Sweet, Sexy Heart – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  “No. Don’t do that. She probably doesn’t remember me, and then it would be awkward.”

  “Okay, but she’s got a memory like an elephant. She’ll be happy for you, too, making your mark on the world.”

  “It’s hardly a mark on the world. Grace was a playwright in New York, and she adapted our friend’s novel into a screenplay. She and her husband are flying out to LA tomorrow for the filming of the movie that millions of people will see, and Axsel is a rock star with zillions of fans. He’s leaving for an international tour tomorrow, and Pepper is changing people’s lives with cutting-edge medical equipment. They’re making marks on the world. I just own a little bookstore in my tiny hometown.”

  His brow furrowed. “What is it with you brushing off compliments?”

  “I’m not brushing them off.” She picked up a note card, focusing on that instead of the intensity of his stare. “I’m a realist. I know my store isn’t that impressive to anyone but me.”

  “As I said before, let me be the judge of that.”

  Something in his voice brought her eyes to his, and she realized how much she liked the kind, funny, family-oriented man she was getting to know. In the next breath, his gaze turned darker, hotter, drawing her in and making her want to move closer. He was casting a spell, hypnotizing her with his charms. She forced herself to remain still, because she had a feeling that once she gave in to it, there would be no turning back.

  DASH HAD THOUGHT he’d wanted to earn that swoony look he’d seen at the jam session. But seeing her fight her desire was quickly moving to the top of his Must Have More list. He’d never had a damn list about a woman before, but he’d never met anyone like Amber, and he wanted to learn everything there was to know about her.

  “Tell me about you and your dirty bookstore. When you were younger, were you a hide-under-the-covers-with-a-flashlight-reading-naughty-books type of girl?” He leaned in. “Or did you discover erotic romance through real life with some lucky guy first, and move on to books later? Because if it’s the latter, I sure as hell wish I had been that guy.”

  She swallowed hard, her eyes widening innocently.

  It was just the reaction he’d been hoping for, but it backfired. Images of her in erotic positions assailed him. He wanted to feel her supple body beneath him, touch her soft skin, taste her arousal, and hear her cry out his name in the throes of passion. His cock hardened with the thoughts, and he struggled against the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they both got carried away and fulfilled all their dirty fantasies.

  Amber drew her shoulders back, tilting her head with a surprisingly sassy expression, stirring him from his reverie. “It was both. I used to steal my mother’s romance novels and hide under my covers to read them, all in preparation for my wild college days. And they were wild,” she said seductively. “Filled with orgies, bondage, and taboo sexual encounters with my professors.”

  Holy. Hell. “Really?” His voice came out rough with desire.

  “No, you fool! Geez. Does every guy think women only care about sex?” She scribbled a note on the card she was holding and tucked it into a book.

  “I didn’t say that. I was just joking around. Well, except for the part about being your first hands-on erotic experience. I would have liked to have been that guy.”

  “What makes you think I have experience with that?” She was still smiling as she slipped a bookmark into the book and grabbed some tissue paper.

  He liked seeing this playful side of her. “I just assumed that a beautiful, well-read woman like you would have already explored those areas.”

  “How about you get those packages ready instead of assuming?” She handed him the book.

  As he put it in an envelope, he couldn’t resist asking, “Does that mean I still have a shot at being the guy to show you the ropes?”

  Amusement rose in her eyes.

  “Yes, that pun was intended.”

  She leaned against him this time, with a glorious, seemingly carefree laugh.

  “A’right, sexy reader, time to spill. Have you always wanted to own a dirty bookstore?”

  “A bookstore? Yes. Dirty? No. That came much later.”

  “We’ll circle back to the dirty part. But first, why books? Have you always been a big reader?”

  She finished the note she was writing, and as she tucked it into a book, she said, “I fell in love with books in elementary school. At first it was because they were safe. But I quickly fell in love with the escape they brought.”

  “What do you mean by safe?”

  She met his gaze. “They didn’t get me too excited or make me feel out of control.”

  Ah, it was all making sense now. “Because of having epilepsy?”

  She nodded.

  “How old were you when you were diagnosed?” The second he asked, he realized he might be overstepping. “We don’t have to talk about that if you’d rather not.”

  “I don’t mind. It’s part of who I am. I had my first seizure when I was eight. I was climbing the jungle gym when it hit, and I fell off. I was diagnosed shortly after.”

  “That must have been terrifying.” He hated the idea of her suffering at all, much less as a little girl.

  “I didn’t remember what happened, or understand what was going on, really. Not at first. But I could see how much it had frightened my parents and everyone else. Everyone treated me differently after that.”

  He put his hand on hers, wanting to take her look of discomfort away. “I’m sure they were just worried about you.”

  “Some, yes, but it was like everyone was living in fear of my next seizure. It took a while to get the medication right, and I had another seizure on the bus, which was embarrassing. After that, a lot of kids kept their distance, and that hurt. Now I understand that they were freaked out by the seizure. It scared them because they didn’t know what to do or how to help me, and I think they were worried that it might be contagious. Sable gave those kids a hard time.”

  “She’s a tough cookie. She’s protective because she loves you. I get that. I’m the same way with my siblings.”

  “I know. Don’t take this wrong, because I love Sable, and I love that she has always, unfalteringly, taken care of all of us. But all I wanted was to prove that I was no different from anyone else, and that’s hard when your older sister is scaring everyone off.”

  “Did you ever tell her that?”

  “Eventually, but that made her feel bad, and I hated that, too.” She gave a half-hearted shrug. “Anyway, I stopped doing things that could overexcite my body, and reading became my greatest escape. Eventually they figured out my meds, and I went years without a seizure. Then I had one when I was thirteen, and all that fear came rushing back.”

  “Thirteen? Puberty?”

  She blushed, nodded.

  “Sorry. I read up on epilepsy after Sin told me you had it, and that seems to be a common time for changes.”

  Disbelief rose in her eyes. “You read up on it?”

  “Of course. I wanted to understand what you were dealing with.”

  “That was nice of you.” She held his gaze for a moment, then focused on the note she was holding as she said, “Puberty is a common time for changes, which made it even more embarrassing. No girl wants people to know when her body is going through those changes, but there was no hiding it for me until they got my medications worked out again.”

  “That must have sucked. Young guys can be jerks anyway.”

  “None of them were jerks to me. They were nice, just uninterested. I don’t blame them. Being a teenager is hard enough—why add a girlfriend with issues on top of it?”

  “Because she’s the hottest girl in school, and it’s just a medical condition, not something to be afraid of.”

  “I think teenage Dash might have felt differently about that.”

  “No way. Teenage Dash was super cool. You would have been into him.”

  “If you say so.” She laughed softly.


  He really liked that quiet laugh and the way it lit up her eyes, which he noticed were more green than brown and had flecks of gold.

  “What were we talking about before I told you my life story? Oh yeah, the bookstore.” She handed him another book to put into a package. “I’ve pretty much always wanted to be surrounded by the magical world of books, and owning a bookstore became my dream. When I graduated from college, I took out a loan, which my parents cosigned for, and opened this store. I’ve never looked back.”

  “That, sexy reader, is brave and impressive.”

  “Says the football star, author, and motivational speaker.”

  “So, I’m a bit of an overachiever.”

  “Just a bit.”

  “And you’re still trying to keep from getting overly excited,” he said carefully. “Like pushing me away because I’m too much.”

  “You’re a lot of man.”

  He liked her honesty. “And you’re a lot of woman.”

  She rolled her eyes. “A little more packaging, a little less flirting.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?”

  They talked and joked around as they made their way through the boxes. Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. When Reno came over to check Dash out, he asked if it was okay to pet him.

  “Yeah, please do.”

  As he petted Reno, he said, “Is he always on duty?”

  “Sort of. He’s always there for me, but I don’t make him wear the vest unless we’re going someplace where people need to be aware and he needs to be hypervigilant. He knows if he has the vest on, he can’t play. But at times like this, it’s fine.”

  “How long have you had him?”

  “Four years.”

  “He’s a sweet dog.” He scratched Reno’s neck with both hands, and Reno licked his chin.

  “He’s my little love nugget. My buddy, my confidence builder and smile maker.”

  “Lucky dog. Does he sense seizures?”

  “I’m the lucky one.” She petted Reno. “Some people say dogs can sense seizures, and others say they can’t, or only a certain percentage of dogs can. I haven’t had any seizures since I got Reno, so I don’t really know. But he definitely senses when I’m nervous or excited, and stays closer to me.”

  “And what is he trained to do if you have a seizure?”

  “He’s trained to try to break my fall and keep a clear space around me so I don’t hurt myself.” She touched her necklace, a silver circle with a black button in the middle about the size of a silver dollar. He realized she’d been wearing it every time he’d seen her. “This is a seizure-alert necklace. Pepper developed it when she was in graduate school, and it’s now sold all over the country. Reno is trained to push this button if I have a seizure. It has an internal GPS, and it alerts my family and emergency services to my location.”

  “That’s incredible that your sister developed it, and it says a lot about how much you must mean to her.”

  Her expression turned thoughtful. “I get choked up thinking about it sometimes.”

  “I understand that. From what I read, if you have a seizure, it’s best to be rolled onto your side so it’s easier to breathe. Does Reno know to do that?”

  “No, but I’m impressed that you do.”

  “I didn’t read up on it to impress you.” He put another book into an envelope, and as he affixed the label, he said, “I’m hoping to get to know you better and wanted to be prepared. I also read that there are different types of seizures. What kind do you have?”

  “The big ones. Grand mal seizures.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I read that with most grand mal seizures, it’s not necessary to call emergency services unless the seizure lasts longer than five minutes, or if the person hurts themselves, of course. Is that right?”

  “Yes, but since Reno can’t tell time, he’s trained to push the button right away,” she said with a twinkle of a tease.

  “Touché. That’s a lot of responsibility for a dog. How long did it take to train him?”

  “Two years. A lot of the dogs don’t make it through the program because they don’t have the right temperament, but Reno is my perfect partner.”

  “Do you take him everywhere?”

  “Mostly. He’s like a security blanket. I feel a little naked without him. It’s the same with the necklace. I always wear it, even if I’m just hanging out with my family.” She tucked a note into a book and reached for a bookmark. “But I don’t bring Reno every time I go out with my friends, because they’ll watch out for me, and I don’t always make him wear his service vest. Like when I’m working here, he doesn’t wear it, and he doesn’t follow me around the store every minute. But if I’m going to a big gathering with people from neighboring towns who may not know he’s my service dog, like the jam session, then he wears his vest.”

  “I see. Do you have to keep up with his training? Or will he know those tasks forever?”

  “Training is a lifelong process. Like with people, he can forget things.”

  “Did you have a dog before him?”

  “No. My mom has trained service dogs since the year I was diagnosed, but I didn’t want anything else to signify that I was different in public.”

  “So why take on Reno?”

  “You sure ask a lot of questions.”

  “I’m sorry.” Damn, he didn’t want to screw this up.

  “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind answering. Most people don’t want to know all the details. I got Reno because even though I had friends and I’d had short-term boyfriends, I was missing real companionship. I didn’t think falling in love and making future plans was in the cards for me at that point. I was helping my mom train the dogs during Reno’s last summer with her, and we became inseparable.” She ran her hand down Reno’s cheek and lifted his face to kiss his snout. He licked her cheek. “Like I said, he’s my love nugget.”

  “And like I said, lucky dog.”

  As they finished packaging the books, he asked about the basket of greeting cards, and she explained that she sends cards to her customers on their birthdays and anniversaries. She was thoughtful, sweet, and smart. He wondered how the men in Oak Falls had let her slip through their fingers. Were they truly intimidated by her medical condition, or wasn’t she interested in any of them?

  It was nearly eleven o’clock by the time they finished and cleaned up. Amber went to put the supply cart in the back room with Reno in tow, and Dash checked out the rest of the store, noticing all of her personal touches, like the suggestion box, vases of dried flowers, and tiny elf and monkey figurines reading books, which were tucked into nooks and crannies throughout the store. Handwritten plaques called attention to certain books with comments like AN EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT THRILLER, A PERFECT BEACH READ, and FOR KIDS WHO LIKE TO LAUGH. Displays by the register boasted literary socks, candles, bookmarks, and other trinkets. This wasn’t just a bookstore. It was the kind of place that made him want to kick off his shoes and stretch out on the couch beside Amber with a good book.

  She came out of the back wearing her jacket, and he knew from the wariness in her eyes that the easygoing girl he’d gotten to know while they were busily packaging books and talking had become guarded once again.

  He picked up the romance novel he’d purchased, and she said, “You’re not really going to read that.”

  “I absolutely am, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got to see what kind of romance ideas you’ve been putting in your head.”

  She picked up the vase of flowers. “Maybe you can pick up some pointers.”

  “Right.” As she set the vase by the register, he said, “You don’t want to take them home?”

  “I want to keep them here so I can see them tomorrow,” she said a little bashfully. “They’re all my favorites. How did you know?”

  “I might have bribed the florist.”

  “Sneaky.”

  They headed outside, and she locked the doors. When she turned around, she looked at him the
way she had earlier, like she wanted to kiss him or run away and wasn’t sure which to do. It took everything he had not to go for the kiss.

  “I’ll walk you to your car.” He put a hand on her back as they headed around the corner, and he made mental notes of her tells. The way she fell silent or rambled when she was nervous, and how she touched Reno in those moments, as if just doing so calmed her, and the tell he enjoyed most. Her stolen glances when she thought he wasn’t paying attention, proving that she felt their connection just as strongly as he did.

  She stopped by the only other car in the lot, a safe, reliable, blue-gray Subaru Crosstrek. It suited her perfectly. She put Reno in the back seat and attached a tether to his harness, then closed the door and looked up at Dash. Moonlight glittered in her eyes, and she fidgeted with her keys. “Thank you again for the flowers and for helping me with the books.”

  He stepped closer. “I had a great time. How about letting me take you on a real date tomorrow night?”

  “Dash, you’re a really nice guy, the kind of guy that is way too easy to fall for, but you’re only here for a couple of weeks, and I’m not a short-term kind of girl. I think it’s best if we just keep things friendly and not try to make it into anything more.”

  “Maybe you don’t know what’s best.” He touched her hand, and she breathed a little harder. “Your words say one thing, but your eyes tell me another.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, and snapped it closed, as if she’d thought better than to say whatever she was going to say.

  “Just say yes, Amber. You won’t regret it.”

  “I can’t,” she said apologetically.

  “Because you want to stay in control of your emotions, and you’re worried I’ll be too much for you? Or because I’m only here for two weeks?”

  She lowered her eyes, and when they flicked back up to his, he saw her struggle, an inner fight to throw caution to the wind, and the strength of the woman who probably hadn’t done that for so long, she might have forgotten how. “Both. You should ask out Sable or Haylie or any number of the other single women around here. We both know they’d jump at the chance for a few nights with you. Well, maybe not Sable, but there are plenty of others.”