Southern Girl Series Bundle: Bohemian Girl, Neighbor Girl, Intern Girl

by Georgia Cates

  He wipes my bottom lip with his thumb and grabs my hands, helping me stand. He leans down until we’re almost eye to eye, and he holds my chin between his thumb and index finger. “I can’t tell you how incredible that was. You exceeded every expectation that I had.”

  I love hearing his praise because I want to please him. And not just this weekend.

  “I didn’t know that it was going to be like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “So good that I wouldn’t want this to end.”

  This as in sex? Or this as in us? I don’t know.

  He applies a condom while I remove my dress and panties. When I’m bare, I sit on the bed and scoot to the center.

  He crawls over me and we’re face-to-face when he nestles his body between my legs. I grab the back of his neck and pull his mouth to mine. “I don’t want this to end either.”

  This kiss is different. Soft. Slow. Sweet.

  Our mouths are still touching and I feel the movement of his lips against mine. “I want to make love to you this time.”

  I nod. “Yes, I want that too.”

  He enters me slowly and gently, stilling when he’s all the way inside. He presses a soft kiss against my lips and then watches my eyes when he pulls back and thrusts again.

  His hand finds mine and he brings the two of them above my head where our fingers weave together tightly to form a clasp. Our fingers aren’t the only things that feel like they’re being woven together. Our souls feel as though they’re meeting for the first time, and something that I can’t give a name to is happening.

  He groans and squeezes my hand when he thrusts one last time. My legs wrap around his waist with my ankles crossed behind his back, pulling him as close as possible. And it feels so natural.

  He lies motionlessly for a moment and then pulls out and removes the condom, tossing it into the trashcan that we relocated beside the bed. “I’m sorry. I know those things are mood killers.”

  “It’s fine.”

  I scoot closer and he pulls me against his chest. He rubs his hand up and down my arm and pulls the covers over us. “You’re cold, baby. Get under here with me.”

  He kisses the top of my head and holds me tightly, saying nothing.

  And I say nothing. Instead, I think about what just happened.

  That wasn’t simply sex. We connected on a deeper level.

  My mind is racing with a million thoughts as I try to make sense of what just occurred. And try to predict what will happen Monday morning when he leaves.

  We lie in each other’s arms, saying nothing. And that’s how we fall asleep.

  15

  Lucas Broussard

  It’s our last day together, at least during this visit. I say those words in my head as though there’ll be more in the future. But what if there aren’t? What if this weekend is it for us?

  Please don’t let this be the end. The thought goes through my head, and I’m not sure who it is that I’m asking. God? Myself? Lawrence?

  I want to talk about this. I need to tell her how I feel.

  Snuggling against her naked body, I wrap my arms around her from behind. “Are you awake?”

  She squirms against me and stiffens, arching her back. And moans. So damn sexy. “Mmm… I am now.”

  My dick twitches but I ignore him. Now isn’t the time for that. “There’s something I’d like to talk about before we get up.”

  She stops rubbing her eyes and looks at me over her shoulder. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing’s wrong.”

  Fuck, I’m nervous all of a sudden. “I don’t want to go back to Birmingham without having a discussion about what this is and where it’s going. And tomorrow morning when I’m on my way out the door isn’t the time to bring this up.”

  “I’m actually really glad that you’re bringing it up now instead of tomorrow morning.”

  I have feelings for this girl. Very real ones. And they scare the hell out of me because I’m not sure where her head is. I could blow this thing with her by being too aggressive, but I can’t not tell her how I’m feeling. “I don’t want to walk out of here in the morning and never have another moment like this with you.”

  She pulls away and turns over so we’re facing each other. “Tell me about the other women in your life.”

  I’d bet money that Oliver has been in her ear about me.

  “I committed myself to Bridgette and I was loyal to her until she released me from that commitment. Since that time, I’ve been with a lot of women, but I never promised them anything more than sex.”

  “How many women are you currently fucking?”

  “You’re the only one.”

  “You didn’t fuck anyone after we met a month ago?”

  “No.” I reach out and tap my finger against the tip of her nose. “And I haven’t been out on a date with anyone.” We can’t say the same for you, boho girl.

  “How long has it been since you slept with another woman?”

  “About two months.”

  “I’m here in Savannah, you’re back in Birmingham. It’s a month down the road. What does that look like to you?”

  “I’ve fucked around because it’s what I wanted, not because I have a problem being monogamous. I’m actually very good at monogamy. If you want to be the only woman in my life, then you will be, but I would expect the same loyalty. No more granola guy or anyone else.”

  “Monogamy wouldn’t be a problem for me.”

  I’m having a very balls-to-the-wall moment right now. And I feel a little panicked about it.

  Am I really doing this—having a conversation with Lawrence about making a commitment to each other when we’re separated by four hundred miles?

  Fuck yeah, I am. “How often would we be able see each other?”

  “Every other weekend? Maybe alternating who drives?”

  Every two weeks? I don’t want to go that long without seeing her. “We could do that and then maybe meet halfway sometimes so we don’t have to wait so long?”

  “I think we could do that sometimes.”

  I’m breaking bro code by ratting out Oliver, but I can’t go into a relationship with Lawrence without being honest about the texting thing. It could be disastrous down the road if she found out that I was the one texting her as Oliver for a whole month.

  “I have something to tell you. I’m not sure how you’re going to take it, but I want to come into this relationship with complete honesty.”

  Lines form between her brows. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “Oliver got into a tiny bit of trouble with the law. A DUI. He worried that it might reflect poorly on the brewery if he was prosecuted. Per his attorney’s advice, he voluntarily entered an intense substance-abuse clinic for a month to sway the judge to drop the charges. It was total overkill but he did it for Iron City.”

  “I appreciate your honesty but that’s really something that my brother should be telling me.”

  I wish the story stopped there. “That’s not the end of it. He didn’t want you to know that he was in rehab, and because personal cell phones aren’t allowed into the facility, I agreed to take his phone during his stay and correspond with you. It was me you were texting with.”

  Lawrence sits up, taking the sheet with her, and tucks it beneath her arms. “When was this?”

  The shit is about to get chest deep. “I had been doing it for about two weeks when you came to Birmingham.”

  Her mouth opens but it’s a moment before anything comes out. “Well, you sucked at your job, buddy. Bad.”

  I did a horrible job and I know it. “In my defense, I was busy with preparations for the festival, and I didn’t have time to come up with responses to your texts. The truth is that you annoyed the hell out of me during those two weeks. But then you came to Birmingham and I was fucking blown away. You bewitched me.”

  She goes silent for a moment and I’m certain that’s she’s putting the pieces of the puzzle together.<
br />
  “The two weeks after I left, the time when you say that you were bewitched by me, you texted me pretending to be my brother but you never texted me as yourself?”

  She’ll never know how badly I wanted to. “I had a warning from Oliver to stay away from you. And I tried. I tried like hell, but fuck me, I couldn’t do it anymore. So I came for you. I had to find out if there’s anything between us. And I believe there is. I think we could be really good together.”

  She brings her fingers to her temples and rubs in a circular motion. “I need a minute to digest this.”

  I need to do some damage control. “Listen to me, Lawrence. I didn’t know you when I agreed to do it. You were a faceless name. I was already committed to doing this for Oliver when we met.”

  She shakes her head. “I feel stupid when I think back on the texts I sent to my brother about you. You knew that I liked you. Shit, I even texted that I wanted you to kiss me.”

  I reach out and take her hand in mine. “Those texts thrilled me beyond anything you can imagine. That’s why I came back that night and kissed you. I felt the same way you did, but I let Oliver and his warnings get into my head.”

  “A month of lies. What else have you lied about?”

  Okay. That’s fair. “No other lies. I swear.”

  “Oliver doesn’t know that you’re telling me about this?”

  “No, and I ask that you don’t tell him, no matter how mad you are at him or me. As much as I hate deceit, I don’t want to be at odds with him about this or us. At least not right now while this is all so new between us.”

  We need time to work on us without his interference.

  She looks at me with those beautiful blue eyes, and I think I see forgiveness and understanding in her expression. Her eyebrows rise, and a small smile graces her lips. “You could have kept this from me. It’s unlikely that I would have ever found out.”

  “I couldn’t risk it causing trouble between us months or years from now.”

  She smiles. “Months or years from now?”

  Yeah, I guess I did just say that. “Maybe.”

  She pushes me onto my back and climbs on top. Leaning down, she sucks my earlobe into her mouth and gently bites it. “Just for that, you’re about to get the best morning sex of your life.”

  I’m scared as hell to want this woman. But here I am, wanting every part of her in spite of all the reasons that I should stay away.

  Lawrence looks so damn hot in her swimsuit. It’s a good thing I’m wearing dark shades because I don’t know how the fuck I’m supposed to keep my eyes off her.

  I’ve hopped from one deception to another and I hate it. I wish Oliver could be open-minded about his sister and me, but he isn’t there. Lawrence and I both agree that it’s better to keep our relationship on the down-low for now. No need to stir a stink in case things don’t work out for us. But I’m really hoping that they do. I plan on giving this relationship my all. That’s how much I like this bohemian girl.

  Oliver elbows me as we follow Lawrence and Kelsey to the beach. “Look at that ass on Kelsey. I’d love to sink my teeth into it.”

  Lawrence stops and turns, giving Oliver the evil eye. “Settle down, Captain Horndog. She could hear you.”

  “She’s not going to hear me.”

  “I did, you big dummy.”

  We find a great spot on the beach and the girls see to the music while Oliver and I set up our stuff.

  “Not very crowded today,” he says.

  “It’s late in the summer for vacationers. I’m already seeing a decline in tourists coming into the shop.”

  I hadn’t considered Lawrence’s boutique being seasonal because of vacationers, but that makes sense. I wonder if that means we’ll see each other less during her busy season.

  Lawrence peers at me over her sunglasses. “Maybe I can make some more trips to Birmingham since things are slowing down.”

  “You should, sis. You’ve never gotten to see much of the city.”

  “I enjoy Tybee more when it’s not crowded.” Kelsey flips open the top on the cooler. “Still hot as hell though. Who wants a beer?”

  “Me,” we say in a trio.

  Kelsey reaches into the cooler and blindly distributes.

  “Here, boho girl. You take my Pale Hazel since it’s your favorite. I’ll take your India Pale.”

  “Thank you, Lucas. That’s sweet.”

  Oliver sits up and watches us make the swap. “Well, that was just fucking beautiful. I think the two of you could bring about world peace.”

  “I’m being a gentleman.”

  “Dude, you pretend to be a gentleman when you’re after a piece of ass, and you ain’t gettin’ none from either of these girls.”

  I turn my head, hoping that he doesn’t see the smile that I’m trying so damn hard to suppress.

  “I’m getting tired of you talking shit about my personal life. I haven’t fucked around in a while.”

  “Why not? Did you finally catch something?” Oliver chuckles.

  I’m pretty sure that I’ve caught a bad case of infatuation. “I’m in a relationship.”

  Oliver leans forward and looks at me. “You? The guy who can’t swing his dick around in a room without hitting a woman that he’s already fucked is in a committed relationship?”

  I hold up my hand, leaving only my middle finger for Oliver to see. “Fuck you.”

  “Who is she?”

  “We’re keeping that to ourselves until we decide to go public.”

  Kelsey sighs. “A secret love affair. That’s hot.”

  Lawrence is wearing her sunglasses so I can’t see her eyes. I wish I could though. “That sounds very romantic, Lucas. She’s a lucky girl.”

  Oliver chuckles. “Lucas Broussard settling down? I’ll believe it after I see it.”

  “Well, get ready to see it, motherfucker.” It’s happening.

  16

  Lawrence Thorn

  Kelsey leans back, dipping her hair into the water. “I was going to ask you what you thought about me making a play for Lucas, but I guess that’s a no-go since the good-looking Cajun is already in love.”

  Did we hear the same conversation? “I’m not sure he said he was in love.”

  “Sure as hell sounded like it to me.”

  I look at him sitting in his lounger on the beach. “He is very good-looking, isn’t he?”

  “Hell yeah, he is. His accent alone is enough to put me on my back.”

  She can forget getting on her back for him. He’s mine.

  “I know the woman he’s talking about.”

  “What a lucky bitch.”

  “Yes. I am.”

  Kelsey strikes her hand against the top of the water, sending saltwater into my mouth and eyes. “I will slap the bitch right out of you if you’re jerking me around.”

  “We met when I went to Birmingham for the sneak attack on Ollie.”

  She splashes me again. “That was over a month ago. Why am I just now hearing about this, you little cock gobbler?”

  “There was nothing to tell. We tried to hook up but there was one cockblock after another. I ended up leaving without anything happening between us.”

  “He came to Savannah for you.”

  “Yes, but Oliver doesn’t know. And you can’t tell him.”

  “Are you in love with him?”

  “I’m in lust with him.”

  I watch as two women in bikinis walk in front of him and Oliver, obviously trying to catch their attention. And they capture Oliver’s, but not Lucas’s.

  “I like him. I like him a lot.” My heart races as I hear myself admit that to someone beside myself.

  It feels like the protective wall that I’ve built around my heart is crumbling. It’s scary as hell but at the same time, I like the way it feels.

  “You’re making yourself vulnerable to him. I’ve never seen you do that with a man.”

  “I can’t explain what it is about him, but he makes my heart feel saf
e.” Maybe it’s because he’s Ollie’s friend, and there’s an assumption on my part that he won’t hurt me for fear of my brother killing him.

  “I have to know how jealous I should be of you right now. What does he rate on the scale of fuckability.”

  “You should be highly jealous.”

  “Tell me what I’m missing out on.”

  “Are you sure? Green’s not really your color.”

  “I have sexpectations about his sexy Cajun ass. I want to know if I’m right.”

  “Every day is TGI Fuckday.”

  “You bitch.”

  I shrug. “You asked.”

  “Now I’m depressed. I need some good D.”

  “What about David?”

  “I fucked him Friday night and I now have a severe case of pecker shock that I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “I told him that I wanted to feel him inside of me.” Kelsey slides her glasses down her nose and looks over them at me. “He was already inside me.”

  “Nooo!”

  “Yesss.”

  She pushes her glasses up her nose and shakes her head. “I had to go home and use my vibrator.”

  “Poor David.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Tell me something else about you and Lucas.”

  “We live so far apart. I don’t know how that’s going to work out.”

  “All you can do is try it and see.”

  Lucas gets up and walks into the water toward us. “I’m giving it one hundred percent.”

  “I’ll go flirt with Oliver and keep him occupied so he doesn’t have time to notice you with your Cajun lover.”

  “Push your boobs up. Ollie won’t even look our way if he’s staring at those puppies.”

  Kelsey says something to Lucas on her way out of the water, but I’m unable to make out what it is. His grin is huge so there’s no telling what she said.

  “Kelsey is going to keep Ollie busy so he doesn’t pay attention to us.”

  “Even so, I still can’t touch you the way I’d like to. You can’t possibly know how hard it is to be with you today, especially while you’re wearing that bikini, and keep my hands to myself.”