by Layla Hagen
But his kiss had set me on fire, and well... I had been more than buzzed.
I arrived first, and my mother’s first comment, as usual, was “Honey, you’re too thin.”
After which she loaded extra sausage and bread onto my plate.
“We’re not waiting for everyone else to arrive?” I asked.
“We can eat with them too,” Mom said. I hid my smile. So did my father. Ever since I’d lost weight in high school, Mom had been convinced I was too thin. I’d given up convincing her otherwise, and settled on doing extra laps in the pool after every meal.
I was the only one eating, though. Mom was too busy fussing around me, and Dad was watering some roses that the automatic sprinklers didn’t reach. He walked with a slight limp he’d acquired nearly fifteen years ago. It had been one of the worst nights for the entire family. We’d thought the worst. I remembered sitting huddled on the couch with my sisters, none of us daring to talk. We’d put my brother to bed earlier, so he hadn’t been aware. They were crying silently, but I wanted to be like Mom, who hadn’t cried once.
But by morning, the hair at her temples had gone completely white. I’d researched it, and apparently shock can turn your hair white in a couple of hours. Mom had dyed her hair platinum blonde ever since.
I’d always been in awe of my parents’ bond. It had survived for decades, despite the fact that Dad had spent most of their marriage deployed.
Mom had tried to keep most of her anguish to herself, but I noticed every time. She wouldn’t cry in front of us, but many mornings she couldn’t get out of bed, explaining she had migraines, and would ask me to prepare breakfast for the little ones. She wouldn’t even look my way, which I’d learned meant she was trying to hide her face because her eyes were puffy from crying. I’d felt her fear deep in my bones even as she tried to keep the bad news to herself. The intensity of their love had frightened me sometimes.
My sisters, Miranda and Elsa, arrived at the same time, and my brother fifteen minutes later. They each had a little girl, and I hugged the living daylights out of them. When had they gotten so big? God, I’d missed so much. We ate as fast as we could and then jumped right in the pool.
“Hey, brat, how is it going with the inn?” my brother asked.
“I’ll tell you when you stop calling me brat. I’m older than you.”
“And still a brat.” He was smiling.
“A handyman is coming next week to do some repairs, and then... on to selling it. It’s going to take some time, though. I can only supervise the handyman after work. I don’t trust anyone to give them keys.”
“We can take turns watching him,” he assured me. My sisters asked me to put them in the rotation too, which helped. My parents offered to watch the handyman during the day, but I refused. There was no rush to sell, and they didn’t have to put their very active social life on hold for it. My parents’ social calendar was better than mine. They did everything from dancing classes to trips around the country.
When I moved from the pool to one of the lounge chairs, I got out the sunscreen and my phone. I had a message from Will. My heart went pitter-patter. I hadn’t ever felt such a strong attraction to a man. It almost scared me.
Will: How are you this morning, fine lady? Head weighing a ton? Hungover?
I smiled, typing back quickly.
Paige: Why such a low opinion of me? My head is perfectly fine. In fact, I’m having brunch with my family :-)
I didn’t have enough alcohol in my system, but I definitely had a Will Connor hangover.
Will: What are you doing after brunch?
I hid my phone when Elsa passed me on the way to the house. If I thought my heart had gone pitter-patter before, it was nothing compared to now. Was he... was he trying to make plans with me?
Paige: Don’t know yet.
I felt like dancing when his reply came.
Will: Let’s do something together.
Paige: Define something.
Will: Not sure yet. Are you game for something spontaneous?
When it came to Will, I seemed to be game for anything. Including letting him kiss me against the door.
Paige: Game on, Will Connor.
Will: How about a trip to the mountains? A short trail?
I stared a little at the phone, wondering if this qualified as a date. Or were we just... hanging out, whatever that meant? After last night, it was clear that Will was interested in doing the horizontal mambo with me, but did he want something more too?
I fiddled with my phone, considering everything. He’d taken me to his sister’s wedding, which had been sweet and personal. Way too much effort just to get in my pants—though I couldn’t be sure, of course.
Paige: Sure. I love hiking.
Will: I know. You told me that yesterday :-)
I didn’t even remember that. I smiled, feeling all sorts of winged creatures in my belly, and chose to view this as a date, hoping Will didn’t consider it to be less.
Will: Let me know when brunch is over.
I tucked my phone carefully in my bag before lathering on sunscreen. Hiding my excitement wasn’t as easy as hiding my phone, though. I looked at Miranda, laughing with her husband, and at my oaf of a brother chasing his daughter through the water, then joined in on the fun, even though the sunscreen hadn’t sunk in my skin yet. I’d be sorry for my impulsive ways when I was eighty and wrinkly, but for now, I didn’t care one bit.
I did laps, then played with my nieces and was generally a brat to my brother. I had to live up to my nickname, after all. I even pulled Dad in the pool when he was passing by, even though he was fully clothed.
“Paige,” Mom admonished with a smile, but Dad wasn’t mad. I’d never seen the man mad one day in my life. He took it in stride.
When my siblings announced they had to get going, I started thinking about what to wear to meet Will. Which was why, instead of texting him when the brunch was over, I waited until I was home to text him, because not only did I need to change, but by the pool I’d discovered that another pass with the razor was needed. I went even higher this time, and afterward slathered on one of those creams that smelled good enough to eat.
Then I dressed in hiking gear. The fabric stretched over my skin a little too tight, and I grinned, imagining Will’s expression when he saw me. He could barely keep his hands off me last night. There was no telling what he’d do today.
Chapter Eleven
Paige
Will arrived on his bike, sporting his usual swagger and grin. He raked his gaze once over my body, and I suddenly felt aware of every inch of my body.
“You have two jackets,” I remarked.
“Borrowed it,” he explained as he held them for me. A female friend, I thought as I shrugged into the jacket. It was a little too large for me, and I wrinkled my nose at the smell of begonia. I’d much rather have worn Will’s. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask more about the friend, but I couldn’t think of a way to pass it off as sass and not as me poking my nose where it didn’t belong.
Was she an ex? A friend with benefits? Someone who looked like Will probably had a lot of both. I imagined that all that kissing ability came from a lot of experience. As we climbed on the bike, I was feeling oddly deflated, which was ridiculous.
Being so close to Will after last night’s kiss was going to be torture. I was thankful that he was wearing a jacket, because I couldn’t feel him up again. That didn’t keep me from trying, though. I drummed my fingers over his abs, thinking I could pass it off as simply searching for the best place to rest my hands... for support, of course. When Will cleared his throat, I froze, then wrapped my arms around his waist. I kept my crotch and thighs a few inches from him, trying to minimize the body contact, but I slid forward in my seat when he used the brakes, or at a turn, and every time my groin collided with his ass, I... simmered, for a lack of a better word.
We took the freeway to Pasadena, exiting at Lake Avenue. By the time we reached the mountains, I was
all hot and bothered, and kind of wished we’d gone to the ocean. I needed to jump in the water and cool off.
“There are some lockers here. We can leave the helmets, but let’s take the jackets with us. Might get chilly.”
“Good thinking.”
I took in my surroundings, breathing in the cool mountain air. I’d often wondered why everyone associated LA with beaches when the mountains were equally impressive. Today, the area was full. Clearly Will hadn’t been the only one who wanted to escape the heat. After placing the helmets in a locker, Will pulled up a map of trails on his phone.
“How far are you comfortable hiking ?” he asked.
“I can’t do more than four or five miles.”
He pointed to a track. “This one’s got great views.”
“Then we’ve got our trail.”
Before starting our hike, Will bought two bottles of water, which fit into the pockets of the jackets. He surveyed the various groups as we walked the trail, and the hair at my nape stood on end. He was doing that silent vigilante thing again, and I really didn’t like it. It made me want to look over my shoulder at every turn. I didn’t say anything at first, but after about twenty minutes, I brought it up.
“Will, I have one rule for today,” I announced in a cheerful tone, hoping to ease him into it.
He tilted his head, a smile playing on his lips. “And I strike you as a man who plays by rules?”
I had no idea why that sounded hot, but there I was, searching for my wits again.
“You’re the police. Rules are your job.”
“Exactly. I enforce them. But I, myself, like to color outside the lines.”
He’d moved closer, and it wasn’t helping me keep my wits.
“Well, well, what do your superiors say about that?”
“I break the rules in my free time. So what rule did you have in mind?”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t like it when you do that thing where you look around for danger.”
Will’s smile faded. “Right. I forgot about that. Sorry, it’s force of habit.”
I nodded, regretting that I’d brought this up because the playfulness between us was gone.
“Dad does the same thing. It always puts me on edge.”
Will rubbed his jaw, then threw the jacket over one shoulder. “I promise I’ll try.”
As we climbed further up the trail, Will asked, “How was brunch with your family?”
I clapped my hands. “Fun, as usual. I tried my best to be a brat.”
Will laughed. “Why?”
“Well, I was a brat as a kid, which my brother reminds me of at every turn. He insists on calling me that even now, so... if I can’t shed that image, I’ll embrace it.”
Will laughed even harder. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you were a brat?”
I feigned offense. “Meaning?”
He came closer, until he was right in my face. “You drive me a little crazy, Paige, you know that?”
“I do?”
He nodded, tracing my jaw with his thumb. I wished he was touching my lip. Stepping back, he motioned for me to keep walking. As we went up, I began to question him.
“So, I take it you weren’t the brat?”
“No. I’d say Jace and Hailey can safely claim that title.”
“And you were...?”
“Ask my siblings. I’m sure they’ll have no problem assigning me a tag. I went through a wild phase after our parents died though.”
“I’m sorry about your loss. How young were you?”
“Sixteen. I was a rebellious teenager, and after that I was a little out of control.”
“That’s understandable,” I said quietly. We were walking side by side, and I slipped my hand in his. It was pure instinct, as it had been at the wedding. And just like then, he squeezed my hand gently.
“Sometimes I think the only reasons I didn’t go off the deep end are my siblings. I had to be here for them. Landon and Val did the heavy lifting. They ran Dad’s pub, but didn’t have time for much else.”
“So you watched the little ones?” I guessed.
He nodded. “Supervised them, yeah. Helped with homework. Cooked. They were a few years younger than me. Hailey was crying in corners when she thought no one was watching. I used to make a fool of myself to make her laugh. It worked. But when Jace started copying the stupid shit I did, I realized I had to stop. If not for my own good, then at least for his.”
I moved closer to him until our arms were touching.
“You’re a great brother.”
“She turned into a pain in my butt when she was thirteen,” he said with a grin. “Sabotaged my dates.”
“I think Hailey might be my soul mate.”
“She’s a great person. All my siblings are great.” I loved the affection in his tone. I hadn’t met many families that were as tight-knit as mine.
“Tell me about your family,” he prompted.
“Well, when we were little, we moved a lot with Dad. But then Mom said it got to be too much, and we settled in LA, where my grandparents were. Mom started working too. She said she needed a career, and she became a real estate agent. So my siblings and I spent most afternoons at the inn. God, it was so much fun.”
We chitchatted about Jace and his soccer career for a good portion of the trail, but then it became steeper, and I started saving my breath.
Will laid a hand on my back, giving me a much-needed push. His hand moved lower as we continued, finally settling just above my ass. I swallowed as I felt one of his fingers on my tailbone. Our kiss from last night replayed in my mind. Each time I imagined it, I found it hotter... and felt hotter.
We reached a plateau before long, and I thanked heaven for that because the muscles in my legs were protesting.
“Want to rest for a bit?” Will asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
He led me to a small clearing, and holy smokes. The view was impossibly beautiful. A canyon and a waterfall stretched before us, and beyond, the city of angels.
“How far above the city are we?” I asked in wonder.
“No clue. But it’s a great view, isn’t it?”
“The best.”
We sat side by side, watching LA, and Will took a swig from a water bottle. Then he offered it to me, and despite having my own bottle, I drank from his. And there I was, remembering the kiss again.
As if sensing my turmoil, Will moved even closer. Our hips were touching. I looked up at him and found him looking at my lips. I licked them.
“I have another rule,” I declared. “You can’t kiss me out here like you did last night.”
Will chuckled. “Did you not hear my speech about rules before?”
“Oh, I did, all right. But it doesn’t mean I have to do what you say.”
“Woman, you can’t push my buttons like this in public.”
That glint in his eyes? Delicious.
“Why not?”
“It’s hot, and I don’t want to be cited for public indecency.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. I’m an officer of the law, after all. It would be embarrassing.”
Oh, but now I was getting all these ideas. How far could I take things before he forgot all about citations? Would it take one jab? Two? Three?
“Paige.” His tone held a note of warning. He looked at me like he knew exactly what I was thinking. “Don’t worry. I won’t kiss you.”
“Wait... at all?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. Then the other. I’d just given him ammunition, but I didn’t care. I wanted my kiss.
“You’re very greedy,” he murmured, bringing his hand to my chin again, caressing it with his thumb. Then he moved his thumb to my lips, from one corner of my mouth to the other. I held my breath as I waited for him to come closer... and then he finally did. The contact electrified me, even though this kiss was different. It was slow and sweet, a gentle exploration. He kissed the bow of my upper lip. Then my lower lip. I needed hi
s tongue, right now. I fisted his shirt in a silent plea, and he gave me what I needed. He slipped his tongue inside my mouth, stroking mine in a lazy rhythm. It was delicious. God, the way this man kissed had to be outlawed. When we stopped to breathe, neither pulled back, so we were breathing the same air.
Then Will pushed a hand through my hair, tilting my head up slightly, and kissed me again. It wasn’t as gentle this time, and I was starting to feel hot for him again. Could this man show me some mercy? I’d admonish him for blatantly disregarding my rule, but I was enjoying it too much to pull back.
“Told you that you drive me crazy,” he murmured when we resurfaced for air again. “I want to take it slow, then you’re in my arms and....” He didn’t need to finish the explanation, because I knew exactly what he meant. It was the same for me.
“Let’s enjoy the view, hmm?” he suggested. I envied his willpower because the only view I wanted to enjoy was of him. But I attempted to do the right thing and turned to watch the city. It was getting a bit chilly, so I put on the jacket and hugged my knees as close to my chest as possible. Will moved behind me, practically covering me with his body. His front was flattened against my back, and the insides of his thighs cradled my legs.
“Warmer? Or do you want us to go?”
“I don’t want us to go,” I said quickly. “We’re having too much fun.”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
And oh boy, did he ever. He rested his nose in the crook of my neck. The contact, along with his hot breath on my skin, would have been enough to light me up. But Will went one step further, placing open-mouthed kisses from time to time. Every time he did, I jolted straighter, feeling the contact between my legs.
“How is the funding for your education project coming along?”
“It’s still early days, but once I have a few backers things will progress faster. My boss won’t be swayed easily, but I also don’t give up easily.”