Wild With You

by J. H. Croix

  I’d never known a man’s voice could get to me, but sweet hell, Graham’s voice did crazy things to my insides. It felt as if my entire body was tingling. Need tightened in a coil in my center as I looked up at him. I tried to catch my breath, tried to say something sensible, but not a single word came out. A ragged sigh slipped out. It might have passed for a whimper if I had enough nerve to fess up.

  “I knew it was a mistake to kiss you before,” he whispered in that gravelly voice.

  Insecurity reared its ugly head inside, and I opened my mouth to protest, but he placed his finger over my lips.

  “Why?” I whispered when he lifted his finger a second later.

  “Because I knew I’d want to kiss you again.”

  “I didn’t think I’d ever see you after that,” I murmured.

  “Yet here we are.”

  My brain cells had all but immolated at this point. I felt myself leaning up to meet his lips because I needed another kiss from him more than I needed my next breath. The moment his lips made contact with mine, it felt like the lick of a flame. The heat spun into my veins, spreading fire through my body in its wake. He made a low, almost growly sound in his throat.

  I went for it again. Because, dear God, this man made me feel desperate and needy.

  Chapter Eleven

  Graham

  I forgot all the reasons I shouldn’t be kissing Madison. Every single one of them. They were like slips of paper tossed into a bonfire, the flames flickering high in the air. Everything about her was another piece of kindling tossed on the fire.

  She was wearing a robe, for God’s sake. How was I supposed to resist that? The moment she’d opened the door, I’d known she had just gotten out of the shower. Her cheeks had been flushed, her skin dewy, and her hair damp.

  If it hadn’t been for that stupid coyote and her dog about to chase after it, I’d have been able to keep my senses and never crossed that threshold. Yet here we were.

  Her lips were plump and soft, and oh-so-very kissable. The way she arched against me with her body coming flush with mine drove me wild. She made these little sounds in her throat, spurs in the flanks of my need, sharp and driving, heightening the pace of it until there was no slowing it down.

  I dove into the warm sweetness of her mouth. Holy hell could she kiss. She wasn’t shy, her tongue glided against mine in sensual strokes while her hand curled around the back of my neck. I could feel her fingers sifting through the ends of my curls. Everywhere we touched, which was a lot of places, it felt like lightning striking me. I was tight with need, the sheer electricity of it sizzling to the point of burn.

  All I wanted was more. My hand slid down her back, and I finally cupped her sweet bottom. Her body was warm and inviting. That loose robe was nothing but a tease, showing off hints of what was hiding behind it. She let out another sound into our kiss, and I broke free, nipping at her earlobe. I loved the way she shivered against me before I let my tongue tease over the side of her neck. She tasted sweet and fresh.

  I couldn’t help it. I was feeling greedy, and I squeezed her bottom, gratified when her hips rocked against my arousal. Fuck. I was so hard for her I might as well have a tire iron in my pants. I let my hand slide away from the unholy temptation of her bottom and slid it up over the dip of her waist. I couldn’t resist more. Her robe was calling for it—the way it fell to a V just above her breasts. Her collarbone was delicious, and the perfect place to tease kisses.

  I trailed my fingertips along the edge of her robe, savoring when she let out a ragged gasp. “Graham, please.”

  I was pretty sure she needed what I needed, and I let my hand slide under that soft fabric to discover the lush weight of her breast. Her nipple was taut, and I teased the peak even tighter, loving how she trembled in my arms. As established, I wasn’t thinking. So, I pushed the fabric out of the way and leaned down to catch that sweet pink nipple in my mouth. Her fingers speared my hair, and she gasped, crying out sharply when I drew a lazy circle with my tongue before giving her nipple a sharp suck.

  I was riding the edge of insanity at this point. The only thing that stopped me was Wilbur. I heard the sound of claws skittering across the hardwood floor, followed by a sharp bark. We broke apart abruptly, staring at each other.

  We were breathing raggedly. And, fuck me, she was a sight to behold. Her hair had started to dry in waves around her shoulders. With her robe open and one breast exposed, she looked wanton. Her nipple was pink and damp from my attention, and her skin was flushed with passion all over. It was all I could do not to reach out and push her robe off her shoulders so I could see everything. But then, I knew I’d be taking her on the counter. Kissing her was beyond dangerous. My need for her ran roughshod over any sensibility I had.

  Wilbur barked again, and Madison finally tore her eyes from mine, quickly pulling her robe into place and tightening the belt. She started to move, but I caught her lightly by the elbow.

  “It’s probably a bird or maybe that coyote,” I offered.

  She stared at me with kiss-bitten lips. I wanted to kiss her again and lose myself in the fiery heat that burned between us. I opened my mouth to speak, but she shook her head quickly. “Please don’t apologize.”

  I stared into her eyes, surprised to see a swirl of uncertainty there. I didn’t know what that was about, but I felt compelled to say, “I wasn’t going to apologize. I’m not sensible around you.”

  Madison blinked, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink. It was so endearing I wanted to kiss her all over again. In all honesty, my need to kiss her hadn’t diminished one tiny bit.

  “It seems I’m not sensible around you either,” she whispered.

  Wilbur barked again. This time, I followed Madison out front. We peered through the windows flanking her front door to see a raven perched on the top step of the porch and eyeing Wilbur with a touch of arrogance. At the sound of another bark, the raven gave him one last look before hopping down the stairs and flying into the trees.

  I fumbled through a goodbye. I didn’t even know what I said, and then I found myself on the porch while she looked at me from the doorway. “Have a good day,” I finally said.

  I didn’t even know what she said in return because the need rushing through me was roaring so loudly that I had to force my feet to keep moving, or I was going to kiss her all over again. I didn’t think I’d be able to stop this time.

  As I drove away, I was beyond annoyed with myself. I couldn’t be starting some kind of crazy fling with my sexy neighbor. The list of reasons that was a bad idea was endlessly long. Although she didn’t look like her, something about Madison reminded me of Allie’s mother. I’d be willing to bet money she was homecoming queen in high school. She had that vibe. If not that exactly, she’d definitely been the kind of girl my not-so-smart-head would’ve wanted when I was young. Hell, I wanted her now. Fiercely.

  I shook those thoughts away, reminding myself I needed to think about my daughter. Actually, I knew what I needed to do—go to the grocery store. I was almost relieved to have a task, anything to distract me.

  Chapter Twelve

  Graham

  The following weekend, I walked past the living room, studiously ignoring the giggling escaping into the kitchen, and sat down at the table. Allie was having friends over tonight. Overnights were the bane of my existence. It felt like teenage hormones descended upon the house.

  I glanced around. There were empty pizza boxes on the counter. Blessedly, the girls had cleaned up and already put their dishes in the dishwasher. If I’d learned one thing as a parent, it was making sure to mention the good stuff. I reversed course and leaned into the living room.

  “Thanks for cleaning up your dishes, girls,” I called over the cacophony of voices.

  It was amazing to me that only three of them could make so much noise. They turned to look at me from where they sat on the floor in front of the couch. “You’re welcome. Thanks for noticing, Dad,” Allie called in return.

 
; “Can we have ice cream?” her friend Serena asked.

  “Of course. I picked up three flavors at the grocery store.”

  I was feeling a little too proud about that detail. The next thing I knew, the kitchen, which I thought of as my safe space during slumber parties, had been taken over.

  “Ooh, raspberry chocolate chip. My favorite!” Allie dashed over and pecked a kiss on my cheek.

  “There’s also regular chocolate chip and that peanut butter stuff,” I offered.

  It only took another few minutes, and they returned to the living room with their ice cream. I put some in a bowl for myself and sat at the table, contemplating making a cup of coffee. I didn’t really need one, but coffee was always good. That said, the girls were probably going to keep me up as it was.

  Of course, thinking of coffee had me thinking of Madison. Madison who made a mean cup of coffee. Madison who I’d seen at Firehouse Café again this morning. Madison whose kiss I’d replayed waaa-yyyyy too many times in my thoughts. Just thinking about it now caused me to shift in my chair.

  You can’t pursue her. There’s nothing there. You don’t have time. She’s complicated. And she’s way too prissy.

  You don’t know that she’s prissy.

  My less critical thoughts intervened. I didn’t know that. She just seemed prissy with her glossy dark hair and her perfect mouth. She was always put together. Even her robe was nice. But she couldn’t be that prissy since she’d driven up to Alaska by herself.

  I had so many questions about Madison, and I wanted to know every answer. Why did she show up to live in her grandfather’s house? This small town in Alaska was a world away from a city like Houston, Texas.

  I gave my head a hard shake, telling myself I needed to stop thinking about Madison. I knew it was probably futile. She was my closest neighbor now. This town was too small for me to avoid her. Not to mention, she’d painted her nails with my daughter. I didn’t want to be rude to Madison, but avoiding her wasn’t polite. There was no way I could get around it in Willow Brook.

  The girls eventually quieted down, and I retreated to my bedroom. They decided to lay in sleeping bags in the living room because they wanted to fall asleep in front of the fireplace.

  The following morning, I was in the kitchen getting coffee after Allie’s friends had left. I heard what I thought was the distinct sound of my daughter crying. It was weird how attuned I was to that sound. She was in her bedroom with the door closed, but the subtle sniffles were magnified to my ears. I set down my coffee cup and walked quietly down the hallway, hoping she didn’t hear the sound of my socks on the hardwood floor.

  Yep. She was definitely crying. I was debating whether to knock lightly on the door when she called. “Come on in, Dad.”

  So much for my stealth moves. I opened the door slowly, peering around it. “Sorry. Need anything?”

  Allie looked up from where she sat in the center of her bed with her legs crossed and her elbows resting on her knees, her usual crying position.

  My heart squeezed. “What is it?” I crossed to her bed and sat on the end.

  “I called Mom.”

  A jolt of anger struck me, but I kept my face passive.

  “I wanted to know when she was going to visit again since she canceled this one.”

  “Ah.” I nodded slowly. “What did she say?”

  Allie’s head dipped down. She pressed the heels of her palms in her eyes, smearing the tears away. She didn’t look up when her hands fell to her lap. “She doesn’t know.”

  “Ah,” I repeated, the neutral response I used when I didn’t know what the hell to say. “I’m sorry, hon,” I finally added. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

  My daughter’s eyes lifted, and my heart twisted painfully in my chest. They were red-rimmed, and her lashes were spiky from her tears. For a second, I saw hope flare in her eyes, and then her shoulders curled down as she let out a ragged sigh. “No, there’s no point, but thanks. What are you doing today?”

  “Not working. Want to go to Anchorage? We can get lunch at your favorite place.”

  Allie shook her head, her curls swinging. “Can we go to Firehouse?”

  “Of course.” As if I’d say no to anything she asked just now. Good thing what she asked for was an easy one.

  Later that afternoon, while Allie was ensconced in her bedroom watching something on YouTube, I decided to call her mother anyway. Alison answered on the fourth ring.

  “Hey, Graham. What’s up?”

  Her tone was dry, and annoyance pricked at me. “I’m not calling to ask you to visit Allie, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t make promises you never plan to keep.”

  “Jesus, Graham. No need to be so high and mighty. I’m in a new relationship. When things settle, I’ll try to take a look at my schedule.”

  “Because that’s going to change something,” I returned swiftly. “Look, I have done my damnedest not to be an asshole, but this has got to stop. I want her to have a relationship with you, but please stop making promises. You’re ruining any chance you have for her not to think you don’t care.”

  Alison sounded chastised when she replied, “Okay. I’m sorry, Graham. I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

  “You never mean to hurt her, but you haven’t been a parent so you don’t know what it’s like.”

  “I’m a parent!” she retorted defensively.

  “Being a parent isn’t just having the baby. You were here for the first month of her life, and then you bolted. Since then, you’ve visited, what? Maybe six times. You’re a parent insofar as your name is on her birth certificate, but that’s it. If you keep doing this, I will go to court and pull visits.”

  “You would never—” she began.

  “Yeah, I would. You don’t visit as it is. Your own parents would testify against you at this point. I’ve never asked for child support, and I’m not about to. All I’m asking is you don’t make our daughter promises you don’t intend to keep. That’s it. I gotta go.”

  I hung up because there simply wasn’t anything else to say. I fucking hated this situation. I loved being a dad, and Allie was a part of my heart. But filling the hole her mother left in her life was a constant battle. Alison was a flake—shallow and superficial—and just couldn’t be bothered.

  I laughed to myself, the sound bitter to my own ears. She’d seemed like a great girl in high school—gorgeous, fun, and the life of any party—but not a good option to raise kids. I’d been a little startled she’d even decided to have Allie. Maybe she was too far along when she found out, and her parents pressured her. She’d never said much about it to me.

  I took a breath, willing the anger to pass inside. Just then, my phone vibrated, and I looked down, seeing Off-Limits Neighbor flash on the screen.

  Off-Limits Neighbor: What do I do about a moose between me and my car?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Madison

  Graham: Be right there.

  I was seriously relieved when Graham replied right away. I peered out my window again, eyeing the large creature. Unlike the time I’d seen the moose at the gas station, this one was closer. I’d seen a few others since I arrived in Willow Brook. They were plentiful in Alaska. So far, they’d all been at a distance.

  This moose was easily taller than my car. It had long gangly legs and a giant head. Wilbur was quiet after his initial bark and just stared curiously through the window. I wondered how long it would take Graham to get here.

  Only minutes after I’d sent my text, I heard the sound of approaching tires on the gravel. A moment later, Graham’s truck appeared. The moose turned and looked toward his truck. Graham drove right up to it and laid on his horn, causing the moose to meander off at a lazy trot. After a few minutes, he climbed out of his truck.

  I watched as he put a shotgun in a small compartment behind the seats. I held Wilbur’s collar as I opened the door a moment later. “Why did you have a gun?” I said by way of greeting.

  “Because if t
he horn didn’t chase him away, I would’ve fired the gun. Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to shoot the moose.”

  He stepped through the door as I gestured him in and closed it quickly, locking it for good measure. “How often will I see moose?” I demanded.

  “Maybe every other day sometimes,” Graham replied with a chuckle as I looked up at him.

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded slowly, and my belly did a quick somersault. Jesus. This man was too hot for my sanity. His hair was rumpled, and he looked a little tired. He also smelled woodsy, and I wanted to kiss him all over again.

  I swallowed, ordering my traitorous hormones to get a freaking grip. “Thank you for coming over so fast.”

  “No problem.”

  Graham eyed me for a long moment as we stood there. Wilbur started sniffing around his feet, and Graham knelt briefly to greet him before straightening. “I should get home. Text if you need anything.”

  After he left, I wondered how I was going to keep my sanity with a neighbor like him.

  A week had passed since I’d sent out emails and completed some online job applications. When I opened my email to find one from an energy company in Anchorage, I let out a little squeal. They wanted me to contact them for a preliminary phone interview. Wilbur came running over, bouncing up and down by my feet.

  “Wilbur, I have a chance to get a job. This is great news!”

  I chuckled to myself. After being something of a workaholic for years, I’d been feeling restless. I needed to work, and I wanted to feel useful. My savings was only going to last me for so long. “I think this means coffee,” I said to Wilbur.

  He wagged his entire body in response. After taking a shower, I drove into town, my eyes landing on Willow Brook Fire & Rescue as I drove by. I wondered if Graham was at work. My forays into town had demonstrated several things. Everyone knew everyone here, and nobody hesitated to be nosy without me even introducing myself. People seemed to know that I lived in my grandfather’s old place. More than one person had commented on Graham being my neighbor and further that he was a firefighter, a nice guy, and a single father.