Page 40 of Small Town Frenzy
I’m not a romantic, but he makes me want to believe in the notion again. “Doesn’t matter what I said earlier. I want to see you again, as much as I can.”
When he cups my cheek, I lean into it, briefly closing my eyes and just feeling the joy he brings me. Is it so wrong to want one night without complications? One night when hesees me for who I am just like he did four years ago. My own person again. Not as my father’s daughter or someone’s mother, though the latter is a role I’ll never take for granted. But as a woman with her own needs and wants, goals, and ambitions.
He’s wearing his heart on his sleeve for me, so I can do the same for him. For one night, we can just be together. But I also know that I can’t control this situation forever. I need to tell him before he finds out. Because if that happens, I could lose my son.
CHAPTER 17
Cricket
“Right there,”I say, holding my palms up. “Perfect.” The desks are angled toward the window to maximize the view. I slide my chair under but stand to admire the new office. With Griffin coming around to stand next to me, I slip my arm around him. I do it partly because I can. And the rest because I want to. I’m already struggling to keep my hands off him. Maybe I’m more of a romantic than I could admit before.
He doesn’t flinch or step out of my reach, doesn’t seem to mind at all, as if this is normal, everyday behavior for us, rather than something new and shiny. He slips his arm around me and leans against the desk, getting us closer to eye level, though I’d still need to gain another few inches for that to happen.
Holding me by the hips, he pulls me between his legs, then cups my face. “Your cousin,” he whispers with his eyes fixated on my lips, “went to get drinks for us.”
“That gives us a good ten minutes alone,” I say, insinuatingso much as I drag my hand up his neck and dive my fingers into the hair on the back of his head.
“Best make the most of it.” He lifts my glasses to the top of my head and kisses me, caressing my face and holding me to him. Our lips part, and his tongue finds mine in a swift and sweeping motion before they tangle together. His breathing picks up, and when I lean against him, my stomach to his middle, I can feel how quickly things have escalated.
My body becomes a traitor to the impulses of being with him again, the memory long faded and needing a new one to replace it. Lifting myself on my tiptoes, I brazenly rub my body against him and kiss him deeper while holding him tighter. I moan into his mouth. He swallows it down, as his hands lay claim to the small of my back.
I want to lose track of time, but it’s hard to forget where I am. I pull back. Through heavy breaths, I ask, “Will I get to see you tonight?”
“I like this side of you.”
“What side is that?”
“Your spontaneous side.” His grin gives me the answer I want, but then he asks, “What time should I pick you up?” I feel more beautiful under his gaze as his eyes graze over my features like he’s going to be quizzed on them later. He even lingers over each part of me like he’s right-clicking and saving them to memory. Licking his lips, he leans back just enough to get a better view of me. “Or we could take off when we’re done here?”
Running my hand over his cheek, I stop to admire his tanned face. As a baseball player, he practically lived outdoors. That’s been a while, though this week was mostly sunny. I met him in Costa Rica, but I wonder if he was always traveling to warm-weather destinations. Tapping thetips of my fingers across his chin, I move to just barely touch his bottom lip before kissing him again.
“I can meet you out tonight and save you the trouble.”
“You’re no trouble.”
“It’s okay.” I calculated the math to see how much time I’ll need before leaving again. I need a shower, though I won’t have to wash my hair. I want to spend time with Jacob, catching up on his day and making his dinner. It might be best to go later once he’s in bed. He won’t be upset, and I won’t need to worry about the two of them crossing paths just yet.
He says, “How about you text me later. Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”
“That sounds like a good plan.”
Stroking my hair back on one side, he’s still smiling like it’s become a permanent installation. “How did I never hear about you before? No way news of someone this pretty wouldn’t have crossed county lines.” Still standing taller in front of him, he kisses me.
I rub my hand around the back of his neck to bring him closer and go deeper, my body urging me to rock against him again. I resist, needing to control myself just a little since I’m still at work.
“Honey, you didn’t greet us like you?—”
I push off Griffin; my glasses fall to the bridge of my nose, and my eyes dart toward the door to see my mother and brother standing there staring. I push the frames in place and swipe the back of my hand over my lips. The shock of seeing them, of them catching us, makes my heart thunder in my chest. I’m lost for words, and don’t dare look at the man I step in front of as if my body can hide the evidence, mainly him.
Their gazes establish the disapproval I knew they’d feelwhen they glare at him over the top of my head. Yeah, pretty sure they see him. Throwing my arms wide, I cross the room. “I wasn’t expecting you today.” I hug my mom tight, but her arms are too languid to make me feel any love in return.
“You were on the itinerary,” she says. I step back, looking her in the eyes with a nervous smile on my face. “I expected you to be waiting out front.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m your mother. Or have you already forgotten . . .” The way her words trail off gives me no reprieve. I know she’s distracted by the man behind me who I’m still pretending is invisible, while my mind rolls through fifty scenarios of how to explain what they just walked in on.
I go to my brother and hug him, only to get a strong pat on the back from him with a loud chuckle. “It’s been so long, Will. How was the flight?” When I shift to the side, he flips his finger out, pointing in Griffin’s direction. “You do know we can see him, right, Buggy?”
