Nora's Guy Next Door
Page 17
“I don’t know.”
She stared at him long and hard, until he finally shifted restlessly. It was like she knew he was lying to her. She glanced around the room, then went straight for the kill shot.
“Dylan was still alive when you started building this. The boys must have been here together.”
He resented the way his son’s name fell so easily from her lips. All he could do was nod.
“Michael told me Dylan liked to play practical jokes.”
He closed his eyes to keep from being ill. His fingers clenched the top of the bottle so hard he expected it to shatter in his hands. Then he felt the cool touch of her hand on his, and he was able to breathe again, barely. Eyes still closed, he listened to the wind and rain outside, the snapping and popping of the fire and the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears. He needed to walk away. No, he needed to run. He needed to get out of this room and run away from this woman.
* * *
NORA WATCHED THE color drain from Asher’s face, then come rushing back again. His breathing was uneven and his pulse was leaping erratically in a little vein on the side of his neck. His hand beneath hers was trembling. She waited, expecting him to turn any moment and do one of the two things he did best: explode in anger or run. Whatever was going to happen, it was going to be his move. Not hers.
At first, she thought he was talking to himself. His eyes were still closed, and she had to lean in to hear.
“He had a big rubber spider with a string on it. He knew I hated spiders, and he was always putting the damn thing somewhere where I’d see it.” The corner of his mouth lifted and his voice grew stronger. “He’d make it move with the string and laugh like hell when I jumped. And he constantly messed with our food. Black pepper in his mother’s tea. Salt in the sugar bowl. Hot red pepper flakes in strawberry jam.”
Asher opened his eyes slowly, looking into the fire as if he could see his youngest son in the flames.
“Michael said something about salting his toothbrush?” Nora asked.
Asher turned to her, the corner of his mouth twitching. “I forgot about that. Yeah, he’d wet the toothbrush and scrub salt into it, then put it back in the holder. Michael would go to brush his teeth and get a salty surprise. He’d chase Dylan all over the house...”
He stopped, and she knew why.
“How long has it been since you said Dylan’s name?”
His brows knit together, and he took another swallow of cognac. “Other than when I had a raging fever? I don’t know. A long time.” His back straightened and he moved to stand. “We should go.”
“No, Asher, don’t stop. Tell me more.” He was shutting her out again. It was so frustrating to get these glimpses of the man Asher could be, only to have him vanish like a mirage.
“I can’t.”
“Okay, don’t tell me about Dylan. Tell me about Michael. What was he like as a boy?”
He hesitated, then started to talk again. “Michael started out as a little class clown and was a coconspirator in many of his baby brother’s antics. He played baseball and football, but when he entered high school, he went from team sports to things he could do alone, like skiing and hiking.” Nora felt her heart grow tight. Michael had changed when Dylan died. He became a loner. Just like his dad.
“How long have you been divorced?” She knew the answer already but thought it might keep him talking. He was done playing along, though.
“Enough. You’ve dragged more out of me in half an hour than anyone else has in years. Consider it a win, okay? Hell, are you this nosy about everyone you meet?”
His fingers raked through his hair, and she wanted to do the same, but she wasn’t sure if she should touch him right now. He was tense, head down and shoulders hunched defensively. She took the bottle and had a drink to settle her frayed nerves. She was way out of her depth with this man and his secrets. But she couldn’t leave him alone.
“Not with everyone, Asher.” He stared at her, his body language easing somewhat.
“You know, Nora, you’re really great at asking questions, but how about answering a few? You grill me every time we meet, and I know nothing about you.”
She shrugged. “You’ve never asked.”
“Why did you really move to Gallant Lake?”
She stuttered for a moment, then gave him her standard answer, ignoring the guilt digging at her. “Well...I moved here because of the baby.”
“Bullshit.”
“I beg your pardon?” Nora sounded so pompous she almost rolled her eyes at herself. She wasn’t ashamed of her Southern accent, but it did get stronger at the most inconvenient times.
“You come at me for information like a damn piranha, snapping and ripping at me until I come clean.” She was surprised to see disappointment in his eyes, and her cheeks burned. “And then you lie to me the first time I ask you a question.”
“H-how do you know it’s a lie?”
He shook his head. “When you were freaking out in the truck on the way up here, you said your daughter thought you moved here because of the baby, but you didn’t. So why did you?”
He was right. She’d demanded his truth, so it was only fair that she trust him with hers.
“It’s a really long story, but my late husband’s past was about to rear its ugly head in Atlanta, and there are things Becky doesn’t need to know about her father. The only way to make the story go away was for me to go away. There just happened to be a coffee shop for sale in the town where my daughter lives. And Amanda and Blake are here.” She gave him her best attempt at a playful wink. “So, despite the neighbor I knew I was getting, here I am, living in the mountains of New York.”
“You don’t make impulsive decisions often, do you?”
“Hardly ever. I’m not big on surprises.” She looked at him, sitting there. He was a surprise on every level, wasn’t he? He hadn’t bothered to fasten his jeans, so they hung low on his hips. She shivered, and he surprised her again by pulling her in close to his side and pulling the blanket up around her.
“What was in your husband’s past that’s so awful? I thought he was a politician... Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. He was a total cliché, and so was I.”
Asher’s fingers gripped her shoulder.
“Tell me what that means.”
Now it was her turn to stiffen in resistance.
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
“That’s ironic, coming from you.”
The chirp of an incoming text broke the moment. Nora blinked and looked around. Where were her jeans? And when did it get so dark in here? What time was it, anyway? She leaned back and dragged her jeans over so she could dig the phone out. The text was from Cathy.
Locals are restless. Are you two okay?
Nora frowned. Which locals exactly?
Your girl. His boy. Your cousin. And Sheriff Dan.
She groaned and looked to Asher, but he was busy tapping away on his own phone. Reality was barging back into their lives.
We’re fine.
You’re at the cabin?
Leave it to Cathy to know where they were.
Yes.
I figured. But heads up. So did Michael and Dan.
Which meant they could be getting company any minute. Nora scrambled to her knees to grab her clothes, but a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back onto Asher’s lap.
“They’re coming...” It was one thing for her daughter to know she’d kissed Asher, but finding them naked was another.
“No. They’re not. But you are.”
His lips met hers and she forgot the rest of the world—until her phone pinged again.
“Leave it.” Asher spoke the words against her mouth. But all Nora could think about was a caravan of vehicles h
eaded up the mountain, bringing her daughter and her cousin and Asher’s son and Sheriff Dan. She reluctantly pulled away, and his heavy sigh told her he wasn’t happy about it.
This time the text was from Amanda.
You sure you know what you’re doing?
Nora laughed out loud at that, and Asher leaned over to read the screen as she typed.
Of course not. But I’m going to keep doing it for a while.
Asher traced a kiss down her neck.
Can you keep everyone at bay?
She waited several minutes for a response.
Dan ordered us to stay away from there under threat of arrest. Becky’s not happy, but I’ll talk to her.
Nora was surprised she hadn’t heard from Becky yet, but that mystery was solved with Amanda’s next text.
Right now she’s busy looking for her phone, which is safely in my pocket. I invited her and Michael to Halcyon for dinner, and that’ll keep them occupied for a few hours. After that you’re on your own!
“A few hours?” Asher kissed her shoulder. “I can work with that.”
She tapped out a thanks to Amanda and turned in his arms, trying to ignore the thrilled thump-thump-thump of her heart when her eyes met his. One of them had to be the adult here.
“Our children are freaking out. We really should...”
Her sentence was ended by a kiss so deep and delicious she forgot what she’d intended to say. When he finally pulled away, it was only far enough to speak against her mouth.
“Our children managed to get themselves pregnant, so I think they have a pretty good idea of what’s going on up here. What’s the point in rushing back and pretending otherwise?”
She tried to come up with an argument, but she had none. He was right. Becky and Michael definitely knew what their parents were doing together. She looked at Asher, and something way down inside her warmed deliciously. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Who knew if this would ever happen again? A low growl escaped his throat as he spread the blanket behind her and laid her back.
His fingers traced along her cheekbone, then down her neck to her breasts, exposed by the open flannel shirt she still wore. His kisses followed the trail of his fingertips, and he breathed her name against her skin until she thought she’d be branded with it. Lower, and lower again, beyond her breasts and over her stomach. When he reached his goal, she whimpered with need, her body arching up to meet his mouth. One stroke of his tongue. One touch of his fingers. And she was gone, crying out so loudly her voice echoed in the empty room.
She barely registered the sound of tearing foil before he was over her, parting her legs and kissing her so wildly she thought she might just pass out from sensory overload. It was too much. And then he was inside her again, and all thoughts stopped. She was just feeling and moving and enjoying, as Asher’s passion burned hot and fast. He shouted her name before they went over the edge together, grasping each other as if afraid of being torn apart in the fall.
His head lay on her shoulder and they stayed there, breathing heavily, as the fading fire crackled. Her fingers were still digging into his back. She should release him. But not yet. The first time had been exciting and naughty and sexy. But this time was different. The way he’d touched her. Kissed her. The way he’d taken control and managed her orgasms as efficiently as he constructed furniture. Something had shifted between them; something had flown free.
She was falling for Asher Peyton. Not just lusting after Hot Produce Guy, but falling for the man and falling hard. He was her daughter’s future father-in-law. This was going to be a disaster. A tickle of panic worked its way up her spine, and he must have sensed it.
“Stop. Thinking.” His head didn’t move, and he spoke the words into the blanket beneath them. “I don’t have the strength to deal with any more Nora thoughts tonight, and I can feel them bubbling up inside of you. Don’t think. Just stay here with me for a little while longer.”
The last sentence came out as a plea, and she couldn’t deny him. Asher had been chasing people away for years. That he wanted her to stay meant something. So she quietly traced her fingers back and forth across his solid back. The room grew dark and chilly as the fire died down to embers, but his body was keeping her warm. She shifted slightly and tried to pull the edge of the blanket up and over him, but her movement brought him out of his sex coma.
“Is there a problem?” He lifted his head and arched his brow at her.
“I was just trying to make sure you weren’t chilled.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Nora, I’m still buried inside you and we’re wrapped around each other like vines. Cold is not a problem. Death from wild sex was a worry for a minute or two, but cold is not an issue.” He frowned and started to move. “Unless you’re cold?”
“No!” She gripped him more tightly, inspiring another grin. “You’re perfect! I mean, you’re keeping me perfectly warm...or something...” Her voice faded off. He really did feel perfect right now. He watched her closely, then started to move away as if he saw something he didn’t want to see. He glanced around the room, and she knew he was pulling away emotionally as well as physically.
“Damn, what time is it? We should get going before the search parties arrive.”
“Amanda’s having the kids over to Halcyon for dinner, so they’ll be distracted.” She didn’t want to leave this bubble just yet.
He shook his head and rose to his knees, allowing cool air to move across her exposed breasts. “Nothing’s going to distract them for long now that they know their parents are doing the dirty.”
“Doing the dirty?” Nora sat up with him and started to wiggle into her jeans.
“I’m sure that’s how they’ll see it.”
She shrugged off his shirt and pulled her sweater over her head.
“And how do you see it?”
The silence grew heavy before he answered. “Nora, I don’t know what to think.” To soften the nonanswer, he laid the palm of his hand along the side of her face. “We did something impulsive here, and we’re both going to have to deal with the fallout. So either I throw more logs on the fire and we stay here all night, while our friends and family lose their collective minds, or we go face the music.”
She thought for a minute, then nodded. She wasn’t the type of woman who’d actually date the father of her daughter’s boyfriend. In her Atlanta circles, that behavior would be fodder for months of juicy gossip. But this was just a moment, not a long-term thing. Surely she was allowed to have a crazy afternoon with a hot, troubled neighbor. They were both adults, after all.
Perfectly capable of making grown-up decisions.
She hoped.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THIS TIME ASHER wasn’t surprised to find Michael’s Jeep in the parking lot when he and Nora pulled in. He’d been hoping maybe this conversation could wait until morning, but no such luck. As he parked the truck, the passenger door of the Jeep opened. Apparently both kids had decided to wait for them. Nora’s face was grim.
“We’d just started to patch things up, and now she’s going to start hating me all over again.”
Michael moved around the car and extended his arm so Becky could hold on to him as they crossed the muddy lot. Her baby bump jutted out through her open coat, and her free hand rubbed across it lightly. Twenty-some years ago, that could have been Asher and Amy together, expecting a child and having such high hopes for the baby, each other and the future. He’d been so oblivious back then to the kind of havoc the future would bring.
“Looks like we’re being tag teamed.” Nora appeared at his side, resting her hand on his arm. His blood pressure immediately settled and his breathing relaxed at her touch. She looked up at him. “Do we face them down together or divide and conquer?”
“You’re the planner. You tell me.”
She frowned, looking away. She was having regrets about being with him. And that made her a smart woman. He pulled her in for a quick hug, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. He didn’t let go until he heard Michael clearing his throat loudly in front of them. Nora stepped away from him, blushing in the dim glow of the single parking-lot light.
“Mom...” Becky’s tone was disbelieving and angry.
Nora’s shoulders sagged. He didn’t want her to feel bad about what had happened between them. He pulled her back to his side, leaving his arm around her. Becky and Michael glanced at each other uncertainly, and Nora started to speak.
“I know today has complicated an already complicated situation...”
Michael barked out a humorless laugh. “You think?”
Asher stared hard at his son. “That’s enough.”
“Is it, Dad? Is it really enough, or are you just getting started? How much more damage can you do here? First you disown me...”
“For God’s sake, Michael, I never disowned you...”
“Then you accuse Becky of plotting some marriage trap and you try to get me to...”
“Alright. I get it.” Asher stopped Michael from finishing that sentence. He didn’t know what Nora would think of his offer to get Michael to leave Gallant Lake. No, that wasn’t true. He knew exactly what she’d think.
“You get it? Really? Because if you got it, you wouldn’t be playing this game with Becky’s mother.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I don’t know what your end game is here,” Michael said, gesturing at Asher and Nora. “But I know you’re up to something. And I’m not going to let you rip another family apart the way you did ours.”
Asher’s hand dropped from Nora’s shoulder and he took a menacing step forward.
“What exactly are you accusing me of?”
Michael didn’t move, other than to narrow his eyes. He just stood there, bristling with anger and distrust. Asher felt the sharp burn of regret. Had he created this? Did Michael really think he was manipulating the situation by being with Nora? He blinked. Why wouldn’t Michael believe that, since Asher had been trying to manipulate the situation between Michael and Becky since he learned of it?