Simply Love (Love Collection)

by Natalie Ann

  “I was used to it. I was probably five or six when they divorced. I lived with my mother, saw my father on the weekends. At least it started out that way. The older I got the more I didn’t want to be around either of them. When I was a teen I spent more time at friends’ houses than I did with my parents.”

  “Bet you couldn’t wait to go away to college.”

  “I went into the Army,” he said. “I spent a few tours there, then came home and took the State Trooper test. When I got in I ended up stationed close to home. About an hour away. It wasn’t far enough. This opening and promotion were just what I needed.”

  “So you don’t talk to your family much?” she asked. The waitress came over and took their salad plates, stating their food would be right out.

  “Not really. Not unless they want something. Out of sight, out of mind and I’m okay with that. How about you? Are you close with your family even though you said it’s complicated?”

  “I talk to my mother a few times a month. Not with my siblings as much or my father. Even when I was in town I didn’t see them as often and that was fine with me.”

  When their food arrived they stopped talking about their families and just dove into dinner. Conversation was lighter after that. Just talking about the area and places for her to check out.

  Once their food was cleaned up, she declined dessert, but they took a walk along the water while they waited for their lake cruise to start. She kind of hoped he would reach for her hand and hold it, but he didn’t. He probably wasn’t the type to hold hands. Oh well.

  After they boarded the boat and listened to the captain explain everything, they went and stood on the side to look out over the water and the mountains in the distance.

  The sun was starting to set and it was a sight right out of a romantic movie, the kind that she’d stopped watching years ago. Why bother when all it did was depress her?

  But when Blake reached his hand over and set it on top of hers, her heart felt like it was starting to rumble like thunderclouds in the distance. His fingers threaded with hers and that rumble turned into a full-blown summer storm. She loved nothing more than a good rainstorm.

  Happy for Her

  Two days later, Gemma was cleaning the house when her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was her mother and wanted to let it go to voicemail, but decided if she did her mother would just call her back. Best to get it over with.

  “Hi, Mom,” she said on the third ring.

  “Gemma, am I interrupting anything?”

  “No, just cleaning up. How have you been?”

  “I’m good. I realized I haven’t talked to you in over a week. Are you unpacked yet?”

  “I am. I was unpacked by the second day. I told you that when you asked.” Her mother never listened to her. She suspected the soap operas playing in the background were more important.

  “That’s right. I forgot. So you’re all settled in then?”

  “Pretty much. There wasn’t much for me to do. The place is furnished, so I just brought my clothes.”

  “What did you do with all your furniture from your apartment? I never did ask you that.”

  No, her mother didn’t. She never asked much at all. Just said she thought it was a bad idea for Gemma to take this job and move where she knew no one. It never occurred to her mother that she was all alone in the area she grew up in.

  “It’s all in storage. When I find a place of my own I’ll make arrangements to get it here. But for now I don’t need it.”

  “That’s such a waste of money,” her mother said, clucking her tongue.

  “It’s my money and it’s not a lot. No need to worry about it.” Her mother always found something to criticize.

  “Have you been doing anything else there, or just spending time alone and walking?”

  Her mother still thought she’d lost the weight by walking all the time. Sure, that was how Gemma started out losing the weight, but once she got stronger and a little thinner she didn’t feel so self-conscious about the gym.

  “I’ve joined a gym,” she said. “I go on hikes and I’m sightseeing. Trying to see what there is in the area to do. It’s been so long since I was here as a kid and it’s grown so much.”

  “It’s boring there. I haven’t been there in years myself. The last few times you spent time there with Julie she picked you up and brought you back, saving your father and me the grief of going there.”

  Her parents had never cared for coming here. They were annoyed the first time Julie made the offer and invited them up too. They did it because she begged her parents and they caved. One of the few times they ever caved when she asked for something. But after complaining about the lack of things to do here they never wanted to bring her again.

  “It’s different now. But you guys don’t like the peace and quiet so you wouldn’t like it much, I’m sure.”

  “Probably not, but Amelia suggested we come see you for a visit in August and I thought it’d be a good bonding time with the three of us. Just a girl’s weekend.”

  Figures she’d want to come because Amelia wanted to. Her mother would have said no if Gemma had suggested it. And as much as she wanted to tell her mother no, that it wasn’t a good idea, she’d never do that. She was still the kid that wanted her family’s approval. Hoping they’d see the changes she was making in her life and be happy for her.

  “Let me know what works for you,” she said and then hung up the phone a few minutes later.

  It’d been on the tip of her tongue to tell her mother about Blake. She wanted to tell someone she’d gone on two dates and with a sexy man that no one would ever picture her dating.

  But she couldn’t. Her mother would ask questions she wasn’t sure she could or would want to answer. Besides, two dates didn’t mean anything and by the time her mother visited it could be over with between them.

  Or worse yet, if it wasn’t, her mother would want to meet Blake and that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Or at least not around Amelia. No way. Amelia would tell Blake all of Gemma’s secrets that she’d rather he not know.

  She really hoped they were still dating in a few weeks. Because after their date on Saturday, when he brought her to her door and kissed her goodnight, those rumbles she thought were a summer storm were nothing like the heat and wind from the tornado building in her body.

  He’d pulled her in slowly, his hand going around the back of her neck, his mouth lowering, and she knew her breath caught like one of those silly women in the movies. She had to fight the urge to say, “Please kiss me, please kiss me.”

  She didn’t need to say it though because his lips lowered to hers, softly moving back and forth. Teasing her almost. Testing her more like it, she was sure.

  She’d been kissed before, and though it’d been a long time since, she hadn’t forgotten how, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into his rock-hard body. It must have been her move because then he nudged her mouth open and his tongue slid in.

  Oh man, she thought she was going to pass out so she clung onto him harder and longer, hoping he didn’t stop soon or let her go where she’d make a fool of herself crumbling to the floor.

  But he did stop a few minutes later, lifted his head and smiled at her. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” he’d said.

  “That’s funny. I’ve been hoping you would.”

  He ran his finger down her nose in a playful move and her knees almost buckled. Could he be any more perfect? “I’ll talk to you soon,” he said, then swaggered back to his truck.

  His “soon” was less than thirty minutes later when he texted her to say how much fun he’d had and that he couldn’t wait to see her again. They’d made plans for dinner tomorrow. She was cooking for him. And maybe if she was lucky, she’d get some more lip action.

  ***

  “So have you talked to Gemma again?”

  Blake turned his head to look at Matt, the trooper that was first on the scene at Gemma’s almost
two weeks ago. “What?” he asked.

  “I asked if you talked to Gemma Anderson again. You looked like you were flirting with her but she seemed shy and I was wondering if you got anywhere. If not I was thinking of stopping by to see how she was doing, but didn’t want to infringe on anything.”

  No one knew he’d gone out on two dates with Gemma and had another planned for tomorrow, but if he didn’t say something now, Matt would think Gemma was fair game and that sure the hell wasn’t happening.

  “I have talked to her and she isn’t fair game,” he said.

  When Matt laughed, Blake assumed he got the hint. “Point taken. Well, if things don’t work out, let me know.”

  “Don’t plan on it,” Blake said, glaring at him.

  Once Matt was gone, Blake went back to his paperwork, but his mind was drifting to Gemma. He was right, she was shy.

  Not that she kissed like she was shy. He had all he could do to turn away from her on Saturday night. That and control his body when she was pressed up against him. All soft and sweet and begging for more than she was probably aware of.

  He did the gentlemanly thing and walked away when if she was anyone else, he would have backed her into her place and taken her right on the couch.

  But, like he’d told her, he’d seen a lot of loose and desperate women in his life going in and out of his father and brother’s door. That wasn’t Gemma at all.

  There just seemed to be so much about her that he wanted to know—and he had a feeling she didn’t want him to.

  But he was good at digging and finding facts and he was determined to do that with Gemma, because he wasn’t going anywhere.

  Feel Wanted

  Blake pulled into Gemma’s driveway again. It was almost like deja vu, but in a good way.

  He parked next to her SUV and got out with the bakery box in his hand. He figured it was the least he could do since this was the second time she was cooking for him.

  And once again he didn’t even have to knock; she had the door pulled open for him. He was coming to appreciate that. Enjoy it even. It made him feel wanted in a way he’d never felt before.

  Not when he was a kid being shuffled from house to house or left behind.

  Not when he was in high school and trying his hand at steady dating and knowing that it wasn’t going to work. That the girls didn’t want anything more than to have fun when he was just looking for something stable. That deep down, he never really felt like he belonged anywhere.

  Not even in the service when he wanted the same thing. A familiar face to come home to on leave, or one to keep in communication with.

  He’d never had that in his life and had been desperately searching for it.

  He’d thought most women wanted to settle down and yet all he found were those that wanted to party. That wanted a good time. That wanted him for the thrill and action of being in the military and then in law enforcement.

  But here was this shy beautiful woman that was eagerly standing there smiling at him and welcoming him in with an awkward hug. He could tell she was unsure if she should greet him with that.

  Hell yeah, she should, and he made sure she knew it. “That’s a great way to say hi.” He hugged her back and gave her a kiss on the lips, then was rewarded with a little giggle and a dip of her head. She lifted her hand as if to push her hair away from her face, but then dropped it back down.

  “What do you have there?” she asked, frowning at him.

  “Cupcakes. I figured you were cooking, so I could bring dessert. Don’t you like dessert?”

  “What girl doesn’t?” she said, taking the box from his hand. “I just don’t indulge in it often.”

  “Let me guess, you would have worked out more if you’d known I was bringing it.”

  “Yes. But I guess I can have a few bites of one. Dinner is nice and healthy.”

  “I’ve never met someone as healthy as you. You don’t even drink, do you?”

  “I do once in a while.” She turned and walked to the kitchen. “As for being healthy. I wasn’t always this way.”

  “You could have fooled me.”

  “Do you want a beer?” she asked him, ignoring his comment. He was curious about her statement but figured it probably wasn’t that big of a deal. Lots of people go through periods of time when they eat junk food and then want to get in better shape.

  “I’d love one. A fun-filled day of training videos and I was ready for some action.”

  “That sounds pretty boring,” she said, handing him over the beer and a glass.

  “It was. I was kind of hoping for some call to come in, but nothing.”

  “Do you like being an investigator, or did you like it better when you were a trooper?”

  No one ever asked him personal questions like that before. “I’m still a trooper technically. And I do like this better. I like putting puzzles together and figuring things out. But when you’re on patrol you aren’t always just sitting around. Though that isn’t true. Sometimes you are just driving around. Still, that is better than sitting at a desk.”

  “Is there a lot of crime here?”

  “Enough. It’s a big tourist area, so some parts have more crime than others. There is a lot of wealth here too, but you don’t always see it upfront. Then there are the Olympians that come here to train but want to stay hidden away. There is a little bit of everything though not many realize it.”

  “I think I’m really going to enjoy living here. I’m glad I moved.”

  He reached for her where she was pulling food out of the fridge for dinner, then pulled her into his arms and laid his lips to hers. Not a soft kiss either, but one that was deeper. One that was touching on the emotional with him, though he doubted she’d realize that. He was almost shocked to realize it himself.

  “I’m glad you did too. I’m happy someone found their way here before you or we might not have met.”

  “You are all full of sweet things. I would have never realized that by looking at you.”

  He looked down and frowned at her. “What does that mean?”

  “It means you’re this big tough guy. Most women wouldn’t think you’d have this soft side to you. Or maybe you don’t and I’m just seeing something I hope is there.”

  She moved out of his arms after she’d said that, like she was embarrassed. Hell, he should be embarrassed she’d called him soft. Except he wasn’t. “It’s there. Not many see it, or maybe I don’t show it often.”

  He hoped she took it for what it was worth and felt he was going the extra yard for her.

  “Then I’m glad I get to see it and it’s not in my head. I’ve been told before that things aren’t what I think, but I never believed that. Or maybe I was just so used to being alone that I made so much up in my head I lost track of what was real and what wasn’t.”

  “Alone?” he asked.

  She went back to getting dinner. There were chicken breasts that were marinating in something and she pulled them out and put them in a pan, then went to the deck. He followed along, or he figured she’d avoid his question. He noticed she did that a lot.

  Once the chicken was on the grill, she turned to look at him. “I’m sure you’ve figured I’m pretty shy. I didn’t have a lot of friends and spent most of my time alone reading books or doing puzzles.”

  “What about your sister? You didn’t hang out with her?”

  She started to laugh. “No. Amelia was the star...everything. She had the golden touch. Prom queen, excelled at every sport she played, every class she took. She’s a lawyer. We don’t have anything in common now and didn’t back then.”

  “Sounds like me and my brother, Mike. Though he was the opposite of your sister. He failed at everything he touched. He was more like my father. Even my mother. I guess I was the odd one of the family.”

  “You sure the heck don’t seem that odd to me.”

  They chatted back and forth after that about the area again. Nothing too in-depth and it was for the best. He’d helpe
d her cook and then set the table on the deck.

  She really did know how to put flavor into food. He’d never been a fan of chicken or rice, but everything tasted so rich and delicious even though he knew it wasn’t heavy or fattening.

  “Where did you learn to cook? Bet you’ve been doing it for years to be this good.”

  “Not quite,” she said. “I took some cooking classes. I guess you could say I like to learn. Then I watched a lot of cooking shows and YouTube videos. I’ve been experimenting since.”

  “When I think of healthy food, I think of boring and bland or tons of salads, but this is anything but. You’ve really got the magical touch.”

  “Thanks. I try.”

  “Speaking of trying,” he said. “It’s time for the cupcakes. I got one chocolate and one vanilla since I didn’t know what you preferred.”

  “I’d eat either.” He helped her clean up dinner and then brought the bakery box back outside and opened it up. “Those aren’t cupcakes,” she said. “Those are mini cakes. Good grief.”

  ***

  Gemma was avoiding the cupcakes as long as she could.

  She hadn’t had any kind of real dessert in over seven months. It was the first thing she cut back on when she was trying to lose weight. If she wanted something sweet, she had fruit and whipped topping more than cakes or cookies.

  It’d been hard to give up all that sugar, but she was determined. And when she lost a few pounds from that alone, she got the bug to start to walk. Then started to cook healthier.

  Now she was terrified if she ate this cupcake she’d fall back into her old ways.

  How many times in her life did her parents try to force her on diets? Throw all the junk food out of the house or lock it away from her?

  Knowing she couldn’t have it only made her crave it more. And the minute she had it in her mouth, she went nuts and couldn’t stop.

  Losing a few pounds as a kid on forced diets didn’t do anything but make her gain it back and then some once she found ways to eat what she was being denied.