by Anna Argent
"Deviant," scolded Caroline.
"Don't knock it ‘till you try it," called Mrs. Peony from somewhere in the crowd.
Nate's blush darkened, and Hanna had to bite the inside of her lips to keep from smiling.
"That's enough," he said, his voice booming over the crowd. "This discussion is officially over, or I'm calling it a night."
"But—" Fern began.
"No buts," said Nate. "If any of you say one more word, I'm shutting down bingo for the rest of the night, and everyone will know why. Is that what you want?"
He looked from Fern, to Caroline, to Gilbert, and then scanned the gathering.
"You'd better not fuck up my winning streak," Mrs. Peony warned.
Hanna could just catch a glimpse of her lavender hair through the crowd. She was trying to push her way forward, but the onlookers seemed loathe to give up their front row seats.
Nate held out his hand. "Give me the tank."
Gilbert handed it over, then Nate offered it to its rightful owner.
Nate raised his voice loud enough so that even the most hard-of-hearing in the crowd had no excuse. "Now everyone, back to your seats. We're moving on."
He took Hanna's arm and cleared a path for them.
As soon as it was safe, Hanna let out the laugh she'd been holding in. "Is it always like this?" she asked.
Nate shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. "No. Sometimes it gets bad."
Chapter Thirteen
Nate managed to keep the bingoers on task for the rest of the evening. He and Hanna stayed long enough to help stack chairs and clean up, and by the time they walked out of the rec center, the parking lot was nearly empty.
Darkness had wrapped itself around the little town while they were inside. The air was humid and carried with it the scent of the lake behind the rec center. Most of the businesses in town were closed, except for a gas station and a small ice cream shop a few blocks away.
Nate knew from experience that if he walked that direction, he'd find about half of the bingo crowd hanging out, spending their winnings or drowning their sorrows on the sweet treats.
Security lights bathed the parking lot in a bright glow that drew clouds of moths to dance and swirl overhead. The sounds of splashing and high, girlish squeals of delight floated up from the water's edge where teenagers liked to play after dark.
When he was younger, he'd spent lots of nights in that very spot between the public boat ramps and the fishing piers, splashing and laughing with his friends.
He hadn't been to that little private nook in a long time, but the idea of seeing Hanna in a bikini made him wonder why not.
"That was…educational," she said, her grin warming her tone.
Nate glanced at her, enjoying the curve of her dimpled cheek and the way the light played at the hollow of her throat.
She was such a beautiful woman, it was sometimes hard to remember that they were trying to keep things professional. When she smiled like that, it was nearly impossible to remember anything but the way she'd responded to his kiss, so hot and eager.
"Told you it wasn't a date," he said. "I'd never subject a date to that kind of chaos."
"I don't know. The right kind of girl might find that fun. I mean, who doesn't enjoy hearing about the sexploits of grandparents?"
"Sex isn't just for youngsters," he said, mimicking Gilbert's cracked voice.
She laughed. "Apparently not. One of the nurses from the Lakeview Nursing Home was handing out condoms. She told me in the bathroom that there's a bad case of gonorrhea going around they're trying to stamp out." She dug in her pocket and pulled out a strip of six condoms. "Mrs. Peony shoved these in my pocket and told me to corner you and have some fun."
Nate raised his eyebrows. "I've known her all my life. ‘Fun' was not the word she used."
Hanna smiled and shook her head. "Guilty as charged. The term she used was ‘get fucked' but that didn't seem like a respectful quote to attribute to her."
"Do you know she holds three doctoral degrees? One in physics," he said.
"How do you know that?"
"I talk to her. Once you get past her flamboyance, she's a deeply intelligent woman with a rich life history. A lot of our residents are that way. They retire here because they love the lake and the mountains and no longer have to worry about living near a big city or any kind of industry to make a living."
Hanna leaned her shoulder against his briefly as they neared the truck. It was a friendly nudge, but her touch—even a brief one—fired up his blood and made his heart kick up a notch.
"I like that about you," she said.
"What?" He was instantly hungry to hear whatever she had to say. That she liked anything about him thrilled him, even though he knew he shouldn't care.
"I like that your give-a-shit isn't broken. That you care. About people. About history. It's a rare find in this disposable society of ours."
She paused by the seat and looked up at him. "It makes you wonder, doesn't it? I mean, in fifty or sixty years, what will we be like? What will youngsters in their twenties think of us? Will we be living, breathing people to them, or simply meat furniture—something that sits around until you need it?"
He paused, considering. "I suppose that all depends on how we live our lives—whether or not we're interesting enough for them to bother getting to know."
He opened the truck door for her, nudging the hedges surrounding the parking lot. She slid past him, pressing herself closer to him than she'd been all night.
She smelled so damn good, he lost his head, leaned close and simply breathed in her fresh, sweet scent.
She climbed up onto the running board and perched her curvy ass on the soft leather seat. "I don't want to be meat furniture. Let's go do something fun."
Her pale gray eyes lifted and locked onto his. Her face was obscured by an intricate network of shadows, but her eyes were bathed in light, giving him a clear view of the way her pupils expanded as she watched him.
Their faces were only a few inches apart. With her up on the high seat like she was, their mouths were on the same level, perfect for kissing.
Everything in him screamed at him to do just that. Lean forward. Press his lips to hers. Steal a quick taste of the mysterious depth behind her smile. Maybe linger for a while, savoring her.
"If this was a date," he said, "I'd kiss you."
Her throat moved as she swallowed. A small shiver shook her shoulders. Her voice was soft and uncertain inside the sheltered cab of his truck. "If this were a date," she answered, "I'd let you."
But it wasn't a date. He'd told her that very plainly, and had no intention of going back on his word.
Still, there was no way he could let her go yet. He craved her company, and was willing to use every trick in his book to keep her by his side just a little while longer.
Nate leaned back. A hint of a frown flickered through her eyes, but was gone so fast, he was convinced he'd imagined it.
"There's something I'd like to show you if you're game."
She nodded. "Sure. As long as it's not a dead body."
He laughed, and it released just enough pressure in his chest to allow him to draw a full breath. "I promise. No bodies."
"Then I'm in."
He stopped by the ice cream shop and grabbed a small carton of yesterday's flavor of the day from the freezer. He was in and out quick, skipping the long line of tourists and bingoers waiting for the soft serve stuff.
With their treat and plastic spoons in tow, Nate put his truck in four-wheel drive, and headed up a steep, rocky path that led to the top of the highest ridge for miles.
Hanna held tight to the oh shit handle as the truck rocked and swayed in its ascent. "Where are we going?"
"To the top of the world. At least that's what I thought when I was a kid. My family owns this land and has for generations. The story was the first Grace family settled here before Missouri was even a state in the union."
"How on earth did they get up here? Mount
ain goat?"
"It seems steeper than it is when you're on the incline." The trip down would seem even steeper than this, but he didn't tell her that and freak her out. As it was, she was already pale and clenched.
The narrow trail evened out. The thick trees on either side blocked out the view of anything but leaves, but a few seconds later, he reached the top of the rise and the clearing that the family kept open to take full advantage of the view.
As he reached their destination, he killed the headlights.
"Oh. My. Wow," she said
There were no lights up here. All they could see was a wide-open sky filled with a billion stars, and the way the moonlight played over the rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains. From here, the thick, green forest looked like a plush carpet of black and silver. There was a faint orange glow of Springfield in the distance, so far it almost looked like the last hint of sunset on the horizon.
"Pretty, isn't it?"
"It's amazing." There was awe in her tone so thick it approached reverence. "You own this?"
"My grandad does. We don't come up here as much as we did when we were kids, but it never gets old. Check this out."
He slid the sunroof open, revealing the full splendor of the night sky. Usually there was too much light to see just how many stars were in the heavens, but out here, all that light pollution was too far away to ruin the view. Some nights, he could even see the ghostly tendrils of the Milky Way, reminding him just how tiny he really was.
Hanna craned her neck back to reveal the sleek line of her throat.
He wanted to kiss that smooth skin so much, he had to grab the steering wheel to keep from doing just that.
Nate realized in this moment that he never should have brought her up here. Sure, he'd wanted to share the sight with her, and yes, it had been a while since he'd come himself, but now that he was here, alone with her in the vast isolation of the wooded mountains, he realized his mistake.
He didn't know how to resist the pull she had on him when he got her alone like this. In public, surrounded by people, he could remember that she was his employee and wasn't looking for any romantic attachments. But here, alone at the top of the world?
"I can't get over just how many stars there are. I've never seen so many."
"I hear the night sky is even more spectacular out west, but it's hard to believe such a thing is possible."
She leaned her seat back and stared up, seemingly content to do so all night. Her strappy sandals hit the floorboards, and she perched her bare feet up on the dash. Her skirt shifted slightly, revealing a couple more inches of her thighs.
Nate's knuckles popped under the strain of his grip on the wheel.
"Want some ice cream?" he asked, needing something to do with his hands that didn't involve running them over the lush curves of her body.
"Always," she said.
"It's some kind of salted caramel pecan concoction."
"Don't care," Hanna's tone was distracted. "Any ice cream, any way, anywhere, any time. I'm in."
He opened the paper sack and pulled the lid off the cardboard container. Belatedly, he realized that he hadn't gotten her a separate dish to eat out of.
"Do you mind eating from the container?" he asked. "I got two spoons, but no bowls."
"I'll eat ice cream like a savage—or any other way I can get it. Hell, I'd eat it out of your hand if that was my only option."
The idea of her licking the sweet, sticky chill from his skin popped into his head, knocking out every other thought he'd ever had.
His cock rose to full attention, ready to volunteer to be her spoon if she was so inclined.
"Sorry," she said. "That was too gross, wasn't it? In my defense, I did warn you about the any way, anywhere, any time thing ice cream and I have going on."
"You did," he said, his voice rough and thick with physical need.
He handed her a plastic spoon and the chilly container. She dug in with relish, moaning as the treat hit her tongue.
"Almost as good as the view," she said, only she wasn't looking at the sky when she said it, but at him.
Nate averted his gaze in an effort to behave himself.
Was she flirting with him? His head was so full of lust and images of her tongue sliding over his cock to lick away sweet cream that he couldn't tell.
She handed the container back to him for a turn.
He ate, but tasted nothing. His whole being was so focused on Hanna, that there was no room left for his senses to process any other stimuli.
Her presence consumed him, and he loved every second of it.
Nate leaned his seat back to mimic hers and handed her the ice cream again.
She scooped up a bite and absently licked it while she stared into the heavens. All he could do was stare at her.
The majestic sight of a billion stars sprinkled across the sky like glitter had always enthralled him, but tonight, it was merely a pretty backdrop for an even more stunning woman.
Her golden-brown hair fell in curling waves, cascading over the seat in a silky waterfall. Moonlight caught the strands, highlighting them in pale silver. Her tongue stroked a swirl of caramel, curling to trap the sweet, sticky band and bring it into her mouth.
She wasn't dressed fancy, or wearing expensive jewelry, but lounging under the stars like this, she could have been an ancient queen, sought out for her beauty by suitors across the globe.
The whimsical thought tickled him, and gave him a moment of reprieve from his rampant lust.
"Do you ever wonder what you want to be when you grow up?" she asked, her tone thoughtful, almost distracted.
"I'm twenty-eight. I consider that grown up enough, though my grandad would probably question that statement."
"Well, I'm only a couple of years behind you, but I still wonder what to do with my life sometimes. I mean, I'm excited to have found a good job, but no one ever dreams of being in materials management when they're kids, you know?"
"What did you want to be?"
"A helicopter."
He laughed, picturing a toddling Hanna zooming around her living room with her arms spinning. "How did that work out for you?"
"I'm afraid of heights, so it was a bust."
He loved her dry sense of humor, and the way she was always making him laugh. How long had it been since he'd been with a woman who could do that?
He couldn't remember.
He turned toward her so he could see her better. "You said you did restoration work. If that's your passion, you should follow it."
She scooped up another bite and held it upside down while she licked the spoon clean. "I tried. It didn't exactly go the way I'd planned."
"What happened?"
"I trusted the wrong man. He ran the business into the ground. Destroyed my credit and my reputation. I didn't realize it until it was too late, but by then, guess what? It was too late. So here I am, moving on to bigger and better things."
"I'm sorry." And he was. The idea of some asshole crushing her dreams made him both furious and grateful all at the same time.
He hated it that she'd been hurt, but if her dreams hadn't been crushed, he never would have met her.
She shrugged. "Stuff happens. We move on. And look where it got me. I'm warm, dry, and safe, with amazing ice cream, a rare view of heaven itself, while in the company of a guy who makes me believe there's hope for the male half of the species after all."
"Hope for what?"
"That you're not all lying, cheating assholes who don't have thoughts that go past your wallet or your dick."
"Ouch. This guy really did a number on you, didn't he?"
"Jack. And it's water under the bridge." She paused and a note of fear wavered through her tone. "As long as he doesn't find me."
Chapter Fourteen
That ominous statement pinged alarm bells in Nate's head. "What do you mean? Was he violent with you?"
"Not really. He didn't beat me up or anything, if that's what you mean. But he didn'
t like letting go of his toys. Including me. Possessive didn't even come close to describing it. He said he'd come for me if I left—that he loved me too much to let me go—but I knew the truth."
Nate was almost afraid to ask, but curiosity won out. "And what was that?"
"He was more worried about losing a meal ticket than a soul mate." She shrugged again, only this time it was stiffer and less carefree. "Besides, I haven't seen him in months, so he's probably moved onto the next meal ticket."
"Does he know where you're going?" Nate asked.
"No. There's no way he could. I got this job after I stopped taking his calls. He's probably emailed me, but I haven't had a chance to check my account since I left town. No phone or anything."
"Do you want to use mine? Or I could lend you a laptop. Dockside has public wi-fi, so does the Rise and Shine and a couple other places in town."
"Thanks, but I'm good. It's been nice taking a break from all the electronic leashes. I feel like I've lost fifty pounds."
"I can only imagine. If I didn't stay in contact, people would freak."
She shot him a wry grin. "I noticed, based on how many calls you received during the few hours I had your phone. For a second there, I thought you might be a dealer."
"As in drug dealer?" The idea was so ludicrous he laughed out loud. "No, just a combination of running businesses and living in a small town. There's always someone thinking that what someone else is doing is somehow my business. Or that my business should somehow be theirs."
"I think it's cute. I mean, it beats the hell out of living somewhere no one cares—where you could die in your car or apartment and no one would notice until you started to stink up the place."
Had that been what it was like for her? Was she really that alone? "What about family?"
"Oh, I have plenty of that. Unfortunately."
"Don't get along?"
"Mom and I get along fine as long as I have cash to give her. Dad died in prison—shanked for ratting on someone. I never knew him. I have an older half-brother who's also been in prison most of my life, and a younger half-sister who goes from man-to-man as often as I change socks. She learned that from our Mom."