Her lips were the softest he’d ever known. Alex tasted every inch of hers and realized she was allowing him to kiss her. She wasn’t just allowing it; Kimberly was kissing him back. They stood by the truck for what seemed like an eternity. He didn’t let up kissing her until he heard the front door of the house open, and the babysitter walked out.
He relieved the girl and paid her before returning his attention to Kimberly. They walked inside together and headed straight to the room that she was using. He leaned her up against the door and pressed his body against her. He kissed her goodnight, looked her in the eyes, and kissed her goodnight again. After the third kiss goodnight, he kissed her forehead and said, “I better get to bed before Ariel shows up in it.”
“Sweet dreams,” Kimberly grinned as she watched him walk down the hall to his room. "Thank you for the most amazing night of my life."
Chapter 17
ALEX COULDN'T SLEEP no matter how hard he tried. Thoughts of Kimberly ran through his mind. Her kiss consumed him. He lay there and recalled everything that had happened between them. Alex felt his body heat from the memory of her smile. Thinking of the kiss made him grow hard. Her perfumed still lingered on his skin. The longer he had to wait to show her his affections, the more intense his feelings grew.
Alex wondered if she wanted him just as bad. Was it her desire to kiss him, or was that the beer talking? Kimberly had a record of making mistakes while she was drunk. Would this be just another mistake on her end? He questioned how drunk she could have possibly been? She drank a few beers but also danced the night away and acquired a thirst. They ate. She couldn't have been more than just a little buzzed.
He couldn’t take it anymore. There was only one way to find out if she meant to kiss him or not and that was to go to her. Ariel hadn't shown up in his bed for some reason. It was late. The little girl was sound asleep in her own room.
Alex had a want growing harder and harder at the thought of Kimberly. He hoped that she wouldn’t reject him. If she did, she would want to leave as soon as possible. He took a deep breath and smiled. Somehow, he didn’t see her rejecting him.
Quietly, he slid down the hall and slowly turned the knob to Kimberly’s room. She’d be lying in there, looking like an angel, waiting for him. Alex was high on the thought of making love to her.
His heart fluttered the minute he walked into the room. Ariel didn't climb into his bed because she chose Kimberly instead. They were both sound asleep on the bed. They faced each other, and Ariel’s tiny hands were gently placed inside of Kimberly’s.
Kimberly's eyes opened, and Alex hoped he didn't wake her. She smiled at him and placed her index finger in front of her mouth. He understood. Alex blew her a kiss and slowly exited the room. The image of her lying next to his daughter burned in his memory and warmed his heart.
THE NEXT MORNING, ALEX woke up to the smell of sausage and coffee. In the distance, he heard Kimberly singing the song they danced to. He sat up on his bed and pictured himself holding her. He imagined them swaying to the melody coming out of her mouth. Alex placed his fingers on his lips. Hers were there not too long ago, her tongue circling his. He needed more. Did she?
He was bold once. He’d be so again. Alex jumped up, grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head. As he headed towards the kitchen, he could smell her. The closer he got, the more her scent invaded his senses. Alex wanted to take her, right there in the kitchen, but the sight of his daughter restrained his actions. Ariel was sitting at the table; her food was almost gone. She smiled as he looked at her but then continued to eat.
Kimberly had her back to him as she scrambled eggs in the pan. If she heard him coming, she didn’t let on. Alex swung her around and cupped her face with his hands. Her brown eyes were sparkling as he looked deep inside of them. Alex pressed his lips on hers and felt her respond by opening hers. She did, he thought, want him.
Alex’s body inched closer to hers until they were backed into the counter. Kimberly placed her hands around his waist as they kissed. She closed her eyes and decided that she’d keep kissing him until one of them ran out of air; or until the smell of burnt eggs reached their noses. “Oh no,” she cried when she realized that his breakfast was ruined.
Alex reached behind her and turned the burner off. She seemed upset by the breakfast disaster, but it was alright with him. Her kiss was all he needed to fuel him. “It’s okay,” he told her. “We can always make more together.”
They cracked eggs and cooked together. Ariel had looked up and laughed. Then she put her head back down and started coloring.
“Where did a city girl like you learn to make homemade sausage and gravy?”
Kimberly smiled as she served him a plate and told him to sit down to eat. She joined him seconds later with her plate. “Something we call Google,” she answered. They laughed. Kimberly bit into her food and licked her lips. "Mmm," she moaned right after swallowing her first bite.
“You’ve never had this before?” Alex thought that everyone ate breakfast like this. It was a classic.
“No,” she replied but said nothing else until she devoured her entire plate. Then she said, “But I plan on having this more often. That was so good.”
Alex grinned. “You’re delicious,” he reminded her with a kiss.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Kimberly moved away from his mouth to speak. “Ryan texted me last night. He said he’s not finished with his work yet.” That wasn't exactly what he said, she knew that, but it was her way of letting Alex know that she didn't mind the wait.
For the first time, Alex sensed happiness from her when she spoke. Usually, when Ryan delayed the trip home, she was frustrated and in a hurry. Now, it didn’t matter. She seemed fine with it. “When did this happen?”
“I think you were at the bar.” Kimberly noticed the questionable look on his face, so she kept talking. “We were having such a good time that I didn’t want to mention it. I didn’t want to mix business with pleasure.”
Alex pulled her by the waist and hoisted her up on his lap. She sat facing him, and inched her bottom as close as she could get to him. The feeling aroused him. “What is this?” he kissed her earlobe. “Is this business or pleasure?”
Kimberly moaned. Alex pressed his hardness against her and watched her cheeks turning red. He knew how to heat things up and she couldn't stop him even if she wanted to. “This is pleasure.” She planted her lips on his and whimpered, “All pleasure,” when she was able.
THE PHONE RANG TWICE before Janie picked up. Kimberly knew she was in hot water with her friends because she didn’t call home as often as they wanted her to. “Well hello, stranger,” Janie snickered.
“It hasn’t been that long,” Kimberly replied. She listened to her friend rattle on about how worried she was; how they were all worried. She couldn't remember the last time she called home. “Okay, I know. I’m sorry,” Kimberly said.
“Well, is it done? When are you coming home?” Janie was full of questions; questions that Kimberly did not have answers for.
Ryan had said it would be at least another week, and Alex was more than happy to have her there. “He’s not home yet,” she spoke to her friend but remembered the reason why she made the call in the first place. “But Janie, something wonderful has happened. I think I want to stay here," she paused, "permanently.”
Kimberly could hear the phone hit the ground and then her friend screaming in the background. When Janie had the phone back in her hands, the volume made Kimberly’s ears ring. “What? Are you out of your freaking mind? What are you thinking? You can’t stay there! Why would you say such a ridiculous thing?”
“It’s not ridiculous to me,” she answered. “Alex and I like each other, and I feel so comfortable here.” Janie wasn’t listening to a word she was saying. Her friend went berserk on the other end. “Janie, listen,” Kimberly almost shouted. “I’m falling in love with him!”
Janie grew quiet and didn’t speak for several moments. Kimberly had to look at
her phone to make sure the call was still going on. It sounded like Janie hung up on her. When Janie spoke again, it was calm, but Kimberly knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet. “Let me get this straight. You think you love your husband’s brother?”
“I know I do. Maybe I was meant to marry Ryan so I could come here for a divorce and meet Alex?”
“You do realize that you sound insane right now, don’t you?” Janie was shocked.
Kimberly thought about it for a moment. It made sense to her. She had been unsuccessful with men her whole life to the point where she didn't want one. Alex was the one for her, but she would have never met him on her own. Kimberly didn't think it was insane at all, but she decided to drop it.
Janie continued to ask questions. “So he loves you too and asked you to stay?”
Kimberly thought about it. Did he love her? She didn’t ask. He never asked her either. They just connected in a way that no other could connect. “No,” she answered.
“No, what? I asked you two separate questions.”
“I don’t know if he loves me, and no, he hasn’t asked me to stay here forever.” Kimberly wondered why her friend was trying to pop her bubble. “He asked me to stay while his brother is away. I don’t know for sure about the future.”
"I wish I could be there for you." Janie sighed. The phone line grew quiet again then she said, “Honey, he could be just looking for a hookup while you’re there. It’s easy to have no strings when you live so far apart.”
“That isn’t fair, Janie,” Kimberly’s heart was breaking at the reality of what she was hearing. From the men she met in the past, that was true. But Alex was different. Kimberly couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew he was. “Have some faith in me.”
Kimberly decided that she wasn’t going to let her friend pull her down. She was having an amazing time with Alex and never wanted it to end. "I'm sorry, Janie, I gotta go." Kimberly said then hung up the phone. Next time, she thought, she’d call anyone of her friends except Janie. Next time, she'd text one of them and then walk away from the phone.
Chapter 18
KIMBERLY AND ARIEL waited for Alex in the barn. They surprised him. They wore matching clothes: jeans, flannel shirts, boots, and each of them had braids in their hair. If he didn’t know any different, Alex would swear that Ariel was Kimberly’s daughter.
“What are you two up to?” He cautiously walked closer to the girls wondering what they were doing.
“We want to learn about farming,” Kimberly informed him. “Can we help?”
Alex lifted Ariel and swung her around until she was secured on his back. Her little hands reached around and held onto his neck. When he had his daughter in place, he stepped forward and held Kimberly’s hand. He knew she was making an excuse to spend time with him. He loved it though. “Well let’s see what this girl can do?”
First, they gathered eggs from the chicken coop. Ariel liked this chore and found most of the eggs. They placed the basket in the kitchen then went back outside to see what else they could do together.
Alex helped Kimberly milk the cow. It took her a while before she figured out what she was doing, but he sat by her side the whole time. She turned her attention from the udder to look at him while he talked and didn’t realize that she was still squeezing. Milk sprayed Alex in the face and the couple broke out in laughter.
He stood and wiped himself off. Alex reached down and helped her off the stool she sat on. “Come with me,” he told her. Little things around the barn were fun but he knew a better way to spend the morning. He set Ariel up in the yard, a safe distance where he could still see her, and she played with a barn kitten. “This is where the real fun is.” Kimberly followed him across the yard. Alex felt her eyes burn into his jeans. "Are you looking at my butt," he laughed as she covered her face with her hands.
Kimberly laughed as he reached for her hand and pulled her next to him. She started to pull back as soon as they stood before the tractor. “You’re going to teach me how to drive this?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “Unless you already drive them in New York.”
“Everywhere I go,” she laughed with him and stepped closer. Kimberly listened as he explained what all the controls were for. Alex helped her climb onto the seat then he slid behind her. "If you get too close, my brain is going to turn to mush." Alex inched closer yet.
MINUTES LATER, KIMBERLY started the engine. The tractor spit and sputtered. She felt embarrassed. Alex kissed the back of her neck and told her she’ll get the hang of it. After a few minutes, she was driving. The feel of him behind her made her grin. She'd always been a fast learner but knew she had a lot to learn about farming equipment.
“Great,” he kissed her cheek, “Now you need to turn it around.”
Kimberly thought that would be easy, but the fence was getting closer. She hadn't figured out how to turn yet. Alex reached around her and took control. She thought she was making herself look like an idiot, but his laughter made her relax. He wrapped his arms around her tighter, and they drove around the yard.
Kimberly asked, "What have we accomplished?"
"Not much," he replied.
“Am I keeping you from your work?”
Alex didn’t seem to mind. “Yes, but it’s okay. Tomorrow, you can take the tractor out and mow the field."
She began to panic. Everything that he told her went in one ear and out the other. She didn't think he'd test her that quickly. All she wanted was to feel his arms around her. "What? I'm not sure if I can," Kimberly protested, but Alex stopped her by kissing her passionately.
After kissing her, he calmed her by saying, “I’m just teasing you.” Kimberly slapped his shoulder then laughed. She leaned into him and he kissed her some more. If he was concerned about not getting any work done, Alex didn’t let on.
Chapter 19
IT TOOK KIMBERLY A long time to dress Ariel. The little girl bounced around with excitement. Kimberly laughed as she chased her around the room and pulled her close to throw a shirt over her head. "Stand still, silly," she giggled.
They were headed to the annual Popcorn Festival. Kimberly was glad to still be in the area to witness the event. Alex told her about it the night before. Her heart warmed at the thought of spending quality time with him and Ariel. She didn't miss her home in the city and secretly hoped Alex would ask her to stay permanently.
He already left the house. Alex had been on the organizing committee for many years and had things he needed to see to throughout the day. Kimberly kissed him goodbye earlier that morning, before waking Ariel. Alex told Kimberly that he'd see her after his duties were fulfilled. She anticipated a fun filled day.
She found the parking area without any problems. The day had just begun, but the lot filled up fast. Kimberly noticed a spot next to Alex's truck and parked the car. Ariel unbuckled herself and jumped into Kimberly's arms as she opened the station wagon's door.
Once her feet were on the ground, Ariel reached for Kimberly's hand and began to tug. "Okay, slow down," she instructed with a chuckle in her throat.
The kick off parade started at 10:00. Kimberly couldn't get over the size of the crowd. They walked around to find a good spot to stand. Eventually, Kimberly picked Ariel up in fear of losing the little girl. When she found a good spot, she let Ariel down but kept her close in front of her. Ariel jumped up and down.
"Hey, Kim," she heard someone call out to her. Kimberly turned her head just as Elizabeth approached her. "I'm so glad you were able to make the festival."
"Hi," Kimberly answered. "Alex told me about it last night. He said Ariel doesn't get to enjoy it much since he works it, so I figured I'd bring her."
The two women stood along the side of the road and talked while Ariel sat on the curb, jumped up to dance and sat again on and off until the parade started.
Kimberly was impressed with the parade. People shouted as firetrucks passed, clowns tumbled in the road, and local volunteer companies displayed floats. The Po
ttersville high school marching band stepped in time and paused in front of them. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed Ariel dancing. The majorette twirled her baton as Ariel imitated the girl.
After the parade, Ariel tugged on Kimberly's hand again. "She's a handful," she said to Elizabeth but then laughed to show her new friend that she didn't mind watching over the little girl.
Elizabeth walked around and kept Kimberly company throughout the day. They stood close to each other as Ariel rode on the merry-go-round. "You seem a little tense," Elizabeth said.
Kimberly looked around a lot. "There's just a lot of people here, and I wouldn't want another run in with Ariel's mother."
"Understandable," Elizabeth said. "You don't need to worry much about Misty."
Kimberly didn't take Misty's threats lightly. The festival brought thousands of people to Pottersville and that put Kimberly on edge. Misty could appear from anywhere. "Why not?" She quizzed.
"Well, for one, Misty knows she isn't welcomed among the respectable citizens. And for two," Elizabeth tilted her head back. "He's been following us for hours."
"Gavin," Kimberly exclaimed. "You don't need to hide in the shadows. Please join us."
Gavin looked sharp in his police uniform. He took his hat off and greeted the girls. "Oh, I'm on duty," he teased. "Just checking in on you from time to time."
Kimberly took Ariel's hand as she got off the ride. She held it extra tight. Gavin bent over and touched his cheek and Ariel planted a sloppy kiss exactly where he'd told her.
"I appreciate it," Kimberly told him before he walked off. She turned to Elizabeth and said, "Did I scare him off?"
Elizabeth laughed. "No, he is on duty. The festival isn't usually a fun day for him. He'll join us later on but probably not for long."
The three stopped for something to eat. Ariel picked at her hotdog and fries but didn't eat much. "If you want cotton candy, you have to eat." Kimberly pointed to her food and to the vendors behind them as she spoke.
Romance Me: A Collection Of Standalone & First In Series Books Page 18