with Mom and Dad tonight. Nora’s in town and Amelia wanted to get her settled in, so Mom and Dad took Cadence for the night.”
My heart stopped at the sound of her name. “Nora’s here?”
“Yeah, she’s in the kitchen helping Mills with dinner.” He looks my way with a shit-eating grin. “Sorry. I should have given you a heads up.”
I clear my throat. “Why would you? Nora’s cool. We’re cool...how is she?”
“You’re cool, huh? Why does she rattle you so much?”
“She doesn’t rattle me. No one rattles me. Especially not her,” I deny.
“Especially not who?” A new voice chimes in. A voice I’ll never forget. Nora
She steps into the room and my body immediately responds at the sight of her. It may be fall here in Georgia, but it’s still warm, so she’s dressed in a simple pair of tight jeans and a flowy, wine-colored top. It looks so striking against her blonde hair. Hair I want to wrap my fists in and tug on while I’m balls deep in—
“Case? Hello? Earth to Case?” Her voice pulls me from my fantasy.
“Hmm? What? Sorry. I was just...distracted. Long shift last night,” I lie.
“You didn’t work last night,” Grayson says from behind me, and I want to smack him upside the head like his mom does.
Nora just smiles in return. She knows how she rattles me, but I’ll never admit it out loud. She’s the only woman who’s ever rattled me like this. She wooed me with those fucking eyes and that fucking body and that fucking mind of hers then poof; back to California she went.
Without even a kiss shared between us.
Not for lack of trying on my part, though. I was drawn to her instantly. We spent a lot of time together the last time she was here: laughing, talking, and even flirting heavily, but when I made my move, she shot me down.
She never truly gave me a reason, and after that, we saw each other in passing here and there until one day, she was gone.
I try not to admit to myself, or anyone else, I was sad when she left. I just did what I did best.
Worked, dated lots of women to keep my mind off of her, went to the gym, and jerked my cock in the shower to the thought of Nora’s laugh...lather, rinse, repeat.
I clear my throat and finally respond to Grayson’s statement. “Called in for an emergency.” The lie floats easily off my tongue.
Nora just stuffs her hands in her pockets. “Well, Amelia is taking a call while we wait on the food to finish, so I’m going to head out to her car and get my suitcase.”
“I’ll come help you with that,” I say, eager to get her alone.
“You don’t have to. I’m a big girl. I can do it,” she replies.
“Southern hospitality and chivalry dictate you allow me. Wouldn’t want to piss off the culture, now would you?” I grin wide.
“For fuck’s sake.” She sighs. “Fine. You can help me.”
“See? Was that so hard?”
Nora
Why does he have to be so fucking charming all the time?
With his eyes, his voice, his body, his laugh, and his smile. UGH! He frustrates me by simply breathing, because he ticks every box I have when it comes to a man. That’s why he’s so bad for a girl like me, not to mention the fact he has a career that puts his life on the line every single day.
I can do the casual sex thing sometimes, but when I feel that tingle in my belly, I know I need to stay far, far away. I could too easily catch feelings, and that’s got bad news spread all over it.
I felt the tingle the minute Case walked into Amelia’s hospital room, all those months ago. It was instant, like all the air had been drained out of the room and I vibrated from head to toe.
I feel it even now, as I watch him pull my large suitcase from the trunk of Amelia’s car.
“How long have you been in town?” he asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Just this morning, actually,” I say.
“Staying for a while?” he says, his voice straining a bit as he moves the incredibly heavy suitcase. “Christ’s sake, I hope so. It feels like you have everything you own in here.”
“Life of a girl.” I smile. “I’m staying a few weeks, I think. We’ll go by feel.”
“Work let you off the hook like that?” He knows my issues with work. I happily, and drunkenly, vented to him all about it one night before our infamous poker game.
“I had lots of vacation time saved up. Decided to finally put it to use.”
“Good. Just wanted to make sure you were all right,” he says. I can see in his eyes he is genuinely interested. Yet another reason why he’s so very bad for me.
“I’m great. Just here for a breather.”
“We should go grab a drink while you’re here then. Celebrate this breather and catch up a little,” he says, as we make our way back up the front steps with my suitcase.
My immediate inclination is to say no, because I don’t trust myself around him, but the idea of a night out on the town in Savannah sounds too good for my soul.
“I’d like that. A drink and time to unwind is exactly what I need.”
We stand silently, just staring at each other. It’s like our eyes are drawn to one another and we don’t want to break the connection, but Grayson does that for us with a holler from inside the house.
“Touchdown!” he shouts.
“You better get back in there. See if your team is getting their asses handed to them,” I say, taking the luggage from him.
“Yeah. We’ll talk about getting a drink before I leave tonight. I’m holding you to it, so don’t back out on me.”
I know he’s referring to the would-be kiss and cheek incident after the night at the bar playing poker. I avoided him after that and flew back to California two days later.
“Case...about that...”
“Fumble!” Grayson shouts again, very excitedly. “Case, get your ass in here and watch my Dawgs destroy you!”
“We should get back in there. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up some other time,” I continue.
He takes my luggage back from me. “I saw you trying to take my thunder away from me and rob me of ‘chivalry points.’ I won’t allow it. I’m taking this all the way in for you.”
“If you insist,” I say with an exasperated grin.
“Oh, Nora, I insist.”
I follow him back into the house just as Amelia comes down the stairs. She spots Case and me together and immediately grins.
“Nora, can you help me in the kitchen for a sec?” she says.
“Sure. Case, you can leave that by the stairs. I’ll take it up later.”
“Nope. I’ll leave it by the stairs then I’ll carry it up for you when you’re ready,” he replies matter-of-factly.
; “You’re as exasperating as ever.”
“Never had a complaint before,” he says with a smirk, before we go our separate ways. Him to the living room and me to the kitchen.
I find Amelia in there, checking on the food in the oven.
“Hey, everything okay?” I ask, leaning against the counter.
“Mmm hmm. Help me with the salad?” she asks. I agree, pulling out the cutting board before she continues. “So, what did you and Case talk about out there?” she asks as she closes the oven.
“God, you didn’t waste any time, did you? Uh...Well he was just helping me with my suitcase. That’s all.”
“Uh huh,” she says with a knowing grin, laying out the lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
“Don’t look at me like that.” I take a head of romaine and begin to chop it on the cutting board.
“What? I see the way you two look at each other. The room practically vibrates when you’re together. There’s so much sexual energy there.” She pulls down a large salad bowl for me to place the chopped lettuce in.
“Hard to have sexual energy when you haven’t had sex, or even kissed,” I admit, tossing the leafy greens into the bowl.
“Well, first of all, yes, you can. Second of all, that’s new information we need to talk about now.” She passes me a tomato to chop. “You spent those few days with him the last time you were here, and you never even kissed? What the hell, Nor? I’ve just assumed you at least slept together.”
“Why would you assume that?” I pop a piece of tomato into my mouth, chomping into the juicy flesh.
“I don’t know. Two hot people, alone, all the throbbing sexual energy—the way he looks at you like he wants to eat you—just to name a few.”
“He’s dangerous, Amelia,” I admit, placing the knife down.
“What? Case? He’s harmless. He’s a big teddy bear.” She slides the tomatoes into the bowl then she takes over the chopping of the cucumbers.
“Exactly. He’s so kind and sweet...but alpha all at once. It’s a lot, and I’d get too easily involved, but he’s fun to talk to. I enjoy his company. I just can’t let myself go like that.”
Not to mention he’s a cop, and I don’t have the capacity to handle that stress right now.
“So enjoy his company. You could use the stress relief right now.”
“I agreed to have drinks with him while I’m here at some point.” I hop up onto the kitchen island. “But enough about me and Case. How’s everything going with the blog?”
“Nice topic shift. I’ll allow it since you just got here, but this conversation isn’t over,” she says, as she uncorks a bottle of wine.
“I wouldn’t ever expect you to let me off that easy.”
“The blog is wonderful. That was actually what the phone call was about. It was a rep from Bubbly Magazine. They may want me to write a few guest posts on their website and write an article or two.” She’s grinning from ear to ear.
“Amelia! That’s incredible! Bubbly? Really? I hear about that magazine all the time. That’s like one of the only print publications left.”
“I know. I can’t believe it. They want me to come to Atlanta next week to meet with the editor in chief, but you just got here. I can’t just leave you and go spend two days away.”
“Tell me you’re joking right now. You cannot blow off this meeting because I’m in town. I won’t let you.”
“Come with me. You, me, and Gray can go. We can make a weekend out of it. You’ve never been to Atlanta. You’d love it.”
Ever since the fiasco with Amelia’s ex-husband last year, she’s been nervous to be without Grayson. I know him being near will help her, and I know she needs this opportunity.
“Will me agreeing to that force you to take the meeting?”
“Absolutely.”
“Consider it done.”
She squeals and claps her hands. “It’ll be so fun—and the food—God, Nora, the food.”
“It’ll be nice to explore a new place, that’s for sure.”
“I can’t wait to show you—” She pauses and smiles. “The food is ready.”
“Huh? No, the timer has like another ten minutes.”
“No, it’s ready. I can feel it.”
She opens the oven and pulls a perfectly cooked rib roast from the oven that will be sliced and served on sliced buns as sandwiches.
“Jesus, you’re like a witch. I’m going to gain fifty pounds while I’m here,” I say.
“And oh, how delicious it will be. Pop open another bottle of wine, gather the boys, and let’s dig in.”
***
After twenty minutes of convincing Amelia I will clean the kitchen, since she did most of the cooking, I set out to begin washing the dishes.
I enjoy the mindlessness of it. It gives me breathing room.
Though, the breathing doesn’t last long.
I feel him before I see him. Byproduct of his overwhelming aura and all.
“Need any help in here?” Case asks, his Southern drawl sucking me in immediately.
“No, I think I’m okay, but I have a feeling that won’t matter. You’re going to insist you help anyway.” I peek back over my shoulder to grin at him.
He’s standing in the doorway, reaching over his head to grip the top of the doorframe, showcasing his beautifully muscled biceps, and it’s causing the bottom of his shirt to raise just enough to see a little bit of skin.
And. That. V.
The V that makes women do stupid things.
The V that I try to ignore.
The V that makes me stand tall in my resolve.
Don’t give in to Case Carmichael.
“You’re right. I am going to help anyway. You wash, I’ll dry.” He stalks in and takes a place next to me at the sink. He’s big. Much bigger than me. He should be intimidating, yet somehow, he’s not. He’s warm. Kind. Inviting.
Fuck him.
“Are you always this bossy? Does that generally work for you?” I ask, passing a freshly rinsed plate to him.
“Usually.” He takes the plate and carefully dries it off before placing it on the counter.
“So...how have you been?” I talk a lot of internal shit about Case, mainly because I have been trying to convince myself he doesn’t affect me. I’m a strong, fierce woman after all. I don’t want to admit a caveman like him makes my lady parts tingle. But at the end of the day, he’s a decent, caring human I genuinely connect with.
“Good. I’ve been real good. Keeping busy at work, it’s always entertaining.” He dries another plate when I pass it to him.
“Staying safe?”
We spent hours talking last time I was here in town—about everything and nothing at the same time—about his lack of fear on the job. The way he discussed it terrified me. Knowing he just reacts and dives in headfirst to situations sent a boulder into the pit of my stomach.
“Always, and Arya just ensures it. She’d bite anyone who tried to hurt me right in the ass.”
His love for his dog makes me literally swoon. “Ah, the infamous Arya. She’s a German Shepherd, right? Named after the second greatest Game of Thrones character?” I ask, as I pass him the last dish.
“Mmm hmm. And I’m going to ignore the second best comment. We both know Arya is most amazing character on that show.” He dries the plate and puts it away then tosses the towel, which plops me right in the face.
“Hey!” I toss it back. “Rude. And you think she’s better than Tyrion? Get real!”
“I will force you to see it my way...one day.” He leans against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. “So, now will you tell me why you’re really here?”
The abrupt subject change makes my head spin. “What do you mean?”
“I mean had this been a planned trip, I’m certain I would have been told.”
“You think so? Why is that?”
“Because I just know.” His smirk makes me shiver in the best way. Damn him.
“I just wanted t
o visit. I missed Amelia. I missed the ease of being in the area.”
“So, what you’re saying is, you didn’t come here to see me? That’s a shame.” He tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
“No, in fact, I had forgotten you even live here.” If I could capture the look on his face and bottle it forever, I would.
He leans in close, so close I can smell his cologne before he whispers, “Liar.”
“You’re very sure of yourself for someone who couldn’t even close the deal with me the last time I was here.” I raise my chin, not showing an ounce of submission.
“Who says I wanted to?” He hasn’t moved away, in fact, he’s probably gotten closer.
“The fact you tried to kiss me.”
“And why didn’t I succeed?” Our lips are nearly touching now. I can feel the heat of his breath on my lips and the smell of the beer on his lips. It’s mixed with the minty scent of his toothpaste and the deep, woody smell of his cologne. It’s delicious.
Before I have a chance to answer, to tell him I don’t give in to cocky arrogance, Amelia comes into the kitchen.
“Oh! Shit. Am I interrupting something?” She goes to step back out of the room.
“No!” I say quickly. “Not a thing.” I squeeze around his body and step away, getting some breathing room. “I should head upstairs and call Marco. He fights tonight and I need to say good luck.”
“Tell big bro I said knock ‘em dead,” Amelia says, as I escape up the stairs without saying goodbye to Case.
Chapter 5
Case
You’d think after years of therapy, I’d be used to the process by now.
The couches, the talking, the venting, the advice, but I’m not. Not in the least.
It helps, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not a vent my feelings type of guy. That’s not me. Why do you think it took so long to figure out my fear of water came from a repressed memory of nearly drowning?
“How have you been, Case? You cancelled our last appointment. That had me a little concerned.” My therapist is a middle-aged man, who is balding on top of his head and has the thickest glasses I’ve ever seen. He’s the poster child for the opposite of me, but he’s been in my corner since I was a kid...even did phone calls until I came back to Savannah.