Hooked on Love (Cotton Creek Romance)

by Jennie Marts

  “Great. I’ll see you later, then.” He turned his head, glancing back to where Matt sat in the truck, and she couldn’t tell if he was trying to gauge if the other man was watching or if he wasn’t.

  Sully dipped his head, pressing his lips to hers in a quick kiss.

  Screw that.

  She reached up, tunneling her fingers into his hair and pulled his head back down, covering his mouth with hers. He pulled back a little, as if surprised by her boldness, then leaned down and kissed her back, passion and desire evident in the fierceness of his movements, the slant of his mouth, the way he nudged her lips open, slipping his tongue inside as if he just wanted a sample, a quick taste of her.

  Another car pulled up, and Sadie barked. Pulling apart, Avery gasped for breath, blinking her eyes at the intensity of the kiss. “Wow.”

  “Yeah, wow.” A wicked grin tugged up the corner of his lips. “Hurry up and get your work done, okay? I’m already hungry for dinner. And for dessert.”

  “Me, too.” In fact, she’d be fine if they skipped dinner and went right to dessert.

  …

  Later that afternoon, Avery drove back to the shop, her heart thumping against her chest in anticipation of seeing Sully.

  He came out on the porch, his face breaking into a warm smile as he watched her get out of the car. Sadie ran down to greet her, wagging her tail and prancing along beside her.

  “I finished my work early,” Avery said as she walked up the shop’s steps and into his arms, covering his mouth with a kiss.

  “I was hoping that you would,” he murmured against her lips, drawing her tighter against him.

  The sound of another car driving up had them pulling apart, but Sully kept his arms around her.

  “Oh, crap,” Sully said, looking over her shoulder then dropping his arms. “Don’t look now, but Leanne just pulled up.”

  Avery turned around. She waved at the other woman, who sat in her car, staring at them in shock, her mouth slack and open. She glanced around, the indecision evident on her face.

  “I’m getting out of here,” Sully said, giving Leanne a wave and escaping into the shop.

  “Chicken,” she murmured to his retreating back.

  “Guilty,” he said, and the door shut behind him.

  Leanne stepped out of her car, her tennis outfit blinding white in the afternoon sun. She held a cake in one hand and a pie in the other, and she nudged the door shut with her hip.

  Avery watched her expression transform from a worried look to an artificial smile as she looked up. “Hi there. I see you’re settling in. I’ve spent the day in the kitchen, baking up a storm for the annual bake sale for Connor’s Boy Scout troop, and thought Sully might enjoy having a treat. I know how he loves my banana cream pie and my chocolate cake. I couldn’t decide which to make, so I just whipped up both.”

  Oh, geez. Avery almost felt sorry for the woman. She really was trying so hard. Avery hadn’t made a pie for anyone. Ever.

  Walking up the sidewalk, Leanne appeared to approach the porch with caution, her attention on the door behind Avery, as if waiting for Sully to reappear. Avery knew that wasn’t going to happen. Nothing short of a zombie apocalypse would bring Sully out of that shop. And even then, it would have to be pretty spectacular zombies.

  She juggled the pie and the cake in her hands and tried to shoo Sadie away from her legs. Avery took a step forward, reaching out with an offer to help.

  Leanne’s legs must have gotten tangled up with the dogs because she missed the bottom step and stumbled forward. Tripping on the first step, she went down hard on her knees, letting out a shriek as she fell up the stairs.

  Avery watched in horror and disbelief as both cake and pie sailed from her hands, the chocolate cake flipping upside down and landing on top of the pie as they skidded across the decking of the porch. Whipped cream splattered in a line across the porch, and Sadie ran up the stairs, licking the splatters.

  “Oh my gosh. Are you okay? Oh my gosh.” Avery flitted around her, her hands flapping in the air, wanting to help but not sure how to.

  Leanne sat up, her face flushed, her cheeks red, as she clutched her leg in pain and looked like she was trying not to cry. A red patch of scraped skin blossomed on her knee, and a thin stream of bright red blood trickled down her shin from where she’d cut it on the porch step. Her voice cracked as she flailed an arm at Sadie, shooing her away from the dessert. “Get away from there.”

  “Oh my gosh.” Geez, she needed to quit saying that. “Hold on.” She picked up the fallen desserts then opened the door and set them on the counter inside. She yelled to Matt, who was standing by the sunglasses display. “Leanne fell. Can you find some water and a Band-Aid?”

  She let Sadie into the shop then closed the door and turned back to Leanne. “I’m so sorry. What can I do to help you?”

  “Haven’t you already done enough?” she bit out, her face screwed up.

  “What?” Her vicious words hit Avery like a slap in the face. “What did I do?” But she had a sinking feeling that she already knew.

  “Like you don’t know. Coming in here with your fancy clothes and your perfect hair. You have no right to take Sully away from me. Especially when you’re just going to leave anyway.” She pushed to her feet. “Oh, just forget it.”

  She tried to take a step forward, but she cried out and grabbed the railing for support.

  Avery reached for her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Sit down. Don’t try to walk on it.”

  Leanne sank onto the stairs, dropping her face into her hands, and shook her head, her ponytail swinging with each shake. She let loose with a hard sob, her shoulders shuddering as she cried.

  Avery sat down next to her, patting her back, her heart breaking for the other woman. “I’m really sorry.”

  “It’s not really you. It’s not your fault you’re beautiful. No, it’s me. It’s my own fault that Sully isn’t interested in me. It has to be. I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. I try so hard, but I always seem to go overboard and push people away.”

  She swiped at the tears on her cheek with the back of her hand. “I don’t get it. I enjoy taking care of people, feeding them, reminding them to take a jacket. It makes me feel useful, like I make a difference to someone.” Her voice softened, misery in her tone. “Like I matter.”

  Avery felt awful for the role she played in harming this woman. It was obvious how much she was hurting, and she wanted to wrap her in her arms and hug her. “You do matter. Of course you do. You seem like a really nice person. And most people love having someone who thinks about them and goes out of their way to do things for them.”

  “I know. That’s why I don’t get it. I thought men wanted to be taken care of and pampered.”

  “I think some men do. I think some men would love that.”

  “But not Sully?” Leanne gazed at her, her eyes still tear-filled, mascara smudges beneath her lashes.

  “No, probably not Sully.”

  “You really like him, don’t you?”

  Avery nodded. “Yeah, I really do. I’m sorry.”

  The other woman let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t be. I saw you on the dance floor at the Get Outdoors thing, saw the way he looked at you—saw him kiss you. He’s never looked at me that way before.”

  “Then he’s not the right guy.” She touched Leanne’s arm. “You deserve to have someone look at you that way. You’re a gorgeous woman, and you obviously have a big heart. Some guy is going to see that, and he’s going to feel so lucky to have a woman like you.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “I don’t know. I just feel like I have to try so hard at everything that I do. I’m not like you. You’re gorgeous, and funny, and graceful.”

  “Graceful? Ha. I’m one of the klutziest people you’ll ever know. Just this week I’ve maimed a guy’s hand with a fish hook, fallen on my butt into a creek, and almost knocked over a display of umb
rellas because a snake fell into my pants.”

  The other woman’s eyes widened, and a grin stole over her face. “Oh dear. A snake? In your pants? Really?”

  “Oh, yeah. Really.”

  Leanne’s smile broke into a fit of giggles, and she hugged her middle as she bent forward in laughter.

  Avery joined her. It was funny.

  The front door of the shop opened, and Matt stepped out holding a first-aid kit and a bottle of water. “What’s so funny? I thought someone was hurt.” He looked down and must have caught sight of Leanne’s blood-covered knee.

  “Oh no, you’re bleeding,” he said, his forehead creased in concern as he knelt down in front of her. He picked up her leg and examined the cut. After twisting the lid off the bottle, he poured some of the water on the cut then passed her the bottle with the remaining water. “Here, take a sip of this. I’ll get you fixed up.”

  Leanne took a sip, her shoulders hunched forward, as she watched Matt open the first-aid kit and unwrap a packet of gauze. She winced as he cleaned the cut.

  “Sorry about that. My doctoring skills are a little rusty.”

  “It would be easier to take you seriously as a doctor if you didn’t have a smear of chocolate frosting on your chin,” Avery said.

  Matt looked up, a guilty expression on his face, as he swiped at his chin with the back of his hand. “You left this incredible looking dessert on the counter. I just took a few bites on my way out. I didn’t know there was blood involved.”

  “Oh no. You didn’t eat that, did you?” Leanne said, burying her face in her hands. “It was ruined.”

  “Ruined? Are you kidding? It was amazing. Mixing the chocolate cake with the banana cream stuff in the pie—it was pure genius.”

  Avery’s eyes narrowed as she watched the other woman’s head lift and her shoulder’s perk up as she gave Matt a grateful smile.

  And she had an awful, terrible, possibly wonderful idea.

  “So, Matt,” she said. “We were just talking about men and if they like to be taken care of and fussed over. What do you think?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know about most men. I think everybody’s different. But I know I do. I dated this girl once who found out I like grilled cheese sandwiches, and she made me these amazing cheese sandwiches every time I came over. It probably sounds awful, but I finally broke it off with her when I realized that I liked the sandwiches and the fact that she went out of her way to make something for me better than I actually liked her.”

  Avery forced a laugh. “That’s funny. You’re a funny guy, Matt. Gosh, cute and funny, what a combination. It’s a wonder you’re still single.”

  Ease it back a little there, Ms. Matchmaker. She was going to hurt herself if she tried to force another laugh like that. And she needed to be a little less obvious. “I was just trying to make the point that there are guys that like to be taken care of.”

  He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at her. “I guess. But most of the girls I’ve run across don’t care about that kind of stuff. They just want a guy with money, who will spend it on them.”

  “Who cares about money? My ex left me plenty of money,” Leanne said, obviously picking up on Avery’s hints. Her gaze swept over Matt’s muscled arms as he squeezed a line of antibiotic ointment on a Band-Aid then fixed it to her knee. “I’m just looking for a nice guy that’s good to my son and enjoys a home-cooked meal.”

  Matt raised his head, his eyes searching Leanne’s face as if to establish if she was being serious or joking around with him.

  She pushed out her chest and offered him a seductive smile. “And I have a recipe for a really great grilled cheese sandwich.”

  There was no denying her seriousness after that comment.

  Matt glanced at Avery, who smiled and gave him a slight encouraging nod of her head. She didn’t want to be too obvious.

  He looked back at Leanne, and his lips turned up in an impish grin. “Oh yeah? I’ve been craving a good grilled cheese lately.”

  Avery knew she should leave. They were obviously having a moment, but she couldn’t look away. Her writer brain already had them walking down the aisle and making adorable blond-headed babies.

  “I don’t think Leanne should drive home with that injury. You think you could give her a ride home, Matt?” Avery noticed his hand was still on Leanne’s leg.

  Leanne must have noticed, too. Her smile widened. “That would be great.”

  “Sure,” he said, his grin matching hers as he helped her to her feet. “But only on one condition.”

  Her smile faltered. “What’s that?”

  “Can we bring the cake?”

  Leanne’s grin lit up her face.

  Avery’s heart swelled with gladness for her as she watched Matt carefully steer her to his car and gently guide her onto the seat. He raced back up the stairs and into the shop.

  Emerging a few minutes later, with only a bag of ice in his hands, he paused on the steps. “I put the cake in the fridge. We’ll grab it later. I figured it was best to get some ice on her knee and get her leg up as soon as possible.” Leaning in, he spoke quietly to Avery. “Thanks. I’ve had a thing for Leanne for ages, but didn’t think I had a chance because of Sully. You think he’s going to be okay with this?”

  She grinned. “I think he’s going to be thrilled. Go for it.” She couldn’t stop smiling—she was so proud of herself as she walked into the store.

  Then a sudden thought struck her.

  If Leanne wasn’t interested in Sully anymore, he wouldn’t need her to still pretend to be his girlfriend.

  Even though she thought he made it clear at the cabin that he did have real feelings for her, did she want to take a chance that those feelings would wane now that he didn’t need her anymore?

  Maybe she just wouldn’t tell him about Matt and Leanne.

  Not yet anyway.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sully spread out the old blanket he kept in the back of his truck on the grass. They’d picked up cheeseburgers from Lou’s and come to the park to eat so Sadie wouldn’t have to sit in the truck by herself.

  Avery plopped down on the blanket and positioned her cup in a secure place in the grass next to the blanket. Sully dropped down next to her, and Sadie lay down at their feet.

  It seemed like a perfect moment—a picnic in the park, the air still warm from the summer day, the scents of freshly mown grass and chlorine from the city pool in the air. It was like a picture. But pictures could be staged, posed, photoshopped, made to look perfect, and you never knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes.

  Sully wondered if that was what was happening with them. Was Avery still pretending or were her feelings for him real? He hated not knowing. But didn’t think he could take it if she admitted that this was just a fling for her.

  He’d told her how he felt at the cabin, that he liked her—really liked her—and she’d said she liked him, too. But just saying you liked someone was a far cry from actually committing to a relationship with them.

  Still—not knowing was killing him. But was it better to keep up the charade and enjoy being with her or to know the truth and miss out on their last few days together?

  And was that what he was really looking for? A relationship?

  She’d taken his hand as they walked into Lou’s to order the cheeseburgers, and a warm feeling had passed through him. He was proud to be holding her hand, even a little smug that everyone in the restaurant knew the beautiful woman that had just walked into the room was with him.

  But his smugness came crashing down when he realized that like that perfect picture, it might all just be for show. She’d held his hand that first night at the Get Outside event, telling him that’s what “real” couples did. So did she now see them as a “real” couple, or was she just holding his hand to keep up the show?

  “Are you going to eat that or just stare at it all night?” Avery asked, gesturing to the cheeseburger he held. “Because if you don’t want it
, I’m sure Sadie would eat it for you. She’s drooling on the blanket just watching you hold it.”

  “Oh yeah, sure. Just thinking about…something.”

  “Care to share?”

  He shook his head, pasting on a smile—was he just pretending now? Dammit, relationships were complicated. Even fake ones. “Nah, just boring work stuff.” He pulled off a bite of bun and tossed it to Sadie.

  “Thanks for agreeing to eat outside. I appreciate it. I’m sure Sadie would have been fine in the back of the truck, but I just hate leaving her by herself.”

  Avery smiled down at the dog. “Of course. And I love this. I love eating outside.”

  “Except I bet you usually do it at some chic outdoor café on the sidewalk of the city versus on an old blanket in the grass with a dog drooling next to your foot.”

  She laughed. “I think this is great. Just because it’s different doesn’t mean I can’t love it just as much. I love trying new things. It’s a new adventure. And I told you I’m all about filling my life with new adventures.” She patted the dog’s head. “And I don’t mind the drool. I love this dog.”

  Mixed emotions ran through him at her words. She’d talked about how much she loved adventure before. So did that mean she saw spending a week in the mountains shaking the sheets (as she called it) with a fishing guide as an adventure—something she tried once then moved on?

  How could someone that thrived on the thrill of adventure ever be satisfied living in a small cabin in the middle of nowhere with someone as dull as him?

  He couldn’t think about that right now. Didn’t want to. He just wanted to enjoy being with her—enjoy having a picnic with a gorgeous woman whose leg was currently touching his and whom he had a fairly good chance of kissing later tonight.

  And maybe more.

  He smiled again, this one more sincere—easier because he’d just imagined kissing her—and changed the subject. “You’re pretty good with her. Sadie, I mean. Do you have a dog at home?”

  “No. I wish. I’ve always lived in apartments, so I wasn’t ever allowed to have pets. I did have a hamster once. Her name was Peaches.”