by Frank, Ella
“Gallagher… Don’t know the name.”
“Nah, you wouldn’t. You weren’t around when they arrived. Justin’s tight with the son. Has been since his senior year. He’s the local mechanic now, Jameson.”
Ryan pulled into an empty spot around the back of the place, and the two of us climbed out and headed for the front entrance. It was busy tonight, which wasn’t surprising, since it was Saturday and this was the only bar in town, and when we walked inside and the live music and chatter met my ears, I began to second-guess my decision in coming.
Trying to think up a reason to beg off, I scanned the low-lit interior that was jam-packed with people. Ryan began to make his way through the crowd, who all greeted him with a friendly wave and smile, and when their attention shifted to me, those expressions changed to curiosity and, yep, judgment.
It was clear that just because I was a Chamberlin, that didn’t mean I wasn’t a stranger in town. These people didn’t know me. They might know of me, which was never a good thing. But I was still being treated to the warm welcome of a newbie in a town where everyone knew everyone.
When we reached the bar, Ryan snagged us two stools and gestured to the bartender while I looked around. Over in one corner the band was playing a U2 song, while the people in the booths laughed and sang along. The high-top tables scattered around the main floor were taken up by people drinking and talking amongst each other in a way that said this was a weekly thing, a social thing, and as I took in the sea of denim, flannel, and work boots, I understood what Ryan was getting at earlier—I stood out like a sore fucking thumb.
“Heya, Ryan, what’ll it be tonight?”
I turned back in time to see that a tall older man had stopped in front of us. He had salt-and-pepper hair, tanned, leathery skin, and laugh lines around his eyes—courtesy, no doubt, of the friendly smile on his face.
“Same as usual for me, and…” Ryan looked my way.
“A whiskey neat for me. Thanks.”
“So you’re the long-lost brother, huh? I heard you were back in town.” The man wiped a hand on his jeans and held it out to me.
I nodded and shook it. “That’d be me. I’m Noah.”
“Yeah, that’s what Justin called you…among other things.”
Ryan laughed as the man turned to the back counter to grab the bottle of whiskey.
“Let me guess, Justin’s been in here running his mouth,” I said.
“And so what if I have?”
I almost groaned at the sound of Justin’s voice, and in that moment I wished like hell the floor would open up and swallow me whole. The last thing I needed was a go-around with my youngest brother. I was supposed to be doing things that made me happy tonight, and again, “anywhere but here” looked like it would’ve been a better option.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Justin with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. I was starting to think that was his permanent expression. Or maybe it was just reserved for me.
“You had to bring him here tonight?” he said, looking at Ryan.
“Knock it off, Justin. We’re just getting a drink.”
“Yeah, well, if you don’t mind, I’d rather do it without my warden standing guard.”
“Jesus, you don’t let up, do you?” I shook my head and looked at Ryan. “I’m just gonna go. It’s been a long week, and I’m not in the mood for this.”
“You forgetting you don’t have a car?”
“No, but it’s not too far to the B&B. A walk would be good about now.” I got off the stool and turned to face Justin. “You might want to think about having that chip removed from your shoulder. A year of carrying it around is going to be pretty fucking tiring.”
I brushed by Justin’s shoulder a little harder than necessary, and when I was several steps away, I heard Ryan say something and looked back in time to see him whack our idiot brother over the back of the head.
Justin shoved him in the arm, and then they laughed, and as I headed out the door, I couldn’t help but think back to Sergio’s comment on how a year would fly by.
Somehow, I seriously fucking doubted it.
14
Laurel
“DO YOU WANT sweet or sour? And are we aiming for flirty and tipsy or fall-on-your-face drunk?” Willa sized me up from the bar across the room and winked. “I think flirty.”
I shifted on the antique wingback chair I’d parked myself in minutes ago and feigned great interest in a piece of nonexistent lint on my skirt. “Why would you think flirty?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Willa grabbed two cocktail glasses and placed them on the counter. “Your high school sweetheart’s back in town. He’s your new boss. You’ve both been working very closely this week, and your hair and makeup look like you’ve touched it up every hour on the hour.”
I reached up to finger the curl brushing my chin. “You’re crazy. I look like I always do.”
“Of course you do. Just a little more…polished than usual.”
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
Willa laughed as she reached for the Kahlua. “Definitely a compliment. You look like you just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine.”
I had to admit, this particular dress was one of my favorites and always made me feel confident as a professional woman. Its three-quarter sleeves and boatneck cut were both classy and sophisticated, and the navy color did wonders for my complexion.
So maybe I’d been trying a little harder this week. But could anyone blame me? Everything Willa had said was true, except she’d left out the fact that Noah was now a devastatingly attractive man. One who had the ability to make my pulse race and my brain short-circuit the second he stepped into a room.
At first, I’d thought maybe it was just nerves, that being around him again made me anxious because it made me confront memories I’d locked away long ago. It also made me feel guilty as hell whenever I thought about Jake. But it was becoming increasingly obvious with every passing hour Noah was near that my reaction was much more powerful than a slight case of nerves or guilt. And God help me, it was getting harder and harder not to give in to my curiosity and see if that wicked mouth was as dangerous as I suspected.
“Laurel?”
“Huh?”
Willa chuckled. “I asked you what it’s like being back around him again.”
“It’s…” As I searched for the right word, Willa crossed the room and handed me my cocktail, a Screaming Orgasm.
Yeah, I sure could do with one of those about now.
“It’s what?” she asked.
The icy glass was cool under my fingers, and I had a sudden urge to bring it up to my cheek. “Confusing.”
Willa moved to the matching settee and tucked her legs up under her. “Confusing how?”
I sat back and crossed one leg over the other, then took a sip of my drink. Wowza, she sure hadn’t gone light on the vodka. “Confusing as in, one minute I’m thinking about him as the Noah I knew back in high school, and the next—”
“Yesss?”
I glanced up to see Willa batting her lashes as she sucked the icy drink through her straw.
“And the next I’m wondering what it would be like to have him lay me across my desk and, I don’t know, rip all my clothes off.”
Willa’s eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I know.” I sighed and sat back. “This is so not like me.”
“But it’s amazing. When was the last time you ever felt like this about someone?”
The fact that I couldn’t remember was kind of pathetic. But I’d had a different set of priorities over the last seventeen years, and they all revolved around one guy in particular: Jake.
Sure, I’d dated here and there, but nothing serious. I’d never wanted to confuse or upset the balance at home by bringing strangers into Jake’s life. I’d always made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t disrupt him for my personal relationships unless I saw a future with that person. S
o far, no one had fit the bill.
“Honestly? I don’t know, and that’s what worries me,” I replied.
“Why? You’re single, gorgeous, and deserve to have some fun. Jake’s not going to care if you date someone.”
“Who said anything about dating?”
“Ah, okay. I see what you’re thinking. More like a quick one and done? I mean, who could blame you? The guy is seriously doable.”
“Willa.” I didn’t know why I was so shocked—she wasn’t wrong. But not having anything remotely intelligent to contribute to that, I found myself thinking about the way I’d caught Noah looking at my mouth every now and then this past week, as though he wanted to…devour it.
“What?” Willa said. “He is. And Ryan said he can’t keep his eyes off you.”
I almost choked on my drink. “He did?”
“Mhmm. Said he gets all stupid whenever you walk in a room.” She sat up and leaned across the arm of her chair toward me. “Ryan said he almost fell off the golf cart yesterday trying to look at you when they were heading out to the vines.”
A flash of the two of them leaving the production facility came to mind. I’d been updating the winery’s website out on the back deck, enjoying the sun with my feet propped up on one of the benches.
“I…uh, don’t remember that.”
“Sure you don’t.” Willa aimed a conspiratorial grin my way. “Sooo, what are you going to do about it?”
“Shh.” I looked around to make sure none of her guests were in the sitting room with us. Well, one guest in particular.
“Don’t worry. He’s not here.”
“I wasn’t looking.”
“Yes you were, but if you want to stay in denial a little while longer, that’s okay.”
“I’m not in denial.”
Willa held her thumb and index finger a couple inches apart. “Maybe just a little?”
“No. I have eyes.” Noah’s striking face came to mind, and a low heat swirled between my thighs. Quickly, I got to my feet. “I’m aware of how good-looking he is. With that thick black hair and the stubble to match. Not to mention how tall he is now.”
I looked down at Willa, who nodded.
“I swear it feels like he’s grown several inches, but that’s stupid. Maybe it’s just all those muscles and those suits that fit him so well. I don’t know.”
As I paced back and forth, I took another sip of my drink, my mind suddenly filled with images of the man I couldn’t seem to shake.
“He’s smart, too. Knows this business like the back of his hand. And he keeps asking me to go over the blasted menus with him like I suggested, but…” I let out a sigh and turned to face Willa. “The idea of sitting in a dining room with him and having a glass of wine and tasting expensive food makes me…flustered. He makes me flustered.”
“That’s great.”
“No. It’s not great. Every time he walks in a room, my entire body goes into hyperdrive. My heart thumps, my pulse goes crazy, and this delicious ache starts and— God, I think I forgot what it feels like to really want someone. I need it to stop.”
Willa opened her mouth, about to respond, when a familiar, deep voice interrupted her.
“Now why would you ever want that?”
15
Noah
WHEN I’D LEFT Gallagher’s tonight I had one goal in mind: to work out a quick legal way that I could get out of this fucked-up situation that Harry had put us all in. But as I stood in the entryway of Willa’s sitting room staring at Laurel’s curvaceous figure, every thought other than getting closer to her instantly left my mind.
I leaned against the doorframe, knowing there was no way Laurel hadn’t heard me, and when she finally turned and I caught the obvious flush in her cheeks, my suspicions were confirmed.
“Please, don’t stop on my account.” I started toward her as though being drawn like a moth to a flame, and when the tip of her tongue worried her plump lower lip, my body responded as though she’d just flicked it over the head of my cock. “I believe you were discussing wanting someone?”
“Um…” Willa popped up from where she was sitting. But my eyes were firmly locked on Laurel. “I think that maybe I’m going to, you know, go. Unless of course you, um, need something, Noah?”
“I’m good, thanks.” I ran my eyes down Laurel’s chic dress. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”
“Okaaay, then I’m leaving.”
Laurel didn’t say a word to stop Willa, which surprised me. I almost expected her to protest. All week she’d gone out of her way to make sure we were never alone, and if we were, it was only for a handful of minutes each time. But as Willa left the room and the two of us remained, the only movement from Laurel was her fingers, which had tightened around her frosty cocktail glass.
“Did you have a good night?” she finally said, angling her chin up a fraction, revealing the lovely lines of her elegant neck.
“No, actually, I didn’t. But I have a feeling that’s about to change.”
“Oh?”
“Hmm. What are you drinking?”
Laurel took a sip from the straw poking out of the glass, and I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of the thing. Even as a teenager, her mouth had always fascinated me.
No, that was a lie—as a teenager, her mouth had fucking tormented me. With her pouty, bow-shaped lips, it had been a never-ending source of distraction. That clearly hadn’t changed over the years we’d been apart, and I wasn’t about to let her leave tonight until I’d had a taste of them.
“A Screaming Orgasm,” she said, and the smile on that fantasy-inspiring mouth almost brought me to my knees. Fuck, she was gorgeous.
“Felt like one of those tonight, huh?”
“I’ve felt like one of those all week.”
And just like that, I had a sudden flash of Laurel naked and writhing under me as I gave her exactly what she needed to have a screaming fucking orgasm.
“You should’ve told me. Maybe I could’ve helped you out.”
She chuckled, and the sound was husky and sensual, unlike the professional tone she used around me at work. “I don’t think that would end very well.”
“On the contrary—I think it would end very well. In fact, I’d lay bets on it.” I took a step closer. Laurel backed up and her legs hit the edge of the wingback chair, and she fell down into it.
Her breathing was coming a little faster now, and her grip on the glass was so tight that I was surprised it hadn’t shattered. But, not about to let the moment pass me by, I placed a hand on the arm of the chair and leaned down until Laurel’s spine was flush against the back of the seat.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting a little closer, so I can memorize every inch of you for when I’m upstairs in bed tonight. I want to get it just right.”
She sucked in a gasp of air as I trailed my fingers along her jaw to her chin. Then I gripped it gently, held her in place, lowered my head, and ghosted my mouth over the top of hers.
A soft moan left her as she parted her lips for me and pushed up a little from the chair. My cock jerked in response, and I wanted nothing more than to drag her to the floor and take her on the plush rug beneath my feet. But I’d be damned if I rushed this.
Instead, I nipped at her lush lip and then raised my head.
“This mouth of yours has haunted me. The way it feels, the way it tastes.” I speared my fingers into her hair and held her in place. “And I’m not leaving here tonight until I know both those things again.”
When she slowly slicked her tongue over her lips, my erection got impossibly harder, then I took her mouth the way I’d wanted to from the moment I saw her again.
Hot, fiery, and full of pent-up lust, the kiss was like a lit match thrown inside of a can of gasoline. Flames heated my skin as I slid my tongue into her mouth for a deeper taste, and when Laurel’s tongue tangled with mine, I knew this was just the beginning.
I sucked, bit, and licked at her
lips until she moaned in a way that made my balls tighten. She was too fucking sweet, and too damn sexy. A combination of the woman I now knew and the girl I remembered. Add in the way she was arching up into me like she wanted to crawl up my body and never leave, and I knew if I didn’t stop now, this would all be over before I could blink.
I reluctantly released her and pushed her back in the chair, and when she looked at me, her eyes were full of desire and confusion. I circled one of her knees with my fingers. “I like these.”
I traced my fingertip up the sheer stocking covering her thigh. When I reached the hem of her dress, I grinned at her. “I wonder what other secrets you have on under here?”
Laurel swallowed as I flirted with the tight hemline, but at the last moment, I removed my hand and straightened.
“Maybe one day you’ll let me find out. For now, enjoy your Screaming Orgasm. I think I’m gonna go and enjoy one of my own. Good night, Laurel.”
16
Laurel
THE SUN WAS not welcome the following morning, as it slipped through the billowy curtains of Willa’s Jane Austen suite and woke me from the thirty minutes I’d finally managed to catch in dreamland.
Sleep had eluded me last night, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to work out why. After Noah had wound me up and then left me high and dry, there was no way I was getting any kind of sleep—and he knew it.
I’d tossed and turned all night, imagining him one floor up, stretched out in bed, naked and hard and thinking of me. It had taken every ounce of willpower I possessed to stay tucked safely away behind my locked door like one of those good girls from an Austen novel.
But it was for my own good. I knew what it was like to fall under Noah’s spell, and I could only imagine how much more potent it would be now that he’d had all these years to perfect it.
Hell, ten minutes in close proximity with him and he’d sparked something inside me that had left me aching and wanting in ways I hadn’t felt…ever. I’d tried to push it aside and talk myself into believing that my response had been due to my lack of love life. But the insistent throb between my thighs, even this morning, was a glaring reminder that not just any man could elicit this reaction—it was Noah.