Love Is In the Air Volume 1

by Susan Stoker

  He turns his head to glare at me. “Why do you know who her best friend is, Kalen?”

  I swear his chest puffs up in an effort to look more intimidating. Does he really think I’m interested in a college student?

  “Really? I’m not going after your girl, and honestly, I find it sad that I know who’s friends with who. This town is too small.” I’m not really complaining. The size of the town has only helped me where McKenna is concerned.

  But really, why haven’t I thought about going to McKenna’s best friend to try to get an in with the woman? My cousin may be ignorant most days, but this is genius.

  My eyes dart all over the park, looking for the brunette I remember seeing her with at the bar.

  “—and we just started talking. She mentioned—hey are you even listening to me?”

  “What?” Man, he’s worse than Justin when he needs attention.

  “I ran into Kinsley in line in the cafeteria. She said her calendar cleared up because Oakleigh was working part time at the bookstore.”

  “Dude.” I angle my head. “The girl was flirting with you.”

  “She won’t even look at me unless I’m Lenny.”

  “Not Oakleigh you idiot, Kinsley.”

  “She wasn’t,” he argues.

  “Do you know anything about women?” He frowns as if he really has to think about it. “A woman doesn’t tell you she has an open calendar unless she’s wanting you to fill it.”

  “But I like Oakleigh.”

  “Jesus, dude, really? You don’t have to date Kinsley because she flirted. And I know what that look means. You can not tell Oakleigh that you’re Lenny.”

  “She might talk to me if she knew.”

  “If she knew, you’d be in breach of your contract with the school, and if you lose your scholarship, you’re out.”

  “It may be worth it. There are lots of colleges in Austin.”

  “Any that Oakleigh go to?” He frowns. “Exactly. You’re just going to have to woo the girl the old-fashioned way.”

  “With like goats and stuff?”

  “What?” I huff a laugh, because seriously, we aren’t but nine years apart and I feel like he’s talking a different language.

  “A dowry.”

  This idiot. “Dowries are paid by the woman’s family, you idiot. I mean the old-fashioned way like smiling, flirting, putting yourself in her path. Talking to her. That sort of thing.”

  “Sounds like a lot of work.”

  “Most girls worth fighting for are,” I mutter, my eyes landing on McKenna as she walks across the park.

  I shove Collins away with one final push toward the table set up by the local bookstore and smile as she approaches.

  She has a soft smile on her face, but I think it’s for Justin’s benefit since he seems hell-bent to drag her all the way over here.

  “Ms. Kaiser,” I say when she’s close.

  The wind ruffles her hair, and I take a deep breath. She smells like… goats? Or is Collins mention of a dowry somehow stuck in my head?

  “What’s that—” My nose scrunches, and once again she doesn’t look impressed. “Hey, buddy. Where’s your mom?”

  McKenna looks around nervously, releasing Justin’s hand and taking a step back.

  “She’s getting lemonade and cookies, but the guy at the stand keeps asking her to go to dinner. The poor fool can’t take a hint.” Justin shakes his head, and I swear he’s a parrot, mimicking everything he hears because Kristina said that very same thing about the guy at Knead Pizza last week. The thing is my sister doesn’t understand men who have no problem dating a single mother, and that’s on the damage her ex did to her.

  “I’m going to…” McKenna hitches a thumb over her shoulder, suddenly becoming uneasy. “I just wanted to make sure he didn’t get lost.”

  “Who?” I ask.

  “Justin.” She points to him as he darts away with a couple of friends from school. “Shouldn’t you go after him?”

  “He’ll be fine,” I assure her. She’s new to town, but everyone here—well, mostly everyone—pays close attention to everyone, including the kids. Not only do they do it to keep them safe in our wonderful, little, small town, but they’re always looking for a reason to gossip. If Justin so much as picks his nose, we’ll hear about it before dinnertime.

  “Have you convinced her to go out on a date with you yet?”

  Did I mention how annoying sisters are?

  “We weren’t—that’s not what we were doing. I was—” McKenna rakes a flustered hand over the top of her head and it suddenly hits me why she’s been distant. Okay, that’s a cocky thought, and probably not the only reason since I seem to muck every conversation with her up, but this woman thinks Kristina and I are in a relationship.

  After shuddering at the mere thought of dating my sister—our town is small, but we aren’t backwoods small—I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face.

  “Keep giving me shit, and I’ll tell Mom about the time you snuck out to go skinny dipping with the Tate brothers.” I angle my head in the direction of the two guys who haven’t changed much since high school. Ronnie is picking corn out of his teeth with a meaty finger while Donnie is running a hand through his unruly hair and waggling his eyebrows as Marlene, the owner of the corner store, walks past him.

  Just as I suspected, McKenna’s eyes dart between us, putting two and two together.

  “I swear they didn’t act like that when we were in school,” Kristina rushes to explain before turning her glare back on me. “I’m the older sister—”

  “By five freaking minutes,” I hiss.

  “And you’ve been ratting me out since we were born. Here, McKenna, let me show you a picture from our senior year spring break.”

  “Kristina.” I growl a warning as my sister reaches for her phone.

  In my defense, that picture was taken over a decade ago and I was extremely drunk. Who hasn’t worn a leotard and tutu while drunk? I mean, so what if I knew every word to Barbie Girl by Aqua?

  “Twins?” McKenna squeaks, pulling both of our attention back to her.

  “You didn’t know?”

  “I thought you were—Justin is—same last name—”

  “You thought—that’s gross!” I frown at my sister’s overreaction because yeah the idea is gross, but I’m not gross. I’m one hell of a catch to anyone who isn’t blood related.

  “Justin is my nephew,” I clarify, rolling my lips to keep from smiling at the shock on her face.

  “I thought you knew,” Kristina adds.

  “I didn’t,” McKenna says as her eyes find mine. “I thought—”

  “That my husband was hitting on you every chance he got.” Sympathy fills my sister’s eyes. “That’s why you made the home visit last week?”

  “I was concerned, but then I got there, and everything seemed find. It made me think that you weren’t together and just really good at co-parenting, but it’s still messy. I didn’t want—” She clamps her mouth closed as if she realized she said too much. “I’m going to go back to the animal pen.”

  “I’ll walk you. Justin is trying to get that little girl to do a headstand in her Easter dress,” I say, glaring at my sister before giving McKenna my full attention.

  “Jesus.” Kristina huffs before turning to run after her deviant kid. “Justin Wayne Alexander! Stop right this minute.”

  I chuckle. “My sister has her hands full with that one.”

  “He’s an incredible little boy, if a little misguided sometimes.” Her lips form a weak smile, but her eyes stay pointed to the ground as we walk across the park.

  “You really thought I was Justin’s dad?”

  She shrugs. “I see a lot of the same mannerisms. He’s cocky. So are you.”

  “I guess he kind of sees me as a father figure. His dad took off before he was born.”

  “So, twins? Any other siblings?”

  I don’t want to talk about my siblings, but I’ll take an in wh
erever she offers. At least she isn’t frowning at me and shooting me down.

  “We have an older brother, Miles. He was in the Marine Corps for a while. He’s settled in New Mexico. He’s a member of a motorcycle club and has a son of his own.”

  “But you’re from here?”

  “Born and raised,” I answer. “Some people leave and never look back. That’s what Miles did. He comes around for holidays occasionally. We talk on the phone every couple of weeks, but he has no interest in living here again. Kristina and I left for college, and for some reason were drawn right back here. Small-town life just fits us, you know?”

  McKenna hums in agreement.

  “What about you? We’re literally a tiny dot on the map. How did you find Lindell?”

  “I was looking for a job. One opened up here. I came from Dallas.”

  “Wow. So, this place is a huge culture shock to you, huh?”

  “You could say that.” The wind rustles her hair once again, but she pushes the strand out of her face before I get the chance to. “At first I hated it. The selection is so thin. One store, one salon, one pizza place, one tiny diner. The coffee place doesn’t have a drive-thru. That guy at the gift shop is always trying to sell me a bong when I go in there. It’s just different, but then I took the time to actually look around me, and I realized these people are genuine. They don’t smile at you when you walk down the street because they feel obligated. They’re actually happy to see someone. That little old man at the post office helped me carry my packages inside the other day.”

  “Watch out for Old Man Hinkle,” I warn. “Have you caught him talking to the tree yet?”

  “The raccoon?”

  “What?”

  “The raccoon that lives in the big tree outside the post office?”

  “There’s a raccoon?”

  “He said there was, but I’m a city girl. I know better than to go approach a wild animal. I just nodded my head and smiled when he told me about it.”

  I dart my eyes in the direction of the post office, but we’re too far away for me to verify right now. I’m certain the geezer is full of it, but maybe I am wrong.

  “Marlene at the corner store started stocking my favorite candy bar. I mean she keeps them in the back but—”

  “What’s your favorite candy bar?” I ask, my hackles going up because I went just yesterday to get a—

  “Choco snaps,” she answers.

  “That dirty old bag,” I mutter.

  “Hmm?”

  “Oh nothing.” If I have to miss out on my favorite candy because McKenna is eating it all, then it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. At least until I see Marlene again. That woman has some explaining to do. “Brothers and sisters?”

  “I have—”

  “Oh, this way,” I urge, steering her away from the Tate brothers before they set their eyes on her. If she thinks my flirting is aggressive, she hasn’t seen a thing.

  “Thanks,” she says, thinking I was helping her avoid a swarm of people fighting over who’s next in line for a funnel cake. “I have a lot of cousins, but no siblings.”

  “Will you go out with me?”

  “I don’t think—” Her mouth closes as she looks around. We’re behind the vendors’ area. The only people who are going to witness my next rejection are the vendors running back and forth to vehicles to resupply during the lunch rush.

  “Then don’t think,” I say as I step closer.

  Her back hits the chicharron food tent, but I’m willing to look past the sound of frying pig fat if she is.

  “Just say yes.”

  “Kalen, I—”

  “One date,” I beg. “I want to show you that I’m not some bumbling idiot.”

  “That’s not a good idea. You’re—”

  “The uncle of one of your students?”

  “Right,” she whispers, like it’s going to take a little more time to come to terms with that after thinking since day one that I was his father.

  “I’ll think about it, but I—”

  I press my mouth to hers because I just have to. I can no longer stand here and watch her perfect lips make excuse after excuse after excuse.

  There’s no tongue—much to my dismay—but there is passion, fire, and so much chemistry it makes a groan rumble from my constricted chest. She clings to me, coming up on the tip of her toes to press harder, a tiny little whimper that does crazy things to my body escaping her lips.

  Then she shoves me away, her eyes wide like we just got caught naked in the park by Sheriff Hodson.

  I grin at her.

  “That was nice.”

  “That was sneaky,” she argues. “I thought the kiss didn’t happen until after the date.”

  “So, there will be a date?”

  Her eyes dart all around as if she has to verify for a second time that no one saw us. I could open my mouth and tell her that nothing happens in this town without at least one witness, but she’ll find that out soon enough.

  “I didn’t agree to a date.” Her hands begin to straighten her shirt like I mauled her.

  I’m going to blow this girl’s mind if she thinks for a second that was wild.

  “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “I didn’t agree to a date, Kalen Alexander,” she snaps.

  But just before she disappears around the tent, her eyes find mine once again. They sparkle with mischief and promises, and I realize that after so much time and so many fails, I’ve finally got my foot in the door.

  A Note From The Author

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  SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER TO HERE TO GET THE EXCLUSIVE NOVELLA!

  Griffen’s Mission

  Ivy Layne

  1

  Hope

  "Hope." Griffen's urgent whisper had my eyes peeling open to a bedroom wreathed in shadows. "Hope, wake up."

  "What time is it?" I groaned out the question. I'd gone to bed early as usual, but that didn't mean I wanted to wake up early. Definitely not 'middle of the night' early.

  "Just after four," Griffen said, his voice a low rumble. "I need you to get up."

  Panic spiked through me. Get up? Why? Before I could ask, Griffen was sliding his arm behind me, lifting me into a sitting position and guiding my arms into the sleeves of my robe. Was there trouble? Again?

  I flashed back to everything that had gone wrong in the last few months. The time Griffen was almost run over. The guy who'd tried to shoot him and had shot our car, flipping it and putting me in the hospital. The attack meant for Griffen's brother that had almost killed one of our closest friends.

  The Sawyers had plenty of trouble coming from all directions. I'd thought we were in a lull, but every quiet moment had to end sometime. Was this the end of ours? All I could think was, No. Not yet. Please, not yet.

  Heartstone Manor was locked down tight. No one got in or out without the security team knowing. If there was a mouse lurking in the pantry, they knew about it. I was under constant guard. I couldn't remember the last time I'd truly been alone except in our private rooms. Even then we weren't really alone. Not in a house filled with family and staff.

  I wasn't complaining. Not really. I'd spent enough of my life feeling alone. Surrounded by family wasn't the worst thing in the world, even if I was feeling more than a little stifled lately.

  With a defeated sigh, I took over tying the belt of my robe. "Did someone break in again?"

  Griffen flashed me a grin, his green eyes catching the moonlight. "No one broke in. We're breaking out."

  What? "Breaking out? We can't—"

  Griffen pressed a quick kiss to my lips, stopping my words. "Do you trust me?"

  "You know I do. But—"

  Another quick kiss. "Then let's go. It's later than I planned." Taking my hand, he led me through the bedroom. "The car's ready. We just have to get there without getting caught."

  Cau
ght? By who? I didn't ask, all my attention on not tripping over something in the dark. Griffen stopped at the door to our suite and cracked it slowly, peering into the dark hall.

  "All clear."

  One hand holding mine, the other hand at the small of my back, he ushered me out of our room. He bypassed the wide staircase that descended to the front hall of Heartstone Manor, instead leading me to the back of the second floor and the hallway that connected the family and guest wings of the house. From there we could take the back stairs to the garage—assuming we didn't get stopped along the way.

  Sneaking out of a normal house in the middle of the night would be a piece of cake. Sneaking out of Heartstone Manor was a different matter entirely.

  For one thing, Heartstone Manor was the size of a small hotel and filled with almost as many people. Between Griffen's siblings and our security staff, the odds of running into someone were a little higher than in the average house, even at this early hour. I slid my bare feet along the silky hardwood floor, the hall dimly lit by wall sconces turned all the way down.

  I wanted to ask Griffen what he was up to, but I managed to keep my mouth shut. Barely. Questions later. First, we had to get to the car.

  Just as we turned the corner into the back hall, a low thump drifted through the dark, followed by a less-than-stealthy, "Shhhh."

  Griffen's arm snaked around my waist and dragged me back into the shadows in the corner. His lips at my ear, he breathed, "Don't make a sound." I held my breath, my body cradled in Griffen's arms, as we watched his youngest sister, Sterling, her platinum hair glowing in the faint light, as she half-dragged and half-pushed a tall, broad-shouldered man down the hall.

  Biting my lip, I twisted my head up to Griffen. Sterling's partner was obscured by the shadows, but I thought he looked familiar. I had no doubt Griffen knew exactly who he was. Sterling might think she was sneaking her lover out of the house, but the security team knew all.

  From our sheltered vantage point, we watched Sterling reach for the call button on the elevator at the end of the hall. Her partner snatched her hand back at the last second. "Not the elevator, Sterling. You'll wake the whole house." She pouted up at him, her lower lip pooched out and one eyebrow lifted high. When her lover pulled her into his arms and kissed the pout from her face, I watched in unabashed curiosity.