“I can take it back whenever I want.”
“You also said you appreciate me.” Edward let her hands go. “Don’t forget that.”
She stared down at him, her face serious. “Did you really think I didn’t?”
“No.” Maybe.
Her hands came to his face, fingers scratching over the hair he’d let grow since coming to Shadow Pine. “I’ve never liked a man before.”
“I thought you said you liked Craig.”
Her head dipped to one side. “You know what I mean.” Alex’s fingers trailed down his neck to the buttons of his shirt, working them free one at a time. “Stop being difficult.”
“If I stop being difficult will you stop being difficult?”
Her lips lifted in a soft smile. “I’m never difficult.” She spread his shirt wide open, her hands tracing over his skin as she did. “I’m the most agreeable person you’ll ever meet.”
He laughed, the tension from the last few minutes easing away. “I’ll remind you of that the next time you give me hell.”
“I bet you don’t.” She leaned forward, her lips meeting the skin of his stomach. The brush of her hands moved lower, working open his pants. One pushed inside, wrapping around his dick and fisting it tight.
“Come here, Al.” He reached for her, wanting to pull her close, stretch her long body under his and lose himself in her.
She worked his dick free of his pants and her lips immediately closed around it. He caught his hips as they tried to thrust forward, seeking more of the wet heat.
“Al.” He tried to grab for her arm. Her shoulder. Something. “Alex—” Her name ended on a groan as she worked her way down the length of him.
It was the most perfect fucking torture she could inflict on him.
He’d acted out. Done exactly what she accused him of. Put words in her mouth out of fear and insecurity.
“No.” Edward grabbed her, sliding his straining cock free of her sweet mouth. “Not tonight.” He pulled her up to him, rolling her body under his. “I’m sorry, Al. I’ll do better.”
She smiled, the expression soft and sweet. A glimpse of the woman she kept hidden.
Protected.
“Me too.” She leaned up, arms snaking around his neck as she pulled his lips to hers.
He wanted to be sweet to her. To show her he could be that too.
But something had changed between them. Something had taken where they were and moved it someplace else.
Someplace new.
Someplace that felt a little desperate.
A little needy.
Alex grabbed at his shirt where it still hung on his arms, yanking at it until she managed to get it off from the tangle of his wrists. Then she went after his pants.
He pulled at her clothes with the same single-mindedness.
Naked. Her body against his.
His body in hers.
The soft slide of her bare legs as they parted sent him scrambling for the drawer, fumbling with the condom in his haste to be the only place he could ever imagine wanting to be again.
Alex’s fingers dug into his skin, yanked at his hair, her limbs tangling with his as he slid the head of his sheathed dick along her slit. He eased into her, working himself into place before pulling back and fully seating.
He reached between them, thumb finding her clit as his hips fought to go faster, to sink into her over and over until he couldn’t stand it anymore.
She arched under him, meeting him move for move, making it impossible to keep the focus that he needed to have.
He gritted his teeth, steeling himself against the sounds coming from her lips, the grind of her body against his. He leaned forward, finding her mouth with his as her thighs started to tighten around him. The clench of her pussy was all it took to send him after her, panting and grunting against her skin.
He pressed kisses to her neck. To her face. “I’m sorry, Al.”
She batted at his face. “You already apologized.”
“I want to apologize again.” He kissed her again.
“Fine.” Alex’s blue eyes came to his, cool and clear. “But don’t try to run away from me again, Edward. I will find you and I will catch you.”
****
“YOU LOOK A little rough this morning.”
Jeffrey pressed one hand to his head. “Don’t talk so loud.” He turned and shuffled away from the open door to the fifth wheel.
Edward climbed the steps into the camper. Kenneth sat in his recliner, reading the paper. “That’s what you get for drinking two bottles of wine last night.”
“I didn’t drink two bottles.” Jeffrey stood at the counter, his eyes fixed on the maker trickling out a line of fresh-brewed coffee. “I drank one. Charlie drank the other one.”
“Good thing I was there to get the paper delivery this morning then.” Kenneth continued to scan the newsprint. “Luckily Gail and Sam let me into the shop so I could take them inside.”
“Why were you at the shop at five in the morning?”
Kenneth looked Edward’s way. “Taking my morning walk.” His attention went back to his paper. “It’s a lot different here then it is in Nevada City.”
“I bet.” Edward eyed Jeffrey. “Should I go check on Charlie?”
Kenneth shook out the paper, folding it back together as he stood up. “She’s fine. Already at the shop moving around books and booze.” He glanced at his watch. “I told her I’d be back to help in an hour.” He eyed Jeffrey. “How are you feeling?”
“Like death.” Jeffrey poured some coffee into a mug and sipped at it before gagging. “God.” He turned and shuffled back toward the elevated bedroom. “I’m going back to sleep.”
“I’ll come check on you at lunch. Call me if you need anything.” Kenneth shook his head as Jeffrey disappeared. “He’s going to have to pace himself or these girls will kill him.”
“I don’t think they drink that much.” Edward followed Kenneth outside.
“I’m not talking about the drinking. He sees a whole town of fatherless daughters and wants to be everything they never had.”
“Aren’t you on your way to help one of them move an entire shop around?”
Kenneth smiled. “That’s different.”
“Pretty sure it’s not.”
“I know my limits.” Kenneth’s smile held.
It was going to suck to have to put a damper on his father’s good mood. “Keep in mind that they’re not used to this.”
Kenneth glanced Edward’s way, his smile disappearing immediately. “I read some articles.” He looked from side to side before turning back to Edward. “Is it true?”
“Unfortunately.” Edward slowed as his dad’s pace stalled.
“What the fuck?”
Edward almost stumbled back. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that word before.”
“Well sometimes it’s the only one that works.” Kenneth shook his head. “It’s a good thing their father is dead or Jeffrey would end up hiking through the woods with a stick, ready to beat him to death.”
“He’s not dead.”
Kenneth’s head snapped Edward’s way. “What? The news stories I found said he died in a fire.”
“It’s a long story, but based on what I know he did not die in that fire.”
Kenneth’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know where he is?”
Edward shook his head. Telling his dad about the attempted kidnapping would only worry him. “No.”
“Shit.”
“Yup.”
Kenneth started walking again. “Don’t tell your dad. He cried for an entire day when we found out what happened to those girls. There’s no telling what he’d do.”
They turned the corner toward the store. Gail stood outside, chatting with Spirit and Charlie, who looked perfectly fine after her night with Jeffrey.
“That Gail’s something else, isn’t she?” Kenneth waved as Gail’s attention came their way.
“She is.”
&nb
sp; Sam came out of the bakery. It was still a half hour before opening time but a line had already started outside the door. Sam smiled as she walked past the visitors waiting to snap up the pancake balls she and Gail made by the dozens. Her smile was soft and real as it landed on Gail.
“I think she has a soft spot for Sam.” Kenneth’s eyes crinkled at the sides as he watched Sam and Gail head back to the bakery.
“Kenneth!” Charlie ran toward them. “You came back.”
“Of course I came back.” Kenneth rocked back on his heels. “It’s either be here or listen to Jeffrey whine about being hungover.”
Charlie winced. “I didn’t realize how much wine it took to get a hangover.”
“That depends on your age.” Kenneth grinned. “Us old people can’t hang with you kids like we think we can.”
Charlie smiled. “I’ll remember that if he wants to watch another movie.”
“Oh, I guarantee you he’s going to want to watch another movie. He’ll be knocking on your door as soon as his head stops screaming at him.”
Charlie’s smile widened. “Okay.”
Kenneth motioned toward the door to the shop. “Ready to work?”
“Yeah.” Charlie’s eyes stayed on Kenneth as they walked to the shop. “Maybe you can come watch a movie sometime too.”
Kenneth’s face softened. “I think that sounds great.”
Edward turned to go back to Alex’s office, but stopped at the sight of her standing not far behind him. Her gaze lingered on the spot where Charlie and Kenneth just occupied.
“What’s wrong, Al?” He reached out to tip under her chin. “You’re thinking awfully hard about something.”
She shook her head a little as her eyes dropped. “I’m glad Charlie is getting along with your dads.”
“Me too.” He watched her, waiting to hear the rest. Hoping she would give it to him.
“It just surprises me a little bit.” Alex fingered one of the buttons on his shirt.
“Why?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know.”
“It surprises me a little bit too.”
Her blue eyes jumped to his. “Really?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“Your father was terrible. I would have thought it might be more difficult to adjust to the idea that there are some dads who are different.”
Alex’s shoulders relaxed. “Yes. Exactly.” She let out a sigh. “I just don’t see how she can just jump in like that.”
“It’s all about risk versus reward, Al. For Charlie, the reward outweighs the risk.” He reached out to smooth down a flyaway bit of her hair. “She and my dad did the same with the wine. He came out of that one way worse than Charlie did.”
Alex waved one hand between them. “Alcohol doesn’t really bother us.”
“Alcohol doesn’t bother you?”
Alex stilled, she blinked a few times, her lips pursed. “I just meant we don’t drink enough for it to bother us.”
“Charlie drank a bottle of wine last night. How much does it take to bother you?”
“More than that?” Alex turned away and pulled out of his arms. “Come on. We’ve got shit to do.”
NINETEEN
“HOLY SHIT THIS is a lot of stuff.” Alex stood in the center of Charlie’s shop, the newly-delivered boxes of shirts, mugs, and various other items stacked around her. She pressed one finger to each temple.
“One step at a time, Al.” Edward handed her a pair of scissors. “Pick one and open it.”
She opened the blades and looked down at the box closest to her feet. “If these aren’t cute I’m going to kill you.”
“You helped design them, Al.” Edward crouched down to peer at one of the other boxes. “If you don’t like them it’s as much your fault as it is mine.”
He was right.
Edward was usually right.
She would never, ever tell him that.
“Hurry up.” Sam stepped in closer. “I need to get back to work.”
Alex shifted on her feet.
They were just t-shirts. It shouldn’t be a big deal.
But it felt big. More important than t-shirts should be.
Alex leaned down and ran one sharp side of the scissors along the packing tape holding the box together. She sliced up each end, being careful not to dig deep enough to reach what was inside. Her heart raced as she lifted the flaps.
“Oh, honey.” Gail rested one hand over her heart. “Those are perfect.”
Alex pulled out one of the plastic-wrapped t-shirts. A lime-green M sticker stuck to the outside indicated the size. She ripped the plastic open and pulled out the dark green shirt, turning to Sam as she shook it out. She handed the first shirt over to her sister.
Sam’s eyes moved over the pine tree background of the design. She took the shirt, pulling it against her chest. “Thanks.” Her eyes went to the ground as she turned and left the shop.
“Got any extra-larges for us fluffy gals?” Gail moved in at her side.
“We have all sizes.” Alex dug around and pulled out an XL, passing it to Gail.
Gail took the shirt then immediately pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so proud of you girls.” Kari’s mom squeezed her long and hard. When she pulled away, Gail wiped at her eyes. “I’m off to help Sam wrangle these customers.”
Charlie moved in to help pull out the rest of the shirts in the box. She passed them to Kenneth, who separated them by size and style. Edward kept track, making sure the shipment was complete. Two hours later they were through everything that was delivered and Kenneth, Spirit, and Charlie were working on putting everything in its designated displays.
Edward came in at her side. “I just got an email that the bags and boxes for the bakery will be here tomorrow.”
Alex rested one hand on her head. “Okay.”
“One step at a time, Al.” He rested both hands on her shoulders. “That’s how we do this.”
“Once the boxes come in does that mean we’re ready for the site to go live?”
“What does one step at a time mean to you?” Edward leaned into her ear as his hands worked the tension building in her neck. “Just focus on what we do next.”
“What do we do next?” There were so many things happening so quickly she was losing track of them all. Even with the list she and Edward kept updated, it seemed like it was a free-for-all.
“My dads and JD are setting up the temporary seating this afternoon.” Edward carried their shirts as he led her toward the door. “You and I are going to make sure all this month’s invoices have been handled, and then we’re going to organize all the new expenses we have to track into a spreadsheet.”
“I love spreadsheets.” She let out a little breath.
“I know.” Edward slid her hand into his. “Then we’re going to finish up early and go out to dinner.”
“What?” Alex stared up at him. “We have too much to do.”
“Don’t care.” He pulled her along toward their office. “You need a minute away from Shadow Pine.”
“I love Shadow Pine.”
“So do I.” He gave her a smile. “I love everything about Shadow Pine.” He lifted his brows. “But I need a break from it too.”
“Really?” Shadow Pine was her whole life. It was the first thing she thought about when she got up and the last thing she thought about when she went to bed at night. It was what took care of them.
Of Jude.
Without it, they had nothing.
Taking a night to herself felt like she was betraying all of them.
Letting them down.
“Listen.” Edward glanced behind them. “I might have made promises that involved forcing you to take a break.”
Alex stood a little straighter. “To who?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
Alex narrowed her eyes at him. “You can do anything you want. You’re a grown man.”
“If you knew who made me do it you woul
d realize that’s not true.” He gave her a wink. “I promise it’ll be fun.”
“Where are we going to eat?” If she was going to have to give up an entire afternoon of getting ahead, then it damn-well better include good food.
“There’s an Italian place about an hour away.” Edward wiggled his brows at her. “It’s right next to a HomeGoods.”
“You want to take me shopping too?”
“Define want.”
She tried not to laugh at him when he was being like this. She really, really did.
But he made it difficult. “What is it you think I would want to shop for?”
“Definitely some more towels.” Edward opened the door to the office and waited while she walked in. “Maybe another blanket for the couch since you hog the one we have.”
“We? The one we have?” She’d watched Craig move in with Danny almost immediately and wondered how in the hell something like that could happen.
Now she knew.
These men were like stealthy squatters. They wormed their way into your bed and then spread from there.
Before you knew it they needed their own towel.
“Shouldn’t you be the one to buy all these things since they’re for you?”
“I feel like I said I was taking you shopping. Doesn’t that insinuate I’m the one footing the bill?”
Alex turned to look him up and down. “No. Why would that make me think you were paying?”
Edward’s expression changed, turning from light and easy to something a little darker. “Well that’s what it means. I’m taking you to the grocery store too.”
“You want to buy me groceries?”
“No. I want to buy us groceries.” Edward followed her to the desk and sat in the deep green armchair he’d claimed as his own. “And I want to buy us a bigger desk.” He shifted around, trying to work his long legs into the limited space.
“Do we really need another desk in here?” She focused on the computer in front of her. “What happens when you go back to Virginia? Then I’m stuck with two damn desks in my office.”
Edward was silent beside her. She refused to look his way, instead gluing her eyes to the spreadsheet she was working on.
“Al.”
She ignored him.
It was easier than being forced to face him and the upset settling in her gut.
Alex (BIG Northwest Book 2) Page 18