The question seems innocent, but I’ve been preparing for it for the last two days. I swallow and nod, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Custom made and designed. We have to have a certain percentage of work done by local people.” I pause. “What about Dominic Clarke? He’s talented –”
“Absolutely not,” my mother says, dropping the papers and leaning back. She shakes her head from left to right and lifts her hands up. “No. You want to hire that brute to work on our hotel? The one who ruined our chances of expanding the business? No.”
My father looks at my mother over his glasses and then glances back at the drawings. When he says nothing, I take a deep breath.
“Having the furniture maker in town would be –”
“No.”
The finality in my mother’s voice makes me stop. I nod once and take a sip of coffee. My heart is hammering in my chest and I try to keep my cheeks from burning. I knew it would be a battle to get them to hire Dominic, but it sounds like it’s not even an option. I take another sip of coffee and watch the dark liquid swirl in the cup.
I can feel my parent’s eyes on me, and I try to keep my face steady. Dominic was right. This whole thing is a bad idea. I should have listened to him – he lives here! I’ve been away from Lang Creek for ages. I’ve forgotten how things work around here. I should have listened when he told me it would never work.
Now I have to either hide it from my parents or convince them to hire their sworn enemy. I glance up at the two of them to see them staring at me. I force a casual smile and nod my head.
“I’ll do some research and find another local furniture maker,” I say.
My mother nods and purses her lips as she picks up her coffee mug. “We won’t have that savage anywhere near our business.” She pauses, glancing at my father with a raised eyebrow. “Will we, Tim?”
My father makes a noise in agreement, but keeps his eyes trained on me. He frowns slightly and stares at me for a few moments before turning back to the newspaper in front of him.
My heart is hammering in my chest. He knows something’s up. He can tell something is going on, but he just won’t say it. I throw back my coffee and get up, nodding to my parents and grabbing the papers before shuffling out of the dining room.
By the time I’m in the office, my head is spinning. I want to hire Dominic. Not only is he in town, he’s the most talented woodworker I’ve ever seen. And last night…
I need to see him again. I need to spend time with him. I’ve never felt as good as I did waking up next to him this morning.
My parents will come around. They’ll understand eventually. They’ll see that this feud between our two families is ridiculous, and it’s all our fault. If I hadn’t fallen in the river and if they hadn’t bought out the Clarke Transportation business, then none of this would have happened.
Dominic, Aiden, Ethan – they’ve done nothing wrong. They reacted exactly how a normal person would react if their father died and they were betrayed by the only other adults in their life. I can’t fault them for that. They were used exactly how I was used with Vincent.
I don’t know why I’m working for my parents now, or why I still want their approval. I don’t know why I’m here, or what I’ll do once these renovations are over.
I’m lost. The only thing that feels right is being with Dominic. The only thing that feels like it makes sense is spending time with him.
What if we could fix this? What if we could end this feud, and bring our two families back together? What if I could make a better name for my family, and show that I have integrity and that I have a heart?
I make it to my room and flop back down on the bed. I can still smell Dominic in my sheets, and I take a deep breath. I exhale as I close my eyes, imagining his hands all over my body.
I’m not ready to let that go. I’m not ready to give up yet another part of my life just because my parents said so. It’s time for me to live life for myself.
Chapter 17 - Dominic
When I deliver the finished table and chairs, it feels like there’s a sense of finality to it. They turned out well, and I’m proud of the work I’ve done. I drive back to the workshop and clean everything up. I put all my tools away and sweep the sawdust off the floor. I wipe the workbench down and stack the scraps of wood in the back of the shop.
Once everything is clean, I stand near the door and sweep my eyes around the room. It’s spotless, which is not the way I like my workshop to look. Usually I have a half a dozen projects going on, in various stages of completion.
The headboard I made the other day is leaning against the far wall, calling out to me like a beacon. Nothing else has come up, and right now it seems like my best and only option. I run my fingers through my hair and make the long walk to the other side of the workshop towards the headboard.
I run my fingers along the top of it, exactly how Ethan did. Exactly how Mara did. I look at the piece that I threw together and the corners of my lips start to lift up.
I want to take this job.
As much as I’ve been telling myself I shouldn’t, or I don’t want to, or that no one would approve, I know that I want to take the job. I want to spend the next few weeks working furiously and then have something at the end of it that I’m proud of. I want to collaborate with Mara and spend more time with her. I want to see her every day, to hear her laugh, and see that spark in her eye.
I want to do this.
I almost jump when I hear her voice behind me. I turn to see her in the doorway, grinning at me.
“Admiring your work?” She asks.
I chuckle. “Something like that.”
“I don’t blame you.” She’s wearing a flowing dress that falls just above her knees. It fits her perfectly, and I can’t help but stare as she walks towards me and puts her hands on my chest. I dip my chin down and press my lips against hers. Her hands slide up around my neck and we embrace as our bodies melt together. She pulls away and smiles at me.
“So, I have some bad news,” she starts.
My eyebrows jump up. “You don’t seem too upset.”
“Well, I’m not. The bad news is my parents don’t want to hire you.”
“Okay,” I respond. I wait for her to continue.
“The good news is, I don’t care.”
I laugh and wrap my arms around her waist. She interlaces her fingers behind my neck and lifts her eyes up to mine. I can see a spark of mischief in her eyes that I recognize from when we were kids.
“That’s very brave of you,” I say.
She tilts her head to the side and grins. “I’m a brave person.”
“I know you are,” I growl. “You’re here with me, all alone.” She grins as I dip my head down towards her and kiss her again, this time a little bit harder. I never knew it could taste so good to kiss a woman. I never knew that having someone in my arms could feel so right. I never knew what I was missing until she walked in to my workshop and offered me the world.
She presses herself against me and pulls my neck down towards her. I run my hands down her sides and around her body. I love the way she fits into me. She makes a little moan and my whole body trembles. I drag my hands down to her ass and grip it, pulling her closer to me. My cock is hard again, and I know she can feel it pressed up against her.
I lift her up and sit her down on the workbench. She yelps and giggles, keeping her arms wrapped around my neck.
“I want you,” I say. My voice is gravelly, and when I speak I see a spark in her eye. She grins.
“So take me.”
She reaches for her purse and I see her take out the unmistakable silver package of a condom. My heart starts pounding and I take it from her. In an instant, my pants are around my ankles and the condom is on. She wraps her legs around me and I reach up her skirt. My eyebrows shoot up and she laughs.
“No panties?” I breathe.
All she does is bite her lip in response.
I can’t take it anymore. I’m like an animal. My cock plunges deep inside her in one smooth motion and we both moan at the same time. Her walls stretch for me and I exhale as I enter her. I push myself deep inside her until we’re completely connected. Her fingers dig into my shoulders and she throws her head back in ecstasy. I stare at the curve of her neck as I drive my cock deeper and deeper inside her.
Anyone could walk in. Anyone could hear us through the wide-open door. She’s sitting on the workbench in plain view, with her legs wrapped around me and her dress pushed up around her waist. Anyone could catch me, Dominic Clarke, with Mara McCoy in the throes of passion – but I don’t fucking care. No part of me cares right now. All that matters right now is Mara’s pleasure and the heat building in the pit of my stomach.
When she comes, it’s too much for me. My orgasm explodes and I savor the feeling of her fingernails digging into my back. Pleasure floods my veins and I groan, letting myself go completely. She grabs onto me, resting her head on my shoulder as her legs are locked around my waist.
It takes a couple minutes for the breath to come back to my body. She lowers her legs and we separate as I discard the condom. When I pull my pants back up, she’s adjusting her dress. She flicks her eyes towards me and grins.
“Good morning,” she says with a laugh. “That was nice.”
“It was better than nice,” I respond. I tangle my fingers into her hair and bring my face to hers. I kiss her once more as she wraps her arms around my neck and presses her body against me.
I can’t get enough of this woman. She’s incredible and sexy and smart and funny… all I want to do is spend my days with her.
A little voice at the back of my mind is screaming that it’s a bad idea, but I can’t help myself. When she pulls away from me, she runs her finger along my jaw and scratches my beard. I close my eyes and groan. Her touch feels so, so good. Her body feels like it was made for me. Her kiss tastes incredible. I ignore that little voice and wrap my arms around Mara, bringing my lips to hers once more.
Chapter 18 - Mara
“You want to have some dinner?” he asks, nodding to the door. My eyebrows shoot up and a smile floats onto my lips.
“Are you asking me on a date?”
Dominic grins. “Is that allowed?”
“Treading on dangerous territory there,” I respond with a laugh. “What would my parents say?”
“Whatever they want,” he responds as he wraps his arm around my waist. “I’ll make you some food.”
“Can you cook?”
“I can try,” he responds with a laugh. He leans down to kiss me before pulling away. He gestures out of the workshop towards the cabin, and I follow his lead. Dominic puts his arm around me, resting his hand on the small of my back and a thrill passes through my spine. I can’t stop smiling.
When we get to the cabin, he starts a fire in the wood-burning stove as I look around. The cabin is small, but it’s impeccably clean. I wander over to a shelf and see a row of photos. I frown, pointing to one of them and laughing.
“I remember that day!”
Dominic glances up from the fire, closing the door to the stove. He walks over to me and I smell the faint smell of smoke on his clothes. He leans over to look at the picture and grins.
“The fair was in town. You started crying on the when a clown came up to you,” he says, glancing at me and chuckling.
My cheeks start to burn as I remember that day. I couldn’t have been older than seven or eight. I’d been so excited to go to the fair, but when I got there I was overwhelmed by the lights, and colors, and people, and I’d started crying.
“You won me a teddy bear,” I say softly. The memories of that day start flooding in and I smile. Dominic puts his arm around me.
“I just wanted you to stop your wailing,” he laughs. I laugh in mock outrage and smack his arm. He looks at me with soft eyes and nuzzles his nose against mine. “It’s nice to see you again, Mara.”
“I missed you. You and your brothers, I mean. After the accident.” Dominic keeps staring at the photo but his body stiffens beside me. I shake my head. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No,” he says. His voice is soft. “It’s okay. I missed you too. It was like all of a sudden we lost our Dad and you and your family.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. My eyes start to mist up and I look down at the ground. Dominic turns to me and tilts my chin up. His eyes are bright. For a few moments, he says nothing. The only noise is the popping of the logs in the fire. Finally, he shakes his head.
“Stop apologizing,” he breathes. “You did nothing wrong.”
“If I hadn’t been playing on the edge of the river…”
Dominic shakes his head. “Stop,” he whispers. “I told you, you did nothing wrong.” My eyes start to tear up and he wraps his arms around me. I melt into him and he rubs my hair and kisses the top of my head. Finally, he pulls away and looks at me again.
“I blamed you for Dad’s death for a long time. I thought you betrayed us. But Mara,” he pauses, wiping a tear from my cheek. “I feel so lucky that you’ve come back. I’ve just started spending time with you, but I already know that you’re an amazing woman. The biggest mistake my brother ever made was letting you go.”
The tears are streaming down my face and I make an awful sobbing, snorting sound. Dominic chuckles and wraps his arms around me again. He makes soft noises and holds me until my sobs slow down. Finally, he pulls away and looks at me with a glimmer in his eye.
“It’s worse than the carnival day in here,” he says.
I snort-laugh again and look at him through teary lashes. “Got any more teddy bears for me?” I ask. Dominic chuckles and slides his fingers into mine. He leads me to the couch and I rest my head on his shoulder. We watch the fire blazing in the stove for a few moments until I speak again.
“My parents used me too, you know. My engagement to Vincent – it was all part of a business deal. When the new hotel burned down last year, it all went to shit. Like an idiot I didn’t even realize what was going on. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like for you and your brothers. You were all so young…”
Dominic grunts. “Sorry about the hotel thing. That’s probably partly my fault.”
I laugh. “Is that an admission of guilt?”
Dominic turns his head towards me and I see the smile playing in his eyes. “Didn’t realize you were a lawyer as well as an interior designer.”
“I’m a woman of many talents,” I respond. His eyes spark and a shiver passes down my spine. I’ve learned to love his eyes. In the light of day, they look pale – almost hazel. When it gets darker out, or when he’s thinking, they get so dark they look like inky pools. Right now, his eyes are bright and they’re crinkling at the corners.
“If burning that hotel down brought you back here, then I’m not actually sorry at all,” he growls. My heart leaps in my chest and before I can answer he catches my lips between his. He runs his fingers through my hair and pulls me close. I wrap myself around him and press my body against his, loving how strong and solid he feels when he holds me.
We make love. Our bodies fuse together, and for the second time today I’m carried out of my body and into a tidal wave of pleasure. When he touches me, it feels like my skin is sparking and crackling. When he kisses me, it feels like my body is set on fire. When he enters me, I am complete.
For the first time in years, I’m completely at peace. Dominic Clarke doesn’t hate me. He doesn’t blame me for his father’s death. He accepts me for who I am and understands me in a way that no man ever has.
I’m more comfortable and at home with him than I have been anywhere else. His arms were made for me. His body moulds and curves perfectly to fit against mine. The evening goes by like a dream, with laughter and food and sex, and finally ends with a deep, blissful sleep.
In that little cabin on the edge of town, on a weekday evening like any other, I feel
like I’ve finally found peace and contentment.
Chapter 19 - Dominic
Mara is different than I remember, but she’s also the same. When we were kids, she used to be fearless but clumsy at the same time. Now, she’s still got that fire deep inside her, but it’s more tempered. She’s not as impulsive as she was when we were little. She’s graceful. She moves with purpose, and her intelligent eyes seem to take in more of the world than I knew existed.
She’s snoring gently beside me, and I watch her chest rise and fall as she sleeps. I brush a strand of hair away from her face and watch her for a few moments.
I’d never considered that her parents might have used her just like they used us. They were probably using her when they encouraged her to date Aiden. They’ve never wanted her to be happy – they just wanted my father’s business.
When he got sick, they didn’t need her to marry Aiden anymore. They could acquire my father’s business directly without waiting for the three of us to inherit it. They could get all of it instead of only a third. All they had to do was pretend they were buying it from us to help us with hospital bills.
I blamed Mara for a long time, and then I blamed Dad for not going to the hospital sooner. I blamed Mara’s parents for betraying us, and then I blamed myself. I was the eldest, after all. I should have known not to sell them the business.
Mara snorts in her sleep and shifts, making a small noise and going still again. I smile, pressing my lips to her forehead.
In all the years that I blamed the McCoys for our hardships, I’ve never considered that Mara could have suffered as much as us. At least my brothers and I had each other. Mara was on her own, with parents who didn’t care about her and half the town thinking she was to blame for my father’s death.
I wrap my arms around Mara and hold her close. My heart seems to grow in my chest as she sleeps against me, and all I want to do is keep her warm and safe. I fall asleep like that, with my arms holding her close. Our breath mixes together as we drift to sleep in my small bed.
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