“Do you think they heard us?” she asked.
Troy cracked up. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and nuzzled his nose in her hair. His laughter washed over her. All her armor folded. “God, you’re irresistible.”
“Looks like we’ll be here a while longer.”
“Looks like.”
“Good thing I threw some snacks in my backpack. I’m starving.”
“Me too.” He moved against her. Not in a hungry-for-food way, but in a hungry-for-her way.
Heat and need and want immediately sluiced through her body. She lifted her head. “I don’t have any more protection with me.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to get creative.” He turned her around and walked them back into the tree house.
Inspiration had never felt so good.
Chapter Twelve
Ever since that night at the Crown & Anchor when Kagan mentioned a matchmaker and then a wingman and Troy had jumped at Oliver’s challenge, Erin’s life had spiraled out of her control. And she hated not being in control.
Of her feelings.
Of her actions.
Of her life.
So she’d come to the Cascade Canyon Labyrinth this morning to meander in circles and ponder over things. To get herself back in check. To regain some control.
Since her tree house excursion with Troy four days ago and the weird “see you around” when they’d parted, she’d felt awful. Her heart a little beaten.
Okay, maybe a lot beaten. And she hated it. Hated that she’d made the mistake of letting her heart get involved when she had no idea where his heart lay.
She’d thought to circle the labyrinth alone, but Kagan and Sela had somehow invited themselves and decided they wanted to know what was bugging her.
They were bugging her. But she loved them for it.
The traditional labyrinth’s single pathway looped around to form seven concentric circles. No shortcuts allowed. She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and started down the smooth sand footpath of the second-to-last circle. She’d read that labyrinth-walking was perfect for contemplation. It was a place to take her whole self—body, mind, anxieties, relationships—and meditate, eyes down, one step in front of the other, shoulders relaxed. She liked to think that labyrinths were like prayers printed on the ground.
And once she got to the center, all her questions would be answered.
Ha! With only a short way left to go, she was no closer to figuring out her life than when she’d started. But that might also have to do with the two nosy—albeit good intentioned—friends right behind her.
“We can’t help if you don’t talk to us,” Sela said.
“This has something to do with Troy, doesn’t it?” Kagan asked.
“Yes,” Erin whispered, forcing the word out. What’s the worst that could happen if she shared?
“And the boyfriend challenge.” Kagan hopped into the next circle over, her steps falling in line beside Erin’s.
Sela put a gloved hand on Erin’s arm. “Love and heartbreak are two of the most powerful feelings anyone can have. And in the long run they make a better person. Please don’t let what happened with Scott keep you from a guy you could really fall for.”
I’ve already fallen.
“I’m not,” Erin lied, picking up her pace. She hoped lying while in a labyrinth didn’t equal some sort of purgatory later on.
“Not every guy cheats,” Sela said.
“I know.” She swallowed the thickness in her throat. “It’s not that. Well, it is that. But it’s more than that.” See? Brain cells colliding.
Damn, the center of the labyrinth was small. Ten steps and she’d gone from one end to the other. Double damn that no helpful words of wisdom materialized in the smooth sand.
She plopped down in the center and crossed her legs. This had so not been the Zen experience she’d hoped for. Sela and Kagan sat with her.
“I have a confession to make,” Kagan said.
“You do?” Erin said.
Kagan’s gaze danced around for a moment before touching down on Erin. “You were the one who was all over me about Shane and how you could see the sparks between us. Well, it was pretty obvious you and Troy have them, too.”
“What are you talking about?” Erin pressed her hands on her knees, straightened her back, and took a breath.
“I was there, Erin. There in the ambulance when he took care of your hand and bandaged you up. There in Crem’s when he came over to talk to you and you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him. There in the Crown & Anchor when I brought up matchmaking and suggested he be the one to do it.”
“Wait,” Erin murmured.
“With a little help from Shane, I played matchmaker. I knew if you and Troy spent time together, you’d realize how perfect you are for each other. And if I’m not mistaken, you’ve fallen in love with him.”
Erin stared at her friend in disbelief. “I have you to blame for this mess I’m in?”
“I’d like to think it would have happened anyway. I just sped up the process.”
“Troy is a really great guy,” Sela said.
“You have to choose the life you want. You have to take action and realize that you create your own destiny by making choices and sticking to them.” Kagan spoke in a soft, even tone that fit the labyrinth experience. “I only gave your fate a little kick-start.”
“Even if I was willing to go for it, Troy isn’t. Whatever sparks you thought you saw aren’t the forever kind.”
He’d made it pretty clear he had no desire to love a girl like her. Not long term, anyway. And that’s what she wanted from him. She wanted to stand behind the white picket fence with him. Wanted him to whisper in her ear he loved her and she was his forever. If she let herself get any deeper, when he walked away, the heartbreak would ruin her.
She needed to stick with the matchmaking plan. Find a guy to have fun with, hang out with. Like, but not love. Unless he…
Unless he proved to her she could trust him to love her back for always.
“Change his mind.” Sela adjusted her white knit hat so it slipped farther back on her forehead.
“I don’t want to,” she blurted out.
Sela’s and Kagan’s eyes widened.
And there it was, the deeper crux of her stumbling block. “I don’t want to have to convince him to love me,” Erin whispered. “I need him to want to love me.” She didn’t want to compete with Candace or anyone else for his affections. She didn’t want to contend with the memory of Jamie and talk him into moving on. Scott hadn’t loved her enough to stay faithful. He hadn’t lived and breathed her, wanted to be with her and no one else.
She’d never put herself in that position again. And she sure as hell would never fight for something. The man who fought for her would be the man she’d risk it all for.
“Oh, Erin,” Sela said, and then both she and Kagan wrapped her in a hug. She knew they meant well, but she had to get out of there before she did something stupid like cry in front of them.
“I’m okay.” She pressed back until they released their arms. “I’ll be okay.”
“He’ll come around,” Sela said.
Erin just shook her head.
“How about we grab a frozen hot chocolate? My treat,” Kagan said.
“You’re on.” Erin stood. She’d gotten a hold of her emotions and the sweet drink from their favorite ice cream shop on the pier sounded good.
A half hour later, they parked their cars and strode down the pier. Even zipped up in a puffy, insulated jacket, the wind blowing across the pier sent shivers through her. She lifted her collar as high as it would go and crossed her arms. Fog perched itself on the dark, restless ocean.
Tiny silver bells chimed when they opened the door to Lou’s Ice Cream Shop. Louella—Lou—had owned the small parlor for twenty-five years and prided herself on not missing a day of work in all that time. She also hadn’t updated the inside. White lace curtains hung on the windows, the b
lack-and-white checked floor looked more gray now, shelves held knickknacks, and the pink vinyl seating at the counter and in the booths had seen better days. Erin’s favorite decor was the framed embroidered sayings lining the white walls. The first thing she did every time she entered Lou’s was find and read the one she loved most: Deja Moo…the feeling you’ve heard this bull before.
“Hey girls,” Lou said from behind the counter situated in the middle of the restaurant. “Have a seat and I’ll be right with you.”
Booths lined the perimeter of the parlor and they went right to one near the back. Erin sat across from Sela and Kagan and took off her jacket. Lou had a thing about being cold and the current indoor temperature probably rivaled a tropical island. Strings of tiny white lights hung above the windows. A surfing Santa teeter-tottered on prime shelf space above the window to the kitchen.
“Three frozen hot chocolates?” the sixtysomething owner said, stopping at their table. She smiled, the kind of smile that immediately put a person at ease.
“You know us so well,” Sela said. “Yes, please.”
“Coming right up.” She moved her attention to Erin. “Your adorable boyfriend’s here.” A nod over her shoulder followed.
“My—” Erin looked across the shop. Her heart, barely recovered from the labyrinth escapade, beat the living daylights out of her chest cavity. Troy sat in a booth with Amelia, sharing what looked like a banana split. He’d just licked his spoon clean and memories of everything he’d done to her with that tongue flooded her. She squirmed.
Given how attentive and in love with his niece he was, he probably hadn’t seen her enter. But now that she’d focused on him, he turned his head as if sensing her gaze, and like always, their eyes locked.
“Go say hi,” Kagan said.
“Hmm?” Erin mumbled, without leaving Troy’s warm, penetrating stare.
“You live in the same small town,” Kagan said. “You’re bound to run into him. I say be friendly. Besides, the little girl with him is waving at you.”
“Oh!” She focused on the cute little face peering around Troy, arm waving frantically. She smiled and waved back. “That’s his niece, Amelia.” The little girl who likes me. “I, uh, guess, yeah, I should go say hello. Be right back.”
Erin’s very first real crush back in seventh grade had brought her to Lou’s and she’d been so bloody nervous she’d almost thrown up in her chocolate milk shake. Walking toward Troy now, those same queasy feelings knotted her stomach.
“Hey, you two.” She slid into their booth across from them.
“Hi, Erin. Look it.” Amelia lifted her teddy bear up from beside her. A bright-pink bandage covered the bear’s paw. “Bridget cut her finger like you did.”
“Oh no. How’s she doing?”
“She’s better now. Uncle Troy brought us here to cheer her up.”
“He’s a pretty cool uncle, huh?”
Amelia nodded and dipped her spoon for another scoop of ice cream.
“Hi,” he said, a bit sheepishly, and Erin had no idea what to make of that. Was he embarrassed he hadn’t at least texted her hey, thanks again for the other day, meaning the whole height thing, not the sex thing. Or did he regret what they’d done?
“I should probably get back to my friends.” She scooted out of the booth.
“You headed home after you leave here?” Troy asked, catching her hand. Tingles barreled up her arm.
She managed a squint at him. “I am.”
He let go. “Thanks for coming over and saying hello. It was good to see you.”
What the? She spun around and stomped back to her table. Good to see her? Had he forgotten he’d seen every inch of her? Intimately. Was this how things would be now? Like they were mere acquaintances?
“If you were a cartoon character there would be steam coming out of your ears,” Sela said when Erin sat back down.
“Lou,” Erin called out.
“Yes, sweetie?” She paused before pushing through the swinging door to the kitchen.
“Make them doubles.”
“Already did.”
“So are you going to tell us what Troy said to have you scarfing down extra chocolate?” Kagan asked.
“He hardly said anything.” She was being childish. What was he supposed to say in front of his niece? And really, what needed to be said? She’d helped him get over his fear of heights and he’d said thank you for that. Then they’d given in to their mutual attraction so they could both move on. She should be happy.
Only she couldn’t seem to find her happy place anymore. Troy had done something with it.
“Here you go,” Lou handed out the frozen hot chocolates and then put her hands on her hips. Her sharp gaze landed on Erin. “Whatever prompted this ice cream crisis, your young man can’t take his eyes off you.”
Erin willed herself not to look.
And when she noticed Troy and Amelia leave out of her periphery vision, she still kept unaware even though inside she’d never stopped being conscious of his every move.
“I really think…” Sela started to say.
“Please just drop it.” Erin scooped up a big bite of ice cream.
They talked about work and shopping and the latest women, life & love column. By the time Erin got home it was close to four. She opened the child safety gate she’d gotten to block off her kitchen and Frito wagged his little tail like crazy and kissed her until she couldn’t take the slobber any more. They took a short walk so he could relieve himself—smart dog that he was, he almost had the potty training down pat—and she’d just taken off her shoes and socks and collapsed onto the couch when someone knocked on her door.
“Who is—” She opened the door and Troy stood there looking so beautiful and happy to see her that her legs trembled.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.”
“Can I come in?”
She nodded, too overwhelmed to say, “Yes!”
He brushed by her; she shut and locked the door.
Frito welcomed him with unbridled puppy affection. He knelt down and after a few pets and scratches to Frito’s entire little body, gave him a rawhide bone he must have had hidden in his hand. Frito took it and made a beeline down the hall, happy to chew on his gift in private.
Troy stood, turned. Erin gulped. She had all of two seconds to acknowledge the hunger in his eyes before he had her pressed up against the wall and his lips were on hers.
…
Erin tasted like chocolate and Troy smiled against her mouth. She played back, the corners of her sexy mouth lifting, but only for a moment. Because playful hadn’t been his intention, and he let her know that by deepening the kiss.
He’d missed her these past few days, thought about her nonstop. Everything inside him tensed with need whenever he’d pictured her, and seeing her at Lou’s had sent him over the edge.
No way could he tame the fierce urgency to be with her again after she’d stomped away like he didn’t care.
He cared.
Too damn much.
His arms went around her waist and he hauled her closer. She clung to him, her nails digging into his shoulders. A tiny “mmm” escaped her mouth that nearly undid him. Her sexy sounds, her body pressed against his, the hungry mating of their tongues—he was going to have her right here.
Never had he wanted a woman this much.
Her hands slid down his back and underneath his shirt. She raked her fingers over his skin, her touch sending a surge of arousal through him. Erin made him feel out of control, so hot to be with her that nothing else existed but the two of them.
He slowed down the kiss, reached for the hem of her shirt.
“Hurry,” she whispered, ending the kiss.
Shirts flew off, shoes winged right and left, pants hit the floor. Their mouths and hands traveled everywhere at a frenzied pace. “God, you’re breathtaking,” he said on a ragged breath, pausing to admire her in her lacy white bra and panties.
“So are you
.” She drew a finger down his chest, grabbed the waistband of his boxer briefs. “Now please hurry.”
He obliged, knowing he’d come prepared for more than one round and after this they’d take their time. All night long if she’d let him…
…
Lying in Erin’s bed a couple of hours later, she danced her fingertips across his chest and said, “I need to take Frito out. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” She kicked the sheets to the side and slipped out.
Troy leaned against his pillow, hands behind his head, and watched her throw on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She tossed him a quick look over her shoulder, her sexy smile killing him. The more he saw her, the more he just looked at her, the more he knew.
He’d done it. He’d fallen in—don’t think it, dude. He studied her room instead. Pale-yellow walls, an overfilled bookcase, a whitewashed dresser with more framed pictures of her family sitting on top. In the corner, another shelf piece held what looked like a collection of cylinder vases filled with sea glass.
Love. He’d fallen in love.
With the wrong kind of girl. With the kind of girl who would whip his heart into a panic every time she left for an outdoor adventure. Hell, every time she went to work.
But why did something so wrong feel so right then? He’d spent the past four days thinking on that, and gotten nowhere.
She did take precautions, he knew that. Her family had clued him in to a more careful Erin, a gentle side she liked to keep hidden away. But the fact remained, she took chances. And he had to think about more than himself here. Amelia had started to grow attached to her and if something happened…he swallowed the bad taste in the back of his throat. If Amelia lost anyone else she cared about, it would devastate them both.
Wait a second. He was getting way ahead of himself. He had no idea how Erin even felt about him. She liked him enough, he knew that. They had amazing chemistry. Sparks. At least on his end. But she’d told him she was guarding her heart. Just because she might be ready for a boyfriend didn’t mean she was ready for love.
And when she was? She deserved someone who would jump at every chance to push things to the limit with her. Not someone who’d decided to take a pass on those things now.
Wild About Her Wingman Page 17