Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

  Even now, glancing at her in the passenger seat, his ring on her finger, their wedding bands in a bag at her feet as they drove off to get married, he felt a possessiveness wash over him that he’d never felt with Dani. With anyone.

  It had to be the stand-in big brother card pulling some punches. Had to be that he’d always felt protective of her. It likely hadn’t helped that the store clerk had kept one interested eye on Ethan’s cute and sexy fiancée the whole time they’d been shopping. He didn’t blame the man; Lily was one fine woman. In every way.

  At least once they were married and past tonight’s party they could become ensconced in their own projects for a while. That would help. Everything right now was feeling too big. Much too big.

  And maybe a little bit real.

  “Stop the car,” Lily said, surprising Ethan.

  They were halfway to Derbyshire to get their marriage license before heading to the courthouse for a lil’ ol’ four forty-five “I do.” Dutifully, he looked for a place to pull off as dark clouds rolled in overheard, promising an evening storm.

  Was she experiencing cold feet? Maybe she hadn’t liked the way he’d looked at her in the jewelry store. Because her tone certainly said she had things she needed to get off her chest. A very nice chest, too. One he wouldn’t mind exploring with his mouth sometime soon.

  Ethan let out a gusty sigh, trying to school his thoughts. The more he was around Lily, the dirtier they became. He was going to need…he didn’t know what. Well, he did know. He needed her, but that wasn’t going to happen. At least, not in that way.

  Ethan pulled off the highway and into a hiking trailhead’s turnout. There was a time as a kid when he’d take that trail every other weekend with his family. Back then Mandy had been in a carrier, she was so small. Back before their parents had divorced and well before his accident had made the Blackberry River Trail virtually inaccessible to him.

  Just thinking about the accident brought back that helpless feeling of being trapped in a hospital bed, unable to move, unable to care for himself. Everything had been ripped away from him by chance. Thirty seconds faster or slower on that highway and he would have missed the avalanche. One more lingering goodbye kiss from Dani, or one less, and his life would be different. He’d be in construction, married to a model. Happy.

  He stared at the familiar trailhead and wondered if he’d ever feel able to take on the three-mile loop again. What if he had kids one day and they wanted to hike? Would he be able to keep up? He looked over at Lily. She was spry, athletic. She’d be able to do the trail in record time.

  “You hike?” he asked.

  “What?” She shifted in her seat, as if searching for clues to his question. Spotting the trail sign, she nodded. “Yeah, sure. But I was thinking…”

  Thinking. Women. Never a good combo.

  I was thinking we should take a break. You have your recovery to worry about and I have… Dani had never finished the sentence; her implication that she still had a life had been clear to both of them. She’d twisted off the still-new ring—leaving it on the hospital bed just beyond his reach, so he’d had to ask his kid sister to move it for him, to toss it.

  Dani was one woman he never wanted to lay eyes on again.

  “Sorry?” he said, realizing Lily was talking.

  “Kiss,” she insisted.

  He stared at her blankly. What had she been saying while he’d tortured himself with the past?

  “You and I,” she said slowly.

  He cleared his throat, buying time. Suddenly the vehicle felt too small, the late summer’s sun streaking through the windshield too extreme. He put down his window, breathing in the crisp mountain breeze. Rain was coming for sure.

  She wanted to kiss him.

  That couldn’t be correct.

  “You know?” she continued. “So we look convincing.”

  “We don’t need to kiss,” he said, shaking his head too vigorously. Kissing was…crossing a line. Beyond platonic. Kissing would make it difficult to remain honorable.

  “The guy in the store was onto us until you hugged me.”

  Ethan frowned. He hadn’t thought the clerk was onto anything other than the fact that his fiancée—yes, his fiancée—was one hot number.

  “We don’t have to be an affectionate couple.”

  “Ethan!” she cried in frustration. “Newlyweds kiss. People who rush into marriage are all over each other. You act like you’re disgusted to even touch me.”

  Her cheeks were pink with anger.

  “I’m not disgusted,” he said defensively. Talk of being all over each other brought up all sorts of longing he shouldn’t be feeling for the gorgeous, sexy woman beside him. He’d bet his new high resolution monitor she was wearing deadly erotic undergarments beneath that short business skirt of hers.

  No, he needed to stop thinking about making love to her—that was at the top of the “no go” list.

  If nothing else, he could still act like a gentleman.

  “Why are we even going to do this if we’re not going to bother to make it look convincing?” She continued to press him. “It won’t work if you don’t touch me, and you flinch like you’ve been seized by the devil any time I reach over to play the part of adoring fiancée.”

  Adoring fiancée. Why did he want to savor the sound of that?

  “People are going to expect us to kiss, Ethan.”

  “I’m sure there’s a way around it.” He shifted, his back bothering him from all the tensing going on.

  She let out a tortured sigh. “Have you ever been to an engagement party? People kiss.”

  Man, she was insistent. But dutifully, Ethan thought back. His family had thrown a party for him and Dani while he was still in the hospital. It hadn’t really gone over well, seeing as they’d arrived shortly after Dani had come by to dump him. Definitely no kissing at that event.

  Mandy and Frankie? Kissing had been constant, like they’d wanted to rub it in to the entire world that they’d finally hooked up. Devon and Olivia? Yup. Still lots of kissing going on there, too.

  Lilypad had a point. Kissing and physical affection were basic expectations of newlyweds.

  But still.

  “Nobody expects me to be affectionate.”

  “They’re going to want at least one lip lock. Even from you.”

  Ethan ran a hand over his face, unsure how to proceed. He’d strived to avoid thinking about touching her, caressing her, holding her, tasting her. And now she wanted him to.

  He couldn’t decide if he was cursed or blessed.

  Heck, his mind was already swiftly heading to the gutter, his libido on call and hurrying to be named later as an accessory in the upcoming crime scene where their friendship was ruthlessly murdered.

  Lily was blinking furiously, looking so hurt he knew he had to act, figure out a way around this.

  Why couldn’t he just be at home with his web business like he wanted, and ignore the rest of the world and its complications?

  “What would you like me to do?” he asked.

  One dutiful husband-to-be, coming up.

  “Act like I’m not repulsive! That…that―”

  “You’re not repulsive.”

  She turned in the seat, her expression hard. “Then kiss me.”

  “Lilypad, come on…” His grip tightened on the steering wheel. Kissing her felt akin to taking advantage. He was older than she was. She was someone he had to look out for. And if he kissed her…it felt like he’d be avoiding his duty somehow.

  Which was all entirely stupid. He needed to get over himself. They were adults. She was sexy. And she wanted a kiss.

  He was a good kisser.

  Kissing her was his new duty.

  She crossed her arms, chin out. “I can’t risk breaking the trust of the people we love just because you don’t find me desirable.”

  To his horror she began crying. She turned away, swiping at her eyes angrily, trying to be tough, strong.

  “You’
re desirable,” he said quietly, shifting in his seat. It felt wrong admitting it out loud. But did she have to cry? That was so unfair.

  She was still sniffing and he didn’t know what to do. Mail a confession on fancy notepaper? She’d probably be appalled if she had any idea how much he craved her.

  He tentatively patted her knee. It was bare due to her short skirt, and sexy as all get-out. If he wasn’t careful, his hand was going to find its way higher and higher on her leg, savoring the smoothness of her skin. He withdrew it abruptly.

  “See?” she spit. “See? You patted me like I’m your grandma!”

  If this was what it was like to be married, maybe he didn’t want it so much, after all.

  “Get out of the car,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Get. Out of. The car.”

  He slowly turned off the engine, taking the keys with him in case she had ideas about teaching him a lesson and leaving him on the side of the mountain. He angled his way out of the SUV, testing his leg before putting weight on it. Standing, he turned to face her, but she was already storming around the vehicle. She came up beside him, slamming his door with such force his eyebrows shot up. She backed him against the SUV, grabbed his face and pressed her lips to his before he had a chance to react.

  Her lips were warm, her eyes closed. She had his head in a tight grip so he couldn’t escape, and she tasted like chocolate and tears.

  She didn’t give up when he didn’t kiss her back, just kept pressing against his closed mouth, working his rigid lips with her own.

  Her body felt good against his. Those curves. Those voluptuous, sexy curves that had been haunting his dreams since her return. She was all woman. One hundred percent. The tomboy had been chased away so fully she was barely recognizable. She wasn’t Tagalong any longer. She was the sexiest thing he’d ever…no. No comparison. She was just the sexiest thing ever.

  She pressed nearer, so near he couldn’t think. She bit his bottom lip and he opened his mouth in surprise. She took advantage, her tongue meeting his. His blood surged at the intimate contact and he kissed her back, his own desire taking over, his mind lost.

  He spun her, tumbling against her as they pressed up against the vehicle’s cool metal, desperate, their kisses bordering on indecent with their urgency as thunder rumbled in the distance. Everything he’d held back soared through him and their kisses became frantic with need, their tongues battling as his hands lifted, cupping the undersides of her breasts. He gave a tender squeeze and she sighed into his mouth, a leg wrapping around him as though opening for him. Ethan shuddered with pent-up testosterone and fell into her heat, angling his hips. She moaned, spurring him on as his hands moved higher, his body rocking against hers. She was pert, excited, and just before he lost all sense of bearing a vehicle passed on the highway, tooting its horn and smashing the magic.

  He broke away, to find Lily panting, her expression one of unhidden need, of satisfaction and desire. It was heady seeing her lips rosy, her chest heaving, the unbridled want flashing in her eyes. Want for him. She was tipping toward him, unfinished business blatant in her gaze, in his bloodstream.

  He backed up another step so he didn’t fall into her once again, because for the first time since their agreement, he thought Lily wasn’t the only one at risk of taking things too far and getting hurt.

  Chapter 5

  Lily’s legs were still trembling from their mind-exploding kiss and she tried to act unfazed as they walked up to the county clerk’s office, a chilly breeze pushing debris along the sidewalk. But her body was stuck in the red alert zone, ready to combust with just one more world-changing kiss from Ethan.

  She’d go senile in her old age, forget her own name, but still remember that kiss along the highway.

  “Ready?” Ethan asked, zipping up a pale blue windbreaker before lightly tapping her elbow to get her attention. She jumped at the fizz of energy that ramped through her body like a missile ready to deploy, certain he could read her thoughts, read her excited body language. Fake fiancées didn’t hanker to get it on with their fake fiancés. Not like that.

  She edged away. How was she going to spend a year living shoulder to shoulder with him and not ruin things?

  No love in the kitchen. That’s all she had to remember. Stick to the rule.

  “You okay?” he asked, taking her arm and sending a jolt of longing straight into her core.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Just think…in one year you’ll be the proud owner of two businesses.” He gave her a half smile, seemingly unaffected by their kiss.

  Right.

  Platonic.

  Hardly. That kiss had been anything but platonic.

  But a kitchen. She could create the life she wanted, and the kiss had merely been an experiment to prove they could pull this off. He seemed unaffected and she should be, too. He was like her ex-boyfriends, just playing along so he could get what he needed, which in this case was selling his businesses for a nice wad of cash. It was just her old crush making her tingly everywhere. Nothing more.

  Although he had reacted. Her gaze slipped south of his belt before she caught herself and looked away.

  She was going to embarrass herself. She was going to throw herself at him if she carried on with this marriage.

  No. She was working toward financial freedom. She was going to help her father. All she had to do was focus on the fact that neither she nor Ethan planned on keeping their vows.

  See? Now a completely different kind of sweat was happening.

  “Hey?” Ethan moved in front of her. “You all right?”

  “Ha, ha.”

  “Seriously.” He pulled her chin toward him, forcing her to meet his steady gaze. All she could think of was whether he was going to kiss her or not. Whether he was the dominant type when it came to—whoa. No. Friend. He was just a friend. A business partner.

  “If you want out, we’re out,” he said quietly. “We can find another way. It’s only money.”

  She hesitated, then shook her head as he released her. If he could handle it, so could she.

  But his gaze was still taking her in as if he was concerned about her. “It’s just a document,” she said. “Just…”

  “Just us sticking it to a bunch of people who won’t give you the chance you deserve. There’s nothing to feel bad about. If they can’t handle you unmarried, then we’ll give you that title.”

  “The lengths I’ll go to for my career,” she said, her throat closing up. “I hope my next husband doesn’t judge me for this.”

  Ethan took a step back, thrusting his hands into his pockets. “Right.” He swallowed, looking awkward. Finally, he took her hand in his. It was warm and humongous…what was the saying? Big hands meant big―

  Don’t think!

  The sky opened up just then, dropping rain over them and Ethan quickly draped his windbreaker over her head, creating a shelter so she’d stay dry. He paused to sweep a thumb over her cheek, his shirt becoming plastered to his chest as he got soaked. “We’re going to get you those businesses, Lily. You’re going to follow your dreams and have everything you want.”

  She felt her bottom lip quiver.

  “Just remember, no matter how real it all feels, it’s fake. If we remember that, nothing will go wrong and nobody will get hurt.”

  Ethan’s palms were sweating. The imposing courtroom with its shining oak; the judge—an old family friend—officiating. Signatures. Witnesses.

  The deception suddenly felt bigger than he’d intended. He glanced over at Lily, who was biting her lip, looking at him with such trust and hope he knew he couldn’t back out. She was beating back a fear that kept dodging through her, and it was currently edging to break free again. He shifted closer, taking her hands in his. Her palms were as damp as his own, but her smile made him feel less alone.

  The judge began reciting his legal spiel. Eventually he paused. “Do you have rings?”

  Ethan pulled the wedding bands fro
m his wet jeans pocket. Maybe he should have kept them in their boxes instead of unceremoniously dropping them into his pocket before coming inside. He should have dressed up. Should have done her that honor. “I’m sorry I’m not wearing a suit.”

  Lily looked pretty in her short skirt and fitted blouse, which had managed to stay dry. “I’m sorry I didn’t buy a gown.”

  “I’m not,” he whispered. “You look beautiful.”

  With shaking hands they exchanged their white gold bands.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Lily giggled nervously, her eyes glittering. Ethan couldn’t help but smile.

  He was a married man.

  Someone had chosen him. Someone believed he was man enough to go the distance.

  The happy feeling vanished as he realized he’d just made Lily Harper his wife. He’d promised to cherish and hold her. Protect her.

  He pulled her into a tight embrace.

  He had a duty to her, and what they had entered into—both the marriage and business deal—were not things to take lightly.

  He would keep his vows. No matter what.

  “You may kiss the bride,” the judge said, a small smile teasing his lips.

  Ethan swallowed hard.

  The kiss.

  There was no getting out of another one, was there?

  Lily was gazing up at him expectantly. When he hesitated, her smile wobbled and she slipped from his embrace.

  Protecting her also meant protecting her feelings, sheltering her from the gossip and doubts of others. Cherishing her, showing the world that she was a worthy queen of any man’s domain.

  Ethan eased closer, taking his time, taking her in. Those perpetually smiling eyes, her tempting womanly shape. He slipped one hand to her hip, sliding it around to the small of her back, folding her body close to his. She fit perfectly, like a wife should. With his right hand, he swept his thumb across the freckles highlighting her cheek, cupping her head. She’d settled her hands against his chest as though uncertain about being the subject of his focus. Her breathing became unsteady, anticipation undoubtedly building inside her as much as himself. He wasn’t sure if it would be a light kiss or something out of control like earlier. Either way, he needed it to be convincing, as this was their first kiss as husband and wife.