by Toni Aleo
He just shook his head, feigning hurt as he pressed his hand to his chest. “Good golly, Genny, I never thought I’d hear ya want me to leave.”
She pressed her lips together because the truth was, she didn’t want him to leave. But that was beside the point! She had to stay away from him. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but I am engage—”
“Please. If you gave two shits about your engagement, you’d already be gone by now.”
That took her aback, and she insisted, “I have a book to finish!”
“That you could finish at home if you wanted. You don’t want to be there. You want to be here, which is why you haven’t left.”
She shook with anger. “You don’t know shit!”
He just grinned at her. “I know a lot.”
“Not about me.”
He shrugged. “I know I’d give my left nut to suck on that right nipple.”
She gasped, glancing down where her nipple was, in fact, betraying her. She looked back up at him, her eyes wild with rage while her body filled with something she would not give an identity to. “Go away!”
He just laughed. “No can do, darling. I have work to do.”
“Then get it done. And leave so I can work. And then leave town.”
His eyes darkened, and in a low voice, he said, “You don’t want me to leave, we both know that. Don’t worry, when you figure that out, you can always find me.”
He pushed off the counter as she glared at him. “I don’t want to find you.”
He just smiled back at her. “Just the same, this is where I’ll be.” When he hooked his thumb to Ms. Neil’s old room, her eyes grew larger.
“Huh? Why would you be there?”
His grin was unstoppable. “Because this, darling, is my place.”
And just like that, Gen saw her so-called plan implode.
Chapter Ten
Gawking at Theo, Gen couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“You lie.”
He made a disgruntled face. “Why would I lie about that?”
“Why would you buy this place? This is my place. I love this place!”
He looked away, a soft chuckle leaving his lips as he nodded. “I know.”
Flabbergasted, she threw her hand up. “What?”
He looked back to her, his eyes locking with hers, and chills rushed down her spine. “I know this is your place, and when Old Lady Neil died, I knew I wanted it.”
“Why! You aren’t an inn-runner person.”
“An innkeeper? I thought you were the smart one here.”
“I’m flustered!”
He shot her a sneaky grin. “Aww, do I make you flustered?”
“No! Ugh!” she yelled, setting the carafe on the island before she dropped it. Striking her hips, she glared at him. “This isn’t what you wanted. You wanted to be a master distiller up at McElroy’s.”
His lips quirked. “You remember that?” Her heart was slamming in her chest as she just stared at him with what she was sure was a completely irrational and confused look. When he realized she wasn’t going to answer him, he scoffed. “McElroy will hire anyone who needs a job, but he won’t let some convicted drug trafficker be a master distiller, darling. No matter how long he’s known me.” She could only blink as he held her gaze. “I worked up there for a long time. I love it, and I do miss it, but no one wanted this place, and Ms. Neil didn’t have anyone to take it over, so I decided to.”
“You were here?”
His brow rose. “What?”
“You were here in this town? For how long?”
“Forever, except when I was in jail.”
Her eyes widened. “I’ve come back, I’ve visited, and I’ve never seen you or even heard about you. Everyone is so tight-lipped when it comes to you.”
He grinned. “Aw, you asked for me?”
“Theo! What the hell?”
He swallowed visibly as he looked away. “What, Genny? I almost ruined your life. Why would you even want to see me?”
She knew she should have said she didn’t, she should have gone right upstairs, but she didn’t move, her eyes trained on his. “You did not. I can’t believe I was here and I never saw you. I came back every summer during college, then every spring after that—”
“And then you went on hiatus for four years.”
She looked away. “We got engaged. He didn’t want me coming up here anymore.”
That made Theo laugh. “Is my big brother a jealous man?”
“Do you care?” she bit back, her heart out of control to the point where she felt as if she was going to pass out.
“I don’t.” He wore his hatred for his father and his brother like a badge of honor. There was no love lost between the three men, and everyone was just fine with that. She understood it; they treated him like the bastard he technically was, but sometimes it was a little too much. She felt awful for Theo, which was the main reason she’d left with him when he asked her to. It was so long ago. So much had changed, and she just didn’t understand it.
“So why now?” she found herself whispering. “Why now am I allowed to know you still live here? Why’d you have everyone lie to me? What the hell?”
He cleared his throat. “Well, I was hoping you’d be back that spring after you left. I wanted to meet up then—”
“Why? You had plenty of chances before.”
He nodded, and for the first time, gone was the playful grin, replaced by an almost shy one. Her eyes narrowed. Shy and Theo Hudson didn’t go in the same sentence. Clearing his throat, he met her baffled gaze. “Genevieve, come on. I was scum back then, a boy with no clue what I was doing except that I wanted to be able to take care of my momma and you. That blew up in my face, my pride was shattered, and I was embarrassed. I couldn’t expect you to wait around for me.”
Her mouth fell open more, and she gawked at him as she shook her head. “But I did! For four fucking years, I came back here like clockwork, and I never saw you. No one told me shit.”
“You shouldn’t have. I wasn’t worth it then.”
“That’s my opinion to have. We had no closure whatsoever. You just left, and I knew nothing. I wanted to see you, make sure you were okay. Jesus, Theo, I was in love with you.” As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, she covered it just as quickly. She was in complete disbelief that she had said that. It was true, but still. It was so long ago, and it hurt, all of it. How he was taken away, how there was no contact, no fucking closure. She slowly opened her eyes to find him watching her. He was standing, tucking his hands into his pockets as his gaze met her clouded one. She hadn’t expected the tears, but could she really be surprised by them?
Yeah, it was only two weeks so many years ago. But in those two weeks, she fell so hard for the boy who was now a man, standing across a kitchen island from her. She had been convinced no one would ever come close to him in her heart. They hadn’t. Montgomery was a different kind of love, a controlled, comfortable one, but the love she had for Theo was completely uninhibited. It was crazy, and she missed it. But this could not happen. She wasn’t sure what this was, but she could see it in his eyes. He wanted this.
She let out a sigh with a shake of her head. “I gotta go work.”
He didn’t answer for a moment, and when she reached for the carafe, his hand covered hers, stopping her dead in her tracks. “Or we could eat some lunch, catch up.”
She shook her head, biting hard into her lip. “Theo, I am engaged.”
“I’m not asking you to do me on the table. Though, I would enjoy very much covering your body in the strawberry glaze I made for the cheesecake. Eat it right off those perky tits of yours.”
Gasping, she moved her hand out from under his, smacking his hand. “Theodore!”
“What? It’s true. Wanna taste it? It’s sugary sweet, would go amazing with those thick as honey hips,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief as they roamed across her waist.
Throwing her hands up, sh
e groaned loudly before snatching the carafe from him. “No! I am engaged,” she said once more, and she tried so hard to ignore the fact that her insides were throbbing. Slickness gathering between her thighs. Damn it, Theo! “You don’t flirt with engaged women. It’s tasteless.”
“I apologize.”
“You do not!”
He shrugged, that damn grin back. “You’re right, I don’t.”
She went to stomp away, but he stopped her, his hand grabbing her arm and causing the water to splash up on him and all over his shirt. He jumped in surprise, and she scoffed. “Karma is a bitch.”
He gave her a look as he chuckled softly. “If karma is after me for flirting with you, Genevieve Stone, then I’m okay with that because I won’t stop.”
She inhaled deeply, which was a total mistake because all she did was cloud her senses with his spicy and naughty cologne. “Theo, please don’t. It’s not right.”
His head dropped a bit, and she swore he was gonna kiss her. She realized she wasn’t going to stop him, and guilt rushed over her. But then he was talking. “I just want you to know that I wouldn’t ever flirt with you if I knew this engagement was real, that you intended to leave here and marry him. I would respect you, even him, but that’s not the case. You left your home for a reason, and while it may not have been me, I’m here.”
Her eyes stayed locked with his as she slowly shook her head. “Let me go, please.”
The grin was in place as he let her go, but he didn’t move, and before she could get away, he whispered, “I loved you back then, Gen. I loved you more than I knew what to do with.”
She gasped, looking up at him in total disbelief. “Theo. Stop.”
“I never stopped.”
Her heart dropped, and before she could stop him, his mouth caught hers in a quick kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes burning into hers, she wasn’t sure what happened. Something snapped then, could have been her sanity or his, because his arms were around her, his mouth pressing into hers as the carafe fell from her hands, crashing to the ground. He picked her up off the ground, and her legs went around his waist as he pressed her into the wall. She was soon kissing him just as hard as he was kissing her. His lips were perfection, his arms so tight around her. He tasted so damn good, strawberries and a hint of cigarettes, the taste driving her mad. His tongue found hers, and she groaned loudly against his mouth as her center throbbed against his stomach. Bunching up her hair in one hand, he took her breast in his other hand as her nails dug into his shoulders. Their kisses were out of control and sloppy. It was so right. It felt just like she remembered, and the lust was so overpowering she almost forgot who she was.
Almost.
Tearing her mouth from his, she shook her head as she pushed him back, her feet coming to the ground. “Theo. Stop. Really.”
He eyed her, but when she pushed him once more, he took a step back, his hands up. “Genevieve—”
“No. Stop,” she said, shaking her head. With that, she went up the stairs, taking them two at a time until she was in the safety of her room. When she slammed the door shut, she leaned into it as she took in her whole room. He had done this. She knew he had, and she wanted to enjoy the fluttery feeling his thoughtfulness left her with, but she couldn’t.
Because she was pretty sure she had just cheated on Montgomery.
Chapter Eleven
Digging her toes into the sand, she looked out on the lake as her phone hung in her fingers. She was done writing for the day and knew she didn’t have much left to go in the book. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten anything done when she could still taste Theo all over her mouth, but she had. If she was honest, the sex Travis and Ashley had just had for a chapter and half was some of the hottest she had ever written. But she felt dirty. Awful. She wasn’t a cheater, but she was pretty sure that little kissing session she had with Theo in the kitchen was cheating at its finest.
And the thing that bothered her the most was that she almost didn’t regret it. She regretted it because she was with someone, someone she did respect. But she didn’t regret it because for the first time in months, hell years, she’d felt something. Something wild and amazing. Her soul sang and it was beyond beautiful, but she knew it was wrong. She glanced at her phone, hoping that Montgomery had texted her back. Alas, he hadn’t.
She didn’t understand how her life had gotten so crazy. She also didn’t like when Theo had said she had come there for a reason. Was it really to get away from Montgomery? Was she using the excuse of writing as a ploy to get away? Was she running?
Shit. She was.
When someone sat down beside her, she jumped a bit until she realized it was Delaney. “Hey.”
“Hey, girl, surprised to see you alive.”
Gen’s lips quirked, though she didn’t smile. “Yeah, I’m alive.”
“Hey, you don’t have a black eye. That’s good.”
“Yeah,” Gen said, though she didn’t care.
“Why you out here alone? Isn’t the cat out of the bag?”
She nodded, looking at Delaney. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I promised him I wouldn’t,” she answered simply.
“Why would he make you promise that?”
Delaney exhaled heavily and then shrugged. “Well, back when you used to visit, I did it because he was my cousin’s best friend. Now I do it because I got into some serious trouble with this guy online.”
Gen’s brows drew in. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged, shaking her head. “I met up with this guy. He seemed okay online, but when we got to the restaurant down in Elmont, I started getting a weird vibe from him. I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, he was waiting there. Scared the shit out of me, but he said he was only wanting to make sure I made it to the table okay. But it felt off, ya know? So when we got back to the table, I texted my cousin. He didn’t answer, and I started to panic, so I texted Theo. He came right on up there, and when the guy started freaking out because Theo came to get me, Theo popped him dead in the nose.” She paused, inhaling as she looked out into the lake. “So when he bought the Blu, he asked me never to tell you, that he wanted to do it. So I did. I could have been overreacting about the guy, but nonetheless, Theo came to my rescue.”
Gen took in the profile of Delaney’s face and smiled. “I wasn’t mad.”
“Oh, I know, but I owe you an explanation. I mean, we are friends.”
Gen nodded. “We are.”
They shared a smile. “So, friend, how is everything? You look…confused. Yeah, confused.”
Gen laughed as Delaney grinned over at her. “Things are nuts.”
“What? You’re on vacation. How are things nuts?”
Gen bit her lip as she shook her head. “Theo kissed me, and I kissed him back.”
“Damn,” Delaney sang, and then she was counting on her fingers. “You knew about him for what, twelve hours, and already attacked him? I’m impressed. Not surprised, but impressed.”
Gen rolled her eyes. “Don’t be. I’m still engaged.”
“So? You’re breaking it off, right?”
“Probably, but still, it’s disrespectful and rude. I’m not that girl.”
“Everyone knows that, but sometimes things just happen.”
“I should have controlled myself.”
Delaney giggled. “I mean, Theo ain’t nothing to roll an eye at. He’s always been a tall glass of heaven.”
Gen scoffed. “I know, but I know better. He wouldn’t want that done to him, and now I’m doing it to Montgomery.”
Delaney shrugged. “I get what you’re saying, and you’re right. So just tell Montgomery.”
“He won’t answer the phone.”
Delaney gasped. “Jesus, you were really gonna tell him?”
“Yes!” Gen laughed. “I was in the wrong. I didn’t want to tell him over the phone or break it off like that, but I can’t let it go that long, ya know? It will be like I’m hiding it.”
Delaney shook her head. “You’re a good woman, Gen.”
“I feel like junk.”
Delaney shrugged. “That’s the whiskey.”
That made Gen laugh as she rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe Theo’s here.”
“Believe it. He’s been waiting for you.”
“Another thing I find hard to believe.”
“Eh, it’s true,” Delaney said with a grin, but then she clapped her hands together. “So, what are you doing right now?”
“Nothing, I guess, since Montgomery won’t answer my calls or texts.”
“Cool, come with me. Randy Goosemen’s house just came up for rent, across the lake from my mawmaw’s.”
Gen made a face. “You’re gonna move out?”
“I’m thirty, it’s time.”
“Delaney.”
“Okay, she’s pissing me off, and I’m gonna scare her. She’ll see us looking. Come on.” As they got up, Gen laughed as she shook her head at her friend. She was pretty sure Delaney wouldn’t move out of her mawmaw’s house until the day she moved in with her husband. “And then afterward, we can head to the town square for the pre-Fourth party.”
Gen stopped her. “Will there be whiskey?”
Delaney nodded. “Yes, but none for you. Everyone is still talking about how you upchucked all over Theo.”
Gen’s face warmed, but she wasn’t surprised nor bothered by everyone talking about her.
That was the charm of small-town living.
When they reached the little one-bedroom cabin that sat right along the banks of Kentucky Lake, Gen gasped loudly. “Oh, Delaney, this is gorgeous.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Delaney threw open the door and got out, and Gen did the same as she continued to take in the little home. She knew it was only one bedroom because that’s what Delaney had said, but she almost didn’t believe her. It was so small and cute, almost like a studio apartment. She wasn’t sure, but she had to find out. After she ran to catch up with Delaney, they went in, and she oohed and aahed some more. To her surprise, the inside was bigger than the outside let on.
The living room was adorable, with space for probably just a couch or maybe a chair and nice big desk. The kitchen was small, but still had everything a girl would need to cook. The bathroom was adjacent to the one bedroom, which was slightly bigger than the living room but had a beautiful patio off it, looking out at the lake. It was spectacular.