by Janie Crouch
“But what if petty and mildly annoying grow into violent?”
Because there had definitely been violence on Godlewski’s face. Although, damn it, that should not be an issue in a place like Oak Creek.
“It won’t. Like I said, I can handle Allan, and I think he’s the only one who would step over the line in that way. The people of Oak Creek may not like me, but they’ve never tried to hurt me.” She picked at a small string on the hem of her pants. “Plus, it doesn’t matter. This is my home. I’m not leaving. I’ve been away long enough.”
He nodded. “And you obviously know how to handle yourself.” He gestured to the shotgun still leaning against the column. “Would you have really shot him?”
She gave him a small smile. “It’s birdshot.”
He laughed. “Would’ve still gotten the job done.”
“That’s what I thought, too.”
“Are you even allowed to have that thing? I thought ex-felons couldn’t own a gun unless they specifically got those rights reinstated.”
She laid her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around her thighs, looking at him sideways. The pose reminded him how young she really was. “It was my mom’s. Nobody knows it’s here except you and Allan. Are you going to turn me in?”
He smiled. “No. Just want to make sure you’re not going to use it on me.”
“That depends. You planning on busting up one of my windows?” She lifted an eyebrow and grinned.
That smile. It changed her whole appearance. Those big, solemn eyes tended to dominate her features, but he realized that was because she didn’t normally smile. When she did, it balanced out her face and changed her whole countenance.
And hell if he didn’t want to put that look on her face all the time.
Jesus. What was wrong with him? There were a lot of reasons he needed to stay away from Jordan Reiss—she was too young, she was his sister’s employee, she had trouble all but leaking out of her pores when he had enough trouble of his own—and he was sitting here thinking about ways to make her smile?
No.
He was here because he’d wanted to make sure she was safe. That was the decent thing to do. And to make sure none of the trouble surrounding Jordan rubbed off on his sister.
He didn’t say anything for so long that the smile slipped off her face. He ignored the pain at seeing it go.
He stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. He needed to get this back on a business footing. “You shouldn’t be out here by yourself. It’s not safe.” His words came out rougher than he meant them and stupider than anything he’d ever heard himself say.
Evidently, she agreed. She was on her feet almost before he finished the sentence. “Um, in case you missed it, it’s the twenty-first century. I can live wherever I damn well please.”
He raised an eyebrow. “For you, as long as it’s within the state of Wyoming.”
Throwing her parole back in her face was a douche move, and he knew it. He watched as ice blanketed those gray eyes. “We never did establish why you’re actually here, did we, Collingwood?”
“I was just swinging by to see if you’d changed your mind about my offer.” Nothing could be further from the truth, but if he was going to be an asshole, he might as well go all the way. “Five thousand dollars could buy you quite a few window replacements. Looks like you’re going to need them.”
She shook her head. “Wow, my evening has come full circle. Let me say to you the same thing I said to Allan when he also mentioned an offer: get the hell off my property. Unless you’re planning on trying some of those same moves he did.”
Gabe was on his feet and in Jordan’s personal space in less than a second.
“That’s not my style, Rainfall.” He leaned in closer, knowing it was the last thing he should be doing, but he couldn’t stop himself. To her credit she didn’t shy away. “If you don’t want me around, you just say no, and I’ll always back off.”
But damned if it wouldn’t be the hardest thing he’d ever done if she said it right now. She gnawed her bottom lip with her teeth.
He wanted to take that lip and nibble on it himself.
“Tell me no, Jordan.” Because if she didn’t tell him no right now, they were going to have another make-out session here on the porch.
He gave her two seconds, and that was all the control he had.
He had every intention of crushing her to him, of ravishing her mouth the way he had last time, of letting the fire blazing between them burn them both to ash.
But the second his lips touched hers, everything changed. They gentled of their own accord, teasing and finessing rather than devouring.
She sighed and relaxed into him, her hands feathering up his arms to his shoulders. His hands moved to her waist, holding her gently.
This woman needed gentleness.
He kissed her like that—closed mouth, innocent kisses—until their lips were sore. He kept expecting—hoping—she would take the lead and deepen the kiss or press up against him in invitation like last time. But she didn’t. So he didn’t either.
And he was surprised to find he was more than okay with it.
Finally, he stepped back, hands still on her waist, just staring at her in the darkness that now surrounded them. In the distance, thunder rumbled.
He ran a finger down her cheek. “There’s going to be another storm. You going to stand in the rain again?”
That smile. “No, not tonight. It’s been a long and crazy day.”
Thank God. Because if she’d said yes, every good intention he had would’ve flown out the window.
The smell of rain on her skin, in her hair, had already permanently marked his senses. The urge to lead her out to the grass right now, strip her naked, and ride her in the fury of the storm about to hit was almost more than he could resist.
It would happen. But not tonight.
Tonight, he would respect that maybe she needed a little space to make the choices that were right for her. He would respect that, like she’d said, it had been a long and crazy day.
He still didn’t know exactly why he had come here. But whatever it was he’d needed, he’d gotten already.
He stepped back.
“Are you leaving?” she whispered.
“For now. For tonight. It’s what’s best.”
“Okay. I still don’t know why you came by in the first place.”
He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “To be honest, neither do I. But I’m glad I did.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
“Go inside and lock your door, Rainfall. I’ll see you soon.”
She did what he asked, and he waited until he heard the lock slide into place before moving. He couldn’t help but feel like he was making a mistake.
He just didn’t know if it was because he was leaving, or because he knew he would be back.
Chapter 5
Thank God it was Thursday. Okay, maybe that wouldn’t catch on like its Friday counterpart, but Violet had decided that Fancy Pants would only be open until midafternoons on Thursdays. That meant Jordan was getting home by five o’clock rather than early evenings like the other nights that she worked.
She was looking forward to getting some work done on the computer.
And not thinking about Gabriel Collingwood at all.
It had been a week and a half since she’d seen him, since he’d kissed her—again—on her front porch. Those kisses had been totally different from the first ones. So much more tender. She’d found herself comparing the two make-out sessions over and over as she lay in bed each night, her body aching in ways she’d never really felt before.
She only knew Gabriel was both the cause and the solution for the ache.
But she hadn’t seen him at all since the night he’d kissed her so softly and left.
Violet had mentioned that there had been some computer security issues at Collingwood Technology, so maybe that was keeping Gabriel away. Or the fact that Idaho Falls was an hour and a half
from here.
Or maybe he’d somehow picked up on the fact that he made up ninety-five percent of her sexual experience.
By the time she’d been old enough to date, she’d been a social pariah thanks to her father’s actions. Nobody had been interested in dating her. And then she’d been in prison for the past six years.
Didn’t take Sherlock to figure all that out. So maybe Gabriel had decided that staying away from her was a good idea.
She felt a little stupid for buying the short, flirty skirt she’d picked up in Reddington City. She didn’t have many—any—girly clothes, so she’d driven into the city to get some in case he asked her out on a date.
It was cute. A soft blue with little purple flowers. A loose, flowing cut that showed off her legs. She might never get to wear it on a date, but she was still glad she’d bought it. It made her feel good. Confident, even.
She slipped on her cute skirt before she left the bakery, walking down the main street toward where she’d parked her truck this morning. She needed to stop by and get some groceries since she didn’t have anything to cook at her house, but she hated to go all the way to the next town over to buy them. She could just grab some fast food at the gas station outside of town. They tended not to harass her too much. The grocery store here wasn’t an option.
“Jordan!”
She stiffened at the yell before she realized it was Violet with her boyfriend, Aiden, waving at her from across the street. Violet was motioning for her to come over.
They were standing in front of New Brothers Pizza, Mr. DiMuzio’s place.
“Hey, guys.” She crossed the street, forcing a smile.
Violet immediately linked arms with her. “You look so cute in your skirt! We’re just about to grab some pizza. Come eat with us.”
Violet was too new and too kind to even see Jordan’s predicament. It never occurred to her that people would treat others unkindly, because she wouldn’t treat people unkindly. But there was no way Jordan could go into New Brothers. She pulled away as Violet stepped closer to the restaurant door.
“You know, I don’t even like this place.”
Violet laughed. “What are you talking about? You order food twice a week from here and have it delivered at the bakery. Adam DiMuzio and I are on a first name basis since I always seem to be the one out front to pay him when he delivers.”
It was true. Jordan gave money to Violet to pay for her orders and stayed in the back; that way they wouldn’t know the food was for Jordan and refuse delivery.
The last time she’d gone in, Mr. DiMuzio had cursed her in front of the entire staff and told her never to come back. But that had been six years ago. Maybe things had changed.
“Come eat with us,” Aiden said, eyes full of compassion, much more aware of what was going on than Violet. “You can sit surrounded by all of us. Finn and Charlie are in there. Peyton. The kids.”
They would protect her. Buffer her. There was safety in numbers. Mr. DiMuzio wouldn’t want to throw them all out. Jordan felt tears sting her eyes. God, she would love to just go have a normal meal at a restaurant in her cute skirt.
Violet was saying something to Aiden, but Jordan wasn’t listening. Could she do this?
Yes. She would try. Maybe it could be a first step in a new direction. New skirt. New Jordan. She smiled at Violet and they took another step toward the door.
But when Aiden opened it, Mr. DiMuzio was standing just inside—obviously someone had gotten him from the back—with his arms crossed over his chest.
The stance was clear. Jordan would not be eating at his restaurant without a fight. He might cave and let her in but not without a scene.
Aiden shot her a look of encouragement, but Jordan couldn’t do this to Violet. She freed her arm from Violet’s and backed away from the door.
“You know what? I just remember I have something that I’ve got to do right now.” She forced a smile. “But rain check, okay?”
Violet looked like she was going to argue, but Aiden understood. He ushered the other woman inside as Jordan backed away, careful not to make eye contact with Mr. DiMuzio through the door.
She tucked her head down and made a beeline toward her truck. She would not cry about this. What was there to cry about? Five minutes ago, she’d been fine with the thought of going home and making some progress on the computer. Nothing had changed. She was still doing that.
She was just going to do it with a little piece of her heart cracked. She should be used to it by now.
She made it to her truck and climbed inside. When she cranked the key and the engine wouldn’t turn over, she let out a sigh.
“Come on baby. Not now.” She couldn’t get stuck in Oak Creek right now, not without falling apart.
She rested her head against the steering wheel and tried it again. Nothing.
Now the tears were really threatening to fall. She closed her eyes, willing herself to keep it together.
She let out a little shriek when someone tapped on her window. All she could see was a massive chest, but she recognized it right away.
Gabriel.
She rolled down her window with the hand crank. He bent down and leaned his elbows against her door.
“Problems?” He smiled at her. Not a smirk. Not a slick grin barely veiling innuendo or violence. But a real honest-to-God smile that softened his warrior features and lit up his green eyes.
Jordan burst into tears.
Damn it, what was wrong with her? She’d been through much worse than this without crying.
“Hey. Hey.” She could hear the concern in his voice even after she covered her face. “Most women don’t start crying until I’ve been around them at least a couple of hours.” His fingers trailed up and down her arm.
“My truck won’t start,” she finally managed to get out.
He leaned back and made a special show of studying the vehicle. “If you cry every time this POS won’t start, you must spend half your life in tears.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it, even though it came out as an unattractive little hiccup. “You should be more respectful to the elderly.”
“Why? Nothing this old could possibly hear me.”
She laughed again, this time her tears drying.
He trailed a finger down her cheek. “You okay, Rainfall? You don’t strike me as the type to cry because your truck won’t turn over.”
His kindness was almost her undoing once again. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What are you doing here in Oak Creek again, Collingwood? Besides trolling for people whose cars won’t start and smothering them with kindness.”
Now he laughed. “I actually had some business over at Linear Tactical. Thought I would stop by and see Violet, but Fancy Pants was already closed.”
“We close early on Thursdays now. But if you’re looking for your sister, she’s gone to dinner at New Brothers Pizza down the block.”
“Nah, I got myself a sandwich at the sub shop when I couldn’t find her. It’s a nice day, and we’ve got another couple hours of sunlight. I’ll make you a deal since you’re from around here and, I assume, know the area pretty well. You show me where there’s a nice place to enjoy a Wyoming sunset, and I’ll split my delicious sandwich and the six pack of beer I’m about to pick up.”
She wanted to, God how she wanted to, but it wasn’t a good idea. What had just happened at New Brothers served as a blunt reminder that she was never going to be accepted around here. Dating someone would just make it awkward for two people rather than just her.
“Gabriel . . .”
His smile didn’t falter. “I can see you’re not convinced, and I appreciate a woman with a good head for a deal. How about I throw in getting your truck to start? I’ll even apologize for calling her old if that’s what it will take.” He ran his fingers tenderly along the edge of the steering wheel.
Resisting serious, Navy SEAL Gabriel was hard.
Resisting playful, smiling Gabriel was damn
near impossible.
“C’mon, Rainfall. Show me what makes this town worth it, what made my sister pack up and move here and has made you stay when anyone else would run for the hills. Show me one of your places.”
“You’ve got to get the truck started first.” That alone could take the rest of the evening.
Gabriel held the door open for her, and she slid out, allowing him to ease his much larger body inside.
She watched his fingers gently caress the steer wheel. What would they feel like caressing her? Goose bumps broke out all over.
One of his hands moved down to the stick shift, and his foot shifted to the clutch. He grabbed the key and turned it, popping the clutch out as he did so.
Damned thing started without so much as a stutter.
“Traitor,” she murmured.
Gabriel stuck his elbow out the window. “So, where we headed, Rainfall?”
Chapter 6
There were lots of beautiful places around Oak Creek—the quarry to the north, the cove on the west side of town, some other isolated places. But taking Gabriel somewhere they might be surrounded by teenagers making out in their cars was definitely not an option.
Taking him where they might run into anybody at all didn’t seem like a good plan. It was one thing to be shunned while she was alone, quite another to be shunned while with him.
That really only left her with one place if he wanted to catch a pretty sunset.
“Are you bringing me out in these woods to kill me?” He was a few steps behind her, carrying the sandwich and beers he’d picked up at the gas station on the way to her house. They’d parked there because it was the closest place to where they were going.
She smiled at him over her shoulder. “Actually, my plan is to lead you out here, then run away so you can never find your way back.”
“I was a SEAL, you know. Believe it or not, that didn’t only involve water. I’m pretty efficacious on land too.”