by Lori Foster
She opened her mouth, but didn’t get a single word out before he spoke again.
“I enjoy fixing up old houses, so it’d be a pleasure.”
He made it sound like she’d be doing him a favor. “I—”
“I work half a day next Saturday so we can get started then, and do a little swimming afterward.”
He coordinated dates quicker than she could keep up.
Still looking all too serious, he asked, “What do you think?”
“Actually, I’d love that.”
“Which part?”
“Any of it. All of it.”
“Perfect.” He released a pent-up breath and moved in close again. “Now, let’s get back to your mouth.”
Self-conscious uncertainty had her licking her lips again.
He made a small, hot sound of approval. “Will I be rushing things too much if I kiss you?”
Canting her head, she considered him. He wanted to kiss her, but instead of just doing it, he asked? “I...um...” Yes, please. But that’d sound awfully enthusiastic—which she was. “I suppose...”
His hand slid along her jaw so that his fingertips touched the back of her neck. “I haven’t been able to think about much other than your mouth.”
“Really?”
“Except for when I saw you in the lake.” He angled his body near hers. “Then I was thinking about all kinds of things—only some of them having to do with your mouth.”
He was so much bolder than she remembered, but of course, he’d been a kid back then.
And he was now a man.
After resting her hands on his shoulders, she hesitated. “I don’t want to get you wet.”
“Funny.” He leaned down until she felt his breath. “I can’t say the same to you.”
And before she could react to that, he put his mouth to hers, his lips warm and firm, nudging hers open so that his tongue could touch just inside, teasing her own, easing her into things until he had both hands in her wet hair, their bodies pressed together, mouths moving in a hot, eating kiss that obliterated clear thought.
Overhead a crow cawed. Somewhere on the lake, a fish jumped.
When Garrett finally let up, she realized her towel had dropped around her feet. Slowly, he lowered one hand to stroke her naked waist, while his other hand curled around her nape, keeping her right where he wanted her.
She went to lick her tingling lips, but he kissed her again, capturing her tongue and making a sound of pleasure before pulling back.
Still very near her, he whispered, “Even better than I’d imagined.”
“You imagined kissing me?”
His gruff laugh teased her nerve endings, but not as much as when he whispered, “I’ve been imagining it since way back when we were kids in school together.”
That surprised her enough that she didn’t even blink when he stole another kiss.
“And a hell of a lot more since then.”
She remembered Garrett had always been nice to her, but she couldn’t recall a time when he’d ever asked her out, or even asked for her number. “I had no idea.”
His thumb teased over the corner of her lips. “Now you do.” Smiling, he tasted her again, deeper, slower, before reluctantly ending things.
If he’d kissed her like that so many years ago, she wasn’t sure she would have left town. “Wow.”
“Yeah.” He moved his thumb to the pulse thrumming in her neck. “I need to take off, but I’ll be here at eight—and I’m already looking forward to it.”
In a daze, Zoey watched him snag up his hat and glasses before heading across the yard, his long strides easy, the muscles in his shoulders shifting and moving with each step.
Without much grace, she dropped to sit on the bench again.
If she believed him...well, then, he’d been thinking about kissing her for a very long time.
Odds were, he’d want to kiss her again tonight.
She was naturally an upbeat person, but facing the town again hadn’t been as easy as she’d pretended.
Yet now, after Garrett’s sensual attention, pure giddiness stole through her, leaving no room for anything else.
For the first time in a very long time, she was flat-out happy. Needing to share, she snatched up her cell phone and put in a call to Amber, her only remaining friend in Buckhorn—even if she was Garrett’s sister. By sheer force of will she managed to downplay the kissing aspects and instead focused on her excitement for the coming days.
After her chat with Amber, who was appropriately attentive, Zoey decided to take a quick shower and head to the hospital for another short visit. On her way home she’d stop at the grocery for salad and potatoes.
There were so many changes going on in her life right now, but it was thoughts of Garrett that put the smile on her face and kept it there.
* * *
Garrett had just finished his general check of the station, making sure everything was clean and orderly. He had a phone meeting in a few minutes, but wanted to grab a Coke before that.
His sister waylaid those plans.
Storming through the station as if she owned it—and sometimes the newbies thought she did—she snagged his elbow and tried to haul him along. There were times when Amber forgot her “little” brother was all grown up, a head taller and a hell of a lot brawnier.
Garrett felt everyone glancing their way, especially Noel Poet, the new hire who’d only recently moved to the area. The locals were used to Amber, but he wasn’t sure Noel had ever seen her before.
To see her now, trying to boss him around, wasn’t good.
When Garrett stood his ground, Amber’s momentum brought her around until she almost slammed into him.
He caught her arm and eased her out of his space, asking calmly, “Problem, Amber?”
Fuzzed up about something, she smoothed her hair, gave a tug to her T-shirt and glared up at him. “I’d like to talk to you in private.”
“If you ask real pretty like...”
Instead she tossed back her long hair—as dark as his own—and went on tiptoe, saying in a snarl, “It’s about Zoey.”
Curiosity ripened in the air.
Not wanting his personal business aired to the station, Garrett took her arm and now it was him leading her off for privacy. She had to double-step to keep up with him.
He took her into the office and closed the door. “Okay, what’s the problem?”
Never one to hold back, Amber declared, “You’re going to break her heart!”
His brows came down so hard that his head throbbed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Zoey!” She slugged his shoulder.
Garrett crossed his arms and propped that shoulder on the wall. “I hit flies harder than that.”
The insult rolled right off her. “I didn’t want to hurt you. You’re supposed to be the good guy.”
“I am a good guy.” Hell, everyone told him so. “I got her from the airport for you.”
“And?”
“And...agreed to let her take me to dinner.” After she’d gone from looking pretty nasty to looking like a wet dream. He was still a little shocked by the transformation.
“And?”
“And what?”
“The firemen’s fund-raiser?”
Damn, news traveled fast. “Yeah, so?” He had no idea why that had his sister spoiling for a fight. “I figured you’d be glad she had a date.” Not that being noble had factored into his motives. “The whole town will be there.”
“Right. The whole town—including the Donahues and all their friends.”
He scoffed at that. “You aren’t saying they’d cause a problem?”
“Oh, my god, where have you been? Living under a rock?�
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“They’re not that bad.” He hoped. But now that she said it...
“When was the last time you saw any of them? They’re always a problem.”
If that was her big concern, she could relax right now. “I won’t let anyone insult Zoey.”
Rolling her eyes, she gave him a look that said he was hopeless. “Yeah, that’ll make her feel better. To be insulted and then have you cause a scene about it.”
“I don’t cause scenes.” He kept a cool head, always.
“Because everyone adores you. But if you’ll recall, Zoey left because everyone does not adore her. And you two being together will bring up comparisons.”
“To her and Gus Donahue?” He dropped his arms and his negligent attitude. “Damn, Amber, that was years ago.”
Her attitude softened the tiniest bit. “She’s been gone ever since. Her showing up is going to revive that whole nasty bit of history.” She held out her hands. “For some, she’ll still be the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who brought down the all-star golden boy. And brother, that’s how they’ll see her with you, too.”
He shook his head in denial.
Pitying, Amber sighed. “You know this, Garrett. You know the influence our family has, how others view you as a hero, and how some people can be when it comes to Zoey.”
Yeah, damn it, he did.
Even knowing he wouldn’t do it, he asked, “Did you want me to cancel on her?”
“You can’t. She called me about it because she was thrilled.”
Thrilled? He scoffed. “Over going to a fund-raiser?”
“Over being with you.”
Yeah, he had to admit—to himself, not his sister—that it thrilled him a little, too. “So she’s glad to have a date.” Though given how she looked, she probably could’ve had her pick of men. “It’ll be good for her to get around the town if she plans to stay.”
Arms crossed, Amber started tapping her foot. “And?”
He wouldn’t talk about kissing Zoey. It was private, and none of his nosy sister’s business. “And butt out.”
Of course she didn’t. He wasn’t sure Amber could. His sister lived to control the lives of others.
It was one of the things he usually loved about her. She was good at it and could be a terrific resource when vetting dates.
But not right now. Not when it came to Zoey.
“You know it’s tough for her to be here, that her mom is in a bad way, that she’s trying to start up a new business on top of just buying a run-down house that needs a ton of work before she can bring her mom there. She has her hands full and then some.”
Yeah, he did know it. That was one reason he’d offered to help her out—not that he’d tell Amber about it with her being so prickly. Besides, Zoey hadn’t acted at all daunted by the pile of burdens. If anything, she seemed eager to take on each and every responsibility. “I saw her house.” Then, in case Amber made assumptions, he said, “The outside, I mean.”
“Reminds me a little of your place.”
“Yeah. Hers could use some TLC, but it’s nice.”
“The inside is far worse than the outside. Livable, but in need of a lot of repairs.”
“That’s the way with most old houses.” As he rubbed the back of his neck, he thought he saw Amber smile, but the flicker of amusement was gone too fast for him to be sure.
Suspicions gathered like storm clouds as he eyed her innocent expression. Amber was a matchmaker extraordinaire; she always had motives for what she did — including chewing out her brother. “Are you trying to manipulate me?”
She struck an appalled pose. “Me?”
What a laugh. “Yes, you.”
Checking a nail, she said, “Actually, I put you with Zoey because I thought you’d be least likely to go overboard.”
Lightning joined the thunderclouds in his brain. “Overboard...how?”
She dropped her hands. “Face it, brother, you’re not Adam.”
Insulted without even knowing why, he asked, “What the hell does that mean?”
“He skates through women like it’s a sport.” She flipped her hand. “And for him, it probably is. He’s twenty-nine years old and hasn’t once been in love.”
Garrett backed up with very real alarm. “You expect me to fall in love with her?”
“Don’t sound so horrified. I’m telling you not to fall in love with her.”
“Wasn’t planning to!”
“But you shouldn’t sleep with her, either.”
He put the brakes on his retreat. “Now wait just a min—”
“Since you’re not Adam, who would probably already be in her bed—”
Over his dead body!
“—you should be able to handle that, right?”
No, damn it. He didn’t want to handle it. He searched Amber’s face, saw she looked dead serious and turned away with a muttered curse.
Since leaving Zoey earlier, he’d thought a dozen times about the way she kissed, how good she’d tasted, the small sounds she’d made, the way those full lips of hers felt under his...
“I can almost hear what you’re thinking.”
Jerking around, he pointed a finger at her. “Then close your meddling ears.”
She pointed right back. “If you sleep with her, then you damn well better step up and be there for her!”
Just what did she mean by that?
Amber slung her purse strap up and over her shoulder and started for the office door. Hand on the doorknob, her back still to him, she paused.
Garrett felt the imminent doom.
“She’s not welcome at her uncle’s. I don’t know if you knew that, but he blames her, too.”
Son of a bitch.
“If you’ve heard the gossip, then you know a lot of people are hanging on to that old grudge.”
“You don’t,” he reminded her. “I don’t.”
“No.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “You and I also know she deserves better than to be used after walking back into the line of fire for her mom. I hope you remember that, Garrett.”
After that direct shot to his lustful intentions, his sister departed, now with less steam than when she’d entered.
Garrett watched her, noticed that Noel Poet did, too. He scowled, but with guilt sitting heavy on his shoulders he couldn’t work up any real concern over it. God knew, Amber could take care of herself.
Talk about a turnaround. He’d wanted Zoey, was pretty sure he’d have had her tonight, and he’d figured on them both enjoying themselves.
But he didn’t want to hurt her, or add to her burdens. Amber was right—Zoey deserved better than that.
His sister’s visit had just changed everything.
Well, hell.
Chapter Three
Zoey spent more time at the hospital than she’d meant to. But her mom was awake, feeling more energetic and seemed to enjoy her company. She moved better now, without as much pain. She still had staples in place from the surgery on her hip, and she tired easily from the pneumonia, but she smiled and it gave Zoey hope.
They’d made plans, talking about how it would be when she moved in with Zoey, and for the first time since her return, her mother’s eyes had glittered with anticipation instead of pain and defeat.
How could she leave in the middle of that? She couldn’t, so she’d stuck around until the very last minute, then had to race to get to the grocery store so she’d be back at her house before Garrett got there.
Funny thing though, as she raced the cart down an aisle, she recognized his sexy butt in worn jeans.
He stood at the meat aisle checking out the steaks.
Zoey snuck up behind him, considered patting that fine tush, but decided against it w
ith so many people around. Her rep was bad enough without adding fuel to the fire.
Instead, she gave him a hip bump. “Hey, stranger.”
Garrett turned with a big smile that, for some reason, faded as he saw they had an audience. “What are you doing here?”
She could ignore the gawkers, if he would. “I was visiting with my mom, so I’m running late. Sorry. Just grabbing some salad and potatoes and heading home.”
He snagged up a package of steaks, commandeered her cart and steered them both back in the direction she’d just come from. “How’s she doing?”
“Much better, thank you. They’ll have her up and walking soon.” She eyed the enormous steaks.
“I meant to hit the butcher’s, but a meeting ran over and they closed a few hours ago. Luckily the grocery stays open all night now.” He hustled her along as he spoke. “You remember how they used to roll the sidewalks up at six?”
“Yes.” She tried to slow him down. “Where are we going?”
“You said you wanted salad.”
“Isn’t it back that—”
“Zoey Hodge.”
Oh, God. That particular screech of outrage carried the same effect as it had in high school. Zoey cringed, knew Garrett saw her cringe, and belatedly realized why he was taking her the long way across the store.
He’d hoped to spare her, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.
Taking two seconds to compose herself, Zoey put on a friendly smile and turned to face the unpleasant past. It wasn’t just Carrie. She had her younger brother—Cody—with her. They both gave her venomous glares.
“Carrie,” Zoey said with calm, polite regard. “How have you been?”
As bitter as ever, Carrie crowded into her space, narrowed her eyes and hissed, “How dare you come back here?”
* * *
As they stood by the grill, for the tenth time, Garrett asked, “You sure you’re okay?”
His concern was sweet, but it was starting to get laughable. “Do I look broken?” She rolled her eyes, hoping he’d let it go. Yes, it had been ugly. Cody had watched her with sad, narrowed eyes. And Carrie had looked...haunted.