“Naw. We’re just having a little fun. Now get back to your fiancée and quit bugging me.”
Lucas laughed and smacked Joey on the shoulder. “All joking aside. Sarah’s made me happier than I ever thought I could be. You know how I was… and look at me now. Don’t knock it. I know Shelby did a number on you, but it’s been a long time for you to be alone.”
Joey forced a chuckle from deep in his gut. Lucas’s comment hit a bit too close to home. “I’m hardly alone.”
Lucas’s expression turned serious. “I don’t mean that. I mean someone who is there for you. And you for them… no matter what. I never thought I’d find it. Hadn’t even planned on looking. But it found me anyway. Who knows? There could be someone out there for you, too.”
Lucas gestured toward the shop before heading into the station.
Damn that Lucas, stirring up trouble when Joey had so much else on his mind. Lucas was right about one thing, though. The feelings Joey was developing for Brittany were different than he’d felt for anyone in a long time. Maybe since Shelby. He owed it to himself to see what that meant, right? And it would give him another chance to find out more about Brittany.
He knew just the thing. Kitschy? Could be. But he’d show her the best of what Oak Grove had to offer, show her that this place, this town, was special. And maybe, he’d show her a bit more of himself in the process. With his plan secure in his mind, he strode back to the coffee shop and pulled out his cell phone. A few numbers later and he had a text on its way to Brittany, courtesy of Karen sharing Brittany’s number last night.
Hey, it’s Joey.
He peered through the window and saw the exact moment Brittany got the text. She reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone. After a quick glance at the screen, her head snapped up and their eyes met.
He smiled and waved.
How’d you get this number?
Joey chuckled and responded. I have my ways. Are you free tonight?
As Brittany read the text, Karen glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes grew wide and a smile broke across her face. She ripped the phone from Brittany’s hands and began rapidly typing.
Yes, she’s free. Just tell her what time!!!
There was Karen again, sticking her nose into Joey’s business. Today, he didn’t mind so much. Come to think of it, he didn’t mind yesterday, either. He may have protested at the time, but if Brittany hadn’t come with him to the cabin, he wouldn’t be standing here right now, asking her out on a date. An honest to goodness date. Not a hook up, not a few hours between the sheets. He had a lot to thank Karen for.
Six. Dress comfortable. And warm.
He threw a final glance into the window as Brittany read his text. She raised her head again, a wary smile on her face. She gave him a quick nod and turned back to the next customer in line.
He watched her a few minutes longer, her comfort behind the counter apparent in how she dealt with the customers and worked easily with Karen and Emma. She glanced at him again and his smile grew wider. She was checking on him. Of course, he hadn’t stepped away, either. So maybe he was spying on her a bit, too.
He headed back to his truck. He’d have to kick his ass in gear to finish everything for tomorrow. No way would he make it to Sunday dinner with the family tonight. He’d just apologize to Lily when he saw her.
Chapter Nine
ONCE AGAIN, NERVES danced in Brittany’s belly. It was becoming a perpetual feeling since she’d come to town with Karen. She never felt this way when she went out in New York. At home, she would throw on some dance clothes, meet up with a few friends from work, and have a pressure-free evening with the girls. Once in a while, she’d meet a guy. But usually she didn’t. If she did have a date, it would be casual at a pub or restaurant.
Aside from the fact she and her friends never went out at six, the whole “dress comfortable” thing puzzled her. Did he mean Oak Grove comfortable or New York comfortable? Knowing Joey, he intended Oak Grove. The problem was that his idea of casual didn’t always work for her. Yeah, she had jeans and T-shirts, but she felt exposed, vulnerable, when she dressed like that with a man. She wore her nightclub outfits like armor. She knew what image she projected and what was expected of her when she was dressed to impress.
Dressed like she was now, in her well-worn jeans and lightweight sweater, she didn’t know what to expect. And what was expected of her.
Karen’s voice rang out from downstairs. “Brittany… there’s someone here to see you.”
Brittany’s heart skipped a beat. How many times had her mother called out those same words when she was growing up? Brittany’d had lots of dates as a teen. Boys at school who wanted to date her because of her reputation. She hadn’t been as easy as those boys had assumed. Well, maybe a little. So what if she’d had a string of boyfriends? Not one of them meant anything to her but a few hours to escape home and be with someone who listened to her and told her she was pretty. She hadn’t had that at home. From her mother or her father.
Over time, she’d stopped expecting to hear a kind word or a compliment from either of her parents. Her father had been more focused on his bottle than on her, and her mother spent all of her time trying to stay off his radar. But Brittany needed positive attention. She just found it elsewhere. She was lucky she hadn’t found herself pregnant… or worse.
Brittany placed her hand on her chest and took a few deep breaths, the heavy thumping against her palm finally slowing. She wasn’t a naïve girl who blindly trusted the men in her life. She’d nearly wrung Karen’s neck when she’d accepted a date with Joey on Brittany’s behalf. She’d picked up her phone several times to cancel, but she’d held back each time. Karen promised Joey was a good guy, and her word meant something. And what harm was there in having a little fun on vacation?
Brittany had seen something in Joey she hadn’t seen in anyone else before. Heat flooded her cheeks as she remembered last night. She’d let him go a lot further than she’d intended, but every concern she raised escaped her mind around him. And when he touched her, or kissed her, she could think about nothing except how it felt to be with him. Safe. And desired.
After tugging on her black boots, she glanced to the mirror one last time before heading downstairs. She found Joey in the parlor, his back to the room. She cleared her throat and he turned around. Happiness filled his eyes, and a smile broke out on his face when he saw her. Happiness wasn’t the only emotion, though—Desire swirled in the deep green of his eyes, and something else she couldn't put her finger on.
Warmth swept through her. When was the last time someone looked at her with such affection and emotion? Maybe never. She smiled at him. She couldn’t help it. It was easy to be happy around him.
He swaggered across the room, his eyes locked on her the entire time. When he reached her side, he wrapped his arms around her. He tucked his head beside her ear. “You look so sexy.”
She pressed her body harder into his. With his arms around her, she felt relaxed… and protected… and aroused.
Heat rose on her cheeks. She looked away so he wouldn’t see. Then she realized they were alone. Where had Karen and Emma gone?
“They’re in the kitchen. I think they thought we needed some privacy. I have to say I agree with them.” He took her mouth in a sweet, tender kiss.
She melted into him, her resistance gone. She couldn’t believe this big, strong man could be so gentle. That hadn’t been her experience in the past and perhaps was why Joey intrigued her. He had a kind, sensitive way about him she hadn’t seen in the men in her life. She wasn’t sure they existed until she met Joey.
She snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him tighter against her. He came willingly, his arms wrapping around her back. Every place his body touched hers—her breasts, her belly, her thighs—burned from the contact. Her heart raced and her stomach leapt. Her legs began to tremble.
He traced the seam of her lips and she opened to him, his tongue tangling with hers. Whenever he kissed her
, she questioned why she’d ever fought this feeling in the first place. He tasted of coffee and fresh air and everything she’d left behind and hoped to never see again. Why couldn’t he live in New York? Or anywhere near her? Why did he have to live in a small town? Her attraction to him was growing quicker than the weeds that filled her unkempt yard growing up, but she wasn’t sure she could overcome her deeply held beliefs about small towns and everyone in them.
Brittany pulled back. Her gaze remained locked on Joey’s as she fought to catch her breath. “We should rein it in or we’ll soon have an audience.”
Without releasing her, Joey yelled into the other room. “We’ll be back later. Don’t wait up.”
With those words and the sound of laughter echoing behind them, he tugged her out the front door. He didn’t release her when they stepped outside. She liked it. Something as simple as holding hands with a man shouldn’t give her such warm feelings.
He guided her to the passenger side of his truck. As he gave her a boost to climb in, his hand brushed on her ass, lingering much longer than necessary.
She swatted at him. “Copping a feel, eh Bennett.”
He laughed with her as he slammed the door and rounded the vehicle.
“Where are we headed?” she asked after he climbed in.
His eyes twinkled. “It’s a surprise.”
What was he up to? Hopefully not another swim in the river. Although… she might be up for a little skinny dipping. She scanned his body. Yep, she could go for some water dripping off the hard muscles and planes of his body, running down his abs toward his…
She shook her head. What in the heck was she thinking? He’d been nothing but a gentleman to her from the day she’d met him, last night’s kiss in the shadows aside. No way was he planning a skinny-dipping session.
They didn’t speak much during the drive out of town, the quietness comfortable between them.
“When do you plan to head back to the city?” Joey asked.
There it was. The reminder she needed that this was just temporary. “Tuesday morning. Karen has to be back at work by noon.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“When do you have to report back to the office?”
“Um, well…” Brittany hesitated. She’d been so focused on what was happening with Joey, she’d given little thought to her own situation. Her job wasn’t everything she hoped it’d be when she’d studied architecture in school. And her dissatisfaction had shown in her recent work. Her boss had suggested she take a break. “Then, too, I guess.”
“What do you mean ‘I guess’?”
“I kinda have the week off. I had planned to get some things done around the apartment.”
“There’s nothing pressing at work right now? No vanilla condos waiting for you to design?”
Her breath caught in her throat. She might not be happy at her job, but he had no right to insult it. She worked hard for her firm. She designed places for people to live. It could have been their first home… or a retirement home.
“Vanilla? What I do is important to the people who plan to live there. I give them what they want.”
Joey threw her a look before darting his eyes back to the road. “Whoa, no offense, City Girl. I just wanted to know when you had to get back. I didn’t mean to put down what you do. I couldn’t do it, that much I know. But you don’t have to go in on Tuesday, do you?”
She sighed. Maybe she’d overreacted. She wasn’t sure why she got so defensive about a job she didn’t even enjoy. Besides, she didn’t want to think about work right now. That was one of the reasons she’d left the city—to get away from the pressures of her job. She relaxed her shoulders. “Nope. I wrapped up a project last week. High-end condos in lower Manhattan. I’m not sure what’s on the horizon next.”
Joey didn’t respond, the silence growing between them, until she continued.
“I guess it’s not quite what I expected. You’re right. There’s only so much you can do with cookie-cutter condos.”
He threw a quick glance her way. “What do you want to be designing?”
“When I first graduated, I had these grand ideas of designing museums, or art galleries, or at least something more meaningful than condos. I couldn’t find my inspiration on this most recent project, and I think it showed. My boss suggested I take some time off to reenergize my creativity.”
“Hmm.”
Before long, they pulled into a right turn lane and then onto a dirt road, following a number of trucks and cars in front of them. Brittany snapped her head around, surprised at the line of vehicles behind them as well.
She laughed. “At least I know you aren’t taking me off into the woods somewhere to kill me.”
Joey glanced at her, his expression intense before he checked the road. “Trust me, darling. If I were taking you off into the woods, I have a lot better ideas of what to do with you than that.”
Her heart raced and goosebumps broke out on her arms. Damn, even his words were sexy.
As they pulled out of the trees into a clearing, Brittany laughed. “A drive-in movie? Really?”
“Haven’t you ever been to one?”
“No. My family didn’t do a lot of things together.”
“And you never had a date take you to the drive-in?”
“Nope, never.”
His eyes lingered on her as they waited in line to enter. “Then I look forward to being your first.”
He paid the admission and drove to a row midway between the screen and the rear of the lot. But instead of pulling into the parking spot, he backed in so the tailgate of his truck faced the screen. “Nothing better than watching a movie from the bed of my truck with a beautiful woman beside me.”
Brittany nearly laughed out loud again. “You’re small town through and through, aren’t you?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Joey said with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “Wait right here.” He leapt out of the truck. In the fading light of the setting sun, other vehicles parked and people hauled out chairs and coolers and blankets. Before long, her door opened. Joey wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her from the truck and brushing her body down his.
Before she could move away, he pressed her against the truck, the length of his body against her. She stiffened slightly but drew in a deep breath and forced herself to relax. She didn’t have anything to be afraid of with Joey. She knew that in her heart, but sometimes her head got in the way. He looked deep into her eyes, brushed a chaste kiss against her lips, and backed away, running his hand through his hair.
“You drive me crazy.”
“Right back at ya,” she said through ragged breaths, sagging against the side of the truck. They stood there for a moment before he led her toward the back. In the bed sat a cooler and a huge pile of blankets.
“After you.” He motioned with his hand. She placed her foot on the tailgate, easily lofting herself into the bed of the truck. Joey followed right behind her. After settling her on one of the blankets, he grabbed two bottles of beer out of the cooler and popped the tops. He handed her one and scooted onto the blanket beside her.
She studied the label wrapped around the brown bottle, the combat boot design unfamiliar to her. “What’s this beer? I’ve never heard of it before.”
“It’s Honor Beer. I have a big announcement about it tomorrow at the barbeque. I hope you’ll come. I’m launching it at the bar, on tap and in bottles.”
“Honor Beer? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s from a company out of Virginia. A company committed to honoring fallen heroes.”
“Wow.” She drank a long gulp from the bottle. “It’s good.”
“I agree. I really hope it goes over well.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“With the way sentiments are in our country right now, you never know.”
“Do you believe in what you’re doing?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then who cares what anyone else thinks?” Her admiration of him grew every minute she spent with him. Bar owner, supporter of veterans, romantic. What else was there to this man? Surprisingly, she wanted to find out.
Joey didn’t respond. The crackling sound from the speaker announced the movie was about to start. He leaned back against the cab of the truck and she snuggled into his side.
They sat in comfortable silence, watching the movie. As the hour grew later, the sky darkened, only the light from the movie screen brightening the sea of spectators.
With his arm around her shoulder, Joey stroked her, first with one finger before adding another. Her skin tingled everywhere he touched. Part nerves and part desire took up residence with the butterflies in her stomach, beating a rhythm so loud she was sure Joey would hear. She couldn’t believe she was sitting here, in the back of a pickup, watching a drive-in movie. Well, not so much watching. It was hard to concentrate with his hands on her.
He nudged her side, wrapping his arm around her and teasing the waistband of her jeans. She flinched as his finger tickled the sensitive skin on her belly. But she didn’t pull away, and he didn’t stop. She leaned into him, a silent invitation for him to continue. Frustration washed through her when instead he placed his hand on her thigh. But her disappointment was short-lived as he stroked up her jeans, each circle moving closer to where she wanted him most. Arousal built deep inside her, and her breathing shallowed. With the summer air washing over their skin, and Joey’s hand stroking dangerously close to her core, she felt exposed, vulnerable… aroused.
Never taking his eyes off the screen, he drew a single finger up the seam of her jeans. She clenched her muscles. Even through the denim, the sensation was too much. And not just the physical sensation, but the emotional jarring of being the sole focus of Joey’s attention.
He stroked again, applying pressure to the knot of nerves at the apex of her core, and every thought escaped her mind. She closed her eyes, focused only on the sensation of his hands on her, his finger stroking. She clenched her muscles, straining toward his hand, needing him to rub her harder, faster. Her body reached for him almost unconsciously.
One Last Dance (Oak Grove Series Book 2) Page 8