by Mia Carson
Edmund hung his head. “I wish you hadn’t told me that.”
“Just like I’m sure you wish I hadn’t brought you here. I’m really sorry about tonight,” she apologized, cringing.
“It could’ve been worse, I’m sure,” he told her. “Why don’t we just go?”
“You didn’t even eat much,” she said, sounding defeated.
He walked into the room and crouched, holding her hands. “I’ll survive, I promise. Besides, I have plenty of beer in my room at the inn.”
She glanced past him out the door when her mom cackled again and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I just have to pack some clothes.”
“I’ll help,” he said, but she shoved him out the door with a laugh. “What, afraid I’ll see something… panty-related?”
She gave him another shove, laughing. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Edmund walked back to the kitchen and all eyes fell on him, which erased his smile. “I checked on Kris while I was there,” he told them, clearing his throat as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
Dennis pushed to his feet, and Edmund cursed quietly at the size of the man. He towered over Edmund, who was no small man himself. “I don’t know what you’re planning to do with my sister,” he whispered, “but she’s my sister, and if you hurt her, you’ll have me to deal with. Understand?”
Edmund straightened his shoulders and raised a single eyebrow. “I do, but I’m not sure she wants you in her life like that.”
Dennis growled and took a step forward when Kris called his name. “Get away from him right now, Dennis, or I’ll deck you myself.”
“Where are you going, sweetie?” Sharon asked. “We were just getting to know your friend and learning about his business in Louisville.”
Kris hoisted her duffel higher on her shoulder until Edmund reached out and took it for her. “I’m going to take Edmund back to the inn. He’s not feeling well. I’m staying at the garage while you’re in town. Make yourselves at home—oh, wait,” she said sarcastically, “you already did. Enjoy the chili.”
Kris stormed out of the house, and Edmund waited a beat before following. “Nice meeting you all,” he called over his shoulder. The front door closed tightly behind him. He tossed the duffel in the back seat and pulled his body up into the cab. “Beer?”
She started the truck and nodded. “Beer. Lots and lots of beer.”
Chapter 8
Kris parked the tow truck at the garage after dropping off Edmund at the inn. She ran across the street to join him for a few beers in his room. She tugged up her top with a giggle as it started to fall, and Edmund’s eyes followed it hungrily. He licked his lips and led the way to his room, letting her walk in first.
“Beer,” he said and went to the mini fridge in the corner. He popped the tops and handed her a chilled bottle. “A toast to surviving families?”
“I’ll drink to that,” she said and drank half her beer. “By the way, be careful when you’re talking to my parents about your business. They’re manipulative bastards and have taken more money than I can count from Grams before she finally put her foot down. They always come begging me or Dennis now.”
Edmund sat on the couch and Kris joined him, kicking off her boots and tucking her feet up under her. “I’ll keep that in mind, but don’t worry. The only thing of value I have here is a dead car.”
She rested her head against the back of the couch, picking at the label on her beer bottle. “I wish they’d just stay away for good,” she muttered. “It’s not like they ever change, even if they say they’re going to. It kills Grams a little more each time she sees her daughter with that bastard.”
“Have they always been like this?” he asked quietly.
Nodding, she chewed on her tongue, thinking about when she and Dennis had actually lived with her parents. “We were five and eight when Grams finally got sole custody of us. Back then, they were worse, much worse. Dad hit Mom every now and then, blamed it on the drinking, and she was into pot and meth for a while before Grams ran them both out of town.”
He rested his hand on her knee, a comforting weight. “I didn’t know it was so rough for you.”
“Eh, we survived. A lot of kids with parents like that don’t,” she said simply. “Grams made it work, and we turned out decent. Dennis started down that road for a while until Grams kicked his ass one night. He went to jail, and afterwards, rehab. He’s been clean almost six months now, working, helping me fix up our tiny house.”
“Must be nice to have your brother back,” he said tightly.
Kris eyed him and shook her head. “That bastard threatened you, didn’t he? He won’t do anything, don’t worry.”
He chuckled. “I think I could take him if it came down to that.”
“No, he can’t get into fights. It’s against his probation,” she explained, unfolding her body from the couch and stretching her arms over her head. The stack of books on the desk drew her attention, and she paced towards them, sensing his eyes on her the whole way. She scanned the titles, and when she picked the top one up, the jacket slipped.
“You don’t have to look at those,” he said quickly as he jumped to his feet.
“Why not?” she asked, amused, and held the book out of his reach as he followed her around the room. “My, my, Ed likes romance novels.” She dangled the book just out of reach, and he lunged forward to snatch it. She put it behind her back.
Edmund’s arms wrapped around her body, trapping her against him as he fumbled for the book. Her smile fell as she stared up into his stormy eyes. His brow furrowed as she dropped the book to the floor and her hands glided up his tensed arms to his shoulders. Her breasts pressed against his chest with each deep breath she drew into her lungs. The room fell away, the town disappeared, and it was just her and Edmund. He blinked, and the want in his eyes called to the desires swimming through her body, but beneath that, she saw a brief glimpse of lingering bitterness.
“What happened?” she asked, brushing the hair from his forehead.
“What do you mean?” he said as his arms tightened slightly.
“The wedding and the woman who stood you up. You said it was a long story. I’ve got all night to hear it.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head, hugging her to his hard body, and Kris melted against him. With all the other guys she’d dated in this town, none of them held her as gently and securely as Edmund did. She closed her eyes, pressing her ear against his chest and listening to the steady pounding of his heart behind his ribs. When he spoke, the deep timber of his voice vibrated through his chest and flooded into her.
“When I was younger, my parents planned my whole future for me,” he said bitterly. “It happens when you’re rich, I guess. They picked my wife before I was fifteen, and planned our wedding before I was twenty-one. They even had the nerve to tell me when we’d have our first kid, as if they could control something like that.”
“That’s terrible,” she said, stunned. “They really did that to you?”
“Yeah,” he said with a quiet laugh of disbelief. “It sounds insane saying it out loud like that.”
“And this woman, she went along with it?”
“Her parents and mine had been talking about it since we were born. Jenny—my almost wife—she rebelled more than I did.” He slipped away from Kris, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. “She actually had fun, went on adventures, lived like a teenager is supposed to, but me, I was too worried about disappointing my parents.”
Kris crossed her arms, suddenly cold from the loss of his warmth. “So you never dated anyone else, ever?”
“Nope, never partied, never drank, and was faithful to Jenny, though I’m pretty sure towards the end she wasn’t to me.” He sank onto the edge of the bed, holding his face in his hands. “The wedding day arrived, and she stood me up at the altar. Said she was saving us both.”
“And do you miss her?” Kris asked slowly, wondering why she would even ask such a thing.
Edmund lifted his head and smiled. “No, not one bit.”
“Oh, well, that’s uh, that’s good,” she said and laughed nervously.
“Yeah, yeah, it is, but I’m afraid of what’s going to happen when I get home,” he told her. “My parents are letting me have this time, they said, and when I get back, it’ll be right back on track.”
“Then just say no,” she suggested. “Tell them you don’t want any part of that life.”
He sighed. “It’s not that easy. Dad’s named me the sole heir of his businesses. When he retires, it’ll all fall on me, and if I turn all that down, he’d never forgive me.”
Kris wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to sound like his parents and tell him what to do with his life, but she didn’t want him leaving town any time soon, either. The attraction to him was more than physical. She was comfortable around him, and he sensed the same connection, if she wasn’t mistaken.
“Well,” she said as she picked up the romance book from the floor and studied the cover. “I guess we should enjoy the two weeks you have all to yourself.”
“I guess so,” he mused.
She bobbed her head slowly, running her fingers over the spine. “If there’s anything you want to do while you’re in town—” The rest of the words never made it out of her mouth. He was on his feet and cupped her cheeks in his hands. His lips slanted over hers, and the book slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a quiet thud.
Kris’s eyes slid closed as their bodies crashed together in a mad rush of heat and passion, desperate to be closer as their lips moved and tongues danced. She gripped his shoulders hard, digging her nails in as he backed up across the room and reached the couch. The edge hit his knees, and he sank down onto the cushions, bringing her with him. She straddled his lap as his hands massaged her thighs, and she ground her hips against the bulge in his jeans pressing against her. His mouth claimed hers with each fragile flick of his tongue across her lips, and his hands slid higher, following her curves until her breath caught in her throat.
His lips trailed down her chin and lower to her neck, nibbling the soft flesh as a moan escaped her lips. He reached her chest, caressing the bare skin just above her top with his soft mouth. His tongue swirled along the hem, and Kris swallowed hard, blinking as she wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck, wanting him closer. Grams’s lectures about not having sex before marriage filtered through her mind, and she wondered if she should stop. Edmund tugged her top down an inch, revealing the tender skin of her breasts, and her head fell back with want, all other thoughts leaving her mind.
Her top slid down even lower, barely covering her hardened nipples, and she clutched at his head, ready to have his mouth touch places that only a few lucky guys ever had, but he stilled and lifted his head, his pupils dilated with arousal and filled with concern.
“Are we… are we moving too fast?” he asked on a breath.
She didn’t want to say yes, but worry crept in about where this was going and if she were even ready to take such a step with a guy she’d just met. “Maybe?” she whispered, and as they laughed together, her head fell to his shoulder. “Damn, I don’t know. I mean I don’t have a lot of experience past a certain point… if you know what I mean.” She raised her face, worried he would end it, but he smiled softly and readjusted her top for her.
“You know, that’s not why I invited you back here,” he confided.
“No?”
“No.” He rested his hands on her hips. “I just wanted an excuse to spend more time with you. You’re not like any other woman I’ve met.”
“Good,” she said and poked him in the chest. “But I think it’d be a good idea if I called it a night, for both our sakes.”
He helped her find her feet, but their touches lingered on one another, neither of them wanting to leave. For now, however, it was the best option. Kris fought the urge to tackle him to the couch and kiss him until they were breathless again, but she didn’t want to break all the rules instilled in her since she was a kid until she was sure of what she was getting herself into. She picked up her boots but didn’t put them on.
“You sure you don’t want the bed?” he said. “I can sleep on the couch.”
She eyed it and his tall frame. “You won’t fit, and really, it’s fine. I’ve slept there before.”
“Will I be able to see you tomorrow?”
“I don’t see why not.” She stretched up on her toes to kiss his scarred cheek. “Night, Edmund. Sweet dreams.”
His hand held hers lightly as she pulled the door open and slipped out into the hall. “They will be,” he promised. “They’ll be about you.”
Blushing, she walked backwards down the hall, her eyes unwilling to look away until she ran into the corner of the wall. “Shit! Damn. Alright, then,” she said through her laughter as he grinned. She turned around and hurried out of the inn before she convinced herself to turn around and stay the night with the man she was quickly falling for.
She walked into the garage and locked the door tightly behind her, leaving the lowlights on. She dropped her boots by the door and strolled to the fridge, humming under her breath as she pulled out a beer, popped it open, and sipped it. Edmund’s touch on her body lingered, and she imagined him striding through the door to finish what they had started, but he was too much of a gentleman to risk pushing her away. He would wait until she let him in.
Kris ran her hands over the Judge and ticked off the parts she still needed to finish her baby, trying to distract herself from thoughts of Edmund. Five minutes later, he still occupied her mind.
Edmund had been truthful with her, which she hadn’t expected, but now that he’d told her the truth about what had happened in Louisville, there were no more doubts in her mind about what type of man he was. Jenny might not have respected him, but she would, and she would make the most of the few weeks he was in town.
And when he leaves? What happens when he leaves and takes your heart with him?
Kris set her beer down hard but ignored the nagging voice in her mind that told her she was getting herself in too deep. She dragged over a stool, and unable to stop thinking about Edmund’s touch, she worked on the Judge until her eyelids drooped and she finally slumped over on the couch, drifting off into dreams of a handsome man holding her close.
Chapter 9
“I’m telling you, man, I’m in trouble here,” Edmund muttered as he paced around his room.
“What are you talking about?” his friend asked through a yawn. “Yesterday, you said you were quite happy in that quiet little town. What changed?”
Edmund peeked out the curtain at the garage and sighed. “I met someone.”
“A woman, or are you finally coming clean and admitting you’re gay?” Tommy teased.
“She’s the mechanic who towed me into town,” he said and puffed out his cheeks. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, man. I can’t stop thinking about her, and tonight, I’m pretty sure we almost had sex.”
Tommy whistled through the line. “That’s my boy! See what you’ve been missing?”
“I said almost,” he repeated. “What do I do?”
“What do you mean, what do you do? A hot woman wants to have sex with you,” he said in disbelief. “You do what any normal, red-blooded male would. You said she’s the mechanic?”
Edmund nodded, and his chest swelled with a strange sense of pride. “She knows her shit, too. She’s rebuilding a Judge in her garage from parts. Tommy, I think I’m in love here.” The second the words left his mouth, a sense of complete calm fell over his body, and he chuckled at the ceiling. “I just said that, didn’t I?”
Silence met his words, and he worried he’d lost the call. Tommy cursed. “I knew this would happen to you right off the bat. You’re rebounding.”
“What? No way, that can’t be what this is,” he argued. “I don’t just want to have sex with her. When we’re together, we talk, like really talk about shit that matt
ers. She’s the bluntest woman I’ve ever met, but she’s got heart. Reminds me of someone else I know.”
“Yeah, you,” Tommy stated. “You just met this woman.”
“You’re telling me it’s not possible to have deep feelings for someone I just met?”
“Yes… no, I don’t know, Edmund. I’ve never experienced anything beyond lust,” he admitted. “Whatever you think you’re feeling, you’re on your own figuring out what it means.”
Edmund closed his eyes and imagined his hands running over Kris’s curves again until his jeans grew uncomfortably tight. “That’s a big help, thanks.”
“This is out of my league. Do what you do best. You’re the gentleman and sweet-talker,” he assured his friend. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something. Isn’t that why you read all those damn romance novels?”
Edmund sat up as the gears turned in his mind and a smile spread across his face. “You know, I think you might be onto something.”
“Good, can I go back to bed now?”
“It’s not even that late,” he muttered, staring at the clock, and frowned. “Shit, never mind. Why didn’t you say something?”
“When your best bud who was just stood up at the altar calls you at three in the morning, you answer your phone,” Tommy said with a laugh. “Keep me posted. Night, Edmund.”
Edmund smirked. “Just Ed.”
“Did you just say to call you Ed?” Tommy exclaimed.
“Night,” Edmund talked over him and hung up, tossing his cell to the bed. “Romance. We need a night of romance.” He gazed around the room and ideas sprang to life in his mind as he mentally laid out the plan. In the morning, he’d get up and gather what he needed for the perfect night alone with Kris. He could take her out, but it was either the diner or the bar, and neither of those were what he had in mind for a special night with this woman he could not stop thinking about.
He wanted to hear her laugh, have her smile all to himself, and when she kissed him, he wanted to be the only witness in the room. After all these years, those romance novels would finally pay off. And maybe he’d find out if Kris was falling for him as hard as he was for her. After making sure he had his list written out, he turned off the lamp, fell face-first onto the bed, and curled his arms around the pillow, imagining Kris’s body pressed against his.