Searching For Love – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  “Wow, babe. You look gorgeous.” He leaned in for a kiss, but the soft press of his lips felt different, restrained. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

  Her stomach clenched.

  He lowered his voice and said, “In private?”

  In the space of a second, several heart-wrenching thoughts pummeled her. Had the vessel been arrested and he’d decided to make other arrangements for the animals so he could get back out on the water? Had he decided their lives were too far apart and it was better to end things now? Had Cutter gotten overprotective and started an argument this morning? She swallowed hard, not wanting to believe Zev would cut their time together short, much less end it completely. But the unease in his voice couldn’t be ignored.

  “Sure, let’s take a walk outside.” She led him out the front door so he wouldn’t see the surprise she was making. As they descended the steps, she said, “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, there’s just something that’s been eating away at me all day.”

  “What is it?” She tried to concentrate on the warm sun kissing her cheeks, the FESTIVAL ON THE GREEN banner hanging across the road, and the colorful decorations on the ornate iron fences and old-fashioned streetlights that lined the brick-paved road, instead of the knots tightening inside her as she waited for him to say more.

  “I know I came on strong with you, Carls, and I asked for all of your free time. But I realize now that was selfish. I don’t want to impede in your life and make you miss out on the time with your friends, or—”

  “Or what, Zevy? What are you trying to say?” She felt like she was going to cry. Great job of managing your expectations, Carly. Was this the end?

  He stopped walking, turning troubled eyes to her. “Babe, Cutter asked if I was coming with you to the Roadhouse tonight. He said you go every week. I don’t want to sound like a jealous prick, but if there’s some other guy, or parts of your life you don’t want me involved in, then we should talk about it.”

  “What?” She was confused by his question, and her words came out angrily. “I told you there were no other guys.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me about the Roadhouse?” he asked carefully, not accusatorily. “Is it because you’re not sure about us and you want to keep that part of your life separate until you’re sure? It’s okay if it is. I just want to understand where you’re coming from.”

  “No, that’s not it at all.” She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm herself down. “God, I thought you didn’t want to keep seeing me, or you decided to leave early.”

  “Aw, shit. Hell no, babe. I’m sorry.” He gathered her in his arms and said, “I just don’t want to mess this up, and if that means backing off, I’ll do it. If you need time with your friends, take it. You’ve got a life, and I want to add to it, not make you miss out on it.”

  “Oh, Zevy,” she said softly, wanting to bottle up his vulnerability. He was so virile, and he’d been pouring his heart out so openly, it was easy to forget that he was risking his heart, too. “Remember how I said that if I learned one thing from Tory’s death, it was to spend time with the people I care about while I have the chance?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Birdie’s family, the Whiskeys, hang out at the Roadhouse. I go Wednesday nights to spend time with them. I didn’t tell you because you’re special to me, too, and selfishly I wanted time alone with you. I wanted to see what you had in store for us tonight. That’s all.”

  A nearly silent laugh fell from his lips. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Christ, I’m an idiot.” He shifted his eyes away.

  “No. You’re communicating, and that’s a good thing. It’s so much better than taking off and thinking you’re doing the right thing when you’re not.” She took his hand and said, “I’m scared about how all of this will end up, but I don’t want to hide you, Zevy. I guess I just wanted to hide with you.” The relief rolled off him as he pulled her into his arms and told her how much he needed to hear that.

  “I want to hide with you, too.” He pushed his hands into her hair and pressed his lips to hers, soothing all of her frazzled pieces and lingering as if it were soothing his, too. He kept her close after the kiss, like he’d been doing, and said, “But as much as I want you all to myself, the Whiskeys are important to you, and that makes them important to me. I want to get to know the people who helped you and care about you.”

  “You do?” She felt teary again. What was going on with her?

  “I do, babe. You didn’t just lose me when I left. You drifted away from my family, too, and they’d been your family since we were kids. I can’t stop thinking about how much worse I made things for you. The last thing I want to do is take you away from the people you love like family. I’d really like to try to work it all in tonight if you don’t mind. I’ll take you to the place I wanted to surprise you with last night, and afterward we can head over to the Roadhouse.” He kissed her softly and said, “And then we’ll hide away for the rest of the night. Just the two of us.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  “Good. But I still need your address,” he said playfully, lightening the mood. “I promise not to leave my scent on your sheets.” He flashed a cocky grin and said, “But I make no guarantees about your couch, table, chair…”

  She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, and said, “In your dreams, Braden.” She went up on her toes and kissed him, and then she snuggled against his side as they walked back toward the shop. “I’ll meet you at the inn at four o’clock.”

  “One day you’ll realize there are no Zev-free zones in your life.”

  He had no idea how right he was.

  “Bring extra clothes so you can stay over. I promise not to let Bandit steal them.”

  She glanced at him and said, “They’re already packed and in my truck.”

  “Aw, babe,” he said happily, and hauled her against him, kissing her slow and sweet, and oh so deliciously. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll have a surprise for you tonight, too,” she said.

  His brows lifted. “Your address?”

  “No,” she said with a laugh.

  “Sexy lingerie?”

  She shook her head. “You’ll never guess.”

  They came to her shop, and he drew her into his arms again, touching his forehead to hers, and said, “Every minute I get with you is a gift. I don’t need anything else.” He brushed his lips over hers with a twinkle of a tease in his smile and said, “Except maybe your address.”

  Chapter Twelve

  CARLY PULLED UP to the inn at four o’clock on the dot. She’d had butterflies in her stomach all afternoon. She’d seen Zev only five hours ago and she was already bursting to see him again. She felt like a breathless girl of seventeen waiting for him to pick her up for school or seeing him coming toward her in the school hallway, looking at her like the hungry wolf he’d been. She’d felt lucky that of all the girls their age, wildcat Zev, the guy so many girls had drooled over, had chosen her. But Zev had argued the opposite, that he was the lucky one and she was his treasure.

  As she climbed from her truck, she saw Zev and Bandit sprinting around the side of the inn, but in her mind, she saw him moving in slow motion, his wavy hair bouncing with every powerful step, his muscular arms and legs pumping. He was one heck of a big, beautiful man, and he was all hers. At least for now. The thought felt wrong, tumbling through her mind like cold, rough stones. Seeing his vulnerable side earlier and knowing he wanted to meet the people who had become like family to her had touched her just as deeply as the tears, laughter, and toe-curling kisses of the last few days had healed her. A kernel of hope had taken root inside her that maybe this wasn’t just a here-and-now thing between them. She wanted to hope, to stop forcing herself to think about these six days as temporary, because temporary was the last thing she wanted.

  An irresistibly devastating grin broke out on Zev’s face, and he swept her off her feet,
spinning her around as he kissed her, sending Bandit into a barking frenzy.

  “I missed you!” Zev said, kissing her again. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he set her feet on the ground. “Are you ready to go? I can’t wait to show you your surprise.”

  “Yes! But one second. I made you something.” She ducked into the car, and he ran his palm over her ass. “Zevy…” she said, secretly loving that he couldn’t get enough of her. She grabbed the bakery box with the surprise she’d worked on all day. She’d never been prouder of something she’d made, and she hoped he liked it.

  As she handed it to him, he said, “Mm. Goodies made by my chocolate goddess? Thank you.” He kissed her again, and then he lifted the top, his expression morphing to one of disbelief. His gaze moved over the chocolate treasure chest with its intricately detailed gold buckles and black straps, filled with chocolate jewels painted in various colors, gold-dusted truffles, chocolate rocks painted to look marbled, and gold and silver bars. The white- and milk-chocolate beaded necklaces she’d made spilled over the sides of the chest, and she’d scattered silver and gold coins along the tray on which the treasure chest sat, which was covered with a mix of ground almonds and brown sugar to look like sand.

  “Carls, you made this?”

  “Just for you!” she said as he set the box on the hood of the truck.

  “This is phenomenal.” He opened the sides of the box and pressed them flat, admiring his gift from all angles. “Gold bars, jewels, pearl necklaces…This is a fucking masterpiece, babe. I always knew you were good with your hands, but I had no idea you were so talented with chocolate. Is the sand edible, too?”

  “Yes. It’s made from almonds and brown sugar,” she said, but he was already dabbing his finger in it and licking the mixture off.

  “Mm. Baby, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever been given. Thank you.” He leaned in for another kiss, and she soaked in his praise.

  “I’m so glad you like it. Birdie took a million pictures. We’re going to offer a smaller version as a specialty item.” She told him about how much fun she’d had making it for him, and about Quinn stealing the beads.

  “Someone is as passionate in the kitchen as she is in the bedroom.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her jaw. “You’re an artist.” His eyes heated, and he said, “I want to create body art with those chocolates and eat them off you.”

  Her body hummed to life as he lowered his lips to hers in another lust-inducing kiss. “Zevy,” she whispered. “We can’t do this.”

  “Nobody’s here to stop us,” he said, kissing her neck.

  His whiskers tickled oh so good. She’d joked with the girls about doing sexy things with chocolate, but she’d never actually done it. She wanted to give in, to run inside and strip off her clothes for him to ravage her as he wished. But she knew they’d never leave the inn if she did. As he kissed a seriously toe-curling and convincing path up her neck, she forced herself to lean back and said, “Hold that thought.”

  “I want to hold much more than a thought,” he said gruffly, pulling her closer.

  His eyes were dark as night, the wicked look in them almost too enticing to deny. “This is how we got distracted last night. We both know if we go inside with that on our minds, we’re not going to leave until morning. And I’m curious about where you want to take me.”

  “Sexy girl, I want to take you on the table, the stairs, the counters, and everyplace in between, and then I want you to ride me like I’m your stallion, because, baby, I am.”

  Her ability to speak got lost in a sea of desire, and a needy sound fell from her lips. She held on to him, feeling light-headed as visions of Zev taking her in all those places took hold.

  He brushed his scruff over her cheek, sending white-hot sparks rippling down the length of her, and said, “But I’m excited to show you your surprise, too, so we’ll just have to rein in our desires until after we meet your friends tonight.” He pressed a kiss beside her ear and said, “You’d better stay out here while I put that in the fridge, because I definitely cannot be trusted to keep my hands off you.”

  Holy moly…

  The next few minutes were a blur as Zev took his gift inside and Carly tried to push away the dirty thoughts burning through her mind.

  When Zev came back outside, he slapped her butt, jerking her back into reality, and said, “Let’s go, hot stuff. Your surprise awaits you.” He opened the passenger door and leaned in close, whispering, “Unless you need to change your panties first?”

  “Zev!” She swatted him, making him laugh as he scooted out of reach.

  He was still chuckling as he went around to the driver’s side and opened the door. Bandit bounded onto the seat between them, and Zev climbed in after him.

  The drive down the windy mountain roads was a pretty one, filled with gorgeous trees, lush bushes, and wildflowers. As they drove through town, Carly asked where they were going, but Zev just shrugged and sang along to the radio. She gazed out the window lost in her thoughts until the song “Shallow” came on and Zev belted it out at the top of his lungs. He bobbed his head, pretending to sing into a microphone with one hand, the other holding the steering wheel. His voice cracked when he sang along with Lady Gaga, making Carly crack up. When he aimed his fake microphone at her and said, “Sing with me,” she belted out the lyrics off-key, too. In their years apart, she’d pretty much convinced herself that she’d romanticized the joy they brought each other, but there was no denying it.

  Jillian was right, they were two sides to the same coin.

  As the town fell away behind them, the complex where the Real DEAL was being built came into view. Carly thought he’d drive past it, but he turned into the lot and parked beside a Jeep. Construction workers were loading up their trucks at the other side of the lot.

  “What are we doing here?”

  “You’ll see,” he said coyly.

  “Isn’t this owned by your cousins? Treat’s brothers?” The construction of the Real DEAL had been front-page news, and the communities of Weston and Allure had rallied behind Dane Braden and his business partners.

  “Yeah, it’s owned by Dane and Hugh, their brother-in-law, Jack, and our cousin Noah. How do you know Treat?”

  Treat Braden was gorgeous at six six with black hair and sharp dark eyes. He was hard to miss, and he exuded an air of authority. But even the self-made billionaire didn’t hold a candle to Zev.

  “He and Max are two of my favorite customers. I met them when I first came to Colorado and was working for my aunt, before they were married. But everyone around here knows Treat. He’s done a lot for the community. I was surprised he didn’t have his fingers in this pot.”

  Zev cut the engine and said, “I was surprised, too. Did you tell him about us?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t even know his first name until he’d been in the shop several times, and I found out he was your cousin weeks later and I was trying to get over you, so…” She shrugged like it was no big deal, but she’d never forget how seeing the love between Treat and Max had sent her thoughts right back to Zev. Their happiness had almost made her want to try to find him, which would have been an impossible task.

  Zev squeezed her hand, nodding solemnly. “Young and stupid is no excuse, but I am sorry.”

  “You know what? I didn’t realize this before, but now that there has been a little time since our talk at the park, I can see that all the bad feelings I’d been harboring had clouded my vision in another way. I needed the therapy I went through for more than just the breakup and the miscarriage. I needed time to grieve for Tory and time to figure out who I was without her. If you had stayed, I might have thrown myself into us and buried some of the grief and rediscovery that I needed.”

  “I think I needed to deal with Tory’s death, too, and Beau’s loss of Tory.”

  She sighed, feeling another level of relief that she hadn’t realized she needed. She leaned across the seat, and Bandit licked her arm as she tugged Zev into a ki
ss and said, “I’m glad you’re here. I thought I’d healed, but I think I needed you for that.”

  “That makes two of us.” He stole another kiss before climbing out of the truck.

  Bandit leapt out after him, and Carly opened her door as Zev came around to her side of the truck. She took his hand as she stepped out and said, “Are we allowed to be here while it’s under construction?”

  “Yes.” He pointed past the main building and said, “We’re going to the third building on the left.” He whistled to Bandit, who was sniffing the grass at the edge of the parking lot. “Come on, boy.”

  Bandit trotted happily beside them as they made their way past the main building.

  “Bandit seems like he’s been here before.”

  “He has. This is where we’ve been spending time when I’m not with you. I’m getting used to having the little thief around. Which reminds me,” he said as they passed the second building. “I have your bikini bottom at the inn.”

  “I wondered where it went.”

  “Our four-legged thief took it.” He ruffled Bandit’s fur. “I haven’t found your other clothes yet, or my Maroon 5 shirt, but I’ll buy you new ones.”

  “It’s fine. I’m sure they’ll turn up.”

  As they passed each of the buildings, Zev told her about the tour Noah had given him and all the cool things that were going to be offered. Most of the information had been noted in the articles she’d read online, but hearing Zev talk about it made it even more exciting.

  “Kind of makes you want to borrow a kid or two and bring them here when it’s open, huh?” she teased.