“You were always a fierce one,” he whispered in her ear. “And one of the biggest mistakes of my life was letting you go.”
“You didn’t let me go. I ran as fast as I could from your toxic, cheating self, which was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve met a man’s man, one who honors and respects me. A man who deserves me.”
“Sounds boring.”
She laughed. “Not even a little bit. He’s taught me a lot about my body, enough that I know what I’ve been missing out on all these years.”
She glanced back to see his eyes narrow.
Not her finest moment, to throw such a comment at him, but maybe she’d save the next poor woman he got together with. Everything had always been about his pleasure.
Jerk.
The door opened and Aaron Henderson ushered her in. She’d been expecting one of his aides to answer and she nearly tripped as she passed by him. He steadied her and then guided her to a sofa in the living room.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said. Dressed in gray slacks and a cream shirt, he looked the epitome of classy casual. But she knew how hard he’d worked to own his newspaper group. At forty-five he’d accomplished more than most people did in double the years. “Can I get you some coffee?” He gestured toward a small tray on a table in front of the sofa.
“No, thank you.” Her nerves were jittery enough.
“I’ll leave you two to your meeting,” Garrison said.
“No, please I’d like you to stay.” Aaron nodded to a chair.
Aaron sat in the one opposite her.
Her ex hesitated for a moment, but then took one of the leather chairs to the side of the conversation area.
“Before I explain why I called you here, though I’m sure Garrison has mentioned a part of it, I need to know something. It’s a touchy subject, but the truth is important to me if we’re to move forward with this arrangement. It’s personal and not something an employer would ever ask in the normal course of things. But this is a big step, so we need to be clear.”
What the heck was he talking about? There was nothing she couldn’t answer. And Garrison didn’t need to be here. What arrangement?
“I’ll answer whatever it is,” she said, defiant.
“Good. So explain to me why you broke your engagement to Garrison and ran off to the country to run your uncle’s paper.”
Crap.
* * *
AFTER MAKING SURE Harley was settled in the office at the feed store with his mother. Blake headed out to the barn where they kept the hay and fertilizers.
“Hey, Blake,” Ray said. “What are you doing out here?”
He shrugged. “Need to work off some energy. Thought I’d help you with the bales.”
The other man nodded. “Glad to have the help, but is your leg going to be okay?”
Blake patted his right thigh. “It likes a good workout now and then.”
Sliding on his leather gloves, he picked up the first bale and walked it into the barn. After creating a stack of about ten, he worked on the next one.
What if she took the job? And really, why wouldn’t she? From what her ex had told her, it was all of her dreams tied into one neat package. If she had to move to New York, what would she do with Harley?
What would she do with him?
No way could he lose her.
He could follow Macy, but would she want him to?
When her ex had answered the cell earlier, he was suddenly so angry. It scared him that his temper rose that quickly. That wasn’t him.
You’re jealous.
Hell. He’d never been jealous before the night of Jaime’s party. He’d dated and even had a few girlfriends. But nothing like the connection he had with Macy. In such a short time she’d become everything to him.
He lived his days trying to find ways to please her and make her smile. And darn if that didn’t make him feel good, as well. Being around her was the best therapy there was. She made him laugh and look at the world through her curious eyes. Having seen more than his fair share of the dark side of things, he’d become jaded.
The past few weeks, she’d shown him that yes there was darkness, but there was also light. Her articles and features about the local folks had warmed his heart. She understood the true essence of people.
She’d gone a step further and shared some of the stories of people she had met during her travels. Many of them had the same problems as folks here in a small Texas town. Ultimately, they all wanted the world to be safe for their children, put food on the table and have a decent roof over their heads.
No longer did he think of people as us and them. There were evil people in the world, but there were a lot of good people, too. People he would gladly die to protect. When he was in the thick of it, he hadn’t been able to see the truth.
Macy wrote that the world was a melting pot and that everyone was more the same than they were different.
That was one of the ideals she could pursue on a higher level if she took the job. He knew that before she had any of the details. She had a voice that should be heard, and he would not in any way hinder that.
“Not sure what those bales of hay have done to you, but throwing them around is getting messy,” Ray’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Blake’s eyes took in the chaos around him. Two of the bales had busted and there was hay all over the floor.
“Sorry,” he said as he reached for the broom. “I’ll clean it up.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get the rest of these bales into the loft. It looks like it’s about to rain. Mind if I hand them up to you?” Ray asked.
Stepping up on the ladder, Blake climbed into the loft. A half hour passed before the storm hit, and water poured down on the tin roof of the barn. Normally, it was a comforting sound.
But his mood was no better than it had been before he’d started. Though, his muscles certainly ached now. He’d be lucky to get out of bed in the morning.
“Go on,” Ray coaxed him. “I’ll clean this up. I’m betting that horse of a dog of yours is giving your mom hell about the thunder.”
Damn. He’d forgotten about Harley and loud noises.
Running through the rain and into the back of the store, he slid to a stop outside his mother’s office door. She sat on the floor reading a book to the dog.
Blake chuckled. She’d done the same for his little brother who’d missed being struck by lightning by mere inches when he was six, and had been afraid of storms most of his childhood.
The crazy thing was the dog hung on her every word.
“Go check on Tanya at the register. There’s news the river might flood. Folks will be stocking up. I’ll be there once I get her to sleep.” She rubbed Harley’s head.
He nodded. Still soaked to the skin, he found Tanya had a long line in front of her.
Entering his code, he quickly opened the second register. “Next in line, please.”
Grateful for the distraction, Blake’s mind never wavered far from what Macy might be doing. Would she go out with the ex to celebrate?
Stop it. He forced himself to smile as he rang up the total for the nails and plastic tarp old Mr. Davis was buying. He did the same for all of the following customers, too. After the initial rush, the crowd thinned out.
He went to the office to check on his mom and the dog.
“You go ahead and take the dog home. She’ll be more comfortable in a familiar place,” his mom said.
The dog’s head was in her lap on top of the small pillow his mother used for her back when she sat in the office chair too long.
“She looks pretty comfortable to me.” He smiled.
She smiled back. “Yes, but my legs are numb from her overly large head, and I’m too old to be sitting on the
floor.”
After scooting the sleeping dog off his mom, he helped her up.
She stretched. “That’s a smart dog you have there.”
“That she is.”
“For a monster, she kind of grows on you.”
He laughed. At the sound, Harley glanced up and gave him the evil eye for waking her from her nap.
“Yep. She’s too smart for her own good.”
“Well, then. You two should get along just fine,” his mom said as she patted his shoulder. “Any ideas on what your next move is? Are you sure you don’t want to buy the store? You’d mentioned it when you were in the hospital, but we haven’t talked about it since you got back.”
That was before he met the woman who’d come to mean everything to him. And he’d also been told there was the possibility that he might not be the same again physically.
That wasn’t an option for him, and he’d shown everyone, including himself, that he refused to allow his injuries to dictate the rest of his life.
“While you’re gone, Mom, I do enjoy hanging out here, but this is your passion. I think mine is elsewhere. The guys have asked me to take a more active part in the security firm. They have some new ideas that might be beneficial to rural areas especially. So I’ll probably be helping them grow the business. As soon as I know my next step, you’ll be the first one I tell,” he promised.
Giving him the mom-knows-all stare, she said, “You haven’t heard from her yet, have you?”
“Mom,” he warned.
“Son, I’m not saying anything except that her meeting was this morning and it’s nearing five.”
“I’m aware. Let it go—please.”
She shrugged. “Whatever you say. I’ll go help Tanya close up. You’re soaking wet, get home before you catch your death.”
Home. It hit him that it was Macy’s house where he now felt at home.
Yes, ma’am. He was in big trouble.
15
AS HE BRAKED in the driveway and put the truck into Park, Harley woofed. “Let me turn off the engine at least.” He patted her back. As soon as he opened his door and got out, she leaped past him and ran for the house.
She must be hungry.
The dog opened the front door before he could get there. That wasn’t right. He was certain he’d locked the door when they left earlier in the day.
“Hello, pretty girl. I missed you, too,” Macy said as she greeted Harley. “I was a little concerned about you two. I tried to call, but no one answered.”
She glanced up at Blake. He could see the concern on her face.
“You called my cell?” He went to take the phone out of his pocket, and discovered it wasn’t there. “Well, that explains it,” he said. “I must have lost it when I was working with Ray in the barn this afternoon.”
Harley soon had her pinned against the fridge demanding to be fed. He grabbed the towel he’d left by the garage door and wiped the rain off of the dog’s coat before she ruined the sexy dress Macy wore. She had on high-heel boots, and her hair was done up in that haphazard way that made her look like the sexy librarian.
Though, they’d never had a librarian in Tranquil Waters that ever looked like that.
“I missed you,” she said. There was something in her expression that he couldn’t quite understand.
“And I missed you. I’m surprised you’re here.”
“Where else would I be?” She smiled but it didn’t quite meet her eyes.
Hell. She was going to take the job.
She held up a hand. “I haven’t made a decision yet,” she said as if she could read his thoughts. “In fact, I don’t want to think about anything right now. The flight into Austin was one of the bumpiest I’ve ever been on, and I’ve flown on a lot of planes. Then the traffic this time of day getting out of Austin through the rain was enough to turn me into one of those road-rage maniacs. I could never understand how people got so angry in the car, but I do now.
“All I want is a hot bath and a glass of wine, and I want you to join me.”
His body was instantly at attention. Who was he to question if she needed some time?
“Red or white?” he asked. He had a bottle of champagne in the fridge, which he planned to surprise her with if she took the job. But now wasn’t the right moment.
“You pick. And do we have any chocolate? I really, really, really need chocolate.”
He laughed. “You go start the bath. I’ll bring in the treats.”
“Deal,” she said. “Come on, Harley, have a seat on the couch. Bad Dog! is just starting.”
“Make sure it’s not one of the animal rescue episodes. It upsets her when she sees other animals in pain,” he said. He’d made that mistake the night before and ended up sleeping next to her on the floor. It was the only way she’d calm down.
“I should have told you about that. In my rush, I must have forgotten.”
As he opened the cabernet sauvignon, he tried not to think about Macy. But he knew the truth.
Finding the box of chocolate truffles he’d bought for her to celebrate, he placed them and the wine on a serving tray he found next to her fridge.
As he passed Harley on her couch she glanced up at him. “Tell you what? You stay there for the next hour or so and behave, and I’ll give you two more of these.” He put a dog cookie down in front of her. Harley cocked her head and he swore she winked at him. Then she settled back on her sofa to watch her favorite channel.
Balancing the wine, glasses and chocolates again, he found Macy already to her neck in bubbles.
He placed the drinks and plate on the small round table next to the tub and poured the wine.
Handing her the filled glass, he smiled when she moaned with the first sip. His cock twitched, as well. Indeed, one small moan and he was hard.
“Are you sure you want to share the bath, you look pretty comfortable.”
She reached out and tugged on his jeans. “Hey, these are already wet.”
“I suppose you may not have noticed, but it’s raining outside, and wrestling with your dog to get her into the truck was no easy feat. I am grateful that the thunder had stopped by the time we got home. I had to tell her a story on the way as she tried to hide from the noise.
“What kind of story?” She pointed to his shirt as if to say, “Hurry up and strip,” so he did.
Her eyes followed him appreciatively as he slid into the tub across from her. Even with his size, he could stretch out his sore legs. His body warned there’d be a steep price to pay for lifting all those bales of hay.
“Mom watched her while I was out in the barn. When I came back, she was reading a romance novel to her. Harley hung on her every word. I swear she understood her.”
Macy popped a chocolate in her mouth, and then she shook her head. “I’m not surprised. She’s so smart. Sometimes I forget that she’s a dog. I talk to her like I would any friend.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I do the same thing. But don’t tell anyone I said that.”
She watched him for a moment from under her lashes. “Tell me about your day,” she said before having a large sip of wine.
As he shared the minute details, she shifted around so that she rested against his chest. His legs stretched out along hers, his hard cock pressing into her back. He put his arms around her and drew in her scent.
She was his.
No matter what she told him, he had to find a way to stay in her life. Compromise wasn’t one of his strong suits, but he could learn if it meant being closer to her.
“Weren’t you afraid of hurting your leg?” she asked.
“Huh.” Then he remembered what he’d been telling her about loading hay into the barn. “No. It’s good to work out once in a while and push harder than I normally
do. Helps build up strength.” At least that was what his PT had told him a few months ago.
“So you’re feeling okay?” As she asked she turned to face him. She was on her knees, the bubbles creating a pretty swirling design across her breasts.
“Right now, I feel great,” he said as he reached out and rubbed his thumb across one of her taut nipples. It hardened even more at his touch.
“I need you,” she whispered.
Not nearly as much as he needed her. Leaning down, he teased her sensitive skin with his tongue.
She hissed in a breath.
“I’ve wanted you since I heard your voice on the phone this morning,” he said and raised his head to kiss her. As his tongue played with hers, his fingers found her sex. He stroked her until she arched back and cried out.
“Yes,” she moaned. “Yes.”
Then she gently moved on top of him.
He shifted forward so she could wrap her legs around him. She gripped his shoulders as she rode him, his arms strained to keep them as one.
Their bodies rose and fell, and the water sloshed around them. The overwhelming sensations as he filled her had him gritting his teeth for control.
“Please, Blake. Don’t hold back. I want to feel all of you.”
He smiled and upped their rhythm. He savored every word, every sound that came from Macy’s lips.
Throwing her head back, her face radiant, her body began to quiver. Her muscles tightened around him as the orgasm rocked her, and he could hold on no longer.
“Mine,” he whispered fiercely as he climaxed.
“Yes,” she said. Her lips on his.
When he tilted her forward, so he could see her eyes, a tear streamed down her cheek.
“What is it baby? What’s wrong?”
Chewing on her lip, she shook her head.
“You took the job.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Not yet. I— We need to— What we have is so intense. I don’t think I can live without it. We said that this was a fling. That we weren’t serious.”
“We ran past serious the first night we made love,” he said as he moved a damp curl from her eyes.
Her Last Best Fling Page 13