Entangled

by Melissa Brayden

  Becca slid on top and closed her eyes at the feel of Joey’s almost naked body beneath hers.

  Joey thumbed the lapel of her shirt. “Not only are you still wearing clothes, you’re wearing work clothes.”

  “Welcome to Becca, where we dress for the office way too much of the time.”

  “I have the best idea.”

  “I love your ideas.”

  “Let’s take them off,” Joey whispered, just as a clap of thunder reverberated through the house. The hungry look in her eyes made her impossible to resist.

  Becca stood and, for the second time that day, unbuttoned her shirt for Joey Wilder. She dropped it to the floor as Joey bit her bottom lip, seemingly enjoying the reveal. She left her yellow bra on and stepped out of her pants.

  “Good God,” she heard Joey murmur as she stood there in her matching lingerie.

  Becca unclasped her bra, revealing her breasts. Once she did, Joey was up and moving. With a hand behind Becca’s head, Joey pulled her mouth down, crushing it to hers. Becca heard her own voice murmur in satisfaction. With Joey’s tongue doing wondrous things in her mouth, Becca felt every part of her body cry out for attention. And then she received it. Joey’s lips were on her neck, then her collarbone. Joey’s hands cupped her breasts, and then lifted them to her mouth where she reminded Becca all over again how powerful that afternoon had been. This time, however, she let herself go. She allowed herself to get lost in the sensations Joey’s mouth urged and conjured. Her hips began to move and the quiet moans she heard were hers. Joey slipped a hand between her legs and touched her lightly through the yellow bikinis she still wore. The touch was too light, torturously so, but God, she loved to be tortured.

  “I want to be on top of you,” Joey whispered, kissing her neck again, cupping her between her legs where she throbbed endlessly.

  Becca wordlessly took her by the hand and led her through the living room to the nearby master. There were more windows in her bedroom, which meant she could see Joey better as the sky outside had not completely darkened. Joey’s skin, her curves, her exquisite body were something to behold. Becca sat on the bed and looked up at Joey, her blond hair a beautiful halo. With her thumbs, she slid Joey’s underwear down her legs, stood, and did the same with her own. Joey kissed her as she eased her back onto the bed and slowly climbed on top. Skin to skin, they began to move in delicious rhythm at long last, Joey’s hips between Becca’s legs. It felt like heaven on earth, like Joey belonged there. As they moved, Becca felt the pressure build rapidly, amazed at how fast it was all going. She didn’t react this acutely to anyone, never had, yet lacked the control to slow down her own responses. When Joey slid down the bed, parted Becca’s legs, and licked her center, Becca nearly exploded. With two well-placed swipes of Joey’s tongue, she quickly did, her back arching like a bow as a powerful tidal wave of pleasure crashed into her with abandon. She was no match for the onslaught of pleasure and surrendered to it, reveling in the payout, holding tight to the comforter beneath her. Joey continued to stroke her intimately, which kept the surges coming until the attention was too much.

  “You have to stop,” she breathed. “I can’t take more.”

  “But it’s so good,” Joey said, smiling at her as she climbed back up the bed. She laid her cheek on Becca’s chest and touched a pebbled nipple with her finger. “I love your breasts. You need to know that I’m never not thinking about them when we’re together.” She covered her eyes. “You’re getting a lot of detail tonight. Too much.”

  Becca stroked her hair. “That knowledge is going to make mundane conversation a little harder.”

  “Try it in my shoes.” They shared a smile and a kiss and Joey settled more firmly on top. She looked down at Becca with what seemed to be a mixture of affection and intrigue.

  “What?” Becca asked.

  “You’re a tightrope without a net, but you feel so good.”

  Becca eased her hands up Joey’s back and down again, loving the feeling of her weight pressing down. “Take another step. I have you.”

  The words seemed to strike a chord, which was good because Becca meant them.

  Joey smiled and slid a strand of hair behind Becca’s ear. “I think this was a pretty big step onto that wire.” She laughed. “You took me on your couch in the middle of a thunderstorm.”

  “I took you, huh?” She liked the phrase.

  Joey closed her eyes. “You so did.”

  “Monumental,” Becca said in wholehearted agreement. “A night I will never forget. Will there be more?” She knew it was a big question. Were they moving toward something real, or was Joey biding her time, merely enjoying herself?

  “I mean, I hope so.” Joey glanced away as she said it, making it clear she felt vulnerable around the question. “Do you?”

  Becca nodded and rolled them over so they lay on their sides facing each other. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Joey. I’m really pretty boring.” She gestured around her bedroom. “See? Those paintings are from Bed Bath and Beyond. That one’s a painting of a vase over there. A vase. You can’t get any more basic than that.”

  That coaxed a laugh and lightened the mood. Joey’s eyes were beautiful in the moonlight. The rain outside seemed to have ebbed, as if intertwined with their trajectory. “Becca Crawford. From the second you walked into Tangle Valley, I knew there was nothing basic about you. You’re sophisticated and sexy and controversial and—all right, I’ll admit—pretty wonderful.”

  “That was hard for you,” Becca said, enjoying this.

  “Yeah, but it’s getting easier.”

  “I can tell. You’re letting your guard down a little at a time. I love it.” Becca ran her forefinger along Joey’s cheek. “You’re also putting your outrage to the side. Nary a town speech in weeks.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe that outrage was a little premature.” She held up a finger. “Still doesn’t mean I love The Jade.”

  “You don’t have to keep saying so. I’m aware.” Becca eased her thigh between Joey’s, angled upward, and watched her eyes flutter. “So noted in the record books for posterity. You know what else is going in the books? Your hands.” She covered her eyes. “What they did to me earlier.”

  “You like my hands,” Becca said. Joey nodded wholeheartedly. “Then allow me to introduce you to my mouth.” She moved down the bed as a brand new clap of thunder struck.

  * * *

  The next afternoon, Joey moved through town like there was air beneath her feet, a spring in her step, and rhythm in her walk. A happy soundtrack underscored her day, and she grinned at herself, giddy from the night before and the tawdry time she’d shared with Becca Crawford, sexy executive.

  She hadn’t planned on staying the entire night at Becca’s, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to leave. Not when Becca alternated between sweetly holding her close and taking her body to such heights. She’d make up the sleep another time.

  This afternoon, she had a mission, and that was to buy up everything on her holiday decorating shopping list to get the vineyard ready for the season. The Nifty Nickel was a great place to start because Brenda Anne always had a variety of fantastic seasonal decor.

  “Well, hello there, Josephine.”

  She looked up and smiled at Thelma, one of the Biddies. Only she seemed to be out on her own today. “Hey, Thelma. Good to see you.”

  “You, too.” They continued their joint perusal of the store’s goods for several moments before Thelma jumped back in, not taking her eyes off the Frosty the Snowman figurine she held. “Someone saw your light blue truck outside the home of the manager of the giant hotel.”

  “Did they now?” Joey looked up from the tissue paper. “Well, that’s interesting.”

  “I thought so. Are you two an item?” Thelma feigned new interest in a shiny red Christmas ornament across the room, but Joey wasn’t fooled. She was gathering intel to take back to the Biddies, who would drop little nuggets of gossip all over town like the hearsay fairies
they were. Didn’t little old ladies used to have other things to do? Whatever happened to bridge club and bake sales?

  “We are not an item,” Joey told her. “We’re just people. Would you look at that? Nutcrackers are two for one. Good gracious, that’s exciting.” And it was true. She and Becca weren’t an item. Becca had every right to date other people, though the thought made Joey instantly nauseous. She would have to explore that reaction later.

  “But you are special friends? I think that’s so sweet if you’re special friends.” Brenda Anne’s eyes went wide, and she swiveled her focus to Joey as if watching an exciting tennis match.

  “Thank you, Thelma, for that show of genuine support,” Joey said politely. “I think that ornament would look beautiful on your tree. You should buy it.” Brenda Anne swiveled right back to Thelma.

  “Does Ms. Crawford have a tree up?” Thelma asked.

  Oh, this woman was a pro. “You should ask her. She’s very open about all things related to home decorating.” Brenda Anne smothered a smile and waited on Thelma’s response, probably wishing for a snack with her show.

  “I could. But it’s you I ran into, and I’m just so glad, too. You’re such a nice girl, Joey Wilder. Have always thought so.”

  Joey wasn’t falling for flattery. She’d been the talk of the town once and didn’t plan to be again. “But someone told you my truck was at her place and you want confirmation. Nice girl or not, right?”

  “Well, no. Just making the talk, as they say.” Thelma raised what appeared to be an innocent shoulder in explanation. Lies. That shoulder had motives.

  Joey smiled. “Well, aren’t you sweet?”

  Thelma smiled back. Brenda Anne joined in. It was a smilefest.

  “I just love the holidays.” Joey rounded the corner of the display to examine the many different colored garland options. The tree for the tasting room was enormous and the garland was in need of replacement. “Brenda Anne, do you have any more of the silver? I’ll need about four more packages if I’m going to make this work.”

  “I should have some in the back. I’ll just check.”

  The bell above the door rang, signaling a new arrival. With the holidays in progress, the streets of Whisper Wall bustled like no other time of year. People had things to buy and gatherings to plan for. “Hi, Brenda Anne. I have thirty minutes for lunch, so I’ve come for that holiday wreath you mentioned. Time to pull down the one from the fall, as much as I love it.”

  Joey froze. She knew that voice well, and at an any other time her heart would have squeezed in excitement to see Becca outside of any official plans, but this was definitely not the most opportune of times, given Thelma and her supersleuth skills. To avoid drawing any further attention, Joey kept her head down and continued to peruse the garland like she was born to evaluate decorations for a living. Maybe Thelma wouldn’t notice Becca’s arrival in the shop.

  “Hello there, Ms. Crawford. Remember me? I’m Thelma McDougall. We met at the town meeting that time Joey was all worked up and got the pink cheeks.”

  “Hi, Thelma. Good to see you,” Becca said brightly. She had her hospitality voice on. Joey liked that she could now recognize the difference. “Getting cold out there.”

  “Isn’t it, though? I had to cover my flower garden last night to protect it from the cold rain. I bet it’s given the wine folk a hard time. Is that the case, Joey?”

  Joey raised her head and smiled as breezily as she could. “Uncle Bobby had the fans on to keep the freeze away.”

  “Hi,” Becca said in surprise, tilting her head curiously at having missed Joey’s presence in the shop. “Didn’t expect to see you this afternoon.”

  Joey feigned surprise of her own as if her tinsel shopping had hidden Becca’s arrival entirely. She was a wearing a black pantsuit today that was slim-fitting and perfect on her. Joey swallowed a wave of attraction. Not the time for it with a Biddy to deal with. “Wow. Hi, Ms. Crawford.” Becca squinted, probably wondering why in hell they were so formal after a night of getting it on. “How are things at The Jade this beautiful afternoon?”

  Becca took a minute with the wooden quality of the question, but rebounded with impressive form. “Busy. But we’re ready for our grand opening this weekend.”

  “A reception, I heard,” Thelma said. “Sounds fancier than my designer luggage.”

  “I don’t know about that, but you and your luggage are certainly invited. Come and have a glass of champagne and help christen the resort properly.” She turned to Joey. “I’m actually glad I ran into you. You left this.” And from her pocket she pulled a silver hoop earring and held it out to Joey, who closed her eyes. Thelma beamed like a six-year-old presented with the bicycle they’d always wanted. She let out a quiet squeal and scurried from the store, arms working overtime like a mall walker on a mission.

  Joey shook her head and leveled a stare at Becca. “If you weren’t so gorgeous, I’d be really frustrated at you for that.”

  Becca looked from the door back to Joey. “Did I miss something? What was all that about?”

  Brenda Anne laughed from her spot behind the cash register. “I think you both just got played by a Biddy. A shrewd one.”

  “You gotta watch out for the Biddies,” Joey said, very seriously. “Never feed them details. They’re like gremlins at midnight.”

  Becca winced, realizing her mistake. “Still learning the town, I suppose. I’m really sorry.”

  Joey waved her off. “Meh. It’s okay. They were bound to get to us sooner or later. The embezzlement at the bingo hall is days old at this point, and no one’s been hauled to jail for public intoxication in weeks. They need fodder.”

  The bell chimed again and Clementine from The Bacon and Biscuit popped into the store. She smiled widely when she saw Becca and Joey. “Congrats on the new romance, guys. I had no idea. Never would have imagined it after that fiery town meeting.”

  Joey squinted. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Clementine hooked a thumb behind her. “Ran into Thelma outside. She told me all about it. Called you lovebirds.”

  “Lord help me,” Joey deadpanned.

  “It’s better than your old nickname,” Brenda Anne offered feebly.

  “What’s your old nickname?” Becca asked. Joey didn’t have the heart to say the word and gestured for Brenda Anne to go ahead.

  Brenda Anne leaned forward toward Becca as if including her in a secret. “Jilted. That’s what they called her around town after, well, you know. They meant it as a joke. Everyone did.”

  Joey sighed. “Because of the whole left-at-the-altar thing.”

  “No, I get it,” Becca said with disdain. “Seems like a mean joke, though.”

  “It was. Sometimes I hate this town,” Clementine said, shaking her head. She’d always been a kind soul, and Joey was grateful for their friendship. But Clem had never made a secret of her frustrations with injustice and mean people. She was a good-hearted human.

  “I’m sorry they did that,” Becca said, with true sadness visible in her eyes.

  “Oh, it’s okay. They thought I was laughing with them, I guess.” Joey played it off like it was the smallest of incidents that she’d so moved beyond. Pshhh. Barely even thought about the full-blown humiliation, much less the life-altering heartbreak.

  Becca looked at her. “It’s not.”

  Joey glanced at Brenda Anne, who had the same sympathetic look on her face. Clementine shook her head, and Joey was right back there again, remembering what it felt like to be the pitiful one in town, the abandoned, the unwanted, and the devastated. She swallowed and tried to pull herself out of it before she spiraled. “Find that garland?” she asked Brenda Anne brightly, who nodded and slid the boxes across the counter.

  “Certainly did. It’ll look beautiful on your tree.”

  “I think so, too.” Joey added her own shopping additions to the pile and handed over her credit card. Her cheeks felt hot and not in a good way. She wondered if the other three were exchan
ging glances about her now as she signed the slip, wondering if she was okay, and what they should say to make her feel better. She hated it. “The tasting room is going to look amazing by the end of the week. Loretta is a whiz at decorating schemes, and I pitch in. You’ll have to stop by,” she told Brenda Anne. “You, too,” she said over her shoulder to Clem. She smiled at Becca and held up her bagged items. “I better get back to work before Loretta sends out a search party.”

  Becca followed her to the door. “Will I see you later?” she asked. She lightly touched Joey’s hand, which made Joey melt and forget all the discomfort of the past few minutes.

  “Well, are you free after work for a little decorating at Tangle Valley? We’ll be having hot mulled wine and carols as we work.”

  “I’ve never had hot wine before. I think I need to.”

  “You do.” Joey did a little hand touching of her own and did her best to make eyes. Probably something she should practice. “See you after hours.”

  “That sounds scandalous. Don’t tell the Biddies.”

  Joey locked an imaginary key in front of her lips. “Our secret.” She headed for the door.

  “For now,” Becca said, with confidence. It sent a delicious shiver down Joey’s spine, and she took a last look at Becca in her black suit.

  Sweet Lord. ’Twas the season, indeed.

  Chapter Eleven

  The early evening could best be described as blustery, but in the best way possible when one was decorating for the holidays. November had always been a chilly but beautiful month in Whisper Wall and Joey’s favorite time of year. The grapes were in process, which meant new wine was on the way under Madison’s strict supervision. People wore jackets and scarves and smiled at one another for a beat longer. Families and coworkers traveled together to the tasting room, which always became more crowded when the cold weather moved in, since the outdoor tables became less popular. Plus, Joey loved the aroma of hot mulled wine, which they sold by the mug daily in the late fall and winter. Experiencing it all without her father was not only awful, but strange. To ease the pain, she did her best to focus on the new aspects of her life: working with her friends, her new responsibilities at the vineyard, and now…maybe Becca, too.