Tulip was such a good place, a nice place, the kind of place a certain type of city folk moved to so they could raise a family and live a simpler life. I didn’t belong in this town any more than I belonged anywhere else, especially with Scott, but somehow, both had wrapped tightly around my heart. Somehow, this place and this man had me floating instead of walking, humming and smiling instead of scowling and complaining. I wasn’t just happy, I was satisfied. And constantly aroused.
And it was all Scott’s fault. “Here ya go.” Ginger dropped off the bags and took my cash before flashing a hurried smile and dashing off once again.
My thoughts returned to Scott and this damn postcard of a town. Last night, I hadn’t been able to sleep, even though my body was exhausted and wrapped in Scott’s arms. I’d realized that this was the first time since my mom died that I’d actively reached out and tried to be happy. There was something about this place that allowed you to just be happy without a lot of effort, it was so organic you hardly realized it was happening until you were one of those people who stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to hold a full conversation with a random person.
Instead of yelling at them for screwing up the flow of traffic, I was now that person. Even though, now, I was reluctantly that person. “Elizabeth. Eddy. Fancy running into you ladies.” Not really, since I knew they saw me go into Big Mama’s and had then maneuvered themselves into my path before I reached the office.
“Seems like you plan on sticking around, after all.” Eddy folded her arms and tried hard for a scowl, but it never materialized.
Here we go. “I’m not sure,” I told her honestly, refusing to tell the old lady what she wanted to hear simply because I was sleeping with her grandson. The truth was that Scott didn’t need me, didn’t need a full-time assistant at all now that everything was all caught up.
“That’s too bad,” Elizabeth said ominously, sending the tiny hairs on my body standing in an upright position. “Well, Mayor Ashford has an opportunity to discuss with you when you have time. If I were you, I’d make it a priority,” she added with a pat on my shoulder before both women walked away.
I stared after them for a long time, wondering what in the hell they were up to now, because news of my temporary stay in town didn’t seem to leave as much impact as it had a month ago. Two months ago, even. “What the hell is wrong with me?” Was I now upset that the matchmaking old ladies had given up?
A little bit, yeah.
But that was crazy, so I shook the thought off and made a note to figure out how I could get in to see the mayor of Tulip. How did one even go about setting that up? I wasn’t a meet-the-mayor kind of girl and therefore, totally out of my element. But I was always on the lookout for my next opportunity, and this could very well be it.
After I finished my work today, anyway. My feet were back on the move, carrying me and lunch back to the quiet office where Hershey and the pony were our only animal visitors. Usually, there were a few animals that spent a night or two, but this week we were blessedly empty, which was why it felt so quiet when I walked through the front door.
Almost too quiet, since I’d gotten use to the chaos of working with Scott. A veterinarian’s office was about as calm and quiet as a pediatrician’s, so to find the lobby area empty and completely silent in the middle of a weekday was kind of disconcerting. I shook off that thought, chalking it up to the fact that I’d let the matchmakers get in my head, and walked to my desk. I set down the bag containing my nacho fries and shook off my jacket, hanging it on coat rack in the corner. I took a moment to organize and straighten the piles of magazines it seemed that Scott never tossed away before the next round of appointments started to arrive, a half an hour from now.
A quick scan showed the front of the office was set to rights, which meant I could drop off Scott’s lunch and have my own in peace before things got crazy again. The office still seemed too quiet, especially since I knew Scott was probably still hunched over his laptop, working, and my steps turned careful. It wouldn’t be the first time I found a tweaker inside a doctor’s office, but this time I would be prepared.
If I needed to be.
A quick knock and then I pushed open his door, ready to see Scott’s bent head or a shaky addict looking to score. What I saw when I stepped inside shocked the hell out of me. Clara was there, and she was standing close enough to Scott that I’d bet he could tell whether that small strip of red peeking out the top of her shirt was, in fact, lace or silk. Whatever they were talking about, it was serious. And intimate.
“I brought you lunch.” It was the most asinine thing I could have said in the moment, I knew that, but this was my job and I couldn’t risk it for anything.
Or anyone. Not even my own stupid heart.
Before Scott could say anything, I darted from his office, ignoring the triumphant look on Clara’s face that I didn’t buy for one damn minute. I knew her type, had known girls and women like her my entire life, and I had never let them get to me. Not even now, because I knew her game.
That wasn’t what bothered me when I yanked my bag off the desk and marched into the seldom used break room to enjoy my damn nacho fries. No, it wasn’t that I thought that Scott had somehow found time in his busy schedule to screw around on me. Nope, I was more worried about my response in that breath of a moment, when I’d thought maybe there was something going on between them. In that flash of a second, my heart broke. It ached, like someone had torn it straight down the middle with their bare hands, and that was not the response of a woman having a good time, just enjoying some casual sex with a very gorgeous man.
That was the response of a woman who didn’t just want more, but she was expecting more, and that was just stupid. It was especially stupid since I was that woman and I knew there was no future with me and Scott. He would eventually marry a woman like Clara—maybe not as ice cold and shallow, but a woman as sophisticated and put together as he was. He wouldn’t go for a career assistant with no family to speak of, because that wasn’t appropriate. And Scott was only inappropriate in the bedroom.
The thought produced a shiver straight down my spine that I was determined to ignore. None of this was good news, not one damn bit of it. I couldn’t start having serious feelings for Scott. He was my boss—my very temporary boss, but still—and he was all wrong for me. As wrong as I was for him, which meant it was a thought I needed to put away where I kept other things I didn’t have time or energy to think about.
“You’re upset.” Scott’s deep voice tore through my racing thoughts, startling me, and I glared up at him.
“I’m not upset.” But if he asked that question more than once, there was a good chance I would be—and soon. I mean, I was upset, but not for the reasons he thought, because men were clueless. “What’s up, Scott?”
“There’s nothing going on with me and Clara.”
I believed him and didn’t need to hear the words, but since he felt compelled to say them, I took in the details. The lack of lines and creases on his face, the calm way he delivered the words with just enough annoyance to let me know he was offended I’d thought so. Even though I hadn’t thought a damn thing.
Other than for that briefest of moments.
“I didn’t think there was,” I told him honestly, nearly bursting out laughing at the scowl he sent my way.
Confused, Scott folded his arms over his massive chest, showing off sun-kissed skin and arm hair that was practically blond from exposure. “Then why are you mad?”
I was mad because this thing between us was supposed to be fun. Really hot and temporary fun, and now that I knew it had moved well beyond just fun and into something else, I couldn’t ignore it. But I didn’t say any of that. “You said I was mad, not me.”
Scott sighed, trying hard to rein in his temper. “You’re acting mad, Stevie. I’m not making this up.”
“Am not.” Yep, it was the height of childish arguing, and it was all I had.
“You’re doing a damn good imp
ression of a pissed off woman, then.” He sat down, but instead of choosing the chair across from me like a normal human being, he dropped down into the chair right beside me and faced me, pulling me and my chair between his thighs so we were close. Legs touching and breaths mingling, we stared at each other for a long, breathless moment.
“Maybe I have just have a resting bitch face.” My chin tilted up in defiance, daring him to call me out on my lie, but this was Scott and he wasn’t at all moved by my tough-girl act.
He laughed and shook his head. “Or maybe, you’re bothered by the thought of me with another woman. That’s okay, Stevie, I like seeing you a little jealous.”
I barked out the fakest laugh in my arsenal. “Jealous? Why would I be jealous when a woman like Clara is exactly who you’ll end up with?” I was still ignoring the pang that had returned to my general chest area.
“Bullshit,” he spat the word angrily and cupped my face. “I already told you I wasn’t interested in Clara,” he said, turning me to face him no matter how much I squirmed to avoid looking directly into that green gaze. “Something is going on, with you and between us, and we both know it. I can get it out of you now, if you like.” Scott leaned forward until his lips were on the delicate skin of my neck, up to my chin and then my mouth for a hot but too-short kiss. “Or I can take my time and get it out of you later.”
“Later’s good.” Later allowed me at least a few hours to get my head screwed on right, so I could enjoy another night in bed with Scott. Later gave me plenty of time to take these mixed-up emotions and ball them up and shove them deep down into a box that would be taped, locked, and sealed with a fingerprint scan, never to be opened again.
Then I would be free to just enjoy the simple pleasure of being with Scott for as long as it lasted.
“Then later it is,” he whispered in my ear, letting out a deep chuckle when his words produced a shiver.
“Good.” I stood and straightened my super casual office attire of jeans and a T-shirt. “Great. Perfect.”
“Excellent,” he added, amusement coloring his tone.
“Superb,” I shot back and pushed away from him and the table, standing so I could get some fresh air before the next round of people and animals arrived.
“Stevie?”
I stopped inside the doorway and turned to Scott’s handsome face and full-watt smile. “Yeah?”
He stood and bridged the gap between us, looking me right in the eyes with a gravely serious expression. “I really can’t wait until later.”
My lips curled into a reluctant smile as I revealed my own truth. “Me either, Scott.” Me either, damn you.
Scott
“When you said later, I thought there would be more nudity.” Stevie’s grumbled words did nothing to ruin my good mood. She’d shown up and she’d made an effort, so the frustrated way she stabbed at the pile of buttery mashed potatoes on her plate and shoved them in her mouth with an erotic groan only made my smile widen. “Great food. Seriously lacking on the nudity though.”
Her words teased a laugh out of me and I shook my head, wondering if I’d ever had so much fun with a woman before taking her to bed. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” It was a promise I couldn’t wait to fulfill, hell I’d spent the better part of the afternoon daydreaming, fantasizing about all the ways I would make her scream. Moan. Cry. And most of all, to make her forget whatever the hell she thought she saw in my office earlier today. Though it had been nice to see that flash of jealousy and to think it was genuine, and about me. “But first we have more planned before we go home.” Home. That word felt more like Stevie than the four walls of my house, the property that surrounded it, and even the town it was located in. Between her and Hershey, my house hadn’t been so full and so noisy in…ever.
“More food?” Her violet eyes practically bugged out of her head and her hand immediately went to her stomach. “Any more food and the only thing we’ll be doing tonight is falling asleep on the sofa like a couple of old folks.”
I laughed and shook my head, ignoring the warmth that spread through me at her words. It should have been more concerning to me that curling up on the sofa with this woman didn’t sound so bad, in fact it sounded pretty damn incredible. But Stevie wasn’t ready to hear that yet. “I might be willing to risk it just to watch you eat some more.”
Stevie arched a brow playfully. “Licking barbecue sauce off my fingers like an animal does it for you? Good to know.” Just to make her point, she leaned in and slipped the tip of her thumb into her mouth, giving a pronounced suck before she pulled it back with a satisfied grin. A teasing grin. “Interesting.”
“It does do it for me, Stevie. In a big damn way. In fact, I’m thinking of picking up a bottle before we leave. For later.” I didn’t miss the flare of heat in her gaze or the way her pink tongue reached out to wet her lips.
Stevie shook the moment of connection, of sexual tension, off with a smile. “I’m glad you didn’t’ choose some fancy place. This food is really good and there’s more than enough of it.”
A proud smile spread across my face at her words. All day I’d gone back and forth between Reese’s BBQ and one of the nice places on the edge of town, but Stevie was a simple girl who appreciated simple yet complex flavors. Like me, I think. “Then eat up, we’ve got plenty of time to work off some calories before we head home.”
There was answering heat in her eyes but more importantly there was a flush every time I said home, and I had a sneaky suspicion that meant even more to her. “Work off calories you say?” Her attempt at innocence pulled another laugh from me and when Stevie excused herself to the bathroom, I took care of the bill and bought a bottle of Reese’s branded sauce just to get a rise out of Stevie.
When she returned to the table, I stood and wondered how in the hell we’d gotten here. How had this petite woman with so much attitude come to mean so much to me? What was it about Stevie that had captured my attention when no one had in ages? “Are we gonna use that here or are we heading out?”
Stevie stood beside the table, a sweater wrapped around her shoulders, blocking her tattoos from sight and I blinked. “I’m not oppose to using it here, but Reese might have something to say about it.”
Her lips twitched and she shook her head, amused and blushing as she headed towards the exit. “So, where to next captain?”
“Captain?”
She nodded. “You’re in charge here. For now,” she added on a rushed breath. “For now.”
For now was all I needed to get to the next step. Now that I was absolutely certain about what I wanted, there was no reason to delay or hesitate. Stevie was right here, primed, and all I had to do was play my cards right. “I can handle for now Stevie,” I told her as I helped her into the car and her seatbelt. “There. All safe.”
“Th-th-thanks,” she stuttered and I pressed a soft but slow kiss right on those perfect lips before stepping back and closing the door. By the time I got settled behind the wheel, I had my body mostly under control. “So, where are we headed?”
“Someplace guaranteed to get your heart rate pumping and put a smile on your face.”
She looked across the car at me with a sultry grin. “Promises, promises.”
Was it too late to turn the car back around and head straight back to my place? It wasn’t and the heat in her eyes told me she wouldn’t be opposed but that was for later. I had a plan and next, after food, was fun. Get Stevie good and relaxed before I took my moment.
“You surprise me, Scotty.” Stevie looked up at me after three grueling games of air hockey. “This doesn’t seem like your place and you’ve been a good sport so far.”
I huffed out a laugh and wrapped an arm around her. “You’re only saying that because you wiped the floor with me.” Another thing I’d learned about Stevie was that she had a wicked competitive streak. “I think we ought to play darts next, or something that plays to my strengths.”
“Because you’re tall?” I nodded and she
let out a loud laugh that drew the attention of several other couples. “Let’s see about that, then!”
For the next few hours we bounced from game to game, competing like there was some big prize to be won aside from bundles of tickets and oversized, overstuffed animals. “I think it’s safe to say that darts is my game.”
One look at my smug smile and Stevie shook her head. “I’ll give it to you but only because you were a good sport about losing SKEE ball. And pool. And Pac-Man. What shall I beat you in next?” With an over the top stroking of her shin, Stevie looked around the vast entertainment complex and sighed. “Basketball?”
I didn’t know if she was taking pity on me or what, but I appreciated the softness in her eyes and the way her hand grabbed onto my bicep. And I really appreciated the way her breasts pressed against my arm and she leaned against me as we made our way to the row of basketball hoops. “I guess we’re gonna shoot some hoops. Unless you’re a ringer?”
The laugh she sent my way was enough to send any red blooded man to the emergency room and I was a professional, I knew all the signs. Shortness of breath. Elevated pulse. Dizziness. Numb and tingling fingers. A complete and total lack of control. I had it bad. “Not a ringer, no. But I do all right. Scared?”
“Terrified,” I admitted.
“Don’t worry Scotty,” she gave my chest a sympathetic pat and I laid my hand over hers, letting her feel the rapid pace of my heart under her fingertips. “I’ll go easy on you.”
I would have love nothing more than to say I bested Stevie at basketball but the woman was formidable and she didn’t like to lose. And worse, she didn’t give up. “Was that taking it easy on me?”
Hero Boss: An Alpha Male Office Romance Page 14