Behind The Book (Sexy #2)

by Heather Dahlgren

  “Chicken parm. What are you getting?”

  He collects both menus and places them at the end of the table. “I’m going with the veal. It’s amazing.” The waitress comes back with our drinks and takes our order. He takes a sip of his beer and smiles at me. “So, you said the other night that you’re from South Carolina. Did you like growing up there?”

  I hate when people ask about my past. It always leads to college and that is just not something I want to talk about. I’ve gotten pretty good at avoiding the subject, but I still hate it nonetheless.

  “I loved it. My parents have a lot of land with this great stream that leads to a small lake. I’ve caught some pretty big fish in that lake. I was never inside as a kid. There was always so much to do on the property. If I wasn’t swimming or fishing, I was climbing trees or laying in the wildflowers looking at the clouds. It really was great.” He has a grin on his face while taking in every word I say. I like that he seems interested in what I’m saying. I may hate talking about my past because of college, but I really did love growing up in South Carolina. My parents still live in the same house, yet it’s been years since I’ve been there. Fear keeps me away and it makes me miss them and the property that much more. I loved lying in the field, surrounded by the wildflowers. Sometimes I would just hide there for hours from my mom or when I got into fights with friends or boyfriends. I came up with many story ideas there.

  “That sounds amazing. Do you visit often?” Blake snaps me out of my childhood thoughts and I sip my wine.

  “No, I don’t.” I know he’s looking for more of an explanation, but I’m not giving any more than that.

  It’s questions like this that can lead to everything else. My mom and dad are both pissed at me for moving across the country. To this day, they still don’t believe Axel is the possessive, violent person he is, and because of that, they’ve never visited since I don’t trust he won’t manipulate them into giving him my address. I know I’ve said before that I may be over-dramatic and he has probably moved on and all but forgotten about me, but I’m not willing to risk it. Not even for my parents. I talk to them on the phone, but not often, and I miss them like crazy. I would love them to see where I live and what I do, but I don’t know if that will ever happen. They know I’m an author, but they don’t know I write under London. They never ask, and I don’t tell.

  “Hey, did I lose you?”

  I snap my head up to Blake and realize I’ve stepped into my bubble. My bubble of hiding and feeling sorry for myself. “No, I’m sorry. I just got lost in thoughts of my childhood. How about you? What was your childhood like?”

  He takes a long sip of his beer and gives me a half-smile. “It was like any kid’s, I guess. My parents both worked their asses off to pay the bills. I was home alone a lot. Being home alone makes you feel like you can do just about anything and I did. Jax and I got into a lot of trouble as teenagers. Brody cracked down on both of us, and I think if it wasn’t for him, we’d both be the hottest guys in county jail.”

  I don’t even know what to say to that. It’s definitely not what I expected. I don’t know much about him, but I’ll admit the bad boy in him turns me on.

  “You’re right about that, you two are much too sexy for jail,” I say, forcing a smile.

  He winks at me as the waitress brings our food to the table. It smells amazing. “Wow, this looks great.”

  “Believe me, it is.”

  We both dig in and I have to suppress a moan. With just one bite, I can tell this is the best chicken parm I’ve ever had. We focus on our food and don’t say much. I’m still trying to think of what kind of trouble he used to get into with Jax. I would ask him, but just like me, if it’s something he wanted to talk about, he would have given me more than that. I’m sure he’s thinking the same as to why I haven’t been home. I’ll admit I like that we both seem to understand when to just leave it alone.

  After I take a few more bites, he reaches over and puts his hand on top of mine to stop me from taking another bite. I look up at him with a question on my face.

  “Listen, I’m new to this whole dating thing, but I’m pretty sure talking is a big part of it.” I giggle and put my fork down. He lets go of my hand and I pick up my wine. “Did I scare you when I said that about jail?”

  Well, I guess I was wrong. He didn’t want to avoid it. “No, not at all. I just didn’t think it was something you wanted to talk about.”

  He takes another bite and puts his fork down. “It’s not that I didn’t want to talk about it, it’s just not a time in my life I’m proud of. If you want to ask me something, go ahead. I’m not going to hide anything from you.”

  That makes my heart hurt because I am hiding something from him, and I’m not willing to share. I don’t know him well enough to trust him that much. I feel like I should just let this go because the less we know about our past, the better.

  “I understand that and honestly, it’s not something we need to talk about. The idea of a bad boy is pretty hot.” I give him a wink and sip my wine.

  He gives me that sexy grin and nods his head. “All right, we’ll overlook it for now. How about you tell me about writing your first book?”

  That starts the conversation, and we continue to talk throughout the rest of dinner. We talk about my writing, his modeling, and our friends. When the check comes, I’m a little sad the night is almost over. We were definitely having a good time.

  He pays for dinner and we leave shortly after. We make our way out to his truck, and like before, he helps me get in. I don’t know how the hell we’re going to keep doing this. I think if we go out again, I’ll drive.

  He gets in, puts the key into the ignition, and starts the truck. The loud sound rattles through the cab, and for some reason, it brings a smile to my face. I don’t know if it’s because this date is going so much better than I thought it would, but that smile stays there until we pull into my driveway. He turns off the truck and gets out to help me. Once I’m on solid ground, he holds my hand and we walk to the door. I don’t know what to do at this point. Does he expect me to invite him in? If I do, will he think I want to sleep with him? I take a deep breath through my nose and remember who I am.

  When we get to the door, I bite my lip. “Would you like to come in for a little bit?”

  He smiles at me and squeezes my hand. “London, I’ll be honest with you. If I come in, there’s a good chance I’ll end up stripping you out of that sexy dress. I don’t think that’s what either of us want right now, so I’m going to have to pass. Not because I don’t want to, but because I really, really want to.”

  My heart pounds in my chest, my nipples are hard, and I can feel myself getting wet just from his words. How the hell is that possible?

  I unlock the door and drop my purse and keys inside the before I turn to him. “Blake, I had such a great time tonight. Thank you so much.”

  He brushes my hair off my neck and grins down at me. “I did too.”

  He leans down and presses his lips to mine so gently that I whimper with the need for more. He pulls me close and stares into my eyes, seeking permission. I slightly nod my head and he smashes his lips to mine. I moan, and when our tongues touch, I wrap my arms around his waist, trying to bring him as close to me as possible. We explore each other’s mouths, both making sounds of approval. He tastes amazing, a taste I can’t describe, and one that I will never forget. When he reaches down and squeezes my ass, I moan and he swallows it down, never once breaking the kiss. It seems to go on forever, and when he finally does pull away, we’re both panting.

  “Fuck, London. You have no idea what you do to me. Hell, I don’t even understand it.” He can say that again, because I feel exactly the same way. I don’t say it though, because I’m so caught up in the moment. I stare into his emerald green eyes full of want. “I need to go, because I don’t think your neighbors should watch what I want to do to you.”

  I squeeze my legs together to try to relieve some of the built
-up tension. “Blake, your words alone do so much to me.” He presses his lips to mine again, but it’s just a sweet goodbye kiss.

  “Until next time, and London, there will be a next time.” He walks off my front porch and to his truck. I go inside and watch him pull away before I close the door behind me and lock it. I lean against it and close my eyes.

  “Holy shit. That is worth writing about.”

  Chapter Six

  Blake

  I wake up the next morning to my alarm screaming at me. I hit it off and rub my eyes. I lay there for a few minutes replaying my night with London. The whole night was amazing, but that kiss, holy shit. I’ve never wanted to rip a woman’s clothes off faster—her moans, her taste, and the way she wrapped her arms around my waist. My cock was begging me to do it, but for the first time ever, I told him to shut the hell up. It wasn’t easy, but London isn’t the kind of girl you bang on the first date. She’s not the kind of girl I normally bring home. She’s different and I want to treat her different.

  I texted her when I got home. We went back and forth for a few minutes, but it was late and we both had to be up early for work. I told her I would call her tonight, and I have every intention of doing so.

  I get up and get ready for work. As always, I bump into Jax in the hallway. “Where the hell did you go last night?” I give him a grin and he slaps my back. “Way to go, man. Did she stay over?”

  I shake my head as I throw on my shirt on the way to the kitchen. “Nope. We had dinner and I dropped her off.” He laughs and I turn around from making my coffee and stare at him. “What?”

  “Nothing, I’m just happy for you and surprised at the same time. I think this is the longest I’ve ever seen you go without sex.” I flip him off as he grabs a cup out of the cabinet. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing, brother. I think it’s great you finally found someone worth more than just getting your dick wet.”

  Thankfully, that’s all he says about it and we leave for work. When we get there, I see Brody and I realize Jax never told me what happened with him and Shannon. “Hey, whatever happened with Brody the other night?”

  He lifts his toolbox out of the trunk of his car and smiles. “I asked him and all he said was that they’re going to do the long-distance thing. I asked if she spent the night, and he told me to mind my own business. I take that as a yes.” We both laugh as we make our way over to him. I’m not like Jax, and I won’t tiptoe around it. I’ll just come right out and ask. That’s exactly what I’m going to do too. I put my arm around Brody, and he glares at me out of the corner of his eye.

  “So, I hear you and Shannon are going to do the long-distance thing. Good for you, man, that’s great. It’s about time you let yourself be happy.” He turns to Jax, who smiles. “Let’s just get to the point here. Did you finally have sex?” He pushes me off him, and even though Jax and I are laughing, he doesn’t think it’s funny.

  “You both need to grow the fuck up.” He walks away and I go over to Jax.

  “They definitely had sex. Look how happy he is.” We laugh and Brody turns around.

  “Get your asses to work.” He turns and heads outside, leaving Jax and I laughing as we start our day.

  ***

  After work and giving Brody a hard time all day, I go home and take a hot shower. Jax, of course, went straight to Kallie’s. After letting the hot shower beat on me for a while, I realize I should have gone to the gym. Fuck it, I can give myself the night off. I’ll do double the work tomorrow.

  Once I get out and get dressed, I go outside and have a smoke before calling London. I’m not sure if she would want to come over for dinner, but hell, it doesn’t hurt to ask. I pull out my cell phone and dial her number. It rings three times before she answers. “Hey. Just wanted to see if you had any plans tonight?”

  She’s quiet for a minute before she finally answers. “No, I don’t.”

  I smile and stare out at the pool. “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? Jax is over at Kallie’s, and I have chicken I’m going to put on the grill.”

  “Oh, ummm, sure. What time?”

  “Whenever you want.” I can hear things moving in the background, and I figure she’s probably writing.

  “I just need to change and I can head over. How about a half-hour? I need to get up early again tomorrow, so I can’t stay out too late.” I smile, thinking how she sounds like such a responsible person. Me, I’ll stay out until three in the morning and get up at six.

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  We hang up and I go inside to get two potatoes washed, so I can put them on the grill. Once they’re clean and wrapped in foil, I start the grill and put them on. I go inside and clean up at bit. I stop in my tracks when I realize what I’m doing. “Damn, how the hell could you be pussy-whipped already?” I shake my head and go outside to have another cigarette before she gets here.

  It doesn’t take long for her to get here, and I open the door when she knocks. As always, she is stunning. Her hair is up in a ponytail, and she has on a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top. My heart beats faster, which is something I’m still not used to. “Hi. You look amazing.”

  She smiles at me and steps into the house. “Thank you. You too.”

  I want to pull her to me so badly that the urge is consuming me. I feel like I have no control over what I do next. I gently pull her to me and press my lips to hers. I lick the seam of her lips, seeking permission, and she opens her mouth. The second our tongues touch, I am no longer gentle and I devour her. She grabs a hold of my shirt tightly, and I do the same to her ass. I don’t want it to end. I want to lift her up and have her wrap her legs around my waist as I carry her to my room and worship every inch of her body. She, however, pulls away, and we both open our eyes, searching the other’s. We both still have a hold of each other, and we stay that way for what feels like an hour. I finally break the silence.

  “That’s one hell of a hello. I wouldn’t mind that every day,” I say. She giggles and lets go of my shirt, so I let her ass go.

  “It was definitely something.” Damn, I’ll show her something. “So, can I help do anything for dinner?”

  I pull my head out of my sex thoughts. “No, I’ve got it under control. I should actually get the chicken on the grill.” We start walking toward the kitchen and I open the fridge. “Can I get you something to drink?” She chooses a water, so I hand her a bottle and grab the chicken. It’s been marinating for a while, so it should be awesome. She follows me outside and I tell her to sit while I put the chicken on. I sit down next to her and reach over, resting my hand on her thigh. She snaps her head toward me and I chuckle. “Too soon?” She laughs but shakes her head no. “Good. So how was work today?”

  “It was busy. I’m getting sick of this one waiter who comes in late all the time and gives me a damn attitude. I’m about ready to just fire his ass.”

  What the fuck kind of dillweed gives her an attitude? “You want me to kick his ass?”

  She spits her water out of her mouth and laughs so hard it reminds me of the night in New York when she was drunk and just enjoying life.

  “No, you don’t need to kick his ass, but thanks for the offer.”

  I take my hand off her thigh and flex my arms. “You think I can’t take him?”

  She reaches over, squeezes my bicep, and winks at me. “Oh no, you could take me…him, you could take him.” She covers her face and shakes her head, mumbling to herself.

  I can’t keep the grin off my face and gently pull her hands down. I lean over and search her eyes. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I’ll take you any day too.” Her face is beet red and she throws her head back with a moan. “Just think, this will be something we can look back on and laugh about. You know, when I tell everyone.”

  She snaps her head toward me in sheer panic. “Oh my God, don’t you dare.”

  I can’t hold back the laugh and I kiss her cheek as I get up to check the chicken. “I’m teasing y
ou, I would never do that. Not until it’s funny to you, anyway.” I chuckle as I flip the chicken. She is definitely fun to tease. I could get used to that.

  After she gets over the embarrassment, we talk about the rest of our day. She continues telling me what an ass that waiter is, and every part of me wants to go wait for him and teach him some respect. I tell her about Brody and that he wouldn’t tell us anything. She gets a small smile on her face.

  “You know something. Tell me,” I say, searching her eyes.

  She smiles and shakes her head. “No way. If Brody didn’t tell you anything, I’m not going to be the one.”

  Oh, this poor girl. She has no idea that I won’t let up until she tells me. How quickly she will learn. “That’s fine, I get it. I’ll just tell him that you told me Shannon said he was horrible in bed.”

  She stares at me with wide eyes. “You would ruin their relationship just to get information about it?” I smirk at her and go inside to get a plate to put the potatoes and chicken on. When I come out, she’s standing by the grill. “Seriously?” she asks.

  I take the food off and smile down at her. “So they slept together, huh? Did she say how it was?”

  She rolls her eyes and follows me into the house. “Blake, I can’t believe what a woman you are with gossip.”

  I can’t help but laugh as I pull plates down from the cabinet. “Believe me, sexy, I’m the furthest thing from a woman. I just like to know what’s going on, and when I know the woman I’ve made this delicious dinner for knows what going on and I don’t, well, that makes me want to find out everything I can.” She laughs as I make our plates and grab the salad out of the fridge. “We can discuss this over dinner.” She helps me carry everything outside and we sit down at the table.

  “Listen, I’m not going to be a shit friend to Shannon, but I’ll tell you that she had a great night with Brody. That’s it. That is all I’m going to say. If you say anything to Brody other than that, I’ll tell him what a liar you are.” That’s all I need. She doesn’t realize that little bit tells me exactly what I knew, except now I know that Shannon liked it. I’m such an asshole.