by Cranford, B.
The Arrival of You
B. Cranford
Contents
Synopsis
Prologue
1. Bianca
2. Lucas
3. Bianca
4. Lucas
5. Bianca
6. Bianca
7. Lucas
8. Bianca
9. Lucas
10. Bianca
11. Lucas
12. Bianca
13. Lucas
14. Bianca
15. Bianca
16. Lucas
17. Bianca
18. Lucas
19. Bianca
20. Lucas
21. Bianca
22. Lucas
23. Bianca
24. Lucas
Epilogue
Bonus Epilogue
Acknowledgments
She Found Him
About the Author
Also by B. Cranford
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Beth Cranford
No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover Design: Shanoff Designs
Copy Editing: Missy Borucki
Manufactured in the United States
Synopsis
How long does it take to fall in love?
Bianca Evers learned the hard way—after thirteen years with her ex-husband—that not even half a lifetime of love is enough to save her from heartbreak. So the idea of falling for someone in less than fifteen hours? Impossible.
Lucas Hawke is under no illusion that the beautiful American he fell for on their flight to Australia feels the same. She might want him—but just like the women in his past, she’s only thinking of right now.
But sometimes fate intervenes.
And sometimes someone arrives in your life who is meant to stay.
Forever.
Binky Boodle,
It all started with a hot guy named Hugh, an annoying guy named Con, and a Big Ass Bomb. I hope it never ends. You are my best friend, my Boodle, my source for all things ridiculous. I hope you enjoy fictional you getting it on.
New tattoos soon?
Prologue
Bianca
“What happens when the plane lands?”
I’d asked because I needed to know what came next for us, if anything came next for us at all.
“What do you want to happen?” Despite the cramped space of the airplane bathroom, Lucas positioned me on his lap so he could look me square in the eye as he asked his own question. His unflinching expression told me nothing about what he was thinking and forced me to confess that I wasn’t ready for us to be over.
I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him. But that didn’t mean I knew what we should do.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, ducking my eyes from his only because I didn’t want to see something that said he’d got all he wanted from me.
Not that I thought he would do that.
It was just hard sometimes to forget that another man—a man who’d promised to love me forever—had not so long ago decided that exact same thing. After nearly fifteen years of my life, thirteen of those married, Mason went looking elsewhere. How could I believe that Lucas wouldn’t want to do the same after only, after not even, fifteen hours?
“Here’s an idea,” Lucas started, waiting until I met his eyes again to keep talking. “Come back with me, to my place.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. Sure, a part of me believed that he’d just walk away even as another part had argued that he wouldn’t, couldn’t, do exactly that. But inviting me to his place?
“Please say yes. Please don’t overthink it.” He leaned in and nuzzled into my neck, reminding me of the electric chemistry we shared. There was no denying its existence, not when a zap of it rippled up my spine and sent a reminder to my pussy that she hadn’t gotten everything from him.
Yet.
Leaning back, leaving an imprint of heat at my neck, he explained, “I don’t know what you have planned for your trip. We can figure all the rest out later, but for now, I don’t want to leave this”—he half nodded between us—“us, on the plane like rubbish or leftover snacks that we can’t bring along.”
I shook my head, chuckling at his metaphor, and opened my mouth to speak, only to be silenced by his lips landing on mine in a soft kiss that quickly turned into a harder, deeper, more urgent kiss.
It always seemed to, even if “always” only amounted to a few hours so far.
“I booked a hostel, just for a few days, and then I’m . . .” I trailed off, thinking about the loose plans I’d made to move north from Melbourne, up through Victoria, and into New South Wales. That was about as far as I’d gotten with my plans, because this trip wasn’t supposed to be about plans and itineraries.
It was supposed to be about finding myself again. Learning to be me, now that I was single. Not Mason and Bianca. Just Bianca. On my own and ready to find my feet.
“I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to. If you say it’s too much too soon, then maybe I can just come see you, meet you somewhere while you’re in the city. I just—I don’t want to walk off this plane and never see you again, pretty girl.”
That endearment. It melted me a little each time it fell from his lips and I wanted to keep hearing it. My instincts were screaming at me that this man was a good man. That I could trust him and spend some more time with him. That although whatever it was between us that formed our combustive chemistry couldn’t possibly last, it was worth pursuing.
For now.
For a few days.
I was already nodding, being rewarded with a grin that stretched across Lucas’ face and most definitely reached his eyes. That was important—a smile that reached the eyes.
Because the eyes didn’t lie, and Lucas’ were telling me that he was happy with my decision. More than happy. He looked downright giddy about it.
Which was only fair, since I felt pretty damn giddy myself.
“Yes? As in, you’ll come back to my place with me?” he asked, looking for confirmation.
“Yes,” I answered, leaning in and initiating another kiss that turned hot and wet, which just made me feel even more certain that this was the right choice.
“You won’t regret it, Bianca. I promise.” It was a wicked promise, if what his eyes were now saying was any indication. “We can spend some more time together this way. I don’t have to go back to work until after Christmas—”
Christmas. Just thinking about the holiday caused a surge of doubt to rise in me. What would I do for the holiday? Especially if I was still staying with him, a virtual stranger?
“Hey, stay with me. Literally. Don’t get lost in your head. But . . . be sure.”
“Christmas?” I asked, not giving voice to my fear—being alone when he was off with his family. “I mean, I planned to spend it just wandering around Melbourne and sight-seeing. But if I’m staying with you—”
He cut me off, talking like he was in a hurry to reassure me. “You can come with me to my parents’ place. It wouldn’t be the first time we took in a stray.” He laughed at the comment, even as the idea of being a stray bounced around my head unhappily.
Two Christmases ago, I had people. My family and Mason. And now
I had—
No, I wouldn’t wallow. Not while an excited Lucas was still talking.
“Or you can still wander the city. Hell, I’ll wander with you. Just”—his voice dropped, sounding deeper, more urgent—“stay with me?”
Shoving the last of my fleeting unhappiness away, I paused briefly to let his clear desire to have me with him sink in. Then I replied with the only possible answer I could in this situation I found myself in, with this man that I was already dangerously addicted to.
“Yes.”
1
Bianca
The heat coming off the asphalt was intense, despite the fact that it wasn’t yet nine in the morning. And though I knew intellectually that it was nearly Christmas, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
It had to be over a hundred degrees.
Of course, during my time traveling the world with Mason, I’d seen holidays come and go in the opposite season to what I was used to but . . . there was something so strange about standing outside the Melbourne airport—which Lucas told me was called Tullamarine—hand in hand with a man I’d just met, sweating through the thin cotton of my shirt. In December.
“You okay, pretty girl?” Lucas squeezed my hand, drawing my attention away from the heat I could practically see radiating off the arrivals pick-up lane. I looked up at him and smiled.
“Yeah, I’m just processing the fact it’s so hot.”
His answering smile was wide and made him infinitely more handsome. As if that was somehow possible.
When he’d sat next to me on the flight to Melbourne from Los Angeles, I’d about swallowed my tongue. I couldn’t have predicted that a dozen (and then some) hours later, I’d be hopping into a car with him and going to his place.
As my mom would say, “I’d done lost my mind.” Which reminded me, I needed to make sure to send her a message or email or something letting her know I’d arrived safely.
“You’ll get used to it. At least it’s not too humid today.”
“Thank god. You think my hair is curly now . . .” I trailed off at the look that overtook Lucas’ face.
Pure. Unadulterated. Want.
Flashes of us in the airplane bathroom, his hands fisted in my curls, his tongue tangling with mine, my hand wrapped around his cock.
“Luc,” I breathed, clamping my bottom lip between my teeth to stop me from attacking him right there while we waited for our ride back to his place.
“Soon, pretty girl.”
I nodded, then turned to look at the line of cars pulling into and out of the stopping lane. Though I’d seen it before, it was still a sight to see drivers on the right side of the car. When a car edged past, having already collected their arrivee, and a dog hung its head out the left window, I momentarily thought, “Dogs drive cars in Australia?” before realizing exactly how ridiculous that was.
“So, I just got a text from my mum, and she said Rose is coming to get us in her car. My mum’s car,” he clarified. “She should be here soon, so be on the lookout for a red Mazda.”
The way he said it made it sound like “Mazzdah,” which I found stupidly charming. Aiming another smile his way, I wondered how exactly all this was going to work. We’d agreed on the plane to spend a few days together to explore this thing between us, and since my trip was kind of spur-of-the-moment, I didn’t have any plans that couldn’t be easily changed. In fact, while we were waiting for our luggage, I’d canceled my hostel reservation, eating the small fee because I figured time with Lucas was worth it.
Maybe I was crazy, but I was also determined to do this.
For me.
The girl who had loved a husband who’d betrayed her; who was only now beginning to understand exactly how much.
The girl who had traveled halfway around the world on a whim, to find out who she really, truly was.
The girl who was determined to find and embrace new experiences.
Glancing over the cars in the long line, a thought suddenly occurred to me. “Will your family think it’s weird that you’re just . . . bringing me home? Some woman you met on the plane?” A flash of discomfort arced through me as I pictured sliding into the backseat of the “Mazzdah” and greeting his sister, only for her to wonder who the hell I was and what the hell I was doing with her brother.
“No, they’ll be fine. I told you Rose thinks I’m a hopeless romantic, right? And Mum thinks I have a habit of picking up new friends wherever I go, so they’d probably be more surprised if I didn’t come home with someone new in tow.”
Laughing at the idea of his family all looking past him at the doorway to their house, expecting to see a random person and being disappointed, I shook my head. “Is that your way of telling me I’m not so special after all?”
I was smiling, but the moment I saw Lucas’ eyes grow dark, my smile melted away. Whatever he was about to say, it was sure to be intense. And genuine.
“You are very special, Bianca. Don’t ever, ever think otherwise.” His hand, still holding mine, tightened while the other came up to cup my cheek. “I might make new friends, but I think we both know that whatever this is between us is well past ‘just friends,’ got it?”
My answer—a breathy “yes”—was nearly lost to the sound of a horn blaring, but the words he spoke with such conviction, coupled with the searing look he gave that said he meant every word, sank into my battered heart.
Dropping his hand from my cheek to offer a quick wave, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. Which made me sigh. A gentle, dreamy kind of sigh that you’d usually equate with a Disney Princess experiencing true love’s kiss for the first time.
Except it wasn’t our first kiss.
And it wasn’t true love.
It couldn’t possibly be—I’d only known him for a hot minute. And although that minute was very, very hot, that was just the lust talking. It couldn’t possibly be love, let alone true love, not after only a few hours.
“Ready to meet my sister?” Lucas’ question killed that line of thought—thankfully—and sent a ripple of nerves across my skin. I wanted his sister to like me. It felt important, monumental, significant, and about a hundred other synonyms that might encompass this feeling building inside of me. One that told me that what happened next could be life-changing. Or, like, a total disaster.
I turned in time to see a dark-haired woman exit the driver’s side of the car and open her arms to Lucas. In turn, he wrapped his around her and lifted her from the ground. I could’ve sworn he greeted her with a “Hi, tiger, how are?” to which she replied, “Oh, you know, getting there.” The easy affection of it, the way it rolled off their tongues while dropping the “you,” made me think this wasn’t an unfamiliar exchange. Clearly, it was a thing.
Their thing.
With clarity and maybe a bite of jealously, I realized that I wanted to be a part of their thing.
Maybe one day.
“Rose, I want you to meet Bianca. Bianca, my baby sister, Rose.” Lucas had his arm around her shoulders and a smile that said he was beyond happy to be back in her company, and I braced myself for the greeting.
“Hi, Rose. It’s so nice to meet you.” I held out a hand, worrying only briefly that the heat had made it clammy. “Lucas told me a bit about you on the flight.”
She smiled, and in it I could see Lucas. The same—or similar, at least—smile. It put me at ease the way Lucas’ seemed to do, especially when coupled with the warmth in her voice. “Hi, Bianca. I know nothing about you, but it’ll take about an hour to get home, so be prepared for an inquisition.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the directness of her words. No doubt she was curious about me, and as long as the questions were all asked in good humor, which I hoped they would be, I was just fine with answering. “Consider me prepared.”
The sound of another—a different—horn from behind Rose’s car jolted us into action, Lucas taking care of our suitcases while I slid into the backseat with my purse and his backpack. Rose climbed in
to the front seat, and immediately turned around to look at me. “I love your hair.”
I blinked, trying not to think about how her brother had seemed to love it too when we were pressed against each other in that airplane bathroom. “Thanks. I’m sure it could use a wash after the flight.”
“You can shower when we get back to Lucas’ place. You must be knackered from the time change too.”
“Knackered?” I asked, thinking I knew what it meant but wanting to be sure. I’d seen an Australian to American guidebook in one of the airport bookstores but thought it was just a joke thing. Now, faced with confusion about what “knackered” could possibly mean, I wondered if maybe I should’ve bought a copy.
“Tired. Sorry. My boyfriend gives me that look too when he doesn’t understand my slang.” She grinned, and it was the smile of a woman happy and in love with someone special.
“Your boyfriend is American?” I phrased it like a question, even though Lucas had told me on the plane that she’d met someone while she’d been living in the United States.
“Yep. Liam. He’s in North Carolina.” She shrugged. “It’s only been, um, less than two weeks and I miss him like crazy.”
“I can only imagine. How did you meet?”
Rose opened her mouth to respond just as Lucas opened the car door, and yet another horn blasted in the background. “Let’s get out of here first, then I’ll tell you about him.”