“Oh, you big baby. Did you miss me?” Annie laughed as she brushed her fingertips over his stubbled face; her deep brown eyes making him melt all over again.
“You have no idea.”
“I missed you, too. Now shut up and kiss me again.” They kept their lips pressed together as he carried her, legs dangling in the air, toward the cabin. He lowered her to the floor inside the door and drew her tightly to him, her cheek pressed against his chest.
“Mm, so glad you’re back.” He kissed her once more and then said, “Okay, so tell me—how’s Kate?”
Annie took his hands in hers and led him to the new sectional, which had replaced the hideous brown plaid couch. Slowly but surely, she was pulling this place into the twenty-first century and making it a real home. They sat facing one another on the sofa and held hands as she recounted her weekend in West Virginia.
“Kate’s great—better than ever. She’s like a new person. You never knew the old Kate; all you saw was the stressed-out, cynical, basically unhappy Kate. Next time, you’re going with me. It’s a cute little town and her grandmother’s house is coming along beautifully.”
“And the mountain man—did you meet him?”
“Oh, yeah, I met the mountain man. Very hot.”
“Excuse me?” Kip feigned jealously and sat back against the sofa cushions.
“Don’t worry, he’s not my type, but for Kate he’s perfect. Very earthy, laid back, but fun. I think he’s been a good influence on her.”
“And Emberly? How’s married life treating her?”
“She’s deliriously happy, of course. Those two are ridiculous. I don’t think an hour went by when they weren’t calling or texting each other. She always says Nico can’t live without her, but I’m thinking it’s the other way around.”
“Sounds like us—minus the constant texting.” Kip lifted her hands to his and planted several kisses across her knuckles. “I sure couldn’t live without you.”
“Luckily, you don’t have to.” Annie cupped his cheeks in her hands and gave him a quick kiss. “So what have you been doing all weekend?”
“Good segue because I have something to show you. Let’s grab a beer and walk down to the dock.”
While Annie changed into jeans and sneakers, Kip grabbed two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, pulled on a lightweight jacket, and patted one of his pockets. They walked hand-in-hand across the grass as the sun began its slow descent to the horizon, leaving an orange beam reflecting off the water.
“What’s this?” Anne let go of Kip’s hand and jogged the rest of the way to the pier, stopping by the gleaming white boat tied to the pilings. “You bought a boat while I was gone?”
Kip came up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Yep. You know I’ve been looking. Virgil called Friday morning and said he had a boat for sale. As soon as I looked at it, I knew it was the one. Check out the name.”
Anne took a few steps backward and leaned down to read What’s in a Name? painted across the stern.
“It was an omen, don’t you think?”
She turned, laughing, and wrapped an arm around Kip’s waist. “Of course you couldn’t pass this up. The name is too perfect.”
“That’s what I thought. The best part of the deal is that it was about to be repossessed by the bank and the guy accepted my ridiculously low offer. He bought it new and only had it for six months. It needs absolutely nothing.”
“That’s awesome.” Annie held out her bottle and tinged it against Kip’s.
“Except a new name,” he said.
Annie rotated her attention back to the boat and tilted her head to the side, examining the name painted in big black letters. “Do you think?”
“Yeah, since it’s ours we need to give it a new name—one we’ve thought up. You know how a lot of boats are named after the captain’s woman?” Kip tucked himself behind her, setting his beer bottle on top of the wooden piling, and gathered her in his arms.
“You want to name it Annie?” she asked.
“I was thinking we should call it Mrs. Porter.” Kip held his breath while he waited for Annie’s reaction. He’d been planning that line all day and couldn’t wait to see the look of surprise on her face.
“That’s sweet. You want to name it after your mom?”
Kip dropped his arms from around her and took a step back, shaking his head as he stifled a laugh. How could she have missed his hint? He decided he would have to spell it out for her, so he dropped to one knee.
“I thought when you said ‘the captain’s woman’ you meant me, but naming it after your mom is a nice gesture, too.” Annie was standing with one hand on her hip and the beer in the other, oblivious to Kip kneeling behind her. He reached up and took the bottle from her hand.
“Annie, please turn around.”
She glanced over her shoulder and then looked down at the dock. “Did you drop something?”
“Damn it, Annie, just turn around, please. You know I have a bad knee.”
She finally turned around and Kip gathered her left hand in his. What he was about to ask finally seemed to hit her because she released a tiny squeak as her eyes brimmed with tears.
“I’m not naming the boat after my mother. I want to name it after the woman who changed my life, who gives me more happiness than I could’ve ever imagined, who I want to spend the rest of my days with. Annie…” Kip kissed her quivering hand. “Will you marry me?”
Annie nodded her head as a barrage of tears streamed down her face. She choked out her response—“Kip! Yes, I’ll marry you”—as Kip reached into his pocket and opened the velvet box. His hands were shaking as much as hers and he feared he’d drop the ring before it made it onto her finger. He looked up at his future wife and couldn’t hold back the huge grin from spreading across his face.
“I love you, Annie,” he said, slipping the gleaming diamond on her left hand.
“It’s beautiful,” she muttered and then pulled him to his feet, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with all her might. “I love you, Kip.”
“I love you, too, babe.” He lifted her off the dock and smothered her lips with his, savoring this incredible moment—something he never would have imagined less than a year ago. “So, what do you think?” He gave her a wry grin and nuzzled his lips against her neck.
“I think I couldn’t be happier.” Annie palmed the back of his head and brushed her lips beside his ear, whispering, “Mrs. Porter is exactly what we should call the boat…and me.”
Read on for special preview from the next contemporary romance by Leigh Fleming, Whatever You Say, coming soon!
“Pretzels, yes.” Kate grabbed a bag of fat Bavarian pretzels out of the pantry and handed them to Brody, who was hovering behind her. “Food of the gods.” She pushed a few cans aside and picked up a jar of peanut butter. “Now we’re talking.”
“I thought you wanted chocolate.” Brody set the peanut butter on the counter and walked to the opposite side of the kitchen, where he picked up a plastic cake plate.
“Haven’t you heard of sweet and salty? Best combination when you have the munchies.” Her fuzzy, drug-induced head was clear, but it was still a good excuse for indulging in forbidden junk food. She closed the pantry door and turned around to find Brody setting the cake plate on the kitchen table. “What’s that?” She carried the pretzels and peanut butter to the table and plopped down in a wooden chair.
“I have just the thing for your chocolate craving.” He removed the plastic lid with a flourish and presented her with an expertly frosted dark chocolate cake topped with chocolate curls and finely chopped nuts. Kate’s mouth began to water.
“Where did you get that?”
“I have an admirer at the post office.” Brody crossed the kitchen, pulled two plates out of the cabinet, and retrieved two forks out of a drawer. “At least once a month I’m guaranteed a cake or a pie from the lady who runs the counter.”
“The talkative lady? The one
who gives out fashion advice?”
“The very same.” On his way back to the table, Brody grabbed a half-gallon of milk out the refrigerator and tucked it under his arm. He pinched two glasses between his thumb and fingers and placed everything on the table. “I thought about giving up my post office box, just get my mail delivered out here, but it’s worth the trip.”
“So, you’ve got a not-so-secret admirer.”
“Jealous?” Brody carried two napkins to the table and laid them at each place as he sat in an adjacent chair.
“Terribly.” Kate spread the napkin across her lap. “You’re pretty good at that. Ever wait tables?” Kate ripped open the bag of pretzels and unscrewed the lid on the peanut butter jar.
“Plenty of them. I worked at a barbecue place in Nashville for a couple years during the day and played music at night.” Brody jumped up and crossed the room again. “We need some knives.” When he returned, he plunged one knife in the peanut butter and sliced the cake with the other. “As soon as I started making enough money to pay my bills, I gave up the serving job. We’ve talked about me enough. What about you?”
“The jobs I’ve had? Other than law?” Kate took a big bite of cake and dropped her fork on the table as if she’d been stung. “Oh, my God,” she mumbled through her stuffed mouth. Brody started laughing and sprayed a fine milky mist on the table. Holding a napkin to his mouth, he swallowed and laughed out loud.
“You should’ve seen your face.”
“Whaa—?” Kate said, her mouth too full and sticky to complete the word. She’d taken too big a bite and was having difficulty swallowing, but at the same time she was savoring every rich, decadent, chocolaty morsel.
“Do you always roll your eyes like that?” he asked.
“Like what?” Kate took one last swallow and finally emptied her mouth, able to speak clearly again.
“Like that. Like you’re in ecstasy.”
“I was in ecstasy. This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten.” This time, Kate made sure to take a smaller bite of the cake, but noticed Brody wasn’t eating. He was still watching her with a half smile on his face. “Why aren’t you eating?”
“I like watching you.” He shoved his plate and glass aside and propped his elbows on the table, easing closer to her. Kate slowed down, feeling self-conscious. His eyes were hooded, glassy, his expression soft, contemplative.
“You’re making me uncomfortable.” Using the side of her fork as a knife, she cut off a bite of her cake and extended it to Brody, feeding it to him without protest.
“Mm.” He ate it slowly, sensuously, and Kate became mesmerized by the movement of his mouth, his chiseled jaw. She took another bite and tried to move her lips in sync with his.
“Delicious, right?”
“Delicious,” he said in that silky, seductive tone Kate had come to know so well—the one that never failed to send her heart pounding. With his eyes locked on hers, he slid the fork inside his mouth, depositing another chocolaty piece. Now it was her turn to watch him eat. His lips were soft, full, kissable. They moved fluidly, pressed together, in a circular motion, sucking her in like a slow-moving whirlpool. Her eyes traveled to his jaw, tightening, releasing, with each bite.
“…better than sex,” he murmured.
“What?”
“Were you listening?”
“Um, yeah, I was listening.”
“She called it ‘better than sex cake’.” Brody chuckled and raised his eyebrows at her. “What do you think of that?” He swiped his finger across the top of the cake and plunged a dollop of icing in her mouth. Kate let the gooey confection melt off his finger onto her tongue, savoring the sensuous feelings coursing through her body.
“Hm. I don’t know…” Returning the gesture, she offered him a fingertip full of icing and rather than take it in his mouth, he slowly licked it from her finger. Damn, he wasn’t playing fair. Kate wasn’t sure how much longer she could sit here without touching him, kissing him. “What do you think?”
“I think.” This time, Brody took a swath of chocolate and dotted it on her lips, then proceeded to tenderly lick and kiss it from her mouth. “You need to tell me.” He whispered against her lips.
“Well.” Kate cleared her throat, feeling the need to pull off her sweater, she’d grown so warm. Scooting her chair back from the table to put a little distance between them, she tossed her cardigan on the chair beside her. Brody wasn’t hiding the fact that he wanted more than just cake and now that the moment had arrived, her heart was pounding and her stomach twisted in knots. She picked up her plate and carried it to the sink. “This cake is incredible. It just might be better than sex.”
In only a few long strides, Brody was across the room and scooping Kate in his arms, folding her over his shoulder. “You want to bet?”
“Brody.” Kate giggled uncontrollably. “What are you doing?” She uselessly pounded on his back, feigning outrage while her head hung upside down. “Put me down.”
“Nope.” He bound up the staircase as easily as if he’d been empty-handed, and entered his bedroom. “There’s only one way to find out.” He tapped the door shut with his foot.
Thank you for reading Whatever You Call Me. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other readers find this book:
•Write a review on the site where you purchased the book.
•Keep up with news of upcoming releases by signing up for my newsletter at www.leighfleming.com.
•Like my Facebook page.
•Follow me on Twitter.
After several years of saying she would write a book someday, Leigh Fleming finally fulfilled her ultimate bucket list item by publishing a novel. In 2013, she completed her first work, Precious Words, a suspenseful romance set in the glittering world of men’s professional tennis, taking the reader on a whirlwind trip full of love and danger.
Leigh continues to hone her craft and learn what it takes to create a page-turning story. Whatever You Call Me is the second novel in a five-book series. Whatever You Say will be released in 2017. She is also working on a women’s fiction book and an historical novel based on real family events.
Leigh lives with her husband, Patrick, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and is mom to adult children, Tom and Liza, and her two dogs, Lula Belle and Napoleon.
www.leighfleming.com
Contact: [email protected]
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
Excerpt from Whatever You Say
About the Author
Whatever You Call Me Page 23