Nate elbowed Will in the side. “It’s a calendar. For charity, to help rebuild Tulip’s Tribute without Preston’s mom getting her rich hands all over it.” I didn’t know what most of that meant, so I just nodded.
“Okay. And you’re heroes because of your jobs, or for stepping up to be naked for charity?”
Scott spat his beer out, spraying everyone at the table. “What the hell, Stevie? We’re not naked!”
I shrugged. “Too bad, because that’s a calendar I would pay good money for. I mean, you guys are handsome, but tell me you’re at least shirtless?” I looked around at each of them, easily picking out who was brave enough, or would easily gave in to the photographer. “Interesting.”
Jase frowned. “No one said anything. What’s so interesting?”
“How many of you agreed to take your shirts off for a good cause. It’s admirable. Really, it is.” I tried to hold in the smirk, but they were all shifting in their seats and looking wildly uncomfortable, and I couldn’t help messing with them. I raised my glass in the air. “To charity and the do-gooders that make the rest of us look bad.”
“Cheers!” They were loud and boisterous, and these men didn’t mind having a good time. The drinks flowed along with conversation and I got to know a little about each of the men. They were all flirts, even the ones who couldn’t stop talking about the women who owned their hearts. They loved to give each other crap and—it seemed to me, anyway—they had each other’s backs.
It was so damn sweet it almost gave me a toothache. But it was also kind of awesome and comforting, too. “What are you thinking about, I wonder?” Nate’s red brows arched in curiosity as several men left the table when a group of women walked in.
“Nothing in particular. How nice it must be to work and hang around with your best friends.”
He grunted. “It’s nice, but don’t let tonight fool you. We meddle, we push and we fight like hell. Most of the time we want to kill each other, but somehow, it all works out okay in the end.”
That was a nice sentiment, one I wasn’t all that familiar with. “I’ll have to take your word for it.” I nodded over his shoulder to one of the dark-haired women from the community center bathroom. “There’s a beautiful brunette trying to get your attention.”
A smile lit up his face, turning him from gruff to gorgeous in a flash. “That’s Mikki.”
“Well, don’t keep her waiting.” To his credit, Nate hesitated for a second about leaving me alone before he pushed away from the table and took long strides towards his woman. I watched, like the outsider I was, as he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her like they were alone. Like no one else was watching.
Then again, no one else was, because they were all busy with friends and loved ones. Everyone but me, anyway. So, I did what any sad sack did when surrounded by throngs of happy, coupled up people. “Buddy, another shot and a beer, please.”
“Make it two and put it on my tab.” I knew that voice better than any but my own, at this point.
“No need. I can pay for my own drinks, but you can stay if you want.” No point in letting the boss think he could push me around when I was off the clock.
“Of course you can, but the offer was real. A welcome-to-Tulip shot and beer.” He flashed his handsome, boyish grin, one I was sure made him irresistible to both young and old ladies alike. Even this lady, a little.
I rolled my eyes at his attempt to be cute. “Fine, you can buy me this shot and this drink. No more.”
Scott held his hands up in defeat, the look of innocence on his face nowhere near believable. “I wouldn’t dream of offending you by offering to buy you more than two drinks.”
“One drink,” I clarified. “Everyone knows a shot and a beer together are one drink. Right, Buddy?”
The gruff bartender nodded as he set our drinks in front of us and gave a shrug before ambling down to the other end of the bar to serve a few new arrivals.
“See?” I said. “Buddy knows what’s up.”
He gave me a half smile that said he was amused by me, and I didn’t know whether to be flattered or annoyed by that. “You’re a strange cookie, Stevie, you know that?”
“I do, but it’s always nice to hear.” He let out a low chuckle of amusement and I let the sound bounce off me, pretending it didn’t have my blood vibrating at a molecular level. “You don’t have to keep me company, Scott.”
He shrugged. “I know.”
Okay, then. “I don’t need to be kept company.”
“Neither do I.” He turned to face me and I kept my gaze steady on the wall of booze behind the bar, refusing to give in to the discomfort that his interrogating stare caused. “A booth just opened up. I’ll answer embarrassing questions about myself if you will.”
I turned to him, a slow smile curling my lips. “I don’t do embarrassing.” His shoulders fell and I smacked another bill on the bar. “Another round of shots please, Buddy. But I’ll answer personal questions for the chance to find one that embarrasses you.”
His lips twitched as he stood and motioned for me to follow him. “I’ll keep that in mind, but why don’t we start simple. Where are you from?”
“All over Texas,” I replied quickly. He arched his brows at me, knowingly. “Fine, I was born and raised on a small farm in Gary, Indiana. Then I grew up on a farm in Lubbock. After that, we moved around a lot.” There wasn’t much to tell, but I could tell it wouldn’t satisfy his curiosity. “Dad sold the farm shortly after Mom died, convinced a woman couldn’t do the job. We moved a lot after that.” That wasn’t the whole story, but it was all he would get and, thankfully, Scott was able to take a hint.
“I’m from Tulip,” he offered easily.
Too easily. “No kidding. Were you raised by Eddy?”
Scott shook his head, but a wistful smile spread across his face. “Yes and no. I spent a lot of time with Eddy because my parents traveled a lot. Dad is an equine specialist and Mom is a rodeo coach. When it became clear I wasn’t going to work with horses, they agreed I needed to focus more on my studies. Eddy was happy to have me.”
“I’ll bet. She’s kooky as hell but, man, I bet she gets stuff done.” She managed to get me here and someone keep Scott from firing me without even showing her face in the office once this past week.
“That’s a pretty grown-up decision for a kid to make.” Maybe he wasn’t as golden as I thought.
“It was either that or choose something made me unhappy.”
That surprised me. “You seem more of the go-along-to-get-along type, just to keep the peace.” I could see Scott grinning and bearing it, just because he thought it was the right thing to do. “Color me surprised.”
“You think I’d choose to be miserable?” He snorted a laugh. “You really do have a bad opinion of me.”
“Not miserable, per se, but I think you’d do something that didn’t satisfy you under the guise of doing the right thing. Whatever that is.”
“Maybe you’re right about that, I don’t know. Siblings?”
I blinked at the quick topic change. “A couple step-siblings, maybe more. I’m not really sure.” I hadn’t spoken to my dad in years and the last time I did, he hadn’t been able to stop talking about the newest addition to his family. His, not ours. “You?”
He barked out a laugh. “It’s just me and my older brother Tyson, he’s the sheriff. My parents didn’t spend enough time together to make me a big brother, too.” He grinned but I could see the disappointment still swimming in his eyes.
“But they both work with horses.”
“Yes, but dad works on Olympic horses, dressage and all that, while mom is a rodeo girl.” He smiled easily when he talked about his parents, but the tension never left his eyes or mouth, giving away his truest, most deeply-held feelings about his parents.
“Impressive.” I stared at him and remembered the old ladies. “Never married?”
“Nope. You?”
“Nope. Why not?”
He shrugg
ed. “Vet school took up most of my time and, in case you haven’t noticed, I grew up with most of the women in this town. They’re either good friends of mine or my parents’.”
That would make dating hard and getting some nookie downright impossible, unless you were creative. “Bummer for you.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Stevie.”
I blinked innocently. “I would never, ever dream of worrying about a doctor. They know everything, they’ll be fine.” I blinked and he laughed and the sound was deep and rich, like expensive chocolate.
I had to suppress a shiver.
“Good. Glad we understand each other.” Scott flagged Buddy down and I realized more than a couple empty bottles and shot glasses now littered the table. “Why the tattoos?”
“Each one means something to me. A struggle or fight or success. Some people document with photos and souvenirs, I do it with body art.” His gaze seemed less bothered by it now and more… I don’t know, curious, I guess.
“I never thought of it like that.” His finger traced the little bird over the inside of my right wrist. “This?”
I sighed. “A hummingbird. They work incredibly hard just to survive, but all the while, they’re thriving. Fighting off predators and living life, all while constantly fighting just to stay alive. It’s admirable.”
Scott’s look had softened as he looked at me and it was making me feel funny as our gazes connected in a long, sizzling-hot moment.
“Here you are,” Buddy grunted at both of us, breaking the curtain of sexual tension swirling around us.
I frowned. “We didn’t order wings and fries.” At least I didn’t.
“I know, but you’re both guzzling back drinks like you’re fish. Eat this and give me your keys. Now.” Buddy looked like a no-nonsense kind of guy, so I pulled them out and dropped the keys in his hand.
“Thanks, Buddy.”
“Anytime, Stevie. This is the last drink for both of you.” His gaze bounced from me to Scott, waiting for our acceptance before he left us alone.
“Holy crap, we just got in trouble.” I giggled, feeling giddy for some weird reason.
Scott looked around and frowned. “No wonder. We practically shut the place down.”
“I guess I’m better company than even I realized.”
His green eyes met mine and though I couldn’t figure out his expression, I was trapped in his gaze. “Without a doubt.”
I rolled my eyes and ignored the pleased feeling that rippled through me at his words. I would not be charmed by Scott. Or flattered. Or any of the other emotions that caused women to go all giggly and flirty. Nope. No way, no how—and definitely not with the boss. “You’re not totally boring either, Scott.”
“Thanks. I think.” His laugh was so damn soothing, like whiskey and honey in a steaming hot mug of tea.
“Out of questions?” We hadn’t even gotten to the good stuff yet and he’d barely blushed. Maybe four or five times throughout the night. Maybe.
“For tonight, I think I am.” His gaze was thoughtful and long, as if he was looking right past me and into some other time in his life. It forced at least a dozen more questions to the surface, all of which I refused to ask because that would get me involved. Too involved than I was ready to be in Tulip just yet.
But I could see that Scott had had too much to drink and everyone but Buddy had already gone home, which meant it was time for the Good Samaritan version of myself to kick in. “All right, Doc, let’s get you someplace you can zonk out for a few hours.”
He frowned and glanced around the empty bar. “I’m going home.”
“Maybe, sure. In a few hours. There’s no way either of us will make it out to your place before morning, unless you have an in with local law enforcement to exploit?”
“I could call, but then we’d have a lot of explaining to do, not to mention the risk that Eddy might show up and we’d end up in a hotel room in Alabama together.” He shook his head. “No, thanks.”
“Well, maybe you have friends you can crash with, but I don’t, so thanks for the company and I’ll see you in the morning, Scott.” I stood from the booth, feeling a little wobblier than I had a few seconds ago. I gripped the table and paused a moment to get my bearings. “Okay. Good night.”
The night air was chilly and a gentle breeze swayed, but I had enough booze and spicy wings inside of me to keep the chill at bay until I found a way back to Scott’s guest cottage.
“Stevie, wait up?” I turned in the middle of the parking lot and found Scott’s big body jogging my way.
“Afraid to walk the tough streets of Tulip alone?”
He let out another of those snort laughs I was slowly growing addicted to. “Something like that. You gonna protect me?”
I shook my head and fell into step beside Scott’s much bigger frame. “You’re big enough that I imagine few people ever try to be big shots.”
“You’d be surprised. When I first left the NFL Combine, plenty of people wanted to take a shot at me. Maybe it’s my size or just giving up on what most people see as a dream come true, but plenty of drunk idiots wanted to have a go. They wanted to fight or race me, or even do a quick scrimmage, if you can believe it.”
I barked out a laugh at the ridiculousness of man, but I hadn’t forgotten the bomb he’d just dropped. “It’s Texas, of course I believe people wanted to fight you for quitting the NFL. Why did you?”
He shrugged. “The idea of putting my body through that for the next twenty years, if I’m lucky, was less and less appealing as the days wore on. Then I got my acceptance to a DVM program, and everything became clear.”
“DVM?” I was starting to suspect there was more to Scott than a pretty face and a strait-laced attitude.
“Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.”
“Impressive,” I sang playfully, but the truth was that it was impressive. He’d given up on a ton of money to do something he loved. Something that mattered to more than just him, to more than the spreadsheets.
“You think so?”
“I do. Careful, Scott, or I just might start liking you.” I smiled up at him, knowing the truth was that I already liked Scott plenty. He was a good boss, a caring doctor, and a nice man. Plus, he was a delicious piece of man candy—what’s there not to like?
“You already like me.” I saw the intent in his eyes the moment the low timber of his voice hit me right in the chest. He took a step forward. “You might not want to, but you do.”
He was right, but I was no longer an impulsive little girl. “Maybe I do, but this is a bad idea,” I told him, motioning between our bodies that were now much too close for any kind of logical thinking to take place. “A very bad idea.”
“Probably.” He stepped in closer and his big hand cupped one side of my face, warm and slightly calloused. “But right now, it seems like the best idea I ever had.” Then, before I could think better of it or protest in any way, Scott’s lips were on mine. They were strong and firm, surprisingly soft for a man his size. And holy hell, the man knew exactly how to use them.
The top one was a little plumper than the bottom, giving me plenty to savor when our lips met, following by tongues and teeth, and then bodies. Right there on the side of the road, I made out with Dr. Scott Henderson like a horny teenager who was already late for curfew. Instead of pulling back, I leaned in breathlessly and deepened the kiss, intensified it like I was a starving woman and he was a tall drink of water, well, because… he was.
A car siren sounded in the distance, pulling us back like two guilty people who’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. “What was that?” He looked as bewildered as I felt and I couldn’t help but grin.
“I believe that, dear Scotty, was a kiss. A hell of a kiss, at that.” That kiss had stolen my breath and rocked me to my core, but I managed what I hoped was a flirty smile.
“No shit,” he grunted and pulled me against his side as a truck slowed beside us on the road.
So, the g
ood doctor wasn’t as much of a straight arrow as he appeared.
Very interesting.
Scott
Three days had passed since the kiss that had rocked my world, and I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Or Stevie, damn her. After putting up with more crap than I wanted to deal with from the sheriff, Ty—who did his big brother diligence and gave me plenty of shit for getting caught making out with a girl on the side of the road—gave us a lift home. The ride had been short and tense, and I would have given anything to know what was on her mind.
In fact, when I woke up the next morning after arranging a ride for us to get our cars, she was already gone. Had picked up her car without a word, and when I got back home, she was parked behind the guest cottage. It was Wednesday morning and I’d given her plenty of time to come say something, anything, about ‘The Kiss’, because that was how I’d been thinking about it. Pretty much nonstop. So far, Stevie had defied the odds and kept whatever she was feeling to herself.
It was a curse and a relief.
A sharp, efficient knock sounded on the door and I sat up, alert. “Come in.”
The door opened and Stevie stood there, her mass of black hair tied back into a high ponytail that never stopped moving and her plump pink lips drawing my gaze against the backdrop of her milky skin. She had black stuff on her eyelashes that made them look a mile long, but otherwise, Stevie looked like… Stevie. She wore a lavender t-shirt that hugged her tits and barely brushed the top of her fitted jeans. Really fitted jeans that pulled my eye to the curve of her hip, the dip between her thighs. “There’s some kind of emergency in Peak’s Ridge. Neglected, possibly abused animals. At least two.”
So much for those thoughts. I was on my feet, fast. People in this part of the world treated their animals kindly and often relied on them for their livelihood, but some people fell on hard times, and others—well, others were just assholes and mistreated animals because they could. “All right. Grab a couple emergency rescue kits and meet me at the truck.”
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 35