Levi ran inside and got Hank, the Caboose owner, to come help him push the scooter into the back of his SUV. They got it loaded up—it fit, but only just—and I thanked him. Skylar stood off to the side, looking adorably nervous.
A woman pushing a stroller down the sidewalk slowed as she passed. I glanced at her, but looked away. It was Annika Haven, and I was highly conditioned to ignore her, and any other female Haven. I liked a challenge, and okay, sometimes I set my sights on a girl mostly because I couldn’t have her—case in point, every teacher I’d ever crushed on. But going against the feud? That was different. Even I didn’t like danger that much.
Besides, Annika had a kid. That was way too much adulting for me.
I caught Levi watching her. Not that I blamed him. Even though she was a Haven, Annika was hot.
I was loyal, not blind.
But I was still going to give him shit about staring at her. I was the youngest. Giving my big brothers shit was my place in the world.
I leaned close and lowered my voice. “Bro, I know she’s a total MILF, but you should probably stop eye fucking her out in the open.”
He whipped around to face me, rage burning hot in his eyes. It occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t push him too hard, considering I couldn’t fight back if he decided to tackle me.
“Shut your mouth, Gav.” The warning in his tone was unmistakable.
I liked giving him shit, but not too much shit. After all, he had come down here to help me out.
“Just messing with you.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks again for coming. I’m pretty sure Skylar is strong enough to push the scooter back to the store, but that would have been hard on my ego.” I winked at her.
“Whatever. You owe me.”
“I totally do.”
Levi drove us over to Nature’s Basket. The manager, Ed Michaelson, came out and helped us get it out of the SUV. He’d gotten my note.
He rolled his eyes at me, but I was pretty sure we were cool.
After Levi left, I gave Skylar a ride back to the Steaming Mug where she’d left her car. I probably could have just let her out and gone home, but it was hard to tear myself away from her. So I got out and walked with her to where she’d parked, about a block from the coffee shop.
“Thanks for hanging out with me today,” I said.
“You’re welcome. Thanks for the tour.”
“Anytime.”
She smiled back and for a second, I got caught in her dark eyes.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
That no I was holding onto really wanted to switch sides and become a yes.
Go for it, Gav. Chase her. See if you can catch this one. It’ll be fun.
It would be fun.
My eyes dropped to her mouth. I bet kissing her would feel amazing. And the way she was looking at me, with her chin tilted up, she’d probably let me.
But I couldn’t ignore the buzzing in the back of my brain, telling me to back off. It was like standing at the top of the slope looking down at the wildfire, and knowing it was going to turn.
So I pulled my gaze from her lips, tempting as they were.
“Have a good night,” I said. “I’ll text you?”
“Yeah. That would be great.”
Walking away from her was harder than it should have been. If she’d been any other girl, I wouldn’t have left her there. I’d have gone for it.
But she was Skylar Stanley, so that wasn’t going to happen.
11
Skylar
My fingers rested on the keyboard, unmoving. I traced the familiar ridges on the F and J keys with the tips of my index fingers while I gazed out the window.
Lips. Full, soft lips. What would it be like to be kissed by those lips? Would he be rough, or gentle? Or maybe a delicious mix of both?
What would it feel like to be kissed by someone who really wanted to kiss me?
Sucking in a quick breath, I blinked at the screen. I’d written those words. God, what was wrong with me? I quickly backspaced to get rid of the errant sentence. I was supposed to be writing about a serial killer, not a woman pondering the nature of a man’s kiss.
But after hanging out with Gavin yesterday, I was having a hard time thinking about anything else.
My mind kept drifting to the way he’d looked at my mouth when we were saying goodbye. That subtle dip of his attention had sent a cascade of tingles across my skin. Just thinking about it now gave me a twinge of pressure between my legs. And it wasn’t the embarrassing hypersensitivity-induced arousal that tended to hit me at inopportune times. This was different.
Had he been thinking about kissing me? What would I have done if he had? If his mouth had followed his gaze and dropped to connect with mine. Would I have kissed him back?
I would have. Eagerly. And I didn’t know how to feel about that.
Wanting to be kissed by a guy I barely knew was not normal Skylar behavior. I was firmly a take-it-slow and play-it-safe kind of person. I didn’t open up to people easily, emotionally or physically. When I’d first started dating Cullen, I’d thought he was a good fit for me primarily because he was so patient. He hadn’t pressured me to get physical with him right away. It had felt as if he were giving me time and space to get to know him first—time that I’d needed.
But how well had I really known him? It was clear now that I hadn’t known him at all.
And here I was, daydreaming about kissing Gavin Bailey, a man I’d practically just met.
Stranger still, I wasn’t just daydreaming about kissing him. I’d spent my morning daydreaming about doing a lot of things with Gavin, and kissing was merely the beginning.
That wasn’t normal Skylar behavior either.
The desk Dad had set up for me in my bedroom looked out over the front yard. His house was on a quiet side street, not far from downtown Tilikum—and the firehouse, of course. This was a nice spot for writing. Peaceful. Not too many distractions, although the neighbor’s little dog chasing the squirrels that ran across the fence was amusing.
Chasing. Running up the stairs with Gavin at my heels, his hands playfully grabbing for me. He slams the bedroom door behind us and immediately rips off my clothes—and his. Our mouths tangle as we fall onto the bed. His muscles flex as he crawls on top of me and—
A knock at the front door jolted me back to reality. I blew out a breath and picked up a notebook to quickly fan my face.
I went down the stairs with a little thrill of anticipation making my tummy flutter. I wasn’t expecting Gavin, but what if he’d decided to drop by? That thought made me both excited and nervous.
Before I could get myself too worked up, I answered the door. It wasn’t Gavin, but the little flare of disappointment was immediately tamped down by the smiling face on Dad’s doorstep. Ginny.
She threw her arms around me and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Oh my god, I missed you so much.”
I hugged her back. “I missed you too.”
After a squeeze, she let go. Her brown hair was in a cute bun and she wore a light blue trench coat. “Are you okay? You seem surprised to see me.”
“I was just… doing a little writing and I guess I lost track of where I was. I forgot you were getting into town today.” I stepped aside and gestured for her to come in.
“You were writing?” She came in and I shut the door behind her. “Is that good news, or are you just going to delete it later?”
“I guess writing might be an exaggeration. I was staring out the window a lot.” And fantasizing about getting naked with a firefighter. I led her back to the kitchen. “Do you want some tea?”
“Tea sounds great.” She took her coat off and hung it on the back of a chair, then sat.
I eyed the plastic container of cookies Gavin had left. “Cookie?”
“Yum. Yes, please.”
I put the tea kettle on and got us each a cookie on a little plate.
“Did you make these?”
“No. Um, remember Gavin B
ailey, the guy I hit with my car?”
“The hot firefighter?”
I glanced away. “Yes, well, he made them.”
“He brought you cookies?”
“Yes.”
“Let me get this straight. You run over a hot firefighter and then he bakes you cookies?” She broke off a piece of cookie and popped it in her mouth. “Oh my god, that’s good.”
“I didn’t run him over.”
“I know. I’m being mildly dramatic like you were when you told me about your little accident. How is he, by the way?”
Distractingly sexy. “His leg is broken, so obviously that’s impacting his life. He’s on leave until he’s out of his cast. The crutches are uncomfortable, but his leg itself isn’t bothering him too much.”
She raised her eyebrows. “That was a very detailed answer.”
“Was it?”
“I thought you’d just say he’s fine or something.” She broke off another bite of cookie. “So he brought you cookies, and…”
“And, nothing. Well, we hung out a little bit yesterday. He was just showing me around town.”
“Skylar Stanley, you went on a date with him and you didn’t tell me?”
“No, no, no. It wasn’t a date. I’m not dating.”
“Why not?”
I blinked at her. “Is that a serious question? I’m fresh off a very shitty breakup and let’s not talk about my career. I’m not exactly in a good place right now.”
“Did he know it wasn’t a date?”
“Of course he knew. He specifically said he wants to be friends.”
“Hmm.”
“Trust me. There’s nothing going on with me and Gavin. How was the drive out here?”
“I hear you changing the subject, but I’ll allow it. The drive was fine. Beautiful, actually.”
“How long do you think you’ll be in town?”
“A few weeks at least, but my schedule is pretty open, so I’m flexible. How’s your mom?”
“She’s fine, although she’s been weirdly busy lately. Seems distracted when we talk on the phone.” The tea kettle whistled and just as I got up, someone knocked on the front door.
“I’ll do that, you go get the door,” Ginny said.
“Thanks.”
I left her to make the tea and answered the door. As soon as I opened it, my stomach did a belly flop. It was Gavin.
“Hey, Sky.”
The sight of him hit me like a lightning strike. “Hey. Come in.”
He grinned at me, dimples and all. “Thanks.”
His gait was a rhythmic click, thud, click, thud. Crutches, shoe, crutches, shoe. Every step made my heart flutter in my chest.
Ginny put the mugs of tea on the table, her eyebrows raised.
“Oh sorry,” Gavin said. “I didn’t realize you had someone over. I’m Gavin Bailey.”
“Ginny Vandervelden.”
“I can come back later if you—”
“No,” Ginny said brightly, cutting him off. “You’re fine. Come on in.”
He grinned at her and a strange sense of panic flared in my chest. Not only was Ginny beautiful, she was outgoing and friendly in ways I was not. She was also available in ways I wasn’t—single, and more importantly, open to dating. What if Gavin liked her? Not just liked her, but liked her.
Why was that thought so awful? Gavin and I were just friends. And barely that, we’d practically just met.
He leaned his crutches against the wall, then hopped to the table on his good leg and pulled out a chair. His arms flexed as he lowered himself into it. “Did you just get into town?”
Ginny took her seat. “I did. It’s cute. I can’t wait to explore.”
I braced myself for Gavin to offer to show her the town, like he’d done for me. Which was fine. Wasn’t it? Why wouldn’t it be?
Because then you weren’t special.
“It’s not too big, so it’s pretty easy to find your way around,” Gavin said. “But if you need any recommendations, let me know.”
My eyes flicked from Gavin to Ginny. No tour? No offer to be her friend and steal a mobility scooter from the grocery store so he could show her around?
“Thanks,” Ginny said. “I just might take you up on that.”
I realized I was still standing next to the table like a weirdo, not offering him any refreshments even though Ginny and I had ours. “I made tea. Do you want some? Or a cookie? I have a few left.”
“I’ll always say yes to a cookie.”
I got him a cookie out of the container, then took a seat and slid my tea over to my spot. I glanced at him, wishing I could think of something to say. But all I could seem to think about was his mouth and what it would feel like to kiss him.
His gaze moved to my lips, just for a second, but it was enough to make my heart flutter again.
“Sky, how’s the book coming?” he asked. “Are you still blocked?”
Blocked. Distracted by you. Maybe both. “Yeah, still struggling.”
“Man, that’s rough. I’m sure you’ll figure it out, though.”
“Thanks. Do you know when you get to go back to work?”
“When I get the cast off. Hopefully the doctor will put me in one of those boot things. Then I’ll at least be able to walk and I can be on light duty.”
“You must be looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, I am.” His eyes held mine again and for a second, I forgot anyone else was here. “So, I came over to see if you wanted to go for a walk down by the river, but since you’re busy, maybe we could do that another time?”
My gaze flicked to Ginny—she wiggled her eyebrows at me—then back to Gavin. “That sounds great.”
“Okay. I should quit bugging you. You two probably want to hang out.” He got to his feet and leaned on his crutches. “Nice to meet you, Ginny.”
“You too.”
“See you, Sky. I’ll text you.”
He walked down the hallway and I followed so I could open the door for him. He gave me another smile as he walked out the door.
I went back to the kitchen feeling a little dazed.
Ginny’s eyes were huge. “Oh my god. Oh. My. God. You admitted he was hot, but I was not prepared for that.”
“He is, isn’t he?” I sank down onto my chair.
“And he’s super into you.”
“What? No he’s not.”
“Are you blind? Yes, he is.”
“He could just as easily be into you.”
She laughed. “Oh honey. He’s not. Trust me. He wasn’t rude or anything, but you were the only one in the room.”
“I guess.”
“And he calls you Sky? How cute is that? Even the asshole-who-shall-no-longer-be-named didn’t call you Sky.”
I did like it when he called me Sky. It seemed like an obvious nickname, but everyone in my life had always called me Skylar. The way Sky sounded on Gavin’s lips…
His lips on my neck. And his tongue. He licks my skin like I’m dessert and he wants to spoil every meal—
Ginny tilted her head. “Hey, sweetie. You still here?”
I blinked, coming back to myself. “Sorry.”
“More dead bodies appearing in that head of yours?”
“No. I mean, yes.”
“You’re such a liar.”
“I know.”
“He’s hot as sin. There’s nothing wrong with imagining what it would be like to have him put out your fire.”
I laughed. “I wasn’t—”
She cut me off with a look.
“Fine, I was. But I have to get that out of my head.”
“Why?” She put up a hand. “I know, you just got out of a long-term relationship and everybody says rebounds are bad. Just for the record, I disagree with that, as long as you’re not trying to replace an ex with just any warm body. If you happen to meet someone shortly after a breakup, and you have actual chemistry, it doesn’t mean you have to blow them off because you haven’t gone through some ar
bitrary period of mourning.”
“I’m just not sure if I’m ready.”
“That’s fair too. There’s also nothing wrong with having a little fun with a hot firefighter. It doesn’t have to be serious.”
I laughed again. “You’re implying that having a little fun with Gavin is even an option. I have no reason to believe he sees me like that.”
“That’s because you’re in denial.” She took a casual sip of tea.
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s exactly what a person in denial would say.”
“Okay fine, I’ll be honest. I’m attracted to him. And I don’t mean I think he’s nice-looking and a coffee date would be pleasant. I mean every time I’m around him, and even when I’m not, I can’t stop thinking about all the dirty things I want him to do to me.” My cheeks flushed hot. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud. Even to you.”
“You can always admit those things to me. What are best friends for?”
“Yeah. You know me, I embarrass too easily.”
“Skylar. Stop apologizing for being who you are. You’re reserved and you like quiet places and you blush at the mere mention of dick. I love all those things about you.”
“Thanks.” I paused for a moment. “Gavin scares me.”
“I bet he does.” She took a sip of her tea. “Do you want my advice?”
“Absolutely.”
“Don’t stress about it. Just let things unfold and see what happens. Maybe you guys will stay friends. But he also dropped by just to see you, so I still say he’s into you.”
I wrapped my hands around the warm mug. I had a lot of feelings about all this, but maybe Ginny was right. I had enough going on in my life, I didn’t need to stress about how I felt about Gavin Bailey—or how he felt about me.
As for what to do about the increasingly dirty daydreams? That was another story.
12
Gavin
My stomach was so full it was making me sleepy. I stretched out my broken leg, leaned back in my chair, and crossed my arms. The conversation at Gram’s big farmhouse table drifted past me. I was too drowsy to pay close attention to what everyone was talking about.
Rushing In: A Small Town Family Romance Page 9