A good-sized crowd had gathered to razz me—mostly high school kids that included plenty of the football players. Buddy stood six-four and was a linebacker, but any second now he’d prove whether he was all bark or if there was bite in his pitch.
Splash!
Son of a bitch! Kid had an arm as well as legs. I found the floor of the tank with my feet and stood so the water was only chest high. I’d remember Buddy when it was time for baseball tryouts. I climbed out of the water and back onto my seat.
“Ha! I bet your girl was impressed by that, Coach!” The jeer came from one of the faceless voices in the crowd. I peered into the mob as the next person in line—a girl in shorts and a softball jersey—stepped up to the red tape and was handed three softballs.
“That shows what you know!” It was foolish to let the kids rib me into jeering back. “I’d first need a girl for her to be impressed, wouldn’t I?” A round of snickers made its way through the group of boys. Their attention was no longer on the tank where I perched precariously, but was turned toward the center of town. Unease niggled its way across my shoulders. The girl’s first ball went wide, which was good since I wasn’t paying attention.
Blake appeared at the side of the booth and propped his forearms against the chest-high Plexiglas wall. “Dude, you’ll never guess who I just saw in the square.” The apprehension of a moment ago shot down my spine and grabbed me by the balls. The girl’s next pitch landed square on the target and I dropped into the icy pool. Sputtering, I surfaced to find Blake doubled over with laughter.
I climbed up and out. “Who’d you see?” I narrowed my eyes even as my pulse kicked up for no good reason. Dixie was on the other side of the country. And happy. Without me. Please say Beth. “Did you see Beth?”
A couple of the boys broke away from the pack and wandered closer. Great! Now I had an audience.
“Well, sure. Beth was there. Giving Dixie a boost up the water tower. Your girl was looking determined, too, and pretty hot in that little blue dress she had on. Don’t they teach girls all the way back in kindergarten not to climb in skirts?” He blew a cocky whistle. “Victoria’s not the only one without any secrets.” Dixie was here? And climbing the water tower? My head spun.
My teeth chattered so furiously, I could barely think. “She’s on duty. Why were you looking at her panties?”
Blake rolled his eyes, the fucker. I was only trying to understand what he was babbling about. “Aren’t you paying attention? Beth’s in her uniform. About as sexy as scales. I’m talking about Dixie! Going hand over fist up that rail like she had something to prove.”
Like she had something to prove—
“Come on, Coach. Way I hear it, that lady’s got your heart.” Davis put his palm to his chest and gave it a pat. “You know, that glob that’s taking up the empty space between your backbone and your breastbone.”
And it was the only thing strong enough to get me through this.
My truck was parked nearby, but the roads were blocked and it would be quicker to hoof it. I thumped the kid on the shoulder as I passed and took off at a dead run.
The sight I found when I reached the other side of the town square had me doubled over in laughter. There was my Dixie, sitting with her legs swinging over the side of the water tower platform, a giant heart and our initials spray painted onto the barrel. Gone were the high heels and the corporate suits, switched out for cowboy boots and a dress I remembered from years past. She’d been out to her dad’s place again.
I grinned. “Hey, princess. Looks like you’re making a statement.”
She cast a quick glance at her artwork behind her. “Might be. What do you think?”
I nodded. “I think I like your style.”
“Yeah?”
“Sure. All depends, though.”
She tilted her head. “Deke, I just got here. Are you already making demands?”
“Nah, princess. Only one thing I want from you.”
Just then, Gus came rattling up in his ancient golf cart, with Beth in the passenger seat, and an extension ladder strapped to the roof. She waved up at Dixie, who still swung her legs and leaned against the railing as if she hadn’t a care in the world. “We’re back, Dixie! Hold on! We’ll get you down!”
Dixie waved back at her. “Great! Thanks, Beth. Oh, hey, Gus! Thanks for coming so fast. I sure didn’t remember this was up so high.”
“Yep. Be right with ya, Miss Dixie!” Ol’ Gus hollered up at her, then proceeded to stretch his aluminum ladder as far as it would go up alongside the iron railing welded into the frame of the water tank.
All the yelling had attracted a crowd. I wanted to fall to the ground and enjoy the show, because no matter where I was with Dixie, I would always be entertained. But I hauled my ass over to the base of the tower and started to climb. Nobody was bringing my girl down but me.
The onlookers below all offered a good amount of encouragement. I called up over their shouts. “Hey, princess, story is, you’re giving peep shows. Everyone wants to know what color panties you’re wearing.” With a squeak, she lowered to her butt and then wiggled through the railing to the ladder down. “I didn’t intend to be here long enough to draw a crowd, Deke. I only wanted to paint the tank and then I’d be gone.” Her feet searched for the rails one at a time and she descended a few feet. From the ladder at the side of her, I spotted her with an arm around her waist. At last we reached the grass.
Beth rushed her and wrapped her in a hug. “Never again, Dixie! I’m never helping you again. From now on, you only do sensible things.”
A cold, wet nose nuzzled my hand and Boone flopped in the grass beside me. Shane and Cody appeared a moment later, holding the other end of his lead. Ruby came barreling across the lawn from the diner across the street. She waved a paper in the air. She came up short when she reached our group, and thrust the sheet in my chest. “Deke, the results are in. Take a look!”
I read the paper top to bottom, then scanned it again. “Well, what does it say?” Shane grabbed it from me to look himself. I found Dixie and brought her under my arms to hold her. This was how we belonged when big news happened. Together.
Shane looked up, a genuine grin on his face. “You did it Mr. Mayor; congratulations! It was close, though. Looks like there was a late ballot that put you over the top.”
Dixie peeked up at me from under my chin. “Oh, that was probably mine.”
My heart sank. The results were tainted if all the votes weren’t authentic.
“Sweetheart, I appreciate you wanting to help, but only citizens of Moreover can vote in a local election.”
“And right you are. It seems that piece of property I own makes me an honorary citizen of Moreover. So, I hope you were serious about being the mayor, because it looks like you’re it.”
I endured a round of backslaps and handshakes from those who were still hanging around to catch any more excitement. But Gus had already left with his collapsible ladder, and everyone with children was busy dealing with their impatience. I caught Dixie by the hand and dragged her to a secluded part of the park, underneath the limbs of a shady oak. It had been far too long since I kissed her. I pulled her close and traced my nose up the smooth skin of her cheek, then followed the movement with my lips. Her head tilted to the side and I found the cord at the base of her throat. The little moan she made in her throat shot straight to my heart. “Hey, princess, about that earlier demand.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and clung. “I just gave up my home and my job to move back here, Deke.”
“That’s all I want, princess.”
“I’ll still manage some of my clients long distance. And I may need to fly out to California from time to time.”
“I don’t care. As long as you always come back to me.”
“I told your sister I’d run the bookstore for her.”
My grin overtook my face. “You love Moreover.”
“I do. And I love you.” Dixie’s smile was timid, as if
she was still getting used to the idea.
I took a moment to savor the taste of her mouth again. “I love you, Dixie. You’re mine.”
She nodded. “I wanted a grand gesture so you knew I was here to stay.” From over her shoulder I could still make out the crowd hovered at the base of the water tower, peering up to where Dixie had spray painted our names.
I chuckled. Dixie would be as good for Moreover as it would be for her. “I think the whole damn town gets the idea. That’s a pretty big heart you painted on the tower.”
“I wanted to show you that you own my heart.” She moved my hand until it lay flush on her chest. “I love you, Deke. I’m yours. And whenever I need to leave this town again, you’re coming with me.”
THE END
COMING SOON
First Class Distraction is my contribution to the Because Beards Anthology, a 21-story project that released on November 1, 2016 with all proceeds benefitting the Movember Foundation.
As I wrote Blake and Sophie’s story, they made it immediately clear that their chemistry was so overwhelming, they needed their own story, and they needed me to write it NEXT! If you haven’t already read First Class Distraction, you can check out the first part of it here.
This story will become the first chapters of the second book of the Moreover series, which is still untitled, and stars recently dumped Blake and his traveling companion Sophie . . . the woman he doesn’t expect to ever see again once their flight lands.
Blake
From my table along the outside railing of the airport bar, I could keep tabs on the other travelers as they made their way to or from their flight. It wasn’t exciting, but it was a good way to kill some time until my plane departed. Mostly I kept tabs on the sexy as fuck woman seated halfway across the room nursing a girly drink with an umbrella. She was a contradiction.
I liked contradictions.
Hispanic with long, loose curls falling down her back, a little on the petite side, yet curvy in all the places a guy needed a handhold. She wore a halter dress in some lightweight stretchy fabric and a fun, bright crimson, yet she perched on the edge of her chair with her skirt draped over her knees and her handbag piled in her lap. Her deep-set eyes darted around the area as if searching out terrorists who’d happened to elude TSA. She caught me watching her and froze, then relaxed into her seat, her dark gaze laughing. Her lips tugged up in a brilliant half smile. Definitely a contradiction.
My phone rang. Again. I let it go. My buddy Deke had been trying to reach me since before I left Honolulu this afternoon. My two-week hiatus was up and I was on my way home. I had paid a shitload of non-refundable cash for a tropical honeymoon it turned out I had no use for. Deke badgered me until I agreed a beach bungalow away from the wagging tongues of the Moreover gossipmongers would be a welcome reprieve. I let my ex hang around town and explain to everyone how she figured her dentist could give her a better life.
I should return Deke’s call, but before I did, I let my phone rest in my palm while the woman across the room took a sip and slid her tongue over her glossy lips. Rosy, full, lush. Fuck. I did not need that shit in my life. I opened Deke’s contact and typed in a text.
Me: Layover in LA. Red-eye home boards soon. I’ll meet you at Baggage Claim. You still have the arrival time?
The woman across the room lifted her drink and met my gaze . . . Then sucked through her straw. Her cheeks hollowed and my dick twitched. Fuck. Me. Did she really just do that? Did she mean it for me? I glanced around. The tables on either side of me were vacant.
My phone dinged as Deke finally responded.
Deke: I have it. You could have called me back this morning.
Fucker. He was only pissed because I bailed on two weeks of basketball practice and the season opener was fast approaching. It was difficult enough for both of us to keep the boys focused on the court rather than the cheerleaders. I reached for my beer and drained it. Then flagged down my waitress. A few moments later she bounced over to my side. “Need a refill, hon?”
I slid my empty to the edge of the table. “Kim, right?” Her eyes lit, and she moved half a step closer till her tits were shoved into my arm. She gave me a smile she might imagine would earn her a bigger tip. It probably would have a month ago.
“I’ve got whatever you need, hon.”
Twelve ounces, Kim. I tapped the rim of the empty Corona. “Um, yeah, another bottle.”
Kim hung around for an expectant moment until she realized all I wanted from her was a little more beer. She noted my order on her pad and sulked off toward the end of the bar, bringing my lady back into view.
She was watching me. My heartrate picked up. What the fuck! I picked up my phone again.
Me: Dude, I’m waiting in a bar and this chick’s eye-fucking me. I’ve been off the market too long. What do I do?
What was I thinking? Deke only had a clue when it came to Dixie. How would he know?
Deke: Ignore her! You’re never touching another woman ever!
Point made.
Deke: Fuck, man! Dixie was looking over my shoulder. Are you sure about the girl? Because if you’re sure, hit it!
Me: How do you know? What have you been reading?
Deke: Cosmo. Don’t tell Dixie.
I laughed and dropped my phone to the table. Was I sure? Well, yeah. I knew the signals. I was rusty, but I’d been brushing up for the past two weeks. I had time before they called my flight. Enough to finish my beer and . . . practice.
My drink arrived and I dropped some money on Kim’s tray, then ignored her as I focused on plump, shiny red lips wrapped around a thin plastic straw. And how they would feel stretched around my thick, pulsing cock. I considered walking over and introducing myself. We could finish our drinks, bore each other with small talk, then go our separate ways and never see each other again. I cast my glance in her direction again. She leaned forward, her shoulders pressed together, her cleavage gaping as she wrapped those lips I was obsessed with around her straw and slid it in and out. If she was trying to get my attention, she had it all. I relaxed back in my chair and lifted my bottle to her in a toast. If she wanted to put on a show for me, I’d sit right here and enjoy it. I wasn’t fucking going anywhere.
A tall dude in a yuppie leather jacket and metro-styled hair stepped into view and scanned the open room as he oh-so-casually slid his ring off his left hand and slipped it into his pocket. He took off toward the bar like his hall pass expired any moment, and I let him go. I was just getting over the train wreck that was my own life. I had no desire to witness his.
I returned my attention to the table across the room to find the waitress clearing away the empty; my woman was gone. I’d only been distracted a minute; she couldn’t have gone far. I craned my neck for a quick search and located her in a gate area across the concourse—my gate area, according to the lighted sign—joined by a pair of men. She held a Styrofoam cup of coffee with both hands and sipped from the slotted lid. The younger of the two men sat beside her, attempting to capture her hand between his. She batted him away. The jerk appeared to be in his early thirties, several years older than her, tall and wiry. The man pacing the floor before her, jacking his jaw and alternating between waving his arms and jabbing his sausage finger in her face, was stocky and gray.
The woman kept her eyes lowered and mouth pressed into a firm line while the older man blustered, but when grab-hands stood over her and planted his fists on his hips as garbage spewed from his thin lips, she surged to her feet. The next instant, her coffee flew at him and soaked his starched dress shirt. I was on my feet before the command to rise hit my brain. What the everlovin’ fuck, Blake? I didn’t even know this chick.
Her chin jerked up and her gaze met mine over the several yards that separated us, but she wasn’t laughing this time. Oh, no. Girl was pissed. Her lips were flatlined, and she gave me a short shake of her head so I lowered myself back into my chair. Was she in trouble?
Within moments my woman had the situation un
der control, though, as she threw her handbag over her shoulder, then grabbed dickwad’s soaked sleeve in one fist and Don Julio’s shirt in the other and dragged them both down the walkway, jabbering in non-stop Spanish till they disappeared in the crowd. My grin stretched across my face. Slam dunk!
The attendant at my gate caught my attention when she announced boarding for First Class over the loudspeaker. My phone dinged again and I opened the text to read while I walked.
Deke: Shane will also be coming to the airport. The new principal is flying in from Los Angeles tomorrow, too. Isabel Fernandez. Maybe you’ll see her.
I gulped my drink, then collected my backpack and made my way in line with my eyes on my phone. Deke must be bored. And have Dixie peeking over his shoulder again. His messages were beginning to sound like a girl.
Deke: Dixie wants to know what you thought of Hawaii. Have a good time? She’s thinking honeymoon.
Jesus.
Me: Lot of sun. Lot of trees. Fucking lot of water.
Deke: Still an ass, I see. Still have the beard, too?
The result of my no-shave summer, and apparently, the straw that broke Donna’s back. Oh, yeah. I stroked what was left of it after trimming it this morning, and out of the blue imagined rubbing the short scruff against the naked tawny skin of a fuckin’ hot stranger.
Me: Best decision ever.
Sophie
As quickly as I could in these ridiculous heels, I hurried back to my departure gate. The blood still pounded through my veins at the thought of Antonio’s foolishness. If I had any lingering doubt that taking a new job on the other side of the country was the right move, it was just shot down. And what was that idiota thinking, dragging mi papa along to help change my mind? As if that would ever happen! It had been months since I broke up with him. My mind was set. And if I did not want to date him any longer, I sure as hell did not want to marry the overbearing ass.
Heart of Dixie (Moreover #1) Page 22