The Puck Charmer

by Cathryn Fox

  I open the door, and slide into the passenger seat, and moan as I sink into the luxurious leather. “Don’t tell Moxie how much I like this,” I say as I rub my hand over the dashboard. “She might disown me.”

  “Moxie will always be your number one.” He comes around my side and crouches. The position reminds me of when we met, and how he tried to wrestle the door to my truck open. Who knew that day would lead me to his bed? “Comfortable?” he asks.

  “Very, but we can take my truck. It’s only an hour to the city.”

  “Not to the city we’re going,” he says, his grin mischievous, and playful and so full of anticipation I sit up a little straighter.

  “What are you talking about?”

  He stands without answering me. “I’ll be right back,” he says and closes my door before he disappears inside the house. Needing a distraction, I scroll through my phone, checking the Instagram accounts of all my friends who have moved on as I wait for him, and when he comes back, he has a duffle bag in his hand. He drops it into the trunk and jumps in beside me.

  “What city are we going to?” I ask.

  “There’s a special toy store I need to go to.”

  “Where?”

  He presses a button to start the vehicle and another to open the garage door. “You’ll see when we get there.”

  “Alek,” I say. “What are you up to?” I study his profile, and despite having no idea what he’s up to my insides relax a bit. Over the last couple of days, he’d been acting a bit secretive, making calls on his phone, and whispering if I came into the room. I’d even seen a couple of texts from a girl named Fallon come in, but what right do I have to ask who Fallon is and what she means to him? I still don’t know who she is, and I totally dislike the jealousy in my stomach, but I can’t help but think all the secrecy was about this surprise trip to the city.

  “Are you going to answer me?” I say, and lift my chin a little, pretending I’m upset about the whole thing when I’m secretly elated.

  Still ignoring the question, he whistles innocently and backs out of the garage. He buckles himself in, presses a button to close the garage and drives through town. We go down Main Street and when I look off into the side street, I see a vehicle in front of my grandmother’s house, a young couple standing on the sidewalk admiring it.

  “Take a right,” I say, and Alek’s gaze flashes to mine.

  “What’s up?”

  “There’s a couple looking at Grandma’s place.”

  “You want to creep them.”

  “Of course I want to creep them,” I say with a laugh.

  He takes the turn, and we slowly drive by. I check out the license plate. “Maryland,” I say. “I wonder what brings them to Bridgetown.” A deep sadness goes through me, but I have no choice but to sell.

  “What a gorgeous old home.”

  “You like it?” My mood lifts. I’m not sure why Alek liking my home fills me with a strange satisfaction.

  “I love it. Drive by again?”

  “No, we can go to this mystery city,” I say.

  He makes his way back to Main Street, and when he takes the ramp for the highway, I turn to him.

  “We’re not coming back tonight, are we?” I ask.

  He casts me a fast glance and hits his signal light to merge into traffic. “No.”

  “And you’re not going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “No.”

  “What about clothes?” I glance down at my jean shorts and T-shirt. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “You won’t need clothes,” he says, and I bite back a grin at the playful way he wags his eyebrows.

  I fold my arms like a belligerent child, even though I’m looking forward to finding out what he’s up to, and honestly, I don’t really care about our destination. I just like hanging out with Alek. Maybe a little too much.

  “What if I don’t want to go?” I ask.

  “You do.”

  “Oh, do I now?” I purse my lips. “How would you know that?”

  He reaches over and puts his hand on my thigh. The reassuring squeeze wraps around my heart, and as I take in his smiling face, I worry I could be in real trouble here. He’s such a sweet guy, but like everyone else I know, he’ll be leaving for bigger and better soon enough. An invisible hand squeezes my heart at that thought, but I paste on a smile for Alek’s sake. He’s pretty excited about this adventure, and I don’t want to do anything to ruin it.

  “You’ll see. Now relax, we have a good, long drive ahead of us.”

  “There better be ice cream,” I pout and he laughs.

  “You and Kaylee would be fast friends,” he says. “I always take her out for ice cream when I visit.”

  My heart tightens again. I love that he’s so close to his family. There’s no denying I want that, that I’d love to meet Kaylee and his brother and folks, and even his friends that are coming to visit, but he’s not putting that offer on the table and I hate myself for even wanting that. I knew what I was getting into with him and have no one to blame but myself for these budding feelings, or that I’m a little more invested in him than I would have liked.

  “Tell me more about your family,” I say and sink back into the seat to enjoy the drive.

  I can hear the love in his voice as he talks, and before I know it hours have gone by, and unfortunately for me, hearing his stories and the love in his heart only makes me fall a little more for him.

  I watch the traffic signs go by, and hours into our drive, I have a pretty good idea where he wants to go, but I keep my mouth shut, and just enjoy this time with him.

  I rest my head against the seat, lost in his voice and a long time later he says, “We’re almost there.”

  “This must be one special toy store if you drive over six hours to reach it.”

  “It is,” he says, as we get into the thick New York traffic. “But to be honest, this trip is more about you than it is for Kaylee.”

  “What do you have planned?” I ask, and my heart beats a little faster when he gives me a smile so sweet and tender, I’m not sure how I ever lived life without him.

  He pulls up in front of a gigantic hotel, and puts the car into park when a valet circles the front. He stands outside the driver’s side door, waiting for us to exit the vehicle.

  “Ready?” Alek asks and grabs his ballcap. He puts it on and pulls it low on his forehead.

  My eyes go wide, and a measure of unease worms its way through me. “Wait, what’s going on? Are we staying here?” He nods, and I grasp his wrist. “Alek, this is too much.”

  He takes a breath and scrubs his face, his eyes leaving mine. “I want to do this, okay? I want to do this for you and the reason I didn’t tell you is because I knew this is exactly how you’d react.”

  Tears prick my eyes. He’s so incredibly sweet, so generous, but I don’t need extravagant things in my life. He’s a guy in between jobs and I don’t want to embarrass him by pointing that out, so I simply say, “You didn’t need to do this for me.”

  “I know. All the more reason I want to.” He shifts toward me. “Aly, I want to take care of you—”

  “Alek…”

  “Just hear me out.” I nod, and he continues with, “I know you’re strong and independent—”

  “Like an ant, I know,” I say, wanting to lift some of the tension in my body.

  He chuckles and touches my hair, running it through his fingers. I lean into him, my breath catching at the tender way he’s looking at me. “You’re always taking care of everyone else, and tonight, I just want to take care of you. Say you’ll let me.”

  “I’ll let you,” I say softly, my heart lodged somewhere in my throat, and he reaches over and unsnaps my seat belt, excitement in his eyes as his mood shifts.

  “Come on, let’s go.” He pops the trunk as I open my door. I turn in time to see the big smile on the valet’s face when he glances at Alek, like he knows him or something. Alek quickly hands the keys over, adjusts h
is cap a bit more, and pulls his bag from the trunk. He captures my hand and whisks me inside.

  “Did you know that guy?”

  “No,” he says and inside the lobby, he glances around. We take the elevator to the registration lobby, and he guides me to a line of sofas. “I’ll be right back. Wait here, okay?”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I say and take in the huge lobby and all the people milling about. “I could get lost in this lobby.”

  Taking me by surprise, he leans down and plants a warm kiss onto my mouth. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you get lost, Aly.”

  Oh, God, it might be too late for that because I fear I already am lost—in him. I sit tight as he registers us, and less than ten minutes later, he’s opening a door to the most gorgeous room, with the most amazing view over New York, that I have ever seen.

  If I click my heels three time would I find myself back in small town Vermont. I’m not sure, and I’m certainly not going to chance it!

  I walk closer to the window and wobble a little. “We are so high up.” I turn to find him grinning at me. “I can’t believe you arranged all this, and I didn’t even know.”

  “I had a little help from a friend.”

  “Oh.”

  He tosses his bag onto the bed and unzips it. He pulls out a beautiful black dress, and holds it up.

  My heart jumps and I point to it. “What’s that?”

  “Looks like a dress to me,” he teases. “You didn’t bump your head again, did you?”

  “Not funny. Why do you have a dress?” I eye him. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

  He laughs. “I didn’t bring you all the way to New York to tell you I’m a cross-dresser. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Each to his own, right? But I brought you here to see a Broadway show and go for a limo drive.”

  I sink onto the sofa near the window, my legs no longer able to hold me upright. My pulse skitters, and my throat grows so tight it’s hard to talk. “Alek…” is all I’m able to say, as my eyes water. “I can’t believe this.”

  “I’m full of surprises today, huh?”

  “Yeah, you’re full of something,” I say, and when he angles his head, a note of confusion on his face, I add, “I mean that in the nicest way possible.”

  “Of course. What else could it have possibly meant?” he says and holds his hand out to me.

  A hurricane of need sweeps through me as I cross the room and frame his face with my hands. I go up on my toes and brush my lips over his. “How? When?” I ask, my words deep and raspy as emotions clog my throat.

  “Like I said, I had a little help from a friend. My buddy Jamie’s wife Fallon helped me put this all together. She’s a nurse. You’d really like her.”

  She sounds like someone I’d like to meet, but I don’t say that. Alek and I aren’t in this for the long term. We’re not in a relationship where we introduce each other to friends and family, although he knows Grandma. Not that I had a choice in the matter. No, sweet Alek insisted on driving, and continues to insist on taking care of me. Yes, I’m an independent woman, but I have to say I like it when he does.

  I like him.

  “You lied to me,” I say, and slowly lift my gaze to his.

  His head inches back a bit. His muscles tense, and his teeth clench with an audible click. Truthfully, I’m a bit surprised by his reaction.

  “What are you talking about?” he asks, and his throat makes a gurgling sound as he swallows.

  “You said I wouldn’t need clothes.”

  He relaxes, his shoulders dropping. “Oh right.”

  “What did you think I meant?”

  “I…nothing. I didn’t know what you meant,” he says. “Want to try this on?”

  “How did you know my size?”

  His grin turns sexy, playful. “I had my hands and mouth all over you numerous times, remember.”

  “Oh, I remember,” I say. Never in my life would I forget that. I take the dress from him. I glance at my sandals. “Please tell me you have shoes in there.”

  “Size seven, right?”

  “I won’t ask how you know.” He hands them to me, and something niggles loose in my brain. “Wait, did you say a limo ride?”

  “Yeah, I want to start checking things off your bucket list.”

  This is all too much, too expensive. I put my hand on his chest and his strong heartbeat pulses beneath my palm. “Alek, you didn’t—”

  “I wanted to.” He checks his watch. “You better hurry. We have dinner, a show and then a drive around town.”

  He slaps my ass and I squeal with eagerness. “I need to shower and freshen up. It was a long ride.” I glance at his bag. “Did you pack me any makeup or underwear?”

  “You don’t need makeup,” he says and puts his hand on my cheek. His eyes are infused with warmth and tenderness when he adds, “You’re beautiful without it.”

  A bone deep warmth moves through me, at the sweet way he’s looking at me, like I’m the only one in the world that matters to him. God, I could be in real trouble here. I work to sound normal when I ask, “What about underwear?”

  His teasing grin returns. “They’ll just be in my way later.”

  I shake my head at him as waves of excitement roll through me. I take a step toward the bathroom, stop and turn around. “You know, you should have told me what you were up to.”

  He scrubs his chin, his eyes serious. “You wouldn’t have let me.”

  “Maybe…” I cock my head. “Or maybe I would have packed my too-tight girl scout uniform.”

  “Jesus. Fuck.”

  12

  Alyssa

  The warm night air curls around us as we exit the theater and walk through Times Square. To think that yesterday I was on my hands and knees digging in the dirt and today I’m all dressed up and just watched a Broadway show. I’m living in a fantasy world, I get that, but I don’t care anymore. I’m just going to enjoy Alek and the little time we have together. When it’s all over, I’ll lick my wounds in solitude. Until then, I’m all in, game for anything and everything.

  Anticipation dances in the air as Alek puts his arm around me and tugs me close. I revel in the strength of his hand on my body as we stroll through the crowded streets, which are so very different from home. There isn’t one familiar face in this city, and I’m sort of enjoying the anonymity of it. No one knows my business and I don’t know theirs. Knowing I’ll never set eyes on these people again is a bit freeing.

  The energy in the crowd buzzes around me, and I feed off it. I lift my chin and smile up at the incredibly kind and generous man who set this all up for me. He dips his head, and need wells up inside me when he smiles. I’m going to have a lot of healing to do, it’s true, but how can a girl not fall for a guy like him?

  Earlier this evening, after showering and dressing, I exited the bathroom to find Alek dressed in a suit that showcased his broad shoulders and athletic body. The man cleans up nice, and while he looked amazing in the suit, it was all I could do not to tear it off his body and make love to him on the king-sized bed. But he had dinner plans and tickets for the show, and now…well, now we’re going for a limo ride, and I can hardly believe I’m going to check that off my bucket list. Equal amounts of nervousness and excitement invade my belly, and a strange giggle climbs out of my throat.

  Pleasure smolders in his eyes when they meet mine. “Having fun?” he asks as he tugs me closer, and drops a kiss onto the top of my head. My heart squeezes, my body so consumed with need for this man it’s a bit overwhelming.

  “I am,” I say and melt into him as he guides me through the streets. Someone bumps into me as they walk by fast. “It’s a good thing I have you, Alek. I’d get lost out here.”

  “You’ve got me,” he says, and I fight back the emotions beating my chest like a gorilla’s fists, warning of danger. The truth is, while I’ve got him tonight, there is no future. I’ll have to move on without him, but how can I ever think about being with anoth
er guy after our time together. It’s unnerving and—

  Stop!

  Okay, I am not going to think beyond tonight. I am only going to enjoy the now.

  After giving myself a quick lecture, I take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and let Alek guide me around the corner.

  “Oh, we’re right here,” I say, surprised when I see the hotel.

  He laughs and talks to the valet. A few minutes later, our limo arrives and the driver jumps out to open the back door for us. I’m about to slide in, but stop and put my mouth to Alek’s ear.

  “I’m glad this was never checked off my list, because there’s no one else I’d rather take this ride with,” I say.

  “Good,” he says his voice thick and husky, full of desire.

  I slide into the seat, and stretch my legs out in comfort. My dress rises on my thighs, and I tug on it. I’m not wearing any panties, and there’s no need to flash our driver. Seriously though, this is all so out of character for me and I have to say, I love it. Alek speaks to the driver and a few minutes later, we’re cruising through the streets, Alek, seated beside me, his hard thigh warm and strong, pressed against mine.

  He takes my hand and brings it to his mouth. My blood pumps faster, a surge of need racing through me. The divider between the front and back goes up and my nerve endings tingle.

  “Do you think he can hear us?” I ask, as Alek puts a hand on my bare thigh.

  “No.” His gaze moves over my face. “Do you have any idea how hard tonight was for me?”

  My pulse spikes. Did he not enjoy the show? “What?”

  He takes my hand and puts it on his erection. “Oh,” I say and giggle, like a silly schoolgirl.

  “Yeah, oh. Seeing you in this dress, and knowing I was the guy who got to take it off you tonight…Jesus.” He scrubs his face. “I could hardly watch the show.”

  “You did seem a bit distracted,” I say.

  He shifts in his seat, and puts his face near my ear. He breathes me in as he whispers, “All I could think about was putting my cock in you.”

  “Me too,” I say, my voice a breathless whisper. His hand slides up my thigh.