Love So Perfect (The Lawson Brothers #5)

by Marquita Valentine

  That was unexpected. “I don’t know if I believe you.”

  His blue eyes gleamed. “That’s because I know you’ll like kissing me.”

  She leaned back in his embrace. “You sure are cocky. Is that an athlete thing?”

  “Nah. That’s a me thing.” His head dipped close to hers. “Remember to say no whenever you feel a need to, Harper.”

  His body pressed against hers more fully. The delicious weight of him made her sigh and wrap her arms around his neck. Full lips touched her throat, his lips partly open as they nuzzled her skin.

  She felt as though she were melting into him. Desire turned her bones into molten lava. A moan left her. Her nipples tightened. A hot rush of pure lust flooded her body until her knees became weak.

  “Harper, look at me, sweetheart.”

  Forcing her gaze on him, she leaned up to kiss him. He pulled back a little, the interior lights of the truck highlighting the color of his eyes. She’d never seen any so blue in color.

  Just go for it, Harper. Let the new year bring out the new you.

  “You can come inside if you want,” she said in a voice that sounded nothing like herself.

  Something flashed in his eyes, something that made him pause and made her flush hot with embarrassment. She struggled to get out of his embrace.

  “Hey, hey. I’ll let you go, but I didn’t hesitate because I don’t want to kiss you,” he said, and she stilled in his arms.

  “Why did you stop?”

  “Because I’m moving way too fast for a first date. We’re practically in the middle of Jessamine, and I’m not treating you like a lady.” Brushing his lips against her cheek, he straightened and pulled her with him to a standing position. “Trust me, I wanted to do more than simply kiss you.”

  “Maybe I wanted to do more than simply kiss, too,” she pointed out.

  He caressed her cheek, and then tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. Just like that, desire for him sparked again. “Maybe I’ll let you take the lead next time.”

  “Let me?”

  “Or I can stay in charge.”

  “Oh, please, Mr. Lawson. I let you think you’re in charge tonight.”

  “Swear to God, Harper, if you don’t stop being so sassy, I’ll be forced to kiss you senseless.”

  Letting go of him, she ducked under his arm and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Maybe next time, I’ll let you.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. It was such a guy thing to do and the sound... the sound was pure joy to her ears.

  “What time should I be here tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Libby likes to go in the afternoon, so three.”

  A rakish smile covered his face. “I’ll be here.”

  She started to walk away, but he stopped her with a light touch on her arm. “What?”

  “Can you promise me something?” he asked, all that charm formerly on display gone.

  “Depends on what it is,” she replied, unsure if this was another flirtation about to begin.

  “Please don’t Google my name, or... research me on the Internet.” He visibly swallowed, and then tucked his hands into his pockets. “I’d like for you to get to know the real me, not the one in the media. I hope you can do that.”

  “That’s it?” she asked.

  He nodded. “It’s a lot to ask, I know.”

  “Not for me, it isn’t.” Her heart went out to him. How hard it must be to truly have friends or even girlfriends without questioning their motives. “I don’t care how much money you make or how famous you are, Austin.”

  His eyes briefly closed. “That means a lot. Thank you.”

  “Except,” she began, and his face fell. “You are the brother-in-law of the reigning cotton queen. That’s hard to ignore.”

  A sexy smile curved up the corners of his lips. “Good night, Harper.”

  “Night.” With a dreamy smile on her face, she walked the rest of the way to her front door, unlocked it, and went inside. Libby ran around in circles, and Harper dropped to the floor to hug on her sweet pet.

  “Best. First. Date. Ever,” she said.

  Chapter Four

  “You look like hell,” Caleb said as they fed the cows from the back of a large dump truck that had been repurposed for jobs like this.

  Austin leaned on the handle of the pitchfork, taking his time to answer. Of all of his brothers, Caleb was the one he liked to spend time with the most. He never pressured him to be “on,” never expected him to be larger than life, and didn’t give him shit when he acted like an idiot. Well, he didn’t give him too much shit. They were brothers, after all.

  “Didn’t sleep well.”

  His brother paused in his work. “What’s on your mind?”

  “A woman.”

  “Harper Bell’s a nice girl.” Even if she weren’t, Caleb wouldn’t say any different.

  Austin cocked his head to one side. “Tristan text you?”

  “Saw it on Facebook.”

  Austin’s heart lurched. Finley had already spread the word. “Excuse me?”

  “Mason started up a private Facebook group, so we don’t have to actually come over or call him to share our news.”

  That sounded like his brother. Before, Austin would have chalked it up to Mason’s experience with the war, but now... he was almost one hundred percent sure that Mason did shit like that just to screw with them.

  “I guess I should be happy it’s private,” Austin grumbled.

  Caleb glanced up at the sky, and then back at him. “He said to tell you to post on there about your date with Harper. With pictures.”

  “You can tell him that I value my privacy as much as he does.” Wasn’t he a hypocritical ass? Hadn’t he texted Finley pictures of Harper so she could approve them?

  Reason number two that he hadn’t been able to sleep. Finley had loved, with a capital L.O.V.E and a multitude of exclamation points, the images the server had captured. He could practically hear her squealing over Harper and the fact that she was an elementary school teacher.

  “Tell him yourself.” Caleb went back to pitching hay. “I don’t understand why no one is this family can communicate like normal people do.”

  This from the guy who hadn’t carried on a conversation lasting longer than five minutes in the past fifteen years? “You really want to die on that hill, brother?” Austin asked.

  Caleb pinned his blue eyes on him. They were icy cold, yet sad. His brother carried his grief with him like an old blanket. A tattered, stinky blanket that needed to be burned.

  “I’d give anything to have just one more conversation with Iris.”

  Austin exhaled, and then gruffly patted his brother on the back. “I know you would.” He couldn’t argue with a man who still grieved his wife, even if she had been dead for fifteen years. “Sorry for shooting off at the mouth.”

  Caleb nodded. “It happens. Now tell me why Harper’s on your mind so much that you’d get up at five am to help me feed the cows.”

  Austin hesitated. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Try me.” His brother spread one arm wide. “The cows and I won’t judge you. Much.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Austin dug his pitchfork into the hay and began to toss it over into the feeder. “We went out last night, and it was... exceptionally good.”

  “I hope you’re talking about the conversation,” Caleb muttered.

  “A Lawson keeps his lips zipped even if his pants aren’t.”

  Caleb eyed him for a moment. “Glad to know you can at least pay lip service to that bit of advice.”

  Austin grunted. He didn’t pay lip service when it came to keeping his trap shut. Until the viral video with Bianca, his private life was mostly private and the part that wasn’t kept under wraps was due to others talking, not him. “That’s not advice. It’s a damn rule, and you know it.”

  His brother elbowed him in the side. “Just yanking your chain.”

  “You feeling all right?” Austin couldn�
�t remember the last time Caleb had attempted to play around with him.

  Caleb frowned. “I can’t tease my little brother?”

  Shit. He hadn’t meant to insult Caleb. “Sure you can, but I didn’t expect it, is all.”

  “Like Harper?” Caleb asked.

  “Yeah, like Harper.”

  “Sometimes, the best things in life are unexpected.”

  “More like rarely are the best things in life unexpected,” Austin said, thinking of the video that had gone viral. Besides, he’d orchestrated their date. However, his reaction and his attraction to her had been completely unexpected

  “Which means that having someone like Harper come into your life is precious.”

  “Hate to break it to you, brother, but it was just a date. I’m not looking to settle down.”

  Caleb gave him a look. “Then what are you planning? Harper’s not the type to date around, McCoy for a mother or not. If she were, you’d have nothing to worry about, and you sure as hell wouldn’t be here.”

  Austin supposed there could be worse things his brother could jump to conclusions over. Using Harper to boost his image was one. A big one. “Doesn’t matter to me if she’s a McCoy or a Hatfield. Besides, Tristan and Lemon have merged our two families enough to last a lifetime. No more grudges or feuds.”

  “So you won’t go out with Harper again?” Caleb asked.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Frustrated, Austin managed to lob a chunk of hay onto a cow’s head. He groaned, but the cow didn’t seem to mind. “I don’t know.”

  “Hmmm.”

  Austin narrowed his eyes. “You are not helping.”

  “Was I supposed to be?”

  “Damn it. Now I know why Mason doesn’t like anyone talking about their feelings and shit.” Keeping clear of the sides, Austin jumped down from the back of the truck and began to march to his truck. “Feed the damn cows yourself.”

  “Don’t forget to post about your date,” Caleb called out.

  “Fuck Facebook,” Austin muttered.

  “Stop cursing. You’re going to make the cow’s milk curdle.”

  “Those are beef cattle, Caleb. I was in 4-H, just like everybody else in this family,” he shot back.

  Caleb’s reply was muffled by more cows showing up and mooing. Hell, his brother was probably talking to them and had forgotten all about Austin by now.

  Making a quick detour to the barn, Austin hung up the pitchfork and cleaned off his boots. He might have been raised on a farm, but no way in hell was he tracking shit into his truck or his house.

  Five minutes later, he was back on the road and headed to his waterfront house on the opposite side of town. Luckily, he wouldn’t be seeing Harper until two. He hoped the hours in between would be enough so that he could be in a better mood.

  She didn’t deserve his orneriness. Although, he suspected it was a Lawson family trait and one that whomever he ended up with would have to deal with. Except he was pretty sure his sisters-in-law didn’t just deal with his brothers’ grumpy-ass moods. Mostly likely, they didn’t put up with it.

  What would Harper do?

  Shit, did it matter? Like he’d told Caleb, he wasn’t looking to settle down. He was twenty-five and in the prime of his career. Most quarterbacks lasted a little over four years, and he’d already used up two of his with the Avengers. Then again, he didn’t think of himself as most quarterbacks. He was sure he could make it until he was thirty, maybe even into his early forties like Farve. That man was a beast, one whose record he’d like to imitate.

  His phone rang, and he pressed the accept call button on the steering wheel to send it to Bluetooth. “Lawson.”

  “Have I told you how perfect Harper Maple Bell is?” Finley said in a tone of voice he hadn’t heard since they made the first round of playoffs.

  “Only in texts.”

  “Well, she is. I ran a background check on her, and nothing popped up. She’s squeaky clean.”

  “Great.”

  “You don’t sound happy.”

  “I’m thrilled.”

  “She’s not a stalker, not a serial killer, and has never had a ticket. How is this a bad thing?”

  “You didn’t have to do a background check on her to find that out. She’s from my hometown. Everyone knows everything about everyone.”

  “So... you won’t be seeing her again? I think she’s perfect for your PR boost. I couldn’t have picked a better beard myself.”

  His jaw worked. “She’s not a beard—I haven’t asked her to pretend to be anything for me.”

  “Ahh. I got you. Reunited lovers, huh? Didn’t see that one coming, but I can work with it.”

  “Nope.”

  “Damn it, Austin. When Coach and I sent you home, we didn’t mean you should stay completely off the radar. Okay, so I didn’t mean you should. Very limited and very purposeful times are key to—”

  “I’m cleared to volunteer at Jessamine Elementary.”

  “Perfect.”

  “In Harper’s classroom,” he added, braking for a red light. He exhaled. “Look, the thing with Harper just kind of happened. I think I jumped the gun a little. Went for a play that I shouldn’t have.”

  “Are you feeling guilty for going out with her? Because you shouldn’t. If anything, you’re doing—”

  “Don’t say another word.”

  “What I am saying is that there is no harm to Harper or you if the two of you go out and have a good time while being photographed together.”

  “I haven’t told her about the video, or why I asked her out. Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking of that when I asked her.”

  “Whatever it takes to get you to see things my way,” Finley chirped.

  Immediately, Austin became suspicious. “Why are so excited about this? You are never excited when any of us decide to publically date.”

  “Maybe because your job isn’t the only one on the line.”

  “Owners, huh?”

  “Yup. They don’t see a problem with the video, especially given the fact that you’ve never caused trouble before... and it’s bringing a lot of attention as well as ticket sales for next season.”

  “They want me back home.”

  “Yes, but I don’t think it’s right. The video was bad, no matter if it was your first time or not. She made you look like a first-class douche in that video, and no amount of volunteering with kids is going to change the public’s mind. They need to see you with a woman they can relate to—one who’s approachable and vulnerable. Someone who would make them think the video with Bianca was just a fluke... or one better, it would make them forget all about that video.” She sighed. “That’s my job, Austin, and if I want to make this a career, if I want to be taken seriously, then you have to let me do it.”

  “You just had to go there, didn’t you?”

  “Listen, I couldn’t save Timmons career from going up in flames, but I can yours. I know it, or you wouldn’t give a damn about my career. Besides, I’m not asking you to use her. I’m asking you to continue to see her and send some pics to me. Upload some to your Instagram. Let people think what they want.”

  He hit the gas with a little more force than necessary, but there was no one else on the road this early. “I’m not okay with your plan in the least.”

  “I hear a ‘but’ in your voice.”

  He might as well tell her the truth. “I actually like spending time with Harper.”

  Finley made a noise. “Tell me something I don’t know. It was all over your face in the pictures you sent.”

  “She’s not asking to be part of this, and I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “I fail to see how casually dating the woman could hurt her.”

  “She’s not the casual type,” he countered.

  “Even better! All you have to do is be your charming self for a few weeks.”

  “Two months is a lot longer than a few.”

  Finley
groaned. “Why did I have to get the smart jock?”

  A smile managed to appear on his face. “Same reason I got a ballbuster for a PR manager.”

  “I have to go, but you’ll figure out the best way to win this for both of us. You always do.” She ended their call.

  “Yeah, and sometimes it fucking sucks,” he muttered, flexing his fingers on the steering wheel.

  ***

  It was the time of the month that Harper dreaded most. The McCoy Luncheon. Yet, there was nothing she could do to avoid it because her mother always went, and Harper had to be there for support. Although, most of the time, it was Harper who was the punch line of every old maid joke. She endured it though because these special luncheons were only for a select group of McCoy women.

  Privately, Harper wondered if the reason they were invited was so that the successful McCoys could use them as examples of what not to do.

  “I don’t see Lemon or Viola,” Pepper, her mother, whispered.

  “Maybe Viola’s taking care of Lemon. It can’t be easy being pregnant with twins,” Harper guessed.

  Ruby McCoy sat down at their table, and Harper inwardly braced for the worst. “At the rate you’re going, that’s not something you’ll have to worry about. Bless your heart.”

  Apple joined them, flicking her blue gaze at the blonde. “My, my, Cousin Ruby, those cankles of yours are positively hideous. Be a dear and find another seat, so I can eat in peace.”

  Ruby’s mouth opened in shock, but Apple merely raised a brow and waved her away. “Go on.”

  With a huff, their cousin got up and found another table.

  “Thank the Lord for small favors. I couldn’t stand that woman when we did cotillion together. She’s gotten worse.” Apple smiled at Harper. “Look at you.” She leaned over Harper and placed a hand on Pepper’s arm. “I swear, I am so jealous of Harper’s complexion, and that’s entirely your fault. Do tell me the secret.”

  Pleased as anything, Harper knew, her mother stammered a little. “Back in Holland Springs... there’s a family who makes the most divine soaps and lotions.”

  “The Holland Sisters. Yes, I’ve heard of them.” One of Apple’s brows arched. “Supposedly, they are so beautiful that men can’t help but fall at their feet, but that doesn’t seem right.”